Necromantic starting roster, probably a long league...

[White Zombie]

Greetings all, I was hoping to get some advice from some Necro coaches (and everyone else too) on a good starting roster for Necros. If I can drum up enough interest, my group and I will be playing a long league of some description over the summer months, but as this is my first foray back into BB after a woefully long time, I really dont know where to begin! I've played a couple of 'learning' games with the following roster, but found my rerolls to be lacking (especially being as I am a 'new' player to all intents and purposes):

2 x Golems
2 x Weres
2 x Wights
5 x Zombies
2 x RR and 20k banked

I liked the line up of having all positionals except ghouls to begin with, but 2 RRs is not a safe way to play! The idea in a league would be to save for a ghoul first, then work towards the third RR. Any thoughts on this or alternatives? In fact, any thoughts about coaching Necros in general? (Read: am I just better off playing the allegedly superior Undead?)

[The Painted Goblin]

It's exactly the same roster as I started with in our current league, so I'm a bit biased when I say "perfect!"

I was pretty lucky in that both FG's skilled up in the first two games due to MVP's, and having two ST4 players with block, stand firm (and regen) has really kick-started the season.

Re-rolls are always going to be an issue due to their expense, but you can get by. The most important thing to remember with this roster (in the early games) is:- protect those bloody werewolves! Don't be too eager to rush them into your opponents backfield, or use their frenzy to crowd-push until you get block and sidestep. Without them, all your speed disappears - speed is your main advantage. Werewolves need block, dodge and side-step to really enhance their hunter role and increase their survival rate. MB on doubles goes without saying!

The positionals I've struggled with the most are the Wights - they really fade into the background when compared with their team-mates: FG's and weres are better blockers/hunters (one they have block obviously!), Ghouls are faster and more suited to the ball-carrier role. The main draw of wights is access to S skills but I found it difficult to gain those SPP's until I really forced the issue. Get them guard ASAP.

FG's need block, then my preference is guard, followed by MB - but don't get your hopes up on them reaching this third skill any time soon

My plan for ghouls is to skill one up as a safety (wrestle/tackle/strip ball), and the other as the main ball retriever/carrier (sure hands/block/fend)

A lot of people talk about how crap zombies are, but I absolutely love them! They're so cheap you really don't care what happens to them, and they make great food for strong opponents. Their ability to take a hit, get back up and just refuse to die has to be applauded. I lost count of the amount of games that my puny, cheap fodder tied up opposing players on twice/three times their salary for most of the game!

[Digger Goreman]

From my Necrotacticum:

Recommended Starting Rosters:

With the rescinded price break (LRB6) for the Golems, there are two "Goreman Approved" team rosters...

"The Ghouls ate my Flesh (Golems)"

5x Zombies; 2x Wights; 2x Ghouls; 2x Werewolves. 970k. 3 Rerolls.

"A Stitch in Time, Protects the Sidelines"

5x Zombies; 2x Wights; 2x Golems; 2x Werewolves. 980k. 2 Rerolls.

You could modify "A Stitch in Time" and drop a Wight for a Ghoul and an extra Zombie.... Line up the Wight behind the middle of the LOS and move to the side that you're running the ball....

[mubo]

For me:

2 x Golems
1 x Weres
1 x ghoul
2 x Wights
5 x Zombies
3 x RR and 0k banked

Dropping a were + cash for a RR+ghoul
I find weres aren't great until they get a skill. Necros really need the 3rd RR.

If you're lucky get another Z after game 1.

[White Zombie]

Thanks for the input so far guys, keep it coming!

@ Digger Goreman: I've read through your Necrotacticum, been invaluable so thank you very much!

@mumbojumboist: I have to say I'm pretty tempted by that roster, but do you feel that you miss the 2nd were for the first few games, as they are pretty scary straight out the box?

@ The Painted Goblin: I'd have to say I agree with you about the Wights. I think I'll value them a little higher once they have guard, but as it is they are somewhat overshadowed...

Any advice on set ups and general plays? Bearing in mind I'm 'new' so have very little tactical know-how!

