Perfect Blood Bowl weather

The sun was shining, the beer flowing and we had a good time.
It was however a different story on the actual field. I thought I'd give a short recap of yesterdays games and maybe analys said games.

Game 1, Wedding Deerskins (Necro) vs. The Orclandraiders (Orcs)

The Orclandraiders, place 2 in group B of the BBBL, came in to the game with a TV of 560k more than the Wedding Deadskins. This only because their star blitzed was MNG. The Orclandraiders have been around since the start of the BBBL in 2005, but suffer from some odd skill choices of early inexperience and therefore some bloat.
The Wedding Deadskins entered this season as a fresh team (in our league you start with 110k extra gold plus one skill). So far they'd payed 6 games (2-2-2) and skilled up the werewolfs (blodge and block), a golem (block) and a ST4 zombie.

Inducements

For the inducement money they hired Ramtut III and a wizard.
My thought about hiring Ramtut III was simple. The orcs, missing their star blitzer, are quite slow. A ST6 piece with wrestle would cause them problems and slow them down. He can also act as a cage breaker with his break tackle and wrestle. Add to that the two golems and the orcs should have a hard time moving forward. The wizard is more or less a no brainer in this case, stopping the orcs from caging.

1st half

This game started off with a twist from the first dice roll. The field was covered in snow and ice. A blizzard had rolled in, which I was quite happy with. It would stop the orcs from GFIing and I might be able to take advantage of this with my faster players.

The stands were covered with Orclandraiders fans. 20k of them, easily outnumbering the 9k Wedding Deadskins fans. You could here the orc fans cheering as  the orcs kick off the game, thus giving them a 6th reroll. The kick was placed deep and thanks to one lineorc with kick, it stayed there.
The Deadskins started blocking the orcs to the left, forming a screen on their right side. The ghoul in the backfield scooped up the ball and ran down to the screen. A good start to the game.
The orcs then started battering themselves against the screen, almost breaking through. The Deadskins however took advantage of the situation and the fact that the troll didn't want to do anything for the first two turn, pinning the orcs down on their right hand side while running the ghoul and some protection up the left hand side. The orcs tried to get back and almost made it, but thanks to Ramtut III and a dodge, followed by two GFIs from the ghoul, the Deadskins managed to score in turn 7. The picture below showing the start of turn 7.

Start of Deadskin turn 7, just before the TD

During this mad dash toward the end zone, one werewolf and a zombie had been KOed. One zombie had been badly hurt, but he managed to regenerate. The KOed zombie came back, but the werewolf spent the rest of the game KOed.

The Deadskins then kicked off to the Raiders, ball landing just behind the goblin. It was picked up and handed to said goblin. However, the troll didn't want to throw the goblin, fumbling him twice, thus ending the first half of the game, 1-0 for the Deadskins.

2nd half

The Deadskins kicked off again, this time it was a high kick, landing deep in the end zone of the Raiders half. Their thrower saw the high kick and placed himself underneath it, but failed to catch the ball. Turn 1, the orcs start blocking and picks up the ball, driving it downfield.
The Deadskins stopped the forward movement off the orcs and this is when the wizard decides to cast a fireball in to the fray. The screen goes down and Ramtut III dodges and blitzes the ball carrier. The ball carrier sees Ramtut III coming, thus dumping the ball to one of the orcs in the backfield (who's marked by a ghoul). The lineorc can't catch the ball and it comes to rest next to him. The orc thrower is knocked down by Ramtut III and the Deadskins put a TZ on the ball in the form of a wight.
In the following turn, the orcs can't get the wight away from the ball and thus fails to pick the ball up.
The Deadskins see their chance and Ramtut III dodges one square to blitz the orc thrower in to the crowed, but disaster strikes. Double skulls!

The dreaded double skulls

The orcs can't capitalize and yet again fails to pick the ball up. In the following turn, Ramtut III blitzes in to the scrum, freeing the ball up. There's just one orc TZ on it and a ghoul jumps in, picks up the ball, doges away and runs off. The orcs can't get to him and the Deadskins score in turn 6.

This was however not without cost. A wight and a zombie (regenerates) has been MNGed and the star werewolf (blodge) got -AG. With a badly hurt zombie, this totals up to five CAS for the orcs (claw didn't work a single time for the Deadskins).

This is also how the game ends and I was very happy with managing a win.

To compensate the -AG on the werewolf both a ghoul and a wight (MNG) get +AG. The -AG werewolf was retired and a new one was brought in for the last game of the season against the Barbarian Icefighters (Norse).

