NAF Tournament in Ann Arbor, MI. Nov 23, 24 2002

[Khankill]

The Janissaries and Archons were both human teams. D.O.A. was a Dwarf team.

[Anthony_TBBF]

Underworld Cup Review!
Reported by Anthony Watts

The TBBF boys met Friday afternoon to begin the trek to Ann Arbor Michigan, a mere 5 hour drive away. We met up with Brian (THLapin), and soon after Dave (DaScum) and company and started our journey. Fuelled by coffee, orange peels, donut holes and excitement we arrived in Michigan slightly ahead of schedule and booked into the hotel. We quickly found Tom (GalakStarscraper) and met John (neoliminal) for a night out at Ann Arbor's finest drinking establishment. After a few hours of that and a couple of rounds of Axis and Allies at the hotel, we turned in for the night to prepare for the next day's events.

The tournament took place at the Michigan Union building, part of the University of Michigan campus. Now I know why the tuition is so expensive there, the building was absolutely gorgeous. After following Ian and determinig he had no idea where he was, we eventually found the registration area and got set up for the day. We made our way into the room and mingled with the fine lads from John's league and a couple others from out of town. The excitment was building! I was itching to find out who I was playing and finally it was announced: I was to play Tom! Excellent!

ROUND 1: Svenska Stormhammers vs. The Chaos Wasters (Chaos)
I was glad I would be playing someone I knew would give me a good game, I had only played a PBeM game against Tom once (a very lopsided Pub Team game where he was horribly outnumbered). I was especially excited to see his team, one of the cool Studio painted teams in his collection: The Chaos Wasters. They are extremely cool and it was a joy to see them on the pitch playing BB like they were meant to! Unfortunately for Tom, the game started badly for him and went downhill fast from there. I opened the game with a Blitz and made things very difficult for the Wasters. On top of that, my new NAF blocking dice seemed to be posessed by demons becuas I was knocking his boys over like crazy and injuring them too. Tom's pathetic dice rolling produced maybe 2 POWs the whole game... and rolling for AV was no better. The painful ordeal finally ended with a 3-0 Norse win and max points for me.

ROUND 2: Svenska Stormhammers vs. The Crushers (Dwarf)
Oh no... Dwarfs! If it is one team that can take a beating from Norse it is the Dwarfs. Luckily I had managed to draw an AG upgrade for this round and I gave it to my Thrower, so at least I was fairly certain I could move the ball around well. The opposition was coached by Paul, a player in John's league. The game started with my new AG4 Thrower failing 3 pickups in a row. Luckily for me the Dwarfs were too slow to get anywhere near the ball so I proceeded to take my time. My demon dice were on fire again as I proceeded to push the stunties around like short fat hairy dolls. Outnumbered and unable to keep up with the Norse, the game ended 3-1 for the 'hammers with max points again! I ended the day in first place with 140 points and was feeling damn fine about it!

Then day two came along...

ROUND 3: Svenska Stormhammers vs. Pitzburg Squeakers (Skaven)
Oh great, the Squeakers. Kolja and I seem to always have the most intense and close games... This was no exception! This was probably one of the best games we have ever played, but thanks to some good rolls the rats soon outnumberd the Norse despite my best attempts at carnage with my new Piling On Blitzer. The carnage ran deep on both sides but I couldn't keep up to those damn Gutter Runners in the end. The result was 2-1 for the Rats. A close game meant OK points and I could still pull out a big win next round and have a shot with some luck...

ROUND 4: Svenska Stormhammers vs. Da Rite Nancy Boyz (Orcs)
Ugh! High AV Orcs coached by John! 4 BOBs, 4 Blitzers was not what I had in mind for a big win. This game quickly became very one sided as AV7 failed horiibly, and my 2 Piling On Blitzers just couldn't keep up. a failed GFI on a scoring run sealed my fate and the game ended up 2-0 for the Orcs. I was so drained at this point I just wanted to curl up under the table and die

I still managed to finish 5th which I was quite please with! Some help with painting and sportsmaship points kept me clear of the other 2 and 2 teams and I was close to completing my goal of a top 3 finish. Next time for sure!! The TBBF boys did really well and I was proud to see that we claimed most of the top spots!

