Norse: 3rd skill on Runner?

Axtklinge · Post by **Axtklinge** » Tue May 12, 2009 11:36 am

The team:

Snow Troll: Loner, Claws, DPresence, Frenzy, WAnimal, MBlow
Thrower: Block, Pass, Sure Hands, Leader
6x Lineman: all Block, 1 Guard, 1 NIjury, and 1 -MA
2 xBerserkers: Block, Frenzy, Jump Up, Guard (both)
2x Ulf: Frenzy (both), and 1 with Block.
2 Runners: Blco, Dauntless, Dodge, Side Step (both), _________(+1 skill for 1?)

3 rerolls
8 FF
1 Apo
80.000 gc.

What 3rd skill should go to the runner?
I was thinking about something along Sure feet or Sprint to help with movement, but Jump Up, Catch, or Diving Catch might help too...

I usualy build the box and transport the ball (with the thrower or whoever picks it up) as far into the oppo field as I can, and then hand off the ball to a runner that usualy is at TD distance to score.

Any ideas?
Cheers
A.

Grumbledook · Post by **Grumbledook** » Tue May 12, 2009 11:57 am

if you give him catch then he really will hog a lot of your touchdowns and make it harder to skill up everyone else

I quite like the idea of jump up, keeps him nice and mobile and he already has block for those time you want to block from prone

Post by **voyagers_uk** » Tue May 12, 2009 12:38 pm

Tackle. he then becomes the last ditch Blauntless safety Norse need.

Pink Horror · Post by **Pink Horror** » Tue May 12, 2009 1:31 pm

You appear to have no Strip Ball on the team. The fastest players are naturally good at using that skill.

stashman · Post by **stashman** » Tue May 12, 2009 4:59 pm

Fend will keep him out of dodging situations and protect him from Piling On.

mattgslater · Post by **mattgslater** » Tue May 12, 2009 6:17 pm

What's your opposition like? How do you use him?

Fend: Awesome on the corner: get Tackle on the first Berserker to hit 16, and your opponent can't even think about going wide that way. Also very good vs. a Frenzy BG like a Mino, RO(US) or ST. Works well to protect cage-fronts too. If you take Fend, follow with Jump Up.

Diving Tackle: Great safety skill to mark GRs or Catchers. Also a good skill on offense to freeze out safeties while also lengthening the road for WZ guys who get locked out on the weakside. Follow with Jump Up or Tackle. If you do this, you need to build Fend Linos to man the corners....

Tackle: In the short run, this is better than DT against speed teams. But you've got so much Frenzy, and it's a G skill that doesn't especially combo well with Dauntless. I take it back if you have more than a couple ST4 Blodgers in your league. Follow with Diving Tackle.

Jump Up: This guy can totally play corner without Fend: Jump Up/Blodge/SS protected by a Blitzer will make many opponents just not bother. And it's got great surprise applications: your oppo pretty much can't let him lie, and SS makes it easy to tone down whatever foul potential they have against him. Also good for trading body shots with BOB-types. Follow with Fend.

Sure Hands: It'll make him an SPP hog if you dedicate him as a returner. Instead, use him to protect the ball in case of PU failures, or to go for the ball on D. Blodge/SS is at its best right after you fail a PU attempt....

Strip Ball: This would be my 6th choice. It's a good skill on the player, but you've go so much Frenzy....

PubBowler · Post by **PubBowler** » Tue May 12, 2009 6:48 pm

For me, Norse Runners are markers:

Side Step, Diving Tackle, Tackle, Shadowing.

Great for the rear of cages and for covering catchers in the backfield.

Axtklinge · Post by **Axtklinge** » Tue May 12, 2009 7:42 pm

This is one of the things I like about this game: 10 different players can have as many different opinions on how to develop and use a certain positional or even a team!

So far I've been using the runners as scorers because of the extra movement.
I've been avoiding exposing them too much (no LOS for them except in very special situations), keep them in a second defensive line from where I build my cage when in offense.
I try to use a Ulf to open a hole (in the sidelines) and whenever possible get a oposing player of the pitch (I try to place the cage in the sidelines so I can capitalise on Frenzy to send oponents out of the pitch).
As I said before, the thrower picks the ball up, and stays with it. Moves into the cage, and protected by it goes as far as he can.
Then either he moves in for the TD or hands-off the ball to the runner or blitzer with the cleraest path to the TD.

Edit: I was planning on getting tackle to the Berzerkers for defensive pourpous...

A.

Post by **DoubleSkulls** » Tue May 12, 2009 9:12 pm

Either diving tackle or fend for me.

DT makes them great defensive players and helps should they be stripped of the ball (or fail a catch etc). Given nearly everyone else on the team can get tackle, and you've already got 5 frenzy players I'd prefer DT to normal tackle.

Fend is great on runners and combos really well with sidestep

GreedySmurf · Post by **GreedySmurf** » Tue May 12, 2009 11:01 pm

I'd go Catch.

Both of my Runners have it. The way I run my Norse the runners (with th thrower) are my primary offensive squad, and I've lost count the number of times I've used the catch reroll.

Having said that, one runner has Diving Tackle, and the other will get it next skill, to use it to mark the opposition catchers/runners in my backfield. A Blodging Sidestepper with Diving Tackle is an absolute pain to get rid of.

So DT is good, but personally it would come after Catch.

Also, I agonized for a long time over taking Jump Up, and I would have except for a +MA & a double I got on my runners.

Fist of Gales · Post by **Fist of Gales** » Wed May 13, 2009 5:22 pm

I put Sure Hands on Norse Runner I had get to third skill. It was ok, but I would have rather had Fend, Jump-Up or Catch in retrospect.

PubBowler · Post by **PubBowler** » Wed May 13, 2009 6:18 pm

Axtklinge wrote: This is one of the things I like about this game: 10 different players can have as many different opinions on how to develop and use a certain positional or even a team!

Doesn't mean we're all (or even any of us) right!

kadu-c · Post by **kadu-c** » Wed May 13, 2009 6:22 pm

+1 for Diving Tackle.

Axtklinge · Post by **Axtklinge** » Thu May 14, 2009 8:39 am

Thanks for your input!

Just as a side note, the thoughest teams I've been facing so far are a Skaven team with a one-turner GR (that menaged to win the game for him a few weeks ago by 3-2, always scoring in just 1 turn), a Vampire team (with 5 Vampire blodgers, of which 3 with ST 5, and 1 with ST 6 and tentacles, and another with MA 7 with Sure feet & Horns).
I'm afraid Diving Tackle might not work that good against these, but there are all the other teams...

Wouldnt Fend be better in Berserkers since they already have Jump Up?
Thanks
A.

Grumbledook · Post by **Grumbledook** » Thu May 14, 2009 8:57 am

5 +ST increases on 5 vampires

that smells dodgy to me

though given that they also have mutations I can only guess you are using some odd rules