TD      2 - 0

CAS    0 - 5

Thoughts

I think I was lucky, pulling away with a win in this one. My dodge rolls went my way and I could out maneuver the orcs. If I'd failed more dodges, it would probably have been a draw.

I'm also very happy with my choice of inducements. Ramtut III was great in this game, causing a lot of problems for my opponent. The wizard worked, taking out the right people of the screen. This was however balanced by the fact that I couldn't roll above seven when it came to armor rolls with the wolfs. When I did break the orcs armor, it was never above seven.

I've also started to doubt dodge as a second skill on my werewolfs. There's so much tackle around, so I think I'll give jump up a try. They can either jump up and hit the player marking them (a free blitz on 2+) or use their M8 to the fullest. I've 1 SPP away from the second skill on the werewolf with block. I think I'll give jump up a try one him. 

Game 2, Gesundbrunnen Picknick Packers (Halflings) vs. Morbus Exidus (Nurgle)

This was a game just for fun, in our challenge group. The teams can be developed before going in to the real league, if so desired. Before the game, the ME bought a pestigor, thus leaving the GPP with 670k in inducements. 

Inducements

The extra 80k threw me off my original plan of Deeproot, chef, babe and Puggy. I still took the chef and Deeproot, but changed Puggy and a babe to Zara. In hindsight, this might have been a bad move. If I could do it again, I'd taken Deeproot, chef, babe, Puggy and a card.

Why, you ask. Well, Zara can be taken out quite easily and a babe had been worth her worth in gold, as you'll see below. This is a good lesson, since my plan is to bring the GPPs in to the real league next season.

1st half

The GGPs steal one reroll from the ME, before kicking off the ball. The ball is scooped up by one of the pestigors and they set up a screen on my right side. The beast block down one of the trees with a bit of help and Deeproot plays with a rotter. The other tree (on my left tree) is under attack by a pestigor with claw and a warrior. I use Zara to blitz his screen, knocking a player down and then realize that she could be surfed, dodge back to relative safety. She's also got some help from a couple of brave 'flings. Another group of 'flings group up on a rotter on my left flank, fouling him, but they can't get him off the field.

Action shot from the 1st half

There isn't much to say about the drive. My right tree gets blocked down, stands back up and gets blocked down. This is repeated for two turn and then he stays down for a turn, thus breaking my right flank, where the pestigors run through, after getting Zara off the field. She wasn't surfed, but injured on turn 6. The claw pestigors makes half die blocks on my left tree, getting double pows and then he's Koed. Deeproot KOs the rotter, but too late and can't get back in to the play.

Bread Favre makes a brave blitz attempt on the pestigor with the ball, but stunned himself on a dodge.

ME scores in turn 8.

My KOed tree tries to get back in the game, but rolls a 3.

The KOed 'flings roll 3s.

2nd half

Phew, I get my Koed tree back, but the KOed 'flings stay out and guess what, they all rolled, 3s. Yes, a babe had been great. GPPs chef steal a reroll before the kick off, where 3 trees and 7 'flings line up against 4 warriors, 3 pestiogrs, a beast and 3 rotters. This isn't looking good.

The kick scatters towards my right flank and lands next to the LOS in the right wide zone. 

The GPP set up a screen and Randall Cod scopes up the ball, hiding behind P.I.E. Raji (treeman) and the 'fling screen.

Randall then moves to his left to get behind all the tree, but the GPP can't really push forward and because of all the disturbing presence, throwing Randall isn't really an option either. 

After a couple of turn, the ME gets to Randall (the number of GPP players had declined and keeping him safe was hard). The ball bounces in to the hands of Deeproot (or rather the ball gets stuck among his branches). The GPP makes a desperate attempt at clearing some DP, handing the ball to a 'fling and throwing him. It doesn't work.

The game ends 1-0 to ME.

TD      0 - 1

CAS   1 - 2

Thoughts

Playing 'flings is hard. No doubt about that. It's also loads of fun.

The biggest lesson here is inducement management. Deeproot and a chef are no brainers, but what to do with the rest, if any?

I don't think I'll take Zara again unless I'm playing a low armor team and/or undead. That's where I could use all her potential.

A babe is great. 'Flings do get KOed quite easily and if a tree goes out, she's your friend.

I'd like to give Puggy a try. In this game, I think that he could have been more of a headache for the nurgle team. A blogger that could potentially run through their defense for that blitz or end zone dash.

Keep posted, there's more 'fling games coming up. Both tournament, casual and league games.

Thanks for reading.