Of the more than 20 races in the Blood Bowl board game, Cyanide Studio only included eight in the initial PC release, and there were some grievous oversights. Where are the Dark Elves? That’s a question that will be answered next month, as the pointy-eared bastards arrive as part of a free update to the game. Not only will the team, which combines the trademark elven agility with sheer brutality, be available as a free download, some stores will be getting a special Blood Bowl Dark Elves Edition that comes with their evil packed right in. From the official description:

“Dark Elves combine Elven agility with a cruel brutality. They are perfectly at ease playing the ball or crushing skulls with their callous fists. Furthermore, their Witch Elves excel in that field, as long as they don’t get caught up in the euphoria of battle! Dark Elves are masters of deception and can also call upon deadly Assassins to instill fear (and the cold blade of a dagger!) in their adversaries’ heart.”

I don’t know how the game survived without the Dark Elves in the first place. Not sure how the other teams will survive once they’re included.

Visit the official Blood Bowl website for more pics and info on the Dark Elf team.

George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novel are full of swords, sex, cracked family trees and dragons.

Like many a video game, they’re also full of death. Enjoying the adventures of a character them? Assume he or she dies at some point.

Cyanide, makers of Blood Bowl, apparently believe that such material will make for a great game. They’ve announced today that they’ve obtained the rights to make games out of these books for “next-generation consoles and PC” in collaboration with Martin.

“The twists and turns of the plot will allow us to deliver an experience which can be enjoyed by both long-time fans as well as gamers new to the series,” Cyanide’s managing director, Patrick Pilgersdoffer said in a press release.

Development has begun on the project, according to Cyanide.

The first book in the series, A Game of Thrones, was published in 1996. Three more have been published in the as-of-yet unfinished series.

In 2007, HBO announced plans to create a TV series based on the books.

Cyanide’s game would be the first based on the series.

Enough with the teasing! Cyanide and Games Workshop are done showing off individual teams and ready to show off Blood Bowl in all its fury and splendour in this official trailer.

Rounding out a week filled with Blood Bowl team teases, Cyanide finally releases the full trailer for their video game adaptation of the classic Games Workshop fantasy football strategy board game Blood Bowl, and it looks simply glorious. Being able to customise your team and then play through an entire season either in the traditional turn-based strategy mode or in real time really elevates Blood Bowl from niche board game to something everyone can play.

I’d say I have incredibly high hopes for this game, but I don’t want to jinx it, so I’ll just toss out a “meh” to confuse the fates a little bit.

The Blood Bowl battle continues, as Cyanide brings us yet another video for the fantasy football board game adaptation, this time featuring the reptillian Lizardmen and the ratty Skaven.

Rats and lizards, living together, playing football. The giant, tough-as-nails Lizardmen might have the strength advantage, but no one can out-manuever the wily Skaven. Each new trailer makes me a little more excited about this adaptation of the Games Workshop board game classic for the Nintendo DS, PSP, and Xbox 360, but then I realise that the actual game will look nothing like these rendered cinematics and go back to my seat in the bleachers to wait patiently.

Following up yesterday’s clip of the Goblin team in action, today we get to see the forces of humanity square off against the legions of Chaos in Cyanide’s Blood Bowl.

Blood Bowl is the second adaptation of the classic Games Workshop fantasy football board game, pitting the creatures of myth and legend against each other on the gridiron battlefield. Today’s clip shows the forces of Chaos taking on humanity, and despite my own particular species, I’m not all that sure who I am rooting for. All I know is that when you combine football with magic and explosives, everybody wins.

The second video game adaptation of Game’s Workshop classic fantasy football board game Blood Bowl is coming soon, and developer Cyanide slowly introduces us to the game’s teams, starting with the Goblins.

When I say fantasy football, I don’t mean drafting real players to your dream team with the guys at the office. I mean dwarves versus goblins in a bloody fight to the finish. As you can see, the goblins are the kind of team that cares only about winning, no matter how many lives it takes to get the touchdown. My kind of team.

Blood Bowl is coming next quarter for the Nintendo DS, PSP, Xbox Live Arcade, and PC.