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Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 9:04 pm
by Smeborg
My Bretonnian team the Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune are set to debut in a week's time. Their full name is Confrerie des Chevaliers de la Commune Anarcho-Syndicaliste et Leurs Fideles Serviteurs, but I decided to take pity on the league scribe.

If the team name means nothing to you, I refer you to one of the early scenes of the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Arthur, King of the Britons holds a conversation with the repressed peasant Dennis and his mum, in their filthy field. The dialogue contains the immortal lines:

"Then who is your lord?"

"We don't have a lord."

"I told you, we're an anarcho-syndicalist commune."

I watched the film in Paris, home to the mother of all communes in 1871 during the Franco-Prussian war. At these lines, the cinema erupted, there were grown men rolling in the aisles. So it was that I came up with the team name.

I am faking the figurines initially: Human Blitzers for the Blitzers, Human Linemen for the Yeomen, Hobgoblins for the Linemen. I am going to order the Greebo Florentine team, which looks really neat. I dream of doing conversions/head swaps etc. to create filthy ragged peasant Linemen (e.g. from Zombies or similar).

[My apologies for lack of written accents in the French text.]

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 9:30 pm
by Smeborg
PLAYER NAMES

BLITZERS are named after famous wines: posh, pompous, beautiful, evocative:

1. Chateauneuf du Pape
2. Pouilly-Fuisse
3. Chateau d'Yquem
4. Muscat de Beaumes de Venise


The sturdy YEOMEN are named after hearty (and hearty sounding) dishes:

5. Boeuf Bourguignon
6. Tripe a la mode de Caen
7. Gigot d'agneau
(8. Crapahut)


The hapless PEASANTS (a.k.a. LINEMEN) are named after foods only the French can boast of:

9. Pissenlit
10. Crottin de chevre
11. Petit batard
12. Andouille
(13. Navet)
(14. Pets de nonne)


Apothecary: to be decided ("Bring out your dead!").

Head Coach: none, there is only the Executive Officer for the Week. For some strange reason, this is usually the repressed peasant Den(n)is, sometimes his mum ("Den(n)is, there's some lovely filth down here!"). Den(n)is is well versed, not only in the fashionable jargon of repression, but also in the procedural niceties of Anarcho-Syndicalism, with its hebdomadal and bi-hebdomadal meetings.

(Brackets) indicate players not yet hired.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 10:09 pm
by Smeborg
TRANSLATION of player names (for those who no speaka da Frog), with a little explanation.

1. Newcastle of the Pope. A heady red wine from the deep south (Rhone).

2. [Place name.] Chosen for its very French and poetic sound, and its unpronounceability to most English speakers. [Accute accent on the last e.] A white wine from Burgundy.

3. Castle of [place name]. A gorgeous sweet dessert wine from Sauternes (Bordeaux). Tiny yields of grapes affected by "noble rot". One of the most expensive of all wines, several hundred dollars a bottle (thousands if you have deep pockets).

4. Muscat of [place name]. A lightly fortified sweet and perfumed dessert wine, from the deep south (Rhone), with a history going back thousands of years (mentioned by Pliny the Elder).

5. Burgundian beef. Originally a peasant dish, so good that it moved into haute cuisine. Beef stewed in red wine, described as "one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man".

6. Tripe in the style of (town in Normandy). I like tripe, but this dish is rather dull, the tripe being stewed in milk. The sort of fare that the Yeomen have to put up with when they can't get boeuf Bourgignon.

7. Leg of lamb (or more likely mutton for the Yeomen).

8. Footslogger. Also the name of a crusty, chewy, multi-grain loaf.

9. Piss-in-bed. Also the name for dandelion (the leaves being a salad ingredient). To appease the vegans and vegetarians. (This is likely to be the Greebo figurine drinking from a pot.)

10. Goat droppings. Also the name of a rather lovely goat's cheese, small, hard, dry, crumbly, very white.

11. Little bastard. The name of a both a smallish type of loaf, and of a grape variety.

12. Twerp. Also the name of a delicious, hearty large sausage, made with tripe (not the same as the Louisiana sausage of the same name). Quite presumptious for a Peasant, this could be Yeoman fare.

13. Turnip. In France, only fit for cattle (and Peasants).

14. Nun's farts. A light fluffy dessert pastry, ball-like in shape.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 6:36 am
by Smeborg
TEAM DEVELOPMENT looks surprisingly tricky for this team, mainly because:

- Blitzers have so many skills and skill paths open to them,
- Yeomen skills and skill paths have natural conflicts due to the combination of Wrestle and Strength skills (unlike Blitzer types, e.g. Wights, that start with Block),
- Linemen are likely to get very few SPPs, whereas
- Blitzers will hog most of the Touchdowns.

