Dread - Thunderbowl Dark Elves

Every team has a story. If you want to tell the BB world yours, then this is the place to do it.

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Dread - Thunderbowl Dark Elves

Post by Khail »

The story so far:
Comprised of the Nobles and Retainers of House Uthorin, Vermillion Dread has a long history of bloody battle and intrigue on their side. Their devious and ofttimes brutal tactics on the pitch reflect this - much to the crowd's delight. The Dread are a relatively new team, midway through their first season in the Thunderbowl C League (new teams only). Coached by a relative unknown, they have sprinted to the front of the pack and are currently tied for first place in this 20 team division, 6 weeks in. There are 4 more games to go before the Powerbowl Playoffs. The winner of this prestigious event will be blessed with d3 mutations by the Chaos Gods - a reward certainly worth fighting for before jumping into the murky and dangerous waters of Thunderbowl B League (experienced teams - some have been hanging here for quite a few seasons).

I'll update this thread as things progress. Thunderbowl meets monthly to get in 2 games each game day, so it may take a while between updates (aside from me musing about my upcoming games and skill plans).

Starting Roster:
4 Blitzers
Runner
6 Linemen
2 Rerolls

Current Roster:
Xakh - Blitzer: Block, Guard - 11 SPPs.
Vashir - Blitzer: Block, Dodge, Sidestep - 19 SPPs.
Kalgar - Blitzer: Block, Dodge, Sidestep - 19 SPPs.
Urian - Blitzer: Block, +1 MV - 11 SPPs.
Korvass - Runner: Dump off, Leader - 6 SPPs.
Darthir - Line Elf: n/a - 1 SPP.
Skaris - Line Elf: Kick - 12 SPPs.
Malus - Line Elf: n/a - 1 SPP.
Karath - Line Elf: n/a - 1 SPP.
Anethran - Line Elf: Dodge - 10 SPPs.
Ithurian - Line Elf: n/a - 2 SPPs.
Draghixa - Witch Elf: Block, Dodge, Frenzy, Jump Up - 13 SPPs.

Apothecary
3 Rerolls
1430 TV

Team Painting Blog: See here.

Record:
5 wins, 0 losses, 1 tie.

Game 1: vs. Pro Elves. Both teams were brand new, and I got to teach my opponent a little bit about crowdpushing. The game went badly for him, with the majority of his team ending up in the KO'd or injured box by the 2nd half, though I didn't cause any serious damage. I also took my one and only MNG in this match... I've been quite lucky on the injuries. End score was 2-0 Dread. Rolled high on winnings and bought my Apoth.

Game 2: vs. Orcs. This was a rough game against a skilled and conservative Orc player. He caged well and was grinding for the standard 2-1, but there was one turn where I managed to blitz into his cage and knock the ball loose (yay for 4AG), holding his grind back long enough to keep a 1-1 tie. And I niggled one of his blitzers (snicker).

Game 3: vs. Nurgle. I was able to control this game from start to finish. He did keep me from scoring as much as I wanted to, but I was able to put my SPPs more or less exactly where I wanted them. 2 Blitzers advanced, as did 2 Line Elves. End score - 2-0 Dread, and I made enough cash to buy my first Witch.

Game 4: vs. Humans. This was a really close game against a very strong coach. We ended the first half 1-1 with me kicking to him, but the 2nd half went my way. Turns 15 and 16 were all kinds of exciting with the score at 2-2 and no rerolls on either side. He had 2 special play cards in hand that could have possibly tipped everything the other way, but his dice didn't quite cooperate and mine were friendly. End score 3-2 Dread, and my Witch scored 2 of those TDs to pick up Block.

Game 5: vs. Chaos. This coach had a terrible game dicewise and basically threw in the towel halfway through. I walked over him 5-0... not much else to say.

