Smeat's Rookie Guide

After all, the goal of every 145 coach (after "having fun") should be to get the hell out of 145! ;D

I'm not one of "the best" coaches here on FUMBBL, far, far from it. But I do know "the basics", things that help get any coach above of the "30% win" bracket. When I talk about them, it reinforces them in my play. (And I know when I screw up too - hindsight is always painfully clear.) :/

I'm happy to talk with any coach about what they can work on, re basics or specifics re their team or the team/race they face "next". But the basics remain the same, at any level of play...

Primary Rule: PROTECT THE BALL!

o Move players to screen the ball before any pickup, and sim at any handoff/pass/catch location. (~Less~ true w/ higher Agil & skills, but still true!)

o Try to keep a classic "X" shaped cage around ballcarrier. (Most anything "+" shaped is flawed, unless you have Guard spam, and even then far inferior!)

o Esp true when receiving - shift ~at least~ 1 player to screen & support, "just in case" ball is dropped. 2 are better. (and can often form the "back half" of a (loose?) cage).

o Moving out of range of any possible blitz is safe - for that next 1 turn. Have a plan "just in case" they pressure.

Allowing the defense to mark the ball or ballcarrier is the first step to losing the ball. Don't let them get that far, certainly don't invite them to try. (Not even you arrogant Dodgey Ag 5 elfs!)

(NOTE: When planning how far a cage can move, it's the slowest or rear-players that often dictate the max range for a solid cage. For quick/easy reference, you can "label" the field the same way you label a player (Shift + Right-Click on that square). Count forward from that slowest player, label the field there, plan your cage from that corner.)

Rule 1: Do "No Dice" moves BEFORE ROLLING DICE.

o Stand up Linemen. Even if in contact, FAR better standing up than laying down when (not "if") you fail a roll.

o Get players to best position before making blocks.

o As blocks free players from TZ, move them BEFORE making next block.

o Only GFI if you're truly desperate. No, REALLY. It's a trap.

o Look at the field, expect your next dice move/block to fail, and ask "can I make this better before I make my next roll?"

This is all about "position" - not the "best possible" in theory, but the best actually possible BEFORE YOU ROLL ANY DICE - which is "in practice". Players who stay down, players standing around far from the play, might as well be in the casualty box. Don't volunteer to leave them out of the play. Ever.

Rule 2: Do LOW-RISK moves BEFORE HIGH-RISK.

o 3d before 2d blocks. o 2d before 1d blocks. o 2+ moves before 3+, etc. o Moves w/ auto-RR skill (Dodge, Pass, etc) before non-skill.

A good coach doesn't need to have the ~exact~ %'s memorized, but he has an idea for them...

o A 1d block w/ no skill will fail 1/3 of the time (Skull or Both Down). > & w/ Block, that's 1/6. o A 2d block w/ no skill will fail 1/12 (3/36) of the time (Skull/Skull, Skull/Both-Down, Both-Down/Skull, out of 36 possible combos). > & w. Block, that's 1/36 o Stat 4, 2+ roll w/ RR fails 1/36. o Stat 3, 3+ roll w/ RR* fails 1/9. o Stat 2, 4+ roll w/ RR* fails 1/4 o Stat 1, 5+ roll w/ RR fails 4/9 - which is still better than a coin toss when absolutely desperate!

(* A "RR" can come from a skill like Dodge or Pass, or a Team RR.)

(Copy/paste those to your "About" page for reference if you need to, but get a general feel for them.)

Once you understand that, you can move on to more subtle risk taking, like... o A 1d Block w/ Block skill against no-skill target has a 1/6 fail (skull), but 3/6 knockdown. Good bet, ~IF~ your field position can afford it. (See "Control the Field", below).

o A -2d (aka 1/2d) w/ Strip Ball v. a no-skill target is 5/9 to knock the ball loose, or ~2/3 (25/36) if you're willing to suck up a Both-Down. (Worse if the ball carrier has Block and/or Dodge. Wrestle makes it better, Tackle gives better % to knock the player down.)

Rule 3: If it's a scoring play, do IMPORTANT blocks/moves first.

o Any dice can fail. So, if the situation is critical (for offense, for defense, whatever), don't do the blocks far away from that situation first. Take care of business while you have a RR, THEN go back to the 3d MB block that is on the other side of the field. 1 in 216 fail is 1 more than you need to risk.

Lots of new coaches will make 2d blocks while they are thinking about how to score. Don't. This rule overrides Rule #2.

Rule 4: The BLITZ is (usually) THE most important play of the game.

Your Blitz should change the field. It may not be the first move you do, but it should be the first you plan, even before your opponent finishes all his moves. Find it, see it, figure out how it will work, then (applying the above rules), make it happen!

o When possible (and important), make it 3d. o Whenever possible, avoid 1d

Rule 5: If you have a risky Plan A, then also have a Plan B. Use Plan B if Plan A becomes "too" risky.

If you have "a plan" that involves a lot of rolls (dodging, pickups, blocks, passing, catching - etc. etc.), and you have to use your team RR early... then everything else may become "too risky" to continue.

At that point, calm down, re-cage, and wait until next turn when you have a RR again.

(Of course, if there are skills that cover the RR's (Pass, Catch, Dodge) and/or it's the last Turn, and/or it's your last RR - then nm.

The point is, weigh your chance of failure against the opportunity to get it right next turn, and try to have a fall-back plan in case things go bad early.

(One example of this is to move (at least) one player into scoring range early in a Turn, or long before Turn 7-8. If things go wrong, at least that's someone in scoring range at the end of the turn. Works on Offense, and Defense if you think you might pop the ball loose.)

Rule 6: Control the Field.

o Put out a screen to control space, even it's just an extra man or two a bit behind the play if that's all you can do. ("protect the ball" is part of this.)

o Before doing any dodge/block (but esp risky ones!), decide if the field is better without that player on the ground.

o Think about the Push before Blocking. Will a Push stop an assist, or put a TZ where you want to move?

o Players 3-apart cover more area w/ TZ than players 2-apart. Players 4-apart have a free path between them.

o & when receiving, try(!?) not to leave the wide zones (too) open to a possible Blitz! result. Don't just give it away.

o Rule 7 - The Best Coaches make their own Luck.

No, really, they do!

There is good/bad luck that is beyond your control - but the overall "degree" of good/bad is modified by your choices before that roll.

By applying everything above, you roll less dice, and the dice you DO roll are better %'s. If you roll less dice and with better odds, you fail less often/Turn, so you end fewer turns with a fail. And that's "good luck", right?

And when you DO fail (and you will!) you will be in a MUCH better position, so the fail is not so epic, not game breaking.

And when your opponent (who is NOT applying these rules!) fails, they will have left men down and unmoved, and the ball unprotected, and it will be ugly. Sooo ugly. But not for you.

Poor coaches will often blame this on "good/terrible luck", but veteran coaches know it's just "safe/risky play".

Oh - and this is a good time to throw this in... save your RR's for when they matter. A RR should make/break a drive, it should allow/stop the score, open the door for you or slam it shut for your opponent. If you fail a block/dodge but the ball is safe... consider just sucking it up.

This is also why you move before rolling dice. If you can get "good enough" without rolling any dice, if the ball is safe and things look "okay", then you can save that RR for when it really matters, not to save Bob the Lineman from falling down on the far side of the field.

Save those RR's for the scoring plays. You'll feel "so lucky" you did. ;)

o Rule Last - Know when to break the rules.

It's an art, not a science. But There is science (math) behind it. Understand the odds, understand the "safe" principles, and you can better know when to take risks.