Naming the Concept: The Blitz Line

[mattgslater]

You all use this concept, I'm sure. But I want to run a name by you so we can identify it more clearly.

The "Blitz Line" is the depth into the offensive backfield the kicking team can reach on a single move, including GFIs, as they are set up before the time of kickoff, not counting players set on the line of scrimmage.

So if a Norse team sets up a "Ziggurat" defense, with three on the line, the MA7 Runners in the wing or safety positions three squares back from the LOS, and MA6 players in the midfield and flank positions two squares back, then the Blitz line is two or three squares to scrimmage, four more beyond that, and two GFIs, for a total of six squares past scrimmage.

If one of the Runners has Side Step, and plays as an "inverted" winger, or if he is placed as a flanker (a relatively safe spot) in a normal Zig, he is only two squares back, so the Blitz Line on his side of the field is seven squares past scrimmage. If he gets Sprint, it's eight squares.

On offense, you can protect the ball for a turn by keeping the ball-carrier behind the Blitz Line. Of course, that means you need to get the ball past whoever comes in, and it's possible to get screened off near your own end zone.... On defense, you want to be conscious of where your Blitz Line is, because, well, that's where you can blitz.

It's not a very complicated idea: like I said, I'm sure you've used the concept every drive, on either side of the ball, since your first or second Blood Bowl game. But it'd be nice to have a term to describe it, no?

Do you like the name?

Note: I voted "yes" so I can see what's here, and 'cause if I didn't like the name, why would I post the question? I enabled the change-your-vote thingy, in case you change your mind.

[mattgslater]

Also, should line players be considered somehow? I've got this Side Step/Dodge lino who frequently drops an assist or even makes the blitz himself, from off the line of scrimmage. But he doesn't have a huge effect on my practical "Blitz Line" because he typically goes backward, and when he doesn't he sometimes goes down or gets bracketed. Line players can't move on a Blitz result on the kickoff, but an early skull can free them up, and on a team with a low top speed, like Amazons, that can blur the line. Also, on a really deep defense, it becomes a little less clear and less important. So "Blitz Line" isn't conceptually perfect against all teams. But even then, you can learn a lot from even finding out where the concept hazes out.

Related term: Blitz Range: This is the Blitz Line expressed as a number of squares from the Half-Way Line.

Related concept: Scoring Line. The Scoring Line is MA+GFI squares inside the opponent's end zone. If the Scoring Line is at the Blitz Line (that is "Scoring Range" plus Blitz Range, or 2MA+2GFI-distance from scrimmage = 13), a defensive 2TTD is possible with maximum GFI, by going in a straight line. If the Scoring Line is closer to midfield than the Blitz Line, then the difference in squares is the number of GFI not needed, or the number of extra squares that can be traveled to avoid TZs or piles. This equation is mostly useful for speed teams that like to turn the ball over quickly, but both the Scoring Line and the Blitz Line matter separately for hitters (just not in direct comparison).

[Rubric]

I'm sure you've used the concept every drive, on either side of the ball, since your first or second Blood Bowl game.

Hmmm... Maybe this is why I lose all the time.

I think I pay more attention to blocking off the lanes, rather than actually counting distances.

Related concept: Scoring Line. The Scoring Line is MA+GFI squares inside the opponent's end zone.

This seems relevant almost every turn. I think of it as scoring "range" not "line", though. Or sometimes scoring "position" to use a baseball term.

[James_Probert]

The "Blitz Line" is the depth into the offensive backfield the kicking team can reach on a single move, including GFIs, as they are set up before the time of kickoff, not counting players set on the line of scrimmage.

Related concept: Scoring Line. The Scoring Line is MA+GFI squares inside the opponent's end zone.

I tend to use both of these, but in a slightly different way, for instance, often I will make my blocks on the LOS, and then consider what range my opponent can blitz to, this is especially useful with elves, where you tend only to have 1 player back, and so protecting him from a blitz is important.

Of course, if the ball is very short, then such considerations go out the window, and i'll simply cage the ball (yes, even with elves I use a cage sometimes)

The scoring range on the other hand, i aim to be sufficiently close to the end zone, that I am still in scoring range, even if they manage to push me back, so if they have frenzy, I'll look to be Mv -2 from the end zone if I can (tipically with catchers) otherwise, I can be pushed out of range, and I might as well have not bothered.
Also, I look to have multiple players inside their 'score line' such that my opponent cannot stop them all effectively. These plans work even better with dodge and SS.

The main reason I shorten what I consider to be the 'score line' as i do, is that I've had too many games lost on GFI's into the endzone failing, so why risk it if you don't have to.

[Oxynot]

I think Blitz range is more intuitive to both comprehend and use than Blitz line. It needs less explanation, which is a good thing.

Or how would you concisely express, if like in your example the blitz range is six, by using 'blitz line'?

[DoubleSkulls]

You might want the idea of the stretch blitz range (i.e. with maximum GFIs) and the normal blitz range (without GFIs)

Anyway I'm not a big fan of jargon because it makes the game less accessible to newbies.

[mattgslater]

I was in the process of putting together a long post that basically said what Ian just said in his first paragraph.

@ Oxynot: I think I agree that "Blitz Range" is a better concept from a defensive perspective. "Blitz Line" is a nice thing to visualize on the board, though, as the offense interacts with it as an invisible demarcation line, rather than as a range (really, they're the same, but the squares on the board make the concept of "range" misleading).

@ Ian: I don't think jargon throws newbies for long. At first it's a little confusing to encounter a game with its own unofficial internal jargon, but the reality is the games with the largest, strongest communities (Chess, Go, Scrabble, Magic, all team sports, almost all individual sports) have such jargon and it's part of the appeal. Newbies run into it, scratch their heads, and then get excited as they learn the terminology and quickly climb the curve. They play their other newbie friends, use the new concepts on them, and soon everybody's in on the fun!

I bring all this up because of this article I'm writing on High Elves for Martin's website. It's kicking my butt, because I'm trying to get this concept out when discussing the use of space on offense.