Necro inducements v Skaven

[fidius]

We are at the tail end of our short 6-game season, in a 4-man league we started just before Christmas among local guys. I'm playing Necro, the other teams are Woodies, High Elfs, and Skaven. The Skaven coach is orders of magnitude better than the rest of us combined (HE is a newb, WE is coming off a long hiatus, and I am just into my second year playing). I have one game left v Skaven, then playoffs where I expect to face Woodies, then (Lord willin') Skaven again. For the first game I have 160k in inducements. Even though the first game is meaningless I *really* want to beat him. (I won our Game 1 so I imagine he feels the same way!) And if I can't beat him, second best would be to maim him considerably!

My team (Necro)

• Golem 1: Block
  Golem 2: rookie
  Wight 1: Tackle
  Wight 2: Tackle
  Ghoul: Block
  Wolf 1: Block (I know -- pillowhands! 0 CAS!)
  Wolf 2: rookie (purchased only after game 4 due to horrible cash rolls)
  Zombies: 1x+ST, 1x Block, 3x rookie

Skaven team

• Vermin 1: Claw, Mighty Blow
  Vermin 2: Mighty Blow
  Runner 1: +MA, Sprint
  Runner 2: Block, Side Step
  Runner 3: Block
  Thrower 1: Strong Arm
  Thrower 2: rookie
  Linemen: 1xGuard, 4xrookie
  Rat Ogre: Juggernaut

Help on this decision, and on tactics in general, is appreciated!

Fidius

[swilhelm73]

If you want to win - wizard. If you want to maim him, Hack n' Slash.

[Dr. Von Richten]

I believe you have a moral duty to try to kill that OTT-er! Therefore, get Hack 'n Slash.

[gollumullog]

As a skaven coach I would be more scared of hack en slash.

Sure the wizard might work as a lightning bolt, might knock down a few people with a fireball, but you have enough players to choose when to play hack n slash; concentrate on putting the gutter runners on the ground and then use slash to foul'em. If you kill off the gutters skaven teams are almost useless

[fidius]

As a skaven coach I would be more scared of hack en slash.Sure the wizard might work as a lightning bolt, might knock down a few people with a fireball, but you have enough players to choose when to play hack n slash; concentrate on putting the gutter runners on the ground and then use slash to foul'em. If you kill off the gutters skaven teams are almost useless

Well therein lies the trick. The one-turner won't be on the field on defense, so as the Home team I might choose to kick and hope for a couple of removes during his drive before bringing Hack on for mine, when he'll hopefully be forced to play him.

[Smeborg]

While I like the idea of a Saw, I am not sure Hackenslash is ideal in this match-up without a Bribe to back him up.

I suggest you might like to consider the following, seeing as you are the one with fewer players:

(a) Bribe and a Babe (best for my money)

or

(b) Zombie Merc with D-Player

All the best and let us know how you get on.

[Ullis]

(a) Bribe and a Babe (best for my money)

I like this idea too.

The good thing is the rat team has two players he should be blitzing with, the rat ogre and the Claw blitzer. If he blitzes with the rat ogre, then all the better for you as it's much less fearsome than that blitzer. If he blitzes with the Claws, then you can chuckle at the rat ogre roaring around, doing nothing. Thankfully he can't blitz with both of them!

On the same vein, I wouldn't give the Rat ogre a zombie to play with.

[DoubleSkulls]

13 players means it won't be hard to force the one turner on the pitch. Hack for me

[fidius]

All the best and let us know how you get on.

Thanks for your interest -- but it wasn't pretty! Made a critical T1 error with the Block WW, pushing the victim (Claw/MB Blitzer) to the wrong spot on the first hit, turning a 2d into 1d no reroll, which I skulled and WW was KO'd. He did not return to the game (4 chances)! Of course the ball was not properly protected at that point and after a scramble the Rats went up 1-0. BH'd his killer T3 -- moral victory. Fielded Hack on the opening drive, blitzed thrice, fouled once -- was particularly useful on Blodging/SS GRs in the aforementioned scramble, but never managed more than Stuns, even on himself (kicked back on the 3rd blitz, was banned T5). T6 receive ended on a failed 2d block (no Block), again the ball swinging loosely in the breeze, and again the Skaven capitalized.

Second half, I kick -- ball lands right next to the OTT-er who was poised on the LOS -- Quick Snap, quick score, 3-0. Total of 3 turns ended on naked 2d block fails, which generally were calculated risks (in addition to trying to skill my 0-SPP FG and +ST Zombie) but could also be seen as "getting greedy". Needed 2xGFI to score at one point but 1'd the first go -- then next turn had 2 shots (2x2d with reroll) at the Blodge/SS GR barring me from the endzone, with a Tackle Blitzer no less, but nothing doing. Would have failed the pickup anyway.

Was kind of a happy-frustration game because I am not in my opponent's league when it comes to BB experience (he's been playing BB -- and Skaven specifically -- for something like 15 years). But I do need to learn to protect the ball before doing anything else, and to cage properly. That was my 6th game with Necro, but I still don't have a clue. His blocks were generally unlucky -- pushes more often than not, except when it counted -- but my 2 CAS were disproportionately small relative to the number of rats I sent to the pitch. Ah well. First playoff game is vs Woodies -- a coach who likes to take chances with his Strip/Tackle WD...

Fidius

edit: The punchline, of course, is that I would have got on MUCH better with a Bribe and a Babe!!