Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

[Smeborg]

6TH MATCH vs. ORCS: LOSS 0-1 (CAS: 0-3)

Nuffle giveth and Nuffle taketh away. My opponent last night is not particularly experienced, but had a decent roster:

Troll
4 x Black Orcs (1 with Guard)
4 x Blitzers (2 with Tackle - nasty for me)
1 x Thrower
2 x Lineorcs
3 x RRs
Apoth (plus a 2nd Apoth as inducement, a bit paranoid, that)

I won the kick, my opponent put the Troll and 4 Black Orcs on the LoS. I accepted the challenge, deploying my 2 Guarders and the Knights with M-Blow on the line. I knocked all the opposing players down, plus an Orc Blitzer with my Blitz (6 Orcs down in all), giving me plenty of room for turn 2. Then the fun started.

In the first 4 turns, I allowed my opponent 10 blocks. However, these were: 2 pushes, 2 Stuns, 4 KOs and 2 CAS (one of them a dead Yeoman, Apothed to reserves). In return, I did not get a single armour break in say 15 knockdowns (indeed, I only got 1 armour break in the match, a Stun).

Notwithstanding the above, I was poised for a probable score. By my turn 3, I had created a corridor down a wing, stranding most of the Orc players out of range on the other side of the pitch. All I needed to do was make a 3+ dodge (away from a Tackler, but with a Team Re-roll in hand). It failed, coughing up the ball to my opponent, who scored on his turn 4 (I had a good sack attempt on the way, but it failed).

Only 1 KOd player returned to the fray, leaving me with 10 players for the second drive (6 of them Peasants). A riot saw the drive length extended to 5 turns. I made a gallant attempt to score (down the same wing), it failed as I got squeezed, dodges failed, and my numbers declined further. The Tackle Blitzers were instrumental in bringing down and marking my ball-carrier. The drive was not without hope, though, even on turn 8 I had an improbable half chance to score (it failed). Half-time score: 0-1 and kicking.

A brave Peasant returned to the fray, giving me 11 players for the 2nd half (which is all I ask, frankly). However, 6 of these players were Peasants (both Guard Yeomen and a Knight with M-Blow being in the dugout). I suffered further losses (down to 9 players on the pitch), but responded by surfing 2 Orc Blitzers to restore parity of numbers (9 vs. 9). Fend was very important in these surfing operations. But a failed dodge saw another of my Knights CASd. Pressuring the ball from the start, I managed to sack the Orc Thrower multiple times in mid-field (with a Knight marauding around a fringe). Eventually (my turn 14) I managed to pick up the ball (thanks to the Troll going Stupid, which he did quite a few times in the match). Having surfed 1 of the Orc Blitzers with Tackle, and knocked down the other to put him out of range, my ball-carrying blodge Knight (no. 4 of course, he has all the TDs) made a break for the green fields beyond. He succeeded, but was immediately sacked. With parity of numbers near the ball, I had half-chances to score on turns 15 and 16. The first of these was decent, the second a long shot (requiring favourable ball scatter). Both failed.

No SPPs earned for the match (taking the total SPPs per match to below 11, including MVPs - very low). The MVP fell to a rookie Yeoman with no prior SPPs (not a bad outcome). I felt lucky to survive with no damage to players (3 CAS, of which 2 BH and 1 kill Apothed to BH). That I felt I had been "Nuffled" probably indicates I could and should have played better. I could have gone for a 2-turn score at the beginning, but I did not fancy facing 15 turns of grind by Orcs (in fact they did relatively little damage on their drive). Once again, the Brets seem better on defense.

The Peasants did well - perhaps I am getting to know them better. Guard was great, but I had to play most of the match without any (suggesting I need all 4 Yeomen to get Guard ASAP). M-Blow failed completely yet again (to be fair, both Knights with M-Blow betook themselves to the dugout for tea and scones with Mummy). 2 x Dodge was often negated by 2 x Tackle. Another entertaining and wild game (any result possible). Not necessarily a good advertisement for my "bash theory". But I was impressed at the sheer quantum of blocks and knockdowns generated by the Brets.

