Thrudball, described as one of the UK's longest-running Blood Bowl tournaments, held its 20th annual event at Swindon Supermarine over a weekend, Swindon24 reported on Tuesday 4 August 2026.
The numbers
- Around 150 players came from across Britain, with others travelling from Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.
- The charity auction alone raised more than £8,000.
- With a raffle and cake sale, organisers expected the total to approach £10,000 once all donations were counted.
Over two decades the tournament has raised tens of thousands of pounds for charities including Mind and the Roy Castle Foundation. It has been held in Swindon since 2021, after moving from Bognor Regis.
Blood Bowl, created by Games Workshop, is a fantasy-themed take on American football played on a tabletop with teams of orcs, elves and dwarfs. The tournament takes its name from Thrud the Barbarian, a comic character from the 1980s.
Councillor Mike Davies, a long-standing member of the Blood Bowl community, said the atmosphere "is always really welcoming and the tournament sells out quickly each year".
Where to play in Swindon
The report lists the Warhammer store in the Brunel Shopping Centre, Firestorm Games in Old Town, Tom's Tabletop Bunker at Studley Grange Garden Centre and Atomic Games at Kembrey Business Park.
Source: Swindon24.