Without giving away your top secret team strategies what advice can you give to new BB players?
Lovejoy and others new to the game. I was trained by MiJ and my mate Jesse who love their BB. Here's some quick tips. Do all your sure uncomplicated unchallenged movement of players first, back up your players with assists as much as possible to get the extra dice, roll these in sequence as to which has the most. Pick up the ball and Blitz last unless there is absolutely nothing to else to do that turn.
Plan A should really be forget about the ball and have a good ole scrap.
Share your tried and tested Blood Bowl tactics.
Share your tried and tested Blood Bowl tactics.
Forget about yesterday, don't worry about tomorrow because all that matters is today.
Minis painted in 2017: 13
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Minis painted in 2017: 13
Minis painted in 2018: 45
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me_in_japan
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Re: Share your tried and tested Blood Bowl tactics.
Be aware of tackle zones, and always make sure you have a 2 dice block whenever possible. Enable this by knocking opposing models away. Eg
(Team 1: ABC)
(Team 2: DEFG)
ABC
DEFG
F blocks C with an assist from G (2 dice). Likely he will at least push back C. Don't follow up. E then 2-dice-blocks B thanks to an assist from F (enabled by the removal of C), knocking him back. Finally D blocks D, with an assist from E. G is then free to run in and stick the boot in.
Obvs things get much more complex when it looks like this:
AD
BEC
FG
but the principle remains the same. This, btw, is where the Guard skill gets extremely useful.
(Team 1: ABC)
(Team 2: DEFG)
ABC
DEFG
F blocks C with an assist from G (2 dice). Likely he will at least push back C. Don't follow up. E then 2-dice-blocks B thanks to an assist from F (enabled by the removal of C), knocking him back. Finally D blocks D, with an assist from E. G is then free to run in and stick the boot in.
Obvs things get much more complex when it looks like this:
AD
BEC
FG
but the principle remains the same. This, btw, is where the Guard skill gets extremely useful.
current (2019) hobby interests
eh, y'know. Stuff, and things
Wow. And then Corona happened. Just....crickets, all the way through to 2023...
eh, y'know. Stuff, and things
Wow. And then Corona happened. Just....crickets, all the way through to 2023...
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me_in_japan
- Moderator of Swoosh!
- Posts: 7389
- Joined: Fri May 14, 2010 2:46 pm
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Re: Share your tried and tested Blood Bowl tactics.
oh, here's another one that occured might be useful.
Basic plays:
There are 3 basic plays:
The running game (where you get the ball to someone and run them up the field, with or without backup)
The throwing game (where you get one or two receivers to break through the opposition's line, then hoik the ball to them)
The fightin' game (where you just try to murderate as many of the opposition as possible, then once they're all dead/KOd, pick up the ball and saunter into the end zone)
The latter option is fairly self explanatory, so I'll write a bit about running and throwing.
Throwing
This, tbh, is the simpler of the two options - you need a team with half decent AG (humans can do it, or basically any team with dedicated Throwers or any elf team). Most of these teams will have one or two players with an extra point or two of M (7 is ok, 8 is better, 9 is awesome sauce).
Turn 1:
Use your fighty chaps to knock down one or two of the opposition, preferably on opposite sides of the pitch (so your opponent has to split their defence). Run your (preferably) 2 catchers through these gaps as far into the opponent's half as they can, somewhere they're hopefully not going to take too much of a kicking (bring some fighty backup if you have appropriate players that can keep up). Never leave them in an opponent's tackle zone. Make sure they're close enough to the opponent's end zone to score in their next turn. The opponent can only blitz one of them, but he/she will try to put tackle zones on the other one to make life difficult for you. Move your thrower onto the ball and pick it up, making sure that he's not going to get blitzed next turn. Move the rest of your team so they're putting tackle zones on as many of the opponent's players as possible (to shut down their movement next turn).
Turn 2: Look at the situation after your opponent's turn and ascertain which catcher stands the best chance of catching an accurate throw. Use your blitz to clear away someone who's giving your chosen catcher grief. If possible move some of your players around your chosen catcher (so if the throw misses, they can either catch it themselves, or at least have a tackle zone on the ball to make things difficult for your opponent). Move your thrower as close as you can to your chosen catcher, and sling him the ball. If you miss, hopefully one of those extra players will catch it. If you hit, all the catcher has to do is catch it and run/dodge/leap gaily into the end zone. Easy Peasy
Useful skills for your receiver in this situation are Catch (obvs), Diving Catch and Nerves of Steel to make the catch, and Leap and Dodge to get you out of the scrum. Block will also help keep your catcher alive. Your Thrower only really needs Throw, although Hail Mary is always good for a laugh (especially when coupled with Diving Catch) Also remember that you can Go For It twice each turn - factor that into things when accounting for how many squares you need to move to score.
