Double Skill on a 2008RulesReview Vamp

[Ullis]

I'm going to go with pass, but before this thread I'd not even considered pass, or nerves of steel (which is another really interesting one, for helping throw, catch and pick up the ball, all things I do with my vamp).

NoS only helps with throwing, catching and intercept, not on picking up. It's a major difference.

[quozl]

Ahh, yep, thanks Ullis.

[grampyseer]

They're like Ninjas Slightly stupid Ninjas, but Ninjas none the less

I'd always attributed a certain level of.....errrr..competence to the name "ninja"

I can already see that you're having more vampire luck than me

[sirsebstar]

FYI,
Nerves of Steel (Passing)
The player ignores modifiers for enemy tackle zones when he attempts
to pass, catch or intercept.

So picking up the ball is not included. This would make pass the better choise over NoS since you have the free reroll.

Myself, i would say in theory bowl, (not playing Vamps) I'd go for normal skills and forget about passing. Its a desperate play, not something you do every turn, but e.g. Dodge might be more usefull (as you already have block) Its just me though

[Darkson]

FYI,
Nerves of Steel (Passing)
The player ignores modifiers for enemy tackle zones when he attempts
to pass, catch or intercept.

So picking up the ball is not included. This would make pass the better choise over NoS since you have the free reroll.

Seeing as this was cleared up yesterday, not 2 posts up from yours, was it really necessary to repeat it?

[sirsebstar]

mmm missed that post, I guess.

[Ullis]

Quozl, please let us know how your passing game works when you have some experience with it.

I must say that I do feel that a solid passing option is a good thing for the vamps. AG4 alone doesn't guarantee too much. This would mean that they do not have a built catcher, but passing is the hard part anyway.

I don't have enough experience with vamps to be sure, but my only concern is that passing skills are a sub-optimal choice compared to basic skills such as Block, Dodge and Guard. This would mean that vampires should just ignore doubles until they get to their 4th or 5th skill.

I'm not trying to debate this, its just that I don't know.

[quozl]

I will do, Ullis.

I've only got one game in since, and that was a 0-0 suckfest versus humans in the rain. TBH I was cursing giving the vamp passing, not that anything else would have been much more useful.

My opponent couldn't injure my thralls, but I kicked the cr@p out of them for him - lots of knockouts from bites and and them falling over.

And nobody could pick anything up in the rain, and tacklezones. The passing Vamp only had the ball for 2 turns in the full game I think. Then she double 1'd and never saw the ball again

At least I won the casualties 3 to zip.

I'll report back after a less stupid game Still very much enjoying vamps, but man, they're a bit special )

[quozl]

Ok, reporting back after a less stupid game, like I promised.

I won a game against a starting human team 3-0 last night. I was down 3 thralls MNG'ing thanks to the previous game against Chaos. So 3 vamps, 7 thralls and a journeyman thrall. Not the most promising start.

I was very happy with the pass skill on that Vamp. She had block to help her durability, and she threw 2 or 3 passes in the game. I used her to get the ball when receiving, so she'd be ready to pass. A blodging vamp up ahead is a great receiver.

Plus the pass skill got me a TD with a thrall! I rolled a 1 on the 2+ needing pass, pass re-roll made it accurate and the thrall fluffed his catch, but a team re-roll caught it. So the pass skill left me with the team re-roll to use Even if I'd failed blood lust, I'd just have bit a pre-positioned thrall and still thrown the ball. The 2008 rules review makes this possible - I can handle the current level of getting shafted by my vamps, I don't think I could have taken the old levels

And the thrall got her first skill from it, and rolled double 6! I felt like pass was very useful in that game.

It didn't do too much in the previous game againt chaos, but tbh, i was down 5 thralls after 2 turns, and getting mashed the whole game. So I don't think I was winning that one whatever skill I'd chosen

[Mad Jackal]

With the 2008 review. I think you made a good call with the vampire.

Just the threat of passing will allow your team so many more options on offense.

I'm a big fan of the re-roll skills myself normally, but even more so on this team. With extra re-rolls in the bank thralls become very capable.


I say sure hands next, then strong arm and Pro.

[quozl]

Another 2 games in with the vamps, and 2 more wins. I'm very glad I went with the pass choice now.

I use my pass vamp as the ball getter when receiving, which lets me send a cage down one side of the pitch, and a 2 man team down the other.

With a vamp in each, I have a 2+/2+ throw/catch, with a re-roll on the pass and as I've 6 team re-rolls now, I have a re-roll on the catch too. As I don't care if I fail blood-lust on the passer.

I can even just fairly safely risk stretching to a 3+ short pass with the pass re-roll, or a 2+ to a thrall catching on 3+ with a team re-roll.

It's great. I can't wait to get her strong-arm, or if I'm lucky enough to roll doubles then accurate. She's averaging 3 completions a game, so she'll get there eventually.

I managed a classic vamp play in the first of those 2 games!

Turn 8, the pass vamp starts in my end-zone where the ball had landed the previous turn on the kick. Blood-lusts, walks forward 6, bites a thrall, passes on a 5+ with a re-roll to another vamp who is waiting to catch 7 squares from the end-zone.
Receiving vamp is man-marked but his marker is still hypno-gazed from my previous turn So vamp catches on a 2+, only need 1 gfi to score.
Gets ready to run in the winning touch-down, blood-lusts, I've no thralls near enough, runs to the end zone, and dumps the fecking ball )

Ahh vamps are cool.