Game 6: vs. Orcs. The first game I've really had a decent sized TV difference between me and my opponent. He brought Bomber Dibblesnot and Ulgroth Bolgrot to play. I was more or less able to control this one as well, but couldn't quite keep him shut out. 3-1 Dread with (again) nothing worse than a Badly Hurt on my guys. My Runner finally picked up leader, and I made enough to pick up another TRR as well. That may have been a mistake - should probably have gone for my 2nd Witch Elf, but we'll see. I'm jumping from 2 TRR to 3+1 Leader, which should make a marked difference later in each half I play.

That brings us up to date...

Upcoming Matches:
Game 7: vs. Chaos. This is going to be an interesting game. I'm at exactly 150 TV higher than him, which may end up with me having to deal with my first Wizard (joy). Here is his team. He may go with the Chainsaw Star Player + a Bloodweiser Babe instead I suppose - that would help even up the numbers and give him some definite pain potential. His team is developed kinda strangely (he claims to be building for a Chaos ball handling team), but I can't really argue with a S5/AG4 Chaos Warrior. Yikes. Though - he is down 1 CW for the match, and if his other is messing around with the ball that means I have less strength to deal with then I should, and my players definitely have the edge on skills. Sure to be an interesting game in any case.

Game 8: vs. Orcs. Ugh. This team is ugly. He must be a good coach - the team is at 4-1-1 currently just behind the 3 of us tied at 5 wins on the scoreboards. He's got a decent amount of Tackle, a S4 Blitzer, an AG4 Blitzer, and an Accurate/Strong Arm Thrower. Between the Troll, 4 Black Orcs, and the S4 Blitzer, I'm going to be working really hard to get many 2d blocks. Bleh.

Game 9: vs. Wood Elves. Tough to speculate this far ahead - who knows where this team will be at after his next 2 games. Currently they're kinda beat up. I doubt that they'll get enough money together to replace that Wardancer in the next 2 games, which means I only have one serious Wardancer threat to deal with, but that one will probably have strip ball by then.

Game 10: vs. Skaven. Team is here. Too far away to tell - 3 games between where the rats are at now and when I'll face them.

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Post by JaM »

Nice so far. Thinking of starting a DE team next season too. So how good is that combo 4 blitzers - 1 runner for you ?
Would you start up different (hindsight being what it is ?) or is the runner a good addition ?

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Post by Khail »

I'd start with the same lineup again. I like having my 4 workhorses at the start - 4 guys with 7 move and Block is pretty invaluable. The Runner is an OK piece - at a 10k difference between him and a 7th line elf, I think it's worth picking him up just to give you early access to Leader (and another 7 move piece doesn't hurt). Dump off is novel, but it hasn't gotten used once in my first 6 games.

The only other arguably optimal starting lineup is 7 Line, 3 Blitzers, 1 Witch - which gets you early sideline control, but you end up with an extra lineman hanging out waiting to die and no passing access, plus less block on the field at the start. It's not a bad lineup, but I don't think it's as strong.

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Post by JaM »

Thanks, appreciated.

I should convert some of the old throwers to a runner I guess. Twisting his arm and bending his leg could do the trick :lol:
Just hope THAT kind of "injury" doenst carry over to his game dice-wise...

Any pics of your finished team ?

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Post by Khail »

Nope on the finished team - the painting blog is here. I just started it a few days ago :D

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Post by JaM »

Seen the blog, adn like the minis... So I was curious if there were more finished.
Guess I should follow the blog, too. Thinking of using a red/black sheme myself for my team, so I might as well see how red + ivory turns out.

Good luck !

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Post by Khail »

Games 7 and 8 are tomorrow - man the month wait between game days kills me!

Can't wait to use the figs though. Custom built teams are always a joy to play with. Still need to get them painted though <sigh>

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Post by Khail »

Games 7 & 8 are done...

Game 7 vs. The Cult of Cthulhu (Chaos). I tried out an agressive asymmetrical defense for the first time, now that I have the skills to do it. Here we go:

Code: Select all

Dread Assymetrical Defense
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- 10 09 08|-- -- -- --
-- -- 04 --|02 -- -- 01 -- -- 07|-- -- 03 --
-- 06 -- --|-- -- 12 -- -- -- --|-- 05 -- --
02 and 03 have Sidestep, making this fairly secure. It lives & dies by Quick Snap of course, but perfect Defense and Blitz combined with Kick leaving the opponent severely out of position counter that.