Running
The running game can be split into two types - fast running and caging up. Teams like Skaven excel at the fast game, also dark elves are ok at it, and Lizardmen can do it sometimes. Basically, the fighty players knock a hole in the enemy lines, while a backfield player picks up the ball. The ball carrier then either continues his move to get as close as poss to the opponent's end zone or quick passes/hands off the ball to another player to go in his stead. This should be a low risk move. The ball carrier should end up a few squares into the opponent's half (more if you can get away with it, eg skaven). If possible, this should be near one or t'other board edges (but NOT any of the actual the squares on the edge. Never there*. Ever.**) Bring up as many other players as you can to surround the ball carrier, without blocking him in. Use your sturdiest chaps for this (blockers, rat ogres, trolls, etc)
B=backup, BC= ball carrier (ignore underscores, theyre just there to enforce positioning)
B____B
__BC
B____B
The minimum backup is 2 players, as you can subsitute the right/leftmost two guys in the above diagram with the board edge.
The opponent will then try to get the ball, but hopefully fail to do so thanks to the sterling efforts/sacrifice of your blockers. Now all that remains is to extricate your ball carrier, which should be simple enough as you have a few good friends around to throw blocks at the scallywags in your way.
Caging up is simply a slower version of the above, mostly used by dwarves, chaos dwarves and orcs, although as always humans can do it ok, too. Basically, one forms a cage with the ball carrier at the centre and slogs one's way towards the opponent's end zone. So long as you keep your fighty guys on the outside and your ball carrier on the inside, it's pretty solid as a tactic. One thing to watch is to try to always be out of opponent's tackle zones at the end of your turn, as otherwise he gets to block you without using up his blitz. Being on the outside of your cage, he will generally have freedom of movement to bring in extra players to give assists to anyone lucky enough to be able to block one of your players.
So, there you have it: The running and throwing games. These are fairly straightforward tactics, but hopefully this will be of use to new players. Best o luck to ya!
*because you can be blocked off the pitch, bypassing the armour roll and going straight to the injury roll.
** unless your player is surrounded by friendlies. It is possible to use the board edge as a safe zone if you do this.
Basic plays:
There are 3 basic plays:
The running game (where you get the ball to someone and run them up the field, with or without backup)
The throwing game (where you get one or two receivers to break through the opposition's line, then hoik the ball to them)
The fightin' game (where you just try to murderate as many of the opposition as possible, then once they're all dead/KOd, pick up the ball and saunter into the end zone)
The latter option is fairly self explanatory, so I'll write a bit about running and throwing.
Throwing
This, tbh, is the simpler of the two options - you need a team with half decent AG (humans can do it, or basically any team with dedicated Throwers or any elf team). Most of these teams will have one or two players with an extra point or two of M (7 is ok, 8 is better, 9 is awesome sauce).
Turn 1:
Use your fighty chaps to knock down one or two of the opposition, preferably on opposite sides of the pitch (so your opponent has to split their defence). Run your (preferably) 2 catchers through these gaps as far into the opponent's half as they can, somewhere they're hopefully not going to take too much of a kicking (bring some fighty backup if you have appropriate players that can keep up). Never leave them in an opponent's tackle zone. Make sure they're close enough to the opponent's end zone to score in their next turn. The opponent can only blitz one of them, but he/she will try to put tackle zones on the other one to make life difficult for you. Move your thrower onto the ball and pick it up, making sure that he's not going to get blitzed next turn. Move the rest of your team so they're putting tackle zones on as many of the opponent's players as possible (to shut down their movement next turn).
