The Dwarven One's Blood Bowl & RPG Diary

Brief Can Con 2012 report

2012-01-31T09:25:00.003+11:00

Well, howdy y'all!

I'll make this brief, seeing I haven't long been woken up by the re-occurring sounds of school buses (yup, the school year starts all over again... ).

I can tell you, it was quite an enjoyable event, with 56 coaches participating. I believe I was the only Pro-Elf coach there. The ladies of Leia's Metal Bikinis did quite well, winning four, losing three (all on day two) and finishing 22nd overall. (There was a big log jam between 10th and 25th, with only a handful of points separating fifteen players. 21st place was one point ahead of me, with 19th spot being only two.) I had won my first three games, and was one of five coaches on three wins at the end of day one. Then, for some reason, the dice just seemed to only want to roll ones every time I dodged or went for those extra squares, or pretty much anything that required a two or better for an elf. So, position wise, I went from 5th at the end of day one, to 32nd at the end of day two. A big 4-0 win over a luckless orc coach on the final day propelled me up ten spots to where I finished.

The good thing, was that I didn't suffer too much casualty wise. Only two serious injuries for the tournament, no deaths, and my apothecary was only needed once - in the last game! And my three losses? The first one was to the gent who finished runner-up (Redcard), the second to the guy who won it (Grumpsh) and finally the Wood-Elven coach who scored the most TDs for the event!

I picked up a couple of figs for the Arctic ogre team. Two Malifaux Ice Golems, which I've painted in hues of dark blue. I'll add a pic when they're done. I also found a cheap copy of Hearts of Iron 3 as well.

Anyway, must dash. Need a shower to combat the oven I'm currently living in... ciao!

P.S: Yes, that is me under that rather colorful hat! It was well spotted! Dozens of people (mostly women) loved the hat. The only negative response was from some Queenslander Blood Bowler who derisively asked why I was wearing it? "Because I can!" I responded! (Go to http://www.nerdburgerjewellery.blogspot.com/2012/01/cancon-2012.html to see the hat!)

Can Con was also reported in the local news:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-27/cancon-games-festival/3795688/?site=canberra§ion=news

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-29/cancon-canberra-festival/3799182/?site=canberra&ref=m21

Apologies, for some reason, every time I try to put the link in, it goes anywhere but where it's supposed to be! You'll have to just copy and paste the links for the time being.

(Finally) Gathering of Might 2011 match reports

2012-01-19T20:58:00.002+11:00

Yes, I know, I have been really, really, really slack. It has been well over a month since I played at the Gathering of Might tournament at Chatswood. Honestly, it was another tournament I'd rather forget (result wise), and seeing there were some Feudball related dramas to go with it as well... (you'll have to read this post on my regular blog to see what the dramas were).

So, what have I been up to? A fair bit of traveling over the last month. Went up north for Xmas and spent a couple of days with my brother and his family, and currently, I'm house-sitting for my aunt in Sydney whilst she's off in Thailand. Then there was the unexpected Xmas present of a second-hand computer that had twice the power and three times the hard-disk space as my old machine. So there was a few days transferring material, installing programs and tweaking all the “new” machines problems. It ended with me having a machine that could play Blood Bowl – Legendary edition, which I have been doing a fair bit of lately. Oh, and there was also a half-day's work at a local comic book store and a few Mariners' matches as well for good measure.

Anyway, with GoM, race sixteen, the Underworld Creepers, was played. This leaves me (Pro) Elves, Chaos, Slann, Ogres, Halflings, Goblins, Nurgle and Lizardmen. The Elves will be next, at Can Con, after that, well, not too sure, maybe one of the stunty teams for Clash of the Titans. Thanks to the PC game, I have been able to practice with a few of these teams, especially with the Elves. The Leia's Metal Bikinis side (the name of the team I'll be taking to Can Con) have been run for 21 games, with a very impressive record of 16 wins, 4 draws and just 1 loss. Two players have been killed along the way (I expected more) and two have been retired due to losses in stats. I have found the race pretty easy to play, really liking the Catch & Nerves of Steel skills on the beginning catchers, and seeing how annoying Side-Step can be on the blitzers. (Well, it's an annoying skill full-stop.) The side has developed quickly, with the blitzers acquiring six skills between them, two blodging catchers, and even two linemen skilling up twice, with one of them taking the very useful Kick skill and the other one Guard.

Trialling them in this fashion gives me plenty of ideas as to what skills to select during the Can Con event. It has also given me the opportunity to try some of those other races, pleasantly discovering that some of them, such as the Ogres and Nurgle, aren't that bad to play. I have even started a Vampire side which is just starting to hit their straps. (An AG 5 vampire is just so very useful!!!)

A lot of the amusement though has been coming from the stunty teams. I have played 9 games with the 'lings and 10 with the Goblins, with the latter having more luck, and more wins. I even ran a Human team, filled with characters from the current Feudball book (and the upcoming one) to see how they would fare. In the 26 match league (including play-offs), I had three players killed, won 15, drew 4, lost 7, and was beaten in the final by High-Elves. There was a running contest as to see who could get the most casualties in the team. First was a blitzer with 12 (also finished on top with 51 SPPs), second was the ogre with 8, and third a lineman with 6. My two throwers managed 31 completions between them, and there was only three players on the final roster who didn't get touchdowns. It was a catcher who registered the most with 10. Their best win was a 5-1 thrashing of a Khemri side, whilst they saved their worst defeat for the final, going down 1-3.

My current campaign though is with my old favourite, the Undead. 22 matches into the campaign, and the boys are undefeated, with only three draws. They have been hard pressed at times. In one match, against humans, I had a mummy and a wight killed, with 49 SPPs between them, plus the second mummy was given a strength reduction. In a match played against an Elven team, I had a skeleton killed that was on 14 SPPs as well as the mummy who had replaced the one killed five games previously. The casualty count in that game was an embarrassing 0-5 against me. I won 4-2 though, scoring twice in the last three turns. The last game played was against the Nurgle's Rotters side. It was a hard fought win, and my ST 4 skeleton was killed. My best player is a ghoul, with 46 SPPs (including 11 touchdowns), with Block, Nerves of Steel and Sure Hands. He also has AV 6...

Anyway, enough of the computer game. The Gathering of Might tournament was played on the weekend of December 10 & 11, 2011. The first day it was at the Christian City Church in Chatswood, whilst on the second day we actually played it in the library at the St Pius XII school behind the church. I fielded the Spelunkers, an Underworld Creepers team. The team value was set at 1,150K, whilst various sets of skills could be taken. I settled for seven general, giving my blitzers Horns & Tackle, both Linerats Block, one Goblin (Microbod) Two Heads, my thrower Big Hand, and the troll Claw. For something different, I added Skitter Stab-Stab.

They won just one game, drew one, and lost the rest. I finished second last. Guess who was the only person I defeated? The total for & against was 6-12, with the casualties finishing a whopping 2-26 against me. (My injury rolls were that bad... ) I didn't do a casualty until the final match of the tournament. (It was just one. The other was from Skitter, who managed to finally injure someone with a Stab in the last match as well.) Skitter and one of my blitzers (Bolt) got two touchdowns each, and topped the SPPs. The other blitzer, Calcite, achieved the team's only casualty from a Block.

Words cannot describe how frustrated I was with the way the dice were rolling. I was cleared off the pitch in the very first match (by Wood Elves of all things), and beaten up by every team I played against, except the second Wood Elven side where the casualty count was drawn. Unlike my Wood Elves, who could've won all seven games at Bushranger Bowl, there were only two games I should've won, but could only manage one. Another one was a heart-breaking loss on the last turn of the match (to Khemri) but the rest were pretty one-sided.

It was a shame really. I felt I had taken a good roster into the event...

On with the reports.

Day One (Dec 10, 2011)

Game: 669
Round: 1
Opponent: Grumpsh
Team: Wood Elves
Result: Lost 1-3
Casualties: Lost 0-6
Toss: Won - received
Fame: Me+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Brilliant Coaching (Spelunkers get a re-roll), High Kick, Quick Snap, Blitz.

The opposing Wood Elves in the opening fixture featured a treeman with Grab, a kicker, a thrower with Safe Throw, a wardancer with Tackle, and the other at ST 4. (Yes, one of the skill options included stat increases.)

The tournament did get off to a good start. A re-roll from the opening kick-off, Skitter stunning the opposing thrower with a stab, and the ball was retrieved without any dramas on the right flank sideline. The boys then went to work on the elves, pushing and thumping them about the pitch, clearing a nice path for Breccia (thrower) to get into position for a long pass to Bolt, who caught it and scored. [Turn 2]

It went downhill from there. The wardancer might have fumbled the catch off the kick-off, but it wasn't much of a setback. Gour (goblin), was blitzed and killed by the other wardancer, Prusik (linerat) was battered by the treeman – which needed the apothecary's attention and Belay (linerat) was knocked-out as the elves advanced. Calcite gets a chance to attack the ball carrier (the kicker), but trips over trying to get to him. Anchor (troll), was next to leave the pitch, knocked-out as he collided with the treeman, and just before the elves equalized, Abseil (goblin) was stretchered off as well to join the rest in the casualty ward. [Turn 5]

The Quick Snap off the next kick-off didn't help that much, as the next kick was deep. Breccia was able to retrieve the kick-off, then step in behind Microbod (goblin) for some protection. There was a scoring opportunity, but Prusik couldn't oblige and falls flat on his face trying to get clear to blitz the kicker. Breccia was knocked-out by a rampaging wardancer, then Calcite, in a vain attempt at a counter-attack, trips over trying to get at the kicker, and winds up in the casualty ward as well. With very little Spelunkers left on the field, the elves waltz through, recover the ball and take the lead.

With five players already receiving medical treatment, the second half wasn't going to be much of a contest. Skitter darted forward to have a slash at a wardancer, stunning him, and that was the extent of the Blitz action. Efflux (goblin) was knocked senseless, Skitter swings at the thrower and misses, and Karst (goblin) joins his goblin team-mate in the koed bin, after tripping over trying to get clear. Bolt is the next to go, knocked-out by a wardancer, Microbod gets the same treatment by a line elf, and another one decides to sink the boot in on Skitter, and gets sent off. Belay then trips over trying to escape the carnage and renders himself unconscious, then a line-elf succeeds in cracking some of Skitter's ribs with a good boot, but gets sent off as well. Prusik, the last Spelunker standing, isn't upright for long, as he throws a hopeless block at the thrower, and crashes to the turf in failure. For his efforts, another line elf sinks the boot in, and he's knocked-out. [Turn 4]

With no opposition left on the paddock, the elves let the clock tick on a bit before strolling in for the third to end the game.

Game: 670
Round: 2
Opponent: Redcard
Team: Chaos Dwarves
Result: Drew 1 all
Casualties: Lost 0-5
Toss: Won - received
Fame: Me+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Weather – Fine, Blitz, Get the Ref.

Well, from woodies to CDs. Two blockers had Mighty Blow, two more had Guard, a bull centaur had Block, and there was a guest appearance from Hthark the Unstoppable.

It was an ugly start to the match, with Belay stunning himself after a spectacularly bad block [Yep, quad skulls – first block I threw in the game!] Breccia was then blitzed by a bull centaur and required the services of the apothecary. Abseil then makes a dash for the ball, but it's no surprise that he couldn't pick it up with two opponents standing nearby. With the ball rolling clear, a bull centaur gallops through, but he can't retrieve it either. Prusik flattens the BC, but can't get the ball either. Gour then has a go, but his dodge to get between four opponents fails miserably, and the ball rolls further away. A hobgoblin finally manages to grab it and advance down the pitch. Prusik tries to step clear to blitz him, but is tripped up. In desperation, Anchor picks up Microbod and flings him at the fleeing hobgoblin, and the two-headed greenskin manages to land properly and halt it's progress. Bolt then gets knocked out, Anchor forgets what it was he was meant to be doing, and a bull centaur arrives on the scene to trample Microbod, and he's stretchered off. Abseil has a last gasp dash at the ball carrier to try and bring him down, but falls short of the mark, and the hobgoblin walks in unopposed to break the deadlock right on half-time.

The Spelunkers start the second half more positively, with Bolt and Skitter weaving their way down the pitch to get to the ball. The star player managing to get past three opponents along the way. His game is ended prematurely though, as a blocker slams into him, and it's another player off to the casualty ward. Hthark decided that he wanted the ball, and goes to pick it up, but fails. Bolt sees an opportunity – he blitzes a hobgoblin, stunning him, then races through to scoop up the ball with a frustrated star player looking on. He stumbles past him, but somehow rights himself, then surges forward to get into the end zone and tie up the game. [Turn 1]

Off the next restart, Hthark becomes determined to get the ball once again, but, unsurprisingly, he fumbles the pick up. Bolt does exactly that, and is not that far away from the ball. Karst (goblin) tries to weave his way through to help, but trips over and lands face first on the pitch, knocking himself out. Hthark has another attempt to get the ball, and fails, and Bolt, after pushing aside a hobgoblin, is now right in front of the ball. Prusik stuns a bull centaur with a little bit of help, then goes after Hthark, and takes him down too. Breccia arrives to recover the ball, but Calcite can't get clear to assist. Hthark recovers, has a shot at Bolt, but it's the blitzer that puts him down instead. He then pushes aside a hobgoblin and races into the end zone, anticipating a pass. Karst can't get clear to offer some protection, and Gour is smacked about the head by a blocker and needs to be carted off the pitch. Bolt doesn't get the ball, but does get a bull centaur crashing into him, whilst Breccia is knocked over, the ball bouncing to, yes, you guessed it, Hthark. The star goes for a gallop down-field, but realizing he needs to stretch his legs a bit, he over extends himself and crashes to the turf. Belay goes after the ball, but can't retrieve it, and any chance of the Spelunkers pulling off a last minute win is thwarted when Breccia is injured in a heavy tackle from a blocker, with the game ending in a draw.

Game: 671
Round: 3
Opponent: Dan P
Team: Human
Result: Won 2-0
Casualties: Lost 0-4
Toss: Won - kicked
Fame: Me+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Blitz, Throw a rock (Abseil Badly Hurt), Cheering Fans (Spelunkers get a re-roll).

It was the battle for the wooden spoon. The humans were fielding an ogre with Block, two Guard blitzers, two Mighty Blow blitzers, and Accurate thrower, plus an apothecary and a Bloodwesier Babe.

The change of tactics worked for the start of the game, with the Spelunkers Blitzing off the opening kick-off. Calcite charged through, flattened a catcher, then promptly trips over his own tail to get underneath the ball. The ogre swings and connects with a hay-maker to Anchor's head, knocking him out, whilst the human thrower retrieves the ball. A catcher then hunts down Skitter, and the pair both go down in a poor tackle. However, it had done it's work, with the star player having to be stretchered off to visit the apothecary. A blitzer clears Breccia off the thrower to give him some room to move, but then has to quickly prepare himself for an attack from Karst. He needn't worry though, as the little greenskin trips over an errant shoelace. The humes though soon suffer a setback, with the thrower's hand-off to the blitzer being fumbled. Bolt attacks him, but the pair just thump into each other, with neither giving an inch. The human thrower then launches himself at Belay, who neatly steps aside an lets him fall over. Bolt finally brings down the blitzer, with Belay head-butting a catcher, knocking him out. Efflux (goblin) who had been rather quiet in the first two matches, then darts through, picks up the ball, and runs away. His escape is short-lived, as a blitzer nails him, but in turn he's taken down by Belay. Abseil then retrieves the ball, but is flattened by another blitzer, whilst a third one knocks out Slack (goblin). Microbod, even with his second head, can't see everything, and trips over a large rock. Efflux's match is ended after getting thumped by a blitzer, and as he falls onto the ball, it bounces to a lineman, who grabs it. Karst has a go at a catcher, fails, which leaves Bolt to step away from his marker to attack the lineman. He succeeds. Belay anticipates a pass, and leaves his opponent behind and races for the end zone. Bolt then attacks the catcher standing over the ball, allowing Calcite to step clear of a marker, scoop up the ball, dodge away from another human, go an extra yard or two, then throw a perfect pass down-field to the waiting linerat, who makes no mistake with the catch, giving the Spelunkers the lead right on half-time.

The boys take to the pitch for the second half with ten players, but that is soon reduced by one when a random rock scons and injures Abseil. Gour, Belay and Skitter respond by weaving their ways through the human defenders as Breccia retrieves the ball. Bolt tries to step clear to go after a catcher, but again a rat goes crashing to the turf after being tripped up. Breccia throws a terrible pass to Karst, with the ball almost landing back at his feet. A human catcher hits out at Belay, but again the wily rat avoids the blow and the catcher hits the turf. Breccia retrieves the ball from the feet of a lineman, then dodges away, racing down-field into the open. His freedom doesn't last long, as a blitzer brings him down in a copybook ball and all tackle. Belay doesn't avoid the next attack, with the ogre smacking a large fist into his face and the rat needs an icepack on his noggin. A human lineman then surges forward to mark Calcite, but has over exerted himself and falls to the pitch, as does Karst as he tries to retrieve the ball, except the little greenskin knocks himself out for his trouble. A catcher then heads for the ball, but he fumbles it and it rolls away from him and off the pitch. It is thrown nicely back into the human's end of the pitch. Skitter hares after the dregs, but is tripped up, and Calcite can't help as the ogre knocks him out as well. The human thrower attacks Gour and the pair crash to the turf in a tangle of arms and legs. Skitter, being one of the few Spelunkers still upright, sees an opportunity to wrap the game up. He steps up to a lineman, then steps past him, then the ogre, grabs the ball, and races in to double the lead with very little time left on the clock. So little time in fact, there's only enough for the sides to line-up, the ogre to suddenly forget where he is, and Slack to get badly hurt in the last tackle of the match.

But it's a win, and the boys have done it with no troll for the entire second half. The result elevates the side up the ladder a little, which gave them some hope for a placing on Day Two.

Day Two (Dec 11, 2011)

Game: 672
Round: 4
Opponent: Sangraal
Team: Khemri
Result: Lost 1-2
Casualties: Lost 0-4
Toss: Won - received
Fame: Opp+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Quick Snap, Weather – Fine, Perfect Defence,

The rivalry continues between Sangraal and myself, with him being one win ahead before this game kicked off. He was fielding two Block throw-ras, Guard and a Tackle on the blitz-ras, plus Block on two of the tomb guardians.

Abseil managed to get himself nicely positioned to catch the ball off the kick-off. He then handed it on to Skitter, who darted off down the right side-line. Skitter's run is brought to a halt by a blitz-ra, but the accompanying throw-ra can't pick up the ball. Anchor and Belay then combine to flatten a skeleton, pushing him away from the ball. Breccia races through, but his extra efforts to get closer to the ball comes to nought as he suddenly collapses in front of a tomb guardian, who then goes on to shove Belay away from the ball. A blitz-ra then strides over to retrieve the pigskin, but can't make the extra yard to get to it. Skitter finally gets back up, and dodges his way into the end zone. Breccia recovers, grabs the ball, dodges clear, goes the extra yards and throws a beautiful pass to the waiting star, who easily catches it and the Spelunkers take the lead. [Turn 3]

The Khemri respond with a tomb guardian flattening Anchor, with the other three viciously shoving their markers backwards. A throw-ra retrieves the ball, and is well guarded as they march down the pitch. Prusik manages to get around the Khemri's front line with Karst and Efflux in tow, however the latter's efforts to advance further sees him trip over an errant rock and he needs to be carted off the field to the casualty ward. As the Khemri cage advances, the rats and goblins fall back to form a defensive line a bit further down the pitch. When the cage gets a bit closer, Bolt darts out to attack one of the skeletons on the corner of the cage, but Abseil fails his dodge to assist him. Belay is roughed up badly enough by a blitz-ra to require medical attention, then Skitter is knocked-out by a throw-ra. Anchor goes to fling Karst at the cage, but then suddenly forgets what it is he has to do. Gour then bravely steps up to mark the throw-ra with the ball, but he suddenly lurches forward, stamping the goblin into the turf on his way to end zone to even up the score at half-time.

The Spelunkers are given an opportunity to reform their defence and do so. The kick though is very shallow, giving a skeleton a chance to catch the ball on halfway. He fumbles the catch across the line, giving his side a touchback. As one tomb guardian knocks over Anchor, another lashes out at Skitter, but over extends himself and falls over. The troll tries to get up to take a swing at another guardian, but stops mid-swing seeing he forgot what it was he had to do. Breccia though doesn't have that problem, and charges through to knock-out a skeleton in a good tackle. Bolt and Belay have somehow managed to work their way around the back of the cage, and the former strikes unsuccessfully at the skeleton guarding the ball carrier. He does get another go, and with Abseil's help, brings down the skeleton, allowing Breccia to charge through and attack the throw-ra, crashing into him and flooring him. Anchor still has no idea as to what's going on, but Skitter does, and he makes a mad dash for the ball, despite it resting between the boney feet of two opponents. His effort fails though, and he crashes to the ground , causing the ball to roll away. Breccia is smashed away from the second throw-ra, giving him a chance to stride through and pick the ball up. Calcite and Microbod move in to bring him down, but the latter has forgotten how to block and bounces off the throw-ra's knee. The cage then advances into the Spelunker's half, with the boys continuing to harass the cage. Prusik picks off one of the corners, Skitter steps up to mark the ball carrier, Anchor finally remembers where he is, and gets up to join in the fun, and finally Belay dodges clear of a marauding blitz-ra and heads towards the cage. A tomb guardian then strikes at Anchor, connecting with a powerful blow, and cracking his jaw. The big feller doesn't recover and his game comes to an end. Slack, Karst and Abseil then push aside a blitz-ra to give Bolt a chance at attacking the ball-carrier. His charge is successful, with the ball bouncing around a bit before being snatched by a tomb guardian. Breccia tries to get clear to assist, but his feet fail him and he falls face first into the turf, knocking himself out. Skitter soon joins him in the koed bin, and Bolt almost joins him as well, as he launches a futile assault on the tomb guardian with the ball, with some help from Microbod. Abseil is brutally flattened by a skeleton, and is the next to be stretchered off. Prusik desperately charges into the midst of the cage and does manage to push the tomb guardian with the ball backwards, whilst Karst and Microbod step in to support him. The latter has his lights punched out by a blitz-ra, and with time almost up, the tomb guardian lurches forward, pushing Prusik aside and breaks the deadlock, giving the sand dwellers the win.

