Blood Bowl 2 - Kislev for the Win-Ev!

[Abe Sargent]

Hello!


I want to talk a bit about some Blood Bowl 2 fun times



Now I was looking around at playing another team again now that the legendary edition has been leased and we have every team out there in the game. I was looking at what was available and there are mixed teams where you can choose a central concept, of which there are many, like Elves, Humans, Chaos, people from the east, hairless, undead or so forth and then build a roster from it. That seemed pretty interesting and mixing the Necro Werewolf with the Tomb Guardian of the Khemri or adding the Bull Centaur of the Chaos Dwarf with the Chaos Warrior of Chaos or the Nurgle Warrior of Nurgle just makes me warm and happy inside. Meanwhile, I’m sure you could imagine the Bretonnian Knights with the Human Passer and a Norse Ulvenwere. Fun times!


I almost did that. I was looking for something new and exciting. But instead of leaning into that, I wanted to play as a team that I have no experience with previously, and try them out for a bit to see what would be what. What team would I want?

The Slann!

Who?


In Blood Bowl, teams keep being made official by the good folks at Games Workshop. Many later additions came from fan favorite teams that were playtested and shown to be really useful and interesting additions to BB. Examples of fan-teams that made the cut were (Bretonnians, made it to BB2 as a very popular fan team) or Chaos Pact. The Slann were added officially, but not really, no miniatures were made, the official Living Rulebook didn’t have them and so forth, even though they were an official team.


So, given the weak embrace of the Slann, the makers of BB2 chose to take the rules set of the Slann, and apply it instead to the nation of Kislev in the Known World. These characters, previously known as large froglike aliens who landed on the planet millennia ago are now the acrobats of the Circus of Kislev. They are not a strong team, and they lack some core skills you want. But they also play very, very oddly, and that brings a different team to bear for the Circus of Kislev.

[Abe Sargent]

Who likes bears?

[Abe Sargent]

Let’s take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of the Kislev team on BB2. I put the potential you can have on your team after their name.

The Big Guy (1), 140k – The Kislev Circus has one of the best, most reliable Big Guys out there, the Tamed Bear. It is a reskinned and renamed Kroxigor, but it’s precisely like the Krox from the Lizardman team, which is known as a very reliable big guy, with good move, mighty blow, the prehensile tail to trip up someone trying to dodge away, and the thick skull. The Tamed Bear is a good addition to your team.

Now, the three Kislev humans all have two very important skills that you need to know right now:

Leap – A character with the Leap kill may, once per movement, try to leap into any space up to two space away. Roll to see if you make it. You automatically break away and ignore tackle zones for where you are going. You roll an Agility check, which with a AGi of 3, means you need a 4+ to land safely, or a 3+ with an AGi of 4. The value of this is strong as you can use it to break cages, drop people next to the ball carrier, get away from marking from your own ballcarrier and a lot more. But failing a leap is a turnover and the end of the turn, so it’s risky.

Very Long Legs – You get +1 when you leap, and intercept a ball. Now your leap is 3+ for AG 3 and 2+ for AGI 4,


Those two together on all of these players below means you have a strong risk-reward strategy

Lineman (any) – 6/3/3/8, 60k – Leap, VLL. These are very easy to figure out. You can see what they have to offer very easily. They normally have access just to general skills when they level


Catcher (4) – 7/2/4/7. 80k – Leap, VLL, Diving Catch. They are very, very fragile. An accurate pass to them gives them a +1 to catch, and they can try to catch kicks and passes that go to an adjacent square. They have gen and agi access, and they are scoring machines. You want to keep them protected, but your can see how slippery they can be.


Blitzer (4) – 7/3/3/8, 110k - Leap, VLL, Jump Up, Diving Tackle. When on the ground, they can stand without investing any movement. You can also try an AGI roll to block while prone. When an opposing player tries to dodge away, you can fall into their square and try to drop them with a -2 to their dodge roll. Gen, agi, and str access. They are the powerhouses of the club. Jump Up and Diving Tackle are rare on starting units and work well together. Other self-fall skills such as wrestle or piling on also make great additions With that huge skill access, they have a lot of potential leveling to do. I expect to turn at least one into a pseudo-Wardancer cagebreaker. Leap into a cage, and then blitz the ballcarrier with a 2 negative die result. Give my guy Wrestle and Strip Ball and Tackle and you can really begin to push ballcarriers around. I can also see making some Blitzers my battle savvy warriors that can smash and injury and take people off the map. Only they have STR access normally.

But note the decided lack of dodge or block to help with blocking or defense. I have dice being rolled with leaps and will need help with blocks for a while, so we are going to guzzle rerolls like Hydroman in a desert.

In Blood Bowl, one of the best ways to succeed is to force your opponent to make a lot of dice rolls, even when the odds are good that they will succeed. Eventually they will fall that AGI 4 dodge roll or two die block and Go for it roll.

We are going to fail spectacularly. There will be times when I fail a leap and injure or kill my own player. Last night, to get a feel for the team, I played two games against the AI with advanced teams I created at around the 1500 BV mark. In those two games, I had 9 injuries on my team including one death and one -1 Move injury. This is a squishy team. Without block/dodge it’s hard to want to remain marked to your foes with anyone not named a Tamed Bear. Ideally, I’d want 2 catchers, 4 blitzers, 1 Bear, and 4 lineman in every round, with a few spare here and there. I don’t want to rely overmuch on the squishy, low str catchers. Anyone that tackles them with a STR 3 will get two dice always, and that’s not an advantage you want to give, so I need to protect my people. However, I was successful a lot with breaking into cages, marking, and passing last night. I beat Dwarves 2-1 after breaking a cage, and then getting a two turn score at the end of the first half, and then lost the ball early in the 2nd before forcing it away in the 6th turn and against scored in three turns. All of my players, even my big guy, have a strong speed, and the ability to get out of trouble with every player on my team means I was never out of it, even when submitting a 10-7 player advantage to my dwarf foe

I also had a 1-1 tie vs Dark Elves

Now, it’s not an easy team to win with and level up. I need to gobble up rerolls, the apothecary, and the blitzers early.

[Abe Sargent]

Team Name: Aerobatic Nonsense

Team Motto: Of Folly and Frolly

Team Logo: Giant bear head with a football in its mouth

Forest colored kit

Stadium: The Big Top

1,000,000 gold to spend!


I could do this:

7 Lineman
1 Catcher
3 Blitzers
3 Rerolls
20k left for Apothecary

If I wanted to maximize my early rerolls before they cost 2x as much later on I could get 5 with 7 lineman and 4 catchers. But that doesn’t feel right.

Let me budget 660k for the 11 lineman and 200k for 4 rerolls, that puts me at 860k for a team I am proud to have in terms of RRs. How best can I spend that remaining 140k? Got it:

2 Catchers and 2 Blitzers. Nah. I need that 3rd Blitzer early on.

We’ll do the original plan mentioned above.

Team Roster:


Catcher – Stedman Bailey
Catcher – Tavon Austin

Blitzer – Sam Huff
Blitzer – Paul Posluszny
Blitzer – Canute Curtis

Lineman – Anton Ustinev
Lineman – Leonid Vetrov
Lineman – Roman Yegorov
Lineman – Alexei Polunin
Lineman – Yuri Yegorov
Lineman – Pyotr Rasputin

3 Rerolls

No extra gold

Here’s our starting roster!

[SirFozzie]

My Dwarves want a match *evilgrins*

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

My Dwarves want a match *evilgrins*

Not tonight. Stay away Bashies!

