Basic Strategic Question

[arv9673]

I know, I know, specific questions are easier to answer. Well, this ain't one. I have a human team starting its second season in a league soon
4 Blitzers (1blodger, 1 guard)
2 Throwers (both accurate)
3 Catchers (1 blodger +leaper)
8 Linemen (2 guards YAY doubles!)
Apoth
7FF
2 rerolls
$90k in the bank (saving for 3rd RR)
My problem is thus: I play all my skilled players all the time. I keep telling myself that I need to get some more linemen skilled so it doesnt hurt when others die but I just can't do it. It's too much fun to load all those guards (3 total) onto the LOS and send the catchers deep and watch the opponent scramble to cover them all. Then, ideally, I send in the blodging blitzer to rush for a TD. Or, if it's defense, load the LOS with guards and blitzers and cover the wide zones deep with catchers and throwers ('cause we all know defense changes to offense so very quickly).
I guess my problem is should I use my catchers on defense? I've already had one killed after I used the apoth to stop a niggler on a blitzer. Are they really too vital? I mean it IS just a game, and its so much fun sending them through the hole the guards just opened up. Even if they get crunched, it takes a turn or two, opponent's only got one blitz. I guess the teams I've played haven't been stellar in the defense dept. I want to be able to build a more well-balanced team with more skilled lineman and no one-man wrecking crews but I am just not disciplined enough. Somebody make me stop!
(some league specific rules: no big guys, no wizards, no star-players)

[mattgslater]

Don't stop using your starters unless you're up against a total team-wrecker and don't really need to win, or you've already locked up the game. Otherwise, field your starters as long as they remain in the game. Some Human teams put only one Catcher on the D or something, and you might want to try that strategy to see if it's better, but unless you really think you're going to get creamed, let your starters start and your benchwarmers warm benches.

[Mad Jackal]

I would definately sit one catcher to get another lineman on the pitch. Sure he'll drop 2 move points, but he'll be a great tz or assist.

Ideally I'd skill him to "kick" and keep him permanent on the pitch for D.
But that is me.

Maybe you sit a thrower on drives when you are not looking to turn him over and score on D ? Thus skilling up yet another lineman ?

I'm just tossing out suggestions, humans are not a team that "needs" to skill thier linemen or can't afford to replace positionals...

I prefer if you have a bench to make it more "platoonish." Some guys play O. Some play D. And whom-ever is on the bench subs for injured or dead players...

[Duke Jan]

An ideal way to skill up linos is to make them fetch the ball and pass it if you receive in turn 8, if they all have 1SPP they will skill up the moment they get an MVP. You may also wish to get some SPP on your guard linos that way since guard players without block tend to develop slowly.

[everyman]

Just FYI, your listed roster has 17 players on it.

My opinion is if you're having fun playing the way you do now, there's no good reason to change.

[SolomonKane]

I agree with the general opinion here. Use the players you like to use. However, let me rehash/add a couple specific points.

1) Get a lineman with Kick and use him solely on defense. You'll be amazed how much more easily your Blitzers and Catchers can get to the ball carrier when you can kick the ball deeper because you're unlikely to kick it out of bounds (barring a Bad Kick result, but even then the distance is halved due to Kick). Remember that in order to use kick, your defensive liner has to line up inside the widezones and off the LOS. Therefore, Block/Kick/Tackle or Block/Kick/Pass Block is a good skill set for this player, and if you roll a double seriously consider Diving Tackle (for the Tackle type) or Dodge (for the Pass Block type).

2) When you get your Kick liner, swap him in for a Catcher on defense. This will make your catching corps less likely to get completely smashed.

3) Get Dauntless with the next double on a Catcher! This will give you a fifth Blitzer, effectively, with even more MA than a standard Blitzer! With so many players as viable blitzing options, you should always be able to have an effective blitz every turn. The ideal Dauntless Catcher would have Dodge/Catch/Block/Dauntless/Strip Ball (or Tackle)/Sprint/Sure Feet, probably in that order (obviously, Dauntless comes along whenever the double is finally rolled).

[arv9673]

Doh! 17 is too many. Sorry, I'm reproducing the roster from memory. Minus one Lino. I like the idea of a kicker, but block always seems to enticing. Anyway, thanks, you guys have given me something to think about.

[SolomonKane]

To rehash the thread a bit, here's another idea I was using for a time with a High Elf team.

Because the High Elves could have 4 Lion Warriors and 2 Dragon Warriors, I decided to try using a '2 and 2' setup for offense and defense. The DWs would play both sides of the ball as much as possible. My LWs were split up into 2 groups of 2 - two of them took offensive skills like Dodge, Leap, Sure Feet, Sprint, while the other pair took defensive skills like Block, Tackle, Diving Tackle, and so forth (I ended up rolling some doubles and took NoS for an offensive player, too).

What this allowed/forced me to do was play more linemen more often, which not only protected my Lion Warriors, but also gave my linemen more opportunities to gain SPP themselves, since my positionals weren't so likely to hog all the points. If you find it so hard to not play all your positionals or feel you should be building your linemen more, try this system.

Translating this to humans, i would always play all four Blitzers. They're your Dragon Warriors and too good to leave on the sidelines. You have the Catchers split two and two, and you should also think about splitting your throwers for offense and defense. I like Accurate, Block, and Safe Throw for an offensive thrower (Strong Arm on doubles) and Block, Hail Mary Pass, and Tackle for the defensive thrower. The idea here is to either use him to pop the ball loose and hopefully be able to pick it up next turn, or to simply scoop up the ball and toss it away to safety (assuming a different player pops the ball loose). Block and TAckle give you more options against agility teams, as you can employ him as a stopgap blitzer in a pinch. No, you can't blitz and pass with the same player in a turn, but having options is useful.

So your ideal lineup, then, would look like this, on both sides of the ball:

4 Blitzers
2 Catchers
1 Thrower
1 Ogre
3 Linemen

Again, the whole point of this is to let you use your linemen more often and ideally protect some of your positional players from harm by not always putting them on the pitch. Good luck.

[mattgslater]

You said in your post that there aren't any big guys in your league. In LRB, this makes Dauntless less powerful, though it's still a decent skill for a Catcher. In PBBL, Dauntless on ST2 guys has been toned down, but taking out big guys won't really change its dynamic much.

[Garnak]

I find that a good golden rule to play by is...

"If you try to protect them they will die having done nothing. If you don't try to protect them they will die but have done something."

The idea of offense vs. defense is an argueable idea, as you can just likely end up on the offense after kicking off (see before referenced kick skill). Therefore, IMHO, Lineman, on just about any team, are disposable due to their lack of skills and how cheap they are. So, until they find themselves skilled up to a point where they are equal, in this case, to a blitzer, catcher, or thrower, Lineman are roving assists and obstacles. Once they gain a two skill combo out of Block/MightyBlow/Tackle/Guard then you take notice. However, I tend towards keeping my skill players at their maximum allowable limit.

Play your skilled players always. Build them so they can survive. Give catchers Block and Sidestep and they are rarely going to be in trouble.

Just my two cents.