what about a playaction skill?

[Manic D]

Okay. In American football a good part of the game are ball fakes. A skilled QB can fake a handoff to a running back and fool the defense to create room to throw a pass. I would love to see a skill reflect this in Blood Bowl. Here's my proposal for a rough "ball fake" skill:

Ball Fake, passing skill (perhaps a trait?)

Once per turn a player with ball fake skill may attempt a "ball fake handoff" to any player on his team in an adjacent square. The handoff is worked out as normal. A successful handoff places a second ball into play. Place the second ball onto the base of the player who the ball was haned off to. At the same time write on a scrap of paper which player has received the "real ball". Both balls remain in play until a throw or handoff is attempted by the player holding the real ball (a player holding the fake ball cannot pass or handoff) or until an opposing player moves withing 3 spaces of either ball carrier (representing the opponent's spotting the fake ball). When either one of these circumstances occurs the offensive coach must show the paper he wrote on to the defensive coach to prove which player has the real ball, at which point the fake ball is removed from play.

What do you guys think? I mean my write up is real roguh but I think the skill itself is a great idea.

[Duke Jan]

So I could hand off the ball to a woodelf, but actually it would en up in the hands of my tree on a 2+, where at least it's safe?

[Manic D]

Only somebody with the ball fake skill could do the handoff. And it would be a pretty tough agility check for the treeman to receive the handoff. It would work like a normal handoff.

Here's why I think it would be a good idea. It owould only really function behind the line of scrimmage (liek it does in real football). Basically if you send a fake to one side and the real ball to the other the defense doesnt know where to set up so it forces them to split their sides. Once a defender is near you its worthless. I just think it would allow for some more strategy to offensive teams liek the dwarves so they wouldnt always have to do the cage thing.

[Duke Jan]

Just a hypothetical case, but the idea is that if you fake the hand off to the woodelf and receive with the tree you are to make the catch roll with the Welf, right? What's the point of faking the hand off if the opponent can see who actually holds the ball from the catch roll?

[Redfang]

You get it wrong; you fake from player A to B and either A or B has the Ball, there is no C, so you don't fake giving it to B, while actually giving it to C.

Get it?



R

[Manic D]

Just a hypothetical case, but the idea is that if you fake the hand off to the woodelf and receive with the tree you are to make the catch roll with the Welf, right? What's the point of faking the hand off if the opponent can see who actually holds the ball from the catch roll?

You make a good point but I believe you are confused. Basically your opponent is definitely going to know the ball is with one of two players. If you fail the handoff roll it's a fumble just like it would be normally. And as I understand it a handoff is a catch roll, not a pass roll. So if you were handing off from a Welf to a Tree it would be a catch roll for the Tree.

[lawquoter]

it's not a bad idea, really. Under LRB 4.0 I'd make it a passing trait, to limit it's accessibility. Not sure how it would be addressed in the new rules. I actually like it a lot.

[Manic D]

Thanks. My brother and I thought it up while playing a game (we're big NFL fans). It seems like a gaping hole in the skills and something that would make the game more fun and flavorful! There would be many ways to use the skill creatively.

[Darkson]

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