Olaf_the_Stout
Joined: Aug 29, 2007
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Aug 30, 2007 - 03:38 |
 
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I played my first BB game on FUMBBL last night. The result was a 1-1 draw, which I felt I was extremely lucky to get. The detailed result and match replay can be seen here.
Playing against a Necromantic team, I won the toss and elected to receive. Things went downhill relatively quickly. The Kick-Off result was a Blitz against one of my Linemen causing him a Serious Injury coupled with a Niggling Injury. Not exactly what I expected to happen before I even got to move!
On my first turn I managed to move some players into position to protect the ball carrier. My Thrower then failed to pick the ball up, despite the encouraging words of the 2 teammates standing right next to him.
The rest of the half was then spent getting the smack laid on me by my opponent. I lost 1 player out of bounds (luckily he was only knocked out) while most of my linesmen continually blocked into the ground. I eventually lost the ball when I went to pass to one of my men who had made a break for it. 1 fumble later and the ball was at the throwing player's feet, instead of sailing down the other end of the field.
A chain of events let to the Werewolf on the Necromantic team picking up the ball all by himself and strolling into the end zone on turn 7. Down 1-0, things didn't look promising.
My broadband connection decided to stop working before we could restart. Thankfully I got it up and running again and were able to continue the game. I copped a few more hits in the last turn but nothing too much to worry about.
At half time I think I had 10 fit players left. 1 player was Badly Hurt and another Seriously Injured. Thankfully the 2 players that were Knocked Out managed to recover after the first TD.
I kicked off in the second half. There were a couple of tactical moves made as the Necromantic opposition tried to clear a way through my defense. One of my linemen was on the wrong end of a heavy hit and was killed. To make matters worse, he reappeared as a Zombie for the other team!
I managed to get my Witch Elf past the opposition's defence and tried to go after the lone Ghoul left alone with the ball in the backfield. Once again luck failed me as she fell over Stunned herself whist "Going for it".
My left flank was left wide open and the opposition looked like they would waltz down it for another TD. I managed to get my Blitzer across to intercept the run. He managed to blitz the ball carrier, knock him over and pick up the ball.
He got knocked over in the next turn for his troubles but I was able to recover the ball in my next turn and hand it off to a Lineman to make a run at the open TD. Knowing that the Werewolf might be able to catch him, he "went for it" so he would be out of his reach. Yet again I rolled a 1 and he was left on the ground next to the ball (but luckily only prone).
The Werewolf got close but was still 2 squares away from the ball. I managed to get back up, pick the ball up and get over for a Turn 7 TD.
That pretty much ended the game with a few Blocks being the only thing left to do in the last turn. I got out of it with a draw but I was definitely out-coached.
To add salt to the wound of losing one of my players, he managed to receive the MVP for the match! The only SPP's I got were for a TD, a pass and a casualty.
The things I learned from the game:
This team isn't going to last very long! With 1 Dead and another seriously injured, I will only field 10 players in the next game. If I cop as much of a pounding as I did in this game I might only have 8 or 9 players to start the 3rd game with. That's not something I look forward to.
Don't get too close to the sidelines! I think I got players knocked out of bounds on 3 occasions. Only once was it when a player was right next to the sidelines. The other 2 times were due to some great Block/Push Back/Block moves from my opponent.
1 Reroll doesn't seem to be enough for me, especially when the luck of the dice is against you. A number of my turns ended prematurely when I failed a relatively simple roll (like failing to pick up the ball on a 2+ roll).
I need to get through my turns quicker. On at least 3 occasions my turn was cut short because I didn't get my actions done in time. I imagine this will improve as I play more.
I need to read up on the team that I'm playing against before play starts. I had no real idea what the strengths and weaknesses of the Necromantic team were. I spent too much time up close and personal with them and I should have attacked the Werewolf more. He is very dangerous on the attack but isn't that great defensively.
I need to play to my team's stengths more. I should have been backing off from the other team in midfield and getting a running game going. Instead I got bogged down in a bit of a blocking contest in the middle of the field.
Olaf the Stout |
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HasniM
Joined: Dec 30, 2006
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Aug 30, 2007 - 04:08 |
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Sounds like you did pretty good.
I agree that 1 reroll is probably a bit low, for any team. Moreso if you expect to pick up the ball and/or throw and/or catch it.
Sidelines can be tricky, but there are times you have to take the risk. They nerfed Withelves, which is good since a buddy of mine habitually chain-frenzied my block/dodge/guard guy from midfield.