[Digger Goreman]

Basic Tactics by Hakon Humberset

Kick Off Setups

Both on my website....

Very happy you found the Tacticum useful... an old zombie raiser does what he can....

[White Zombie]

Two more excellent reads, thank you again Digger Goreman!

@ everyone: Out of interest, why is it generally considered that Undead are slightly superior to Necromantic? On paper at least, Necros seem like the better team... I'll concede that Mummies are better out of the box than golems (S5 and mighty blow will do that for you), but with general skill access and a nice selection of starting skills (plus a not-inconsiderable S4), Golems seem to have potential. That aside, trading access to 2 ghouls for 2 werewolves seems like an excellent deal to me... Is there something that I'm missing? Personal preference perhaps, but Necro playstyle seems far more dynamic and exciting than Undead (but perhaps a little harder to pull off? It's hard for me to say at this early stage).

[Digger Goreman]

This is strictly my personal opinion... ymmv...

The commonality between Necros and Undead are the zombies and wights.... Good and serviceable, even if the wights are overcosted (compare to Orc blitzers).... And, I feel, these two positions bring the same goodness/badness to the table (block and access to S skills (wights), and cheap, somewhat durable, speedbumps (zombies) as well as a shot at keeping costs down and numbers up (regeneration)).... Neither is very fast.... Both teams have obscenely costed rerolls (70k... most expensive in the business)....

Differences:

Mummies vs Golems --- Mummies are a tad slower, equally armored, BUT have Mighty Blow and St 5 vs Stand Firm and St 4.... Mighty Blow is an excellerater in development through casualties which, barring a "safe" situation where you can afford to hand off to a Golem, puts the Mummies on a much quicker skill up pace.... Looking at my current league teams (2 Necros and 1 Undead), 2 Golems have 18 & 8 spp over 15 games; the two other Golems have 14 & 4 over 9 games; and the Mummies have 11 & 16 over 15 games.... It should be noted that one Golem on each team has 2x MVPs and only one Mummy has an MVP (the one at 11 spp).... Naturally it's harder to block down St 5 than 4, and it's less frightening to tag a rookie Golem than a rookie Mummy.... To the Golem's credit, he/she/it is a little faster and a little more durable (thick skull) while Stand Firm allows interesting synergies the Mummies must invest in later (and probably never).... I dearly love my Golems, still, Mummies are better imho....

Ghouls --- 4 vs 2 is incredibly telling.... As my ol' mentor, Aahz, will tell you any day, he targets my ghouls.... The team suffers a speed deficit if those two are not protected.... However, having 4 on an Undead team is a pure slice o' gold...! Four Ma 7 dodgers can really move the ball.... And it's not quite as easy to keep them under control... and, therefore, unskilled....

Skeletons --- If you had to tow the Line, with these guys, it might really suck.... But you can hide them in the linebacker position, behind the zombies, and gain a modicum of speed/assist/blitz that the Necros lack.... If I were to start another Undead team, I'd take three zombies and a couple of skeletons to cheaply hold the middle of the field while my positionals do their jobs....

Werewolves --- Still the premier reason to play Necros!!!! Speedy... dangerous to others and themselves... if you work them well, they'll gain spp faster than any other positional.... They're forever targetted for death and only one double away from being terrors almost without compare.... Still, they're darned expensive, quirky (frenzy on a St 3), and never armored enough for such a crucial piece....

Cost efficiencies will go to the Undead vs the Necros:

Necros can only afford all positionals by using only 1 reroll.... This on a team that is notoriously lacking in personal rerolls at inception (only dodge on the two ghouls).... By contrast, Undead can afford all positonals and 3 rerolls.... Four of their positionals have rerolls (dodge)....

Undead are good out of the gate, having all positionals and 3 rerolls.... Necros, in my experience, need enough games to get both ghouls, blodge on the ghouls and werewolves, guard on the two wights, and enough scratch for 4 rerolls before becoming scary.... I'd feel comfortable taking Undead in long and short leagues... but a little "were-y" of the Necros till after about game #8....

Hope this all helped....