Stats:
No. of players: 2
Amount of time to play: 90 min
Age requirements: 12+
Set-up time: 5-10 minutes

DreadBall is a futuristic sports game and now Season 2 is out. This expansion has coaches, cheerleaders, more MVPs and four new teams.

DreadBall Season 2 Description:

Like most of my expansion reviews I am not going to go over all the rules of DreadBall. I assume you have played the game if you are interested in Season 2. If you have not played DreadBall or are looking for a more detailed description of the rules, you can read my overview and review of it here.

Cheerleaders are purchased just like extra players. At the start of the match you place one or two of your cheerleaders (depending on the participating players’ ranks) on the scoring track. There can only be one cheerleader per space. If after you score the score marker is on a space with your cheerleader you get an extra fan check. Then the cheerleader is removed from the scoring track.

You also can purchase a coaching staff. There are three types of assistant coaches available: offensive, defensive and support. Before each rush your assistant coach can call a play. If they call a play that matches their specialty they get an extra die to succeed on the play call. A successful offensive play call allows your team to have three action tokens played on them instead of just two. A successful defensive call gets you a Coaching Die that must be used on your opponent’s next rush. It can only be used to boost Slambacks and Dodges. Doubling the defense call gets you two dice for your opponent’s next rush instead of just one. A support play call that succeeds lets you add a cheerleader to the scoring track and doubling let’s you add two.

There are four new teams introduced in Season 2. The robot team is versatile and though you start with six jacks they can all use an action to change into a guard or striker. There is a team of large, insect-looking aliens that are tough to hurt. The Judwan are a team of all strikers that use their feint action to turn and move their opponents. The last addition is an all-female team that can run interference and slam opponents to stop their actions.

You can also enhance your teams with the nine MVPs or fourteen new skills. There is even a section of the rulebook dedicated to the different ways you can run leagues. The book ends with a section with FAQs, errata and tactics.

Quick Review of DreadBall Season 2:

Season 2 of DreadBall adds a lot to the game. The new teams play differently than those in the base set and coaches and cheerleaders also add some new tactics. The new options all make sense and fit in the DreadBall system.

The components for this game are excellent. The rulebook is beautiful, though I do wish it had an index. The miniatures look good and are easy to put together.

I like Season 2 for the new options it brings without adding a ton of new rules. While none of the new elements drastically change the game, this expansion was designed with experienced coaches in mind.

The assistant coaches are a really nice touch and can really make a difference in a game. And though I don’t have them all I want to try out all the new teams. I am not sure the new teams are balanced. The Judwan seem pretty powerful but I have yet to play with or against them.

If you like DreadBall you should pick up Season 2. It adds lots of fun new tactics and expands the game in a logical manner. There are no major changes in the rules, but Season 2 adds variety and replay value to the DreadBall System.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 3 out of 6
Luck 4 out of 6
Player Interaction 5 out of 6
Replay Value 5 out of 6
Complexity 4 out of 6
Fun 6 out of 6
Overall 6 out of 6