I'd suggest you play some league games, so the timer doesn't end your turn, at least while you're learning the interface.
It should be pretty easy to find a game with 10 players. In fact, if you play elves, get used to it. At least darkies get some armor. Play some Wood Elves, and learn what it means to 'disengage all your linemen before your turn ends'. It's fun when they can only hit once, and that's on a blitz. Less fun when your 2nd player trips and kills him self and the other 10 guys get pounded into hamburger by the angry, nasty, orcsis.
Good luck! |
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Roseph
Joined: Oct 19, 2006
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Aug 30, 2007 - 04:12 |
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This is nice to see. It warms me to see a new coach actually admiting that he was out coached. And is willing to learn. Definatly read up on the teams your planning on playing and even spec some games. This will give you an idea of what they can and cant do. Elves shouldnt get tied down mid field for a brawl, they tend to lose. Good Luck with your teams and if ya see me I ll play you
Ro |
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Olaf_the_Stout
Joined: Aug 29, 2007
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Aug 30, 2007 - 04:45 |
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| Ro wrote: | This is nice to see. It warms me to see a new coach actually admiting that he was out coached. And is willing to learn. Definatly read up on the teams your planning on playing and even spec some games. This will give you an idea of what they can and cant do. Elves shouldnt get tied down mid field for a brawl, they tend to lose. Good Luck with your teams and if ya see me I ll play you
Ro |
Yeah, I definitely feel I was lucky to escape with a draw from this game. For most of the second half it was looking like 2-0 was almost certain to be the final result.
Snowmelt (the other coach) made some really good moves and played to his strengths quite well. One of the plays to get my player out of bounds involved a Frenzy Blitz for 2 push backs with his Werewolf. This put me in just the right spot for another player on his team to block me for another pushback which put me out of bounds.
About the only thing that I would have done differently if I was him would be to go for the second TD a little more aggressively. I think if he had made a run with the ball down the sideline with his Werewolf I would have struggled to reach him with more than 1 player. Even if I did successfully block him I would still be stuck with the ball near my end zone. Chances are I would have lost the ball again and he would have at least held on for a 1-0 win. Still, even considering that, I was quite lucky to take the ball off of him the way I did.
Where do people normally hang out on the chat Ro? I have been on twice in Academy and got offers for games both times. I don't know if that was just luck or normal. At this point in time, I'm happy to take anyone on. It's all a learning experience.
Olaf the Stout |
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Roseph
Joined: Oct 19, 2006
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Aug 30, 2007 - 05:20 |
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well im usually in the main chat #fumbbl but i have 3 academy teams i keep for playing noobs to help teach and such. |
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Dogbarian
Joined: Jul 17, 2007
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Aug 31, 2007 - 21:20 |
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The #fumbblacademy channel is a good place to go - a few coaches hang out there to help new folks, and a number of rookies come through there playing their first several games. Feel free to ask for advice, teaching games, or play other rookies.
And yes, starting with only 1 RR is tough. I generally try to get at least 3 for my teams to start with. |
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Enar
Joined: Mar 05, 2004
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Aug 31, 2007 - 22:05 |
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Wow, what a good post! Welcome to the community Oalf, hope you'll have a great time here!
With your attitude I'm sure you'll get all the help you need!
See you on the pitch!  |
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Olaf_the_Stout
Joined: Aug 29, 2007
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Sep 03, 2007 - 01:33 |
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I played my third game on FUMBBL yesterday and got my first win and first kill. 
So far my first 3 games have been a win, a draw and a to be decided (my internet connection played up on Turn 7 of the second half, a 1-1 draw or a 1-2 look the most likely results if we can get together and finish the game).
Overall I'm pretty happy with that. The second game I played (the one that is still currently undecided) was a Ranked game against a Khemri team. I scored early in the first half but I wasn't able to hold them off and they returned the favour just before half time.
In the second half I was caged up and headed for what seemed to be the match-winning TD when a player slipped over trying to "Go For It". Looking back it was a silly move that may end up costing me the game. I found that the Mummies in the Khemri team are great area controllers. My opposition had 3 or 4 of them. While their movement 3 is limiting, the Strength 5 makes it really difficult to get a 1d block on them. My opponent used them to great effect, clearing spaces for his Throw-Ra's to move in. At one point in the game, every single player on my team was on the ground!
