Talk Fantasy Football

Help and advice appreciated, as I don't know how to use them.

Yes, they are fast, and yes, I've managed to blitz away the opposition covering my halfback a few times, but all in all I haven't found a way to make most of them. ST3 without Block is bad medicine with Frenzy. At least that's how it has been for me.

Doesn't feel right to play them as fullbacks and safeties, not with the 120,000 price tag. Those roles do not earn them SPPs, which makes things even more troublesome as I'm starting to believe they are quite sad without the much needed and omnipotent Block. Claws don't help much either when playing against Skaven and Amazon teams.

Feels like I would've been happier and gotten more bang for my buck buying one Wight, Ghoul and a re-roll for the same price.

Bow wow wow, GROWL? More like whimper, whimper, snivel...

Without Weres, one might as well play Undead... not a criticism, just that Weres is what makes the Necro team special....

Werewolves are Running Backs and Safties par excellence! But like any new player, they are gonna need some help, especially at mitigating Frenzy.... This is where your Wights and Ghouls come in.... My typical game plan involves either a Ghoul or Werewolf receiving the kick... preferably a Ghoul, but it used to be all Weres.... You can move the ball three-quarters of the way into the opposing pitch by having the Ghoul hand off to the Werewolf (3+) and covering the Wolf's advance with a Wight.... If you're fortunate enough to have acquired Golems, also, then they can run major interference down the insides of the wide zones.... A couple of TDs, easily done by a Were, skills up to the much needed Block skill (or Dodge... but those are probably your first two upgrades)....

On defense you want to use the Were/Wight/Ghoul combo to either cover deep penetrations (Elves) or to go for the turnover on most teams.... Pair the Wights (I like Guard on them asap) with the Wolves in the wide zones, with Ghouls just out of the wides and not too far back.... The secret to dealing with a 3st Werewolf Frenzy is to move a Wight/Ghoul into a position where the Were can blitz/(block) twice and, even with a push, get 2d on the second block.... Be versatile and remember that it's a Wight's job to block, also.... Man down on any side means the Wight/Wolf/Ghoul combo gets deadly.... The one place that Ghouls rule over Wights is that they can Dodge into assist positions.... Do be careful and try not to have to make 3+ Dodges, or to too often leave that 7AV Ghoul unsupported.... Conversely, don't be afraid either.... Ghouls are somewhat protected by being the less threatening piece when Wights/Weres are around....

Weres are your show-piece... used properly they can, and will, win you games....

Edit: Here are my League's two highest ranked stars... both Werewolves from Graveyard Gothika:

Wolfman Jack 8339 Claws, Frenzy, Regeneration, Block, +1 AV, MB, Dodge, Sidestep 1 comp, 18 tds, 9 cas, 3 mvp, 88 spp

The Midnight Growler 8339 Claws, Frenzy, Regeneration, Block, Dodge, +1 AV, MB, Sidestep 11 tds, 16 cas, 3 mvp, 80 spp (KIA)

The Growler's replacement advanced within two games and got an Ag upgrade, so I will probably make him into a wide out... another possibility for the versatile Weres....

Most of your TDs will be scored with your werewolves. That's where you will get the SPPs for them. It shouldn't take more than a game or two to get a few TDs. Take block and then you can start using the frenzy.

Use them as both potential ball handlers, and as blitzers if you're playing a team where calw is effective.

Block is probably the best 1st skill, as it helps frenzy so much. Next I like dodge, it makes them much more mobile. From there it varies, I like catch or sure hands, on a double mighty blow is nice.

If you try to keep your SPP balanced with the ghouls, then it gives you more flxibility in how you develop them as the ghouls can pick up sure hands and then block.

Agreed... from my website:

Werewolf: For my money this is the incredible, necessary show-piece that is the only reason to play Necromancer over Undead! Superior range and Claws (combined with the mercurial Frenzy) make this player tres-dangerous... thank goodness he also Regenerates.... Weres have access to General and Agility skills....

Cost 120,000 Most expensive positional in your arsenal... take two anyway!!! They're well worth the price....

Ma 8 Weres can move nearly anywhere on the field. Go For Its (GFIs) increase the range even more... as does the use of Frenzy (out to the maximum Ma, with GFIs, of 10). Follow ups with Frenzy do not require rolls for dodges, but do require rolls of any GFIs. Ma 8 can be used to move the ball quickly upfield, chase down the opposition, and a host of other irritating options that require putting the wolf "just so".... Getting up still leaves you with 5 Ma....