Anyway - the game went well. I kicked to him, and managed to turn it into a defensive TD not once but twice in the 1st half, and almost pulled off a 3rd. Asymmetrical Defenses force your opponent to make all kinds of interesting choices that open up holes to exploit. Really though, this game came down to him running out of re-rolls. Chaos has it rough at this stage. The 2nd half went better for him - he managed to score a TD off a crazy passing play involving a short pass, catch in a TZ, dodging, then sprinting downfield. Sometimes the dice work that way, heh. I still managed to score once more though - end score 3-1 Dread. Again, no serious injuries. My Witch Elf picked up Mighty Blow on doubles, and my Dodging Line Elf picked up Guard on doubles - not bad.

Game 2 Vs. The Incredibles (Scary Tackling Orcs). This game went south from the beginning. I received first, failed an early catch, and then had trouble recovering from it. Turn 2 the black orcs went on a rampage, badly hurting 2 line elves. I still managed to pull out a score on turn 4 with some fancy footwork. That gave him 4 turns to score when I kicked to him, which he almost did. Turn 8 ended with the ball on the ground near my endzone, with a thrower 7 squares away but tied down in an TZ. There was also a loose black orc who could walk into the endzone with the ball unmolested, if he could pick it up. He couldn't (thank god). Game is not going at all as planned.

The 2nd half went much better though - despite burning through rerolls like there was no tomorrow. He did manage to score, but I scored 3 more TDs (2 defensive), with only 8-9 elves on the pitch. He rolled a few double 1s at critical points. The Orcs did manage to cause a MNG on a random line elf, and BH my Runner early on in the 2nd half (preventing him from picking up a skill), but all in all I'm a happy camper postgame. Skillwise - #4 picked up Dodge, making him 8/3/4/8 Blodge, and random line elf MVP picked up +1 ST. I also made enough money to buy Witch Elf #2.

Now I have to revise my defense to include both Witch Elves (which means either I'm leaving my Runner or a Witch hitable on the left wing - need #4 to get Side Step ASAP!). Luckily, my next 2 games are both against "soft" teams - Woodies and then Skaven.

The Woodies games 6 & 7 were both concessions due to league drop outs (the only 2 coaches we've had drop in the 20 man division), which means he had a ton of cash but no real chance to build. His game 8 was against a pro-elf team that didn't do much to him. So, on the downside I'm facing a 13 player Woodie roster with no injuries. Treemen, thrower, 2 catchers, 2 dancers, bunch of line elves. On the upside - his TV is almost as high as mine (50k difference) the dancers are both replacements with no additional skills (yay no Strip Ball!), the Treeman won't deal with the asymmetrical defense very well, and I'm confident in my own team. Having both Witches means I'll own the sidelines, and Mighty Blow on Witch#1 will hopefully be a big help.

The Skaven have had a rough season, and going in to game 8 only had 2 Gutter Runners. Not sure how Game 8 went, but he should have enough cash to buy another after. His TV is really low, which means lots of inducements, but that likely just means he'll fill out his roster. I also know he'll be retiring the team after this season - and I'll be working to get the #1 spot pre-playoffs. If wanting it counts for anything - I really want it, heh. Hopefully Nuffle cooperates.

