Orcs. To Troll or not to Troll?

Joemanji · Post by **Joemanji** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 10:52 pm

Two throwers suck. One is bad enough. You just do not want any of them on the pitch. AV8 is a huge target, and MA5 means he is much slower than your Blitzers. You need one on your roster to give options and protect against Leap+Strip Ball. But I do that under duress. Orcs never lack for money, so Leader isn't a great alternative to a normal re-roll.

mattgslater · Post by **mattgslater** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 11:13 pm

See, I completely disagree. Throwers allow you to change the play's direction. Your high ST lets you break up the middle of the pitch on D, forcing the play to one side or the other. On O, you can use that same ST advantage to cage up with one or two fewer men, running a Blitzer and maybe another guy out to score in case the cage stalls. Either way, a strong lateral game is very important, and Throwers are a humongous benefit when you need them.

They do have an AV problem, but that's to be solved by doing a good job man-marking the opponent's nasties. AV8 is alright if it doesn't have to cope with MB and doesn't get hit more than 5-7 times a game. Besides, not much sucks worse than seeing your only Thrower go down with a cas in the first half. Plus, a Thrower with Leader is 2 less TV than a lino and a RR, and comes with a Pass/SH guy, who can get 10 more points as easily as a lino can get 5.

Post by **DoubleSkulls** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 3:30 am

If I was going to start a new Orc team today for a longish lifespan (say 20 games) under the experimental rules I'd be tempted by

1 Troll
4 BOBs
2 Blitzers
1 Thrower
4 Goblins
3 RR

Purchasing is apoth 1st, then the remaining blitzers then the 2nd thrower.

Goblins are pretty good at low TVs, unless you are up against a lot of dwarves, and can provide opportunities that don't otherwise exist. They'll die and you don't replace them. Develop them as receivers (catch, sure feet, sprint) rather than defence (DT, Sidestep) since ultimately they'll only be for one turning or fast offence. You might get lucky and get a +ST or +AG one, in which case they are very useful.

If you don't want gobbos then

1 Troll
4 BOBs
2 Blitzers
1 Thrower
3 Line orcs
3 RR

Should be pretty effective. However in a league one of the nice things about the troll is the TTM option.

In shorter term teams (less than 10 games) I'd probably not bother with the troll at all.

PubBowler · Post by **PubBowler** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 3:12 pm

Joemanji wrote: Two throwers suck.

Thoroughly agree.

Joemanji wrote: Orcs never lack for money, so Leader isn't a great alternative to a normal re-roll.

Not to mention an Orc Thrower, when he's on the pitch, is vastly improved by taking advances, which he won't get too many of before he dies, which improve his on pitch ability.

mattgslater · Post by **mattgslater** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 4:45 pm

See, I've run hundreds and hundreds of games with Orcs, some of them in rulesets vastly more deadly than the current rules, and I've had precisely one Thrower die... and he was ST4 with Block and a Magic Helmet. I find that I take 75% of my casualties to BOBs. Up against a good Orc team, assassin squads are nigh-impossible to pull off.

I do agree that you want to skill your #1 Thrower up with skills that help you pass. That's why I recommend taking two of them. But it sure is nice knowing that wherever the ball goes you have a Thrower there to pick it up, and for that you don't need skills.

Smeborg · Post by **Smeborg** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:07 pm

I am inclined to agree with Herr Willams.

Under the LRB 6 experimental rules I'd be tempted to go for Gobbos.

2 Throwers with Kick-off Return, Accurate passing to Gobbos with Diving Catch, Catch will make for fast and reliable scoring.

And if you have Gobbos, you might as well take the Troll, to give that one-turn-score opportunity. It might not come off often, but it's a game breaker.

A loose ball in the opponent's backfield is a fine target in defense for a thrown Gobbo with Jump Up (say on a blitz result or after an early turnover).

Hope this helps.

TeamTræls · Post by **TeamTræls** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:14 pm

This doesn't add anything to the Troll/no Troll subject, but I find Gobbos immensely useful. They are so cheap and mobile, I always use them for a precise assist (homing assist, if you will). MA6, AG3, Stunty, Dodge means you will have the little fella exactly where you want or need him, and, since he's so cheap, you could Foul away with abandon. Have an Orc block something, follow up, then have the Gobbo Foul with a +1, provided there's no counter-assists. He gets sent off? Aww, too bad, huh.

mage75 · Post by **mage75** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 6:36 am

Ask anyone, and they will tell you I'm not really that good at the game, so weigh that up with my feedback

.

I think the troll is a nice to have, and you should purchase later with Orcs. I swear by 2 throwers to cover the ball, and my experience has taught me that having 2 throwers stops your thrower being a target, even if the second one is in the dugout. My opponents realise they cannot cripple my team by taking out the thrower, so they don't focus so heavily on the one I have on pitch. That's worth the extra TV for me.

That said, my current team now has my first thrower with an AV increase (already saved his butt), a BOB with a +Str and I just won enough money to purchase the Troll and a gobbo. It's pretty much a rookie league, but I now have 14 players (including 2 throwers), and probably the strongest LOS in the current league. Suits me just fine !!