Blood Bowl - for real

[Scadente]

Der Helm vs. Scadente

Back in town, but I have to sort some things out before I can concentrate on Blood Bowl again. Like writing a 5 page essay about "notions of madness in Shakespeare's plays".   

Can you play tomorrow afternoon then? Or else I can't till next week or so! In which case I'll just forfeit the match.

[Modern Angel]

I just got in the door so let me hop on Steam

[Modern Angel]

Got my shit pushed in hard. When you lose two dorfs on the first turn there's really not enough speed to recover. The field was littered with bodies at the end from both sides.

[Aez]

Entertaining match for sure.  I'll try to post the replay later tonight.

My team is worth more than 1400 now.  How does the league rules handle this?  I'm assuming the 1400 limit was just for entrance and now there is no limit?

[Modern Angel]

That's my understanding, yeah.

[Aez]

I can't upload my replay because it's bugged, it starts looping on turn 7.

[Falconeer]

Whoa! There's a new sheriff in town. And he's not a dwarf!

[Modern Angel]

It was fucking brutal. If a couple dwarves go down against a fast team then there is REALLY not much you can do to cover the inevitable run around.

[Der Helm]

Just got a quick break from work, I'd be up for our match around midnight, if things go according to plan. 

[Aez]

It was fucking brutal. If a couple dwarves go down against a fast team then there is REALLY not much you can do to cover the inevitable run around.

My rat ogre, with claw, had time to shred a couple of dwarfs before you fouled him out of the match.

[Scadente]

Midnight is not doable for me, so....

Either I forfeit if you guys can't be arsed to wait, or else I'm back on the 30th and able to play again!

[Falconeer]

The 30th?! Sigh, I am leaving (for 3 weeks) August the 3rd!

If we are not done by then I will be forfeiting the last games too (it was a test league anyway), but waiting until the 30th just to complete Day#4 seems too much to me UNLESS we all agree to postpone the second half of the League until I come back August 24th.

So, vote:

1) We go on like now, waiting about a week to 10 days before forcing the forfeit and moving to the next Day. Means Scadente would be forfeiting games #4 and #5 and I will be probably fofeiting games #6 and#7

2) We freeze the league at this point and wait until everyone is back from holidays to resume. August 24th for me. Who else is going somewhere without a computer at that point?

I am totally ok with both options but I want to hear from you all fellas.

[Cadaverine]

Eh, I'm fine with waiting.  But, I'm good either way.

[Der Helm]

Midnight is not doable for me, so....

Either I forfeit if you guys can't be arsed to wait, or else I'm back on the 30th and able to play again!

For me neither, too tired. I ain't 20 no more 

Since I do not have much love for my lizzard team (barley had any real games, most got decided by connection problems  ) , I'd be ok with just finishing this league asap.
*shrugs*

Waiting would be ok as well, though.

[Aez]

I'd prefer finishing ASAP.  Especially if we want to move on and keep a decent pace with the next leagues.

[Modern Angel]

Same.

If a game is forfeited or a draw is desired, the commish hits the little dice button on the game in question. That let's him set the score manually.

[Falconeer]

We still need IainC, Scadente and Typhon's votes but seems to me like the tendency is more about going on, having few people forfeit a few matches, or "force" some draws, and eventually getting to the end of this one fresh and ready in september for the Second&Serious f13 League.

Anyway, me and IainC are trying to have our game #4 today so we are not dead. If Scadente vs Helm is off until the 30th then we'll move on as soon as me and Iain are done. Or, if we can't manage to play for the next 3 days we'll force a draw to finally go on with Day #5. I am leaning toward enforcing a draw both for me and IainC match and Scadente vs. Helm, since I wouldn't know who to put the blame on for the delays.

For the next League I think we might want to put a limit of 10 - 14 days for matches to be played. No problem in waiting, but if we get more people the pace could become so slow that people end up losing interest.

About Aez concerns for 1400 Team Value, it's ok. Team Values limits apparently only matter at the start of a League. We'll see how and if to deal with it next League.

[Megrim]

Given that there might be a few more of us playing in the next league, it might make sense to start from scratch so that the playing field is even.

[Modern Angel]

For the next League I think we might want to put a limit of 10 - 14 days for matches to be played. No problem in waiting, but if we get more people the pace could become so slow that people end up losing interest.

Do this. Make it a weekly league. I think (stressing think) you can force roll it over if people finish before the week's up. But I just went through the horseshit of people fleeing in a large league I was running. You must have balls of steel.

[Falconeer]

Yeah, I am convinced it'll be much more fun to start out from scratch with the new League after the Steam release.

And yes, 10 day limit will be kindly enforced in the next League.

[Typhon]

One the one hand, it's a TEST league, so it's makes more sense to push ahead.  On the other hand, we didn't set time limit rules up front.  I bring those two hands together and wring them and cannot decide whether i think we should push forward or wait.  Clearly I'm a big pussy - I'm ok with whatever you decide.

I agree with the 10 day rule for the next league.

[Falconeer]

By the way, in the Italian League my wood elves are being swatted like flies. Today's comedy highlight is not even a Wardancer failing a simple 2+ dodge roll (They have the DODGE skill, meaning to fail it they have to roll a fucking 1... and then ANOTHER 1!), no... much better: My thrower goes to pick up the ball following my opponent's kick off. So, it's the absolute first move of the game and my thrower goes for it (2+) and scores a 1, falls, gets injured!, leaves the pitch and turns over! 3 seconds into the game I am down a Thrower who injured himself and it's my opponent turn with a loose ball. I lost.

