What is Longshanks?

Longshanks is an online organization system for tabletop game tournaments and other events.

Longshanks allows organizers to easily publicize events and manage player pairings. It allows players to easily find and participate in local events, see what other events are happening around the world, and follow the global metagame.

Why the name?

In the lore of Guild Ball, tournaments and games between the various guilds are organized by a powerful and secretive society known as "the Longshanks." Because this site was originally developed specifically for Guild Ball, the name was a perfect fit.

Since expanding to support other game systems, Longshanks has outgrown that reference. We continue using the name as a respectful nod to the game that got us started and all the players and event hosts who have supported us since the beginning.

The story

The Empire of the Free Cities was nearly left in ruins after the climax of the dreadful Century War. That was until the Guilds stepped in. Now, what they say goes. A word in the right ear can be as deadly as a knife in the back.

Mob football was once a casual pastime in the Empire of the Free Cities, with games played between neighboring towns during festivals.

Today, the Guilds use the sport to flex their political might and Guild Ball is perhaps the most deadly aspect of life in the Empire.

Politicians see Guild Ball as an opportunity for profit. Players on the pitch see it as a chance to attain fame and glory. And the fans? Well, they're just there for a bloody good time...

The game

Guild Ball is a fast paced skirmish miniatures game for two players. Pick your guild of choice (from the bloodthirsty Butchers to the nimble Fishermen), build your roster of players and duke it out on the pitch in a brutal, no-holds-barred contest to victory ... or death!

Before you arrive on the field, create a roster of twelve players from your chosen guild. At the start of each game, select six players (including a Captain and a Mascot) from your roster to face off against your opponent.

A game of Guild Ball is played to twelve victory points. Scoring a goal is worth four points, while taking out an enemy player is worth two. Different teams focus on football, fighting, or a mixture of both!

Tools & resources

The complete Guild Ball rules, organized play rules, model stat cards, and even printable proxy models can be found on this page.

This page also has a list of helpful community resources such as blogs, podcasts, and video channels.

Tools & resources

What is it?

On August 10th 2020, Steamforged Games announced that Guild Ball was being retired. They would no longer be producing, supporting, or selling products for the game, effective immediately.

That's where the story begins.

Within days of the announcement, a group of players was formed who are committed to keeping the game alive.

Some were pundits. Some have podcasts. Some have websites. Some were playtesters. All of us love Guild Ball. We are the Guild Ball Community Project!

Read more about the origins of the GBCP.

Who are they?

The overall direction of the GBCP is managed by a steering group. Working with the steering group are several subcommittees, each charged with a different aspect of the Community Project's goal of keeping Guild Ball alive.

• Communications
• Organized play
• Creative
• Rules
• Business

You can read more about the steering group and each subcommittee or get involved by joining the GBCP Discord server.

What are they doing?

Keep up to date with the latest activities and progress by checking the community project tag on Blogshanks.

Core aims

• Make a new home for Guild Ball so it can survive and thrive.
• Provide resources to the Guild Ball community in the form of a living set of rules and tournament support.
• Help Guild Ball grow as a game by encouraging new players and promoting fan-made content.

Values

• Passion for the game we all love.
• Transparency about our structure, membership and processes.
• Learning from similar projects that have succeeded in the past.