Elfball Tactics - A Downloadable Guide (WIP!!!)

Discuss tactics and how to best play Elfball

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Re: Elfball Tactics - A Downloadable Guide (WIP!!!)

Post by The Painted Goblin »

I was just going to copy & paste your contributions into the main sections, Spiky, but someone has already done it for me :D

I've got the momentum section pretty much finished, but wanted to ask a better mathematician about the use of dash to boost a challenge roll by an extra dice.
In my mind it's only ever worth it when your challenge is a 1 or 2 dicer, and you have a surplus of momentum to spend - what are other people's thoughts?

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Re: Elfball Tactics - A Downloadable Guide (WIP!!!)

Post by Spiky »

Hi Chris,

In the momentum section, I think it's worth mentioning the false sense of security that a lot of it can give you!

Momentum cannot be used to re-roll a natural flop, as it just helps increase the number of successes needed for a challenge.

It's also worth mentioning to factor in the risk of a flop when re-rolling blank dice - sometimes it's not worth re-rolling the blanks at all, if a flop on the re-roll will flop the challenge...

So if you're making a challenge on only 1 or 2 dice, momentum impacts the result a lot less than on 4 or 5 dice challenges

I'll try and make a start on player position summaries today

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Re: Elfball Tactics - A Downloadable Guide (WIP!!!)

Post by The Painted Goblin »

Sorted - also updated pdf to v1.1 and changed a couple of misleading sentences about short/long throws in section 1!

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Re: Elfball Tactics - A Downloadable Guide (WIP!!!)

Post by Spiky »

Hi,

Below is my first draft for section 4 - I've just outlined the basic player types and want to focus on their use on the pitch as well as strengths and weaknesses. A lot of this is my own opinion and experience about best use, but I'd really like as much feedback and discussion as possible to help flesh this out further! :D

Later on I'll start working on the specialist positions that I have familiarity with, but will need help with tactics for things like the Impcrusher, Horror and Black Widow as I have no real experience of these

SECTION 4: UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENT PLAYER TYPES

Standard Player Types

The majority of Elfball teams are composed of the same basic player types. This makes learning the player stats very easy, as you know that the Midfielder on your team has exactly the same stats as a Midfielder on your opponent’s team, irrespective of the opposing player’s race.

Midfielder

This is the default Elfball position and the true jack of all trades. Their stat line makes them easy to overlook as they have no great strengths or weaknesses. In tournament play they don’t seem to be used much, although this could be due to the mindset coming from other Fantasy Football games where the strategy is to fill out your positional players as much as possible first. As such, they’re more commonly seen on the bench and can make a good substitute player once the positional players are injured. They can also be a good player for manning the Face-Off circle due to their flexibility.

Safety

The Safety has a similar profile to the Midfielder but substitutes SKILL for increased JOG. This player is a good candidate for manning the defender’s circle because his speed allows him to intercept most players before they’re able to get into scoring range. Teams with multiple Safeties can also use them as forward players to quickly threaten the ball carrier and as shove specialists as they get 4 shoves per turn.

Hunter

The Hunter is the attrition specialist, mainly because of their increased speed compared to the Defender which allows them to control more pitch area, and enables them to hit first against slower players. This player is also useful to tie up opponents as you need more successes to dodge away from them. If used for this purpose, always try to put facing on an opponent from their rear hexes, as having the opponent facing your player makes him very vulnerable to tackles.

Striker

These players are very mobile and fare best in open play, as they are difficult to take down without assistance. Their high SKILL attribite makes them capable ball handlers, and they also make good shove specialists due to their speed and mobility. Strikers are very effective when used as forward players, and even a 2 dice tackle on a ball carrier has a good chance of downing them. Be mindful of the low GRIT – if your opponent manages to injure them they’re likely to be out for the game. The same is true in crowed sections of the pitch where an opponent can get some assists to make a tackle. The Stiker can be a good choice of player for the face-off.

Thrower

At first glance, the thrower has a weaker stat line, as he has less MIGHT and DODGE than a Striker. The player is best used in your own half of the pitch, either to receive a back pass if you win the face-off before then firing the ball upfield in a later turn, or as a defensive player. He can be easily overlooked as a threat by your opponent, but his TACKLE 3 is still pretty reasonable, and the probability of making a 1 success Impact challenge against a MIGHT 3 opponent is 64%. The thrower is also a reasonable candidate to occupy the defender circle which can leave your opponent guessing which way your play is going if you win posession.

Defender

The Defender’s stats look impressive. The high MIGHT helps them generate momentum quickly with shoves before hitting with a crippling Tackle and they are rightly feared. These players can control a pitch area to keep opponents away, allowing your ball carrier room to move, especially when facing other Defenders and Monsters. The Defender is also surprisingly fragile due to their low DODGE attribute. They are particularly vulnerable if tackled from the rear. Because of both their use and fragility they are the players that need to be positioned with most care. Defenders can also be used to target higher MIGHT players as they get to roll 4 challenge dice in Impact challenges. The Defender might not be the best player to man the defender’s circle on setup due to their low speed, also the may not be best used in the face-off circle due to their low SKILL.