So a clear head and iron discipline will be required.

The following lists show the ranking order of skills. Skills are picked from as high as possible in the list, adjusted only by eligibilty (e.g. G-ASP) and skill roll (e.g. normal, doubles, stat increases).

I will start with the Peasants (Linos), as I think they are the easiest. In line with how other Strength 3 teams behave, I will give very high priority to Guard on all players.

Bold denotes normal skills, for ease of reference.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 7:09 am
by Smeborg
PEASANT (LINO) SKILL DEVELOPMENT PRIORITY

+Strength
Guard
Wrestle (Block if Guard or +Strength already)
+Armour
Thick Skull
Sidestep
Tackle
Shadowing

RATIONALE: The over-riding role of Peasants is to be repressed on the defensive Line of Scrimmage (LoS). Skills are picked on this basis alone. However, it helps that these skill paths fit well with the quiet secondary roles of Peasants (assisting, marking, blocking, screening, cage corner).

In reality, I expect Peasants to remain mostly on 0 or 1 skill, as they will get very few SPPs, will rarely, if ever, be given MVPs, and will suffer high attrition (with little help from the Apothecary).

I ignore Dodge (less useful on the defensive LoS, and on an AG2 player). I also ignore Dirty Player (clearly there will be plenty of fouling by Peasants, but I see no room for the skill - I may consider it in the unlikely event that a 4th Peasant skills up). Assuming a full roster, I see no room for more than 3 Peasants on the field (otherwise the Agility and Armour of the team are compromised).

I love Wrestle. As well as being great on the defensive LoS, the skill improves, the more you have of it.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2018 7:21 pm
by Smeborg
YEOMEN SKILL DEVELOPMENT PRIORITY

+Strength
Guard
+Agility
Dodge
Tackle
Stand Firm
Grab


RATIONALE: Yeomen have two roles: (1) as specialists in the scrum (hence early Guard), and (2) as specialist blockers/blitzers against players with Block or Blodge (hence Tackle next). (2) Will include ball hunting duties, rather important.

Later skills re-inforce the positional strengths of the team (which start with the Peasants' Fend). 3rd and 4th skills will, I suspect, not happen in practice (because the Blitzers will hog the TDs). But you never know.

Mighty Blow is deliberately omitted.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2018 8:31 pm
by Smeborg
BLITZER SKILL DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES

+Strength
+Agility
Guard
+Movement
Dodge
[specialist]
Sidestep
[specialist or generalist]


Under this scheme, the expected skill paths of the 4 Blitzers (normal skills only) are:

1. Dodge/Leader/Sidestep/Tackle
2. Dodge/Sure Hands/Sidestep/Kick-off Return
3. Dodge/Frenzy/Sidestep/Tackle
4. Dodge/Sprint/Sidestep/Sure Feet

RATIONALE: To build 4 semi-specialists, namely, a LEADER, a RUNNER, a SURFER, and a ONE-TURN-SCORER. Dodge as 1st skill, and Sidestep as 3rd on all of them ensures that they are not overly specialised (as well as re-inforcing the starting and positional skills of the team). The starting point is that all Blitzers have dual roles, (1) as blockers/blitzers against ST4+ players (as well as against any players without Block), and (2) as specialists in different roles that exploit their mobility, starting skills and skill access.

Now I suspect that the cunning plan will go gloriously wrong, what with stat increases and doubles, not to mention attrition. Time will tell. There are some advantages and short cuts to be had from stat increases (e.g. +AG would become a Runner, +MA becomes an instant O-T-S, etc.).

To arrive at the above plan, I have had to ruthlessly eliminate many good skills, for example:

- Appealing Agility skills (Jump Up and Diving Tackle)
- All ball passing skills
- All further catching skills (Nerves of Steel, Diving Catch, Pass Block)

I do not know where this plan will end up. When it comes to skills, I am a "generalist" at heart, I do not always play at my best when I have lots of highly specialised players. But this is what the roster suggests to me. Another (good) plan that I considered (and rejected) was to take 2 Runners (as above) and 2 generalists (Dodge/Sidestep/Tackle). Time will tell.

[There are other skill paths that I have not covered. For example, were the Surfer to get: Dodge, Frenzy, Sidestep and then doubles, that doubles would likely be Juggernaut. But I think the above scheme is already complicated enough - and some of these paths are remote.]