[Abe Sargent]

Now my hope is to improve my team thusly:

1. Apothecary
2. Either another RR or Blitz #4
3. Whichever I didn’t do above
4. Catcher #3
5. Tamed Bear
6. RR #5
7. Catcher #4


I enroll in a single player league and let’s get this thing started! I want to get some more experience with Aerobatic Nonsense before going all crazy on you.

We enter an 8 team Cup.

For our first match, we will be facing an Amazon team. This is a team that is both squishy and rocking dodge. Amazon teams tend to be really good early and skill poorly due to their limited stats. We are a very slow starter. So it’ll be interesting to me to see who wins today.

The KO happens and they get an extra rr this half. They move a bunch of their folks to the line, fail to pickup the ball but make the RR, and then bring that person to the line in a light cage. They blitz to try to move one of my blitzers off the lien and way from getting to their ballcarrier and turn over with a double skull two-die which drops the attacker down. I have a chance to leap someone over and hit their ballcarrier from behind their line as they are just screening it right now so I move some folks around to prepare for that. Alright I’m ready to try and blitz in. I tackled off an Amazon and then based their ballcarrier with a lineman. I can leap Canute Curtis on a blitz, and then get a two die block on their ballcarrier Now dodge means I can get a free tackle just once, but I am also content to get a both down as this is one of the last moves on my team, which would free the ball. I also have my reroll for the Leap or the blitz as needed. The leap works, and my first blitz result is two back arrows. Do I want to reroll and try for a tackle? Right now I have two people on the ball, getting a push back isn’t the worst thing in the world. I feel like I need to save my rerolls for misses, and future leaps or key tackles. It’s too early to burn one here. I end my turn.

They have a very successful turn, making three one-die blocks, two two die, and dodging three times successfully but I have screened them from advancing the ball. I move around, and KO an amazon on a tackle. The best I can manage this turn is a one-dice blitz on the BC. It works and I drop her, and the ball is free. I have a lineman right next to it, I would need to make a dodge roll onto the next space which is open and then a pickup, which I try, with a RR available if needed. Success, I run up the sidelines into a scoring position, but I have no screeners or anything available. They make three Go-Fo-It runs, miss on the fourth, RR successfully, blitz my BC and drop him, and then the ball is free deep near the touchline. I have a catcher in the vicinity, and I think I have enough movement to collect the ball and score. Let me stand up some folks first. I have to tackle and I KO an Amazon. I fail the pickup, and make the RR. I need to make two GFIs, but without my RR, I stay here. I KO another Amazon, and then create a loose screen around my BC which can easily be stopped but it’s all I have left. They blitz and drop my BC (he of the two str) and then dodge to collect the ball and make GFIs, and then drop one of my players. But again, the ball is deep into their territory, near the endzone. Sam falls a leap roll and the RR and I have to pass the turn. They tackle well, and move their BC around. I base their BC with a lineman. I leap and blitz and push back their BC, and then tackle someone off the cage point to have three players now in their grill. They KO Tavon Austin. They pass after tackling and pushing some folks off their BC. Lineman Yuri tackles the BC and it falls to lineman Pyotr who grabs it. He is unmarked, so I could score. But Sam Huff is unmarked too, and I have a free RR. I move Pyotr to hand the ball off, it fails, and I fail the RR. But it’s behind a lot of my players. I had screened and caged first. Turn 7, they push some people around, drop a lineman, but can’t get to my ball. Do I try to pickup and score with Sam Huff? I do. I have one RR left. We pick it up and....




Score baby score!

Half

[Groundhog]

Nice! I picked up a Slann team on indiegogo a little while ago for tabletop Blood Bowl, but still haven't got a chance to use them. Fun collection of starting skills with all that leap.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Nice! I picked up a Slann team on indiegogo a little while ago for tabletop Blood Bowl, but still haven't got a chance to use them. Fun collection of starting skills with all that leap.

Fun and DANGEREUX!!!!

[Abe Sargent]

I want to catch the ball twice with passes from my catchers. Ideally they’d each have 1 SPP from completing a pass to each other. That way if they get MVP and the 5 Star Points that brings, they’ll have enough to level up immediately. Our KOd player is back, one of theirs is still out, so its 11 vs 10 this half.

KO result is throwing a rock, and one of the Amazon player is stunned. Tavon fails a pickup and I burn a RR as it’s close to the line. I have caged the spot mostly. I was going to try and backpass, but that’s not as likely now that I don’t my RR this turn. Why not, I succeed on a 5 out of 6 each time. Pass made to Steadman Bailey. Paul Poz blitzes badly hurts an Amazon! I pass the turn after caging very nicely. They drop three of my lineman, and stunned one. Steadman Bailey completes a dumpoff to Tavon Austin. I cage, leap and blitz with Sam Huff, and then hold up and pass the turn. They stun Anton, and then try to dodge away from Sam Huff, I use Diving Tackle, drop to the ground to give them a -2 to their dodge roll, and that’s a turnover as they fail. Their player is badly injured, but as it came from a failed dodge rather than a tackle, Sam Huff doesn’t get any SPP. After three two-die tries on their blitzer (who has both dodge and block) we finally drop it, and stun it, with my lineman. Pyotr leaps and blitzes and fails to drop anything. I pass. They blitz, drop two lineman, and then get double skulls against lineman Alexei, who badly hurts their player, and gets another injury! I move Tavon into a scoring position and a few folks to cover and flank and screen. I pass. They pass. I blitz, and then tackle with Steadman Baily and KO one of their people. I still have two RRs. Want to feed Sam Huff for the quick TD and another 3 SPP so he can level for sure? I move people around in case. We score!


KO, they get another RR. We have three turns left, and if it’s close to the line, we could conceivably score a third time with a TO. It’s not it falls very deep in their territory. They have just 7 players out there. They drop two of my lineman, and then a double block down with my third and it’s a TO. I tackle through and try to create a back screen to get folks to the ball in the future and then pass the turn. They KO a lineman of ours. And drop another. They can’t get past my back screen, and I might be able to score next turn. I create a screen around the ball with Huff, Austin, and two lineman. I drop two Amazons and pass. They try to put a block on the ball, but my Diving Tackle shuts that down. TO. It’s the final turn. I rise some of my players. Can Tavon Austin pick up the ball and score?

YES HE CAN! I used a RR but it works



They get their turn 16, and it’s game. They badly hurt Leonid in the last turn. Game. We win 3-0 and 60k in cash.

[Abe Sargent]

I purchase an Apothecary

Lineman Roman was MVP

Let’s level up Sam Huff!

I get a 4, not doubles, and then choose.....Wrestle? Mighty Blow? I go Wrestle. I expect to turn my Blitzers into two injury warriors and two ball takers. Ideally I can get doubles on a catcher early on to give it Pass and have that be my passer, and then my other two catchers actual, you know, catchers.




We head to the next match, against another Amazon club. They have 12 players, so even if we knock one down, they will still be able to fight at full strength later in the match. They have 5 players with Blodge (Block+dodge).


