Is it time for some new skills?

wesleytj · Post by **wesleytj** » Mon May 19, 2003 9:18 pm

i think in theory new skills would be a plus. the advent of the traits and such have reduced the options available to people in taking normal skills, so restoring that some would be helpful.

in practice, it would have to depend on the skill being proposed. you have to make sure it's more or less in line with the other skills and not open to abuse.

Post by **GalakStarscraper** » Mon May 19, 2003 9:38 pm

Double post ... sorry:

I avoided posted this for a while to see if these threads were passing interest or serious. Enough discussion to probably mention this.

Guys ... I submitted an article to Andy Hall back in January about the skills that the MBBL2 have tested for two years. I dug up the article. Here is what I sent in. Andy keeps telling me that he likes the article and that its about to get printed. But after the 3 magazine At Sea article .. I admit I'm a little bummed about this one pager not making it in yet.

If you would like to see that one page article get printed send an email to Fanatic ... fanatic@games-workshop.co.uk

The name of the article was:
New Skills for Old Players
By the collective minds of the Internet Blood Bowl community

The skills in the article were:

Kickoff Return (G skill) (Original concept: Benny Moeller)
Trip Up (G Skill) (Original concept: Aziz Al-Doory)
Stiff Arm (A Skill) (Original concept: Douglas Webber)
Perfect Spiral (P trait) (Original concept: Martin Laerkes)
Juggernaut (S skill) (Original concept: Tom Anders)
..... and I did reduce it to ST 4 for the January article,
..... I had forgot I did that
Push (S Skill) (Original concept: BOBBA League)
Wings (Physical) (Original concept: Kent Wingsund/BOBBA)
Stoneskin (Physical) (Original concept: Joel Hainstock)

Galak

littlemute · Post by **littlemute** » Mon May 19, 2003 10:07 pm

It's great you're playtesting these. Some I think are great, some aren't so good. I can see why there would be hesitation for publication as then these would become semi-official.

Kickoff Return (G skill) (Original concept: Benny Moeller)

This is good, but could make strength-based ball control teams even more controlling. How has playtesting gone?

Trip Up (G Skill) (Original concept: Aziz Al-Doory)

This is far too confusing; why knock the player over then? Better to add a skill that keeps the player standing up, like block.

Stiff Arm (A Skill) (Original concept: Douglas Webber)

Again, good concept but I think this should be a strength skill that does the opposite of Side-step: the blocker/blitzer can put the pushed player anywhere within his DZ.

Perfect Spiral (P trait) (Original concept: Martin Laerkes)

A good concept but maybe something different in application. Where else in BB do you see +2 to a die roll when there is only one die involved?

Juggernaut (S skill) (Original concept: Tom Anders)

I don't like this skill for the reason that a ST increase basically does the same thing conceptually by giving an extra block die and that it's a bit redundant with multiple block.

Push (S Skill) (Original concept: BOBBA League)

Too powerful. I've seen some video of tai chi masters pushing people long distances (students who know how to keep their feet) but most people would just fall on the ground.

Wings (Physical) (Original concept: Kent Wingsund/BOBBA)

No to this one. There should be a bonus to the leap skill (as in a reroll) but just shouldn't be wings for fluff. They would get torn off in a scrim for certain and they are sort of...well, pansy for blood bowl...

Stoneskin (Physical) (Original concept: Joel Hainstock)

I couldn't find the rules for this on b-b.net.

princeofcats · Post by **princeofcats** » Mon May 19, 2003 10:29 pm

A couple of skills that my friend and I introduced for his Goblins n our mini-league are:

Cat's Grace: This player has a +1 modifier when landing.

Soft Landing: This player may re-roll a failed landing attempt.

With these he has been able to complete on a more competitive level (he still loses, but at least he is the game) by advancing a couple of his Gobos in an offensive capacity.

If something like these were included in the main rulebook (one or the other or both), I don't think that I would ever complain about the little guys being screwed over again.