[Smeborg]

I know some people find blitzers a touch overpriced, but really - who else is going to win the game?
I’m fond of starting with 4 blitzers, 2 Yeomen, 7 linemen, 2 rerolls
Cheers
Martin

Hi Martin -

Yes, that is probably a good starting roster for immediate results.

All the best.

[Smeborg]

I moved my last Match Report from the other thread, where I had put it by mistake.

I play another Orc team tomorrow night. A suggestion has been made that I consider kicking if I win the kick-off. I shall certainly consider doing so.

[Smeborg]

GAME 7 vs. ORCS: 3-0 WIN (CAS:2-1)

A win on numbers vs. Orcs (yay!). The same opponent as in game 3, the least experienced coach in our little league, but sporting, we are blessed. Still a 12 "man" roster, 2 Gobbos, otherwise nearing completion (1 Black Orc short, still no Apoth). With 140,000 in inducements, he took Horatio (new "Wizard") and a Babe (my advice was to take an Apoth, or a Saw, or a Merc). Horatio missed the target the only time he was used (my opponent forgot him in the 2nd half - so did I, otherwise I would have reminded him).

Skills that I remember: Guard on the Troll and 2 Blitzers, Block on 1 Black Orc, a potentially nasty Thrower with Blodge.

On the other thread, El_Jairo suggested I kick instead of receiving (because Brets are clearly stronger on defence). Accordingly, for the 1st time in this league I won the kick-off and chose to kick (I do this so rarely I can't remember when it last happened, if ever). It seemed to work well, the kick went deep (to the End Zone), sadly caught by a Thrower following a High Kick. The Peasants on the line survived (1 Stun IIRC), my 1st turn was a fizzer as a Yeoman failed a go-for-it before I could assault a cage corner. But my 2nd turn went much better, a CAS (BH) on a Black Orc thanks to M-Blow (10,9), followed by the first assault on the cage. A foul by a Gobbo saw him sent off. A long scramble ensued. First sack attempt failed, I then sacked the Blodge ball-carrier (1-die Blitz by a Yeoman IIRC) and his successor (the other Thrower - a rookie, Blitzed by a Knight for a push, then knocked down by a Peasant on a 2-die block with Guard assist). A bit like a chess puzzle clearing the way to get at the ball-carriers. Finally I got away with the ball, stalled for I think a turn, before scoring on turn 8. I had had some 3 players KOd, 1 came back. 1-0.

2nd half - a tough proposition without Sure Hands, as I dropped the ball once or twice. Finally I picked it up on on the 3rd turn of offense, handed it off and scored. 2-0.

Last drive (kicking): a Guard Yeoman having been sadly crippled (Dead Apoth'd to Niggle), I straight away felt his lack (only 2 Guards on the starting roster at the moment). I was up on numbers now, compounded by another Gobbo being sent off. Accordingly, I bullied my opponent, getting a lot of knockdowns, and forcing him to make a play for the green fields beyond. A late GFI failed, spilling the ball. Several turns of scramble in the corner (my end) ensued, numbers told, and eventually I picked up the ball on the penultimate turn, and handed it off on turn 16 for a 3rd TD. Woohoo!

Interestingly, as ever, it seemed that the offensive TD was more difficult to pull off than the defensive (turnover) TDs. Had my opponent had a full team at that point, things may have turned out differently. Closer than it might look (especially if my opponent had been more experienced, and had not had his Gobbos sent off).

This is the 1st game (of 7) that I have been able to choose who got the TDs (!). Also, 2 Hand-Offs succeeded in the game (only 1 succeeded in the previous 6 games!).

Numbers told - although my opponent got IIRC 4 KOs to go with his CAS, and I got "only" 2 CAS and a KO, my blows went in first, so I generally had the numbers advantage. M-Blow worked twice for me IIRC (possibly thrice), but had an appreciable impact on the game. This team throws down a lot of blocks, so they enjoy being bullies when up on numbers. I got something like 1 Armour break per turn (rather better than the last match against Orcs, which saw 1 Armour break in the match, similar number of knockdowns).

