Vampire League Strategies

MickeX · Post by **MickeX** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 9:26 pm

2 vamps 5 RRs really helps to dodge those thralls out from TZs and make skilless blocks.

One less vamp to spend RRs, one more RR to spend each half. As long as you keep those vamps properly protected, you don't need two.

After the apo, buy about three more thralls before going for RR6. You need 11 players on pitch, both to score and to minimize casualities.

gken1 · Post by **gken1** » Fri Feb 25, 2005 3:20 pm

two vamp teams in our league. One went 2 vamps 5 rr's. the other wen 3 vamps 4 rr's. The one that went 2/5 is doing significantly better.

Also from watching vamps play online and in my league. Players don't use the hypno gaze enough. Hypno gaze is just meant to crush cages....especially when you have a st 4 ag 4 hitter.

Ravage · Post by **Ravage** » Fri Feb 25, 2005 4:53 pm

in my defense (since i know you were watchin me online

) i couldnt get hypno gaze to WORK properly whenever i'd try to use it :-/

Trob · Post by **Trob** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 12:09 am

Well, in our RL league, I'm 5 games into my 1st season with the Vamps. I didn't expect to do really well to start with & well...I didn't 0-5 actually

. They are developing ok, & I now have 3 vamps, 2 with Pro & 1 with Block (for the LOS) as well as 2 Thralls with Block. The problem so far has been that most of the other teams are much more experienced & rookie vamps have a hard time against them. ST 4 doesn't mean much to a team with 8 or so blodgers. I've had a few clinchers where a vamp has been knocked down within 2 squares of a for sure TD by a 1 die or 2 die agains block. Pro has been really usefull, esp. on OFAB, Hyp Gaze & even occasionally a failed catch. I've been running quick passes with the vamps & then caging as best as they can. Problem is that the Thralls are KO'ed pretty easily or tied up, and then you eventually have to make a break for the endzone. With MA 6, most teams can catch you & take you down.

That being said, I think once 3 vamps get their 3rd skill the team will perform MUCH better. Am looking for Thralls with Block, Surehands & Block, Kick. 2 vamps with Pro, Blodge & the other with Block, ?,? (probably Tackle, Guard) Of course I would love to roll lots of MA+, cause I think lack of speed is their worst weakness (besides OFAB

)

btw, never sing Red, red wine (UB40-stupid commercial rock radio put it in my head) while playing vamps, it enrages them- failed 4 consecutive OFAB rolls, even with Pro & I think 1 re-roll.

Cheers.

Ravage · Post by **Ravage** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 2:48 pm

as i play the vamps a little more (currently 3-1-3 on fumbbl) ive found myself relying more on my thralls to score my touchdowns and letting the vamps do the dirty work of getting the ball downfield/clearing a path for the thralls. The vamps make great ballcarriers, but nearing the end of the pitch and the opposition all trying to rush the vamp (who's typically surrounded by a horde of thralls for protection) i find that more often than not my opponent will either ignore an open thrall outside the pitch or right on the edge, which many times means im a handoff/pass away from scoring with the thrall my opponent forgot to pay attention to.

also been trying to get skills for my thralls as quick as i can, altho im failing pretty miserably at that

but at least i have three with Block now and one with Guard: with this team i really can't suggest anything BUT guard on a thrall's doubles, that one guy has made a world of difference for me in some games.

i admittedly still underuse H.Gaze, but.... well, i also just flat out dont understand the skill description. sure, i remove my opponent's TZ, but the description also says the opponent can't "pass, handoff, move" etc until the end of "the team turn". but if im HGazing him in MY turn, it's already obvious that player isnt going to pass, move, etc. Or does the HGaze last through my opponent's next team turn he gets? That would be much more useful, but the wording of the skill description is weak imo. or im just stupid

also if im going to hgaze an opponent, it's simply an action at the end of a move action correct? does not count as a blitz? i tend to think i have quite a good understanding of most of the rules of this game, but HGaze just confuses the heck out of me. if anyone could explain it proper i'd greatly appreciate it.

Gus · Post by **Gus** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 6:16 pm

well, at the end of a MOVE action, you can HG a player. that includes the MOVE action you are forced to take when failing OFAB.
when you successfully HG a player, it is exactly as if he was suffering from Bonehead/Really Stupid, until the end of YOUR turn, afaik.
that's it =)

Ravage · Post by **Ravage** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 6:36 pm

i guess my confusion mostly came from talking about how he cant pass/catch the ball, voluntarily move, etc. but i suppose the pass/move bit would refer to dumpoffs and shadowing/passblocks? is using sidestep considered a "voluntary move"? so would i be able to HGaze an opponent on the sideline who has sidestep and THEN have someone else block him out of bounds without worrying about him staying on the pitch anyway?

just tryin to fully understand, thanks

Gus · Post by **Gus** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 7:11 pm

i guess so, but i think:
- the pass thing is present for comprehensiveness and to avoid possible loopholes, don't worry too much about it
- the "voluntary move" is clunkiest than Clunky the Clunkily Clunky Clunk. i'm pretty sure it was confirmed that you could not use shadowing or sidestep, or diving tackle, or anything that you can decide to "trigger". i may be wrong on this one though.

gken1 · Post by **gken1** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 8:49 pm

hypnotic gaze is useful to:

eliminate tackle zones to get through to attack an area or eliminate assists.

