Cage building explanation!

Luger · Post by **Luger** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 9:14 am

Hi guys,

im playing Chaos the first time now. I have played Welfs in my first two seasons. So im really an unexperienced player with a strenght team.

I have a problem: i dont really know how to build a good cage and go with the 2:1 tactic against agility teams. I really could need some advice about good cage building and offence for a chaos team.

I thinking about buying a mino, is this a good choice with only av 8 or should i take an ogre?

Here is my roster:
http://www.bblh.chleja.de/team_view.php ... b974c0ee73

slup · Post by **slup** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 9:37 am

Main thing is to get the ball under control as fast as possible.
Do not leave the ballcarrier in unsafe places.
Then give the ball to your CW with block and place 4 guys (preferable the other 3 CW and the ogre/mino) at each corner of the ballcarriers square.
Then start moving the cage down the field at at speed of 3-4 squares per turn aiming and maiming along the way.
Skills:
Block and guard on the caging player, stand firm on doubles.
sure hand on the ball carrier.

Markus · Post by **Markus** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 11:52 am

never stack the cage to tight, some chainpushes can break cages easily. 4 players with some spaces free for pushes are best. keep the cage in motion. if some players of the cage are marked try to rebuild the cage with others in another place. if you have a mino and/or stand firmers get the cage to the sideline and push defenders into the crowd. beware of sidesteppers though. don't make it possible that the cage is broken by 1db or 2db or your ballcarrier could get blitzed on a 1 or 2db. the cage shouldn't have contact with defenders unless they your players are well guarded.

bubb · Post by **bubb** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 3:00 pm

Markus is right...try and keep the cage free flowing and away from scrums. Drop players off to take care of defenders ans pick someone else to take their place.

Use your blitzes to clear a path ahead or to knock off defenders that come behind the cage. The best way to break up a cage (in terms of general strategy. A ST4 strip ball war dancer is a good way too

) is to put a TZ on the back side players or stack guys directly in front.

Don't be afraid either of using a sideline cage with the ball carrier and two others to get you around a messy situation and then rebuild on the other side your next turn..

kithor2002 · Post by **kithor2002** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 3:51 pm

And never built a cage next to an opposing player.
Every player forming a cage should stand free.Otherwise your opponent only has to throw a block to that player and then your ball carrier is an easy target to blitz.

Markus · Post by **Markus** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 4:54 pm

i saw a game on fumbbl in which u can see proper cageing on the one hand and a bad cage on the other hand. the looser put his cage in the tz of the defender, had it broken and got his ball-carrier blitzed. 2nd half showes an example of a good cage. it's floating and in motion. the defense isn't too good though.

the cage isn't a purpouse of it's own. never build one if you don't need one to keep the ball-carrier out of blitzing range and free of tacklezones. the cage uses up resources that you could need somwhere else.

here's the link: http://fumbbl.com/FUMBBL.php?page=match ... &id=303803

bubb · Post by **bubb** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 5:47 pm

Markus wrote:the cage isn't a purpouse of it's own. never build one if you don't need one to keep the ball-carrier out of blitzing range and free of tacklezones. the cage uses up resources that you could need somwhere else.

Though touted as being the best "strategy" for strength teams it is not a necessity as Markus clearly points out. Events throughout a drive will dictate what you do.

I play Rotters and have scored caging, diagonal pushing, herding, etc.....

If you can keep your opponent away from the ball carrier don't pull guys back just for the sake of a cage...

absent1 · Post by **absent1** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 7:54 pm

I always smash my opponents mouth on turn 1 with orcs, then make a "cage" in the safest spot on their half of the field on turn two or three, I learned early on that just forming a perfect looking cage on turn 1 leads to getting bogged down in your own half. In addition I don't try to maintain some perfect looking cage, I just adapt my plan each turn to need, and eventually either push/dominate my way in for the score or try to leak a player into TD range and sneak a pass in for the TD if my opponent isn't being thouroghly pushed around. So basically what everyone else said

(the true key to all bloodbowl is to play a dymanic game, one that is capable of changing so suit your needs, and to work on positioning to keep yourself out of bad situations where you have to make dice rolls to get out)

Luger · Post by **Luger** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 8:36 am

Thanks guys for your replies. Some helped me very much. So i must get game and playing experience to be a good strenght team player. I will try to be a better coach for the chaos.

Yesterday i played against Skaven and was doing fine with caging and the 2:1 tactic.
He scored in turn 2 first half and i scored in turn 8 first half. And in the secound half i made a good cage and moved him slowly tru his defense. And then in turn 7 for me i got impatient did a dumb dodge , failed, lost the ball. And he just picked it up and passed and td.

So my lesson was play the 2:1 calm and patient and do not do unneeded rolls because you smell victory.

Lost 2:1 . Noq im the last one in our league. 3 lost games and one draw. ... And i did 3 casualties in 4 games....sigh.... Thats the most frustrating. No casualties.....

Chaos is really hard to develop. Welfs were so easy to play.

Juggernaut · Post by **Juggernaut** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:32 am

Skaven defence is based on oponents mistakes. his gutter runners are experts on making the best of the failed passes, hand-overs and pick-ups. U should do those actions very carefullly against skaven.

Luger · Post by **Luger** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 11:11 am

I know that..... But i forgot it in my seventh turn...... I saw the endzone. I saw a victory. ´

I must admit the other coach rolled amor rolls like god. He was over my armor 80% of all rolls. He niggeld me one player and put 4 in the KO box. I got only three skaven lineman out.(only KO).

I played so carefully for 13 turns. Ah crap next team is a skaven team with a block rat Ogre. And i have only two players with block. ah this lack of the Block skill hurts.
It causes turnovers even with 2d Blocks.

Ah im just a bit frustrated and i only want to whine a bit around. Lol. i only want to cause havoc on all the elf and skaven teams in my league........

Dam · Post by **Dam** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:01 pm

Luger wrote: ah this lack of the Block skill hurts.
It causes turnovers even with 2d Blocks.

Tell me about it

. Spent a good time trying to get the beards down with a Chaos team. One turn, used his runner as a punching bag: CW blocks push back, Beasty blocks ditto, rinse and repeat with two more Beastmen. 4 2d for blocks and with no block could only get/take pushbacks.

Luger · Post by **Luger** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:32 pm

Yes same for me, lol only pushbacks or dodge results against his Gutter Runners. I wasn't able to take one out of the game.....

But maybe im luckier the next game.

Never give up hope and pray to the chaos gods. Maybe i must kill someone on the pitch to be favoured again by the gods of chaos.

Dam · Post by **Dam** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:37 pm

Luger wrote: But maybe im luckier the next game.

I wouldn't put money on it

. One of my current PBEM games, last 10 AV rolls against Pro Elves (inc. 2 by the Ogre), rolls over 7 = 0

Never give up hope and pray to the chaos gods. Maybe i must kill someone on the pitch to be favoured again by the gods of chaos.

When you put it like that, it's going to be a CW that get's killed

.

Luger · Post by **Luger** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:43 pm

Hm, i meant someone from my opponents team must be put down six feet under the dugout.

But for the sake of the chaos gods i would sacrifice my niggeld beastman, when i start to make casualties against the tiny little rats.