The Peasants were quite assertive in this game, either I am getting better with them, or I was just forced to use them more (for blocking, blitzing, marking). They were also "lucky" to survive (quite a few Stuns and a few KOs). The Yeomen seem desperately quiet players, but make a rather important contribution with their Guard and Wrestle. The Guard Yeomen are popular targets, and cannot escape the scrum. More of them needed!

[Smeborg]

ROSTER AFTER 7 GAMES

Knight: M-Blow (8 SPPs)
Knight: M-Blow (11)
Knight: Dodge (9)
Knight: Dodge, M-Blow (26)
Yeoman: Guard (10)
Yeoman: - (5)
Yeoman: Guard, Niggle, MNG (9)
Yeoman: Guard (10)
6 rookie Peasants: - (0)
2 x RR, 5 FF, 1AC, 1 CL, Apoth, TV 132 (because of the MNG)

So, Mighty Blow it is, then (4,4 on Knight no. 1). And Guard on Yeoman no. 8. 3 players now within 5 SPPs of their next skill-up (always good for MVP distribution). The rate at which the team skills up is quite sedate (no Pass Completions or Intercepts, rarely an abundance of CAS or TDs).

Earned SPPs: Knights 49, Yeomen 4, Peasants 0. This is the most extreme distribution I have ever seen on any team. Quite remarkable (and I have to say, quite "fluffy"). I will hold a party when the first Peasant skills up (I doubt I will take D-Player, I have made only a small handful of fouls to-date).

The Yeomen are seriously hard to skill up. There are now 4 contenders (!) in my head for their 2nd normal skill: M-Blow, Tackle, S-Firm and Grab (!). Grab arises because the Yeomen often take key blocks in the scrum to expose the ball-carrier.

I am starting to feel the lack of S-Hands and Leader. I think I will solve this by giving S-Hands to the Dodge Knight (assuming he both gets to 16 SPPs and does not roll a double, lol), and by buying a 3rd Team Re-roll (the Knights with M-Blow will have better things to do than take Leader). My instinct is to sack the Niggled Yeoman, poor chap (I am rather allergic to carrying cripples on team rosters). However, I need to save for the RR, so will wait before making that decision. And he has Guard, a most precious skill on a ST3 team.

Let us see how my "Light Bash" version of Brets fares. The nearest comparison I can think of is Norse (without Frenzy). Brets lay down a lot of blocks, right up there with Norse. They are clearly better on defence, and like a good scramble (wild boards and/or spilt balls). A recognisable style of play in rugby (union).

Let's see if I can get to my earlier suggestion of: 4 x Dodge, 4 x Guard, 4 x M-Blow. One can only dream...

[Smeborg]

THE "BRETONNIAN STYLE"

- "Light Bash"

- Poachers.

- Most similar team: old Norse.

- Weak on offense, strong on defense.

- Love scrambles.

- Very sensitive to numbers.

- Struggle to control drive length.

- Good for prime time CabalVision (matches often decided on turn 8 or 16).

- Knights hog the glory and the SPPs.

[Smeborg]

PERVERSE POSITIONALS

Brets strike me as a team where all the positional players (Knights and Yeomen) want at least one doubles skill each.

The Knights want M-Blow (for normal Blitzer reasons), the Yeomen want Dodge (for both protection and mobility).

All adding to the cost of the team. With 3 doubles, and the resultant need to buy a 3rd Team Re-roll (in lieu of Leader), I suspect the TV of my team will soon be quite high (10 higher than envisaged when setting out).

[plasmoid]

I feel quite differently about them in that regard. I don't really feel like I need any doubles.
For hitting power, Wrestle + Mighty Blow isn't bad - even if it is "awkward"
And while it would be nice to have Mighty Blow on whichever blitzer blitzes the most, there are so many useful normals for the blitzers to take, that I'm not completely sure that MB is worth it.
Cheers
Martin

[Smeborg]

Hi Martin -

I confess to having some sympathy for your view. Sometimes, with almost any team, I wonder if I should simply ignore all doubles (and stat increases) and just take normal skills. Much simpler, and a lower TV to boot.