[Hoax]

I've been getting absolutely crushed in my West Coast league, can't even cause injuries versus wood elves (I needed practice versus a tree, it kinda mixed me up).  I get a game versus the bottom dwelling Skaven in my division next but he's got such a low team value he's going to get a free rat ogre which blows.  After that I get the Chaos team that is ranking up and skilling up and then another pro dwarf team, joy.

Btw, I just learned to see your full schedule for a league go to manage team and then click games or whatever on the top right.

[Aez]

By the way, in the Italian League my wood elves are being swatted like flies. Today's comedy highlight is not even a Wardancer failing a simple 2+ dodge roll (They have the DODGE skill, meaning to fail it they have to roll a fucking 1... and then ANOTHER 1!), no... much better: My thrower goes to pick up the ball following my opponent's kick off. So, it's the absolute first move of the game and my thrower goes for it (2+) and scores a 1, falls, gets injured!, leaves the pitch and turns over! 3 seconds into the game I am down a Thrower who injured himself and it's my opponent turn with a loose ball. I lost.

Never, never,  NEVER pick up the ball has your first move.

If you have skill like surehand or dodge, you wont get a reroll.  The game never gives you 3 chances.

[Falconeer]

If me and IainC can't play today I'll move the League forward with a draw, for both us and Scadente vs. Helm.

Sorry for the wait.

[Falconeer]

Never, never,  NEVER pick up the ball has your first move.

If you have skill like surehand or dodge, you wont get a reroll.  The game never gives you 3 chances.

As an elf, my bad for making a team without rerolls. Other than that, there wasn't much more else I could do againts lizardmen. Red dice everywhere.

[Falconeer]

PATCH:

Changelog 1.0.1.4:

- Players with the Chainsaw skill can't use Frenzy nor Multiple Block
- Knocked Out players with the Secret Weapon skill are now correctly sent off by referee at the start of a drive
- Blitzing with a knocked down player now correctly uses Blitz
- Fixed characteristic increase skills not working in some case
- Casualty SPPs are now properly awarded when apothecary is used on a casualty
- Added a limited number of in-game pauses in multiplayer
- Journeymen are now added before petty cash
- Teams can hire Star Players in the open league
- Private league owner can now change results of current day's games even if games have been played
- Regional public rooms have been added in the multiplayer lobby
- A multiplayer game where one of the player disconnects at the loading screen should now be discarded
- Multisampling has been set to 1 in the option

[NowhereMan]

On the skill vs. luck, luck is crucial in Blood Bowl in the sense that you can make insane plays that really never should have succeeded if you luck out on the RNG or your sure fire game can be totally fucked by double failing 2+ rolls. On the other hand preparing for things you do to go horribly wrong is a large part of the skill of the game along with minimising the number of rolls you make and maximising the number your opponent needs to. Literally a crucial aspect of the game is making your opponent roll dice since every time he does (aside from blocking) is a chance that he's going to turn over for no gain.

That said it's depressing seeing a whole orc team making 3 and 4+ dodge checks and then double failing on my first 2+ dodge check. That said as Elves most of my dodge checks are 2+ so of course I get to see myself fail plenty of those.

[Typhon]

By the way, in the Italian League my wood elves are being swatted like flies. Today's comedy highlight is not even a Wardancer failing a simple 2+ dodge roll (They have the DODGE skill, meaning to fail it they have to roll a fucking 1... and then ANOTHER 1!), no... much better: My thrower goes to pick up the ball following my opponent's kick off. So, it's the absolute first move of the game and my thrower goes for it (2+) and scores a 1, falls, gets injured!, leaves the pitch and turns over! 3 seconds into the game I am down a Thrower who injured himself and it's my opponent turn with a loose ball. I lost.

Ouch! Damn!

[Typhon]

By the way, in the Italian League my wood elves are being swatted like flies. Today's comedy highlight is not even a Wardancer failing a simple 2+ dodge roll (They have the DODGE skill, meaning to fail it they have to roll a fucking 1... and then ANOTHER 1!), no... much better: My thrower goes to pick up the ball following my opponent's kick off. So, it's the absolute first move of the game and my thrower goes for it (2+) and scores a 1, falls, gets injured!, leaves the pitch and turns over! 3 seconds into the game I am down a Thrower who injured himself and it's my opponent turn with a loose ball. I lost.

Never, never,  NEVER pick up the ball has your first move.

If you have skill like surehand or dodge, you wont get a reroll.  The game never gives you 3 chances.

I don't know what to do other than pick up the ball, it seems the most sensible thing to do.  But clearly my play needs improvement.  So, what should I be doing?  Hitting people or trying to move catchers to the backfield?

[Modern Angel]

Go in this order:

1) Moves that absolutely cannot fail.
2) Blocks with two or more dice
3) Dodges that are extremely likely to succeed (hi goblins)
4) Pick up the fucking ball
5) Blocks with one die
6) Throwing the ball.

[Hoax]

Don't forget to factor in the block skill when your deciding when in your turn to throw a block.  I often throw a single die I have block he doesn't before a two dice he has block I don't.

To add to this, after Unsub's post below:

You can tell how good a player you are by some general guidelines.

-The amount of 4+ and 5+ rolls you make (and to a lesser extent 3+), more = worse player

-The amount of players each round whose position only makes sense if you pass a test that is higher then 2+

-The amount of players each round you leave unused, sure sometimes its due to a terrible terrible roll but often you'll realize there was a better move to make first and even some contingency positioning you should have done either way

[UnSub]

As Modern Angel says, the first thing to worry about in Blood Bowl is positioning. Assume that whatever roll you are going to make is going to fail and have your side positioned to make life hard for your opponent.

[Morfiend]

Is this even out in the NA market? I havent seen it anywhere.

[Trippy]

Download-only at the moment.