It was a tough game to lose. The deciding moment was the ball bouncing to the tomb guardian, with the troll being taken out in the same turn [5].

Game: 673
Round: 5
Opponent: Thomsy
Team: Chaos Pact
Result: Lost 0-3
Casualties: Lost 0-5
Toss: Won - received
Fame: Me+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Blitz, Weather – Fine, Weather – Fine, Perfect Defence, Riot (gained a turn).

Always fun to play against Thomsy. He is currently making his way through all 24 races again. His team had a Two-Headed goblin and skaven, Block on the ogre and troll, Tackle on one marauder, Block on another, and Guard on a third.

After the Blitz, Skitter decides to have a crack at the skaven in the opposition, and manages to stun him. The team takes to the air early, with Breccia retrieving a deep kick-off, then launching a long pass. It fails to find it's target. The minotaur responds by trampling Skitter, and the troll is knocked out by his fellow troll in the opposing team. Gour tries to take down a marauder, but fails, with Microbod then injured by a marauder, Breccia knocked-out and Skitter just surviving a gang foul. To really rub it in, the dark elf wanders through and retrieves the ball. Skitter gets up, and dodges through the opposition to have a slash at the elf, but misses. Prusik tries to dodge clear to offer some support, but is tripped up, and face plants onto the turf and knocks himself out. Whilst the ogre forgets why he was on the pitch, the minotaur has another go at Skitter, and knocks him out with a powerful blow to the head. The elf though, gets surrounded, with Belay taking it upon himself to launch a blitz at him. He only succeeds in pushing him back. Gour gets flattened by a blitzing elf, and the little greenskin needs to get stretchered off the pitch. Efflux is next to have a go at the ball carrier, but he just bounces off him and knocks himself out. When a marauder gets sent off for trying to kick the Belay, after he gets flattened in a two player hit, there's only three Spelunkers left on the pitch, and they're all lying down. With no one to oppose him, the elf takes his time and walks in for the opening point. [Turn 6]

With only one of the koed players returning to the field, things do not look too promising for the side. Breccia gets things started again by retrieving the ball from the kick-off, then launching it towards Belay. This time, there is no mistake with it's accuracy, and the linerat weaves his way down-field in a desperate attempt to square things up. Unfortunately, a pair of marauders come across and bring him down, but the ball stays on the turf. Abseil scrambles through the legs of three players, but with the ball agonizingly close to the line, he can't pick it up to register the point. The half promptly ends when the guardsman throws a clumsy block at the goblin, and falls flat on his face, knocking himself out.

It's not a good restart to the match, with the kick scattering off the pitch. The dark elf gets the ball, and the game re-commences, with the big guys getting heavily involved. First it's the ogre suddenly forgetting what to do, then it's Anchor thumping the opposing goblin hard enough to knock him out, and finally Bolt charges through and flattens the minotaur. Abseil is then collared by a marauder, and needs a neck-brace, Belay responds by taking a chance and surges forward to bowl over the dark elf, allowing Breccia the opportunity to run through and grab the ball. However, in trying to step clear from a marauder, he is tripped up and the chance to score goes begging. It's infectious, as Slack trips over as well trying to blitz the elf who has recovered the ball. Belay has his head re-arranged by the ogre, giving the elf plenty of room to move. With the defence in tatters, it's an easy point, and the lead is doubled. [Turn 5]

With three players returning to the field from the koed bin, the Spelunkers try to restore some pride, starting with Breccia racing over to the side-line to pick up the ball. An opportunity presents itself, with one of the goblins getting clear into the opposition's half. Breccia elects to hand it on to the little greenskin, but he too has caught the doging disease and falls flat on his face. As the minotaur beats up Efflux, the dark elf retrieves the dropped ball, flicks a quick pass to the skaven, and the rat scrambles in for the third point. [Turn 7]

With the Riot winding the clock back, the side is unenthusiastic of having to play extra time. The subsequent touchback sees Slack, who is standing behind the troll, given the ball. Bolt goes to clear one of the players standing in front of Anchor, but swings, misses, and falls over. The opposing skaven then darts around the line and flattens Slack, and Bolt's attempt to bring him down fails when he is tripped up after getting up. With the Pact looking likely to add a fourth, time runs out, much to the Spelunker's relief.

Game: 674
Round: 6
Opponent: Creature
Team: Wood Elves
Result: Lost 1-3
Casualties: 2 all
Toss: Won - kicked
Fame: Me+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Weather – Very Sunny, Quick Snap, Blitz, Quick Snap.

With nothing but pride left to play for, the Spelunkers once again line up against the Wood Elves. The treeman had Block, there was a Tackle and a Frenzy wardancer, a thrower with Leader and a line elf with Kick.

The apothecary was soon in use, as Bolt was shoved off the pitch by a rampaging wardancer. With the kick going deep, there was nothing left to do but launch a goblin in a vain attempt to put some pressure on the thrower. Unfortunately, the troll misunderstood the instructions, and became totally confused. The elves didn't need any further encouragement, with the thrower running forward to throw a beautiful pass to the waiting catcher, who hands it off to a second catcher, who dodges clear of the defence to race in and score. [Turn 2]

It soon got worse. Anchor takes a swing at a line elf, but loses his balance and falls over, landing face first and predictably knocking himself out. Skitter is then suffers the same injury after being struck by another line elf, and Microbod's tournament is finished when a third line elf rattles both of his heads and he needs to be stretchered off. Breccia attempts to get something started, but momentarily loses his mind, remembering a past grievance and unable to throw the ball to Karst. The hesitation cost the side dearly. A wardancer skips through the line, smashes into him, recovers the ball, and goes the extra yards to double the lead. [Turn 4]

With a landslide eventuating, Calcite tries to lift the side, and belts a line elf, cracking his jaw. The apothecary does his job and somehow gets the player ready to retake the pitch. A desperate attempt to launch a goblin down-field fails after Abseil is dropped by Anchor. The little greenskin does land safely, and decides to hand the ball off to Skitter instead. The star is promptly smashed to the ground and knocked out by a line elf. A catcher darts through to retrieve the ball with two goblins looking on in amazement. The third point isn't scored though (just yet) as the catcher fumbles the pass, Breccia takes a chance and makes a dash for the ball, pretty much ignoring the two elves standing nearby. He manages to get away from them, and heads down-field with Slack and Efflux in support. A wardancer charges after him, but Breccia is prepared, and gives him a great don't argue. Prusik charges through, clearing a path for the thrower, but the second wardancer is more successful, and brings the thrower down. The ball bounces straight to a line elf, who catches it, then catches Prusik's fist and goes down. Anchor has also been busy, giving the treeman something to think about, raking him with his claws and knocking the wooden one out. Breccia recovers to see a slim chance for a point before the break, but his attempt to get to the ball fails, and as he falls on the pigskin, the half-time siren blows.

The second half sees the elves kick deep, then weaving their way through the line to get down-field. Skitter finally manages to score a hit, and brings down a line elf with a well placed thrust with his blade. Calcite arrives in time to shove a line elf who was threatening Breccia. The thrower retrieves the ball, then chucks the ball towards Bolt, who gratefully accepts it and rushes down-field. A roaming wardancer crashes into him, knocking him out, with a line elf following behind to pick up the ball. He continues to run towards the other wardancer, but the ball slips from the receivers' grasp. Calcite flattens him, allowing Karst to scamper through and grab the ball. The other wardancer then dodges clear of his marker, and flattens him, whilst a catcher moves in to pick-up the ball. Skitter then has a stab at the elven thrower, and the blade does enough damage to drop the elf, giving Belay and Calcite room to have a shot at the catcher. The dropped ball bounces to Breccia, who gleefully runs off with it. He is brought down by a pursuing wardancer, with the second one managing to scoop up the ball and hurl a long pass down-field. The pass is inaccurate though, but still manages to drop into the arms of a catcher. Calcite rumbles through, flattens him, allowing Belay a chance to grab the ball. Abseil tries to get clear to provide some support, but over exerts himself and falls over. Gour tries to provide some cover, but he too has over exerted himself trying to mark a line elf. Belay is dragged down, the elves get the ball, and the ball-carrier gets clear. Slack goes after him, and just manages to reach him, but he skips away, and darts in for the elves third point. [Turn 6]

With the coach imploring them to try and finish the tournament on a positive note, Breccia grabs the ball off the restart, and hands the ball on to Efflux. Anchor motions to throw him, but suddenly forgets to, and the goblin decides to weave his way past the elves and head down-field. Bolt charges through, shoving a wardancer away from the little greenskin, but he gets surrounded by at least three more elves. Undaunted, Efflux steps to his left, steps to his right, steps to his right again, then left and into the clear. With the line beckoning him, the little feller grits his teeth and stumbles into the end zone for a well deserved point. [Turn 8]

There is very little time left in the match, but there's enough for Karst to get flattened by a line elf, and knocked out, defeating the possibility of an unlikely second point. When Abseil is thumped to the ground, the elven thrower races in to lay the boot in, but the referee sees the foul, and gives him his marching orders, just moments before the full-time siren sounds.

And so ends GoM. The Underworld Creeper experiment, much like the Wood Elven one, fails badly, but at least they registered a win, unlike my woodies and my maligned Chaos Pact side from Euc Bowl all those years ago. I'll have to try the side in a league. I can see the potential in them.

Well, that's it. I'm finally up-to-date with my match reports. And just in time too, seeing I'll be heading off to Can Con next week. I hope my Pro-Elves do a lot better, and if Nuffle is listening, how about some more favourable rolls for the dice eh?

And on that note, I bid you all farewell. Ciao!

Last match for 2011?

2011-12-22T21:49:00.003+11:00

Oh boy, I have been neglecting this again, haven't I? Naughty me!

I'm a few games behind again, not even having put up the reports from my rather disappointing tournament with the Spelunkers. (Least said about them the better probably. At least they weren't as bad as my Chaos Pact team from Euc Bowl 2009... )

And there is a good reason why I'm behind. Seeing that the end of the year is almost upon us, I have been quite busy with Xmas lunches, outings, appointments with case managers, and unexpected surprises. The unexpected surprise that arrived last Friday (16th Dec), was a relatively new Compaq Presario. After four days of labour, not only did I fix the machine's biggest problems (including connection problems to the internet and an errant driver for the video adapter), but I got Blood Bowl Legendary Edition working on my new baby as well, and, gees, it runs like a dream! To make sure I wasn't seeing things, I even gave Rome - Total War a quick spin, and was very chuffed to see it zooming along as well. (I really can't wait to have a crack at Medieval II – Total War now... )

Of course, this now means that I have been playing it madly since Monday evening when I finally got the baby working wonderfully well. As I fully intended to do, I'm going to have a campaign with all the available races and have started with the Amazons. Eighteen games into the campaign, the busty babes have won fifteen and drawn three, and have scored forty touchdowns. I have a full roster, everybody has star player points, and only one player has failed to get a skill up (so far). Losses? Well, I sacked a line-woman at the end of the first tournament who had lost a point of AV, but that's it. Sure, I have had players injured – I'm even carrying a blitzer with an AV of 6 (she also has 35 SPPs... ). However, the girls have survived quite well, despite the heavy hitting sides that they have come up against (necromantic, undead, khemri, norse, chaos just to name a few). In eighteen games, they have only been on the worst end of the casualty count four times.

Only a few of the games have been walk-overs. As demonstrated at tournaments, the same can be said for the PC version, with a lot of my good ideas are thwarted by just a single dice roll (the number of go-for-it rolls failed is really starting to get annoying... ) I have been tested a couple of times, by a dark elven team and a nurgle side which, thankfully, I've only had to play once. If the AI was a little smarter (I'm playing on the Hard level), then I would really be in trouble, considering the number of botched rolls that keep coming up. The computer has a standard policy of forming up cages whenever possible, and taking wizards for incentives at every opportunity. I've also noticed that rather than using big guys to smash apart my side, it's more prepared to run them down field and use them as part of the cage. Some games the big guy doesn't even get his hands dirty. (Watching the rat ogre and the minotaur making around 60% of their Wild Animal rolls when just moving surprises me.)

But every now and again, something unexpected happens. It does foul, and with the high AG players it will try it's arm for passes. Some of the players I've come up against though defy belief. One khemri throw-ra had a MA, AG and ST increase, plus Block and Mighty Blow. Playing against that team was relatively easy. I fouled him every time he went down, and I made sure he went down often. The khemri attack then just stalled.

Anyway, have a look for yourself at the progress of this team. I don't have that many TV 2000+ sides. I just wish I could use this one in a tournament or a league. Sigh.

The match reports for the Spelunkers will just have to wait. I really wanted to get something posted before I went away for Xmas, so I'll rattle off the OCF's last match for their season in SLOBB, seeing I really don't have the time to do all six of the Gathering of Might reports.

Game: 675
Opponent: Grod
Team: Big Bang Theory (Chaos Pact)
Venue: Good Games Central (Sydney)
Result: 1 all draw
Casualties: Won 4-2
Toss: Won - kicked
Fame: Me+1
Initial weather roll: Very Sunny
Kick-offs (in order): Cheering Fans (a re-roll each), Brilliant Coaching (opponent gains a re-roll), Change of Weather – Fine, Brilliant Coaching (a re-roll each).
Incentives: BBT had 250k to spend, and took Ugroth Bolgrot, and a wizard.

The divisional leaders had gained a skaven with +1 MA, a marauder with Leader, the minotaur had Juggernaut, the ogre Guard, and the dark elf Dodge.

The game didn't start that well for the Pact, despite the early acquisition of an extra re-roll. The troll was in no mood to do anything, the minotaur's charge down the pitch didn't achieve it's desired result, and the guest appearance of Ugroth was very short-lived, when his chainsaw kicked-back, cut deep, and he was carried unconscious from the pitch. Burr Reading (troll) gave a marauder a good whack across the noggin' knocking it out, whilst Ryan O'Reilly (blitzer), with a little bit of assistance, shoved the minotaur back. Vern Schillenger & Chris Keller (blitzers), seeing that the opposition hadn't retrieved the ball from the kick-off, hared after it. The minotaur didn't like the push, so he gave the senior O'Reilly brother something to go on with, belting him off the pitch, where he was savagely booted by some enthusiastic spectators. The medic, thankfully, was able to do a good job, and O'Reilly was able to make his own way back to the OCF dugout. Reading suddenly forgot what he was meant to be doing, distracted somewhat by what was going on off the pitch. Keller, too late to get the ball, went after the dark elf that had it, but tripped over an errant rock just in front of the pact player. The elf took advantage of this, and advanced towards halfway, but the assistance he was after from the team's ogre never came, seeing he too was distracted by something in the crowd. Reading suddenly realised why he was on the pitch, and whilst the ogre was looking into the stands, the troll head-butted him, dropping the unfortunate big guy like a stone. Keller had regained his footing, and went after the elf, just catching him. However, he stepped away from him, deftly handing the ball on to an idle marauder on the orcs' left hand flank. He was soon surrounded, and his attempts to get away from Schillenger failed dismally. The ball though, conveniently bounced to a team-mate. He pushed aside the OCF's leading player, and raced off down the pitch. Cyril O'Reilly (line orc), exerted himself to the fullest to drag him down, the ball rolling off the pitch. It was thrown straight back on, landing roughly in the middle of the orcs' half. Reading wasn't too fussed about it, preferring to look at the ogre still lying on the turf. The minotaur charged down the field, collecting Miguel Alvarez (blitzer) along the way, then dropping him on his head. With the orcs scattered all over the park, another marauder ambled over to the ball, easily scooping it up and continuing his run. Simon Adebisi (black orc) didn't like the looks of that, and with an almighty effort, stepped away from his marker, and crashes into the ball carrier, flooring him. The younger O'Reilly tried to get off the side-line to get to the ball, but was tripped up and he fell face first into the turf. The elf, realizing that he was going to have to do it all himself, eased his way past the troll, who had just flattened the ogre again, picked up the nearby ball, then continued his run down the pitch. Adebisi desperately charged past a marauder, then attacked the elf, but could only force him back. Schillenger though did better, picking off a marauder that was moving in to support the elf. He drove the unfortunate player hard into the turf, breaking a couple of ribs. Another marauder though appeared on the scene, king hit the black orc marking the elf, and with a little bit of extra effort, the elf breaks the dead-lock right on half-time.

The Pact though would have an anxious few moments before the siren sounded. Jaz Hoyt (black orc), standing right on halfway, plucked the ball out of the air from the kick-off, then promptly strolled over and gave the ball to Agamemnon Busmalis (goblin), who gave the the troll a swift kick, waking him up. The troll picked up the little runt, and pegged him nicely down the pitch after the front row cleared all the marauders off the front line. Busmalis however, came down too close to the elf, and hit the turf hard, spilling the ball.

The weather thankfully improved during the break, and despite dropping the ball off the kick-off, Alvarez recovered the spill, then lobbed a quick pass to Keller, who charged down field with a little bit of support. The troll though, was immobile, and despite the minotaur chucking a tantrum, the marauders managed to hem the blitzer in. It required some text-book blocking from Alvarez and Schillenger to allow Keller a chance to escape. He pushes aside the skaven player, stepped towards then away from a marauder, who almost succeeds in tripping him up, but the blitzer manages to stay on his feet, and stagger into the end zone for the equalizer. [Turn 2.]

The orcs', their tails up, elected to kick shallow, with the ball just landing inside the Pact's half. The elf scampered up the pitch to retrieve it, but the bull-dozer of a minotaur was having another one of his infamous tantrums, and couldn't oblige to creating a hole for him to run through. The Pact troll though took offence to his counterpart, and smacked him in the face. The troll fell on his arse, and was left rubbing his sore nose. The minotaur though suddenly finished his tantrum, and charged at the touchdown scorer. His horns gored the blitzer, and this time the medic could do nothing to save him. Hoyt was targeted by a clumsy shot from a marauder, which had both players hitting the turf. The black orc picked himself up just in time to be smacked by the ogre, who had over extended himself and reeled over. He had done enough though, and the big Hoyt needed four people to stretcher him off to the koed bin. With the minotaur barrelling over Tobias Beecher (thrower), the elf had plenty of room to move, and threw an uninterrupted pass to a waiting marauder. The Pact's goblin, who had hardly done a thing in the game so far, ended his match trying to slip past Kareem Said (black orc), tripping over the orc's big foot and cracking his skull when he smacked into the turf. Said then focussed his attention on the minotaur, and with a powerful left-right combo, the big guy crashed to the turf, with a similar injury to that of the goblin's. Adebisi demonstrates his fancy footwork once more and steps away from his marker, and manages to catch up to the marauder with the ball, as Reading recovers to floor his opponent with a hearty swipe. Schillenger was ready to charge across the pitch to smack the ball carrier, but a searing bolt of electricity crashed into the ground at his feet, knocking him over. He quickly recovered, then raced over to assist Adebisi in forcing the ogre back towards the side-line. However, Schillenger gets shunted across, giving the ogre a golden opportunity to clear the blitzer off the field. He swung wildly, damaging only the air, and as he swung again, the wily orc ducked under the blow, dropping his shoulder into the big guy, and driving him hard into the turf. [Note: It was two, three-dice blocks against Schillenger. Only needing a push-back to get him off the pitch, the first roll was skull-skull-both down, no good to the block-less ogre. The re-roll (after passing Loner), much to my relief, was triple both down... ] The fall doing some serious damage, leaving the ogre with a permanent reminder of the blitzer's powerful counter-blow. O'Reilly senior, inspired by the demise of the ogre, dodges clear of his marker, and with plenty of extra effort, charges at the unfortunate marauder with the ball, forcing him off the pitch. The crowd obliges by tossing the ball onto the pitch near half-way, where Beecher saunters across and retrieves it. In turn, an attacking marauder charges across and bowls him over, then picks up the pig-skin. Schillenger and Chucky Pancamo (black orc) keep him under guard, and distracted as Said belts him across the back of his head. Alvarez takes care of the rat, and Reading wins the battle with his fellow monstrosity, stunning him with a fierce back-hand swipe. With time fast running out, the marauder gets to his feet, knocks Said over, giving a marauder a chance to recover the ball unhindered. With the elf waiting in the end zone, the marauder cocks his arm back for the throw, but the ball slips out of his hand, right as the siren announces full-time.

Though both teams don't fair too well with the match takings (30k each) they both gain a point of fan factor for their efforts. The ogre, despite his costly error, got the MVP, with Beecher being the OCF's recipient. This was enough for a second roll for the thrower, and to add to his extra agility, he gains and extra point of movement as well.

If this turns out to be the last game I play for the year, then I am very pleased that it was such a fantastic game. It was a marvellous see-sawing encounter, with both sides just a pip on the dice away from snatching a victory at times. Despite the ogre giving himself a niggling injury, I honestly felt the Pact were going to pinch it at the death with the pass, and was mighty relieved when it was fumbled. Still, I wonder what would have happened had my thrown goblin had thrown a 5 instead of a 4 and landed, whether he would of managed to dodge clear and tie things up right on half-time. I guess we'll never know.

Well, though my record this year has more losses than wins, I am still pleased that I managed to get to six events this year, with the seventh place at MOAB (with Chaos Dwarves) clearly being my best effort. I can't complain, for that effort got me Blood Bowl Legendary Edition for a bargain price! It was sad to see the demise of the Central Coast league, but at the same time I am pleased to have gotten involved with the third season of the Newcastle (NOBBL) league, and SLOBB in Sydney. Both of them, despite the distance, have sated my hunger for a damn fine board game over the last three months.

All the best for the festive season, and here's to a good year of Blood-Bowling in 2012. Cheers!

Very brief Gathering of Might report - Day 2

2011-12-11T19:04:00.002+11:00

I wish I could report good news, but I can't. Day two was a continuation of poor dice rolls, and seeing the team bashed all over the park. The end casualty count of 2-26 was, well, pathetic. Only one of those came as a result of a block. (Skitter Stab-Stab did the other.) I did the two in the last game, and nearly had a heart attack when one of my skaven blitzers badly hurt a line elf. The end record was 1 win, 1 draw, 4 losses. Another tournament I'd rather forget.

