Norse lineman swarm

[sunnyside]

For context this is for a perpetual league using the "competition pack" or whatever they're calling LRB6 now.

As my teams develop I'm having the problem of keeping players on the Cockerel, especially since I can be wasting my APO on linemen who will miss the next game. This means all too often I'll wind up with 11 players or even worse a loner.

So I'm wondering about going linemen heavy. At half the cost of other positionals I can afford to add one nearly every single game.

Due to the miss next game factor this might mean going up to 14+ players in order to reliably field 12 or 13.

Do you think that would work well? Norse linemen are quite cost effective as rookies.

Do you think having 14 players would counter five extra skills on a 12 player team? Does it matter the TV this comparison is made? It would potentially allow me to throw some nasty fowls without worrying about fielding fewer players.

[mattgslater]

I've thought about this a few times. All linemen would be like a lesser version of the Amazons, but I've had a bit of success actually with nothing but linemen, Ulfs and the ST.

But generally, it's hard to keep players on the "Cockerel" as you put it: AV7 is nothing to crow about.

[sunnyside]

I've thought about this a few times. All linemen would be like a lesser version of the Amazons, but I've had a bit of success actually with nothing but linemen, Ulfs and the ST.

I get the Amazon comment a lot. I see where it's coming from 6 3 3 7 and a skill related to blocking.

However I find that they are very different.

For one a skilled up linewoman is a great blodger or wrestle+dodge player. A skilled up Norse lineman is.... TV bloat (except the kicker or on a lucky skill roll).

The Amazon has an option to be evasive, but also can stand up to big guys almost as well as Orcs due to dodge.

The Norse player can't evade, and also has a horrid chance of survival if blocks start coming their way.

This means Norse have to take down or push off their attackers most of the time, and for this keeping up their numbers is critical.

However until they're on the field, the extra players are TV bloat. I don't want to fall into a trap where spending resources to mitigate casualties means I've left myself too weak on the field to prevent the casualties in the first place.

[cyagen]

As a general rule for all teams, Apos should not be used on Linos. They are for positionals.

[mattgslater]

As a general rule for all teams, Apos should not be used on Linos. They are for positionals.

I strongly disagree. On many teams, "linos" are highly-specialized position players who had to be crafted for the role. If my High Elves are out even just two starters, it throws off my formations and has a negative impact on my ability to develop other players, even if I have eleven on the pitch. But I might let a rookie Hobgoblin die....

@ sunnyside: I figured all that was included in the term "a lesser version of." Note also that Norse pay 10k more for TRRs. I think we're agreeing: if you ain't gonna take a Snow Troll, and you ain't gonna take any Ulfs, then playing Norse in any format over about 5 games is tying one hand behind your back.

[sunnyside]

@ sunnyside: I figured all that was included in the term "a lesser version of." Note also that Norse pay 10k more for TRRs. I think we're agreeing: if you ain't gonna take a Snow Troll, and you ain't gonna take any Ulfs, then playing Norse in any format over about 5 games is tying one hand behind your back.

Fair enough, but the question is, what is the better option between something like adding a zerker as an 11th player on the team, or adding two linemen to go to 12?

How about a zerker as the 12th vs two linemen two go to 13 players?

getting a lineman to take the team to 13 vs banking it and inducing bloodweiser babes?

[mattgslater]

That one's simple. Remembering the bad old days of Norse, there's only one reason to play Norse over Amazons: if you like Strength. That's their major relative advantage. Getting Strength means taking Ulfs and/or a Snow Troll. I took all 3 and got all of them up within 3 games; I started 1-1-1, but now they're very difficult to play against. That's the trick to making league Norse work as I've found it: get those three players out beyond the "liability" stage, which means starting them and getting them 6 SPP each ASAP. Then your team's sucky development curve hurts a whole lot less.