Plattbowl II

An update that's long overdue, but here's the report from my latest tournament.

Plattbowl II

It was time for my first tournament in Hamburg (but not my last). The rules were basicly the world cup rules, but there were a set of cards for each player and you drew one of them prior to each game.

The prizes

Later, this turned out to be optional, which I didn't like since it meant that some tables would be playing with the cards and some wouldn't. The cards themselves were focused on fouling except for a couple of very powerful cards. Them being a card that let you play with twelve players for a drive, a free blitz or a perfect defence (play the card instead of rolling on the kick off table). Another addition was also that the top table in round 6 would play on a ship.

Custom ship for the sixth round

The tournament itself was very well organised and I'll come back next year.

Roster

I was playing dark elves (again) and went with my standrad roster.

(The numbers corespons with the game in which I could start using the skill, ie (3) being from game 3)

4 Blitzers (Dodge (1), Dodge & Guard (3), Dodge (5))

2 Witches (Block & Wrestle (1))

1 Runner (Dodge (5))

4 Linemen

2 RR

AC

Cheer

Game 1 vs Norse (holzknie)

My card: 12 Players for a drive (which I couldn't use)
FAME +0
Nice weather

I get to decide who'd start on offence and chose to get the ball first.
Why? Just so I could get a player or two off the field with that AV7.

As he's about to kick off to me he plays his card, which is a perfect defence which wasn't really a problem. A blitz card would have been worse and at least I knew what the card was.

The kick off

I managed to CAS one of his linemen in my first turn and move up the field for the score in turn 8. This was my opponents second tournament, so he did some mistakes. 

On the way to the endzone (runner has the ball)

 The half ended 1-0 (2-1).

The second half started with a touchback and there were just 9 vs 9 on the field.

My opponent goes down one side and I can surf some of his players and pin him to the sideline.
He tries to escape with the ball carrier on a 5+ dodge, which fails and the ball goes out and the crowd throws the ball towards his side.

Witch on her way to score

A witch elf picks the ball up and scores in turn 16 and at that time there's just three norse players left on the field.

End 2-0 (2-1)

Game 2 vs Dwarf (Alronno)

My card: No turnovers for being ejected for a foul
FAME -1
Pouring Rain

I kicked the ball to the dwarves because of the pouring rain. Hoping that it would slow them down and it did, for one turn, but not really as they CASed a lineman and a blitzer in that first turn. I was down to nine players.

I did still manage to get the ball on the ground, but then I made a stupid thing. I got greedy and blitz a longbeard on the ball, hoping for a scatter which would be better for me. This was stupid because I could have three tackle zones on the ball as it were. I should remember that the goal of the defensive drive isn't to score, but rather to stop the opponent from doing so. Scoring is a bonus.

Bouncing ball ends in the hands of the troll slayer

The ball bounced back into the scrum of dwarves and after a couple of failed catches it landed in the hands of a trolls layer and I had just undone what I had achieved the turn before. This meant that the dwarves could recover and walk in for the score in turn 8.

The half ended 0-1 (0-3) and we set up for the second half, in which I had seven players.
My opponent played his card, which allowed him to set up twelve players, so it was seven elves against twelve dwarves.

Set up before the perfect defense

My opponent then rolled a perfect defense, making it even harder for me to score, but I somehow managed, on pure elfen bullshit and the fact that he couldn't get my ball carrier down on four block dice. In my turn I blitzed with the blitzer (two dice against), but didn't manage to get a push, which meant that I had to do a 4+ dodge followed by a 2+ dodge and a GFI. I made all of the rolls and scored in my turn 10.

The blitzer managed to dodge out and score

We set up again and it was now seven elves against eleven dwarves, but this too turned into five elves.

7 elves to stop 11 dwarves

I tried to attack his cage on every turn I could, which meant that I tried to dodge in on 5+. I even had a 2+ dodge once due to one of the dwarves being sent off for fouling, but I snaked that dodge.

I managed the 5+ once and it was in my last turn and my wrestle witch got the ball carrier down, which meant that he had to pick up the ball for the score which he sadly did, but it wasn't unlikely with the inbuilt sure hands.