St 3 This would be fine were it not for the temptation Frenzy engenders. You will need to tactically position supporting players for double assists (being able to assist even if a push result is rolled on the first block/blitz) or quickly risk having your most expensive asset on the ground and ready to be fouled....

Ag 3 Generalists agility... still it is the best on the team without stat increases. Remember that hand-offs, if necessary, are more reliable than passes. You will start with 2 or 3 rerolls, so be careful how many times you roll Agility dice.

Av 8 With a big target painted on your furry chest, it's never enough but will keep you in the game longer than Av 7. Keep moving, keep your friends close and your closest enemies shredded and stunned on the ground or in the kill box. Conversely stay off the ground and only Frenzy when set up and necessary.

Skills: Regeneration will hopefully extend your life when the silver bb's fly (those annoying rolls that injure you). Claw will allow you to selectively hunt any opponent (armor breaks on 8+). Frenzy is the great hope of the Werewolves that requires more skills to be effective... see the remarks above... and below....

Skill Advancement: Frenzy darn near DEMANDS you take Block and Dodge as the first two skills! You have to stay up. Doubles demand Mighty Blow to maximize the destructive power of the Claws. Ordinarily the advice would stop here, but Weres are quite capable of going further. Depends upon what you want to do with them. Catch is certainly appealing, though begs putting Pass on another player with doubles. Sidestep, Fend and Sprint are all good, as well as Strip Ball. Weres are the most flexible of your players....

Stat Increases: Strength (squeal!) and Agility increases always!!! Unless you're banking on TWO Ma increases + sprint + sure feet, I'd take +Av for survivability on any roll of 10.

Digger Goreman wrote:Without Weres, one might as well play Undead... not a criticism, just that Weres is what makes the Necro team special....

The way I look at the difference between the two teams is that your two Mummy's have been downgraded into Golems and two Ghouls have been upgraded into Wolfs.

The loss of Skeltons is a shame; but if they end up costing 40k in LRB6 it is not really going to matter!

I love the Wolfies but I am stuggling to find the Golems much more use than Zombies. They go down slightly less but that is about it so far. Hopefully once they get some skills they will become more worth while, easy access to Guard should help.

Give "shadowing" to your MA 8 wolves (as a "late" skill, after block dodge etc.) and they become pretty sticky. Sidestep is also nice.

Btw, I think the way they are now the wolves are the reason for the poor performance of necro teams. It was a right step to allow them to regenerate, but they shouldn't have lost catch. I think they should still start with that skill, or maybe "dauntless"/"shadowing"/... something else (the same way a dwarven troll slayer starts with thickskull and 3 skills a werewolf should start with regen and 3 skills).

If they still had Catch that would be a real boost; and it would help my Ghouls get completions (and more skills)

Giving them Catch would make the wolves a bit too powerful. I'd happily swap Frenzy for it, though!

Losing catch slows down the necro team a fair amount.

In LRB 4, the first 2 skills to get were still block and dodge, but they already had catch. The additional reroll skill on such a fast and powerful positional created a lot of opportunities for the team when they had the ball.

Now in LRB 5 I still think block and dodge are the 2 skills to get first, but you no longer have catch until possibly 3rd skill. If you roll doubles or a stat increase, even later. It's much less likely both wolves will get catch.

The effect on the team is noticable, you're more limited in how you run the ball. Picking up pass on a ghoul is no longer worth considering in the early development, unless you also pick up catch on your wolves early, which I think is a mistake. So the team plays a much more linear running game. If you want to involve your wolves in running the ball expect to have to use team rerolls to lessen turnovers.

Last, wolves are like an upgraded ghoul. In LRB 5 this is made very clear when you play low AV teams. Against certain teams they are now little more than ghouls with +1 MV and +1 AV. Don't expect these teams to fear wolves like they used to.

rvlvr wrote:Giving them Catch would make the wolves a bit too powerful. I'd happily swap Frenzy for it, though!

I think it was a mistake too, hence we housedrules against it in our league. Galak why di this happen. I'd much rather pay 110k for the fleshie and keep catch on the wolves than downgrade them to losing it. Also it helps develop wights and ghouls with more succesful passes (and even handoffs). I don't think a 120k player without blodge/tackle/specialty skills are worth their salt, even though they are an acet to the team.

Would knocking the RR cost to 60k help? It seems to me that the problem with the Necro team is that you have to pick between expensive players who have to develop to be worthwhile (a FG with 3 skills is awesome) and overpriced re-rolls.

My understanding is that this was "on the plate" but considered too much help(?) by the rules committee.... It takes a 4/5 or all-members-concurring vote to get something into testing....

Not this year, it seems....