Turn 2: Look at the situation after your opponent's turn and ascertain which catcher stands the best chance of catching an accurate throw. Use your blitz to clear away someone who's giving your chosen catcher grief. If possible move some of your players around your chosen catcher (so if the throw misses, they can either catch it themselves, or at least have a tackle zone on the ball to make things difficult for your opponent). Move your thrower as close as you can to your chosen catcher, and sling him the ball. If you miss, hopefully one of those extra players will catch it. If you hit, all the catcher has to do is catch it and run/dodge/leap gaily into the end zone. Easy Peasy
Useful skills for your receiver in this situation are Catch (obvs), Diving Catch and Nerves of Steel to make the catch, and Leap and Dodge to get you out of the scrum. Block will also help keep your catcher alive. Your Thrower only really needs Throw, although Hail Mary is always good for a laugh (especially when coupled with Diving Catch)
Also remember that you can Go For It twice each turn - factor that into things when accounting for how many squares you need to move to score.Running
The running game can be split into two types - fast running and caging up. Teams like Skaven excel at the fast game, also dark elves are ok at it, and Lizardmen can do it sometimes. Basically, the fighty players knock a hole in the enemy lines, while a backfield player picks up the ball. The ball carrier then either continues his move to get as close as poss to the opponent's end zone or quick passes/hands off the ball to another player to go in his stead. This should be a low risk move. The ball carrier should end up a few squares into the opponent's half (more if you can get away with it, eg skaven). If possible, this should be near one or t'other board edges (but NOT any of the actual the squares on the edge. Never there*. Ever.**) Bring up as many other players as you can to surround the ball carrier, without blocking him in. Use your sturdiest chaps for this (blockers, rat ogres, trolls, etc)
B=backup, BC= ball carrier (ignore underscores, theyre just there to enforce positioning)
B____B
__BC
B____B
The minimum backup is 2 players, as you can subsitute the right/leftmost two guys in the above diagram with the board edge.
The opponent will then try to get the ball, but hopefully fail to do so thanks to the sterling efforts/sacrifice of your blockers. Now all that remains is to extricate your ball carrier, which should be simple enough as you have a few good friends around to throw blocks at the scallywags in your way.
Caging up is simply a slower version of the above, mostly used by dwarves, chaos dwarves and orcs, although as always humans can do it ok, too. Basically, one forms a cage with the ball carrier at the centre and slogs one's way towards the opponent's end zone. So long as you keep your fighty guys on the outside and your ball carrier on the inside, it's pretty solid as a tactic. One thing to watch is to try to always be out of opponent's tackle zones at the end of your turn, as otherwise he gets to block you without using up his blitz. Being on the outside of your cage, he will generally have freedom of movement to bring in extra players to give assists to anyone lucky enough to be able to block one of your players.
So, there you have it: The running and throwing games. These are fairly straightforward tactics, but hopefully this will be of use to new players. Best o luck to ya!
*because you can be blocked off the pitch, bypassing the armour roll and going straight to the injury roll.
** unless your player is surrounded by friendlies. It is possible to use the board edge as a safe zone if you do this.
current (2019) hobby interests
eh, y'know. Stuff, and things
Wow. And then Corona happened. Just....crickets, all the way through to 2023...
eh, y'know. Stuff, and things
Wow. And then Corona happened. Just....crickets, all the way through to 2023...
-
YellowStreak
- Legend
- Posts: 1354
- Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2012 2:57 pm
- Location: Nagoya
Re: Share your tried and tested Blood Bowl tactics.
“If you know the opposition and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred blood bowl matches and will go home with the trophy. If you know yourself but not the opposing team, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the opposing team nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. And don't go for it into the end zone, because that fails 9 times out of 10”
--to paraphrase Sun Tzu
On a more serious note, know they style of game that works for your team, and what style of game the opposition is likely to play. If your team is fragile and fast, avoid staying in base-to-base contact with 'bashy' teams. If they're slow, you can mark them close, but if they're fast have a more spread out defence in layers.
Don't be afraid to foul - this is blood bowl, not tiddlywinks! Although don't risk your 110,000gp wardancer being sent off fouling a 30,000gp halfling.
Deception (especially when you have the ball) - unless you're a really team (hello elves and skaven), try not to telegraph where you'll attack - have options to the left and right. If you're a team with even average throwing skills, pushing a potential receiver or two downfield forces the defence to decide on ignoring them - risking you passing, or pulling defenders away from the ball carrier to deal with them.
Same on defence, have a plan for when your main line gets breached. I like to have a 'fullback' or two to roam around my end of the board to try and deal with line breaks (especially important against the really fast teams).
In addition to some of the stuff above, while 2 dice blocks are always preferred, don't be afraid to throw the one dice block on occasion, especially if your player has block or a simple push back is what you're after. Just don't do it as your first move - good coaching is risk management as much as tactics!
