Getting back in the game - Dark Elves in short leagues(long)

[BBR]

Hi.

I recently got back to playing Blood Bowl. Our group used to play quite alot when 3'rd edition was released but have had a very long break from playing. We finally managed to coordinate a day where we all could play and decided to cram in as much Blood Bowling as possible. I really liked the latest version of the rules and now all I had to do was to pick a team.

Back in the day I mainly played Undead, Orcs and Humans, though I always had a place in my heart for Dark Elves(since playing them in WFB) I decided to try them out with their new(for me) Cockerel.

I wanted to try out the new additions, Runner and Assassin, but still have a few of the old trustworthy Blitzers and Witch Elves. My starting team was this:
2 Blitzers
1 Witch Elf
1 Runner
1 Assassin
6 Linemen
2 Re-rolls

My opponents decided their teams on the day and was:
Orcs - full with positionals, 1 lonely lineman and a troll.
Chaos - 4 warriors, 7 beastmen, apothecary
Dwarves - full positionals here as well
Wood Elfs - the usual suspect in our group for the top spot, but i think he might have been either intimidated by the bashy teams or just too tempted to try out the treeman. He started with only a single catcher, but with two wardancers and of course the treeman.

Well, we were all a bit rusty but soon we were on a roll. I had to sit on the sidelines for the first round while the Wood Elves steamrolled the Dwarves, both scorewise and in bashing(!). The Chaos team got a good beating from the Orcs, but the apothecary saved a chaos warrior from the grave.

I was to start off against the Orcs, so I was quite worried about how many of my players would be left on the pitch. Lucky for me Nuffle was on my side, for starters, and in my first round the Assassin stabbed a Black Orc straight out of the match. This really made him halt his progression, as I kicked to him, for fear of the assassin. It was like a No-Go zone.

I managed to punch through his armour alot more than he did on me and with more players on the field I managed to win the match 1-0, with casulties 4-3 in my favour. Sadly he managed to kill a Lineman and cause -1MA on another one. I returned the favour somewhat by breaking the arm of his thrower(-1ST). After the match I didn't get any advancement rolls, but quickly bought an apothecary.

Next up for me was the Wood Elves. I really hate them, but once again I not only outbashed him but outscored him as well. The Assassin really proved his worth this time again. The first thing I did in this match, except to place the ball since I was kicking, was to make a Stab-blitz with the Assassin on his only Catcher(which had gotten AG5 from his previous game). An Armor- and injury roll later he was out of the match! I can tell you that the Assassin was becoming quite feared, and it also helped that he managed to stun the Treeman two times.

In true elvish fashion the game flowed back and forth very quickly. As the wood elves were about to score, a missed pass meant that the ball was free and suddenly the Dark Evles were up 1-0. Same thing happened when the Dark Elves were close to scoring. One player knocked over, a hand-off, a pass and the score was tied. I managed to beat up the Wood Elves a bit, leaving many in the KO-box, and once again the man advantage made the difference. Another win, 2-1, casulties 2-3. I did no permanent injuries on my opponent but he managed to kill a journeyman Lineman. My other journeyman got MVP and a TD so I had to buy him after the match. He got my first skill, Block.

The final match I managed to cram in this evening was against Chaos. The Assassins already fearsome reputation only improved when he once again made an impact in the first round, injuring the only beastman with block. With no other skills the Chaos team got quite outplayed. I comfortably won the game 3-0. And for the third match in a row my armour and injury rolls were quite amazing. 4-2 in casulties in my favour. Another journeyman died at the hands of my opponents. Then came a dreaded injury roll for my Assassin, that had finally been taken down towards the end of the second half. The dice were rolled and he was dead. My apothecary desperately tried to save him but to no avail! A cheer went up from all my oponents, as you might have guessed! At least the assassin didn't have a single SPP.

It was definetly fun to be back in the game. We all made some mistakes, though I was the only one that forgot to move the turnmarker in a game.

The Assassin and Runner were new to all of us. My Runner got some use of Dump-Off, which took my opponents by surprise a couple of times, especially since they couldn't blitz the guy that catched the ball. And the assassin really made his mark. When I put him right behind the line of scrimmage my opponents were really hesitant to move forward, for fear of being stabbed, and that halted their momentum quite a bit. Though I had some really nice luck with the assassin I must say I'm very pleased with him and will probably get a new one as fast as possible. Also my Witch Elf had quite fun pushing guys into the stands, but I guess that will change when we get more experience playing again.

A note on re-rolls. Only two re-rolls was a bit lacking, I could definetly use another one, or leader. But my wood elf opponent really pushed his luck with only a single re-roll!

