picking up the ball..

[traveller]

... just rememer a question, i got while playing my last league game.

My Orc pushed a skaven back, which got the "Sidestep skill". The coach decided to move his rat into the square the ball was laying in... and wanted to pick him up. But i think, the ball will shatter when the rat hits the square, right ? So we did it at last... Just asking to knew if i didnt make a mistake. ( I won the game anyway 2:1 )

Traveller

[TiMuN]

You were right, trav .. even if his player has the right to chose where to be pushed to, he is pushed as a result of a block and on your turn, and thus, he can't make a pickup roll ... the ball will scatter ...

[narkotic]

Yes, you were right. You can only pick up a ball as part of your movement. LRB p. 9 specifically says that you can't pick up a ball when pushed back on it.

I strategy I sometimes use to irritate the opponent is, if he has marked the ball with several players to block one of them, push him onto the ball and hope it scatters to a square more easy to pick it up.

[Babs]

Narkotic,

The trouble with the strategy you are suggesting is that often it will scatter to one of the opposing players who is 'marking' that ball. They _DO_ get the chance to catch a bouncing ball. Just the guy pushed back doesn't.

[Old Man Draco]

That's propably why he said "hopes". It's a good tactic if you see no other option as to getting to the ball. If the opponents are elves though, you have a big chance that they will indead catch the ball. Putting your own tackle zones around them most of the time does the trick and with lots of luck you'll be able to catch the ball yourself!