Talking DreadBall All Stars with Jervis Johnson | Game Design Legend

About this episode

An in-depth interview with game designer Jervis Johnson discussing DreadBall All Stars and his insights on game design.

In this in-depth interview, we sit down with Jervis Johnson, the legendary designer behind Blood Bowl, to talk about DreadBall All Stars — Mantic’s upcoming all-star sci-fi sports game. Jervis breaks down: What DreadBall All Stars is and how it's evolved from classic DreadBall The move to alternating activations and faster, end-to-end gameplay How All-Star teams of unique characters change the feel of the game His approach to game design, iteration, and “murdering your darlings” Narrative vs competitive balance in modern tabletop games Championship play, legacy cards, and long-term replayability The dark, corporate satire behind the DreadBall universe We also dive into Jervis’ reflections on Blood Bowl’s legacy, emergent storytelling, gateway games, and what he’s been working on recently — including Trench Crusade, a Godzilla RPG, and large-scale historical wargames. Whether you’re a Blood Bowl veteran, a board gamer looking for your next fix, or simply interested in how great games are made, this is a fascinating conversation with one of tabletop gaming’s most influential designers. 📌 DreadBall All Stars is an upcoming sci-fi sports game from Mantic Games. 💬 What do YOU want…

People in this episode

Guest: Jervis Johnson

Topics covered

• game design
• DreadBall All Stars
• Blood Bowl legacy
• tabletop gaming
• narrative vs competitive balance
• gameplay mechanics

Keywords

• DreadBall
• Blood Bowl
• game design
• tabletop games
• Mantic Games
• narrative gameplay
• competitive play
• Jervis Johnson

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Mantic Games

Books & works: Blood Bowl, DreadBall All Stars, Trench Crusade, Godzilla RPG

More episodes of The Bonehead Podcast - All Things Blood Bowl

• Blood Bowl 3 is DEAD?! | Bonehead Podcast #181 · April 8, 2026 · 53 min
• High Elf Roster First Impressions! | Bonehead Podcast #180 · April 8, 2026 · 44 min
• High Elves REVEALED for Blood Bowl! Full Roster Breakdown · March 10, 2026 · 12 min
• Best House Rules for Season 3! | Bonehead Podcast #179 · March 10, 2026 · 53 min
• Let's FIX Games Workshop's Tiers! | Bonehead Podcast #178 · February 15, 2026 · 1h 4m
• How HIGH Are We on the NEW High Elves?! | Bonehead Podcast #177 · February 4, 2026 · 51 min