The for and against isn't pretty either - 6-12. The chaos pact side the Spelunkers played in game five rolled right over them, and I was lucky to have three players on the pitch at the finish. The wood elves in game six could hardly do anything wrong. (They did, but it didn't affect the scoreline much.) In return, my team managed to fail, at one time or another, every possible roll, except to be sent off for fouling. (I hardly got in a position really to at all to do any.)

The highlight? A belated touchdown at the end of game six, scored by a goblin. He made four successive dodge rolls through multiple tackle zones then a go-for-it to at least give me something to cheer about.

Oh well, sixteen down, eight to go...

Very brief Gathering of Might report - Day 1

2011-12-10T19:39:00.002+11:00

Oh boy. Man, the fun I'm having with the Underworld Creepers today. I have been absolutely reamed in the casualties a whopping 0-15 (the best I have done is two knock-outs... ), but, after three games, I'm 1-1-1, with the touchdowns even at 4-4.

Not a big turn-out, but a good turn-out of the regulars. Ten coaches overall, and an eleventh will play tomorrow. A fair few bashy teams (at least 2 dwarven teams, a chaos dwarf, a khemri and even a chaos pact side) but then, it's expected with these choices of skill sets. (I went for 7 20k skills, and seeing I can take mutations for 20k across the board... )

What can I say? The Spelunkers started well, scoring on turn two of the first game, then were wiped off the pitch mid-way in the second half. The rats just refused to dodge, and in game three, it was the goblins who were finding it hard to dodge clear of opponents. In all three games, the go-for-it rolls were driving me to tears...

Still, all is not lost. I gradually improved as the day wore on, and the casualty count lessened. Of course, tomorrow is another day. Ciao!

P.S: Finally got a game of the Blood Bowl team manager card game. Once you have a couple of goes at it, it's not too bad.

Third match in NOBBL

2011-12-07T17:45:00.003+11:00

Though it was hard, I have just managed to tear myself away from an entertaining game of Angband (http://rephial.org/). For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a PC game, put in the category of “Rogue”-like games. Basically, the Rogue-like games are low on graphics, yet high on playability. Graphics are generally replaced by letters or symbols (ASCII) as are items and characters. Angband though has a windows version, where the ASCII symbols are replaced by little sprites.

I'm just getting back into them, having downloaded a whole pile of them last month. The beautiful thing about these games are that they are free, and generated by a community of programmers. They're also quite enjoyable. Sure, there are a lot of commands to familiarize yourself with, but if you want to waste an afternoon wandering around dungeons and beating up monsters (like I very nearly did) and aren't too fussed about the quality of the graphics, then give it a try. A couple of sites you can learn more or download games like this from are Rogue Temple (http://www.roguetemple.com/) and Rogue Life (http://rogue-life.ourden.org/).

Okay, now having gotten that out of my system, time to move on to another match report. Last Saturday (December 3rd) myself and the Babster journeyed up to Wallsend again for the December meeting of the Every Games Guild. Like the first meet, there were six players in attendance again, but due to our late arrival (and the later arrival of player six), and another player playing something else, there was only time for us to play one full game each. (Myself and Babs did start a second each, but have to finish it off at a later date.)

For the second round match, I was paired up with the organizers son, who demonstrated a) that he had some ability with the game, b) wasn't afraid of being adventurous (like throwing long bombs with Ag 2 players), c) and fouled whenever he got the chance! He didn't have to do too much of the latter, seeing he was regularly breaking AV 7 and either knocking players out or injuring them often enough.

Game:668
Opponent: Elih C
Team: Small & Powerful (Dwarves)
Result: Won 3-1
Casualties: Lost 1-3
Toss: Lost - kicked
Fame: Me+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Cheering Fans (I gained a re-roll), Quick Snap, Change of Weather (Fine), Change of weather (Fine), Throw a rock (Blocker stunned).
Incentives: Dwarves got 70k worth, took a Bloodweiser Babe.

The dwarven side needed the services of a journeyman blocker for this match, seeing he was seriously injured in the previous game. One player had gained a skill, that being a blitzer, who had taken Mighty Blow.

The ball landed nicely for the dwarves, practically on top of one of their runners, who didn't waste any time picking the ball up. The dwarves also didn't waste any time taking to the elves either, as Summer Clearance, then Helvetica Bold (line elves), were koed and stretchered off the pitch. Ariel Black (line elf) struck back, dodging through the line and going the extra yards to attack the runner with the ball, but could only force him back. She was soon flattened and stunned by the other runner, but the ball carrier didn't get much of a chance to advance when the journeyman swung wildly at Carrie Oakey (line elf) missed, fell badly, and was badly hurt for his troubles. This allowed Paige Turner (line elf) to charge through and have a shot at the runner, but again, could only force him back. Much to her surprise though, rather than dodge clear, he hurled the ball down-field, which went within a whisker of bouncing back to a blitzer way down the other end of the pitch. Ruby Tuesday and Dot Com (line elf) forced him away from the ball, allowing Catherine the Above Average to scoop it up, then fling a short pass to Amber Alert (blitzer), who took it cleanly and raced off down the left hand side of the field. The dwarves went after her, and also took the opportunity to take out Katherine Gorge (thrower) as well, knocking her out. (She would take some time to get back onto the pitch too... ) Amber, with the line in sight, charged at the troll slayer, pushing him back, then stepped clear of him. With the elven supporters cheering her on, she reached the end zone, but inconveniently got a bad case of leg cramp and went down in the end zone. The ball rolled into the bottom left hand corner of the pitch. A troll slayer came stomping in, fully intended to lay in the boot, but it only glanced off her armor. Amber got back up, and tried to grab the ball right next to her to score the point, but was tripped up by the slayer, and the ball rolled diagonally backwards. The troll slayer then focussed his attentions on Catherine, and hit her a couple of times, cracking a rib. A dwarven runner then ambled down the pitch to retrieve the ball, and elected to hurl it back down the pitch to a blocker, but fumbled the ball. Ariel was in a useful position to go after the ball, whilst Amber blitzed and pushed the unsuccessful runner off the pitch. The crowd was very lenient, and only repeatedly slapped his back until he made it into the dugout. He soon had company, as Amber targeted the troll slayer and forced him off the pitch, as a dwarven blitzer throws a clumsy block at Ariel, and falls flat on his face. The slayer though, despite the ministrations of the Bloodweiser Babe (well, maybe because of them) didn't want to come back onto the field just yet. Ariel took the opportunity to dash for the line, but suffered the same problem as Amber, falling down with the end zone right in front of her. The ball rolled in that direction. With time almost up, a longbeard gave Dawn Service (line elf) a good going over, finishing her match just before the main break. Ariel gingerly got back to her feet, stepped into the end zone, and with a huge sigh of relief from the coaching staff, managed to pick up the ball and register the first point of the game.

With only one elf managing to recover in time to return to the pitch, the Drag Queens were in a little trouble, starting the half with only eight players on the pitch and that was even with the reserve Bridgette of Madison County (catcher) starting the half. (Thankfully, the dwarves only had nine.) Whereas the first half was a rather tight arm-wrestle of a half, the second half was free-flowing. With the elves getting right into the dwarves faces at the restart, Amber and Summer were able to flatten the dwarves on the left flank, allowing Ariel a clear run down the pitch. Ruby tried to go with her, but was tripped up by a blocker, the same blocker in fact who charged after Ariel, and dragged her down. Bridgette then arrived on the scene, kicking the blocker away from the ball, allowing Ariel the chance to get back up, recover it, and charge for the line. However, the dwarves weren't going to allow the elves to score that easily, and a rampaging blitzer smacked into her, knocking her flat on her face. Amber replied with a backhand swipe at the dwarf, flattening him, and with no one else around, grabbed the ball and stepped into the end zone to score. [Turn 3]

With both sides getting a koed player back onto the pitch, the dwarves were hell bent on scoring quickly. The ball was kicked deep, much to the annoyance of the runner who had to dash back to get it. The other runner, was making his way towards half-way. Bridgette couldn't believe her luck that the runner was so close to the sideline, so she charged straight at him. He saw her coming, dropped the shoulder, and she went down like a sack of spuds. Paige was the next visitor to the casualty ward, after being thumped by a blocker. The runner down near his end zone had managed to retrieve the ball and head back up the other way, electing to hand the ball on to the troll slayer. The dwarven runner, with Bridgette on the turf in front of him, has a kick at her and misses. She gets back up and tries to push him off the pitch, but he grabs an arm and drags her down instead. The slayer decides to impress the Bloodweiser Babe, and goes for a little run, then lobs a short ball down the pitch to a blocker, who easily takes the catch. The elves are surprised, and try to stop the play, but Carrie gets knocked out by a blitzer, and Amber, after dodging her way through the dwarves, gets an elbow to her face for her troubles when she reaches the ball carrier. Ariel tries to halt the blocker, but he succeeds in stepping away from her, and with a concerted effort, steps into the end zone to lessen the gap. [Turn 6]

The elves are a little worried around about now, with seven players to start the next drive, and the dwarves on the rampage. However, the restart from the bearded ones was poor, and Amber was given the opportunity to put the game away. With the ball safely in her hands, she charges forward, pushing aside a blocker, then dodging away from another. Dot tries to cover her back, but is tripped up, and she knocks herself out in the process. The dwarves hare after the elven blitzer, but only succeed in forcing her closer closer to the line. In the end, the dwarves couldn't do nothing to stop her, and with time running out, Amber steps away from the dwarves for her second, and to put the game beyond doubt.

In the little time there was left, a representative from the rock sniper's guild made an appearance, stunning a blocker with a well thrown half-brick. Ruby was to finish the game nursing an ice-pack on her head, whilst Helvetica was quite relieved when the referee sent a blocker from the pitch from laying the boot in on her. He then looked at his watch, thought that was close enough, and signalled full-time. The elves are quite relieved, seeing they have finished the game with only six players on the pitch, and hardly any of them were standing.

It was a good game for the elves, the third game in a row where they have scored three touchdowns. The winnings were great, 80k, but not quite enough to replace the blitzer that they lost in the first match. They also gained a point of Fan Factor, and Amber picked up her second skill, Strip Ball, whilst Ariel got her first, Kick. Even better that there were no lasting injuries, so all twelve were ready to take to the pitch to take on the Underworld Creepers side in the next league match.

Well, the last tournament of the year (for me) takes place this weekend in Chatswood. I have already settled on taking an Underworld Creepers team to Gathering of Might, and look forward to marking them off my list as well. They will be number sixteen, with only eight more of the official sides to go after that.

Who knows, if I have a good run next year (finance wise), I might knock all eight of them off.

Cheers!

P.S: A quick mention, the second Feudball book has been well and truly started. I have completed the first drafts of chapters 1, 3, 4 and 5, and have started on chapter 6. I'm hoping to at least complete that chapter before heading away for xmas.

Penguin update

2011-12-06T15:07:00.001+11:00

I do have another match report to post, but I'll have to save that for a little later. What I do want to post though, is the latest images of my "Ogre" team. And to think, I had originally intended to do an African critter related Ogre team with Meerkats...

I did have more, but for some reason Blogger is being a bit silly today and won't let me upload them. Ciao!

OCF game six

2011-11-21T23:00:00.001+11:00

Raining again here on the coast, which makes me wonder if we're heading into summer or back towards winter. Not that I mind, seeing it keeps the house nice and cool. (You don't want to be in my place when it's hot. Then again, I don't even want to be in my place when it's hot.)

Generalities aside, yes, I have another match report. Joining the SLOBB league was definitely a good idea, seeing I've now managed six games in just over a month. All I have to do now is find the eighth player in my division, and then the OCF have played everybody on the ladder.

Honestly, I didn't really expect to finish in the top half of the ladder when I first started. I just wanted to take a, well, “normal” team, one that I hadn't played in a while, and see how I go. This was sort of a test run, to gauge the level of the opposition. I'm happy to say that I have been competitive, and feel that with an ounce more luck in each game, I might have just won five out of the six games I played.

Before I get stuck into the report, I should pass my congratulations on to Team Anzac, that was placed tenth in the Blood Bowl World Cup in Amsterdam. I had sort of been keeping track of the efforts of the boys flying the Australian flag (mostly through Facebook) and was very pleased to see a post this morning with the news. Bravo!

I'll be interested to hear of some of their experiences at the upcoming Gathering of Might tournament (December 10 & 11) at Chatswood. (Mental note, must pay entry fee when I'm paid on Friday!)

Okay, onto the next game. Last Sunday I hopped on the train and headed down to Good Games Burwood for my sixth game in SLOBB.

Game #: 667
Date: 20 Nov 2011
Opponent: Virral
Team: Horrible Hybrids (Chaos Dwarves)
Result: Lost 1-2
Casualties: Won 3-1
Toss: Won - received
Fame: Me+2
Starting Weather: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Brilliant Coaching (I gained a re-roll), Brilliant Coaching (I gained a re-roll), Throw a rock (Journeyman Hobgoblin stunned), Change of Weather – Fine.

From memory, this is fourth encounter with Virral. Our last meeting was in the last round at Eucalyptus Bowl, where my Count Luthor lead Vampire team went down 1-2 against his Necromantic. This time round, I was facing his Chaos Dwarves, who, like my side, were a bit slow off the mark in terms of gaining skills, and only playing in their third match. So there were no skills to worry about, but I did have to worry about the guest appearance of Hthark the Unstoppable, seeing I have given 430k in incentives away. A wandering apothecary was also hired, and a journeyman hobgoblin was brought into the side to make up the numbers.

The game started brightly enough with Chucky Pancamo (black orc) launching a savage blow that knocked out one of the CD's blockers. Tobias Beecher (thrower) scooped up the ball, then launched a good pass down field, which was caught on halfway by Vern Schillenger (blitzer) and he wasted no time and charged deep into the opponent's half down the left-hand side, with two of his fellow blitzers creating a diversion on the right. Schillenger's run was ended not that far from the line, by a blocker and a hobgoblin. The ball bounced off the pitch, and the crowd threw it straight back in, in a very handy position for the orcs. However, it was a hobgoblin who got to the ball first, and though Chris Keller (blitzer) was able to get clear and mark the ball carrier, Schillenger couldn't get away from his marker to carry out the blitz, and the hobgoblin was able to scamper clear when Keller was pushed aside by the cover defence. The plucky blitzer though did manage to escape the clutches of a blocker, and have a second go at the hobgoblin. This time, though he didn't push him down, he jarred the ball loose. It bounced straight to him, but he couldn't grab it and it bounced away. Ryan O'Reilly (blitzer) then tried to grab the pigskin, but there was a nasty pothole waiting for him, and he tripped over, with the ball just in front of his face. Hthark then decided to get involved in the game, and went after the ball, but it initially proved elusive for him too. Whilst Simon Adebisi (black orc) was giving a hobgoblin a free ride to the casualty ward, Keller tried to step clear of his marker and get to the ball, but didn't succeed. Hthark then had a second attempt at picking it up, and succeeded, and went for a gallop down field. Jaz Hoyt (black orc) collided with a hobgoblin, knocking him out when he fell on him, and it was left to Alvarez to make a desperate charge to try and halt the special guest star. He did succeed in hitting the bull, but couldn't stop him, and the star player trampled Alvarez into the turf, sprinted for the line, and right on half-time gave the Hybrids the first point of the game.

The CDs were reinforced at the start of the second half with all their knocked out players returning to the field. It was a poor kick-off to start the half, and the ball was promptly presented to a bull centaur to get things under way. The Hybrids pushed forward, knocking over the orcs centre three, but Schillenger struck back, getting behind the cage, and picking off a hobgoblin at the rear, ending his game considerably early. With Burr Reading (troll) unable to get up, the CDs pushed forward into the OCF's half. With some creative blocking, Cyril O'Reilly (line orc) was able to dodge clear and throw a hopeful hit at the ball carrier, which proved ineffectual. Cyril O'Reilly was then given a second chance, as the drive down field was temporarily stalled, (after a falling Beecher got in the road of the bull centaur) and with a little help from Keller, the stocky line orc dropped the bull, the ball fortuitously bouncing to a blocker, who, despite being covered by two players, caught the ball. It was the Hybrids turn to come up with some creative blocking, with one thing leading to another, with the blocker being pushed clear of the ruck, then managing to rumble in for what eventually becomes the match winning touchdown. [Turn 5]

With a rock sniper getting involved in the proceedings, the orcs were determined to hit back quickly. Beecher scooped up the ball, and after the black orcs flattened the CDs centre three, he hurried up the field to hand the ball off to Kenny Wangler (goblin). With three of the four blitzers getting in and behind the CDs' defence, the little green skin drops the ball cold, denying the side an instant reply. However, with Pancamo adding to his tally of injuries caused this season, Beecher decides on a second course of action. With the ball at the feet of two blockers, the thrower nips in, picks up the ball, darts away, then delivers a beautiful pass to Schillenger. The blitzer ignores the blocker marking him, takes the catch, then steps away from him and charges for the line. Despite a little stumble entering the end zone, he stays on his feet to get his side back in the match. [Turn 6]

Fortune though, was prepared to give the green ones a slim chance to save face, with a hobgoblin fumbling the ball to a team-mate off the kick-off. Two blitzers charged at the hobgoblin, with Keller crashing into the warty one shoulder first, knocking him out. The ball bounced teasingly towards the end zone, but there was no one left nearby to take advantage of it. Reading, who had spent most of the second half napping on the turf, woke up to the sound of Wangler's screeching, and to shut him up, pegged him down field. The throw was quite good, but Kenny landed right beside Hthark, and the big star player had a good laugh with the goblin landed poorly, stunning himself in the process. With time fast running out, Hoyt tried to clear some space for Alvarez to get to the ball, but he was upended by the blocker instead, and the boys from the OCF lose yet another heart-breaker.

Cyril O'Reilly was rewarded for his efforts on the pitch with the MVP, and the team did pick up 60k in winnings. With no one skilling up, and with only one match left for the team, Warden Glynn decided to add two extra players to the roster, second thrower Arnold “Poet” Jackson, and second goblin Agamemnon “The Mole” Busmalis.

Before I go, I should happily announce that I have completed the first draft of chapter one of the second Feudball book. With nothing better to do earlier today, I decided to take apart the few notes that I had typed up sometime last year, and constructed the new version. I have also fleshed out (in more detail) the synopsis, and created some notes about the new secondary characters that will be featured in the second instalment.

Cheers!

Game 5 for the OCF

2011-11-16T23:02:00.002+11:00

Ahh. It's raining, I have Peter Gabriel's latest CD playing, and there's a carbonated beverage close to hand. Must be time to rattle off another Blood Bowl blog.

Before I surge into another match report for the Oz Correctional Facility, I should mention that last Friday (11th Nov) I recorded an interview for a local radio station, which was aired on their Sunday Coastal Arts program (13th Nov). The interview, from the feedback that I have received, sounded “very professional” and felt that I had come across very well. In the interview, I talked predominantly about Feudball, and Blood Bowl in particular. I also discussed the benefits of creative arts (and physical activity such as Soccer) to those overcoming mental health problems, such as myself. I plugged both leagues I was in, the two local stores where the book can be purchased, and even the club I play for in Sydney. To listen to it (or download it) proceed to the Coastal Arts website, and look for the November interviews.

I should also add, an in-depth synopsis of the follow-up to Feudball has been created. The team is going to have it a little tougher this time round, and there are going to be a few surprises along the way. There will be plenty of on field action, and quite a bit of off field action as well, much like the first book. (It was a good mix the first time round, why change it?)

Right, onto the game. The OCF were back in action last Sunday for their fifth match in the SLOBB Tear of Redcard Competition. I should point out, they only have to play two more games in the regular season before they have completed their quota of matches. When I first joined, I was given until the end of November to play three matches. This Sunday (20th) the team has their next opponent lined up, which means I only have to track down one more coach in the conference.

Game #: 666
Date: 13 Nov 2011
Location: Good Games Burwood
Opponent: Magnus
Team: Purple Cobras (Orcs)
Result: Won 2-1
Casualties: Won 3-1
Fame: Me+1
Starting Weather: Fine
Toss: Won – received
Kick-offs (in order): Blitz (Touchback), Throw a Rock (Kenny Wangler, goblin, Badly Hurt), Quick Snap, Perfect Defence.

For a change, the OCF were handing out incentives to a rookie side with only one game under their belt, and no skills to speak of. For the 230k that they received, they took a Wizard, and a Bloodweiser Babe. The side had an unusual set up: troll, two goblins, thrower, two blitzers, two black orcs, and three line orcs.