I win the toss and we’ll kickoff first. Let’s play! They have four rrs, scoop the ball up deep next to the endzone, They drop two lineman and pass. They have n protection in the back, instead hoping to keep us at the line. Any chances to slip through and close? I drop three Amazons, one of which is stunned, and leap one catcher over their line but that’s it. I use Canute’s diving tackle to drop one of their dodgers after they drop two of my players, and then move their BC up and cage a little. I get a few lineman in the face of their BC and then blitz Sam Huff over. I have to make a GFI and do, and then I drop them and the ball pops free, next to Sam and a Amazonian player. I move some overs near and pass the turn. They fail a pickup and RR to get it. They blitz and badly injure Tavon Austin. They stun Steadman Bailey. They dodge over many people and form a nice cage. I move around, leap and get a one-die blitz with Huff which is a dodge tackle, but they have dodge so its just a pushback, and so forth. Poz stuns a blitzer and I pass. They drop Sam, stun Canute, and then bring in heat elsewhere end move the BC. Anton badly injures one of their players. I tackle off a corner from their cage and now Poz is going to blitz their BC. This is a two die block, success, and the ball pops free again. Bailey fails a dodoge to get to the ball, and I let him fail, I need to save my last RR. Turn over. They tackle four, stunning a Lineman. And they pick up the ball. Sam can get a 1 die block on the BC on a blitz and...just a knockback. I pass. They drop Sam, blitz down a Lineman, and then pass on a block tackler where we both tumble. Sam Huff is KOd after failing to stand and leap to blitz and the RR fails. To. They badly injure Canute Curtis. They KO Pyotr and drop three more of my players. I have two turns left in the 1st half. POZ fails to dodge after leaping to blitz, dropping that player, and then wanting to base their BC. They KO Leonid. No blocks.

Half. 0-0.

[Abe Sargent]

For the 2nd half I only have 7 players on the pitch

The ball is on the left flank, and Bailey picks it up, caged by two lineman. I pass. They push back Poz, and then base my cage on the left. Can I leap past the defenders? I blitz back one of the defenders with my other point on the cage, and then push just past the line. I have to make three GFI rolls put we manage to move my BC Bailey and the two flankers down. Now Bailey is on the touch line, so he can be crowd surfed, but I don’t have enough defenders to be cautious. I leap Roman away from defenders after basing them to help screen. Poz leaps out of the action and helps to defensively screen as well. I leave my other two lineman based and pass the turn. They drop those two LBs, and just push back POZ on a blitz and have Pox based quad and Roman double based, but the screens kept them from my cage, so I move Steadman Bailey and the two lineman on him down the field. This puts Bailey in a scoring position for next turn. Alexei and Anton rise. Paul fails to leap/blitz and the RR works and I want to spring my other lineman to get to a screen. I get a pushback, freeing Roman, and now both are screening again and not based to anyone. Anton and Alexie fall, and the other screeners are based again. Cage free. Do I score? Or do I put Steadman Bailey in a place next to scoring, with the two cagers next? The reason to ask this question is simple. With 4 turns to score, they could score back with the uneven odds right now. I run next to the endzone with my cage, and then hold up. Roman leaps away from pressure and screens. Poz fails, and then I make my RR. Alexei leaps away and Anton rises. They stun Anton. I blitz one of the people basing my cager into the crowd, and then move back to cover. Everyone else was based, now my BC and cage are free again. Roman kills an Amazon!!! Poz fails a dodge, and I keep it, I want to save my final RR. They base my cage heavy and hard with Poz down. I don’t even bother to stand or take two-die tackles. I just score.



I now have 8 players. KO is quick snap. They can move some of their players. The ball is deep by their endzone on the left flank. They drop Anton, stun Yuri, and have their entire team on the line, so I have a route to screen and then get to the ball if I want. Steadman runs to their line, bases a few people, leaps over and moves past. Poz leaps three of three defenders and moves near Steadman. I pass. We have a bunch of people on them, not normally how I want to play. Might get a few more tackles on me than normal. They KO Anton, Bailey is blocked, gets to the ball, but can’t get to the endzone, so a long pass to Poz....needs to be rerolled, caught. Poz’s blitz on one die is a double down block, and I can’t reroll, and then he is dropped. Turn over. Game, we win 1-0

[Abe Sargent]

They broke our armor 5 times to our 12 on them, and they had 1 death. Lineman Leonid is our MVP this time out. We got 40k after the game.

Time to level up Roman Yegorov. I get a 3. I choose kick. I want to make Roman my kicking machine to help place the ball in shallow places where I can get to it pretty quickly.



Steadman Bailey 1 SPP from leveling. I’d like to try and pass with him at least one for a SPP this match and thus get some leveling out there.


Our next match is vs an Undead team. I win the flip and choose to KO first. Other than Ghouls, Undead are very very sloooooooooow. So if I can get the kick into a place I can threaten early, this could be valuable. One of my players is stunned with a rock, and the ball falls on the touchline in the middle of the pitch. They fail to pick up the ball, and again on the RR, and it falls to one of my Lineman who also fails and it’s now on my side of the pitch. But next to like two of their players – Mummy and Wight. Canute blitzes, Kos a Zombie, and then moves into their backfield. I have prepared and what I am going to try and do is to slip in Steadman Bailey to grab the ball with RR backup, and then if he collects the ball, pass out to Tavon who is screened or leap out. He picks it up without needing a RR. I could just try for a dodge away with one GFI needed on a AGi 4. To throw it is a 50% there and 83% on our side. Not likely, but with a RR, possible. Or two GFIs and one Leap, so three 83%. I choose that one. It works and I am out of basing, with the ball! Go Kislev. This is the power of Kick ability on this team. Tavon Austin bases, leaps past their Wight, and moves into the backfield. We pass the turn.

They blitz down Tavon, get a injured jaw result on Pyotr, and I skip it for a lineman – he’ll miss our next match, They then get a double skull twice and we drop them for a quick TO. Sam and Poz cage Steadman Bailey down the right side. Canute blitzes a skeleton. Leonid fails to get away from a Mummy and I do not use my RR. They free a Mummy to blitz Huff with a GFI attached and they push him down and get that Mummy on Bailey. Bailey dodges. Now runs. He can score with one GFI. Let’s try.

SCORE




1-0 Early.


Ball lands in the middle of the pitch. They move folks up to the line, and fail a pickup in the center of the pitch and the RR. Canute blitzes to create a way open, and then drops after getting a double block down tackle vs the Zombie, TO. They pickup the ball. They dropped three of my lineman, and then pass their turn. Huff blitzes a ghoul, wrestles both to the ground. Alexei bases their BC. I dodge away with Poz and two line. Pass the turn. They KO and drop Steadman Bailey, tackle two, and then run the ball to the left flank, just crossing the line with a Ghoul and Mummy guard. They pass back. I leap Anton away from two markers. I then leap away Yuri. I stun Pox on a skull one-die block I reroll. I have to use a RR< and I can’t take anybody down, just get some folks free to screen. I end my turn. They knock down a few players, and then they try and dodge away from Huff. He diving tackles and drops them, TO. This is the 8th turn. They are deep and could, conceivably, score here. I get Huff to their BC and blitz, just a pushback. Canute KOs a Ghoul. I pass the turn and we end the half up 1-0.

[Abe Sargent]

They get a perfect defense. They reset their team. I scramble around, pick up the ball with Tavon and pass it to Steadman, set up a cage, and then try and back my team off the front line where they just frontloaded. Yuri, Anton, back off and Leonid wins a one-die block against a Zombie and we are free. I pass the turn after running Canute into their backfield. With a reroll, they miss one of their two GFIs to get a one die blitz on my cage corner with a Wight and pass. Canute has three markers. I cage Steadman and move him to the right flank from the left. Poz blitzes down a Zombie, and I stun another with Leonid. I end my turn. They get a one-die blitz to get Sam off the corner of my ball carrier and base him. Huff uses Jump Up to tackle from the ground and pushes back the skeleton. Bailey hands off to Tavon, who can either try and score, or pass, to get that SPP to level up. Canute blitzes, drops the skeleton, and then makes another point on the cage. I move down Tavon. I pass my turn. They base Alexi on my cage, and then move around, stand some folks up, and base a lot of the scree I have protecting my cage. I blitz in Sam, and have to RR a failed GFi but push them off my cage. I leap anton from three markers and base a Wight that is on Poz for the assist, just a push back. Turn. They blitz and KO Steadman Bailey. After many blocks, I score with Tavon.