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2018 9:34 pm
by Smeborg
STARTING ROSTER

4 x Blitzers
3 x Yeomen
4 x Peasants (Linos)
2 x Re-rolls
Apoth
TV:100

Quite neat. To buy: 1 x Yeoman, 2 x Peasants, for a provisional final roster of 14 players, 2 Re-rolls (+Leader), Apoth (TV:115 + upgrades).

I can always buy a 3rd Re-roll or a 15th player if I find it necessary (for now, I find a trim TV of 115 rather appealing).

I think it makes sense to start with all 4 Blitzers and the Apoth. Players costing 110,000 are hard to replace, once the campaign gets under way (famous last words). And I will face plentiful Orcs, I feel the need for 4 x Dauntless right away.

The cunning skill development plan set out in the above posts is notable for the skills that are left out. This alone suggests the team is a bit different, eh. I am very much looking forward to trying them out.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2018 7:04 am
by Smeborg
PRECEDENTS AND ANALOGIES (a posh way of asking: How will they play?)

My guides are:

- Reports by others (e.g. plasmoid)
- A rather brief playtest (vs. Chaos)
- A look at similar teams
- A look at similar player types

TEAMS WITH SOME SIMILARITIES

- ST3 Elven teams (DE/HE/PE)
- Amazons (all ST3/AG3)
- Teams that start with a lot of Block (Dwarfs/Norse/CDs)
- Teams that have 8 positional players and AG2 Linos (Necro, Undead)
- Humies without the Ogre and without Catchers (a perfectly viable roster)
[Edit: - Underworld and Khemri, who put AV7 players on the defensive LoS.]

I expect the Bret team to have a bit of each of the above. I expect the team to be quite good in long scrambles, and to not easily give up the fight (characteristics which I like).

PLAYER TYPES WITH SOME SIMILARITIES

- For the Blitzers, Humie/Skaven/Underworld Blitzers, naturally. But perhaps the closest analogy is Norse Runners (7337 Block, Dauntless GA-SP) - a player type that I rather like.

- For the Yeomen, the main analogies for me are Linefrogs (Wrestle + Guard on doubles) and Khorne Linos (ditto).

- For the Peasants (Linos), the following give clues: Norse Linos with Fend, 'Zon Linos with Wrestle + Fend, Hobgoblins (on an all-Hobgoblin team, which I have played twice in leagues), to a lesser extent Zombies and Skellies.

Quite good pointers.

MAIN UNIQUE POINTS OF BRETS

- Firstly, Wrestle and Fend on the starting roster (both unique).

- Secondly 4 x Dauntless (although Dwarfs and Norse each have 2).

- Thirdly, slightly odd (unusual) distribution of skill access (and skills, for that matter).

In my brief playtest, I found it initially quite hard to maximise Wrestle, Fend and Dauntless - I felt my players were often "out of position" with regard to these skills. Let's see if I can find a way to overcome this in practical play. A rather enjoyable challenge.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 5:12 pm
by Smeborg
PLAYTESTING AGAINST ORCS

We kick off our league in a couple of days with 3 games in a nice pub. There are worse ways to spend a Saturday.

I expect to face Orcs (at least 2 teams in a small league). So I did some light playtesting against them (1 full game and 2 half games). Rather tough, though I started to get the hang of Block/D-Less vs. Wrestle vs. Fend. The Brets held their own, except for the half game in the middle, when they were well and truly splatted (5 CAS and 1 KO). Starting with the Apoth seems worthwhile (except when he rolls a 6, lol).

I noticed that the occasional KO or CAS by the Brets was very valuable, so I am thinking of revising my skill strategy somewhat towards damage, namely:

- 1 x D-Player on the first Peasant to skill up normally
- M-Blow as preferred first doubles skill on the Blitzers
- Yeomen: undecided (let's see what the first games bring)

If I do not change the plan for the Yeomen, these are slight changes. I need also to see what sort of teams I will be facing (so far all I know is 2 x Orcs, 1 x Slann and 1 x Gobbo).

All the best.

[Another little playtest (full game) vs. Orcs saw the Brets crushed 2-0 in a double grind - not helped by a 2nd half Blitz! when the Brets started with 7 players. 10 KOs and 2 CAS, rather luckily no permanent damage (I can't expect to be so lucky in a league). No Orcs were harmed in the making of this production (although 3 were sent off for fouling). I will have to revise my playstyle, I am engaging too much - c. 1 in 3 halves are seeing the Brets walloped.]

