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Blood Bowl is often a frightfully difficult game to talk about. If I had a pound for every time I asked a friend ‘How did your game go?’ and then immediately wished that I had not; my eyes glazing over as I drift in and out of conversation… ‘I rolled a 1. This guy died… (I wonder what’s for dinner later)… then a Blitz!.. (that’s a lovely picture on the wall behind him. I wonder where that came from?)… and finally, I punched him in the face (wait, what?!)’… I’d probably have approximately £274. We all remember ‘key’ dice rolls and incidents immediately after the battle; but we rarely pick over the minutiae of a drive. The tactics, the strategy, the decisions, and how they underpin a result.
Luckily, we have a super tool with Kalimar’s client. A tool that we can use to record a game and then break it down, work out it where it was won and lost, analyse positions with the benefit of distance, a cup of tea and hindsight that you cannot in the heat of battle. You may have rolled a 1, but did you need to? What led to the position where you had to try to roll a 2? The dice are never as interesting or as important as the decision making when going over a game; afterall, you can’t learn from dice.
Joemanji had the idea that we, as an interesting tactics article, should find a pair of willing combatants / test subjects, ask them to play and then analyse their game. Luckily for us, Stonetroll and happygrue agreed it might be a good idea (mwhaha, the fools!), and the below is some analysis (between the four of us) of what happened.
The game can be found here. My suggestion is that you fire up the replay, and following each turn, take the time to read the in-depth commentary of the coaches. Decide if you agree with their reasoning, their rationale. Discard dice rolls from your analysis; luck is not the interest of the day here. You will also find below some ‘key points’ that I have highlighted with some analysis of my own. Do you agree with my thinking? Is everyone, the coaches and the commentators alike, wrong? Is it even a key point? I hope this will form a rewarding hour or so of your time, and leave you with something to think about going into future games of your own. Or, it’s utter garbage and you’ll be renewed in your knowledge of your own tactical mastery. Either way, worth a go!
Let’s remember that, as with any sport or game. it’s always easier to watch than play. We have never made a mistake spectating, we are always perfect. Luckily, yhis is quality Blood Bowl right here, and much of what follows are simply ideas or interesting points for discussion. No-one is right or wrong, but talking about this stuff is fun! Disclaimers over; let’s begin.
The Coaches
happygrue and Stonetroll are FUMBBL veterans of over 5000 combined games. They’re well known as two of the site’s big guns; two men to spec as and when you get the chance. I have locked horns with both of these individuals in the past, and I look forward to a tough game when I next get the chance to do so. This classic bash v agility showdown is a game to savour.
The Teams
For Stonetroll: 13 Orcs. 3 Stand Firm in total, 2 BOBs and a Troll, an MB / Tackle / DT Blitzer (handy against Elves), an MA7 ST 4 Blitzer and no Thrower. For happygrue: 11 High Elves. A superb MA9 AG5 Catcher, an MB Frenzy Catcher and some all important Blodge Guard on a Blitzer. An interesting choice in a Grab Blitzer too. The TV is middling, the teams are interesting, and the stage is set.
The Game
Before Kickoff: Orcs induce a Chainsaw and win FAME. Elves win the toss, elect to receive.
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<Stonetroll> alright |
ELF TURN 1
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<Stonetroll> but, you're just giving away 1 square backwards here, not too bad |
The Kickoff Recovery
The first interjection on my part comes as early as the kickoff. Stonetroll is defending the flanks with Stand Firm (SF) and the centre with high ST SF. happygrue has the big Catcher near the ball, the Guard mobile and has passively backed away from the Orcs. As he notes in his chat, what to hit? A common Elven tactic, ‘suck and go’ (inviting the bashers forward only to spring the trap and accelerate past them) is offered, Stonetroll will doubtless attempt to ‘hold the line’. happgrue’s passive beginning is aligned with my conservative agility tendencies, and Stonetroll’s initial setup attempts to generate tempo by not giving the Elves an easy beginning. Quality ‘feeling out’ in the early rounds of the contest.
Much of the flow and tempo of the first half now depends on how Stonetroll approaches passive Elves. Will he tie up Linemen and try to induce a 2+ failure, or trap one or two in 3+ dodge situations? Will he passively hold the line around half way? Will he throw the ‘Saw into action or leave it as the threat happygrue knows is lurking?