After the final game I finally got a few more advancements.
Lineman Block
Lineman Block
Lineman -1MA Block
Lineman
Lineman
Runner +1AG
Blitzer Dodge
Blitzer
Witch Elf +1ST!
2 Re-rolls
3 FF
1 Apothecary
70K treasury

Perhaps I should have gotten something other than Block on all three Linemen? Dodge or Wrestle?
I'm also not sure where to go with the AG5 Runner.
The double six on the Witch Elf is very nice, but I guess I have to hope for a regular skill increase for her next roll so I can get Block without wasting a stat increase.

I would have loved to save up enough Gold to buy another Blitzer but due to all the deaths I had other priorities.

Anyway it's been a too long rant already. Fun to be back playing BB. Hope we can get together to play soon again to keep the rivalries going.

[Grogmir]

Ok firstly I have to say welcome back and some great games you've done great to get wins under your belt with an early DE team - thats when they struggle the most.

While your assassin has been the star so far - I cauntion you - he isn't that great - I think you've done more in three games than mine has done ever! I wouldn't get a second before getting the WE and blitzers.

As for WEs - +1ST Witch! and Runner +1AG! WOW - They'll be the real stars of this team believe me.

Normally I would go NOS on Runner but he's to good for that - got to be block I keep him safe I feel.

[AK_Dave]

Runner with +AG = Very Nice! Thats an awesome Thrower right there. Give him Pass, as he's already making Quick/Short on 2+ and Long Bomb on a 4+. He'll be accurate anywhere with Pass and build SPP as a thrower. Then I'd probably give him Safe Throw with AG5 for a guy who is almost totally UN-interceptable. Sure Hands would seal the deal for a rock solid reliable ballhandler who will never cost you a Team Reroll.

Witch Elf with +ST = AWESOME! She needs Block and Pro if she never rolls Doubles, and Juggernaut if she does.

Thats a lot of skills on the Linos. Good work there. My DEs struggle with SPP on the Linos because the positionals hog all the action. Lino with -MA is hardly a handicap, especially with Block. He'll be in the thick of the bashy action anyways.

[Storch]

If you are having trouble with SPPs on linos one thing I have found useful is to rotate them out so one is always picking up the ball and making the quick pass to a positional to actually move it down the field.

It spreads the love a little and helps keep the team at about the same level.

I did something similar with the beatmen on my chaos team to try to get the whole squad developed and it worked great. I managed to develop an AG4 leaping beastmen with blodge who, as you can rightly imagine, earned the role of primary ball carrier at that point and so was the go to guy that everybody would pass to for the SPP.

[Grumbledook]

Witch Elf with +ST = AWESOME! She needs Block and Pro if she never rolls Doubles, and Juggernaut if she does.

why pro over say tackle/sidestep etc

[Cramy]

Witch Elf with +ST = AWESOME! She needs Block and Pro if she never rolls Doubles, and Juggernaut if she does.

why pro over say tackle/sidestep etc

+ST Witch is one heck of a player. I would not pick Pro either.

Doubles: Juggernaut
Normal: Block, Side Step. Then I'd be tempted by tackle, but that depends on the rest of you team and your opponents.

Doubles on linemen get Guard.

Nobody will ever be safe close to the sidelines.

[AK_Dave]

I would pick Pro on a Witch Elf simply because Block/Pro offers more chances of success and more chances of avoiding a turnover on a Frenzy player. The Witch Elf is a prime candidate for Pro simply because it isn't hard to get her stuck making 1D (or negative-D) blocks on Frenzy. You work to avoid this, but sometimes it happens. Pro gives you a chance to avoid this. Also, with Frenzy I sometimes find myself plotting out an attack based on "Frenzy pushes player to X square", and I don't want to take a Smash until I get to the chosen square because the WE is compelled to followup. Of all the Blodging positionals on my DE team, the one player who costs me the most Team Rerolls is the WE. Thus, Pro for her.

Definately Juggernaut on Doubles, and Stand Firm if you get a second shot at Doubles. My WE spends too much time close to sidelines thanks to her utility at crowdpushing the opposing team. Sidestep is a nice alternative.

My skill order for a WE would be: Block, Pro, Sidestep. Juggernaut slips in anywhere, and I'd prefer Stand Firm over Sidestep.

As for Linos, it took my current DE team 8 games to get 2 skills on Linos. One died along the way, slowing the Lino SPP progress as he had 5SPP before gurking. So good work on getting 3 of them skilled up in only 3 games. It really hurt my Lino progress when I got +AG on a Blitzer on the first game. He became a lead scorer and a lead thrower, seconded at scoring and topped at throwing by one of my Runners. After 8 games they're both nudging close to 51SPP each.