Trob · Post by **Trob** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 12:19 am

@ Ravage: also, Hyp gaze is very useful on passblockers so you can Hypno them then throw right over their head. I like to give them an imaginary interception roll

I'm leaning the way you are with the Thralls - I've had a vampire fail a couple of times already on key plays to score, even with Pro.

Another great thing about Vampire teams is when you get the BLITZ kick-off result. Against Skaven, I hypnotic gazed a couple of LOS rats then blitzed the gutter runner who had the ball with a block Thrall. You have to have a couple of vampires within reach of the LOS though...

Ravage · Post by **Ravage** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 2:52 pm

vamps are especially great if you roll well on your skills. on have one vamp who has +AG and +ST, one with +MA, I have two thralls with Guard and one who has Blodge

trob, are you talking about ballcarrying vamps lusting when you want to go for the TD? a tip I picked up from another coach on these forums (maybe even earlier in this thread, im not sure) is to pocket a thrall in or next to the EZ before trying to move a vamp in if you want the vamp to get the spp. then if you lust, at least you can run over, stand in the EZ, bite the thrall, and score. hehe. and if youre playing on fumbbl.... just run into the EZ and you dont have to bite a thrall

falconeyed · Post by **falconeyed** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 1:09 am

Ravage wrote:vamps are especially great if you roll well on your skills. on have one vamp who has +AG and +ST, one with +MA, I have two thralls with Guard and one who has Blodge

trob, are you talking about ballcarrying vamps lusting when you want to go for the TD? a tip I picked up from another coach on these forums (maybe even earlier in this thread, im not sure) is to pocket a thrall in or next to the EZ before trying to move a vamp in if you want the vamp to get the spp. then if you lust, at least you can run over, stand in the EZ, bite the thrall, and score. hehe. and if youre playing on fumbbl.... just run into the EZ and you dont have to bite a thrall

This is key. If you've got a vamp all alone downfield and manage to get him the ball, you're almost a lock to lust right through Pro and end up handing the ball to your opponent.

Trob · Post by **Trob** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 10:34 pm

@ravage. Yep, I'm aware of that strategy & I always move my thralls first, expecting the Vamps to Blood lust. I'm just saying that with Thralls, you can't waste a lot of time getting down the field because they KO or injure so quickly & then you are left with very little protection. That being said, once you get some Block Thralls, you can cage a little better.

-Another good use for Hyp. Gaze is to use it on anyone near the ball reciever so they can't catch an errant bounce if the catcher fumbles it.

Trob · Post by **Trob** » Wed Apr 27, 2005 8:51 pm

A little update: Have been doing a bit better in the league - almost won against an uber high elf team (150+ TR on me) in our mid-season tournaments. Beat an orc team 2-0 and only suffered 2 Thrall deaths! (one at the hands of my own Vampire) Apothecary failed!

I think once all 3 vampires get to 31 SPPs (Pro, Blodge on two of them) I'll start to win quite a bit more. Pro has definately paid dividends - especially on failed OFAB & hyp. gazing as well as the occasional catch roll. Against the orcs, I ended up with 6 Thralls being KO'd in one turn & having to blitz with a vampire (with the ball) to get the TD - no other Thralls within 8 squares or so. Of course fails the OFAB but for once Pro works when you really need it to!

Ravage wrote:vamps are especially great if you roll well on your skills. on have one vamp who has +AG and +ST, one with +MA, I have two thralls with Guard and one who has Blodge

Well I'm not as lucky as that, but my one Thrall did get an AG+ which has completely upped my game. Definately this team really needs stat increases and doubles to be competative.

Cooper · Post by **Cooper** » Thu Jun 09, 2005 11:22 am

I just started a new Vamp team.

2 Vamps
5 RR
9 Thralls
7 FF

I am playing my first game vs Flings with a cheff and Deeproot. per email at this moment,...

Got a dead thrall and 2 SI already, and done nothing myself, so its going to be difficult,...i am outnumbered and outstrenghthed, and dont have a lot of RR due to the cheff,...(and they have skills, i dont)

I played a passing game so far,...1 Vamp for passing, 1 for catching. works ok-ish,...but is dangerous (due to Lust), and doesnt get spp on the thralls, and i think thats necesaary at some point,...

Not sure yet what would be the best way to play,...in any way, apo and thralls are to be bought first,...

I am not entirely sure about Pro,...especially since i started with 5 RR's dont you think starting with Block is better? or dodge?

I hate to fail a Pro rr when i still can use TRR,...

W