Hello all - Starting with Goblins, just how bad of an idea?

[Tooooon]

Firstly hello all from the oh so glorious town of Nuneaton in Jolly ole England! Just starting to get into this game and have had a very small look at the rulebook, firstly to decide which race I like the look of and fancy starting out with.

Since im a budget player when it comes to games (student and all, need I say more), it's a big decision deciding on a team which will be fun to play with/against for quite a while, so I going off this I decided i'd go for goblin's.

Now i've heard a lot of bad things about goblin's, especially when relating to newcomer's to the game being told to steer away from them, but are they really that bad for newbies like myself? Or am I throwing myself on the deep end before i've learnt to swim?

Oh and just to clarify, ill probably be playing a game here and there with some friends, not any tournaments in the near future. But hey, you never know!

[daloonieshaman]

Goblins are risk/reward team
you will loose most of your games (75% or so)
but they are insanely fun as long as you don't get too attached to your players

[Tooooon]

Thanks for the advice, really appreciate it.

Im also considering Ogre's and Halflings, how would they be? And indeed, I know I seem to be picking the worst teams for a newbie, but there the teams im honestly liking the look of tbh

[Wanchor]

My first team was a goblin squad and I like to think that you'll learn the ins and outs of the game more quickly with the goblins than with many other teams. Prospects for team development are limited, but what they can do, they can do pretty well.

[s031720]

All the stunty teams need to be played carefully. But when you learn how to play them, they are extremely fun and rewarding, and the most insanely fun of them all is the Goblinteam. (but the most competetive is the Ogre-team).

If Goblins is what you feel you want to play, go for it. Im sure you wont regret it.

You need to know (and will learn quickly) how to manage the risk/reward mechanisms in the game.
They have dodge and AV7 so are not as fragile as people might think, still stunty will take its toll.

Use trolls (with guard as first skill, block on doubles) to protect them, use your "specialists" to wreck some random havoc and learn to capitalize on the chaos that follows.

Its crazy fun!

(But if you are the kind of player that only have fun when your winning stunty teams are not for you. Even a really good goblin coach will struggle to win even 50% of their games).

BTW: You know that you can play online? And that you can review other players games aswell, find some good goblin coaches and take a look at how they are playing.

[Darkson]

As long as you realise you're likely to lose a lot more than you win, AND that you're likely not to get the chance to really develop any players long-term, and you're happy to deal with that, then I say go for it. Last league I ran I tookm goblins, and enjoyed myself immensly, especially when I beat the then 2nd place Lizzie team.

However.....

If you think, or even have an inkling, that you'd find continual losses a hardship, don't play them, at least to start with.


Really it all comes down to what type of player you are - some like to be of a competative level all the time, some just don't care, as long as they can roll dice.

[Baduk]

As a I-was-a-noob-not-long-ago I'd say stay away from those exact three teams for reasons already clear to you.
I've played mostly with skaven and khemri which seem fine to start with (skaven more so) but I also played some games with halfings. They were fun but you better be ready to lose a lot of games, especially as a newbie.

So I'd say: Don't play with goblins, halflings or ogres. Apparently they're hard to master and as a newb you'll already have a hard time.

The game is fun with any team and those teams are probably ment for players who want to try something else after playing other teams. I think any other race might be a better idea but I can't tell you for sure.

[darren woodward]

i've played BB for quite a while but only now feel ready to tackle the carnage, mayhem (and losses) that is the Gobbos lot

As a Rookie, I'd say use Orcs and throw in a couple of Gobbos for kicks. d

[voyagers_uk]

or play underworld and enjoy the mayhem.

[Leipziger]

As long as you realise you're likely to lose a lot more than you win, AND that you're likely not to get the chance to really develop any players long-term, and you're happy to deal with that, then I say go for it. Last league I ran I tookm goblins, and enjoyed myself immensly, especially when I beat the then 2nd place Lizzie team.

However.....

If you think, or even have an inkling, that you'd find continual losses a hardship, don't play them, at least to start with.

Darkson nails it here. Gobbos are fantastic fun, but if you don't like to lose/lose players then try a more durable team. If you can take it, play goblins, go nuts and enjoy any points you may get as you will have earned them Gotta love the gobbos!

[git777]

i don't know if you will ever read this but hey.

first bit advise not just for blood bowl but for life NEVER COMPRIMISE!!! so don't start a game thinking "i'll probably lose" start with as meny rerolls as posiable, take block at every opertunity, as block is the best skill in the game and dodge is the second, so with the block skill you have the best combo of skills. catch is always a goody and if you can roll +1 ag for a gobbo then throw that git as often as posiable.
If you can recive against hard hitting teams on first kick off and feild you fanatic chain saw dude and bomber (two trolls with gaurd flanking your chain saw dude is a good idea) get the ball and hide at the back for as long as posiable, get some one in deep in there half to be on the safe side, and KICK the paint off 'em! and on the last opertunity try and score.
if it goes acording to plan then in the second half they won't have enough players to pull the game back.
on agility teams always kick to them! and they will score on at least the second turn. But then they kick to you. and feild your heavys and spend the remaining truns hurting them BAD and then score on the 8th turn and then they kick to you again, so doit again!

[landrover]

Now i've heard a lot of bad things about goblin's, especially when relating to newcomer's to the game being told to steer away from them, but are they really that bad for newbies like myself?

Think "was the iceberg really all that bad for the Titanic?"

[git777]

yeah but it would be a diffrent story if the titanic knew what was coming, and now our man knows what he's up against and how to "chin" it (in theory)