“Vanguard National All*Star Challenge (July 2010) round 1

This one was a scorcher (Weather - Extreme Heat) but that didn't stop a great turnout from the fans (116,000). The heat never did let up, but it only affected either team on T8 of the 1st half (3 players each sat out for 1 play). The Gems won the toss and elected to receive since I could field a full team and wasn't sure I might be able to later (both because of heat and injuries). This was a good decision and payed off with a T8 score. It was a long drive with at least one turnover but it was recovered by the 'zons. What was surprising was how well the ladies' armor stood up to the bashing. The Mutations did not fare as well as CW Oboric was killed and the apothecary failed to save him (I heard a rumor that the Chaos apo was passed out on the sideline with heat stroke). The 2nd half the Ladies had an 11-10 advantage and kicked off. We got a Blitz! result and was able to get Catcher Amanda Amber underneath the ball but she muffed the catch. The Mutations evened things up with a quick KO but were unable to get the ball. I called on the services of my wizard to remove some beastmen standing over the ball, but either he was suffering from the heat or the beastmen were secretly elves in disguise (Fireball failed to hit any of the 3). The Gems would just have to do it themselves and put tremendous pressure on the ball. A lot of pushing and hitting caused the ball to bounce around a few times, and ended up in the hands of Whyme. He took off and used some GFIs to put extra distance between himself and the Amazons. Knowing I couldn't get a 2-die blitz on him, I instead opted to move 2 Blitzers to cover him and force him to dodge away (mainly because I knew even a successful dodge would not allow him to score in a single turn). This move also payed off as Whyme tripped trying to dodge away and stunned himself. The Gems were able to recover and moved the ball downfield for a T8 score to end the game.

This was a fun game with a lot of tense moments. It was nice to get good dice when I needed them for a change. It's all well and good to come up with a strategy, but the dice have to cooperate to some degree. Today the Precious Gems executed well and the dice were there when they needed them.

Thanks for the game, SirOrange. I hope you aren't still roaring in rage like Tard :) You had some tough breaks.

Skills (1):
Ruby Red - Guard”