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2018 6:51 pm
by Smeborg
MORE PLAYTESTING

Once more against the pesky Orcs (who may make up 1/2 to 1/3 of my opponents in the league!). This time I stood off (engaged less) and came away with a hard fought and somewhat wild draw (1-1). The main difficulty is having only 11 players, which means starting many drives with only 8 or 9 (this problem ought to disappear quickly as more players are purchased).

I am considering giving higher priority to Dodge on the Yeomen (for mobility and protection), i.e. above, rather than below, Guard.

I have also noticed that Martin's (plasmoid's) most successful Bret team has no Tackle, even at TV157. So I am wondering if I should ignore early Tackle (possibly allowing M-Blow as second normal skill on the Yeomen - although this still feels a bit "dirty" combined with Wrestle). Perhaps Guard + S-Firm would be supremely annoying.

I have time to see how the team plays before I take these plunges.

All the best.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2018 7:21 pm
by Smeborg
REVISED DEVELOPMENT PLAN

OK, since my brief (and lighthearted) playtesting is over, and has shown up some probable weaknesses in da cunning plan, here is its first revision. I am being more honest by putting TBD (to be decided) for normal skills where I am unsure, and will wait and see what happens in practice before deciding these skills. Ditto for second doubles skills. As before, normal skills are in bold. The league starts tomorrow.

PEASANTS
------------------
+ST
Guard
Wrestle* (Block if +ST or Guard already)
+AV
T-Skull
S-Step
TBD

* First Peasant to skill up (1 normal skill) will take D-Player. TBH I am not expecting Peasants to get beyond 1 skill-up, unless I create a lucky monster.

YEOMEN
--------------
+ST
+AG
Dodge
TBD (second doubles)
Guard
TBD

BLITZERS
----------------
+ST
+AG
M-Blow
TBD (second doubles)
+MA
Dodge
[Specialist}
Sidestep
[Specialist]


Specialised skill paths for the Blitzers are as yet unchanged, in order:

Dodge/Leader/S-Step/Tackle
Dodge/S-Hands/S-Step/K-Ret
Dodge/Frenzy/S-Step/Tackle
Dodge/Sprint/S-Step/S-Feet


The 4th Blitzer is the least likely to happen, firstly he would be overtaken by any Blitzer with +MA, and secondly I have time to see whether or not I need a One-Turn-Scorer.

This plan should be good for quite a few games. We are playing the new MVP rules (pick 3 players and decide randomly between them). I am expecting to give most, if not all, of the MVPs to Yeomen. Starting roster unchanged (4 Blitzers, 3 Yeomen, 4 Peasants, 2RR, Apoth).

Hope that's of interest.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 7:33 pm
by Smeborg
I AM EXHAUSTED!

After playing 3 league games in 1 day. Here are the gory details:

DRAW 1-1 against Gobbos (CAS: 2-4). Decently coached, 15 players (I was at a numbers disadvantage all game). Kicked, got lucky when a Troll double-skulled, I scored a turnover TD. Kicked again, got the ball back again, nearly scored (hand-off to Blitzer with Catch on turn 8 failed). 2nd half: received, got bombed, the pesky Gobbos recovered the ball and eventually scored. I then failed to score in 2 turns, after the Gobbos got a Blitz! Classic turn 16, either team could have scored. A tad unlucky. No skill-ups, bought a Lino.

LOSS 1-2 against Dark Elves (CAS: 1-1). Well coached, 11 players, including an AG5 Blitzer, a Block Witch Elf and a Journeyman Lino. I had just enough free inducement money to take a Merc Lino (but I was at a slight numbers disadvantage for most of the game). Received, moved very slowly upfield, scored on turn 6 (I missed an opportunity to stall for 1 more turn - a blunder). The DEs then scored in 3 turns. 2nd half: I was ground, essentially, unable to get at the ball (although I had 2 or 3 half-chances). I forced them to score on turn 6, but without Elven Agility, I could not get close to scoring in the remaining 3 turns. A very tough match-up, at -16 in aggregate AG, and -3 in AV (only Wrestle and Fend to compensate - the latter very handy against Frenzy). Without the blunder, a draw was perhaps possible (but hard to see how I could have got a win). First skill-up (Blitzer = Dodge). No purchases (10,000 in Treasury, lol).

