Defensive Setup in Blood Bowl
Part X: Five Popular Defenses
by JackassRampant

So far we’ve covered nearly forty defensive setups, it’s all a little bewildering to the novice coach. Let’s fix that with a summary of five popular defensive setups that you can use any time you have 11 players to defend with, and that are usable by many or even most teams: the boat, chevron, ziggurat, bunkers, and mixed offset screen.

The Boat
• Also called the rule of 5, the anchor, the castle, and the nickel;
• Best on Turn 1 or Turn 9 against slower teams;
• Allows you to protect 5 or 6 players and offers good midfield control;
• Provides no sideline control, vulnerable on late drives or vs fast teams;
• Boat variants can be used to mask numerical deficiency.

The Boat Defense
7 6 5 4|3 2 1 0 1 2 3|4 5 6 7 column
- - - -|- - x x x - -|- - - - Line
- - - -|- - - - - - -|- - - - -1
- - - -|x - - x - - x|- - - - -2
- - - -|- x x x x x -|- - - - -3

The Chevron
• Provides strong sideline control, fair midfield control if defensive line holds;
• Allows a wrap-around if offense doesn’t protect the backside;
• Protects two players as safeties, free to respond, unlikely to be blitzed;
• Puts a lot of pressure on 2-column midfielder;
• Dependent on 101 line, vulnerable up the middle if line doesn’t hold.

The Chevron Defense
7 6 5 4|3 2 1 0 1 2 3|4 5 6 7 column
- - - -|- - x x x - -|- - - -
- - - -|- - - - - - -|- - - -
- - x -|- x - - - x -|- x - -
- x - -|x - - - - - x|- - x -

The Ziggurat
• Similar to the chevron, but provides stouter midfield control;
• 2-column players are less vulnerable, but the line still has to do its work;
• Does not protect a 3-column safety, unlike the chevron defense;
• Ziggurat and chevron defenses can be mixed and matched, circumstances permitting.

The Ziggurat Defense
7 6 5 4|3 2 1 0 1 2 3|4 5 6 7 column
- - - -|- - x x x - -|- - - -
- - - -|- - - - - - -|- - - -
- - x -|x x - - - x x|- x - -
- x - -|- - - - - - -|- - x -

The Bunkers
• Like the boat, protects multiple safeties, exposing only 4 players;
• Unlike the boat, offers meaningful wide zone control and responsiveness;
• Best as a turn 1 or turn 9 defense against teams that can’t run deep formations.

The Bunkers Defense
7 6 5 4|3 2 1 0 1 2 3|4 5 6 7 column
- - - -|- - x x x - -|- - - -
- - - -|- - - - - - -|- - - -
- - x -|- x - - - x -|- x - -
- - - x|x - - - - - x|x - - -

The Mixed Offset Screen
• Best if the kicking team has Kick and the receiving team doesn’t have great passing;
• Reliant on a 123 line to provide manpower on backside;
• Can be reversed (321 line, right-handed backfield), for a change of pace;
• Forces many coaches to think, which can be a good thing or a bad thing.

The Mixed Offset Screen
7 6 5 4|3 2 1 0 1 2 3|4 5 6 7 column
- - - -|- - - - x x x|- - - -
- - - -|- - - - - - -|- - - -
- - x -|x x - x - - -|x x - -
- x - -|- - - - x - -|- - - -

Obviously, there’s a lot more to it than that, but those five turn-one defenses should keep you busy for a couple hundred games at least. In all your endeavors, have fun and good luck!

— JR

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