I did get better at dodging my players back though so that they didn't get constantly blocked. A number of times I had trouble deciding what to do first, a 2+ dodge with one player or a 1d block with another. Statistically you should dodge first as it has only a 1/6 chance of failure. However, if you fail and it is before you have blocked anyone then you miss out on your chance to possibly take an opposition player out of the game. It also means that the guy you had a chance to block with will probably be eating dirt by the end of your opponent's turn. I guess you can't do much about rolling 1's.
Another thing I learned in the Khemri game was that restarts suck if you are a Dark Elf team (or any non-bashy team). I basically had to put 3 lineman on the LOS so that they could get hammered on the first turn, especially against Mummies. There isn't really anything I can do about it but it still sucks!
More thoughts on my 1-0 win to come.
Olaf the Stout |
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Olaf_the_Stout
Joined: Aug 29, 2007
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Sep 03, 2007 - 07:21 |
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My first win on FUMBBL can be seen here.
It was a hard fought 1-0 win. Playing only my second game in Ranked, I took a brand new Dark Elf team (11 Linemen + 3 RR) into battle against a 117/109 Undead team. I won the toss and received. Thanks to my opponent's higher TR I got a handicap roll. Doom and Gloom came up, reducing his rerolls from 3 to 1.
The game began well for the Dark Elves. I was able to pick up the ball and take it to midfield without any trouble. A blitz down the right flank opened up some space for 2 of my Linemen. The Undead's first turn ended fairly quickly when one of the Ghouls failed a Dodge and took himself out of the game. This left the right flank still wide open. A Short Pass and catch later and I was able to score. (In actuality, the Lineman fell over while going for it but I used a RR to save the situation). 1-0 up and this game felt easy!
Of course, that now meant that I had 6 turns left in the half to try and hold back the Undead horde. Once again restarts sucked for the Dark Elves. With 2 Mummies on the LOS, 2d Blocks against my Linemen were guaranteed. Thankfully no real damage was done. I was able to keep the Undead out whilst limiting my casualties to just 1 injury. I even managed to get my first kill in there, who just happened to be the only Ghoul with Sure Hands.
1-0 at half-time and I was hopeful of getting at least a draw out of the game. The next half was another smash and bash affair. The Mummies once again trashed my poor linemen on the LOS and the Undead slowly marched towards my goal line. By turn 5 or 6 I was down to 7 players (vs. 9 from memory). The ones that were on the field were almost all on the ground.
I decided to take a chance and managed to set up a 1d Block on the Ghoul with the ball. It was successful and I was able to pass the ball out to a free Lineman. He thankfully caught it (if he dropped it the ball would have in or next to the end zone) and I threw the ball into an empty square down the other end of the field.
2 Ghouls made a last ditch attempt to recover the ball but I was able to knock them down for the 1-0 win.
So what did I learn from this game:
Mummies are tough but 2 are a lot easier to deal with than 4. 4 Mummies can control the entire middle of the field. 2 Mummies leave a lot of space that you can work around.
Dark Elves still suck at the LOS when a team has players with 4+ Strength. I don't think that is something necessarily unique to Dark Elves though.
I think I prefer playing with 11 Linemen and 3 RR compared to 9 Linemen, 2 Blitzers and 2 RR. While Block and the extra 1 MA is good, having that extra RR seemed to come in really handy. I felt like it gave me the ability to take more risks, especially when I still had 2 RR's left with 4 turns remaining.
Deciding when to use your RR's can be very important. My opponent had 3 RR's in the second half and used a couple of them to reroll Blocks that were either Pushback or Both Down results. I personally would have saved them so I was happy to see him use them. Ultimately it proved costly as he ran out of RR's when he really needed one.
Overall I was happy with how I played, although I realised 1 turn too late that I could have scored a second TD if I risked "going for it" with one of my Linemen on turn 7. Had I done so it could have resulted in him falling and injuring himself though so I wasn't too upset about it. It did make me remember to think ahead more for future games.
Olaf the Stout |
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Olaf_the_Stout
Joined: Aug 29, 2007
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Sep 07, 2007 - 03:21 |
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I played my 3rd full game on FUMBBL the night before last and was soundly beaten 2-0 by Morgion's Khemri team, "Hustlin' Bandages". So what did I learn from the game this time?
1. When you are in the SWL channel on IRC and ask if anyone would like a game, check that the team you agree to play against is in the same division as you. It was only when the game ended did and an error message came up did I realise that I had played my Ranked team against his SWL League team. 