ORC TURN 1
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… |
Getting Past the Ball
At the beginning of turn 2, happygrue makes a decision that may shape his whole drive. With one Guard and a wall of pretty strong looking Orcs ahead of him, punching through the line is going to be tricky. It appears Stonetroll is not going to simply dive in and give him something easy. Getting a man ‘ahead of the ball’ is important for any team on any drive; neatly moving a square forward a turn with the cage at the front of your formation is a recipe for shipwreck on the rocks of a ‘double banked’ or flat defence. Leaving a receiver in the opposing half sucks a marker out of the defensive line (you can’t just leave him there), and can be a pivot around which an offence moves. It’s also important not to be too passive. Consider turn 2 from the High Elves, would you have moved forward here, or awaited something better? With the man ahead, the ball was transferred to the super fast, agile Catcher. I like this move from the Elves; making the punch through in the middle or late in a drive can be fraught with danger on a few pushes or a 1. happy alludes to farming spp with the Catchers in the game text as a reason why the Blitzer makes the move, but I like the fastest men being close to the ball, and AV7 hidden. When the explosive movement comes, it can be decisive.
Stonetroll now had to acknowledge the threat of a man ahead of the ball and respond.
(Key: 1, Guard area target, 2 movable Orcs, 3 Player to move through the line, circle, target area)
ELF TURN 2
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… |
ORC TURN 2
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<happygrue> I'm still not sure if I will end up needing to score fast or will end up trying to stall this out, but I wanted to do something threatening to make the orcs change up from "just bash and stand" |
ELF TURN 3
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… |
ORC TURN 3
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<Stonetroll> still, even sending a slow guy back is worth it, but here is where I should have sent my stat freak |
ELF TURN 4
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<Stonetroll> and with the guard out for a turn there is no easy way to hit the saw and get rid of him that way |
ORC TURN 4
Forcing the Issue
At the end of the fourth Elf turn, happy had dropped the ball back, knowing the fast, agile Catcher could launch the ball almost where he wanted it to go at any time. It was a passive move that knowingly surrendered some tempo. There were a few Elves deep, and the Orcs were not the flat, immovable wall they once were. With no armour breaks. Stonetroll had to do something to change the half – this Elfstall was going too well. The answer was contact and pushing forward to pressure the ball. The end of the turn left happy needing to roll dice. None of the Linemen had Dodge, everything at this point was dangerous. Stonetroll had successfully wrestled back a chunk of the initiative. Did too many Elves advance, not leaving enough layers between the Orcs and the ball allowing easy escape? Was this Orc smothering just too good? Crucially, the ‘Saw was advanced, leaving happy knowing that he had a decision to make.
ELF TURN 5
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… |
A Breakthrough!
Even though the ‘Saw went down, a roll failed. Whilst the turnover was caused by a snake, happy knew that the Elf standing still to be hit would have been successful 100 % of the time, rather than dodging 35/36 times.
A BOB was free to take down the ball deep in the High Elven half.
ORC TURN 5
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<Stonetroll> it still needs the bob to sack him with a POW |
What Now?
With the breakthrough achieved, happy was in trouble. But for how long? In the event the Catcher could simply stand up, the ball could still be miles away next turn. Stonetroll’s decision was to foul the Catcher. It must have been a difficult choice between the high reward Foul and the BOB pickup, as the text describes. The foul is about 60 % for a stun +, the pickup 70 % with a TRR having GFI’d, but those numbers don’t tell the entire story, numbers never do. Stonetroll chose not to try and maximise his breakthrough by picking up (he could have then fouled ¾ of the time), and it’s an interesting discussion point.
ELF TURN 6
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<happygrue> now I have a an easy 2+ dodge with dodge, a 2+ pickup thanks to ag 5 and can run far enough to be dangerous |
The Pounce
With the Orcs sucked forward to capitalise on the failure, the Elves could pounce. With some rolls, the ideal Elfstall situation could be achieved; just what Stonetroll didn’t want when he decided to push forward and break his line up. With 2 turns to go, the Elves had everything they needed; a spread field and a full team. The decision here for the Orcs is an interesting one: a) Manufacture dice at the ball and sacrifice defending recievers if it doesn’t go brilliantly, or b) Using the Blitz action to defend the wide open field.
