Orcs at Tritex Challenge?

[DoubleSkulls]

I agree 4 rerolls is more than enough - but the skill selection was for your line up- not mine. I'd not take leader first, but leave it to the end. On my line up I'd probably leave leader until relatively late if at all.

Remember, initial defensive setup is the most important aspect of the game. Set up an impenetrable D and everything else falls right into place. There are many ways to do that with Orcs.

I don't necessarily agree this is true. Sure the initial set up is important against fast teams, but generally against other slower teams it really isn't that important and your ability to respond is crucial.

Against faster teams you'll often go for the grinding 2-1 win anyway, so the important thing is either to stop them scoring altogether, or just to make sure they do so in 2~3 teams.

Normally I'd have the troll flanked by 2 BOBs on the line, with the other BOBs back one square just inside the wide zone - or one square in from the widezone. Then the blitzers/line orcs in the widezone and thrower/blitzer behind the BOBs.

Anyway, the aim would be to force running teams to go through the guarding BOBs & trolls, with blitzing stopping any penetration out wide and dealing with loose players. The BOBs/Troll can often spread out a bit - covering 7-9 squares relatively easily. This unbreakable barrier forces the opposition to go wide, where the BOBs/Troll squash them against the sideline, whilst the blitzers block the front.

Its not that I don't think stand firm is a good skill and useful - just that overwhelming advantage in Guard and boosted hitting power from the blitzers gives better value.

Your method might work better, but on paper I think mine is superior and much harder to break down. Standfirm on a S3 Block/does not worry me anything like as much as Guard, Tackle/Frenzy or even Mighty Blow.

[mattgslater]

Sure the initial set up is important against fast teams, but generally against other slower teams it really isn't that important and your ability to respond is crucial.

See, this is our only major point of disagreement. A good defensive setup means a good defensive drive. Take control of the game from turn 1, and every turn thereafter gets that much easier.

I think SF is seriously underrated. 1/3 of all blocks against Blitzers (1d or 2d, doesn't matter) yield Push results. SF can be used to help pull of some key assists, and combos well with Guard on other players (2 Blitzers with Guard plus 2 Blitzers with SF equals shutout wide zones). Every time your oppo blocks a guy with SF off his guy just to keep from getting hit, he has a 1/3 chance of failing in such a manner as to keep him from spending a TRR (not de jure, but de facto: if your oppo RRs a non-result, they're desperate). That's a third of a block for EVERY time that happens in a game. And they'll do it, too. You bear down on Elves with a bunch of Guard, and they'll just avoid you. But people haven't learned to fear the Stand Firm.

I think 3 instances of Guard (2 Blitzers and 1 Troll) is more than enough: Guard on the nose makes your ends hard to hit, and Guard on the OLBs combines with Stand Firm on the corners to push them inside to deal with the BOBs. There's no good place to put a Guard player, unfortunately, that protects your inside LB BOB, so that guy should get Block or Stand Firm. I'd seriously consider Guard as a second skill on the BOBs on the end, as Guard is a good skill for offense.