Finally, say your prayers to Nuffle! For those who are new, Nuffle is the patron god of Blood Bowl in the Old Word. He's the one who thinks it's hilarious your elves keep rolling 1's to pick up the ball, or that you fall over 90% of the time 'going for it' into the end zone.
--to paraphrase Sun Tzu
On a more serious note, know they style of game that works for your team, and what style of game the opposition is likely to play. If your team is fragile and fast, avoid staying in base-to-base contact with 'bashy' teams. If they're slow, you can mark them close, but if they're fast have a more spread out defence in layers.
Don't be afraid to foul - this is blood bowl, not tiddlywinks! Although don't risk your 110,000gp wardancer being sent off fouling a 30,000gp halfling.
Deception (especially when you have the ball) - unless you're a really team (hello elves and skaven), try not to telegraph where you'll attack - have options to the left and right. If you're a team with even average throwing skills, pushing a potential receiver or two downfield forces the defence to decide on ignoring them - risking you passing, or pulling defenders away from the ball carrier to deal with them.
Same on defence, have a plan for when your main line gets breached. I like to have a 'fullback' or two to roam around my end of the board to try and deal with line breaks (especially important against the really fast teams).
In addition to some of the stuff above, while 2 dice blocks are always preferred, don't be afraid to throw the one dice block on occasion, especially if your player has block or a simple push back is what you're after. Just don't do it as your first move - good coaching is risk management as much as tactics!
Finally, say your prayers to Nuffle! For those who are new, Nuffle is the patron god of Blood Bowl in the Old Word. He's the one who thinks it's hilarious your elves keep rolling 1's to pick up the ball, or that you fall over 90% of the time 'going for it' into the end zone.
So many games, so little time....
Building a pile of shame since 1983
Building a pile of shame since 1983
-
YellowStreak
- Legend
- Posts: 1354
- Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2012 2:57 pm
- Location: Nagoya
Re: Share your tried and tested Blood Bowl tactics.
Oh and don't expect blood bowl to be 'balanced' or 'fair'. It's just not and has never pretended to be, some teams are just better than others. So don't pick halflings and expect to win a game.
Stolen from elsewhere:
Top Tier: Undead, Wood Elves, Dark Elves, Dwarves, Chaos Dwarves, Lizardmen, Norse, Orcs, Skaven, Amazon
Mid Tier: Humans, High Elves, Pro Elves, Chaos, Nurgle, Chaos Pact, Slann, Necromantic, Khemri, Underworld
Low Tier: Goblins, Halflings, Ogres, Vampires
Now that being said, top-tier doesn't mean auto-win, while low tier doesn't mean auto-lose. Some of the 'top tier' teams are actually quite difficult to play well.
For newer players, it's probably best to either play a team that all-round is reasonable to give you run or pass options (humans, high elves) or pick a team that has a limited playstyle, e.g: bash and run (Dwarves, Orcs) or dodge behind and pass (Wood Elves, Skaven).
Stolen from elsewhere:
Top Tier: Undead, Wood Elves, Dark Elves, Dwarves, Chaos Dwarves, Lizardmen, Norse, Orcs, Skaven, Amazon
Mid Tier: Humans, High Elves, Pro Elves, Chaos, Nurgle, Chaos Pact, Slann, Necromantic, Khemri, Underworld
Low Tier: Goblins, Halflings, Ogres, Vampires
Now that being said, top-tier doesn't mean auto-win, while low tier doesn't mean auto-lose. Some of the 'top tier' teams are actually quite difficult to play well.
For newer players, it's probably best to either play a team that all-round is reasonable to give you run or pass options (humans, high elves) or pick a team that has a limited playstyle, e.g: bash and run (Dwarves, Orcs) or dodge behind and pass (Wood Elves, Skaven).
So many games, so little time....
Building a pile of shame since 1983
Building a pile of shame since 1983
Re: Share your tried and tested Blood Bowl tactics.
If a player is standing near the edge of the pitch, introduce them to the fans. You may not get any star player points, but punting some poor sap into the crowd is a great way to take them out of the game for a while, if not permanently.
On a related note, NEVER leave a player standing near the edge of the pitch.
You may not get any star player points, but punting some poor sap into the crowd is a great way to take them out of the game for a while, if not permanently.On a related note, NEVER leave a player standing near the edge of the pitch.
Painted Minis in 2014: 510, in 2015: 300, in 2016 :369, in 2019: 417, in 2020: 450