The latter option was chosen.
ORC TURN 6
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<Stonetroll> if I blitz the ball I will have to leave the catcher standing |
ELF TURN 7
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… |
ORC TURN 7
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<Stonetroll> seems like my only chance is to go for 3+ 5+ dodges |
ELF TURN 8
Elves score: 1-0
Touchdown!
1-0. The TTM attempt to come, and then driving against a full team (minus two LOS attempts). The Orcs are under pressure…
ORC TURN 8
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<happygrue> setting up there to prevent a goblin from getting an easy landing if the throw is good |
SECOND HALF
ORC TURN 1
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<Stonetroll> now if this was a tourney game it would be easier to plan the second half, just 8 turns of bashing and stalling |
Stick or Twist
Suddenly, the Elves have gone from 11 and cruising to 9 and worrying. Whilst happy has played a relatively passive game so far; now 3 men down, he needs to start thinking about when to be aggressive. 8 Elves (8 anything) have a hard time passively walling off against 11 Orcs, but what they can do is create local mismatches with their speed and agility, and chase lone ball carriers. happy knows the clock is ticking; he needs to stop this drive to win the game, and to do so, he probably needs to get aggressive. When will he push?
ELF TURN 1
ORC TURN 2
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<Stonetroll> I'm going to play it really safe since snakes on GFI here would end me |
ELF TURN 2
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… |
ORC TURN 3
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… |
ELF TURN 3
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<happygrue> I'm fine risking the dodge away from dt because it puts him on the ground here |
ORC TURN 4
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<Stonetroll> I can go either way now, but top has nicer looking targets |
Facing the Cage
The BOB GFI failure had left happygrue with an ‘in’. He had 6 Elves able to move, but the Orc position might never be this fragile again. If happy was going to win, this seemed to be his time to make life tough. The cage points are in contact, Strip Ball looms. What to do? Is now the time to go for it, or does he hang on? As it turned out, the attempt was aborted.
ELF TURN 4
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<Stonetroll> just in case you are going for something flashy, but with 2 rerolls not worth one |
ORC TURN 5
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<Stonetroll> alright |
Orcs Score! 1-1
Playing to Win
With 7 Elves remaining, an Apo used to save a vital player and 1 KO, Stonetroll pushes to win. Whether this is the right move depends on your appetite for risk; what’s more important, winning or not losing? Whittling the Elves down for a couple more turns would have made the one turn attempt an unlikely success, a draw was more or less assured. However, Stonetroll’s team is set up to not allow a quick breakaway, so a win was a possible result. With the game in the balance, the perfect start to the third drive unfolded (if you’re green)…
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<happygrue> well done |
ELF TURN 5
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<Stonetroll> had to think about moving the DT guy too |
ORC TURN 6
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… |
The Game is on the Line!
With 5 active Elves and the ball on the Megacatcher, this was it. The Elves faced a crucial decision as to how hard to push, and what route to take. Where would you go? Is there scope to back away and go for a tie, or do you push to win?
Stop the replay and check the skills. Where to, Elven coaches? I’ll tell you where to….
ELF TURN 6
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<happygrue> well, I can run back and cage with some chance of holding the ball |
ORC TURN 7
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<Stonetroll> hmm |
ELF TURN 7
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… |
ORC TURN 8
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<Stonetroll> I can just try to force one last snake, but nothing more |
Elves score! 2-1
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<Stonetroll> grats |
The Aftermath
So; fortune favoured the brave in this situation, well, one of the brave. The Orcs and then the High Elves pushed to win, and a win we got. I hope that it’s clear from the text; this game didn’t come down to those late one dice blocks that freed and did not down the fast, agile Catcher. This, like any game of Blood Bowl, was decided by tens of tiny micro-decisions, overall strategies and the manner in which the coaches approached the game and the result. We each of us may have taken a different path at one of a hundred points, and the game would have been different as a result.
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this way of looking at a game of Blood Bowl, and that you’ve got something out of it (even if that is eye strain from looking at a wall of text or the knowledge we three are idiots!). I’d like to thank happygrue and Stonetroll for their informative in game chat and for their work on the project, not to mention a great game to spectate! If you would like to produce something similar for a future issue of the GLN, perhaps analysing a big game from a FUMBBL major or a league you love, approach da management!