Going forward - there are some things my team is really lacking in. Tackle is one. I also still don't have any dauntless. My Linemen are advancing slowly - I still have 3 without any skills. Here is the team currently:

#01 Xakh - Blitzer: Block, Guard - 11 SPPs.
#02 Vashir - Blitzer: Block, Dodge, Sidestep - 22 SPPs.
#03 Kalgar - Blitzer: Block, Dodge, Sidestep - 23 SPPs.
#04 Urian - Blitzer: Block, Dodge, +1MV - 16 SPPs.
#05 Korvass - Runner: Dump off, Leader - 13 SPPs.
#06 Darthir - Line Elf: n/a - 2 SPP.
#07 Skaris - Line Elf: Kick - 12 SPPs.
#08 Malus - Line Elf: n/a - 1 SPP.
#09 Karath - Line Elf: +1ST - 6 SPP.
#10 Anethran - Line Elf: Dodge, Guard - 17 SPPs.
#11 Ithurian - Line Elf: n/a - 4 SPPs.
#12 Draghixa - Witch Elf: Block, Dodge, Frenzy, Jump Up, Mighty Blow - 19 SPPs.
#13 Minerva - Witch Elf: Dodge, Frenzy, Jump Up - 0 SPPs.

Apothecary
3 Rerolls
1670 TV (currently 1600, Malus is MNG)

#1 priority is getting Block on Minerva. Xath still needs Dodge, and isn't far away from it. I also want Side Step on Urian so I can build my defense into the following:

Code: Select all

Dread Assymetrical Defense
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- 08 09 10|-- -- -- --
-- 04 -- --|02 -- -- 01 -- -- 07|-- -- 03 --
-- -- 13 --|-- -- 05 -- -- -- --|-- 12 -- --
Main things I still need to think about are what I want to do with Korvass, and what I want to spend money on going forward. I'm considering Korvass getting Nerves of Steel with his next skill (1 TD away), and picking up another Runner, who would get Nerves of Steel as is first skill. This would leave me at 14 players on the roster, probably as many as I ultimately want. It'd also give me dual Dump Off/NOS fun on offense. The second runner would likely sit in reserves on Defense.

Thoughts on this?

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Post by mattgslater »

I'd be afraid to put my ST4 player on the line; I'd swap him with #1. Also, I'd move 1 and 7 back a square against teams with the potential to chianpush their way into extra blocks.

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What is Nuffle's view? Through a window, two-by-three. He peers through snake eyes.
What is Nuffle's lawn? Inches, squares, and tackle zones: Reddened blades of grass.
What is Nuffle's tree? Risk its trunk, space the branches. Touchdowns are its fruit.
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Post by Khail »

Hmm. The reason 7 is there is to protect 12 against a Blitz. Same thing with 1 protecting 5.

These are my AV7 players that I'd prefer the tackle/mighty blow/piling on machines didn't get close to. You're right about the chain pushing of course, though at least that forces them to work for it.

Getting the ST4 guy off the line is probably a good idea. The Guard Blitzer is a decent choice to take his place. Thanks Matt!

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Post by mattgslater »

One more square back with the lot of them, and you'll be more strongly encouraged to spread the love. But I see what you mean: having no MA8 means anyone who doesn't set up shallow can't rush more than halfway upfield.

Hmmm... Maybe build the WZs the other way. If you put the Side Stepper on the off side, you can put that whole flank one square behind scrimmage with fear only of a QS. Then stagger the other half, on the side with the line, back one square. This means one player isn't in rushing position, but that's ok. I'll diagram it when I have time, but I like the fundamentals.

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What is Nuffle's view? Through a window, two-by-three. He peers through snake eyes.
What is Nuffle's lawn? Inches, squares, and tackle zones: Reddened blades of grass.
What is Nuffle's tree? Risk its trunk, space the branches. Touchdowns are its fruit.
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Post by grampyseer »

Swapping #7 for #9 does a couple of things for you.
First. It takes a target off of the LOS..always good
Second. having your +1 strength guy "in the slot" is incentive for the moving team to NOT follow up. Even if they do, it's a guaranteed 2dice hit in you favour. You get few 2D hits without work, so a free one is always welcome.


...just my thoughts.

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Post by Khail »

#7 is my Kicker, heh.

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Post by grampyseer »

Whooops..a bit of an oversight :oops:

I'm sure you get my point otherwise...The spot he's in is a better spot for the S4 guy.

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Post by Khail »

Yeah - I'm thinking of swapping him for #1 as Matt suggested. That puts another guard on the line and puts him in a position to hit back if they follow up.

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