Big thanks to John for hosting this awesmoe tournament. He did a GREAT job and I will definitely be back next year! I highly recommend that anyone in the US make a point of coming next year, it should be even better than this one.

[Darkson]

Maybe Galak should of taken his Halflings.

[Grumbledook]

Did he not say they weren't all painted up?

[Kolja_TBBF]

Enough lurking!
Here's a quick synopsis:

I had a great time in Ann Arbor, John ran a great tourney!

Game 1 - Greg M., Woodelves- Ahhh, perfect opponents for skaven! Greg was a very polite and, ummm, EXTREMELY careful player. I had lots of fun and won after a few hours (we used the timer in the second half - John insisted).

Game 2 - Lou, Woodelves- Sweet! Woodelves again! Skaven are as fast, almost as agile and a lot harder hitting (I had a storm vermin and a rat ogre!).

Game 3 - Anthony, Norse - you can read his report about this game. Really close. I thought I was gonna lose for most of the game but wild skaven luck pulled it out for me. In the end, I managed to lay down a ton of beats on the norse and took quite a few guys off the pitch into the KO box. Anthony's piling-on norse blitzer almost did it for him. There were times when the dodge rolls were so scary that I didn't want to actually roll the dice!! Whew, exhausting game.

Game 4 - Cam (Yikes!!), Skaven. Identical rosters but I had a 'claw' storm vermin, 'block' ratogre and 'dirty player' linerat while Cam had 'piling-on' stormvermin, 'block' ratogre and a 'claw' linerat. I managed to pull ahead but was getting beat down a bit. In the end, I had to decide whether I wanted to stall for the last 4 or so turns or try to score (even though I was outnumbered). Knowing Cam's prowess I decided that there was no way I could hold on to the ball for more than 2 turns so I figured I should try to put the game away with another TD. A bunch of wild dodges did it and the game was over. Neither Cam nor I managed to make any use out of our 3rd skill guys (my dirty player and his claw linerat).

I had lots of trouble ranking my opponents for sportsmanship - they were all excellent! (BTW, I got 24 sportsmanship points, not 18...).

Painting points were easier to allocate since I played Anthony's norse but didn't play Tom's chaos. Damn, those two teams looked good!

To think I almost didn't go! The weekend was a blast.

Thanks to John and Ucon for the great tourney.

Kolja

[Khankill]

I took humans because they were the only team I had fully painted. Granted, not my finest work but they would have to do for this tourney. After arriving at the U of Michigan Union and finding my way to the registration area in the gorgeous building, I ran into Ethan. He asked for directions to the Blood Bowl area so I tagged along and entered the University Club. This room was spacious and well lit. Originally Neo was going to wait till the end of the tourney to hand out the black block dice to the N.A.F. members. He did change his mind however, at the sight of many reaching for chainsaws and poison daggers. With my new block dice in hand it was time for round one.

Ian and his humans (Jannisaries): Humans vs. Humans, believe it or not this is the first time I had played against a human team. Then I find out it is the first time Ian had played humans. There were many differences between the two teams. I had 13 players on the roster 2 of each skill position and 7 lineman. Ian had 4 blitzers, an ogre; a single passer and if memory serves 2 catchers on his roster. This was the kind of match-up I had expected when I made my roster. If I could keep casualties close I could gain numerical superiority for the second half. Unfortunately that is not exactly what happened. This game was a nail-biter right down to the end. The ogre made sure that I never gained the numerical edge that I was hoping for. The game ended with Ian gaining a last second TD for the 4-3 win. With the casualties totaling 5-3 in favor of Ian again.

After that game I was glad to have time for lunch. I had a roll of 3 for my skill advance so I chose to give Guard to a Blitzer.

Round 2

Ethan and his Dwarfs (D.O.A): I kicked to the Dwarfs. Ethan had lost his opening game, and neither one of us was keen on ending the day winless. In proper Dwarf fashion D.O.A. marched down the field in a cage 6 turns off the board and a 1-0 dwarf lead. He had to kick to me with 3 turns left for me to score. All I had to do was punch a hole and flood the backfield with receivers; that is exactly what I did for the 3 turn score and a 1-1 tie at the half with the ball starting in my hands for the second half; if
I could do it again I knew I would have the edge. The biggest surprise was no casualties against! No casualties for either, but against Dwarfs that was expected. I then managed an almost exact carbon copy of my first score this still left plenty of time for Ethan to get the ball and drive down the field. I however manage to wrestle the ball away and put the score up to 3-0. With only one turn remaining for D.O.A. to cause a casualty and gain 10 bonus points. After knocking down all 3 lineman on the LoS still no casualty. Finally, in came the boot to earn him the 1 and only casualty in the game.