I still feel bad about it now as I robbed Morgion of a well deserved win. Not only that, it was a win where a Mummy on his team managed to score a TD! Sorry Morgion. He was a very good sport about it all and still said that he enjoyed the game, despite the fact that we didn't record an official result from it.
2. Mummies still suck!  This was my 2nd game against Khemri, and the 3rd game against a side that included Mummies (I have also played an Undead team). Playing against 4 Mummies cab be quite a challenge when you only have Str 3 players at your disposal.
I am still a little unsure what tactics to use against Mummies. On one hand, I could try to avoid them and manoeuvre around them. With MA 3, they can't keep up with any of my players. The trouble is that, with 4 Mummies on the Khemri team, at least 1 or 2 of them should still be within reach of some of my players.
The other tactic, which I tried in this game, is to try and gang up on one or two of them and take them out of the game. With only 2 or 3 Mummies it is then easier to get around them. Taking them out is pretty difficult though. With Str 5, I need 3 assists to get a 2d Block on a Mummy. I managed to get one on the ground in this game but I couldn't get through the high AV when I did. I even tried to foul one with about 4 players but I could only get a Stun.
I think the best tactic might be to try and avoid the Mummies where possible, but if you get the chance to take one out of the game, GO FOR IT!
3. Restarts are definitely not kind to Dark Elves, especially when you are kicking off. In this game I basically got to pick 3 players from my team that I wanted to be lying on the ground after the first turn (or off the field injured). At the moment I can't do much about it. Getting a few Linemen with the Block skill is at the top of my skill shopping list. That should help matters a bit. Guard would be great if I could get it.
4. While 3 re-rolls are good, I still have to remember to use them wisely. A couple of times I used them on blocks when I should have just accepted the result, even if it did end my turn earlier than I wanted. I used up my re-rolls too early in the half and didn't have any when it came to a crunch situation.
5. Starting a match with 10 players is difficult, especially when you are playing against a bashy team that also has regeneration and 4 Str 5 players! Only one player short doesn't sound like much. However if you lose another player or 2 in the first half it makes it hard to hold back the tide in the second half.
Olaf the Stout |
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Olaf_the_Stout
Joined: Aug 29, 2007
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Sep 07, 2007 - 05:33 |
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I had another game against a Khemri team last night. At first I thought that I would have a great shot at winning. In something completely different, the Khemri team I played against had NO MUMMIES! I was extremely surprised but I was looking forward to finally play a game where I wasn't on the ground. So how did I go?
I got beaten 2-0.  More details can be found here.
Overall I found this game to be one where absolutely nothing went right for me. If one of my rolls could fail at an inopportune moment, it would. It was just one of those sorts of game.
The final luck percentages was 45% (me) to 64% (him). I don't know how significant that margin is (it seems reasonably significant) but it wasn't just the fact that I rolled badly overall. It seemed that whenever there was an important roll to be made, I failed it. Just one of those games I guess.
I didn't think that I was outcoached. That's not to say my opponent didn't coach well. He did ok. I just didn't feel that I lost because of any particularly ingenious tactics by my opponent or due to any blunders on my behalf. In fact, despite rolling so badly, I think if a couple of dice rolls in particular had gone my way I would have made it out of the game with a draw.
Strangely, despite playing against a team with nothing better than a Strength of 3, I suffered more casualties than any of the games that I played against teams with Mummies!
My bad luck went from bad to worse when one of my players was killed. I rolled for the Apothecary and you can guess the result. Yep, he failed.  I couldn't even cause a single casualty. The closest I got was Knocking someone out with a foul and a few assists. Even then he returned for the very next drive.
So the things I learned most from this game:
1. Never think that any game you play is going to be easy. Turning up doesn't guarantee you the win.
2. Sometimes, no matter how great your tactics, luck will be against you. You can't do much about it. You just have to deal with it as best you can.
3. No matter how easy something is, there is nothing stopping you from rolling a couple of 1's in a row.
Olaf the Stout |
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valenswift
Joined: Feb 18, 2008
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Feb 25, 2008 - 14:45 |
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Cool to read your match reports Olaf. Altho' i used to play the TT versions of BB i haven't played for over 10 years and am also new to FUMBBL.
Lost my first three games by the odd TD whilst i reaquainted myself with the rules but my luck has changed since then as i've beaten an Ogre team 6-1 and last night a Nurgle team 3-1. |
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