Defensive Setups

This discussion on Talk Fantasy Football (TFF)(was Talk Blood Bowl) is quite useful to get an idea of the defensive options available to the average BB-coach: http://www.talkfantasyfootball.org/viewtopic.php?t=406

It starts off with several good posts. Just ignore the long discussion of one or two throwers on Skaven teams.

Quick tip: for the wing area start three squares back from midfield so that if your opponent gets a quick start bonus step, your opponent can't easily knock down your players.

Another one on TFF is found here, this one doesn't begin with the same aim, but to compile and name as many of the setups commonly used by BB coaches the world over: http://talkfantasyfootball.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=29010

However the juicy bit of the thread is a post that looks to compile of all the proposed set ups into one area, using http://www.play-creator.com and can be seen here: http://talkfantasyfootball.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=29010&start=62

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Also, be sure to try out the Defensive Play Maker at http://www.francebloodbowl.com/defplaymaker.php It's in French, but it's simple enough to get the idea. - BadMrMojo -

Also, you could use MixX's Play Creator to help work out setting up: http://www.play-creator.com

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I've found this setup very useful against high agility/stunty teams:

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you should have at least 1 player with tackle in the last row on either side.

Against teams that rely more on brute strength i find it advisable to place your toughest and/or most disposable players on the LOS (they will go down anyway unless you have 4 BOs with Guard and an Ogre or happen to play Khemri) and place your strongest players 1 field behind them in order to prevent the opponent to make unhealthy territorial gains by following up. (this is a little risky though since quick snap might ruin this whole strategy but usually he won't have enough players on the LOS to knock deal with your LOS players and the toughest ones.)

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By H-Hund

I like this setup:

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This is a good setup for starter teams (TR 100), it forces the other team to dodge or one dice blitz (unless you are playing vs. a st 4 team). The players on LoS should be linemens (with no spp) and the players in the widezone should be players with Block (or better: side step). I use this setup with skaven, wood elfs (starter team) and humans.

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This a defense I like to use most of the time. Works well with and against elves, but also other teams. I learned it from tautology's famous dark elf team, Axiomatik. They were known for having very few stats increase, but a whole lot of skills. As it turned out, it worked great defensively with that particular setup. If the three guys on the LoS are pushed or Side Step directly one square back, it makes it almost impossible to break through. It doesn't work every time, but when it does it's very frustrating for the opponent. Note that the players against the sidelines should be moved one square back if they don't have Side Step or Stand Firm and are playing against teams with Frenzy to prevent from being pushed into the crowd.

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by uber

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The Chevron

I call this setup 'the Chevron'; it's a nice tactic for any team of average or good movement who wants to press forward and pressure the ball. I've seen it used notably by Flix and his Nandorians.

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Aggressive Variant - not good against teams who can dodge, and risking disaster on a Quick Snap/Go Go Go! Kick-Off roll:

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Biased variant - this one is an early concept idea I came up with (i.e. I haven't tried it much yet). The intention is to invite a team to over-extend their offensive on one flank, leaving the other open to being rushed by defenders. It would definately benefit from a defending Kick player, and Side Steppers or Big Guys in the positions marked 'O'.

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-by Colin

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The Longbow

This is a standard defence of my Necromantic team, who have a superb defensive record. The 'O' players are Flesh Golems, though they could be any player with Side Step or Stand Firm. The Werewolves and Ghouls occupy the rear-most positions, using their pace to cover the backfield. It is a suitable tactic for most reasonably mobile sides, against non-Elf opposition.

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-by Colin

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The Grid

This is a version of the standard defence of my Lizardman team, The 'O' players are Saurus, though they could be any player with High Strength, Side Step or Stand Firm. The Skinks occupy the wide position, using their pace to cover the wings. The central skink might be a Kicker, or one with a stat bonus you are trying to protect from a blitz

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-by Colin

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