[Grumbledook]

interesting pov though I don't agree

sidestep is better for being on the sidelines, specially now with juggernaut ignoring standfirm

frenzy does need planning to avoid trouble and I'm happy enough doing that

tackle/juggernaut I'd still prefer over pro, lets you get those 4 dice blitzes on gutter runners etc and have a good chance of getting them down

I don't like relying on pro for when I need a reroll either

horses for courses though, what works for you works for you ;]

[AK_Dave]

I don't see a lot of hits FROM Juggernaut, so Stand Firm seems pretty reliable to me. I see how with worrying about Juggernaut a lot, Side Step looks preferrable.

Also, Stand Firm is a second Doubles roll and perhaps there are better uses for a second Doubles than a skill that might only be a marginal improvement over a "standard" skill. Piling On seems questionable on a AV7 player, but on one who already has Jump Up maybe its not so bad.

[Grumbledook]

for a player that's hitting a lot, mighty blow is the obvious next choice for me

[mattgslater]

Cool.

OK, here are my 2¢:

1) Those three Linos with Block? Side Step is next! Same for both Blitzers. Two Side Step cornerbacks and three SS'ers on the LOS, and your D will just soak everything up. Whoever noted that -MA on a Block lino is irrelevant is absolutely right. AV hits and niggles don't matter, either, and AG losses on linos or Blitzers are survivable if you're poor (better than Loner on a Journeyman) or have to eat into your bench to fire players (worth their weight in inducements).

2) Get a Lino with Kick next. You won't be sorry. The other one can go for Wrestle first. Wrestle is a great skill on these guys, especially as a onesy-twosy thing (there is such a thing as too much Wrestle). The new Diving Tackle, while a shadow of its old self vs. BOBs, is a lot better on a Dark Elf lino or Assassin. It's also a good #3 or 4 on a Witch safety, or on a Blitzer used at the corners.

3) I'd take Block and Side Step second and third on the Witch. I'd try to score with her until she goes up again, as you really need a skill. If you feel very adventurous, take Leap third (this puts the fear of Khaine into cornerbacks), but I say that with the caveat that you should have 3RR available, as a 3+ to stay up with a 200k AV7 player is a bit on the scary side, Jump Up or no. I agree with Juggernaut if you roll doubles next, and Mighty Blow if you roll doubles third (assuming you plan on playing lots of games; otherwise ditch the double for Side Step).

4) Get a full suite of Blitzers! And get two with SS as fast as you can!

[AK_Dave]

My two favorite Lino skills are Kick and KOR. Block? Essential but boring. Boring may make the skill my top choice, but not my favorite choice. I love having a Lino with Kick and another with KOR.

[mattgslater]

I don't think KOR is important, but that may be because I'm a Pro/Wood/High Elf coach and have access to some high MA players.

[AK_Dave]

I expect that KOR is a late thrower skill on a Pro/Wood/High Elf team. But you also have the advantage of Throwers who start with Pass skill.

I consider KOR to be an early Lino or Runner skill on a Dark Elf team, and which one gets it depends on where you like to throw from and who you like to throw with.

Me, I like to have a spare Lino snag the ball and huck it upfield to a Runner or Blitzer who is caged behind the LOS. Next turn he's going to huck it downfield to an eligible receiver who will score. Nuffle approving, of course. If a spare Lino isn't available, a Runner or Blitzer has the MA to do this himself, but KOR makes the job easier.

As to WHO to give KOR to, well, I'm not going to give it early to a Blitzer because they have bashier skills they need to get first. Likewise, DE Runners are both Throwers and Catchers in one (although with AG4 anyone can do either job pretty well) and my Runners have their hands full early on just picking up Thrower skills that they don't start with by default (I'd love to have Pass instead of Dump Off). So the Runners line up poised to rush downfield as eligible recievers, the Blitzers hope to do the same on a good day, and someone has to huck the ball to them. The only player I can feel comfortable about giving KOR to early on is a Lino.

Otherwise, it would be a late skill to give to a Thrower-type (Runner who already has Dodge/NOS/Pass/Accurate/{Safe Throw or +AG}

[DoubleSkulls]

So the problem I'd have with that is that I generally want to cycle line elves through that role - getting that easy SPP for a completion is great for skilling up etc.

So giving one a dedicated skill means I don't cycle through all the line elves giving them a nice distribution of SPPs.