Last chance and the witch manages to bring the ball carrier down

The game ended 1-2 (0-3) and it was a really good game in which I felt that I had a chance even though I was down on players from the get go.

The only mistake was being greedy and going for the ball scatter.
I need to learn from my mistakes and someday I will.

Game 3 vs Necromantic (Heroic_Tackle)

We played without the cards
FAME +2
Sweltering Heat

As I kick the ball off to my opponent the weather goes from sweltering heat to pouring rain, which was great for me. It also landed  in his backfield, which meant that he'd been in trouble if he couldn't pick it up in the first couple of turns.

My opponent KOed two of my linemen, which meant that I was yet again down on players. But his ball carrier was on his own in the backfield, so I sent some players to hunt him down. Some might call it over committing, but my players are faster than his (except for the wolves) and he couldn't really leave his slower players behind.

Ball hunting

 My opponent got away, but his cage was still in his backfield. I blitzed a cage corner and based the ball carrier, meaning that he had to blitz that marking player off. Also meaning that he wouldn't be able to move too much.

Basing the ball carrier

 This dance continued until I made a mistake and left a lane open, so my oppoent made a break for it.

before and

after the break away

 I could recover my mistake and put my opponent in a tricky situtaion.

Tough one to get out of

 This time my opponent made some errors and pushed people into the lanes he could have used to get out of the situation, which left him with a one die blitz against my blodger and a potenial set of tricky dodges for the score, but he rolled a skull on the blitz.

Ball on the ground after the skull

 This meant that I could get the ball and run off with it.

Blodge blitzer with the ball

 And all I had to do in my turn 8 was to dodge out on a 2+ (with dodge) and make a hand off in the rain (3+) for the score.

Elf bull shit

 That ended the half 1-0 (2-0) for me.

My KOs didn't want to come back for the second half, so it was 9 vs 11.

The kick was deep, but high and my runner caught the ball in the air.

A deep kick indeed

 Since I didn't reallt need to score this half I didn't push forward, but rather tried to protect the ball and screening it off.

Ball protecting screen

 I moved right to left in my own half, buying time and my opponent responded by killing one of my players. I was now down to eight. In my 11th turn, I snake a dodge (KOed player) and my opponent could now move in and put some pressure on my screen.

7 elves under pressure

 I tried to make a run for it, but I didn't mange to establish a safe screen, because of a with snaking her dodge.

Another snake

 The ball goes in to the crow and is thrown back toward the LOS.

Ball on the ground

 I manage to recover the ball, but I wasn't safe.

Ball recovered

My opponent gets the ball on the ground yet again and heads off for the touchdown.

But my witches and blitzers chase the wight down to recover the ball.

Ball back in my possession

 The rest of the half is spent chasing my witch and eventually getting her down in turn 15, but it's a bit too late. I cover the ball with tacklezones (I learned something from game 2 after all) and my opponent goes for it, but it was unlikely having to pick up in tacklezones, dodge, GFI and throw and catch in the rain.

Ball on the ground

Last chance for the necromantic team

The game ends 1-0 (2-1).

So day one was good with 2-0-1 and I was in 5th place.

5th place

I kind of wish that the tournament would have ended here, but there were three more games to be played.

Game 4 vs Orcs (Troublemaker)

My Card: If a player is ejected for fouling, all the assisting players are sent off as well.
FAME -1
Nice weather

I kicked to my opponent and his game starts of just fine with a KOed blitzer (the one without a skill).
He moved down the pitch in a very secure formation. Happy with just moving forward a step or two.

The orcs are happy with moving a step of two per turn

On my fourth turn I managed to KO my guard blitzer on a one reroll one-dodge.
My turn five ends in the same fashion, but instead of a KO, a lineman is stunned.

My opponent walks in the touchdown in his 8th turn. I ran out of players to cover the whole pitch and he could blitz his way through my screen.

1st half 0-1 (0-0)

I got half my KOs back and the second half started with me having 10 players to his 11.

Before the card was played

We set up and my opponent played his card, an automatic blitz!

After the blitz

As you can see on the picture, my opponent over committed to his blitz and I could run through the gab on the right, setting up a screen.

After turn 9

Stalling and screening the ball off

I managed to stall out until my turn 14 and the game ended in a draw, the remaining turns no leading to anything.

