FUMBBL :: Online Blood Bowl League

Joined: Oct 03, 2005

Posted: Apr 21, 2008 - 12:14

The aim of this post is to promote evolution (invented on FUMBBL by Habeli), which I (and others) have found to be a great way of making team development more interesting.

Lots of coaches express great confusion over how evolution actually works, so to begin with I'll try to explain that:

- At the start, you can only hire the basic line position for a team (eg, Zombies or Linemen) - let's say, using the original evolution system for Undead, we buy a Zombie called Poster Zombosis

- When one of these players dies it 'evolves'

- Evolution means that you can buy a new player, with the same first name but a new classification - when Poster Zombosis dies we can now hire Poster Zombonicus (still a Zombie) or Poster Skeletaphilus (a Skeleton)

- As players who are further along the evolutionary tree die, they can be hired as ever more advanced positions

- Certain conditions may allow a player to evolve several steps at a time - for example, still using the classic Undead system, if Poster Zombonicus got to 51 SPP before dying, he could evolve two steps and be bought next as Poster Ghoulsium (a Ghoul)

- Various other special development rules are used with different rosters and evolution systems

So, why would you do all this? Well, one of the attractions of evolution for me is that it makes player death a good thing. Perms are still bad (because players who are retired can't evolve) but deaths being a good thing removes a lot of the reason to avoid certain types of team in Ranked. An elf-ball game will still help improve your team - but a foul-fest against Khemri may help even more! This means you naturally get to play a wider and more entertaining variety of matches without having any nagging concerns about team-building.

Evolution adds an extra layer of complexity and challenge to team development, which can be particularly good for very long-running FUMBBL teams. The team itself will usually be sup-optimal, which also makes for a coaching challenge.

So far there are evolution systems for Undead, Necros, Khemri, Orcs and Humans (that I know of). A roster needs a reasonable number and variety of positions to be suitable for it, but there are still a few more rosters left for which I think it would work well - Skaven especially.

Please post your questions about and experiences of evolution here!

JanMattys

Joined: Feb 29, 2004

Posted: Apr 21, 2008 - 12:20

I've never particularly liked this. Looks like the entire process of teambuilding and strategical choices to be left to luck (or unluck, you choose).
Mostly, I saw the original Evolution as a funny concept, and was amazed when many tried to copy it (thought it was just a tribute to a great team, not a great idea in itself).

Do I have to reconsider?

edit: Pac, your pseudo-latin sucks Very Happy

At least write "Monstrum"... Wink

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Last edited by JanMattys on %b %21, %2008 - %12:%Apr; edited 1 time in total

Woodstock

Joined: Dec 11, 2004

Posted: Apr 21, 2008 - 12:22

I love it! I created a Undead Evolution Team not long ago, Zombie!. It takes a while to get them on the right track, with only zombies its hard to win in the start.
I play with them to not care about the outcome of the game and just have fun. Sometimes it gets to tense with other teams that you need to relax and just try to destroy your opponents team Twisted Evil

CircularLogic

Joined: Aug 22, 2003

Posted: Apr 21, 2008 - 12:28

It still strikes me odd, that a 0SPP player gets better by getting killed. I commented on that when playing Chickenbrains orcs. I think a player should have had at least 1 skill roll to gain a chance of evolving one step up.

Tesifonte

Joined: Sep 06, 2004

Posted: Apr 21, 2008 - 12:30

Nay. That makes you play tuff teams and pray to get killed!
That roolz!

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Chickenbrain

Joined: Aug 02, 2003

Posted: Apr 21, 2008 - 12:33

CircularLogic wrote:

It still strikes me odd, that a 0SPP player gets better by getting killed. I commented on that when playing Chickenbrains orcs. I think a player should have had at least 1 skill roll to gain a chance of evolving one step up.

Feel free to create your very own evolving team which has stricter rules than the others.

In the end its a fun concept. And fun concepts can be followed or not followed.

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pac

Joined: Oct 03, 2005

Posted: Apr 21, 2008 - 12:59

JanMattys wrote:

edit: Pac, your pseudo-latin sucks Very Happy

That's intentional! My actual Latin is not bad. Smile

Chickenbrain wrote:

In the end its a fun concept. And fun concepts can be followed or not followed.

I agree - for example, most evolution teams have a rule that says when a player who dies is raised by the opposing team, he is lost and can't evolve. I realised this might make me not want to play Undead or Necros, so I got rid of that rule for my team.

SillySod

Joined: Oct 10, 2006

Posted: Apr 21, 2008 - 13:06

Oooooh, the poll says that I'm the first erson to chose Macavity over brains.

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Chickenbrain

Joined: Aug 02, 2003

Posted: Apr 21, 2008 - 13:12

pac wrote:

I agree - for example, most evolution teams have a rule that says when a player who dies is raised by the opposing team, he is lost and can't evolve. I realised this might make me not want to play Undead or Necros, so I got rid of that rule for my team.

And i created the Orc way of evolution based on Habelis great work. Furthermore i do not see any reason for a former high SPP player to start with an advantage over any other hired player, therefore i got rid of the SPP bonus rule for RIPed and raised opponent players.

Everyone to his very own taste. This is evolution, and as we all know evolution is not predictable. Smile

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CircularLogic

Joined: Aug 22, 2003

Posted: Apr 21, 2008 - 13:39

Chickenbrain wrote:

pac wrote:

I agree - for example, most evolution teams have a rule that says when a player who dies is raised by the opposing team, he is lost and can't evolve. I realised this might make me not want to play Undead or Necros, so I got rid of that rule for my team.

And i created the Orc way of evolution based on Habelis great work. Furthermore i do not see any reason for a former high SPP player to start with an advantage over any other hired player, therefore i got rid of the SPP bonus rule for RIPed and raised opponent players.

Everyone to his very own taste. This is evolution, and as we all know evolution is not predictable. Smile

Even though it`s not predictable in a predetermined way it doesn`t mean it doesn`t follow a set of rules... :p

Woodstock

Joined: Dec 11, 2004

Posted: Apr 21, 2008 - 13:40

More SPP, more brains to eat!... It is that easy Twisted Evil

Eghost

Joined: Oct 19, 2003

Posted: Apr 21, 2008 - 13:59

Oooh, might make a ratolution team. Would gutters or vermins be the ultimate step?

Tesifonte

Joined: Sep 06, 2004

Posted: Apr 21, 2008 - 14:01

Rats will evolve easily!

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Chickenbrain

Joined: Aug 02, 2003

Posted: Apr 21, 2008 - 14:09

CircularLogic wrote:

Even though it`s not predictable in a predetermined way it doesn`t mean it doesn`t follow a set of rules... :p

True, but the set of rules might be greater than only a small set of rules. Lets consider each Evolution Team in the group "Lets Evolve" having one set of rules. All those rules together form the TRUE evolution rules... Smile

Read it like: For this particular set following rule applies...

And there is the same way of thinking than evolution in itself did for aeons.

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Chickenbrain

Joined: Aug 02, 2003

Posted: Apr 21, 2008 - 14:11

Eghost wrote:

Oooh, might make a ratolution team. Would gutters or vermins be the ultimate step?

I would more go for the Rat Ogre, but thats me.

For instance a 5 step ladder:
Lineman -> Lineman -> Thrower -> Thrower -> Rat Ogre
or
Lineman -> Lineman -> GR -> GR -> SV

or any other way... Smile

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