Celebrate that score!!!!

They have a high kick, get a Wight under the ball near the LOS and he grabs it. I am out of RRs. They move their ball-Wight up, and then drop the three lineman I had on the LOS. Pass the turn. Leonids hits a Ghoul next to their BC and bases it. Poz bases it. Now I’ll blitz in with Huff. Pushback only. Pass. They make a one-die block on Samm to drop him and he is KOd. Their Mummy blitzes and Kos Canute. That opens up the entire flank. They made a ton of GFIs, one die blocks, and more. Leonid leaps away from a Mummy and then dodges from the Ghoul to help screen. End the turn. A little positioning and tackling ensues from them. This is my last turn. I get a double down on a ghoul early, TO. No injuries, and we finish 2-0 winners

[Abe Sargent]

We make 70k. Lineman Anton is MVP and with his previous 2SPP from the injury he now levels as well.

I have three levels about to ensue:


Tavon Austin – 7, no doubles.... Dodge? Block? Block

Steadman Bailey – 7 no doubles – Block

Anton Ustinev, 6, doubles....Guard? Guard. This is great to help a leaping cage breaker.

I was intending to buy my 4th rr here with the 120k I have. But I am down a man next match due to the injury. So instead....


Welcome Blitzer Gary Stills to the club!


We won the first Cup, now we enter a 32 team cup!





Our first battle? Chaos Dwarves!



Ready for the Chorfs!

I begin on D. KO, we get an extra reroll. They drop my three lineman, but a double down drops their Hobgoblin as well and it’s KO’d. To. They picked up the ball with a hobby about half way down the flank, and are unprotected. Can I either crack a hole open or leap over some problems?? Unfortunately a double block early into double skills forces me to use my RR early. Need to be safe here. I fail a GFI it to base their bc with a blizter. TO. They cage hard and drop a few lineman. Canute and Gary Stills head in. Now I am going to try and leap and then blitz with Sam. My leap fails, the RR does as well. TO. They drop a lot of my players, but they have to expose their BC to get around my screen. My turn. Can I get to it? Tavon bases him, but I need to make some double die tackles to spring a blitzer loose. Here goes. I get a two die block with Leonid,and he drops the Hobby, loose ball. Sam Kos a Hobby. Steadman leaps and lands on the ball, just in one tackle zone. He grabs it I dropped five players that turn. Pass. Their Bull Centaur Kos Poz. They have three separate tackles on Bailey and can’t bring him down Block and pushback only. Can I free him? I can’t. I hand the ball to Gary Stills instead. I run around behind a light screen on my right flank. They try and take down Bailey and still can’;t They drop two of my players and base my screen. I tackle and push away a hobby and now one GFI will get Gary Stills to score.


SCORE!!!!




Nicely done lads. Five players are stunned, four on their team, from a pitch invasion. Can I exploit for a fast score and get their ball? They only have four players standing. I blitz and drop hobby, make 5 GFis, one leap, and now have a ton of players near the ball. They fail a blitz on a catcher and pass. Now I can try to pick up the ball with Poz, and then score. I have a RR, so let’s try right now. Nope. TO. They drop three of my players. Next, turn 8 and...? Nope. Half.

[Abe Sargent]

I only have 7 players on the pitch after Kos and such. They have 9. Tavon starts with the ball after catching the kickoff. Their Bull Kos Anton. I have to base with Steadman, blitz in with Sam to make a 3 person cage with Tavon on the touchline. I leap and GFI Alexei away from Chorfs to get to help screen Steadman, who is a desperate cage option. Poz leaps away from four Chorfs basing him. I end my turn. Their Bull blitzes and stuns Alexi and that opens some hobs running in front of screening my cage as well as this Bull basing Steadman. Sam blitzes the Hob free in front, gets a tackle on a one-die block, and makes a GFI it to reposition himself. Now free, Tavon rushes down the field too. Canute makes a GFI and follows and my screen is set. I RR a failed dodge and spring both Poz and Steadman free and pass the turn. They blitz and stun Stedman, base most of my cage, and pass. I score with Tavon Austin. I could try and hand the ball off to Canute for SPP, but nope. I need this score and I am badly outnumbered.

2-0

The ball lines right by the line and their Hobby catches it. Two spaces off the LOS. They drop two of my lineman. My turn. They rise. I move folks around, drop the players on the left flank and move Steadman and a blitzer to the backfield, and then blitz their holder with Sam on a -2 so it’s roll two dice and they chose. I get block and skull/block. They choose that, and Sam wrestles their BC to the ground and the ball is free. Plus, don’t forget that wrestle down doesn’t count as TO. It’s next to their Bull and a Chorf. It did not fall well. They pick it up, KO Alexei, pinched nerve injury on Yuri, which I do not Apoth, broken jaw injury on Canute, which I do into a badly injured result, and pass the turn. Now I am missing just one players next game. I can’t stop their cage. They blitz and drop one of my lines. I can’t do anything. They move slowly. My final turn nothing.

We win 2-1

[Abe Sargent]

Now we get 70k for the winnings. MVP was Leonid, who can level up.


Leonid, 9, Block


Yuri won’t make the next game.

I now have 90k in cash. Save for RR #4? Or get Catcher #3? Save!

Our next foe are High Elves

I have 50k fewer than them so I buy some Bloodweiser kegs to help them recover from Kos. High Elves are arguably the best passing team. Elven players often slip a receiver or two past your screens and into your backfield quickly and ably. So what I envision is perhaps using my two catchers as corners for potential interceptions and sort of screen any receivers that are breaking for the ball. I also want to be bashy here, unlikes how I was against the Chorfs when I playing finesse instead. I want to force dodges and tackles. KO, three players are stunned, two of mine. They stun Anton, and pick up the ball on the left flank. My turn. Leonid blitzes and injures their lineman and they are carted off the field. That lineman is a real force right now. It frees some of my players to move down the flank. Poz bases their BC. I pass. They drop Canute and two lineman, and then dodge their BC away, then the fail a dodge when Poz diving tackles and that’s a TO. I move folks around, and then get ready to blitz in Leonid on their BC instead of Poz, due to block. I drop him, the ball falls to Leonid, but not in a good place. He grabs, it. Should I leap out? I fail the leap but make the reroll and scurry out. I pass the turn. They dodge folks over and blitz down Leonid, and the ball rolls into the crowd and pops back out. They scurry under it and begin to form a new cage when someone fails a dodge and its TO. I put Pyotr on the BC. I can blitz in Canute on the BC. Canute drops him and injures him, free ball. He picks it up. I fail a RR by POZ to break and help screen the cage and do not RR. He is KOd. They open a corner, blitz and drop Canute. Then they fail a break, I use DT, and they are injured on the failed dodge. TO. But they based the ball with a lot of their players first. I push one Elf off the ball and set up Sam to blitz, move in and push the other off, and then pickup. I stun their lineman and then pick up the ball. I move folks around, leap someone away from three elves and pas the turn. They blitz and one-dice wrestle Sam to the ground to free it, and then miss a dodge to get on the ball. I forgot about wrestle being ball for a BC. Canute drops someone and that frees up Leonid to snag the ball after I used a RR. I can’t get to the score, but I can hand it off to Tavon for a score if I wanted to. No more RR. I can’t cage out here, too many people based, so the ball is free. Have to take the handoff.

