Sp00keh
Joined: Dec 06, 2011
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 Posted:
May 19, 2026 - 11:37 |
 
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This thread is to explain how to understand and play with the Stalling rule introduced in the 3rd season ruleset from 2025
If you want to moan about the rule, go someplace else thanks :P
| the stalling rules wrote: | Should a player be in possession of the ball when they are activated, can score a Touchdown without having to roll any dice, yet finishes their activation without having scored a Touchdown then they are said to be Stalling.
If a player needs to roll any dice in order to score, such as having to Dodge, Rush, perform a Block Action, roll for a Trait such as Bloodlust (X+) or Bone Head, roll a D6 when they are activated, or any other dice they may be required to roll, then they are not said to be Stalling.
If a player who could score a Touchdown without rolling any dice, and therefore would be deemed to be Stalling, declares a Pass Action or a Hand-off Action and finishes their Action no longer in possession of the ball, then this is not deemed to be Stalling. |
If you are stalling, you risk getting a rock thrown at the carrier, which knocks you down and spills the ball
There is no rock in turn7 or turn8
But it will still be checked, meaning you don't get the +10k bonus gold for not stalling
So first of all, let's go over the mitigations:
1) Obstruct your own route to the endzone with other players, and then activate the carrier
2) Have an opponent in contact with carrier, or push one into contact. And then activate the carrier, probably to block or blitz the opponent away to avoid the contact sticking
3) Fail a roll on a different player, causing a turnover before the carrier gets activated. For example dodge a lineman through a bunch of tacklezones
4) Do a Hand Off or Pass action to a different player. Note that if they've not yet activated, they are potentially stalling now instead
5) Pass to an empty square on the pitch. This causes a turnover, unless you somehow catch it.. although then that player may now be stalling instead
6) Have a negatrait like Vampires' Bloodlust, Ogres' Bonehead, Pump Wagons' Really Stupid
These are not mitigations:
7) Don't activate the carrier
Not activating still triggers the check at the end of your turn
8) Rolling unnecessary dice with the carrier, eg doing extra Rushes near the endzone
The test isn't "did you roll dice", it's "did you HAVE to"
9) Running back out of the stalling zone
If the carrier HAD the option to score, then they were stalling
10) Using Fumblerooski to put the ball on the floor
(Previously this would have worked if you declared a Pass or Handover action first, but FAQ has ruled this out)
The mitigations above are not *free*, they all have some risk or consequences
So how can we avoid the rock entirely, without consequence?
- Imagine there's an invisible wall across the opponent's side of the pitch
If your carrier is MA6, then the wall is 6 squares from the endzone (same line as the trapdoor square)
If you cross that wall, you're in the stalling zone
If you stay outside till turn8, you'll need to Rush to score
- So ideally, by turn6 you want to be ready and staging within 2-moves (12 squares) of the endzone, ie inside the opponent's half
On turn7 you want to cross the invisible wall
And on turn8 you score
- You can also do this a turn earlier, still avoiding the rock but losing the 10k gold:
Turn5 you are staging near the wall
Turn6 you cross the wall
Turn7 you're stalling but there's no rock
Turn8 you score
- Going a turn even earlier, ie crossing the wall on turn5, means you risk a 6+ test to get rocked. Sometimes if you are under pressure this will be the best choice
- Each turn earlier than that, the rock gets more dangerous, 5+ 4+ 3+ etc, and you also may face multiple tests
So, this all has various impacts on the game:
- First, it changes the tempo of a drive. Previously, you could make your breakthrough whenever it was best to do so, and if it was an early break then you'd go camp in the opponent's back corner
But now, you want to be staging, setting up somewhere near the invisible wall by turn5 or 6
It also means holding the ball back deeper is more viable now while your team fights forward, eg on a thrower in your half
- Second, it also means more of the drive's scrums could be in the area near the halfway line, less spread out around the pitch, and makes the progress of a drive more predictable.
It makes sawing side-to-side on offence more likely too, because you're not going forward much anyway
Basically it means you're more often defending the carrier near the halfway line, instead of in the far corner, and sometimes this is harder to do
- Third, if your carrier gets +MA increases and is now faster, it brings the invisible wall closer to the halfway line
This is good because it means the bulk of your team has to fight forwards for less squares, and you can start your push from further away.
But also it gives you less space in opponent's half that you can claim or explore, early on in the drive. It kinda compresses your cage into a smaller space
With a slow carrier, it can be possible to defend the cage and also 'capture' the space in front of the cage, so you have a clear run to the endzone to score. But as the carrier gets faster, this is harder to do
- Fourth, it could occasionally introduce a weird anti-play tactic for the defender to choose to move out of the way, so that you now become stalling. This forces you to either score early, or to try and mitigate the rock |
Last edited by Sp00keh on Jun 11, 2026; edited 5 times in total |
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garyt1
Joined: Mar 12, 2011
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May 31, 2026 - 12:58 |
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Does it also make lone opposing players even less concerning in your own half early in the match? As they are unlikely to stall if they are given the ball. |
_________________
“A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.” |
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Sp00keh
Joined: Dec 06, 2011
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| Posted:
May 31, 2026 - 13:49 |
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Yes, but there's a bit of bluffing going on there. because they might just score fast anyway
Also similarly, it reduces the need for a defensive sweeper held back in your half, but I don't think you can entirely ignore either of these things |
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CrisisChris
Joined: Dec 11, 2023
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May 31, 2026 - 16:36 |
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As Sp00keh said: If you can reach and down him, I would do it. Why risk a score? On the other side it is like it always was... If you are confident you can score back, make him score fast and play the 2:1 gind game. Worst thing to happen is leave the threat in your backfield unmolested for several turns and he scores late (so you cannot score back) because you were not able to prevent the ball getting in his hands. |
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Sp00keh
Joined: Dec 06, 2011
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| Posted:
May 31, 2026 - 16:52 |
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I see your point, but there are also plenty of negatives in blitzing down the solo adventurer
- you stop the opponent from getting themselves into a stalling problem (on topic)
- you stop the opponent from rolling ball-handling dice and potentially failing
- you use your blitz on a basic lineman instead of something more valuable
- you send your best blitzer + maybe an assist out of position, relieving pressure on the rest of their team, and potentially making it easier for their push to advance in a different part of the field
- if you don't use your best blitzer for the job, you are reducing your potential damage output a bit
- it might have just been simply bait or a distraction, and not a serious intention
This is why I'd described it as a bit of bluffing going on |
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CrisisChris
Joined: Dec 11, 2023
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May 31, 2026 - 17:16 |
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You are right to mention that explicitly here. For me the 'limitation' of if you can reach it also meant without giving up position. It all is decided along the line of thought 'If he scores now, can score back'. If you are confident, make him score... If not, prevent it (at all cost). For instance. If it is Turn 4 or 5 already and you are playing a slow team the decission to blitz the lone rider may be different than if you are playing a solit 2 turn score team.
EDIT: But the initial question / statement was based on 'early in the half'. So even a slow team may be able to score back in that case. |
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