However, I instinctively prefer in leagues to take doubles skills when on offer. At least it is more fluffy and entertaining for all coaches. For me, this means M-Blow on the Knights. Time will tell whether this is appropriate in my Orc-heavy league.

But leaving aside the Knights, don't you think that Dodge would be rather nice on the Yeomen?

[plasmoid]

Yes, I like Dodge on the Yeomen. With the downfall of Brets often being getting players removed, I think blodge and wrodge are always worth it.

I just meant to say that I don't think that the positionals need doubles.
I think they can do very well without them.
In fact, 11-1-0 Brets got no stats and no doubles.

...but I too like taking them.
I might consider Mighty Blow on a Blitzer. But I'd probably go with guard on the rest.
Cheers
Martin

[Smeborg]

Well, I am just following the same logic in the other direction, i.e. the removal of players on the other team. I don't know whether my development plan will work. 3 out of 8 (?) opponents are Orcs (the others are Gobbos, DEs, PEs, Slann, Undead). That's 6 out of 8 teams that have at least 1 x M-Blow on the starting roster (and multiple players with ST access on a normal roll). Whether fighting fire with fire is a good idea, only time will tell. M-Blow would seem to be a decent answer to the Elven teams, too (not sure what other answers a Bret team has, given the AG gulf).

I usually find at least 2 Knights roaming the open spaces, thus I am less sure of Guard on them (I might well take it as a second doubles, though).

Another reason for taking M-Blow is in an effort to make the players "self-skilling". The rate of SPP acquisition by the Bret team is quite low - I feel it needs a boost.

I find I often use the Apoth on the Yeomen (they are usually in the scrum, and those with Guard are prime targets - before the team had any Guard, the Knights were the targets). The first cripple on the roster is a Yeoman - not a surprise. They get KOd quite a bit, too. So I would definitely take Dodge on them if on offer.

I think most teams don't "need" doubles skills. However, I would make an exception for teams lacking either G or ST access. For example, I think the 4 Elven teams badly need Guard. With 2 Guards, they start to perform, with 4 they really start to motor.

[Smeborg]

I had a Chaos Dwarf team once (way back when, 3rd Ed.) which had 23 normal skill improvement rolls before getting any doubles or stat increases. [Very long odds.] They did just fine. Sometimes I think teams do better if they refuse any but normal skills. It leads to great TV efficiency and great planning coherence.

But I can't resist taking doubles and stat increases in a league. Too much fluff and fun for everybody.

[Smeborg]

Can't resist adding that taking M-Blow and going for casualties is a default strategy for teams (e.g. Orcs, Dwarfs) that often have no other obvious way to win games. I put Brets in the same category at the moment (even Chaos would be more versatile in their ways of winning).

[plasmoid]

Hi Smeborg,

I usually find at least 2 Knights roaming the open spaces, thus I am less sure of Guard on them (I might well take it as a second doubles, though). Another reason for taking M-Blow is in an effort to make the players "self-skilling". The rate of SPP acquisition by the Bret team is quite low - I feel it needs a boost.

I get that.
On the other hand, Guard combos so very well with Blodge+SideStep.
And you can't have too much Guard (but you can have too much Mighty Blow).
Different strokes I guess
Cheers
Martin

[Smeborg]

Yes, Martin, I thought long and hard about whether to take Guard or M-Blow as first doubles choice on the Knights. I don't know if M-Blow is the "correct" choice. Guard is what I would take on any AG team (e.g. Elves of any kind). But Brets do not strike me as an AG team.

The team seems to be a long way from Sidestep. 2 Knights with Dodge + M-Blow badly need Tackle. The 3rd Knight with M-Blow needs Dodge. The remaining Knight with Dodge will take S-Hands (unless he too gets a double, lol). I cannot claim the development path of my Knights is "normal" or "typical" for Brets.

In leagues I like to follow doubles and stat increases (within reason) to see where they lead (which can be to strange and unexpected places).

If I get 4 Knights with M-Blow, I will consider other development paths for the Yeomen (e.g. Guard, Fend).