The Cobras getting a Blitz on the opening kick-off didn't help, but the touchback sure did, and Vern Schillenger (blitzer) on the left flank was given the pigskin after their opponents had carried out their pre-emptive attack. It was Miguel Alvarez (blitzer) who bore the brunt of it, and he had to be dragged off to the koed bin before Schillenger even got the ball. Once he had it, he new exactly which way to go – straight down the pitch. Ryan O'Reilly and Chris Keller (blitzers) skirted down the left flank, whilst the black orc quartet thumped away in the middle. The Cobras were hitting hard in response, leaving half the OCF team face down on the pitch. Unfortunately, their thrower wasn't obliging, as his charge at Schillenger was a disaster, and the blitzer was left with a relatively easy task of pushing aside the goblin that was marking him, then a determined sprint for the line. For a brief moment it looked like an errant pot hole was going to be his downfall, but the hard hitting orc stayed on his feet long enough to register the first point of the game. [Turn 2]

Wangler's appearance on the pitch was indeed a very short one, coming on long enough to be targeted by a rock sniper, and subsequently injured for the second time this season. The kick-off was bad, and the Cobras received a touchback this time round. Again, the home side was striking hard, with Simon Adebisi (black orc) and Cyril O'Reilly (line orc) knocked out in successive hits. Unfortunately, their thrower wasn't having the best of starts, and fumbled a quick pass intended for a goblin team-mate. With the OCF defence in tatters, the Cobras set up for the always amusing air goblin play, but the little feller didn't really want the ball, and promptly spilled it after the thrower succeeded in picking it up. Despite their lack of numbers, the prison team took the fight back to their opponents, rearranging the huddle that was gathered around the spilled ball. Tobias Beecher (thrower) saw an opportunity, and weaved his way past two defenders, but could not acquire the ball. He was promptly flattened by a black orc, with the other swinging, missing and going down after having a go at Chucky Pancamo (black orc). Kareem Said (black orc) then at least managed to bring his opponent down, but he was dragged down as well, landing on his head and knocking himself out. With the Cobra's drive stalled, Schillenger spied a goblin hiding behind the troll, and went after him. It was a powerful blow, and plenty of bandages were needed to stop the little feller from bleeding to death. Beecher stood back up, grabbed the ball away from the feet of an opposing blitzer, then stepped away from him. The blitzer struck him from behind, and the thrower hit the turf and wasn't going to get up until the end of the half. The ball bounced nicely towards Ryan O'Reilly, but even though he got clear of the defence, he couldn't recover it, and was belted to the ground for his trouble. An orc blitzer then grabbed the pigskin, gave it to the surviving goblin, who was promptly hurled down the pitch by the troll. The throw was rather average, and the landing was poor, and the ball rolling nicely towards a Cobra blitzer, who had stepped through one of the holes in the OCF defensive line. Ryan O'Reilly had to about face, and charge after him, exerting himself to reach his target, only to be smacked in the face by his opposite number. With only Peter Schibetta (line orc) to beat, the orc blitzer made it look too easy, and raced in to score to even things up at the main break.

With both sides down a player for the second half, the OCF got things rolling with a kick that was perilously close to going out midway in the Cobra's half. Four Cobras then formed a wedge and surged forward down the OCF left flank, with their thrower recovering the ball in back play. The four Cobra players were met by four prisoners, whilst Ryan O'Reilly belted the sole goblin on the pitch aside, to prevent another air goblin attack. Adebisi rumbled downfield, making the extra yards to get right in the opposing thrower's face, but he was unphased, and he coolly stepped aside, and quickly threw the ball to a nearby blitzer. In turn, he charged down field, looking for an available team-mate to hand the ball on to. His efforts came to naught though, as the subsequent hand-off to his team-mate, who was being marked by three prisoners, predictably failed. The ball bouncing back to the orc who delivered it. Jaz Hoyt (black orc) then Schibetta take care of the two blitzers, and the ball bounces off the pitch. The crowd on the left side throw it to those behind the OCF end zone, who in turn lob it back onto the field. Beecher instinctively went after it, regaining possession for his side. As the troll knocked Said out back on the halfway, an orc blitzer chases after Beecher, and drops him. The ball stays on the turf, and some good hitting is needed to clear a path for Beecher to retrieve it. Adebisi could see the thrower moving in behind some team-mates, and seeing he was the only OCF player down that end of the pitch, he shuffles a little closer to the line, whilst Schillenger, in superb form, king hits an opposing blitzer and he is stretchered off the pitch. A black orc then attempts to bowl over Beecher, but only succeeds in pushing him back. As Pancamo cracks a couple of the Cobra throwers' ribs, Beecher steps clear of his current opponent, hurling the ball to a now open Keller. Beecher points to the open black orc, and the blitzer charges towards him, successfully making the extra yards and the exchange. The black orc needed no further instructions, and casually strolls in to score what will ultimately become the winning touchdown. [Turn 4]

It's a shallow kick, and the OCF are looking to cementing the lead with a third. The troll even obliges by having a little nap. Ryan O'Reilly tries to get around the back of the Cobra's line to grab the goblin who has the ball, but trips over and crashes to the turf. This wakes the troll up, but he's not feeling too energetic, and really only succeeds in getting the goblin over the OCF defensive line. He does land safely however, and urgently scampers between the defenders, his little legs pumping madly trying to get the equalizing point. However, Pancamo and Hoyt were waiting for him, and with one coming in from the left, the other comes in from the right and sandwiches the little greenskin, stunning him. The ball rolls into the end zone, and Beecher has a hell of a job retrieving it. To ensure that the Cobra's don't get another chance to equalize, he quickly offloads it to Keller, who goes for a run down field. With Alvarez neatly parceled up down the other end of the pitch, the third point is not going to eventuate, so Keller opts for a little passing practice and lobs the ball back to Beecher to end the match.

And to Warden Leo Glynn's relief, the prisoners have won their first game.

It is a very beneficial one for the OCF. Schillenger gains his second skill (Guard), whilst Pancamo becomes the first black orc on the roster to have a skill roll (Block). The team picks up 60k in winnings, an extra Fan Factor, and with the oodles of money in the treasury, Burr Reading (troll) is recruited for the next match.

The decision now is what to put on the roster next. A second thrower? A second goblin? A third line orc? Personally, I'd go for the thrower, but I think I'll wait and see.

Ciao!

One with SLOBB, two with NOBBL

2011-11-06T19:25:00.003+11:00

So, with some classical music in the background to inspire me, I present to you three more match reports! The games are from two different leagues: game four for the Oz Correctional Facility in SLOBB, and the first two games in season three in the Newcastle BB League (NOBBL), where I am fielding, for the first time in any format, a (Pro) Elven team, the Drag Queens.

And the Elves have gotten off to a better start than my Orcs, who languish at the bottom of the table in the Bone Lumps South division of SLOBB. Yesterday, the Elves, much like the Orcs, started with a draw, but then followed up with a win in their second match, breaking a small run of draws and losses for myself. In all three games, strangely enough, I managed to score three touchdowns, but only ended up winning one of them...

Firstly, a few words about NOBBL and the league structure. We met yesterday (Nov 5) at the Wallsend Pioneers Memorial Hall, for the monthly meeting of the Every Gamers Guild. I must say that I was thoroughly impressed by the variety of games being played on the day, with somewhere between 20 and 30 people present, and of vastly varying ages. Apart from the six of us, there was three role-playing groups in progress (including, much to my surprise, and delight, a session of Paranoia), a pair playing Kings of War, another pair playing a card game that I didn't recognize, and two other groups playing miscellaneous board and table top games. The beautiful thing, not one game of Magic, 40K or Warhammer Fantasy to be seen! Entry was $5 (very reasonable) and the hall was open from 3pm to 9pm for gaming, with a pizza run around 6-7pm. (Though all six of us opted to go for Henny Penny across the road.) The group meets on the first Saturday of the month.

As mentioned, six Blood Bowlers for the first meet, and five matches played. One went for a ridiculous amount of time, whilst the two that I was in were relatively quick. Two players from the Newcastle area, two from Lake Haven (the Northern end of the Central Coast) and two from the Southern end of the Central Coast, myself and the Babster. At least four other players expressed an interest to play, with two of them being waylaid by work commitments.

The league itself is adopting a casual approach to fixing up matches, with games to be played anywhere (with a preference though for the EGG meets), but only a maximum of three games each month. The league is expected to run for six months. One can only play against the same coach twice. MVP's may be awarded to any player after the game, but only ONE per player, per season.

And yes, it is a non-resurrection, progressive league, with a 1 million GP start-up.

Match points are:
1 pt for each coach
5 pts for a win
3 pts for a draw
1 pt for winning casualties (halved if tied)
1 pt for winning by more than 1 TD
1 pt for losing by 1 TD

So, nine points will be up for grabs each match. The most points a coach can get in a game, is 8, the least is 1. A draw (in all aspects) gets each coach 4.5 points.

In the competition at the moment, is an Underworld Creepers team, a Slann team, a Norse team, an Amazon team, an Undead side, and my Pro Elves, which makes for a pretty entertaining season already! All five games were hard fought contests.

As have been all four games in SLOBB, which is what I will start with. Last Wednesday (Nov 2), the Oz Correctional Facility took on a second season Dark Elven side, the Sithing Elves. It was a high scoring match, and both sides benefited from plenty of star player points, with the Orcs getting three advancements after the game. Again, the SPP's were spread around the team, with three out of the four blitzers grabbing points, as well as the goblin, the thrower, a black orc and a linesman. The winnings almost allowed the side to acquire a troll, who will no doubt be recruited after the next match.

Game: 663
Opponent: Geoffles
Result: Lost 3-4
Casualties: Won 3-1
Toss: Lost - kicked
Fame: Opponent+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Cheering Fans (opponent gains a re-roll), Quick Snap, Blitz, Cheering fans (opponent gains a re-roll), Brilliant Coaching (both coaches gain a re-roll), Throw a Rock – Dark Elven blitzer badly hurt, Brilliant Coaching (opponent gains a re-roll).

As it turns out, my opponent was a former Central Coast player, who played a long time ago in a league that was run out of the old Wizards of the Central Coast store in the Imperial Plaza at Gosford. (I only played him once, in May 2002, when he was playing Norse. The Undead team I was using at the time benefited from an experimental rule where they could field up to four wights. It was 0 all at half-time, then there was a Pitch Invasion, which took out six players, and the Norse duly scored. Then there was a Riot, which lasted five turns, finishing the game... )

As for his Dark Elven roster, which was a well experienced team, with a runner with Pass & Sure Hands, a second runner with Dodge & Nerves of Steel, a blodging blitzer with Guard, a blitzer with Dauntless, two line elves with Block, another with Kick, and a blodging witch elf. The Orcs gained 200k in incentives, and this time elected to take two Bloodweiser Babes and a Wandering Apothecary.

The elves did not muck about off the kick-off, not even waiting for the ball to land. The runner quickly advanced down the pitch, opting to go down the left hand flank. Jaz Hoyt (black orc), stood his ground, dropping his shoulder as a pack of line elves attacked, dropping the main assailant cold and he became the first visitor to the koed bin. This allowed Vern Schillenger (blitzer) to charge through and smash into the runner, who managed to quickly pass the ball onto a nearby team-mate, just before Schillenger runs him over. The runner, bleeding from a number of wounds, was immediately stretchered off the pitch. Miguel Alvarez (blitzer) then took the opportunity to give the crowd someone to play with, and pushed a line elf off the pitch. They were a bit rough with him and there was a second elf in the koed bin. The elves elected to switch the direction of their attack. With Ryan O'Reilly (blitzer) flattened by a charging blitzer, it was a simple case of the ball carrier to dash across, hand the ball on to a now unmarked runner, who sprinted for the line, stumbling momentarily before registering the point. [Turn 3]

With the elves missing both knocked out players as well, the orcs decided to use their numbers to really out-muscle the elves. As Kenny Wangler (goblin) picked up the ball on the sideline (whilst Tobias Beecher (thrower) gives him some cover), the orcs viciously re-arrange the elven defensive line, with Vern knocking out the Guard blitzer. A lone elf attempts to dodge through the line, anticipating a pass play, loses his footing, which allows Wangler to race towards halfway, quickly lob the ball to Vern, who in turns charges down field, hands the ball onto Cyril O'Reilly (line orc), who runs for all his worth, exerting himself to the fullest to even up the scores. [Turn 4]

The greenskins have their tails up, and pre-empt the next kick-off, charging down the right hand flank, Chris Keller and Alvarez (blitzers) sprinting to take out the elf getting underneath the ball. The flattened elf manages to recover, scramble for the ball, and chuck it to a nearby team-mate, who heads down the left flank. The orcs sweep across in numbers, but the line elf has presence of mind to quickly pass the ball on to the Dauntless blitzer, who takes the catch, and runs in to break the deadlock. [Turn 6]

Kenny once again recovers the ball off the kick-off, with the elves having kicked deep. The elves are swarming the protective cage where Beecher waits, not bothering to leave any players back. Kenny scampers forward, gives the thrower the ball, and the agile Tobias steps away from one elf, then a second, then throws a beautiful pass to Ryan O'Reilly who races off down field, well clear of any elves. Wangler promptly gets flattened by a witch elf, but it doesn't matter, as the senior of the O'Reilly brothers runs in for the equalizer right on half-time.

The orcs are really fired up now, and were very eager to get back onto the pitch to restart the game. Chucky Pancamo (black orc) picks up and drops a line elf onto his uplifted knee. Four stretcher bearers dash onto the field and carefully remove him from the action, as Beecher rushes down-field, sprints to shorten the range, and hurls a perfect long pass down to Ryan O'Reilly, who juggles the ball before getting it under control. With Keller having darted into the end zone, O'Reilly charges down the field, then shovels the ball on to the blitzer, and the orcs have the lead for the first time in the game! [Turn 2]

A rock sniper makes his presence felt, scoring a direct hit on an elven blitzer, who collapses, his game finishing quite early. A witch elf catches the ball off the re-start, who then hands it on to a runner. Kareem Said (black orc) charges at the runner, who successfully flicks it back to the witch elf, who in turn runs over halfway, lobs a short pass to an open line elf, who takes the catch, then sprints for the line, evening the scores up once again. [Turn 3]

Beecher fields the ball off the kick-off, advancing into a cage, which shields him as he hurls the ball towards Ryan O'Reilly. The blitzer, with Alvarez in tow, race down the pitch towards the elven end zone. O'Reilly is shoved off the pitch by a frenzied witch elf, and knocked out by some enthusiastic fans, with the ball being chucked back in, landing just in front of the elves' goal line. The elves desperately throw themselves at the greenskins, with Keller requiring some urgent medical attention, which keeps him alive after being smashed by a rampaging elven blitzer. Alvarez, realizing that the elves have cut him off from any support, pushes the witch elf away, then steps towards a line elf. As he goes to step past the elf, and get clear, he sticks a foot out, tripping him up. The elves recover the ball, and advance, but Schillenger's charge catches the runner off guard, and he fumbles the ball as the blitzer smacks into him. Schillenger has presence of mind to sprint to the ball, and recovers it. He is struck from behind by a line elf, and is knocked out, but in her attempt to get rid of Beecher, who is guarding the ball, she misses completely and falls over, and the thrower motions for Alvarez to get into the end zone. As Beecher steps towards the ball, Peter Schibetta (line orc) tries to take out a witch elf in scoring range, but the attempted block is awful. Beecher gets shoved away from the ball, a line elf picks it up, quickly flicks it on to a marked blitzer, who dodges clear, and the elves have won a remarkable game right on full-time.

It wasn't all bad for the orcs. They are awarded with 60k in winnings, with Ryan & Cyril O'Reilly, plus Keller, getting skill-ups. Keller takes Strip Ball, Ryan Tackle, and Cyril Block. The team now has 100k in the bank, and a twelve man side for their next fixture.

Can't really complain. It was a very enjoyable match and all three touchdowns the orcs scored were long range efforts. Their first point covering 75% of the pitch!

* * *

Changing leagues now to NOBBL. Yesterday marked the first ever occasion that I fielded (Pro) Elves. I must say, I didn't mind playing them, quite liking the Side-Step on the blitzers, and after two games was convinced that they were the right team to take to Can Con in 2012, though I might just tweak the line-up slightly from my starting league line-up of two blitzers, two catchers, and eight line elves, with two points of fan factor, and two re-rolls.

Game: 664
Opponent: Shasta
Result: 3 all draw
Casualties: Lost 0-3
Toss: Lost - kicked
Fame: Opponent+2
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Cheering Fans (opponent gains a re-roll), Change of Weather – Very Sunny, Quick Snap, Brilliant Coaching (opponent gains a re-roll), Riot (turn counter advances), Riot (turn counter moved back), Perfect Defence.

My opponent, Shasta, who probably is the only NAF player I know who has won more tournament sportsmanship awards then yours truly, was fielding a pretty much standard undead line-up, opting for three ghouls, and not taking any skeletons. (It is interesting to note, that in his next match, he continued his run of wins over the Babster, beating his Slann team 2-1.)

Anyway, it wasn't a good start to the match for the Queens, who not only had half as many fans present as their opponents (aptly named “The Quick”), but had to kick-off as well. The undead side quickly recovered the ball from a shallow kick-off, with players forming a cage around the ghoul with the ball. Marianne Unfaithful (blitzer) gets the first player off the pitch, re-arranging a zombie's face, who was promptly dragged off the pitch unconscious. Dot Com (line elf) makes a desperate dash towards the cage, but succumbs to cramp early in the match and hits the turf. The ghouls take advantage of this, with the ball carrier stumbling past the lone defender, flicking the ball towards a ghoulish team-mate who, despite being marked by a line elf, takes the catch, dodges clear of the defender, and sprints into the end zone for the opening point. [Turn 2]

The elves were pleased to see more of the sun on the restart, and Catherine the Above Average (catcher) runs forward with her fellow catcher, Bridgette of Madison County. The elves prepare a cage just in the undead half, preparing for the arrival of the two catchers. Marianne is hit unusually hard by a zombie, and the undead team gain a new recruit for their roster very early in the proceedings. Summer Clearance (line elf) tries to exact some revenge on him, but fails miserably, and the elves are in a bit of bother, with the cage now surrounded, and the catchers being hounded by marauding ghouls. Carrie Oakey (line elf) shows some initiative, pushing a ghoul aside, dodging clear and sprinting into the end zone. Catherine sees what is transpiring down-field, and surges forward handing the ball onto Paige Turner (line elf) who deftly grabs the ball despite a wight trying to snatch it off her. She dodges clear, narrows the gap to the target, and her long pass finds it's mark, and the elves are on the board. [Turn 4]

It's a bad restart for the undead, as the ghouls manage to fumble the ball between themselves, the hand-off somehow bouncing back to the original ball carrier. Dot comes from one side, and Paige comes across from the other. Unfortunately, her blitz on the ball carrier fails miserably, and it's the line elf that badly needs medical attention instead of the ghoul. The ghoul runs towards a wight, who instinctively grabs the ball off him before advancing well into the elves half. Amber Alert (blitzer) and Bridgette push him towards the sideline. Ariel Black's (line elf) poor block on a zombie allows a couple of ghouls to race down field to support their team-mate. The wight punches Bridgette, knocking her on her backside, but can't shrug off Amber, who easily grabs the bouncing ball as the wight is tripped up by her outstretched leg. She surges forward, stunning a ghoul in the process, and with players dodging clear to provide some sort of screen for the blitzer, Dot gets up and moves closer to the undead goal-line. A wight scrambles after her, but trips over rock, which gives Amber a clear run to her team-mate, and with a little extra effort, she delivers the ball to the line elf, who runs away to give the elves the lead at the main break.

The undead kick deep at the start of the second half, with Bridgette having to dash back and recover the ball. Amber and Ariel weave their way through the line, getting ready for a pass play. The undead try to make sure that Amber is not the target, and drag her down, but the blitzer quickly gets back up, pushes away a wight, and exerts herself to the full in getting into the end zone. Dot comes across field to mark the wight, and the undead are desperately marking up elves. The Queens are blocking well, pushing and knocking down undead, and Bridgette sees an opportunity, racing forward, making the extra yard to hand the ball on to Dawn Service (line elf) who stretches out to narrow the range to the target, and delivers a great pass to the blitzer, and the elves, it would appear, have the game parcelled up at 3-1. [Turn 3]

The home fans are pretty upset by this, and valuable time has been lost when play finally restarts. Ariel is knocked out by a mummy, whilst a ghoul hurries back to grab the ball, which landed smack bang in the middle of the undead's half. He shuffles it on to a wight, but the ghoul who had intended to get down the pitch to set up for the touchdown, trips over trying to get clear. Helvetica Bold (line elf) gets crunched by the second mummy, and she needs urgent medical assistance. Dot rushes across to mark the ball carrier, but the ensuing blitz never comes, as Amber is tripped up trying to attack. A mummy stomps across to lend a hand, but there is a clash of heads, and both the mummy and Catherine are carted off the field to the koed bin. Dot then flattens the ball carrier, and with Summer in a good position in the undead half, Bridgette weaves her way through, picks up the ball, and hurls it down the pitch towards her team-mate, but it is picked off by the marking ghoul. He steps clear of the elf, and throws a terrible pass back the other way, which somehow drifts about in the breeze and falls to the wight, who manages to take the catch,and with some considerable effort, he charges into the end zone to pull one back. [Turn 6]

The home crowd are so deliriously happy, they promptly riot again. The officials this time wind the clock back, which gives the undead side all the time they need. With the elves fielding a skinny line up, they desperately try to put a fourth one on the board to finish the game off, but Dot only succeeds in colliding with a zombie, and the pair tumble to the ground with the undead line almost intact. With the ball still on the pitch, Dawn is rudely barrelled over by a wight, allowing a following ghoul to pick up the ball. Bridgette charges at the ghoul, with the collision seeing the ball bounce towards the sideline. A ghoul dodges clear to pick up the dregs, shoot off a short pass to a second ghoul, and the undead side have levelled it up. [Turn 7]

With very little time left in the match, the elves attempt to get some passing practice and the undead some tackling practice. However, Catherine's pass to Bridgette was unbelievably dropped by her fellow catcher, whilst a mummy overbalanced and fell on top of Dawn, and that's where the game ends.

With Helvetica out for the next match, and a dead Marianne, the elves recruit a thrower (Katherine Gorge) with their 70k in match receipts. The hard fought draw also earns them some respect, and they get a point of Fan Factor. The MVP went to Amber, who skilled up, and took Dodge.

Game: 665
Opponent: Andrew F (Norse)
Result: Won 3-2
Casualties: Lost 0-2
Toss: Won - received
Fame: Me+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Brilliant Coaching (gained a re-roll), Cheering Fans (gained a re-roll), Change of Weather – Fine, High Kick (touchback), Blitz, Brilliant Coaching (gained a re-roll), Throw a Rock (Dawn Service, line elf, stunned).

The next match saw the team up against an under strength Norse team, that was missing a werewolf for the match (which had been seriously injured in the side's 1-2 loss to the Slann team). With only ten players to start, a journeyman linesman was acquired. There was only one skill improvement for the team, and that was a catcher with Dodge.