End 1-1 (0-0)

Game 5 vs Dark elves (verminardo)

We played without the cards
FAME -1
Nice weather

I kicked the ball to my opponent and rolled a perfect defense on the kick off table.
I lined up to make if difficult for my opponent to get passt and we traded a blitz a turn until turn 4, in which I KOed his block with elf as well as a blitzer.

Making it hard to get passt

Having more players on the field, I felt that I could be more agressive. I tried to pin my opponent to a sideline and make it hard for him to move forward.

Closing the net

I ignored the prone lineman on the right in this picture since I belevied I had made it difficult enough for my opponent to get him the ball and cover him.

but a lineman sneaks past

My opponent, feeling the pressure, makes a desperation play and hands the ball off to the lone lineman, who ran up the field. I got a two dice blitz on him and knocked him down. Sadly though, the ball bounces perfectly and isn't in any tackle zones and I used my last GFI on the blitz istself.. I try to dodge a lineman out to foul the now prone lineman, but fail the dodge. All my opponent had to do was to stand the lineman up, dodge out and pick the ball up. Which he did.

I still had two turns left to score, but my opponent set up a good defense. I still had a shot at a touchdown, but couldn't dodge my witch out on a 4+ with the dodge reroll. Thus ending the half 0-1 (0-0). All KOed players came back and we were back to 11 on 11 for the second half.

The second half started with a perfect defense and a touchback.
After a couple of turns of trading a blitz a turn I managed to score in my turn 13.

Moving the ball up field

The last kick off of the game was also a perfect defense. I managed to pin my opponent on the sideline and all I needed was a 2+ dodge to cancel some assists in order to chain push his ball carrier and scoring threats out. A one. No worries, I've got dodge on this player. A one.

My opponent managed his GFIs and scored in turn 16, which was bitter. It was a really close game and I beleive that a draw would have been fair.

End 1-2 (0-0)

Game 6 vs Skaven (Letzy)

We played without the cards
FAME -1
Pouring Rain

I received, because I wanted to try and get some rats out before the second half.The kick off result was a brilliant coaching and the rats got an extra reroll.

Elves moving up the pitch

The half was uneventful and the only interesting thing was that my opponent had to use his apo on his thrower (with leader) after failing a dodge in turn 4.

I scored in my 8th turn and was feeling quite good about the game as my opponent failed his one turn touchdown attempt.

First half 1-0 (0-0)

The second half saw 11 elves against 10 rats and all I had to do was keep them out of the endzone, but that turned out to be difficult.

Trying to stop the rats

In my opponents 10th, he managed to CAS a lineman and a blitzer (with dodge) and score.
He also got his KO back and it was now 9 against 11. The tables had turned.

Elves protecting the ball

I moved up the pitch, trying to screen the ball carrier off from the rats, which was working at the start of the drive. But in my opponents 13th turn, another lineman went down and I was now down to 8 players and under pressure (all my players were based) and this is where I lost the game. My 13th turn ended in a one reroll one, at the worst time possible.

The rats moving off with the ball

The rats could get to the ball and run off with it, scoring in their turn 16 making it 1-2 (1-3)

Since I didn't have enough players for a one turn touchdown, I just went for some blocks, but I double skulled on the first one. It wasn't my half at all.

End 1-2 (1-3)

Final thoughts

I've got mixed feeling about this tournament. I lost to the top two coaches and feel like I could have won those game or at least tied them. The thing is that I keep making silly misstakes, like going for the ball in game 2 or that dodge in game 5. I should have remembered that my kicking drive isn't about scoring, but rather keeping your opponent from doing so. That's where I need to get better. I also need to learn to make safe moves first. Don't trust the AG4 too much. To play safer.

This may sound obvoius, but under time pressure, it might not be (as in game 5).

I also feel that the 2-1-3 result doesn't reflect how close my loses where, but that's blood bowl.
I ended up in the 12th spot, which I'm not happy with. One of my worst tournaments so far.

I ended up in 12th place

The tournament itself was great. Well organised and my opponents were great. I'll be back next year.

I don't know what I'll be playing next year, but this is the team I'm currently working on, so Ill probably play wood elves.

Wood elf linemen

Thanks for reading!