We SCORE!!!



Good jorb Tavon!


Touchback on the KO. They stun Pyotr and drop another LOS lineman and pass the turn. Sam blitzes, drops a elf, bases their BC, and Leonid follows. Anton is injured and badly hurt on a double block down and that’s a TO. They blitz Sam Huff off, doge, set up a cage, tackle some stuff, and pass the turn. Sam blitzes the BC after I base it and then the ball falls free. I dodge Bailey and run him into a scoring position for next turn. Tavon runs in and grabs the ball. I cage up. To. Two players on my BC after the blitz away my blockers. Turn 8. I have no RRs. I need to get the ball from Tavon Austin to Steadman Bailey for a score. What’s the best way? I two die push one defender off Tavon. Sam drops the other. I two die block to clear up a lane with Canute’s blitz. Alright, now I can run up Tavon. Steadman scores and that’s half!!!

[Abe Sargent]

Ko they get an extra RR. I have the ball this half. I have to burn a RR on Canute’s blitz of a double skull, and then a double skull and block/skull and they both drop down. TO. They move around, and they have a guy who makes two dodges and fails a GFI and then again to scoop the ball deep in my area and that’s dangerous. He’s down but dang. I cage with Tavon grabbing the ball. I fail to dodge with Pyotr and no RR is used and pass the turn. It was my final action. They KO after blitzing Stedman who I had run into a scoring position in their defense. They pass, my turn. They based three of my four cages. I bring in support and blitz and tackle four elves. I pass the turn back. They base my BC after taking off a corner. I have to blitz a one-die to break off and push back. I have to make a dodge and two GFIs to follow Huff. I leap Pyotr free to make another corner of my side-line cage. I pass the turn. They base my cagers and pass back. Hmmm... How can I score this way? I have to leap, blitz, and then push back with Huff, and then again try to dodge or leap with Pyotr to keep my cage up. I fail the dodge but make the RR and we are good. I pass the turn. They fail to dodge into my cage for the blitz when they miss the DT on my nearby Sam Huff.

Tavon scores!

I pin them deep on the KO. They pickup after a fail. They drop just one lineman and pass the turn. I pass the turn. Gary Stills diving tackle forces them to fail a dodge after they moves the ball up, began to cage, and broke away three receivers. I base their BC, Sam blitzes, wrestles, and then the ball falls to another of their players. I base their BC with Canute and Leonid. They tackle and pass

End of game 3-0

I get 70k. MVP is Poz.

Levels:

Poz – Mighty Blow

Tavon Austin – No doubles, Dodge.

I invest in a 4th RR.

[Abe Sargent]

Our next match is one of my favs – Nurgle! This is a team that’s neither about scoring on the ground or in the air, but instead denying the foe the ability to do what they want, like tackle, break away or throw the ball. Abilities like tentacles and foul presence are good at mixing stuff up nicely. The way you win at BB is to play to the strengths of your team, and I feel like we’ve been leaping at the right time and not too much thus far with Kislev. Nurgle is all about controlling the pitch and keeping your foe from doing whatever they want, like skills that prevent tackling, others for dodging, and others for catching. They are flexible harassers that can manage a win with the right combination of skills, mutations and board play and you often can’t do anything about it. Positioning is a key to winning with Papa Nurgle. And they are one of my fav teams. Go Nurgle

They have purchased extra team training due to the BV differences. I win the ball and start on defense. Given their relatively slow nature and weak ball handling, I will try to drop the ball close to the LOS. Brilliant coaching on the KO gives us another RR this half. The ball lands in the middle. They have a star player on their team? They have a chainsaw. They drop and stun two of my players, including ona blitz Stedman, and then pickup the ball with a lousy Rotter. Hmmmm.... Not a Beastman? That’s an off choice for them. I fail a GFI to base their runner with Canute and then fail the RR. They fail the chainsaw and their Star is injured. Bu they are bashing the crap out of me this turn. Canute rises, blitzes a Pestigor (Nurgle Beastman) off and Kos. I can’t leap away from the Beast of Nurgle with tentacles so I end the turn. They drop three of my players, and their Beast fails it’s Really Stupid check so I can leave and move around it fine. Canute has a two-die block on their BC but my first roll is skull and skull/block. Take us down and pass the turn or RR? I’ll still have 3 RRs after. I RR into a tackle and stun the Rotter. On a key block to free the ball, Sam can’t get that block on their NW due to it’s foul appearance (Fail 1 in 6). Rather than try to pick up the ball, I have to use Gary Stills to drop him. Steadman runs up, leaps to the ball and picks it up. It’s next to the Beast, but that’s it. I make a GFI to get away from it. Poz fails the FA roll too. I pass the turn. They KO Yuri, and have a good round, blitzing and moving their Beast to drop Stedman and base two of my blitzers. They pick up the ball with a Rotter again. Turn passes. After basing their BC, who has both block and FA, I blitz in Poz. I fail the FA roll, choose to RR, and then fail it again. Alexei is badly hurt when trying to dodge away. They dodge away from markers after blitzing off Poz. They fail really stupid though. Tavon bases their BC. Poz blitzes in, drops it, and then randomly picks it up next to two of their folks. Because I have not RRs, I use the dodge/GFI to get one away and then call it. I leap and dodge to try and get to screen the bc. I fail a dodge, my last move, and to not RR. TO. They manage to do a -2 die blitz on my BC and reroll but just get pushback. Gary Stills fails the blitz to get the marker off my BC after a FA roll. Poz rushes down the sidelines after I tackle them off with Tavon. I have to use a RR on Pyotr to dodge him out and next to Poz to be a light cage. Canute fails to dodge and that’s a TO. They tackle a few of my people and thennnn

POZ



With the Score


Sam Huff with an injury on their Rotter. Half. We are up 1-0

[Abe Sargent]

I have to burn a RR early for a failed key blitz. But we manage to break my people from the wall, cage the ball in the back left corner, and then fail the pickup. To. They drop Leonid and position themselves for more bashing next turn. I blitz Huff over after a leap to get a 2 die block in a Nurgle Warrior and knock it over. I leap Poz and back and free, fail to leap someone from the Beast’s tentacles, and then fail a leap with Gary Stills. To. They drop three of my lineman, base my cage twice, and pass. Sam Huff crowd surfs a Nurgle Warrior who is injured. I move up my BC, hand it to Tavon Austin despite the -1 to catch being near a NW, and then I leap away Leonid to cage him. They stun Stills, KO Pyotr, and then drop two more of my guys, but I can score with Tavon this turn if I can make a few 2 die blocks to spring him lose. Actually I blitz and tackle a bunch of folks and then don’t score. I pass my turn. Could I hand off the ball to Sam Huff for a score on the next turn? They stun Canute, drop a lineman, but have no one near the ball. So I rush Huff into the endzone, cage, move, and then I can try and move my guy inside of the cage, and then hand it off.

Huff scores!!!

They base a few of my players, fail the pick up, make the RR, and then pass after dropping two of my folks on the LOS. We drop two NWs and move two blitzers into their backfield. They cage. I drop a NW on their cage and base their BC a bunch. I fail a foul roll on the NW. End the turn. They move, cage, drop a few folks, and then injure Poz with a badly hurt result. I move and tackle but try to stay out of their way. I pass, they tackle, can’t score not in range, and we win 2-0.


I get 40k. Kicker Roman is my MVP.