The elves went straight on the attack from the outset. Katherine retrieved the ball, and moved in behind a protective wall of Ruby Tuesday, Paige and Carrie (line elves), whilst the two catchers weaved their way through the norse line and into the open. With norse defenders now having to about face and go after the interlopers, one of them stepped clear to mark Catherine (we'll call her Cathy from now on to avoid confusion eh?) but tripped over a sizeable hole in the pitch just as he reached her. Katherine suddenly decides not to pass to either of the catchers, instead opting to throw the ball to Dawn, who was unmarked. She scampers down the pitch, and just has enough gas in the tank to get over the line and open the scoring. [Turn2]

The norse grab the ball off the restart, and the thrower moves in behind a swarm of defenders on the right hand side of the pitch near the halfway. The snow troll was going to clear a path for him, but decided to throw a tantrum instead. The norse, with the elves blocking their advance down the right, opt to go left instead, with the thrower handing it on to a linesman, who charges down the other flank. Paige sees the danger, and goes after him, but her block once again sees her needing medical attention, and with little pressure directed towards him, the linesman races for the line, making the extra yard to score and even things up. [Turn 4]

The extra breeze that wafts across the pitch steers the ball into the bottom right hand corner of the pitch. The elves are trying to go down the right, and though Carrie makes a good hit on the runner, she is tripped up trying to get clear down the pitch. The norse team are blocking well, and the elves are being pushed and shoved all across the pitch. The snow troll though isn't interested, and would rather throw another tantrum instead. Katherine eventually gets to the ball, and hands it on to Bridgette, who in turn tosses it to Amber, who weaves her way down field. Ariel tries to step clear to help her, but falls flat on her face and knocks herself out. A norse blitzer charges at the elf, but he gets a face full of palm, and falls flat on his back. Amber steps clear, but stumbles. Somehow she rights herself in time, and manages to get away. A norse catcher hares after her, but suffers a bad case of cramp and falls short, allowing the blitzer to scamper in for a 2-1 lead just before half-time. There's just enough time left in the half for Carrie to be stretchered off after being whacked by a linesman, and the snow troll overbalancing and falling on Summer.

It's a perfect start to the second half, with the elves pre-empting the kick-off and attack down the right. Bridgette gets through the line to mark the norse thrower, but Cathy can't assist, tripping over trying to get clear. A norse blitzer frenzies Bridgette away from the thrower, who strolls over to grab the ball. It slips from his fingers, and the elven catcher can't believe her luck. She dodges clear of the blitzer, picks up the ball from behind the thrower, steps away from him, and with her lungs bursting, she crosses the line to give the elves a winning 3-1 lead. [Turn 1]

The norse are quite rattled, and it shows when a linesman tries to tackle Ariel and misses completely. She just manages to step clear, and race for the ball, but finds one of the few rocks on the pitch and trips over it just as she gets to the ball. The norse thrower makes no mistake this time, and recovers the pigskin, but in trying to make some room for some players to get through, the snow troll overbalances again, and lands on Dawn, who somehow survives with just a few bruises, and the big guy is stunned. [Note: That was the first time I beat armor roll in the game... ] Amber takes the opportunity to attack the ball carrier, and flattens him, then grabs the ball. A norse catcher charges through, dropping his shoulder in the block, and knocking the blitzer out. With Dawn winding up in the koed bin as well, Katherine desperately heads for the ball, but for some reason, fumbles the pick up. Bridgette blitzes a linesman away from the ball, but a catcher appears to recover it. Cathy makes sure he doesn't get that far, and manages to tackle him, then snatch the bouncing ball, despite two linesmen marking her. She tries to get clear, but is tripped up and the ball hits the turf once more. Katherine is then removed from the pitch, knocked out in a heavy tackle from a linesman, and the snow troll is still upset about something, and has another sulk. Finally, a norse blitzer manages to grab the ball, step into a cage, and with only six elves left on the pitch, he goes for a run, just managing to make the extra yardage to score a belated point. [Turn 8]

There's hardly any time left in the match, but a rock sniper makes an appearance, sconning Dawn with a half brick. Katherine, still a bit dazed, swings wildly at the journeyman, and falls over, stunning herself in the process. Mush to the elves' relief, the siren sounds soon after, and they have registered their first win for the season.

With Helvetica coming back, the elves will field twelve players in their next match. The 70k in winnings allows them to purchase an Apothecary, and the gritty win attracts some extra fans. Katherine gets the MVP, and takes Sure Hands. The team has 20k left over, which goes towards the “buy back the second blitzer” fund.

Well, there you have it. Three games, nine touchdowns, and one of everything. I'm wishing now that I had taken elves into the SLOBB league...

Oakily, doakily! Ciao!

P.S: I managed to get a copy of the Blood Bowl Team Manager Card Game during the week. Still haven't christened it yet though...

OCF's second and third games in SLOBB

2011-10-27T12:44:00.001+11:00

Well, with these two reports, I will finally be up-to-date. And just in time too, seeing I have a fourth SLOBB match scheduled for next Wednesday (Nov 2nd), and NOBBL starts on Saturday (Nov 5th).

We left the Oz Correctional Facility with plenty to ponder after their 2 all draw against La French Play-gue (the Skaven team in the division). With Peter Schibetta (line orc) out for this game, a journeyman, Inmate X, was brought into the side to make up the numbers. The team also recruited the services of an apothecary (Dr Gloria Nathan), and she treated her first patient in the team's second match.

Game: 661
Date Played: 20 Oct 2011
Opponent: Justin J
Team: Spear of Akkad (Undead)
Result: Lost 0-2
Casualties: Lost 0-2
Toss: Lost - kicked
Fame: Opponent+2
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Pitch Invasion (Orcs 5 down, Undead 2), Throw a rock (Ugroth Bolgrot Badly Hurt), Brilliant Coaching (a re-roll each), High Kick (a touchback) given to Beecher.

Spear of Akkad were just starting their second season, having already played five games in their previous league. They had progressed well, with a mummy with Guard, a ghoul with Sure Hands, a second with Nerves of Steel, and the prize of a Strength 4 wight. The team value difference was 150,000 in my favour, allowing me to acquire the services of Ugroth Bolgrot, and a Bloodwesier Babe. (I would've liked Bomber and Ugroth, but there wasn't quite enough... )

It was a tough start for the boys, as stampeding fans trampled nearly half the side, and the kick was rather short, drifting to the right. Despite plenty of players on the turf, the boys managed to recover somewhat and halt the undead drive early, keeping the ghoul with the ball pinned on halfway. Simon Adebisi (black orc) started to get opponents off the pitch, by cracking a skeleton's skull and knocking him out cold. A mummy lurched forward to get into the fight, but lost his footing and went down, allowing Chucky Pancamo (black orc) a chance to have a crack at the ball carrier, which he only managed to push back. Adebisi continued his good hitting and knocked out a zombie as well, but partner in crime Pancamo gets nailed by a mummy, and Dr Nathan does a good job to patch the black orc up and ready for the next drive. The ball carrier decides it's time to move on, and steps clear of the green skins, but in trying to promote his position, the dreaded cramp struck and down he went. Tobias Beecher (thrower) then exerts himself and snatches the ball, giving the orcs' possession for the first time in the game. It doesn't last long however, as the mummies target Kareem Said (black orc), who winds up in the koed bin, then Beecher, who winds up flat on his back. The undead take possession of the ball once again, and Ryan O'Reilly (blitzer) desperately charges at the ghoul who has it, only to trip over an errant rock on the pitch just as he reaches him. The ghoul, relieved that the blitz never happened, scampers in to score with time almost up in the first half.

There's just enough time to frustrate the orcs, as with Said's failure to return to the pitch, Ugroth has to be brought on to make up the numbers. The league of rock snipers, of course, has a member at the game, and he takes the prize scalp of the chainsaw wielding orc, before he even has time to start up his weapon. Beecher however uses the time remaining to get some passing practice, and his quick pass to Miguel Alvarez (blitzer) finds the mark and the referee signals and end to the first stanza.

It's still anyone's game, but the undead makes things difficult by kicking deep, the ball rolling to the bottom left hand corner of the field. Beecher can't get to it just yet, so the orcs prepare for their patented rolling maul down the field. With ghouls skirting around the defensive line, Beecher has his options lessened, and in the end he elects to throw the ball to Inmate X (line orc), who promptly drops it. A ghoul scrambles around and retrieves it, but Adebisi, then Ryan O'Reilly have successive shots at him, with the blitzer succeeding. Alvarez tries to step clear of his marker, but he's tripped up, and the undead fare no better trying to retrieve it with yet another ghoul succumbing to cramp. Vern Schillenger (blitzer) forces a zombie away from the ball, but O'Reilly again has trouble with his feet, and falls flat on his face trying to get clear, stunning himself in the process. Inmate X is then pushed off the ball and goes down, and is stunned, along with Alvarez, completely freeing up the ball for a ghoul to race in and retrieve it. Beecher is then left to desperately dodge clear of one undead creation, then launch himself at the ghoul, and manages to force him back towards Chris Keller (blitzer), who has a swing at him, and completely misses and tumbles over. Pancamo stands his ground, deftly blocking a mummy's assault then shoving him to the ground. Jaz Hoyt (black orc) charges and the ghoul and forces him back towards Beecher, who has another crack at the ball carrier, and smacks him hard on the head, knocking him out. O'Reilly desperately tries to dodge clear to get to the ball, but his attempts to retrieve it are hampered by two undead players standing over it. Pancamo laughs as the mummy gets to his feet to have another swing at him, only to lose his footing and fall back down. Hoyt tries to shift a wight away from the ball, but can't, and O'Reilly's poor game continues after the second mummy lays him out, and the blitzer is temporarily seeing stars. Something has to give, and finally a ghoul manages to break clear of the maul, scoop up the ball, then throw a quick pass to an unmarked ghoul, who has no trouble getting to the line to seal the win. [Turn 7]

The poor kick-off allows Beecher a chance to get some more throwing practice in. However, it becomes horribly apparent that the orcs need catching practice, as Keller drops a sitter. Two ghouls show them how it's done, with a quick scoop up, flicked pass and catch, and that's where the game comes to an end.

The good thing about the game, is that no one got seriously hurt, so there's a full roster for the next match. The winnings (40,000gp) allows the orcs to acquire a reserve, a goblin by the name of Kenny Wangler. The fan factor is not affected by the result.

Game: 662
Date Played: 23 Oct 2011
Opponent: Drusus
Team: Morwyr (Pro Elf)
Result: Lost 1-2
Casualties: Won 3-1
Toss: Won - kicked
Fame: Me+2
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Change of weather – fine, Brilliant Coaching – orcs gain a re-roll, Quick Snap, Perfect Defence.

The elves were fairly experienced, with a thrower having Accurate, and a line elf gaining Block. They were also fielding a journeyman line elf to replace a seriously injured comrade in their previous game.

The orcs were fired up for this one, and it didn't take them long in this fixture for a player to finally register a casualty for the team. With the kick going fairly deep, the orcs are right in the opponents' faces, and it's Schillenger who makes the great hit, neatly chopping down a catcher who is forced from the field early in the game, and will miss the next match. The elven thrower is under pressure to quickly get the ball down field, but as he cocks his arm back for the throw, the ball flops out the back. Keller then hits him and forces him back. The thrower manages to step aside and pick up the ball, despite Keller's efforts to stop him, and dodges away from the blitzer, firing a quick pass to a line elf who proceeds to race down the field. Beecher and Cyril O'Reilly herd him towards the sideline, but he manages to dodge away from them, then runs across field and hands the ball off to a line elf, who advances towards the goal line. Alvarez gets smacked in the face, and has to be dragged off to the koed bin, whilst Pancamo falls on top of a line elf, landing on his leg and crippling him. With the orcs racing towards him, the line elf decides to take the point and steps into the end zone. [Turn 5]

The restart has Beecher cursing an errant shoelace, and falls onto the ball, causing it to bounce. An elven blitzer weaves his way through, and despite Peter Schibetta (line orc) lurking nearby, he gets clear, only to be brought down by Ryan O'Reilly. Schibetta then scrambles after the ball, but has the same problem as Beecher and falls flat on his face. Wangler then gets involved, tugging on the jersey of an elven blitzer, stalling him long enough for Ryan O'Reilly to charge in and clean him up. Beecher finally recovers the ball not far from the end zone, with Hoyt knocking out another line elf with a powerful punch. With time running out, Hoyt charges across field, pushes the elf off Schillenger, freeing him up. Beecher chances his arm, slightly lessening the distance to the blitzer, and lets loose with a beautiful pass. Schillenger juggles the ball, brings it under control, then sprints for the line and right on half-time, the game is tied at one apiece.

The orcs have their tails up and are looking to really assert their authority. The kick-off sees them right in amongst the eight elves on the pitch, and a number of them go crashing to the pitch, with Adebisi head-butting one and knocking him out. Alvarez deftly avoids the attentions of an elf, allowing him to stumble pass him and crash to the ground. Beecher spies an open Ryan O'Reilly, and delivers a good pass, only to see it dropped by the blitzer just inside the elves' half. The elven thrower weaves his way through the orcs, recovers the ball, with the blitzer swinging madly trying to stop him. He hurls a long pass across the field, to be ably caught by a line elf on the left flank. Schillenger arrives in time to force him back, whilst a blitzer charges in at the orc and knocks him out cold. Cyril O'Reilly, with no one around him, decides to take a little wander towards the elves' goal line. Adebisi then makes a successful charge at the ball carrier, knocking him out, and the ball bounces off the pitch, only to be tossed back right into the middle of the elves' half. Ryan O'Reilly sees a chance for a touchdown, but he cannot pick up the ball. An elf blitzer then tries to grab it, but there two orcs too many near the ball. Hoyt then lowers the number of elves on the pitch to five, as he crunches a blitzer, who has to be carried off the pitch and put in the koed bin. The elven thrower manages to finally grab the ball, dodge away from Pancamo, flick it on to the surviving catcher, who totally ignores the presence of Keller to take the catch, then dodges away from him, then Wangler and surges for the line. With most of the remaining elves providing an effective screen for the ball carrier, it's up to Wangler to stop the touchdown, but he trips over getting to the player and pulls a hamstring. The elf sees no reason not to score, and steps into the end zone for what will be the winning point. [Turn 6]

The orcs are further frustrated by the elves re-organising their defence at the last moment, countering the orcs offensive set-up. The kick is shallow, but Beecher still manages to exert himself and get to it. As Ryan O'Reilly and Alvarez barge their way into scoring range, Schibetta gets the team's first kill, king hitting the journeyman, and he is beyond saving. Cyril O'Reilly and Beecher are then brought down, with the elves once again recovering the pigskin. Said knocks out a potential scorer, and Adebisi charges in and flattens the line elf with the ball. Beecher scrambles to his feet, just manages to get to the ball and grab it, but his head is still quite rattled, and the intended long bomb down to Alvarez never eventuates, and he spills it, much to the disappointment of the home fans. The referee calls time, and the elves have their first win of the season.

The orcs troop off the field, annoyed with another hard fought game not going their way, but optimistic that a win can't be too far away. More so seeing Schillenger has acquired Mighty Blow, and Beecher's hard work sees him improve his agility. There's 30,000gp to assist in drowning their sorrows, and the loss doesn't affect the fan factor.

The green skins will be traveling away for their next match, with a twelve man squad, and a chance to take on the Dark Elves.

And with that, my match reports are finally up-to-date! Hoo-ray!

Ciao!

MOAB 2011 Match Reports - Day 2

2011-10-26T14:41:00.002+11:00

Well, with the rain tumbling down, nothing better to do then to finish off this lot of reports, for it appears that I will be well and truly busy with games in the upcoming couple of weeks. I'm trying to schedule a match with SLOBB, and I have also created a Khemri team to use in their open league.

Then there's the start of the Newcastle league (NOBBL) on Nov 5th. It will be held at Wallsend, at the Every Gamer's Guild meet that day, starting at 3pm. There's a $5 charge, and after the initial meet, you can arrange to play games anywhere at any time, provided you don't play the same opponent more than twice. I'll take Pro Elves to this one, seeing I want to get some practice with them before Can Con.

Right. With some classical music on to get the creative juices going, let us return to the exploits of the Myths Busted side.

Day Two – 2 Oct 2011

Game: 657
Round: 4
Opponent: Darren P
Team: High Elves
Result: Drew 2 all
Casualties: Drew 2 all
Toss: Lost - received
Fame: Fame+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Brilliant coaching – I gained a re-roll, Cheering fans – I gained a re-roll, High Kick (caught), Perfect defence, Cheering fans – I gained a re-roll, Brilliant coaching – I gained a re-roll.

My opponents in this game ended up winning the most casualties prize at the tournament. There was a thrower with Accurate, both blitzers with Tackle, a catcher with Block, a line elf with Kick, and one with Guard.

It was a standard, uncomplicated start for the team. Bug Bomb recovering the ball off the kick-off, then getting protected by a few friends. The elves though went straight for the jugular, with a catcher dodging right into the cage, and despite there being a player either side of him, he flattens Bug, grabs the ball as it bounces straight to him, but is tripped up trying to get clear. Bug blitzes an elf that was marking a corner of the cage, and picks up the ball. Ninja Walk gets an early visit to the medical bay and Bug is feeling a little vulnerable as he advances up the field with the cage. Sure enough, his fears are realised when he is flattened again by a dodgy elf, and the ball bounces through a couple of sets of hands back towards the goal line. A line elf darts through, scoops up the ball from Old Dog's feet, dodges away and rushes in to score. [Turn 4]

They try it again. Bug regathers, advances into the cage, whilst Lethal Penny knocks out a line elf on halfway. Arrow Catch (blocker) is barrelled over by a rampaging catcher, and he's requiring the nurses' attention as well in the med bay. The cage advances, and though the CDs are doing a lot of tackling, they're not doing much in the hurting department. The cage is targeted, but Hand Grenade Hero stands his ground, and it's the attacking elf hitting the turf instead. Lethal does the team a service by knocking out one of the catchers, and Bug decides he's had enough of the ball, and palms it off to Red Flag, who gallops off down-field. There is a desperate attempt by a line elf to get to him, but he gets a bad case of cramp, and falls awkwardly, smacking his head hard on the pitch and needs to be dragged off the pitch. Red doesn't need any more hints, and he trots in for the equalizer. With what little time there is in the half, an elven catcher has a shot at Coke Mentos, but fails miserably, and the hobgoblin registers the team's first casualty for the game right on half time.

The elves begin the second half in earnest, driving down the left flank. Red, his confidence soaring, gallops off down the pitch and crashes into the blitzer with the ball, sending him sprawling. Bug tries to get involved in the fight, but his efforts to tackle the guardsman is laughable, and the pair end up on the turf in a tangle of limbs. The elven thrower dodges, scoops up the ball, but succumbs to the dreaded cramp as he is trying to shorten the distance for a possible touchdown pass. Lethal and Red smack a couple of players aside, the latter grabbing the ball on his way down the pitch. The defence comes at him, but he pushes one aside, dodges past another and continues his surge for the line. Old Dog exerts himself to give the bull a hand, arriving just in time to help him withstand a determined blitz. Red pushes aside his attacker, steps clear from another elf, and charges in to give the CDs the lead. [Turn 5]

The CDs are really fired up now. Lethal gives a line elf a very bad headache, and Bull China tramples over another, and breaks his neck. The elven thrower responds with a short pass to an open line elf, who manages to go the extra yards and even up the score. [Turn 6]

Coke now has the job of recovering the ball off the restart. With time running out, and a lot of distance to cover, he throws a desperate pass down-field to Salami Rocket, but the pass just misses him and lands nearby. Lethal is of no help for the rest of the game, as he decides to throw another tantrum. An elf blitzer sees a chance for an unlikely winner, but after stunning Bug on the charge, he trips over an unseen rock and lands on the ball. It bounces nicely, and even though both Red and Bull are in scoring range, Coke fumbles the pick up, and the CDs are denied their first win for the tournament.

I may have only needed one re-roll in the first half, but I can assure you, I really did need all of them in the second!

Game: 658
Round: 5
Opponent: Bruce B
Team: Necromantic
Result: Won 2-0
Casualties: Won 4-2
Toss: Won - received
Fame: Opponent+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Cheering fans – opponent gains a re-roll, Change of weather – fine, Change of weather – fine.

Not very often I get to face the Necromantic. Both werewolves were armed with Block, both wights had Guard, there was a zombie with Tackle, and a ghoul with Sure Hands.

Lethal throws himself into the game from the onset, by charging a werewolf and almost pushing him off the pitch. Bug recovers the ball, but realizes that he is in a precarious position, despite both bulls being able to knock-out players. With werewolf marking Lethal flattened by Arrow Catch, Bug decides to give Lethal the ball, and he charges into the necro's half, stumbling over a ghoul along the way. Another ghoul bravely gets in his path, and he is pushed over, whilst Hand Grenade drops a shoulder into a charging wight and sends him sprawling. Bug though is charged by a werewolf, and he is sent flying off the pitch and needs to be stretchered back to the dug out. Lethal continues his charge, this time knocking out the ghoul in his path. Bullet Proof tries desperately to mark the werewolf poised to strike the minotaur, but trips over a pothole and falls heavily to the pitch. The werewolf then has a crack at Lethal, and manages to force him back. Lethal responds, and pushes the wolf back. The werewolf wins the contest, finally bringing the behemoth down, but none of the necro side can recover the ball. Coke does, despite the werewolf growling over it, then he dodges away from the lycanthrope and races for the line. Lethal gets back up and flattens a ghoul, and a wight tries to get after Coke but is tripped up. Coke decides not to hang around, and runs in to score. [Turn 7]

With only a short amount of time before the break, Bull gets into the thick of it, galloping in take on a werewolf, and trampling him into the turf, breaking a few bones along the way. The wolf though is rather resilient, and recovers in time to start the second half. Coke flattens the second wolf, and it decides to go after Bullet Proof, but the dwarf sees him coming, and drops his shoulder, taking out the beastie right on half-time.