Other Player Types


Monsters

This is a general section dealing with Monsters, which are have MIGHT 5 or 6 and generally have high GRIT and high TACKLE attributes. Their stats vary slightly, so some will also need specific discussion. The use of these players is generally similar to the Defender, although Monsters are a lot harder for your opponent to deal with as the Impact challenge is much harder to reliably beat.
Monsters are not allowed to be placed in the Face-off circle and due to their low JOG are not ideal to man the defender’s circle either, as this can easily lave them out of the action. The Monster is ideal for pitch control and if deployed on one flank can effectively encourage your opponent to divert his play down the other. Monsters are also great attrition players, as shoving opponents with 5 or 6 dice can build heaps of momentum with minimal risk. You also need to be aware of the range of prone Monsters, as many of them can stand up for free due to the high GRIT. Never leave your Monster unsupported out of range of the rest of your team, as they can be an easy target if your opponent gangs up on them. While they generally have low SKILL, they still will automatically catch a successful pass, and can present a big problem for the opponent to deal with as a ball carrier. Bear in mind that once they have the ball, it’s difficult for them to get rid of it again!

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Re: Elfball Tactics - A Downloadable Guide (WIP!!!)

Post by The Painted Goblin »

Looks good Spiky,

Can I suggest putting the stat line of each player type under their name too?
It saves anyone unfamiliar with the game hunting the info down :D

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Re: Elfball Tactics - A Downloadable Guide (WIP!!!)

Post by Spiky »

I have this in the document, but couldn't work out how to add it to the post on the forum :D

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Re: Elfball Tactics - A Downloadable Guide (WIP!!!)

Post by Spiky »

Dear All,

This guide is now being constructed over at http://elfball.wikispaces.com/

Direct link to the guide itself is http://elfball.wikispaces.com/Elfball+Tactics+Guide

Feel free to get an account and edit the guide there! Otherwise continue posting in this thread and we'll add the updates to the Wiki

Cheers,
Spiky

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Re: Elfball Tactics - A Downloadable Guide (WIP!!!)

Post by The Painted Goblin »

Most sections of the guide have now been updated with lots of information (mainly thanks to Spiky and Sann0638).

Good stuff:-
http://elfball.wikispaces.com/Elfball+Tactics+Guide

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Re: Elfball Tactics - A Downloadable Guide (WIP!!!)

Post by Spiky »

I'm particularly happy with the devious tactic I added today - I present:

5) The 'Cristiano Ronaldo'
Sometimes, being stood can have very bad consequences for your player, for example if you've just run up to the front facing of a Deadwood and failed the Impact Challenge. In such circumstances, jumping onto the floor might not be a bad idea! Players cannot be Tackled while prone, although watch out for the Impcrusher, or Hobimps or the Widowmaker with the Cheapshot ability.
This is advantageous particularly to high grit players who could effectively stand up for little cost in subsequent turns. A disengage attempt against a high TACKLE opponent is the best way to engineer this, especially if you have low DODGE. Otherwise, you could attempt a Dash challenge on 1 or 2 dice. Momentum will also allow you to re-roll successes if needed. The downside of this tactic is that flopping a Disengage or a Dash challenge results in your player being dazed - but at least he's not in the infirmary, right?

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Re: Elfball Tactics - A Downloadable Guide (WIP!!!)

Post by bouncergriim »

That is some really good stuff on the tactics site, I hadn't thought about the game in many of these ways before. I am really looking forward to my next games now!

Also thinking of going down/dazed...

I always wanted to try the bribed ref and have a player go down in the goal hex and leave him there to stop possible scoring as long as he doesn't get thrown out.

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Re: Elfball Tactics - A Downloadable Guide (WIP!!!)

Post by Spiky »

bouncergriim wrote: I always wanted to try the bribed ref and have a player go down in the goal hex and leave him there to stop possible scoring as long as he doesn't get thrown out.
Ouch - if you can engineer it, that's just EVIL :D Mind if I add this to the ref section of the Wiki?

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Re: Elfball Tactics - A Downloadable Guide (WIP!!!)

Post by bouncergriim »

Go right ahead. All it takes is a failed dash, pretty easy to engineer in my past experience.

It could be a great use of a disposable imp by the Night Elves. "Hey you, go sit over there and don't touch the ball or get up or we will blast you out of existance..."

Very funny visual in my head to go with this, a cyclops being confused as to why he can't score because this little guy is hugging the grass not letting him in the goal circle and the ref twirlling his whistle and intentionally looking somewhere else.

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Re: Elfball Tactics - A Downloadable Guide (WIP!!!)

Post by The Painted Goblin »

That's really devious - I love it!

Spiky - I'm just pointing out something in section 8 about bribing the ref - if you ever roll a flop, the rules state that the player is ejected from the game and you also can't break that particular rule for the rest of the game, as the ref now alerted.
Your write up on the bribed ref suggests you can keep breaking the rule indefinitely.

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Re: Elfball Tactics - A Downloadable Guide (WIP!!!)

Post by sann0638 »

bouncergriim wrote:I always wanted to try the bribed ref and have a player go down in the goal hex and leave him there to stop possible scoring as long as he doesn't get thrown out.
Yikes. That may just be a game breaker!

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Re: Elfball Tactics - A Downloadable Guide (WIP!!!)

Post by bouncergriim »

Are there any rules against shoving a downed/dazed player explicitly?

I doubled checked there is a rule against this shoves only allowed by standing against standing.

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