I have no levels and 100k in cash. RR #5 or catcher #3? RR 5

[Abe Sargent]

Our next foes are more High Elves. With a huge team value diff they are getting a star player. I kick the ball and play defense first. KO gives me an extra RR this half. The ball falls and they pick it up and begin a little cage action. They KO Alexei and then....KILL Leonid. In the first turn. Now do I use my Apoth for him? Murphy’s law. Yes, let’s do. Gauged eye instead, misses next game. I don’t do much, TO when I have a double skull block early in the turn. After they move around a lot I drop someone with a Diving Tackle and get the turn back. I have to use a RR early, then I manage a one-die blitz on their BC with Huff and wrestle everyone down, free ball. Anton leaps onto the ball and picks it up. Can I make a dodge to get away? Yes. End the turn. Force them to blitz Anton. They blitz after double basing him and drop him. They pickup the ball, move folks around, and then fail a dodge and pass the turn. I move folks around and try to just get injuries. Sam Huff injuries an elf. I pass the turn. They tackle my guy in the ball, and move to the middle of the pitch and on the LOS. They fail a dodge vs DT. After moving everyone around, I take a both down result on their BC by Canute. Their guy is KOd, TO. They grab the ball unmarked, bad bounce. They hand the ball off and score.

0-1

Bailey begins with the ball due to diving catch. Can I score quickly? I KO a lineman elf. Stun another and d position myself, slipping a scorer past the line. They fail a DT dodge, make it, but do a quick TO after basing some of my stuff including my BC. I rush Tavon into scoring position. I fail to get a leap off twice, to get blockers out for my BC. It may not be long for this world. They blitz and take it down. They grab the ball and have two there. Can I get in? I have a blitz chance to crowd surf but can’t make the dodge away either time and it’s turn. They pass, connect, GFI twice, and then score. Half

[Abe Sargent]

I get a double skull twice on the line and To the ball quickly. They tackle, blitz, and grab the ball. I blitz tehri BC with Canute, push back, tackle with Poz, drop them after a RR, ball goes to Canute and he grabs it. Tavon drops a Elf. I move folks around, and finish with a failed leap as my last move. They fail a dodge early. I blitz and tackle the two folks on Canute. I KO their star player. Pass the turn. They drop two of our lineman, and then move around. I blitz and tackle off some markers on the cage, run the cage up the right flank and reform. I use DT to drop a blitzer, but they make the RR and base my BC. They drop two lineman and move in. I blitz in Poz but only get a push back. I get Stedman Bailey into a scoring position in case I need to handoff or pass. I end my turn. They KO Roman. In order to score I would need to complete a pass at 50%, catch at 83, then make the dodge at 83. I run up next to him instead and hand it off. Steadman Bailey scores. 1-2.

Pitch invasion – two of theirs are stunned. They position and grab the ball and move it to near the LOS. I put Stedman into scoring position for a catch. I fail to leap in Anton for guarding first, and then fail again. TO. They move folks around, fail a dodge, and TO. Anton rises, still next to their BC and other folks here. I have to get the ball this turn – blitz, pickup, toss, catch, score. With one RR too. Failed early. Game. They win 2-1 and we are knocked out of the cup.


Lost. We get 50k, Leonid is MVP and now level 3.


Leonid – No doubles. Skill? Meh, without doubles there is no great or obvious way to do anything here. Pro? Tackle? Strip Ball? I go Tackle.

[Abe Sargent]

We are invited to a new season of the 32 team cup, and our first foe is Human.



We have a team value in the mid 1400s, and they in the 1200 range, so they have Helmut on their team as a star player today. We win the toss and begin on defense as well. Can we win again and come back from our loss last game?

Helmut is a player with a chainsaw who’s pretty brutal to play against. The kickoff sees a riot and both team lost a turn in the first half with the delay of game. The ball is near the line, they pick it up, and Helmut chainsaws and drops Alexei with a KO. No other tackles, the rest were pushed back. No cage either. Hmmm. Poz blitzes down someone and bases their BC. I rush Tavon Austin to base two guys at the line of scrimmage, and then leap over and move into their backfield. Sam Huff fails the leap, and fails the RR. TO. They have a perfect turn, tackles, blitzes, dodges, moving into my territory, etc. I have an interesting turn. We have to use a RR early on a two die block to free up Gary Stills to blitz their BC. I manage to put two players on their BC, one unmarked, and it’s a two-die block. Stills blitz in, gets a skull and skull/block, and I take the other. Both are down. Stills injures their ballcarrier but was stunned himself. So the ball is now free with a TO. It’s next to two of theirs and two of mine in our own space.

They KO Yuri. Fail the ball pick up twice, and we do as well as us and then TO quickly. This is my chance. The ball is not next to them. I base it with Pyotr and Sam Huff. Now I move in Steadman Bailey to try and pick it up, and I have Tavon unmarked in a scoring position. Bailey is three away from the ball. Ideally, he’ll pick it up and be next to three of my players, and then be in a place to move and score next. I do and I snag it. Now I have a few options. I could try a pass from here. I need 50% on Bailey’s side, avoid a 17% interception by one unmarked human in the line, and then 83% on the far side, with a RR in a back pocket. That’s not bad. Plus, even with the three next to me, two are marked and there is a clear line to get a two die blitz on my BC. Better to take the shot now. I do it. We miss the throw, RR, miss the throw, and it falls at my side. TO They drop three of my players, and two now base the ball. Sam blitzes, drops one off the ball and injures that player. That gives Gary Stills a jump up tackle option on the other from the ground with Sam’s help for a two-die block. Success. Can we pick up the ball again? Yes. I move Bailey out of the back of my endzone, and again try to connect with Tavon Austin. Success (67% on Bailey, 83 on Tavon) and then Tavon....


SCORES





Helmut is sent off after the drive. (Chainsaws are a illegal weapon, and they can only be run in one drive before being sent off). Given how deep into the half we all, I kick off deep, and with my kick ability, deep is deep, just like shallow last drive gave me an option. They pick it up, build a cage, stun two of my liners and drop a third, and pass. If I can make a few GFIs, I could line up a one die block. I base their two folks that keep me from tackling. Now I can blitz in Poz. Poz tackles, injures with Mighty Blow, and then the ball is free. I pass my turn. They fail a Diving Tackle dodge from Poz to get away and then on the ball and on the 7th turn, I have a chance deep to potentially make a play on the ball and score. No RRs though. Poz with help from Stills drops the only person on the ball. Now, I can try to pick it up with AGI 3 Stills and score. I move some folks next to the ball and screen. I am out of RRs, so it’s all about that one pickup.

SCORE!!!



Gary baby.

They have their 8th turn and pass the half. We are up 2-0 and begin with the ball. Half

[Abe Sargent]

Blinding weather, harder to pass in the next half. The ball is very close to the LOS. I move folks near it first to cage the ball. Once I have blitzed, cages, screen, and my last move remains, I move Bailey over to scoop up the ball and past the turn. They move some folks around and screen. I tackle and open and Bailey and his cage move downfield. I then tackle one of their players and KO three, removing three human foes from the field. They badly hurt Yuri. And pass after basing some of my peoples. I have big numbers. I tackle, blitz, and then move around to a new cage after failing to push everyone off. Sam Huff Diving tackles, drops someone, and then they fail the RR, and their player is KOd. Quick To. I turn over quickly after two double skull tackles back to back. They get through a DT and base my BC in the endzone. I have an idea. I double base this guy, blitz in Canute with three dice and instead of putting him on a vertical push out, I go in front of Bailey, Canute in the endzone. He gest a tackle and drops the guy. My idea is to hand the ball to Canute to get a score.

Catch made, TD!!!