The necro start the second half with a werewolf crashing into Bull, forcing him off the pitch. He crashes into a few spectators, and Bull is not the only one needing medical attention. The second werewolf races in to grab the ball from the kick-off, but trips over a rock. Red gallops off towards it, and Bullet comes across from the other flank, but neither can get to it. Coke evens up the numbers on the pitch by shoving a wight off the pitch, and he is badly hurt in the pummelling he receives from the pro-chaos spectators, and doesn't recover. Lethal notices that a ghoul has managed to recover the pigskin, and charges, taking him down. In a beautiful bit of teamwork, Arrow Catch pushes a werewolf back toward Salami Rocket, who elbows the lycanthrope off the pitch. He gets a good work over as well, and rendered unconscious. The minotaur then frenzies a ghoul off the pitch, who is knocked out by the crowd as well. Ninja heads for the ball, ignores the zombie standing near it, picks it up and moves away from him. A wight forces him back, setting him up for a blitz by the werewolf still on the pitch. The attack fails, but Ninja gets tripped up trying to get clear. A flesh golem, who had been rather quiet in the game, is forced back onto the ball, and he somehow gets the bounce back and hang onto it. A ghoul takes down Hand Grenade, and Old Dog forces the golem back a little further. Lethal lines him up and smashes him into the turf. The ball bounces through numerous sets of hands before a zombie grasps it. Cork Bat is standing right next to him, and he gives him a face full of fist and the zombie is knocked senseless. A wight goes down trying to dodge clear and attack Ninja, and with Lethal injuring a zombie (who recovers), and Bullet Proof pushing the remaining necro player off the ball, Ninja has a clear path to it, and he makes no mistake. The other wight tries to assault Ninja, but he too is tripped up. He lands badly, cracking his skull, but recovers. With the clock indicating only seconds left in the match, Ninja pushes the ghoul aside that was marking him, and much to the delight of the rest of the team, seals the win with a second touchdown.

Game: 659
Date Played: 6
Opponent: D'Arquebus
Team: Dwarves
Result: Won 1-0
Casualties: Drew 2 all
Toss: Lost - kicked
Fame: Even
Initial weather roll: Very sunny
Kick-offs (in order): Change of weather – fine, Brilliant coaching – both gained a re-roll, Cheering fans – both gained a re-roll.

Well, the best match is saved for the last round, a Dwarf on Chaos Dwarf clash. The normal variety were fielding two guardsmen, a blitzer with Tackle, a runner with Kick-Off Return, the other with Block, and a troll slayer with Kick.

Both sides are quite relieved when some clouds drift across the sky as the game gets under way. The untainted dwarves are straight into it, with Old Dog getting stretchered off on the second block of the game. Lethal Penny gets knocked over as well, and the intentions are shown with a blocker attempting to lay in the boot on the minotaur. The referee does not miss it, and sends him from the field. Lethal shrugs it off and gets back up, and takes his frustrations out on a blocker which he sends sprawling. As the runner advances down the right hand side with the ball and an escort, Lethal chucks another of his infamous wobblies, much to the delight of the crowd. The CDs are just holding off from attacking, electing to stand back and let their opponents come to them. They form an “L” shaped defence, directing the drive down the sideline. When the runner charges at Salami and knocks him onto his back, he realizes that he has nowhere to go, and the CDs counter-attack. Cork Bat charges at the ball carrier, after a path had been cleared for him, and flattens him. The ball bounces up, and the blocker grabs it. Ninja can't resist pushing the other runner off the pitch, and the crowd give him a good work over, knocking him out. Cork gets targeted, but shrugs it off, but he too is trapped by prone bodies of fallen dwarves from both sides. Salami heads down-field after pushing an opposing blocker aside to at least create an opportunity to score. Bug can't believe his luck, and goes to push the other runner off the pitch, but only succeeds in missing completely and falling face first to the turf. Cork is then hit, the ball bouncing around for a bit before popping up to Red, but he can't handle it either and the ball falls to the turf. Ninja is then well hit by a blocker, and joins Old Dog in the casualty ward, and Bull China's attempt at an unlikely passing play to open the scoring comes to nought, when he is tripped up right on half-time.

Both coaches call their charges aside for an enthusiastic last minute pep talk before play restarts. The CDs elect for a KISS approach, with Bug grabbing the ball off the kick-off and getting in behind some team-mates. Bull attacks a troll slayer on the right flank, and that's the direction the cage heads in, after Bullet Proof pushes aside a defender. Bug once again feels a bit vulnerable at the back, and more so seeing Lethal is going mental once again. A dwarf runner tries to step clear to attack Bug, but is tripped up. He twists his ankle in the fall, and his game finishes right there. Hand Grenade widens the hole a bit more by king-hitting a blocker, almost re-arranging his face. The cage is moving ever so slowly down the pitch, but it is moving. A blocker desperately tries to get clear and attack the cage, but is tripped up, and Bug decides that now it's a good time to get moving, and he breaks clear with a couple of players in support. A dwarven blitzer clears one of those rearguard players, and moves up within grabbing distant of Bug. The hobgoblin though is unperturbed, and roughly pushes the dwarf down and races for the line. Another blocker is exerts himself to bring down the escaping hobgoblin, but can't do so, and Bug easily steps away from him to register the sole touchdown for match. The normal dwarves just barely have enough time left to restart play, but there is no point, and the chaos dwarves have registered a hard fought win.

The tournament has ended well for the tainted ones, and they have finished with a 2-2-2 record, which is enough to get them into seventh place. They finished with 9 touchdowns for, 11 against, and 15 casualties for, with 12 against. As it turns out, the Chaos Dwarves become my second team with a NAF rating over 150, just behind my Norse from last year's MOAB.

Right, that's MOAB all taken care of. My next entry shall include games two and three for the Oz Correctional Facility in the SLOBB league.

Ciao!

MOAB 2011 Match Reports - Day 1

2011-10-25T13:04:00.001+11:00

Well, three weeks after the event I finally get around to working on my reports for MOAB. My 31st tournament had me taking my 15th race, that of the Chaos Dwarves.

I have never used Chaos Dwarves competitively before. I've played a couple of solitaire games with them, but that's about it. I had to borrow a team for this one, seeing I'm nowhere near getting my own CD team at the moment. Mind you, I come up against them often enough.

MOAB was a 1.15k start-up, with three normal skills for day one, and three for day two, to be given before round one and round four. The second lot of skills can include a double, but no player can have more than one additional skill. The skill selection for this format was something I really didn't have to think too much about. I had long decided that my two bulls were going to get Block, and a hobgoblin was going to get Sure Hands. For day two, my minotaur got Block, and two blockers got Guard.

The Myths Busted team improved as the tournament progressed. The first two games were mostly forgettable, games three and four were frustrating, and the last two were quite good. A hard fought (and thought) win over D'Arquebus in the last round was definitely the highlight of the tournament for myself, which promoted me to 7th place. It also gave me my second NAF race rating over 150. The prize voucher for Mil Sims came in handy, as it allowed me to add an extra set of tiles for my Carcassonne board (the second set of river tiles) and get a discounted copy of the Blood Bowl Legendary Edition PC Game. Now I just need a machine capable of running it!

My best player (in terms of SPPs) was a bull centaur, Red Flag, with two touchdowns and two casualties. He was the only player on the roster in double figures. Once again, the the SPPs were spread around, with only three players not registering any points (two blockers and a hobgoblin). The team only finished two touchdowns in the red for the event, but was three casualties for the good. I was leading most casualties after two rounds, but a poor round three match casualty wise put an end to that. (From memory, the prize was actually picked up by a High Elven team.)

Okay, onto the reports.

Day One – 1 Oct 2011

Game: 654
Round: 1
Opponent: Gnome
Team: Undead
Result: Lost 1-3
Casualties: Won 4-2
Toss: Won - received
Fame: Opponent+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): High Kick - dropped, Brilliant Coaching – opponent gained a re-roll, Blitz, Perfect Defence, Change of weather – fine.

Well, another encounter with Gnome in the first round, and yet another first round encounter with the eventual winner of the tournament. (Last year, it was Double Skulls who creamed me in the opening round to win MOAB.) Strangely enough, DS played Undead as well. Gnome's team featured a wight with Tackle, a blodging ghoul and a ghoul with Sure Hands.

With the kick-off high, deep, and eventually dropped, Bug Bomb (hobgoblin) quickly regathered and advanced down-field with two of his warty team-mates in support. With both sides pushing each other around in the centre of the pitch, the CDs elect to force the issue down the right flank. Bug Bomb tripped over an errant rock as he got closer to halfway, but the ball fortuitously bounces to Salami Rocket (hobgoblin) who manages to hang onto it. He doesn't keep it for long, as he is blitzed by one of the ghouls, who creams him, and snatches the ball as it bounces straight back to him. Salami though gets carted off the pitch where the medics work on setting his broken leg. Lethal Penny (minotaur) then evens the numbers up on the pitch by bashing a zombie senseless, who fails to pull himself together. Hand Grenade Hero (blocker) darts after the ghoul with the ball, but can't put him down, and the beastie dances away, whilst the wrestling match in the middle sees a mummy swing poorly at a bull centaur and go crashing to the ground. Ninja Walk (hobgoblin) trips over trying to get to the runaway ghoul, who continues his run all the way into the end zone. [Turn 5]

With the kick-off barely getting over the halfway line, Red Flag (bull centaur) goes on the rampage and tramples a zombie to his second death. Like his undead team-mate, he can't get together either. Bug advances into the protection of the cage, picking the ball up en-route, but Lethal Penny can't clear a path for it, seeing he's throwing a tantrum. Bug manages to weave through the line, Ninja gets through as well, but suffers some cramp trying to promote his position. With his support picked off one by one, Bug Bomb gets knocked over, a ghoul saunters through, grabs the ball, and hurls a long pass down the pitch. On the fly, a wight takes the catch, and with Coke Mentos (hobgoblin) pulling up with cramp as well trying to get to the wight, and Lethal still roaring away in the middle of the pitch, the wight walks in for his team's second right on half-time.

With the kick going deep, the CDs surge forward to try and force an error so that they can get back into the game. A ghoul races back to pick up the ball, but Red Flag arrives, forcing him back. The ghoul dodges clear of the bull, but the hand-off to get the ball down-field is fumbled, and the CDs go on the offensive. Old Dog then Bullet Proof (blockers) inflict successive casualties, the former slaying a ghoul, the latter badly hurting a wight that can't regenerate either. Coke darts through, picks up the ball with a ghoul looking on, steps away from him, throws a short pass to Ninja, who takes the catch and runs in for the score. [Turn 2]

The CDs appreciate a chance to reset their defensive line, and kick shallow. The undead though are awake to the plan, and retaliate, with Old Dog and Hand Grenade (blockers) being knocked out in quick succession, then Lethal being ganged up upon, and injured by a powerful strike from a ghoul. The Sure Hands ghoul has managed to get the ball, and advances cautiously down the pitch. Ninja steps clear of an opponent and forces the ghoul back, whilst Bull China (bull centaur) gallops back to increase the pressure on the ball carrier. Bug Bomb the targets the ghoul, but gets a bad case of cramps as well and goes down agonizingly close, allowing the ghoul an easier dodge to get away. Bull China sprints after the ghoul, after Red Flag flattens the wight marking him. Bull China's charge is successful, but the ghoul doesn't stay down, and he gets back up to his feet, dodges clear, scoops up the loose ball and scores. [Turn 7]

What little time there is left in the match, Bug Bomb tries desperately to get something going, but fumbles the ball. With the scoring opportunity gone, Ninja and a few team-mates take out their frustrations on a fallen skeleton, knocking him out just as the full-time siren blows.

Game: 655
Round: 2
Opponent: Barks
Team: High Elves
Result: Lost 1-4
Casualties: 2-0
Toss: Won - received
Fame: Opponent+1
Initial weather roll: Sweltering Heat
Kick-offs (in order): Throw a rock – dead catcher (apothecary failed), Perfect defence, Cheering Fans – opponent gained a re-roll, Change of weather – fine, Change of weather – pouring rain, Cheering fans – opponent gains a re-roll.

The weather played a considerable part in this match. Both opposing catchers received a skill each, one Block, one Dodge, whilst a line elf picked up Kick.

It was a good start for the CDs. The rock sniper struck, and struck well, and they were already a player for the good up without even having to make a tackle. Even better it was the Block catcher. Salami Rocket needed a little help in picking up the ball, but he got there. The deep kick didn't help and whilst my slow-pokes took their time getting back up field, the elves were quite quick in getting down-field. Salami handed the ball on to Coke Mentos, and he headed down the right flank, seeing there were a few more team-mates there. The lone catcher still managed to get through and have a shot at him, but the hobgoblin stood his ground, and it was the elf who hit the turf. As the cage advanced, another elven player stepped up to the plate to have a crack, but was tripped up. Lethal Penny then made his presence felt, colliding with the Dodge catcher, and the big guy claims a fatality off a clumsy hit. An elf blitzer tries to step clear to blitz, but is tripped up, and with Bull China and Old Dog clearing a path, Coke takes it and walks straight in for the opening point. [Turn 5]

The heat claims three at this point, two of them being CDs. The restart allowed the chaotic ones to reset their defensive line, and as the elves try to get clear, a blitzer trips over, allowing Bull China to gallop after the catcher and pin him to the sideline. With the minotaur screaming blue murder in the middle of the pitch, the thrower lines up the pass, and hurls it. Cork Bat (blocker) somehow got a hand to it, but couldn't drag it down, and the catcher, totally ignoring the bull, takes the catch, then proceeds to step around then away from the bull and the scores are neatly tied up. [Turn 6]

The heat doesn't affect anybody this time round. It's a deep kick, and Bug Bomb ambles back to grab the ball and use a couple of his mates as cover. Bull China and Coke Mentos charge down-field, with a line elf getting his head clipped by one of the hooves and having to be carried off the pitch to the koed bin. The elven defence sweeps across, parceling up the potential scorers. Bug Bomb still elects to pass, and it's a good throw, but even though Coke got a hand to it, he was out-muscled by two defenders and the scoring opportunity is lost for the CDs, but not the elves, seeing the ball conveniently bounces to an elven blitzer. With the minotaur throwing another big guy tantrum, the blitzer dodges past Coke and Bull China, then makes the extra yards to hand the ball off to a line elf, despite one of the blockers standing next to them. The line elf dodges away from him, then through the collective grasp of another blocker and a hobgoblin, stumbles into the end zone, but manages to stay on his feet to score and the CDs are left scratching their heads as they are now down a point at the break.

The heat significantly hampers the dwarves after the break, as both bulls and Bullet Proof (blocker) succumb to the weather, along with two elves, just before the weather changes for the good. The elves take advantage of this, and from a shallow kick-off they are able to go straight on the attack. Salami Rocket attacks the ball carrier, forcing him back, but the elf steps away, hurling a beautiful long pass down-field to a team-mate, who takes the catch, then blitzes Ninja Walk off the pitch, and makes the extra yard to double the elves' lead. [Turn 2]

Then the rain starts. Bug still has to sprint to get to the ball, and with Lethal taking himself as well as an opponent out, Bug feels a little vulnerable. The feeling passes soon enough, as a line elf is tripped up trying to get to him. The CDs then start whacking away, and with the cage trampling forward, there are only two elves left standing. One of them, the catcher, charges at Bug, and despite two team-mates standing either side of him, the elf flattens the hobgoblin, then miraculously grabs the bouncing ball in the middle of the cage! The CDs are speechless for a moment, then hit him back. Elves are flattened and cleared away from the ball, giving Ninja a chance to dodge through, pick up the pigskin, hurl it down-field to Red Flag, who gets both hands to it, but drops it on the second try. A line elf dodges back, picks up the fumbled ball, then hurls a long pass down-field to the catcher who dances away with it. Bug is back on his feet by this time, and hares off after him, but can only force him back. Another line elf darts into the end zone, and with Bug doing his best to try and stop the pass, it's too good, and the elves grab their fourth. [Turn 6]

There's still enough time to get one back, and make the score appear respectable, and Bug Bomb retrieves the ball once again, as the team gets busy pushing aside the elven defence. Ninja Walk spies an opening, and dashes through, but just as he gets in scoring range he gets a bad case of cramp and falls to the ground. The elves charge at Bug, knocking him over, but the warty one manages to get back up, wander over to the ball, as Ninja gingerly gets to his feet and hobbles into the end zone. However, with the rain driving in, Bug cannot grip the ball, and the game finishes.

Game: 656
Round: 3
Opponent: William L
Team: Chaos
Result: Drew 2 all
Casualties: Lost 1-4
Toss: Won - received
Fame: Me+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Quick snap, Quick snap, Brilliant coaching – opponent gains a re-roll, High Kick (dropped), High Kick (caught), Brilliant coaching – opponent gains a re-roll.

Relieved somewhat that they weren't facing elves for the final match, the team was keen to at least get something out of the first day. Up against them, was a rather unusual looking minotaur with Tentacles, and a beastman with Sure Hands, and a second with Frenzy.

The quick snap put the CDs straight on the offensive, hitting and pushing away, but not having anything to show for it. Bug Bomb recovered the ball off the kick-off, just before the tentacled monstrosity charged through and nearly throttles Coke Mentos to death. Bullet Proof (blocker) retaliates, and smacks down a beastman, cracking a few ribs. Bug darts up to Ninja Walk, gives him the ball, and the hobgoblin runs to the cage. A charging beastman collects him, and the pair tumble to the ground. Hand Grenade Hero (blocker) smacks a beastman back onto the ball, and it conveniently bounces back into his arms. With the tentacled one chucking a wobbly in the centre of the pitch, a beastman drops his head and goes after the blocker, but trips over. Hand Grenade can't believe his luck, and continues his shuffle down the pitch. Lethal Penny barrels a chaos warrior down, and now covers the blocker's rear. Bug Bomb unfortunately receives a visit from the tentacled one, and he joins Coke in the casualty ward. The beasties are trying hard to cut the blocker off, but with Lethal and Bullet Proof smashing players out of the way, he has an easy run for the line, and breaks the deadlock. [Turn 5]

The fight though is clearly going against the CDs, as Old Dog is frenzied off the pitch, and is subsequently beaten up by the crowd, making him the third one in the casualty ward. A beastman darts through to pick up the ball, but fumbles it, the ball conveniently bouncing to a team-mate. Ninja knocks himself out trying to dodge clear and get to the ball carrier at the same time Red Flag charges and pushes the frenzy beastman off the pitch. The crowd are considerably more lenient with him. The beastman with the ball surprisingly takes to the air, and throws a neat pass to an open team-mate, who dashes for the line. However, Ninja dodges away from an opponent, and with Cork Bat in support, they take the ball carrier down. Unfortunately, a second beastie arrives on the scene, stumbles past the blocker, recovers the ball and the score is evened up in the shadow of half-time. [Turn 7] With the kick going deep, the CDs decide that there is no sense in trying to recover it, and elect to get some tackling practice instead before half-time is called.

It's a good start to the second half for the chaos side, as their tentacled one very nicely smashes Lethal Penny to the turf, injuring the big guy in the process. A beastman saunters back to pick up the ball, but is charged down by Bull China, after he stepped away from an opponent. Salami gets to the ball, and despite a beastman standing next to the ball, he manages to pick it up. He then gets shunted off the pitch, but it's a friendly section of the crowd he falls into. Bull China again is showing the agility of an elf, and steps clear, and charges for the ball. Even with a beastman nearby, the bull is determined, and he picks it up as if the opponent wasn't even there. The surprised beastman is then pushed out of the way, and the bull continues his gallop for the line. Ninja, who was running though to support him, is cleaned up by a beastie and he wakes up in the koed bin. Another beastie charges towards the bull, but he pushes this one aside as well, and gallops in to retake the lead. [Turn 5]

With the sole minotaur on the pitch going nuts, Red Flag charges after the beastman who managed to catch the ball off the kick-off. The minotaur recovers to flatten and knock out Hand Grenade, but the ball carrier decides to charge Red, and fails terribly. The ball however bounces to a team-mate. Red though smacks him down, and Bull tries to break clear of the defence to get to the loose ball, but is tripped over. The ball is then scooped up by a beastman, who shortens the distance for the pass, and it finds it's mark, and the score is locked up once again. With time practically up, the six CDs left on the pitch pick off one of the beastmen, and Salami charges up to lay the boot in. The referee, wanting to get off the pitch for a cold ale, pretends he didn't see the fouling attempt and calls time.

At least the side is on the board at this stage. Next post, their marvelous comeback on the second day.

Before I go, the Babster came around last night and finally collected the CD team. In our discussion, we talked about ideas for the sequel to Feudball. Strangely enough, we both had a few similar ideas for the second installment. I plan to start working on it seriously during the summer, once we have agreed upon a plot outline and a synopsis.

Stay tuned for further details. Cheers!

Bushranger Bowl 2011 Reports - Part Two

2011-10-22T12:40:00.001+11:00

I love Saturday mornings. Normally DIG radio would be on, but seeing I acquired a new DVD player yesterday I decided to put on some classical music instead to see how it goes with CDs. So far, very good indeed!

Music choices aside, I got the urge late last night to finish undercoating all of my miniatures. So everything out on display has been “covered” at the very least. I got my penguins and bears done during the week, electing to undercoat them white for obvious reasons, and on Thursday when I paid a visit to the Good Games store in Gosford, I discovered that they have a new range of paints in, which included some fluro colours. This really is going to be one weird looking Ogre team!

Before I continue with the Bushranger Bowl reports, just a quick comment on my second game in the SLOBB league. Thursday afternoon (20th) I traveled down to Good Games in Sydney to play against a second season Undead side, and the Orcs pretty much held their own for most of the match, and should've gotten away with a draw, instead of the 0-2 loss they suffered. Again, their downfall was the inability to really hurt their opponents, succeeding again to only register a few knock-outs, whilst they suffered two casualties in return. One of them was Ugroth Bolgrot himself, who was forced onto the pitch with a turn to go in the first half, seeing my koed player didn't return to the pitch. As luck would have it, he was hit by a rock, and badly hurt before he swung the chainsaw in anger. At least the apothecary I purchased after game one worked, and kept a black orc on the pitch.

The good thing to come out of the match was that I now have a full squad for the next game on Sunday, with a reserve. I hope they fair better than in their last two outings and actually get some skill ups.

Anyways, back to the Bushranger Bowl reports. At the start of day two I was languishing if not at the bottom of the ladder, very close to it. The goal for that day was to win a game, or, at the very least, at least avoid coming last. At least I managed to do that!