Finishing with a win, I still had a chance at a good finish. It would however require me to win out. The quality of the coaches in the room guaranteed that would not be easy.

Round 3

Lou and his Wood elves (Tanglewood Wildbunch): Lou obviously knew that I love nothing more than kicking the crap out of wood elves. He never showed up to play me. With tears in my eyes I looked on as the other games were played to completion.

Round 4

Paul and his Dwarfs (The Crushers): Taking a Quick glance at Paul tournament sheet assured me of one thing this was not going to be easy. Paul had two 70-point victories that is a win with max bonus! The details of this game are a little fuzzy as Paul proceeded to get his third 70-point win of the tourney with a final score of 3-0 and casualties of 5-0 I was annihilated.

Everyone was great not a bad sport in the bunch. Ian had nearly a perfect sportsmanship score. That didn’t surprise me, as that game was an absolute great game that put me in the mood for more.

[Twist]

Hey all! Just recovering after 2 long days of work right after the trip to Ann Arbour. Here's my perspective on how things went:

Game #1: Foul Peak Cripplers vs. D.O.A (Dwarves-Ethan)

After managing to win the kick off, I playing the typical ratty game, and scored as quickly as possible, as I was expecting the stunties to beat me to a pulp. Well, I scored quick, but neither of us could get a casualty in the first half! What gives? I was tempted to fire the Rat Ogre. I then kicked to Ethan, who had great ball handling ability, and was able to create a good cage, but I circled him in well, and the cage didn't move. I ended up winning 2-0, but he scored 2 cas in the 2nd, which got him some points.

Game #2: FPC vs. the Janissaries (Humans-Ian)

My Rat Ogre and Co. finally got it in gear for this one, and I filled the humies cas and ko box, and hemmed in the rest. I scored 3 times, but with some amazing luck/skill, Ian pulled off a great play and scored late in the 2nd to make the final 3-1, and the final cas 3-2 for me.

Overall, this was a very gentlemanly game, and quite enjoyable as well. Ian's Ogre failed at least 60% of its bonehead rolls, and we both played very honestly. If I recall correctly, here are some quotes: "Aren't you going to try to kick me out?" (after a foul roll). "Don't forget to roll my armour pen!" (I believe the player was subsequently injured... LOL!)

Game #3 FPC vs. Da Rite Nancy Boys (Orcs-John Lewis, aka Neo)

Hmmm... Never played him before, so I didn't know what to expect! Those Black Orcs were a little menacing at first, until I decided to stay away from them. John and I played a great game, once again, I took an early lead 2-0, thanks to my Rat Ogre SIing his thrower and a blitzer (I think it was a blitzer?). I guess John thought he needed to even up the odds later in the game, and fouled. And then I rolled a SIX and kicked the dirty @$$ outta the game! LOL! John continued the grinding greenskin game thru the 2nd half sending many rodents to the infirmary, and scored to make it 2-1. It was getting late in the 2nd, and John was looking for a good blitz for an onside kick against me, but instead he rolls a pitch invasion! The rat fans stormed the field, injuring 6 orcs, 5 of which left the field!!! At this point, John was left with 3 Black Orcs on the pitch. Not the nailbiter ending I envisioned, but what can you do? Orc boy rolled it himself! LOL! Final score: FPC 3, DRNB 1, (cas 4-4)

Game #4 FPC vs. the Squeakers (Skaven-Kolja)

Ok by this time the 5 hrs a night of sleep was getting to me. I play Kolja often, and its always veeeeerrrry stressfull, tense, and an end to end nailbiter! Not a good combo, and I'm sure he was in the same state by that point!