3-0. Kickoff, 11-7 on the field. They go for pickup, fail, make the RR, 10-7 after their KO one of my line, and two more drop. The best I can do is a one-die blitz by Poz, but it does work, the ball is next to the touchline, and I would need a GFI to pick it up with Poz. Instead I stay here. I GFI Gary Stills and pick up the ball. They get a one-die block on Stills and the ball falls into the stands and is tossed back. With wrestle, Sam Huff strips the ball from their BC who had block. Can I grab it? Nope. Pass. They move, dodge someone away and onto the ball and pick it up, they KO Stills. Turn 16. Can I tackle the ball, scoop it up, get it to Tavon Austin in scoring position? I guess we’ll find out. Wow. I blitz with my kicker, ko their guy with a 2die blitz, and the ball falls to Steadman who catches it and is unmarked. Wow. I get to a place where I need just a dumpoff to succeed and I need two 83%s, and win without making a RR. I score in the 16th round to make it 4-0. 10-7 on their 16th turn. We win 4-0.


We get 90k and now have 140k.

MVP is Gary Stills.

[Abe Sargent]

I have two levels up to process. Steadman Bailey and Gary Stills.


Bailey – No doubles, have to do a normal skill. Dodge to go with block.

Stills – No doubles. Wouldn’t spend them on anything anyway. Wrestle? Mighty Blow? Block? I do Block here and expect Mighty Blow next.

With 140k I purchase a Tamed Bear.

Welcome...

Tamed Bear Pittsnogle

As a reminder, they are a reskinned Kroxigor. Move 6, very good for a big guy, str 5, AGI 1, armor 9, and with Loner so it’s hard to RR any of their rolls. They have Bone Head, so 1 out of 6 times you try to do something with them, it will fail and they’ll stand there, stupidly ignoring everything. It’s going to happen. The have Thick Skull, Mighty Blow, STR access, and an ability called Prehensile Tail that requires anyone dodging away to subtract 1 from their dodge roll. They are a solid Big Guy with their speed and ability to tie people up.


We now have a TV of 1690, which is close to spiraling expenses. I do want to buy another catcher and see if I can level it into a passer with doubles.

[Abe Sargent]

Our next foe is Necromantic



With their lowered TV, they pick up a Halfling Master Chief and in the first half it steals a RR from us and sends it to our foes. Annoying. Leonid is back, my block/strip ball lineman. We pin the ball two away from the edge and two from the LOS on the right flank. They don’t have anyone on the ball. They KO Anton, my guard Lineman. They fail to tackle Pittsnogle and pass. Their WW scooped up the ball. But is free to hit behind a screen, not a cage. TO from a poor tackle rrs. They To quickly back to us on a skull/block tackle result. Sam Huff drops the WW with th ball at the Los but there are a ton of other folks here. Steadman with the scoop in traffic and leaps away with a RR. I set up a light screen. They blitz, dodge a Ghoul, rr twice, but still only get a pushback on Steadman with their Ghoul. They stun Huff and drop two more. Poz blitzes their Ghoul off Bailey, I tackle some folks, and now I just need one GFI to score.

SCORES




1-0

I got a perfect high kick and the ball is placed closed to the right side again, and I move my entire team to the right side, which overloads that side. They screen, fail the pickup by the WW, and make the rr, they ko Alexei, I force a quick TO and they have a chance to advance. I have to take a RR on a blitz, leap, one die tackle by Huff, but a wrestle down frees the ball, their Zombie grabs it in coverage. Leonid is next to it, and I bring support and he drops it and it’s free behind their screen next to just them. I try to leap Tavon onto the ball but he fails the leap and passes the turn after stunning himself. They drop many of my people and pickup with a dodge WW and pass. Three blocks sees Huff finally drop their BC and the ball is free without using my blitz yet. I blitz down their Flesh Golem with Pittsnogle. They move, stand, and base the ball. Pass turn. I rise Bailey, dodge into a scoring position ,move some folks around, dodge Tavon onto the ball and grab it. It’s my t7 and I have no RRs left so I want to be cautious. I pass the turn. We injure one of their Ghouls so badly that they lose an AGI permanently. They mostly push my people around. T8. Can I slip free and hand the ball off? Or pass it? Pittsnogle pushes off a Wight on the BC into a little more freedom. Now I have a leap chance out.

We score!!!!


Half, 2-0

[Abe Sargent]

They steal two RRs this half from us. I cage pick up, make some tackles, and then pass the turn. They puts a screen in front of me so I move it. Some tackles and repositioning ensue. I pass. I tackle four after moving my screen down the right flank. I pass. They tackle a little and pass. I move my cage to the endzone and try to hand the ball off to Stills in the endzone which would get him to 16 SPP. Failure. Reroll. TD


3-0

The ko falls behind their LOS. They cage the ball, pickup with WW and have a great turn. POZ Mighty Blows and injures their Zombie on my blitz to open the left flank. I fail a dodge, and pass the turn. I tackle, move, fail a leap/blitz/one-die tackle on their BC by Huff only to make the RR and then fail a dodge by Poz to move a guy near them. They move, fail a Diving Tackle dodge, and TO. I move both folks off the ball, pickup, and then more tackles ensue. I pass. They tackle, can’t break my screen, pass, and Tavon scores for me on my 16th turn. No injuries on their turn. We win 4-0


I made 60k, and the MVP was Pittsnogle.

WHOA!!!!


Level up Stills – Got a 12!!! I choose to level up his Strength to a 4. Whoa is that amazeballs


The STR gain is amazing, but it does bring my team above spirialing expenses, which is not normally where I want to play or be.

[Abe Sargent]

Let’s talk strategy a bit real quickly.



My basic starting formation on defense thus far has been:

--------------LOS----------------
                 L  L  L
   B		                       B				
                   L L                 
         C     B        B        C    

So I have three Lineman in the center on the LOS, none of which are skilled, my kick lineman and Leonid the good Lineman behind the LOS, and then the B and C on the wings and two Bs behind. I am close enough to the LOS to break into their backfield quickly without exposing key players to their attacks, blitzes, or marking. Now on offense I’ll swap the catchers from the Blitzers outside and then move them back each one space.

Now that I have a Tamed Bear on my team I put in on the LOS on offense or defense too. Often you put them off the LOS on defense because you don’t want them to base you with a single lineman and just leave it. But the TB is better than most and has great flexibility, as opposed to a Treeman or Troll or something that you can lock down.

My plan with a big guy is to have that person marking multiple foes, and thus make the numbers on the pitch more influential towards my advantage. For example, if I do nothing, and my prehensile tail TB keeps three of their lineman attached, then the numbers are now 10-8. And if I can get one lineman+ then all the better. In the last match I often had a Wight, a zombie ir two, and one or more Flesh Golems next to it. I would blitz and knock down the single Zombie marking me to get into a better position once. It’s rare I do so, but it is a tool the faster Tamed Bear has. Which is why the Kroxigor its based on is, to my mind, the 2nd best of the big guys out there after the Beast of Nurgle.

I have several blitzing options on my team right now. Sam Huff is the best one to blitz a BC with block with his wrestle. You often see him do so, and next I intend to give him Strip Ball to pull the ball out on a push back as well. I also have Leonid the lineman with block and tackle. You will see him blitz a BC rarely, but one with dodge in order to cancel the dodge-block down. He’s my backup blitzer. Ideally, Canute will have a similar parabola to Sam and they will be my BC droppers.