Day Two – 25 Sept 2011

Round: Five
Game: 651
Opponent: Phil
Race: Chaos Dwarves
Result: Lost 1-2
Casualties: Won 2-1
Fame: Opponent+2
Toss: Lost - kicked
Starting weather: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Change of weather – fine, High Kick, Change of weather – fine, Quick Snap.

The Chaos Dwarf team I was facing really didn't have any surprises. Guard on two blockers, Sure Hands on a hobgoblin, Break Tackle on one bull centaur and Block on the other.

Naturally, the CDs came straight after the woodies. For the first time in the tournament, the Fairies held their ground for the initial bash, and Maleficent was even able to dodge through the line and have a crack at the centaur blocker. The CDs advanced, and for some reason the hobgoblin with the ball got a wee bit too close to the Flora, who decided to go on a rare blitz, and smacked him to the ground. After the line elves cleared most of the opposition away from the ball, Iolanthe raced in to grab it, but was thwarted by the sole opponent left on it. Titania though didn't have any problems, and after scooping it up with a mesmerized blocker standing nearby, he stepped back behind the rooted Flora, and let fly with a pass to Maleficent. Unfortunately, the bull centaur in front of him got in the road and picked off the pass. He didn't have much time with the ball, as he was taken out by a rather peeved Maleficent, after a hobgoblin collided with Tinkerbell. Fauna then raced in to pick the ball up, but was subsequently crunched by the bull centaur, who got a favourable bounce. Maleficent then had another crack at the bull, and knocked him over again, but Merryweather gets tripped up going for the loose ball, causing the ball to bounce straight back to the bull centaur again. Maleficent tries again, and fails badly, and Absinthe winds up in a pine box after being set upon by a blocker. Fauna tries to get to the bull centaur with the ball, but trips over, Tooth is shoved off the pitch, but thankfully into the pro-Elf section of the crowd, Fauna and Titania get knocked out, and with the elves either off the pitch or on the pitch on their backs, the bull centaur crosses he line to open the scoring. [Turn 8] It what little there is left in the half, Tooth gets some catching practice, whilst Titania, still a bit woozy from being knocked out, makes a bad block and ends the half.

The CDs oblige with a poor kick-off, and Iolanthe is given the ball. Flora, having been rooted for most of the first half, finds another spot on the pitch to sink his roots into the turf. Merryweather anticipates a pass play coming up, yet his feet can't anticipate the rock in his path and a scoring opportunity goes begging. Maleficent though did get through, and even survived a charge from the bull. Iolanthe finds another recipient in Fauna, who weaves through the line and is off down the pitch. The cover defence comes across and flattens him, but the can't get to the ball. Tooth follows through, smashes aside the hobgoblin covering the ball, whilst Fauna recovers, dodges away from another defender, picks up the ball then scores. [Turn 3]

The CDs restart, with a hobgoblin securing the ball and getting in behind some cover. Maleficent doesn't think much of it, and charges at him, leaping over the defence but gets a punch to the face from the hobgoblin and down he goes. The cage moves on, and Maleficent tries again, but trips over another rock as he is about to leap and falls flat on his face again. Tooth had better luck however, injuring a blocker with some assistance from Thumbelina. Maleficent again picks himself off the turf, and has another go at the hobgoblin, and for a third time is on the turf again. However, a bull centaur in trying to close up the cage, gets his legs in a tangle and crashes to the pitch. Sugar Plum takes a chance and goes after him, but the block is poor and both of them go down, with the elf finishing up slightly worse for wear. The hobgoblin picks himself up, dusts himself off, and easily grabs the ball, then sprints in to score to break the deadlock. [Turn 7]

The elves get a leg-up for the restart, and with some clever blocking, Fauna gets shunted forward to get in striking range of the end zone. Flora even obliges by slamming a blocker to the turf, and he has to be stretchered off. Tooth recovers the deep kick-off, flicks it on to Tinkerbell, who in turn hands it on to Fauna. With the crowd anticipating an unexpected equalizer, they are bitterly disappointed (well, not all of them are) when the catcher comes to the first defender, and is promptly tripped up, ending the game.

Round: Six
Game: 652
Opponent: Hacker
Race: Dwarves
Result: 2 all draw
Casualties: Lost 0-2
Fame: Opponent+2
Toss: Lost - kicked
Starting weather: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): High Kick, Blitz, Riot – turn marker advances, Blitz.

Having faced Hacker before at Eucalyptus Bowl, I was anticipating another tough encounter, seeing he had changed to Dwarves for this tournament. He gave his troll slayers Mighty Blow, both blitzers Guard, and a runner Block.

One thing I could say that really worked, was the kicker. Tooth kicked it high, but shallow, allowing Iolanthe a chance to charge at the ball carrier, but his legs failed him, and once again a wardancer is landing badly and winding up on his backside. The cage rumbles forward and Titania, with a golden opportunity has a chance to attack the ball carrier. The end result was pathetic, with the line elf having two cracks at the player and getting a face full of dwarven fist as his reward. As the cage continued to grind its way down-field, Iolanthe gets back up, and has another go, but after going the extra yards, and landing effortlessly in front of the runner, he too is greeted with a punch to the face and he joins Titania on the turf. Sugar Plum then has a turn, and succeeds where the other two have failed, but unfortunately, the ball bounces to an adjacent blitzer, who advances towards the goal line and stretches out to score. [Turn 4]

The dwarves are eager to assert their authority on the pitch, and attack before the ball lands. The elves get off lightly, with Fauna recovering the ball without any problems. Three elves manage to weave their way through the dwarven line, with only Thumbelina being taken down, then helped off as she gets knocked-out. Tooth makes the effort to charge at a blitzer, but the dwarf is ready for him, and he plants a boot right in the shin, and the elf crashes to the turf. Tooth has another go, and, well, fails again. But the dwarves cannot take advantage of the suicidal elves, and Merryweather makes the extra yards to deliver a short pass to Maleficent, who jumps well to take the catch despite two dwarves trying to drag him down, and he leaps over them, dodges clear and ties up the scores right on half-time.

With the crowd in a dangerous mood, the restart is delayed. When play does get underway, the elves immediately go on the offensive, scattering players down-field, as Fauna retrieves the ball. Flora though doesn't go anywhere, and stays rooted to the spot. Fauna hands the ball on to Merryweather, who loops a short pass to Thumbelina, who takes the catch and races off down-field. The dwarves try to cut him down, but he eludes them, and dodges clear to give the elves the lead. [Turn 4]

The restart favours the elves, and Merryweather weaves his way through to get under the ball and take the catch. Fauna, however, is tripped up by an errant shoelace, and Maleficent's game is ended early after being king hit by a blocker. Sugar Plum can't get clear of the defence to support the catcher, and, with no support from his team-mates, the catcher gets thumped by a blitzer, and is dragged off unconscious. A troll slayer goes after Flora, and with some effort, pushes the treeman over. A runner shuffles through to pick the ball up, but he fumbles it – straight to a blocker who shows surprising dexterity to grab the ball. Flora, with a concerted effort, gets back up, but immediately takes root. A troll slayer comes after him again, but this time the treeman stands his ground. Fauna launches a kamikaze blitz at the ball carrier, dodging into the space between three dwarves, and manages to push the ball carrier back. Thumbelina is knocked-out by a blocker as he tries to get back to assist with the defence, and the blocker, seeing that the elves aren't giving up, hands the ball on to a more agile blitzer. Titania though races across the pitch to force him back and Tooth is waylaid by the troll slayer and joins Thumbelina in the knock-out bin.

With time almost up, the dwarven blitzer surprises the crowd by attempting to step past Titania, and he with some effort, manages to stay on his feet, then step clear. With his stumpy legs pumping for all they're worth, he staggers into the end zone to deny the elves of a first up win, much to the delight of the home fans.

This, I should point out, is Hacker's first result in a NAF events. Coincidentally, he scored his first ever touchdown against me as well at Eucalyptus Bowl. My re-rolls went pretty early in each half from memory. By turn six of the first half I had already rolled four double skulls.

Round: Seven
Game: 653
Opponent: Mark H
Race: Dwarves
Result: 1 all draw
Casualties: Lost 1-5
Fame: Opponent+2
Toss: Lost - kicked
Starting weather: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Change of weather – fine, Change of weather – fine, Quick Snap.

With nothing left to play for but pride, the elves take to the pitch for the final time and are confronted by their third dwarven team for the day (and their fourth for the tournament). To greet them, another deathroller, Boomer Eziasson, a runner with Leader, the other runner with Block, and three blockers with Guard.

The elves are summarily set upon with fist and foot. After the deathroller narrowly avoids a breakdown by attacking the tree, Sugar Plum, Absinthe and Tinkerbell are injured by successive blocks from two blockers and a troll slayer in what were the second, third and fourth blocks of the match! With the front line all but gone, the elves decide to get the deathroller off the pitch as soon as possible, and Fauna throws a hopeful long bomb down the pitch, which is caught by Tooth who had managed to dodge and sprint into the end zone, and the elves take an early lead. [Turn 2]

With the deathroller off, Boomer comes on, and play continues. Maleficent goes after a runner, and drags him to the ground. The dwarves switch the direction of their attack and the runner with the ball races back across to the left-hand side of the pitch. Flora again takes root, but Maleficent is on the ball and chases down the runner, stunning him in the process. He can't grab the bouncing ball though. Thumbelina is then stretchered off the pitch, badly hurt by a blitzer, and the elven defence is in tatters. Iolanthe though hasn't given up, and dodges, then drops a shoulder into Boomer and he falls flat on his face. The wardancer though can't snare the ball – not whilst it was on the ground, nor when it is fumbled by a troll slayer when it bounced his way. The same troll slayer though targets Maleficent, and makes sure that the wardancer's game is ended, with a cruel blow that has the medical staff working overtime to keep him breathing. A blitzer manages to scoop up the ball, but the stubborn elven defenders delay the dwarves long enough to wind the clock down. A troll slayer takes his frustration out on Fauna, and he needs an ice-pack, but Iolanthe gives the small number of elven fans something to cheer about, when he attacks Boomer, and kills him with a well placed blow to the head. The half-time siren sounds as the star player's remains are carted off the field.

With only six elves retaking the pitch, the task ahead looks rather daunting. Tooth tries to get things going, with a simple pick up then hand-off to Fauna, who promptly races forward but gets tripped up trying to get through the line. Flora had been no help, having decided to take root yet again. Fauna gets knocked-out for his trouble, and a blocker manages to grab the ball. Merryweather has a crack at the blocker, but fails, but soon gets another chance, and manages to push back the ball carrier. A troll slayer rumbles forward and down goes the catcher. The blocker has no further problems and even manages to stretch his legs and even up the score. [Turn 3]

The elves, despite their lack of numbers, try once again to take the lead. With Flora taking root for the second time in this half, Fauna recovers the ball, then quickly hands it off to Merryweather. Tooth, despite having some help, throws a terrible block at a blocker, and Merryweather gets cut down by a marauding troll slayer. Iolanthe charges through, pushing a blocker back onto the ball, but can't get around him to get to the ball. Titania gets koed by a blow to the back of the head from a blocker, allowing a troll slayer to recover the ball and jog down-field. With only Iolanthe in any position to threaten the ball carrier, the dwarves target him, but despite the overwhelming odds, the wardancer survives, then retaliates, leaping over his attackers, pulling clear of them, then flattening the troll slayer. Merryweather sees Tooth unguarded, and picks up the ball. The pass is good, but the catch isn't, and the chance to win the game goes begging. The dwarves can't recover it, spilling it into the end zone. Iolanthe drops the sole dwarf in scoring distance down the other end of the pitch, and all Tooth has to do is pick up the ball to win the game. He dodges into the end zone, but the ball behaves like a lump of soap, and he drops it cold. The elven fans decide to find a nearby tavern to drown their sorrows as the final whistle sounds.

Despite only having five players left on the pitch for most of the second half, and the tree rooted to the spot for the entire second half, I was quite surprised that I had managed to get into a position to almost snatch an unlikely victory. I suppose that is the attraction of the woodies, that they can take a beating, and still manage to confound their opponents with unlikely touchdowns.

I will have to take them again. I surely can't be that bad with them a second time round hey?

Well, that concludes the Bushranger Bowl (and my 30th NAF tourney) reports. That's seven reports down and eight (if you include tomorrows SLOBB league match) left to go. I hope the weather stays this fine for tomorrow. Ciao!

Bushranger Bowl 2011 Reports - Part One

2011-10-20T13:47:00.002+11:00

Well, with an unexpected (but appreciated) day away from Gosford (I can't say Central Coast seeing where I am currently still is technically the Central Coast), I decided to take advantage of the quiet surroundings and catch up with my match reports, amongst other things.

Before I start with the reports from Bushranger Bowl, I was browsing through the list I keep of races that I have used at tournaments and in leagues. I'm not surprised that I have run more races in tournaments than I have in leagues. I have nine to go in NAF events, and ten to go in leagues, although I'm not too worried if I take more time to play all the races in leagues. With news that the Gathering of Might will go ahead in December, I can knock one more race off before the end of the year, the problem being which race to take? (I've narrowed it down to two – Chaos and Underworld Creepers.) If I could attend eight tournaments next year (and that is a distinct possibility) I could finish all 24 races in 2012. Of course I still have a few to purchase (Lizardmen, Nurgle and Chaos Dwarf) and two that need a small number of figures to be completed (Ogres and Underworld Creepers – though I can field an UC team with the goblins and skaven that I have already).

With an idea as to how the Newcastle League is going to run (once a month, at Wallsend) with at least seven players ready to go (five Novocastrians and two from the Central Coast) I'm thinking of trying the Pro Elves, seeing I'd like to get a bit of practice with them seeing I've decided to take them to Can Con. I've played against them enough and have seen how deadly they can be, but at the same time, I have also seen how brittle they can be as well. I'm looking forward to the challenge!

Right, onto the long awaited match reports for the Bloomin' Fairies, my Wood Elven “attempt” at Bushranger Bowl 2011. I must confess, I haven't been overly enamoured with the woodies in the past, and three games into the tournament I wasn't too impressed with them at all. But, after studying the results and the reports, and despite not winning a game, they didn't go that bad. I was more than competitive with them, and with an ounce more luck perhaps I could've won all seven games, rather than just coming away with three draws.

Just a reminder, I took six linemen, two wardancers, two catchers and a treeman. I also had three re-rolls and a fan factor of one. The chosen skills were Kick for a lineman, Strip Ball and Tackle for the wardancers, and Sure Hands for one of the catchers. Tackle, I must say, wasn't used that often, seeing the majority of my opponents were heavy hitting teams. However, when one created the roster one didn't know what they would be facing.

The most successful player on the team was a wardancer (surprise, surprise). Iolanthe scored three times, and registered one of the few casualties my team actually caused. In fact, the only player not to register any SPPs was Absinthe (lineman). Eight out of the eleven scored touchdowns, and three threw passes.

If I was to take woodies again, well, I wouldn't take the treeman. Flora only registered one casualty, was rooted to spot on a number of occasions, and threw enough double skulls (or both downs) to become quite annoying. True, it did draw a lot of attention, and saved some elves from getting thumped (giving them room to move with the attention drawn away from them), but in the end I feel I would've benefited from taking a thrower instead and a fifth skill, perhaps even work in a twelfth player or an apothecary.

Oh well, you know what they say about hindsight...

Okay, to the reports.

Day One – 24 Sept 2011

Round: One
Game: 647
Opponent: Gnome
Race: Dwarves
Result: Lost 1-2
Casualties: Lost 0-4
Fame: Opponent+1
Toss: Won - received
Starting weather: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Perfect Defence, Change of Weather – Fine, Cheering Fans – opponent gains a re-roll.

I don't know if this is just coincidence, but I've drawn Gnome in the first round of tournaments so often now I really have lost track. (And it continued at MOAB too... ) And, there was no surprise when I saw that he had included a deathroller and Flint Churnblade. The only skill was Leader for a runner.

The perfect defence to start with was a pain, but it didn't turn out that bad, seeing the kick was poor and I ended with a touchback. I elected to run (and leap) the wardancers forward, with support, and Fauna (catcher) was eased up towards the halfway. The dwarves targeted Iolanthe, but the dwarven blitzer failed with his assault, allowing Fauna an easy opportunity to get within short pass range, and the wardancer accepted the pass to register the team's first touchdown for the tournament, on the second turn. It was costly, as I had used up two re-rolls already.

This, unfortunately, meant that the deathroller now entered play, and his first target was Flora. Maleficent (wardancer) was the next target on the restart, with Flint Churnblade taking a special interest in him. Maleficent survived the attack, then chased after the runner that had recovered the ball from the kick-off. The wardancer tripped over his own feet, allowing the runner to advance into a cage and down the left flank. Flint couldn't resist and attacked the fallen elf, but the referee sent him from the pitch before any serious damage could be done. Merryweather (catcher) then lost his footing as well in trying to get to the runner, Sugar Plum (line elf), was then knocked-out, and Tooth (line elf), my kicker, became my first fatality for the tournament, after he was smacked hard by a troll slayer. Absinthe then had a turn to attack the runner, making the hard dodge, but failing badly with the block. Tinkerbell (line elf) was next, badly hurt by the other troll slayer, whilst the runner advanced with his posse to the goal-line. Titania (line elf) then managed to succeed where the others had failed, and brought down the runner, but couldn't stay on his feet either and was knocked-out for his efforts. The runner retrieved the loose ball, surviving a failed assault by Fauna, who in turn was crushed by the deathroller, ending his game. Thumbelina (line elf) somehow managed to make a daring dodge and go the extra yards to at least get to the runner, but a lurking troll slayer cut him down, knocking him out, allowing the runner the easiest of walks to the end zone, and to equalize right on half-time.

The second half wasn't going to get any better for the elves of the woods. They kicked deep, then the dwarves continued where they left off in the first half. Flora was the first to go, knocked out in a gang foul. Merryweather weaved his way through the line, and launched himself at the runner, only succeeding in pushing him back. Absinthe then started across to help the catcher, but his feet betrayed him and he hit the ground face first, and finished the game wearing a neck brace. Maleficent leapt over a corner of the cage and hit the runner, but only forced him back. A troll slayer then took the opportunity to frenzy him off the pitch, then Iolanthe pushed him off the pitch, after having survived a fouling attempt from a blocker, who was sent off for his efforts. Iolanthe in turn was pushed off by the second troll slayer, with the crowd on all three occasions was terribly lenient with them. The remaining four elves were quickly disposed off, and with no opposition to worry about the dwarves took their time scoring the winner.

Round: Two
Game: 648
Opponent: Grimrod
Race: Wood Elves
Result: Lost 3-5
Casualties: Lost 2-4
Fame: Opponent+2
Toss: Won - received
Starting weather: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Change of weather – fine, Change of weather – fine, Perfect Defence, High Kick, Throw a rock – Merryweather badly hurt, Riot – turn counter advances, Throw a rock – Iolanthe stunned, Cheering fans – opponent gains a re-roll, Change of weather – fine.

My first woodies on woodies clash! Facing a treeman with Grab, and a wardancer with Frenzy.

It was the shallowest of kick-offs, with Fauna having to recover the ball right on halfway, with an opposing player standing right over it. Maleficent weaved his way down field, shepherding Merryweather, who raced into the end zone, and was in perfect position to take the pass from Fauna to give the Fairies an early lead. The response though was almost instantaneous. With some expert pushing, a catcher was able to sprint down-field through the defence, closely followed by the ball. The pass was on target, and the game was tied up. [Turn 2]

Despite the opposition's defensive re-organisation, Tinkerbell decided that he didn't really like one of the opposing wardancers, and king hit him, giving him a rather serious injury. Fauna scooped up the ball, but with Flora deciding to take root, and Absinthe failing a dodge to close the cage, Fauna was subsequently flattened, the ball bouncing nicely for an opposing catcher. Maleficent made sure he didn't get too far, leaping over a prone player and smashing into the ball carrier. Tinkerbell was thwarted trying to pick the ball up by an opposing player, and with Absinthe elbowed out of the way and needing to be stretchered off again, an opposing wardancer weaves his way through and retrieves the ball. Iolanthe doesn't give him much time with it, and Fauna chances his arm, and flings a beautiful long bomb down field, which is caught by Sugar Plum, who races into the end zone to give the Fairies back the lead. [Turn 5]

The restart is well caught, and Maleficent charges through, but his attempt at tackling was pathetic, and he eventually wakes up in the koed bin with an icepack on his head. Tooth loses his footing trying to get through to the ball carrier, and with defenders sprawled all over the pitch, the opposing catcher saunters in to equalize for a second time. [Turn 6]

Merryweather's game is suddenly ended with an appearance by the rock sniper, and with Flora swinging wildly, overbalancing and falling over, Fauna finds himself without many friend in his half of the pitch. The surviving opposing wardancer races through and coat-hangers him. Tooth desperately tries to get back to recover the ball, with both wardancers in passing range, but is tripped up, and a lone opposing line elf wanders through, recovers the ball, makes the extra yard and gives his side the lead at the main break.

The scoring resumed not long after the riot. Maleficent, knocked out by his opposite number, had to leave it to Iolanthe to leap over the defence and floor the thrower. Despite two opposing players nearby, the wardancer recovered the ball, dodged past them, and was off down field. Sugar Plum and Tooth raced through to give him some cover, whilst Flora made a rare contribution and knocked another line elf senseless. The opposing wardancer about faced and charged at Iolanthe, who stood his ground. He then trampled over the top of a line elf that got in his way, and raced into the end zone to tie things up again. [Turn 3]

The game was pretty much over as a contest in the next drive. With the rock sniper striking Iolanthe, and Tooth committing suicide after failing yet another dodge, the elven thrower had little to bother him in retrieving the ball, handing it off to an unmarked catcher who runs in virtually unopposed. [Turn 5]

With only six players left on the pitch, the Fairies were going to find it difficult to mount any effective challenge to at least snatch a draw. Sugar Plum retrieved the ball off the kick-off, but was overwhelmed and lost the ball to an opposing catcher. Iolanthe though offered some hope, leaping, dodging, then shoving a catcher off the pitch, who was subsequently beaten half to death by the crowd. The ball was chucked back onto the pitch, but retrieved by an opposing line elf, who charges down-field. Sugar Plum and Thumbelina dodge past a number of defenders but cannot bring down the runaway player, and he dodges clear to run in a fifth touchdown for his team. For the hell of it, Sugar Plum gets some catching practice, and hasn't the time to do anything else as the full time siren sounds.

