@ Joe
I don't mind what people bring at all. I am absolutely opposed to there being quotas or restrictions on what races nations can bring. I'm also not that keen on extra incentives for weaker races, even to the extent of one extra skill. Mostly because it hasn't been tested how much of an affect this will have in a Eurobowl environment. But if people still want to bring Halflings, that's cool. But it is on the understanding that allowances will not be made for them.
Well let me stress that these rules have been used many, many times in DK - so they are tested indeed.
We also published our idea of these rules to let you guys (and everyone else) to test them and they have been out here for a long time now. I think you should do so. That would show a) actual interest in finding the best ruleset b) arguments for and against based on experience rather than personal feelings.
It is likely that yo will end up feeling that the present is the best but then I believe you´re real life experience will give you some examples of what works and what doesn´t..
But Joe, it isn't normal bloodbowl anyhow... hmmm i'm repeating myself. It seems to me that you and purple are interested in min-maxing under the ruleset proposed last year. The tournament rules aren't cut in stone as it is anyways, getting batches of skills instead of 1 each game does favor some teams also, as does starting with 1.1k...
As Tourach states here, the rules aren´t cut in stones. Whether you get 1 skill per game or in batches of 2 or 3 makes some teams more competitive than others.
The same goes for the TW allowed. Is it 1.000, 1.050, 1.100 or even 1.200? All are viable and calls for different races with different strenghts.
Also just remember last time where the captain were to move 2 teams forward and the other choosing who to play, then returns with 2 and vice verce.
I accept that this goes a bit further as it moves away from all teams getting exactly the same from the start.
However over the previous years the discussion has moved towards a way to include more races in the EB.
Maybe mostly amongst the captains probably (as we discuss the final ruleset every year) but still it has come up every time.
So I feel that at some time one change will come - and when it does it should be a good one. I understand that not everyone will like it for whatever reasons.
To me the best thing to do is to make more teams competitive - that way there will be more variety in the teams we start with.
Another road could be to induce a certain point cost for teams and giving each nation x points to spend.
This gives the captaincy a more influential position on the team as he decides who plays what - the weakness is that some coaches simply have better chances of doing well than others - not based on skill of building teams or tactical overview or even luck but simply on getting a worse team to start with.
Personally I am biased to our own suggestion... Shock...
Finally relating back to Tourach we are min/maxing at the EB/WC etc. and God bless on that.
We are taking the strongest teams and the strongest coaches squaring off for a truly magnificent tourney - but the aim is to make the best and most "fair" possible set up for everyone under these circumstances.
And enjoying a good productive debate as this one.
[Unity makes strong, but also blind - Sigmund Graff]