I often mark a delicate player on my opposing team with a blitzer, so the diving tackle is an option if they try and dodge away. And I lose nothing by going to the ground with a player that has jump up. I have wrestled the BC to the ground with Sam, and then tackled with Sam on the ground the next turn with Jump Up. I also use Poz as my injury-leader, and he blitzes a softer target. Mighty Blow is a lot nastier on lower armors. Take the Ghoul’s armor 7 that he cracked with MB. Normally you need an 8 to break an AV of 7 on the armor role. But with MB Poz needs a 7 instead. So one out of six times, when Poz tackles a AV 7 player, he’ll get an additional armor break. He also loves going after players without a lot of support, and he’ll often blitz a BC or someone when the MB is a useful additional factor. Next I want to give him Block, so he’ll be more reliable in that role.

I was building Stills into a similar role, with block first and then MB, but he got an amazing stat gain of +1 STR which is a no brainer for a blitzer general, and these specifically. Now with block and +1 Str, there are a number of options that open up. He has a two-die block one:one vs most players, and with block already in tow, he only fails a block in 1 in 6 instead of 1 in 3. So he’s very aggressive with STR, AGI, and GEN access already for his next level. Do I stick with MB? He could blitz and MB and hit people 1:1 without needing additional positioning or aid. In fact, he makes a great ballcarrier with block in tow and is harder to bring down to get to that +2 die roll you really want.

And frenzy is an awesome choice as well to follow up with a failed block with another given the 4 STR.

Now my catchers are annoying. Why? They absorb so many SPP. I really need to feed Canute with some scores. He’s been sitting at 5/6 SPP for a while. I need to snag a TD for him to get another level for Wrestle. The problem with a wrestling character, as I forget with Sam until a blitz on him with someone with block reminded me, is that you can block them to the ground more easily. Thus, I can feed them at the end of a run, but otherwise, I don’t want it normally on a BC. I could do Strip Ball with Canute first and then Wrestle second so he can be a better BC. But that’s not too necessary.

What about my catchers though? What I was expecting to do in theory was to have a kick lineman when we kick off on defense and then swap that for a catcher on offense who would have made a single doubles roll and to whom I have given the Pass ability. Then I could have my passer collect the ball, wait until I had the opportunity, and then pass over the line to an open catcher with diving tackle 7 away from the endzone and then tromp in and get the score. That was my vision. Make one catcher a passer, with their 4 agility. And since they aren’t inclined to be hit behind the LOS and screens, then the two STR wouldn’t be a major issue on offense. On defense though I don’t want to give up three 2 STR players.

Now, the value of having a player with pass is incredibly flexible given my team’s speed and leaping ability. Here, let me give you one example:

Have Tavon Austin 7 spaces from the endzone on the left flank.
Have one blitzer, like Canute 7 spaces from Tavon on the LOS.
Have your 3rd catcher with pass 12 space back, in the right rear flank.

Having pressure? No problem, you have an easy one-turn score set up. Run your pass/catcher 7 spaces to the right, and close to 5 within Canute. Pass. You have two chances to have an accurate pass, and an unmarked AGI 3 has a good chance for a short or dump off pass. Run Canute 7. Hand off to Tavon. You only need to roll to collect the ball with a hand off. Score. You only need to roll:

67% on the pass with two chances
67% on the catch
83% on the catch

No GFIs, and you have a team RR for the other two. A highly probable score. And you can leap in there two if you need to get away from problems. You could, for example, hand off to Tavon who is marked. With Diving Catch you get a +1 to grab in traffic on a accurate pass, so the math doesn’t change. Then you can leap away on a 2+, with a RR, to score, adding only one more die roll to the conversation.

You could even leap and then dodge with the dodge ability on Tavon to help if he as too well marked, and again, you’d only fail on a 2+ with a built in RR.

So a thrower opens up a lot of fast scoring opportunities with a catcher in the backfield.

But that may not happen, nor need it do so.

[Abe Sargent]

On the AI


One of the issues with playing against the AI in BB is that they do have a basic understanding of the rules and cage making and slipping out receivers. But they don’t have advanced knowledge of breaking a cage, nor do they understand how to push alternate methods of scoring, such as screens and sideline cages. Here, let me discuss some basic BB tactics.

   X  o X
   o BC o
   X  o  X

This is your basic cage. In here, you have the ballcarrier, BC, in the middle with four players at the X position, and the o’s are open spaces with no one in them. You cannot base the BC without a lot of dodging, or leaping into an o. You want to be free, with none of your Xs basing anyone. Then you can’t be tackled off the ball. Instead, the best you can do is to blitz off an X and then base the BC at the X and the two adjacent o’s, if possible (the tackled player’s body could be in one if not brought down). That’s the best you can do, but it sets up the other Xs as tacklers back as well as the BC.

In order to break the cage, there are a few tactics. One is the Wood Elf Wardancer infamous for this strategy of leaping in with Strip Ball and then add in Wrestle and then hitting the person with a -2 die ball where every result for single skull will strip the ball. This is also a strategy that Kislev can do and I am building Sam Huff with an eye towards this role.

Another option to break a cage is to have extra people in the Os from one team or another. For example, a successful tackle from the spot adjacent to the lower right X tackling, even with a push back, could force that person into the BC if the two adjacent os are filled with bodies or people. And then you could push that BC out of the cage into an O, where someone adjacent could attack. This is an advanced option, and knowing how to tackle correctly and taking a pushback instead of a block or wrestle that keeps them in the same spot could be the correct play to set up a BC push out of the cage. That’s feasible.

A common strategy is to set up a defensive screen. Here, imagine that the cage is moving down towards the endzone, and we are looking at the bottom rung of the cage:

    X  o X
   o BC o
 o X  o  X  o
 o  o  o  o  o
o  S  o o   S
o  S  o o   S

With the o’s as open spaces and the S as screening players. See how there is just one space between you and stacks of 2 defenders back to back? Even if the team with the ball blitzes and takes out one screening unit, they don’t crack it open. By being two spaces from each other, there is no central space to head down. This defensive screen is best against slow ponderous teams like dwarves. How is a dwarf team going to move the ball against a two-deep defense five screen? They are too slow to move around you or to form another cage elsewhere. This is why they prefer for you to start with the ball. If they can get injuries or KOs and drop those numbers then they have more people to attack a screen with.

One of the things you’ve seen me mention a few times is reforming a cage. I did this just a game or two ago against a Necro team. I had caged and was moved down the left side of the pitch. They had based all of my caged people and just swarmed them. I created a quick cage on the right side of the pitch and then ran my BC out of the left cage and into the right one, and then based more of their faster units. Necro only has a handful of fast units that can keep up with me – Ghouls, Wights, Werewolves. I didn’t bother with their Flesh Golems and Zombies, who were too slow to respond to a flank shift on the cage. We scored easily a few turns later.

It is possible to do a sideline cage instead. This has you BC on the sideline and then two people in the X spot. I did this a few times to make sure that I have enough people to tackle and block given I started with a few number of folks on the field due to injuries and such. It’s extremely dangerous to put any player, much less a BC on the edge. The typical worst that’ll happen is they will blitz away a corner and base you lots, but you don’t have the full value of the cage to back you. The real bad is a frenzy blitzer, who could blitz the first cager to the touchline, and then gets a 2nd follow up tackler and pushes them off the field to surf the crowd.

[Abe Sargent]

I feel like I've gotten to the point where I am humming with the Kislev team. Two 4-0 victories is pretty lopsided, and that I am making them sing. Now that we are at spiraling expenses, and that there is no option to turn them of in the game leads me to probably give it a rest now. It's certainly possible I might come back, but frankly I doubt it. I'm more likely to pick up another team. Thanks for reading!