Block Skill

[Grumbledook]

I don't see a problem with block and think it should be left as it is

[Relborn]

You are right grumbledook, there is balancewise nothing that would make block unbalanced. But this is mainly based on the fact that every player (almost) could take it with an normal skill roll.

This makes it a nobrainer for even Catcher to take such an skill (which is also no problem - just not fitting my own personal taste).

I thought there are maybe some more people who thought like me, with whom it would be nice to share experiences. Obviously it's not that way

[Mirascael]

Somehow Block is the Skill that changes a greenhorn rookie into a real BB-Player (apart from Throwers perhaps). Without Block, you're just a minor.

[Grumbledook]

yer thats how i kinda see it

[Relborn]

then the name "block" is a bit misleading. Under a skill "block"
I imagined always an player who is especially good at blocking.
If it is just a skill parting rookies from veterans, it has lost some of
it's flavour

[Zombie]

Grumble : And that's not a problem, that EVERYONE has to take block before he can be any good at all? It's the only skill this statement applies to. No other skill even comes close.

[Relborn]

A rare moment but I agree with Zombie

Block has actually nothing special anymore because everybody takes it. No more "wow-he-has-block" effect.

[DoubleSkulls]

By changing block you are going to upset the whole balance of the teams in BB. From what I've heard of German leagues they give a lot more emphasis to power teams ( ).

So you'd have to rebalance all the teams which seems like an awful lot of work.

Also I'd think this would mean you see a lot more tacklers around, further negating the AG team access to dodge.

[Relborn]

I have playtested this change for almost two years and neither were the power-teams overbalanced nor was the tackle skill more frequently taken than usual.

Btw Ian I think the quantity of the Tackle skill seen in a league depends strongly on the number of teams/player with dodge skill (we haven't had an amazon team so far I have to say) and not on the option wether block is on general access.

I'm not saying that everybody has to do it like I housrule it, but the two points you mention don't bring the impact you are expecting.

The teams gaining most from this change are Chaos, Dwarf and Norse teams due to their highly represented block skill or their good access to it (at the start of a league)

During midleague the above mentioned teams loose this advantage under the current rule (Dwarf and norse only of course) while the other team bolster their block skill up and they can't raise any higher. Under the houserule where block belongs to the strength category this balance is maintained.

So after looking deeper into detail of this matter, for dwarven and norse player the situation would be more balanced under this housrule than before. For the Chaos team there wouldn't be any change as they have the sam access under both rules.

For all other teams the access would be more restricted of course, but as long as you consider the basic team rosters balanced (what they are, more or less), the whole block-skill distribution would be much fairer than before.

Sorry for this long post

[Mirascael]

I have playtested this change for almost two years and neither were the power-teams overbalanced nor was the tackle skill more frequently taken than usual.

And I participate in a league in which that particular ruling utterly destroyed all power balances and resulted in total chaos.

[Dark Lord (retired)]

Interesting ... my league went the opposite way.

We added a Strength skill called Juggernaut which negated Block.

Code: Select all

A player with this skill in virtually unstoppable once he is in motion. If this player has moved at least one square first during a blitz action, opposing players may not use their Block or Stand Firm skills against his blocks.  This skill can only be used once per a turn and may only be taken by a player with a minimum Strength of 5.

But I could easily see it being modified to not have the ST 5 requirement.

Galak

Actually I'd like to see more "Big Guy only" skills. But only if the current assortment of big guys was totally redone.

[Bevan]

I would prefer to see Block (and Dodge) split into 2 skills, but as others have noted, that would require a major change to many teams and possibly also faster skill progression rules. Unless someone does a lot of playtesting we'll have to leave it as it is.

[wesleytj]

A rare moment but I agree with Zombie

Block has actually nothing special anymore because everybody takes it. No more "wow-he-has-block" effect.

So? why is that important? Why shouldn't everybody take it?

And trust me, that effect is still there, especially for younger teams. The first game you play after your mummy has block is quite a revelation.

[Xtreme]

If you don't think it is an important skill they try and not take it for your team.

If you agree that it is important then you have to see that it would not be fair to give some teams easy access to it while others have to roll doubles to get it.

[Dragoonkin]

I think Juggernaut would be a nice Strength Trait (as there needs to be more of those anyway) to differentiate REAL Blitzers from Joe Lineman With Block And Tackle. Sure, Joe Lineman With Block And Tackle these days may be able to pile people over 1/3 of the time...but a REAL Blitzer with Block, Tackle, and Juggernaut can take people over 1/2 of the time. An advantage to a skilled player with Strength access.

Currently the only "advantage" to Strength access (besides taking Strength skills as regular...which basically means Guard, PO, and Mighty Blow) is Stand Firm...which isn't really amazing. It'd be nice to see a REAL Blitzer's skill in there to give them that "edge" in hitting people they should have.