WIN 2-1 against Orcs (CAS: 2-0, both Gobbos). Inexperienced, but skillful and dogged coach. His inexperience showed in the roster (Troll with Guard, 2 Black Orcs, 4 Blitzers, 2 Throwers, one with Dodge, 2 Gobbos). There would have been more than 11 players, but his roster had been dented along the way. With 11 men myself (a Blitzer missing the game), I took a Merc Lino as inducement (a blunder, I should have taken 2 Babes). The Orcs received and ground me, putting 6 players in the KO bin, and scoring on turn 7. I failed to score in 2, but got lucky when all my players came back for the 2nd half. For the first time in the season, I was well up on numbers (both Gobbos were CASd, my opponent's KO rolls were poor, so it was 11:8). I took advantage to score in 3 turns (I made a positional blunder which could have seen my ball-carrier surfed, but my inexperienced opponent failed to spot it). Then I kicked (long) and swarmed my opponent. He defended very well, my sack dice had poor "luck" (it took 4 attempts), but eventually I popped the ball loose on turn 15, scooting in for the win on the last turn. A satisfying win from behind. Second skill-up (Yeoman = Guard). Bought another Lino.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 7:54 pm
by Smeborg
SUMMARY AFTER 3 GAMES

1 Win/1Draw/1 Loss (very "average").

TDs: 5-5 (very "average").

CAS: 5-5 (very "average", also flattering - just 2 CAS garnered SPPs).

SPPs earned: 31 (4 x TDs, all to the same player, 2 x CAS, 3 x MVPs). Rather "quiet".

Blitzer: Dodge (12 SPPs)
Blitzer: - (2)
Blitzer: -
Blitzer: -
Yeoman: Guard (7)
Yeoman: - (5)
Yeoman: - (5)
6 x Linos: -

2 x RRs, Apoth, FF2 for a TV of 114 (quite trim for 13 players).

Fend has been great for holding the sidelines against Frenzy (whether at set-up or in open play). Also rather good against the likes of Trolls and (perhaps especially) the Fanatic (Ball & Chain).

Dauntless was great against ST4, poor against ST5 (failing most of the time).

A majority of knockdowns against the Blitzers were Pow!, making the case for Dodge as first skill. Also, most dodges by the Blitzers failed (ditto).

Wrestle was good, especially against ball-carriers with Block and no Dodge (but this I already knew, I am an experienced Wrestlemaniac).

At least half of ball pick-ups required a precious Team Re-roll. I feel the lack of Leader and Sure Hands.

The Apoth was worth his proverbial weight in gold. In the 1st game, he saved a Blitzer from -1AV, in the 2nd he saved another from -1AG.

13 players now, just the last Yeoman to buy before I pause to assess the roster (assuming it survives, of course). As I said before, I will consider a 3rd Re-roll and a 15th rostered player (it depends how things go). All the MVPs have been given to the 3 Yeomen so far, spreading nicely (1 to each).

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 8:35 pm
by Smeborg
DRIVE TRACKER

This is only the 2nd time I am doing this. The first was with Nurgle, when I started playing them. It was a great help in analysing what was happening, and what I needed to do in terms of improving both my practical play and the team development plan. By game:

K3=+1, K5=0//R6=-1, R2B=0

R5.5=+1, K2.5=-1//K5.5=-1, R2.5=0

K6.5=-1, R1.5=0//R2.5=+1, K5=+1 [.5]

[R means received, K means kicked, first number is turns played in that drive, .5 means only the scoring player moved in the last turn of the drive (allows quick reconciliation at the table), B means Blitz!, +1 means my team scored, -1 means the opposition scored, 0 means nobody scored, // is the half-time break. [.5] means, in this case, that 1 player turn was not played (by mutual agreement). Example: K3=+1 means my team kicked and scored on the third turn of the drive. Second example: R5.5=+1 means I received and scored on the sixth turn of the drive. It is very easy and quick to record this at the table.]

If we now look at the stats by received vs. kicked by drive length, we get:

R6=-1
R5.5=+1
R2.5=+1
R2.5=0
R2B=0
R1.5=0

K6.5=-1
K5.5=-1
K5=+1
K5=0
K3=+1
K2.5=-1

12 meaningful drives in 3 games is a low number (always 2 per half, very regular). Success rate on own receives is low (2 TDs, 3 shutouts and 1 turnover). Success rate when kicking is more encouraging (3 TDs conceded, 1 shoutout, 2 turnovers). No 8-turn drives (whether on O or D). 3/4 of short drives (when receiving) fail (longer drives are more successful). 2/3 of longer drives (when kicking) end up with a TD being conceded. Rather informative.