Would you rather...

[lerchey]

My assumption is that I'm going to blow the *critical* die roll, regardless. That means that if I pass, I have at least some chance of the SPP. I almost always down my players on GFIs. Feets are cursed, even with RRs and Sure Feet. Yup.

[Oxynot]

I'd most likely go for the pass, especially if there was Pass or Catch involved. I'd be a sucker for the extra SPP and I'd convince myself by thinking that if the inevitable double 1s turn up, then I'd hopefully have two tackle zones on the ball. And two players up and running to counter the next turn.

Positioning might persuade me to GFI. Although in favour of a hand-off I must say that if you are working with a TRR, you get to choose after the GFI to decide if you still want to attempt the hand-off in contrast to passing.

So, assuming there's a reroll of some kind, and GFI does not drastically help with positioning (getting away from sidelines/behind a screen), I'd go for the pass.

Voted for the second ''Not Sure or 50/50.' as it should of been 'Pass, usually.'

[Jural]

Three situations here:

1) I don't need the TD at all (I will win this game no matter what happens, given the likely outcomes.)

2) I need the TD, but the ball is safe (it is unlikely the opponent can put effective pressure on the ball next turn.)

3) I need the TD, and the ball is not safe.

In the case of 1, I will prioritize who needs to score, and make a best effort to get him the ball. So whatever maximizes getting the ball to that player. I will even not score this turn if the player is out of reach of the end zone, as long as I can get a good shot at the end zone with him next turn. Assuming this player is the one I'm passing the ball too, I'll GFI, then hand-off, unless some combination of Pass, Catch, Diving Catch, etc. make a Pass staticstically more likely to complete. The hand-off is prioritized though, as a Fumble or inaccurate pass is more likely to get the ball in a bad position than a failed GFI or dropped hand-off is.

In the case of 2), I will try the quick pass to maximize SPP's, knowing I can try something else next turn if it fails.

In the case of 3), it's all about the math. Take the highest chance of success now, and if everything is equal (for example, a hobgoblin with accurate doing the passing) prioritze handing off.

Assuming everything is equal, here is what I play out in my mind when making that call:

Is is better to have the ball closer to the player who will score, or to have a player standing up one square away from him?

Typically, I think it's better to have the ball near the receiver, but with some Wood Elf breakaways, it is better to have a player standing up nearby, as this might make all the difference in the world on blitz angles and potential recoveries.

[Big Daddy]

Good Topic Matt (even though I'm a bit late)

I went hand off usually. The only time I might pass is if I have a 2 TD lead already and the passer skills from the completion.

If the ball carrier going down is going to make that big of a difference to me I would probably not make the hand off or pass and try to give supporting coverage to the ball carrier to retain possession. It's still easy for the receiver to grass the 3+ catch.

Passing is risky business and requires the pay off to make it worthwhile. The situation described is not likely to get me excited about passing the ball.

[Patchwork]

For my money, a surer 3spp is worth more than a riskier 4spp....

Assumption: I need the TD....

If the TD is "meaningless", AND the passer requires 1spp to skill up, AND the passer can't make the TD himself... then I'll take the throw....

Thirded

[mattgslater]

See, I'm more afraid of falling down with the ball than I am of fumbling or throwing wide. My experience says the ball will generally land in the least favorable spot. If I'm GFI'ing to handoff, I always have at least a 1/16 (and maybe close to 1/10) chance to scatter the ball away from the receiver on a failed GFI, which could be a scatter into the clear. But a failed pass attempt is unlikely to yield a ball in the clear: it would have to be inaccurate and scatter 2 squares into the clear (highly unlikely), or inaccurate and scatter one square, then bounce into the clear (also highly unlikely). Also a failed pass attempt never yields an injury roll against my player or prevents him from blocking, moving full speed or restricting opponent's movement after the turnover.

[Carnis]

How about this:

Game in hand 1-0, out of rerolls. Your ballcarrier is an unskilled lineman (Rotter). 2 turns to the score, absolutely no risk of draw/ball turnover. Do you hand off to a warrior for a more beneficial TD, giving you a 75% chance of getting 3SPP's on the NW for a skillup (4+ hand off or 4+ pickup). Or do you take the flat 100% for 3spp's on the rotter?

If both are getting a skill from the TD, do you still hand off to the slowly developing and clearly better endgamer?

[mattgslater]

Without a TRR? Undoubtedly I score with the Rotter, especially if it will skill him. The Warrior will get his chances later, and may benefit from the support of a skilled Rotter.

With a TRR, game in hand? QP to the Warrior. The chance of success is (2/3*3/4)+(2/9*1/2) = 1/2 + 1/9 = 22/36, while the handoff would be 27/36. So on average, you'll get 22 SPP and lose 15 for repeating 36 times, for a net 7/36, or nearly .2 SPP (2.444 vs. 2.25). The problem is the catch, not the pass, so a handoff isn't generally the solution.

[mage75]

I have only ever played AG3 teams, so it's a regular decision for me - given a choice between 3+ and 3+, or 2+ and 3+, I'll go with the better odds every time, and GFI to hand off. 1 SPP just isn't worth the extra odds. I figure that the player will pick up SPP next match anyway, so why push the issue? Possibly a reason why my teams progress a little slower, but I am comfortable with it.