I won the toss, received, then did something very stupid with my Rat Ogre. Ok, I blitzed a guy off the pitch. Not bad. But then, due to having to follow up next to the sideline, I get distracted and go for the ball with a thrower, which I usually then throw/handoff to a gutter. I couldn't pick up the ball, TURNOVER! And my RO is undefended on the sidelines. Sooooo, doing exactly what I would do in this situation, Kolja stuns my RO (thank goodness!) into the crowd, and takes the ball and scores! I made some bonehead mistakes which Kolja jumped on in the first half, and couldn't roll dice to save my life!

The second half was a little better, I could score, as well as hit, but by the end of the 1st I was 2 TDs down. I had it down to a 1 TD lead temporarily, but Kolja played a lot more flawless game than I did. Congrats go out to him, for beating me at my own game! (Argh! I mean, well done, old chap! LOL!) Final score: Squeakers 4, FPC 2, (cas 4-3 FPC)

Overall, I had an amazing time! Major thanks to John for a great tourney, fun was had by all. I'd also like to thank my opponents, half the fun is the company during the game, the jokes were flying the entire weekend during play.

Two final comments:
I'm not sure why I scored so low in sportsmanship, but, *sigh* oh well. No one runs away from playing me in the TBBF, so I can't be that bad. Ethan and I had a few rules interpretations to straighten out, no biggie, Ian and I had a great game, John and I were cracking jokes at our own expense the entire time, and Kolja and I... a-ha! Ahhh, I just blame the lack of sleep, and each of us wanting to get any advantage we could to win all the marbles. I'll see ya in the next TBBF tourney, Kolja, where I'll get my revenge! BWAAA HAA HAA!!!

Oh yes, and I just want to point out that a stunty got 2nd only because he scored more casualties. But he played Goblins! *grin*

Thanks again, John, see ya at Orion!

Cam.

[Deathwing]

Where's the pics then? At Spiky both myself and Marcus posted a few on the Sat night, and I had some more up on the Sunday (incidently, finally got around to adding some captions recently on the Wodell site).
It's now Wednesday, and we've yet to see ONE PIC from the Underworld Cup!!!
I've checked the TBBF site, House-Rulez, and I can't even get in to the OBL.
Conspiracy theories are being hatched as I type....

[CyberHare]

Where's the pics then? ... I've checked the TBBF site, House-Rulez, and I can't even get in to the OBL.
Conspiracy theories are being hatched as I type....

There have been a couple pictures up on House Rulez since Monday. The bulk of the pictures will be in the next issue of House Rulez. Follow the "more" link in the news article to see them. I'll put a few more pictures up this weekend. I'm swamped at work this week.

[Kolja_TBBF]

Hey Cam, I was trying to pull some wonky stuff in our game but I DID think I could call an illegal proceedure when you moved the turn marker twice. Nyaaa, I always lose to you in tourneys!
Anyway, I did score you high on sportsmanship. I thinks its just that you are a serious player and you play in a serious manner.
I think I've figured out who gave me the 4th place sportsmanship ranking now, though. You bugger.

[Deathwing]

Where's the pics then? ... I've checked the TBBF site, House-Rulez, and I can't even get in to the OBL.
Conspiracy theories are being hatched as I type....

There have been a couple pictures up on House Rulez since Monday. The bulk of the pictures will be in the next issue of House Rulez. Follow the "more" link in the news article to see them. I'll put a few more pictures up this weekend. I'm swamped at work this week.

Oops! Conspiracy theories blown out of the water. Thanks Brian.
When's the deadline? Gotta do a Spiky write-up for submission.

[CyberHare]

Oops! Conspiracy theories blown out of the water. Thanks Brian. When's the deadline? Gotta do a Spiky write-up for submission.

Deadline is the first week in January. Hmm I guess that means I had better get started on it as well then .[/quote]

[Anthony_TBBF]

I know Twist took some pics, but he has this weird camera that has "film" in it.

[GalakStarscraper]

Maybe Galak should of taken his Halflings.

Neo wouldn't let me have a Master Chef or I would have.

Galak

[CyberHare]

Oh yes I forgot to mention. If you check out the group photo on the House Rulez site you'll see most of the people who attended the tourney, hence the term "group photo"

Can anyone, who wasn't at the tourney, guess who Galak is in the photo?