Post by **GalakStarscraper** » Mon May 19, 2003 10:43 pm

littlemute wrote:Stoneskin (Physical) (Original concept: Joel Hainstock)

I couldn't find the rules for this on b-b.net.

Tattoos renamed from BB Compendium #1.

Galak

Post by **GalakStarscraper** » Mon May 19, 2003 10:50 pm

littlemute wrote:It's great you're playtesting these. Some I think are great, some aren't so good. I can see why there would be hesitation for publication as then these would become semi-official.

Two years of PBeM play ... no issue so far ... doesn't mean they work ... just means haven't seen a problem yet.

Galak

Redfang · Post by **Redfang** » Tue May 20, 2003 11:01 am

Though I'm not particularly fond of the kicking rules, I really like the Dirty Kick skill. Maybe it could be added as a general skill (we can use some more of those, after all useful general skills became traits).

Don't know about the abusive potential though, I can imagine a "Dirty Kick" LoS can really screw a Guard or Str4 LoS...

(Dirty Kick would be my only reason to take a kicker on a team; I think the idea is just brilliant and really fits in with BB.)

R

martynq · Post by **martynq** » Tue May 20, 2003 11:01 am

littlemute wrote:Trip Up (G Skill) (Original concept: Aziz Al-Doory)

This is far too confusing; why knock the player over then? Better to add a skill that keeps the player standing up, like block.

Combines well with Piling On.

Martyn

Post by **Thadrin** » Tue May 20, 2003 11:44 am

I'd just like to add...
viewtopic.php?t=644&highlight=cutblock

Redfang · Post by **Redfang** » Tue May 20, 2003 11:58 am

Hmm, the "malingering" skill suggested by ScottTBBF is quite funny, though only in a modified form, in which it is not used in the opponents turn...

R

Edit: After further thinking I don't think it would be playable at all, and I guess that it could quite easily be abused to get half the opponents team sent off...

plasmoid · Post by **plasmoid** » Tue May 20, 2003 5:27 pm

Hi littlemute,

about "perfect spiral": +2 on one die is by no means unprecedented:
*A Quick pass with accurate
*A Dodge with 2 heads
*A Catch with extra arms

Martin

littlemute · Post by **littlemute** » Wed May 21, 2003 2:24 pm

plasmoid wrote:Hi littlemute,

about "perfect spiral": +2 on one die is by no means unprecedented:
*A Quick pass with accurate
*A Dodge with 2 heads
*A Catch with extra arms

Martin

It's not unprecedented yes, but rare. Two of those are due to mutations!

This skill should be in the game as some sort of top teir skill for throwers, one they get after they have block, accurate, strong arm. How about the skill with an accurate pass the catcher can ignore tackle zones when making the catch?

Skummy · Post by **Skummy** » Wed May 21, 2003 2:29 pm

Well, it would certainly devalue 4 agility in the passing game if 3 AG players can catch the ball with the same roll. I'd seriously consider giving it to my throwers on their first skill, just because it makes all of your 3 ag blitzers a real threat in the passing game.

Post by **DoubleSkulls** » Wed May 21, 2003 4:05 pm

littlemute wrote:How about the skill with an accurate pass the catcher can ignore tackle zones when making the catch?

A bit too close to Nerves of Steel for my taste.

Post by **GalakStarscraper** » Wed May 21, 2003 9:15 pm

martynq wrote:
littlemute wrote:Trip Up (G Skill) (Original concept: Aziz Al-Doory)

This is far too confusing; why knock the player over then? Better to add a skill that keeps the player standing up, like block.
Combines well with Piling On.

Martyn

I have a Leap, Diving Tackle, Trip Up player that is pretty evil in the MBBL2. When he leaps into a cage, its an automatic tackle zone on the ball carrier whether he sticks the landing or not.

Trip Up works very well in combination with Diving Tackle, Piling On, and Leap.

The other evil player I'm working on is an MA 8 player with Shadowing and Diving Tackle. His next two skills are going to be Trip Up and Tackle.

Galak