Round: Three
Game: 649
Opponent: Shasta
Race: Skaven
Result: Lost 3-4
Casualties: 2 all draw
Fame: Equal
Toss: Won - received
Starting weather: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Cheering Fans – I gained a re-roll, Blitz, Brilliant coaching – both gained re-rolls, High kick, Pitch Invasion – Rats 2 down Elves 1 down, Change of weather – fine, Blitz.

Ah, matches against Shasta are always fun and this one was no exception! His side contained a rat ogre with Break Tackle, a blitzer with Strip Ball, another with Tackle, a blodging gutter runner, a runner with Tackle, and the special star player for the day, Nedd Killy, a slow moving player with a blunderbuss and Hail Mary Pass.

It started badly for the elves. Tinkerbell threw an awful block, taking himself and his opponent out in the first tackle of the game. The rat ogre charges through to attack Fauna, cleaning him up, and somehow managing to snatch the bouncing ball as well. Maleficent desperately tries to bring him down, but tears a hamstring going for it and his game is over. The big guy goes nuts seeing there is nobody around to hit, and with a catcher and a gutter runner colliding nearby, the rogre pushes aside the sole defender, breaks away from him, and charges in to score. [Turn 3]

To compound the issue, the rats blitzed off the kick-off. However, it was a short-lived advantage, as the rogre collided with Sugar Plum, knocking him out, but falling flat on his back as well. Fauna was able to retrieve the ball, and the elves managed to get their act together and get into a scoring position. Fauna handed the ball off to Thumbelina, who raced down-field. However, Merryweather failed to get past the rogre, Thumbelina was brought down by a blitzer, and Tinkerbell was knocked out by a gutter runner. The skaven couldn't press their advantage, allowing Fauna an opportunity to charge down-field, recover the ball from the feet of a surprised rat, then dodge away and head for the line. The rats were unable to halt him, but did surround him. It was to no avail. The catcher stepped in-between two defenders, then away from them and tie up the score. [Turn 7]

The rats responded immediately, with a quick pass flicked to the blodging runner, who darted through the line. Flora tried to get herself involved in the game, but overbalanced and crashed to the ground, but at least managing to knock a rat out. It was no consolation to the team, for the rat they needed down walked in to score unopposed and retake the lead right on half-time.

With the heavily armoured Nedd Killy (3-3-1-10, Loner, Secret Weapon, Stand Firm, Hail Mary Pass) striding onto the field (he was a free Star Player in the tournament for humans and halflings, but 50,000 for everybody else), the elves were needing a bit to go their way. Nedd obliged, by dropping the kick-off, then failing to recover the spilt ball. Fauna couldn't do much better, despite Titania pushing the skaven thrower aside to give him a better chance of grabbing it. In turn, a rampant gutter runner pushed Fauna aside, the thrower retrieved the ball, handed the ball on to a second runner, who dashed off down-field to double the lead. [Turn 2]

Despite coming off the better from the pitch invasion, then Iolanthe getting the ball from a touchback, the comeback was stymied by Flora again overbalancing, but this time taking the rat ogre to the ground with him. Titania managed to single out a linerat for special attention, ending his game prematurely. Iolanthe took the chance and leapt over the defensive line and hared into the open spaces in the skaven half of the field. The cover defence cut him down, and Tooth was slain by a vicious blow from a blitzer. Then, it was a simple matter of the thrower retrieving the pigskin, flinging a short pass to an available runner, who caught it despite having an elf interfering with his attempt to catch it, he dodged clear, then went the extra yards to register the rats fourth point of the game. [Turn 4]

Despite all hopes of victory gone, the elves wanted to make the scoreline respectable. Tinkerbell flattened a rat out of the way, allowing Fauna a chance to get forward, using Flora as cover. The rogre though ignored the tree, and went after Fauna, smacking him down. The rats couldn't retrieve it, but Merryweather made a mad dash, dodging past a number of rats, scooping up the ball then handing it on to Thumbelina, who dodged to the side, then away from the rat marking him, chanced the extra yards and reduced the deficit to two. [Turn 6]

But there was still time for one more point. The kick-off was shallow, and Iolanthe was able to contest the catch with a line rat. The rat spilled the catch, but the wardancer couldn't snatch the dregs, dropping the ball in front of him. There was a further scuffle for the ball, and it was Iolanthe who came out on top, pushing aside the rat, scooping up the ball, then racing down-field. A gutter runner chased after him, but just as it was about to grab the runaway elf, it pulled a calf muscle and fell to the ground, and the elves finished off the game with a third touchdown to make the score look quite respectable.

Round: Four
Game: 650
Opponent: Alan G
Race: Wood Elves
Result: 2 all draw
Casualties: Lost 0-3
Fame: Equal
Toss: Lost - received
Starting weather: Very Sunny
Kick-offs (in order): Brilliant coaching – both gained re-rolls, High Kick, Change of weather – fine, Change of weather – fine, Change of weather – fine, Change of weather – fine.

The second woodies clash of the day at least saw the side register some points. Their opponents were fielding a thrower with Accurate, two Strip Ball wardancers, and two line elves with Block.

Both wardancers started the match with consecutive runs down the pitch, leaping over stubborn defenders and finding the empty spaces in their opponent's half. They were quickly joined by two line elves. Fauna retrieves the ball and advances cautiously up field, seeing Flora has decided to take root in the middle of the pitch. An opposing wardancer then leaps and charges at Fauna, but the attack failed and the catcher manages to get away. With the nearest available target being Absinthe, Fauna darts through, but the line elf inexplicably drops the ball. The ball bounces to Sugar Plum, who does hang onto it, but only until he is stunned in a two man hit. Absinthe and the wardancers flatten the nearby defenders, allowing Fauna to retrieve the ball. However, an opposing wardancer strikes him from behind, and the catcher is temporarily pushing up daisies. A line elf takes the opportunity to retrieve the ball, but the attempted long pass for a possible score is fumbled, allowing Iolanthe a chance to shoulder charge the elf off the ball, step clear of another defender but then fumble the ball. An opposing wardancer then has a crack at a pass, but he fares no better and drops it as well. Absinthe, still trying to make up for his earlier fumble, blitzes the wardancer and sends him reeling, giving Tooth the opportunity to scoop up the ball, flick it onto Maleficent, who runs in unopposed for the opening point. [Turn 5]

With the kick-off being shallow, Maleficent notices an opportunity to get at the thrower with the ball. He charges at the line and jumps, but lands poorly, allowing the thrower to easily advance down-field. Iolanthe then has a go at the thrower, but he too makes a poor attempt at the leap, leaving the thrower to run it in for an equalizer. [Turn 7] What little time left in the half doesn't give either side a chance to try something, and with some cloud cover reducing the glare, the teams troop off the field locked at one apiece.

The restart is again shallow, and is caught by a line elf on the left flank. Thumbelina darts through to get next to the line elf, and Maleficent takes the opportunity to attack, this time leaping successfully, then stripping the ball from his opponent. The ball bounces straight back to him, but he can't hang onto it. He is then unceremoniously pushed off the field, but the crowd is fairly lenient with him, and only knock him out. Titania returns the favour, dodging, then making a concerted effort to shove the elf off the pitch, just as he picks up the ball. The crowd show no favouritism, and knock him out as well. The ball is tossed down-field, prompting Sugar Plum to make a dash for it and he goes the extra yards to retrieve it and put himself in a scoring position. It doesn't last long, the cover defence catches him and drag him down, and then, just to make sure, a line elf lands a killer blow on Thumbelina and that's a second KIA. Titania though manages to weave her way through the defence, pick up the ball, then makes the extra yards to break the deadlock. [Turn 4]

The opposing side decides to take full advantage of their superior numbers, and after Titania is ganged up on and seriously injured, and Absinthe is knocked out, they opt to go to the air, with a short pass going straight across the pitch to a freed up wardancer, who charges down-field. Tooth moves in to attack the wardancer, but is tripped up trying to get to him and falls flat on his face. Merryweather is next to go, knocked out by a line elf, then Tinkerbell trips over to trying to charge down the wardancer. As the wardancer takes his time, Sugar Plum manages to hit him. He crashes to the ground, knocking himself out in the process, but the plucky line elf can't get to the ball. With only four Fairies left on the pitch at this time, the second opposing wardancer strolls through, picks up the ball, and the match is tied once again. [Turn 7]

The match ends soon afterwards. Absinthe throws a clumsy block at a line elf and the pair fall to the pitch in a bundle of arms and legs. The referee calls time, and both sides are relieved to get off the pitch with the points shared.

* * *

Well, NAF tournament number thirty was not looking too good at this stage. Thankfully, there was a slight improvement on day two, which made sure that I didn't finish up with the wooden spoon.

Seeing I have other things to get done before heading off to Sydney for my second SLOBB match, I shall finish my report here for the time being. Ciao!

First game with SLOBB!

2011-10-18T17:35:00.007+11:00

I have often said, my life is either a flood, or a famine. Between Eucalyptus Bowl and Bushranger Bowl, nothing. I had to resort to playing solitaire games to try one or two things out. But from the last week of September to now, thirteen matches, including the first of (what I hope is) many league matches in SLOBB.

I have also managed to squeeze in a game of Malifaux as well in recent weeks. A rare appearance at Good Games in Gosford on Thursday last week, and I was able to give Seamus a run against Leviticus. It was an unusual game. At times I felt that my crew was going to get wiped off the board, especially after Mortimer was taken out quite early. However, at the end of the game it was the Leviticus crew that was nearly extinct, with only two figures left on the board and Seamus with three of his cohorts. Whilst the last undead belle wandered off to destroy evidence on the seventh and final turn, Seamus dropped a hollow waif, my punk zombie took out Leviticus (he also slew Killjoy as well earlier in the match), and with the final shot of the game, the convict gun-slinger fired through partial cover and hit the last waif, sealing a narrow 4 – 2 win, in what I think is only my second game of it this year. What has become obvious to me, is that the convict gun-slinger has been a great asset to my crews. The ranged attack he provides is just what I needed, to pick off targets at range and keep them busy whilst the rest of them move in. I'm still coming to grips with the game, but I'm slowly getting there!

However, it was Good Games in Burwood where I played my first league match since July, coming up against a coach I played at Clash of the Titans earlier this year. (As it turns out, he is quite keen to keep Blood Bowl alive at next year's CoTT, so I will be awfully tempted to come along again and try my luck if there is someone actually making an effort to get it going.) I must say I quite like the Good Games store at Burwood. Despite there being a Yu-Gi-Oh tournament on, and a Magic league, there was still enough room for four of us to play league games (including D'Arquebus, who just happened to be playing against someone I'll be playing against this Sunday in Gosford) and move around the store with comparative ease. I even discovered that there was a nice little quiet area at the back behind the board games. I even picked up some bases for my penguins (some nice resin ones that have a dirt like surface) and have started to undercoat base and players white. As for a colour scheme, well, I'm still thinking “rainbow”, but there has been a suggestion made of fluorescent colours. Someone else even suggested painting them up in little suits. I'm thinking if I was capable enough, I could give them Hawaiian shirts. As for the remaining ogres, I've trawled through the 'net and have come across an assortment of figures that I'd like to use, namely a cave troll, a crystal golem, an ice troll and a wereshark, all from Reaper, to go with the two dire bears that I already have. (Reaper big guys, and Copplestone little guys, nice symmetry!)

Anyways, I have digressed long enough. Sunday October 16th's match turned out to be my 100th draw, in 660 games. The symmetry continues, for the personal record stands at 280 wins, and 280 losses. This game really could've gone either way, and once again, it was my inability to keep my opponents off the pitch that prevented me from getting a first up league win. I wasn't rolling too badly for armor rolls, but none of my players registered a casualty at all, with the best being a few knock-outs.

Game: 660
Opponent: Junior
Team: La French Play-gue (Skaven)
Result: 2 all draw
Casualties: 1 all draw
(But in terms of SLOBB league rules, I lost the casualty count seeing mine resulted from a failed Go-for-it roll.)
Fame: Me+1
Toss: Lost – kicked
Starting Weather: Sweltering Heat
Kick-offs (in order): Brilliant Coaching (I gained a re-roll), Riot (turn marker moved forward), Blitz, High Kick, Brilliant Coaching (I gained a re-roll), Change of Weather – fine.

With neither the Skaven, nor the Orcs with a game under their belts, both sides were quite keen to get the match rolling. The orcs initial kick-off rolled into the end zone, coming to rest in the bottom left-hand corner of the pitch. This didn't cause the rats much concern, as they quickly retrieved it, with a gutter runner hurtling it down field to a fellow runner. He in turn handed it on to a third runner, who daringly skirted down the sideline, around an orc blitzer, then back in field. The fourth gutter runner tried the same thing on the right hand flank, but in his effort to match the distance covered by his fellow team-mate, he tripped and fell, and fell badly, dislocating a knee and finishing his game in the opening minutes of the contest. Vern Schillenger (blitzer) about faced and charged at the ball carrier, clipping him across the back of the head, whilst Tobias Beecher (thrower) made the extra yards to retrieve the ball. However, the orcs' time with the ball was very short, and with two gutter runners combining to bring down Beecher, there was a fortuitous bounce, almost a spilled pick-up, but the runner held on to cross the line and give the rats an early lead. [Turn 2]

The heat had quite a few being carried off to the cooler climate in the reserves bin, the skaven suffering the worst with five players off to the orcs' three. The crowd naturally were none to happy about this, and whilst the unconscious players were stretchered off, they decided to vent their frustrations upon each other. When play resumed, it was Beecher retrieving the ball well inside the orcs' half, with Kareem Said (black orc) knocking a linerat out, that posed a threat to the orc catcher, with a heavy blow to it's noggin. The orcs ground their way down the pitch, Beecher well and truly secure inside a formidable orc cage. The skaven could only provide token resistance, with the orcs well and truly taking control of the pitch. By the time Beecher strolled in to equalize, there were only two rats left on the pitch. They received a considerable boost for what little time was left in the first half, seeing half the team was currently in the reserve bin, with this time only one player succumbing to the heat, and the orcs with two. It didn't matter, the orcs couldn't do much with their Blitz off the kick-off, electing to give Beecher some throwing practice to end the half locked at one apiece.

It was the orcs' turn to suffer at the start of the second term with the heat, losing four players (one from each position) to the skaven's one. The kick-off was terrible, going high, wide, and way off the pitch. Miguel Alvarez (blitzer) was given the pigskin from the touchback and the orcs started to bulldoze their way down field, despite the fact the skaven outnumbered them eight to seven. The rats used the extra player to their advantage, and Alvarez was dragged down on the left hand flank near halfway, with a gutter runner on hand to pick up the spilt ball. Alvarez responded in kind, flattening the runner, but his fellow blitzer Chris Keller couldn't recover the ball from near the feet of a linerat. A runner once again recovered the ball, and headed to where he felt he was safe from attack. Simon Adebisi (black orc) stomped after him, but just couldn't bring him down. The rat jumped away, but Adebisi kept on after him, making a clumsy attempt to bring himself and the runner down with the end zone not too far away. Some poor blocking allowed the orcs to recover, and Adebisi had a third shot at the runner, only succeeding in forcing him back. Schillenger raced down to cover the runner's exit, but it didn't worry him, as he dodged through two players, then away to break the deadlock. [Turn 5]

With a badly needed re-roll coming their way, the orcs also received another touchback, with Ryan O'Reilly (blitzer) being chosen to take the ball from the restart. The orcs were determined to not lose the game, and the entire team was on the pitch for the final drive, whilst the skaven lost yet another player to the heat. By this time in the match, they were hampered somewhat by having no gutter runners left on the pitch. The orcs chose the right hand side of the pitch to launch their attack, with Keller and Peter Schibetta (line orc) accompanying him. The rats threw themselves in the path of the ball carrier in vain attempts to bring him down, but only succeeded in providing the orcs some target practice, and giving them a few laughs when their attempted blocks failed. Keller and Schibetta then pushed aside the remaining resistance, allowing O'Reilly a clear run to the line to equalize. [Turn 8]

Only four players were affected by the heat before the final restart of play, with three more rats being propped up in the reserves bin under a ceiling fan to the orcs one. However, there was a slight change in the weather, the crowd appreciating the milder weather, and the players wondering where this slightly cool change was an hour ago. Schibetta received the rare distinction of being the only player injured as a result of a block during the game, after the linerats ganged up on him to bring him down. The final block in the game however was rather unsuccessful, and as the unfortunate rat slumped to the turf, after colliding with Jaz Hoyts' (black orc) chest, the referee called time, and both teams trooped off for quite a few cold ones after the match.

Cyril O'Reilly (line orc) took the MVP for the orcs. None of the player gained sufficient points to warrant promotion. The team received an extra Fan Factor point and 60,000gp in winnings. They decided to spend the money hiring an apothecary, Dr Gloria Nathan.

Despite receiving an offer to play an undead side during the week, the Oz Correctional Facility's next game will most likely be against a Pro Elven squad in Gosford this Sunday.

Stay tuned! Ciao!

P.S: Turns out my next game will be against an undead outfit on Thursday at Good Games Sydney.

First match in SLOBB

2011-10-16T18:20:00.003+11:00

Well, just a quick note to say that I played my first game in the Sydney League of Blood Bowlers today at Good Games in Burwood. (Man, what a nice store! Won't mind playing more games down there in the future.) The game itself wasn't much to write home about, but it wasn't a loss, and in the end I was happy to get a 2 all draw (strangely enough, the 100th draw I've played) with my starting Orc team. Unfortunately, none of my team managed to do better than a knock-out against the Skaven outfit I played. The one casualty in the for column was a gutter runner which failed a go-for-it roll, and badly hurt himself. It was the first armor & casualty roll I made for the game.

In comparison, the last successful block the Skaven threw in the match saw me a man down for my next game. A seriously injured lineman was the casualty. I'm very glad that I took that black orc off the line and put the lineman in his place...

Still, the Oz Correctional Facility team didn't do too bad. A bit of a problem with the go-for-it rolls, and the black orcs had a tendency of using up my re-rolls, but in the end it was the inability of the side to get the rats off the pitch and keep them off which cost me a win.

They can only improve from here. More later. Ciao!

Quick MOAB 2011 report

2011-10-02T20:47:00.002+11:00

Well, after a miserable day one, where I was well in contention for the wooden spoon, I made a remarkable comeback on the second day to finish 7th overall, with a team, I should add, had never used in any format before this weekend.

Two wins, two draws, and two losses was the overall record, the same as last year, and I believe the placing was the same as well. The Myths Busted Chaos Dwarven team acquitted themselves well on the second day, going undefeated and giving me a nice little prize of a Military Sims voucher. At the moment, I'm just trawling through the site to see what tickles my fancy.

Games one and two were mostly forgettable, except that I won the casualty count in both of them. Games three and four were frustrating, seeing I could've done a little better and possibly won them. Games five and six I was extremely pleased with efforts, especially seeing I defeated long term rival D'Arquebus, scoring the winning (and only) touchdown on the last turn of the match in round six. I had never defeated him before in a NAF match, and to be honest, I doubt I have played a better game all year.

For the record, the TD's for and against reads 9 to 11 (it was 4 to 9 after day one) and the casualty count was 15 to 12. I was well in contention to take out most casualties, and had lead that section after the first round.

The overall winner was Gnome (playing Undead) with Thomsy (Lizardmen) finishing second. I didn't have to face Thomsy at all, but I drew Gnome first round, losing by two, and still not being able to remove that monkey from my back. (I think I have drawn him eight times in the first round in my thirty-one tournaments.)

Sangraal did a great job once again running the event, and there was a surplus of prizes, with four teams on offer, and the latest specialist game from Games Workshop.

I was also able to sell off some stuff, including all but one of the teams that I had acquired recently. I also tried to sell two star players as well, but they were passed over. To balance the scales, I purchased some items, going a long way to completing my Arctic themed Ogre team, acquiring sixteen Copplestone frisky penguins from two different vendors, for the grand total of $23.50. I also picked up two large bears, which I'll masquerade as polar bears, for $20. Now all I need is another four similar figures for ogres and the team will be complete!

Right, must go. I feel the need to put my feet up and watch the telly. More later!

Off to MOAB

2011-09-30T12:57:00.004+10:00

Well, I have the team in my bag, along with the NAF dice & prize support, Feudball books, and a board, and I'm ready and raring to go to MOAB. Surely, this time round, I can do a bit better than second last at Bushranger Bowl...

The roster was decidedly easier to come up with as well. Race number 15 will be Chaos Dwarves, the first time that I have ever used them. (Played against them enough times though to know how they work!) I have christened the team "Myths Busted", considering that I have been watching a fair bit of that show recently. The roster consists of two bull centaurs, five blockers, four hobgoblins and a minotaur. There's even room for three re-rolls seeing the start-up cost is 1.15 million. Skills are free, but limited to three normal before game one (to three different players) and two normal and one double before game four (to players who haven't already got additional skills). Seeing I don't have a CD team as yet, I'll be borrowing Babs' big hat team.

Skills, well, it was pretty much a no-brainer. Both bulls to have Block, and Sure Hands on a hobgoblin. Too easy. As for the second day options, well, I'm thinking Block on the minotaur, Guard on a blocker, and either a second guardsman, or a hob with Kick or Dirty Player, depending on how things are going.

It looks like it will be a good turn-out. Last time I checked the Ausbowl forum there were twenty people down for playing in the resurrection event, seeing the GW masters event (a one-dayer) was cancelled. There'll be a lot of familiar faces there, and I'm looking forward to it!

Cheers!

P.S: Making enquiries as to joining a league. I'm getting rather tired of not having any games between tournaments...

Bloomin' Fairies Busted

2011-09-25T20:40:00.003+10:00

Well, the Bloomin' Fairies came, saw, and got thumped all over the pitch. They were woeful, at times they were pathetic, and it was only minor miracle that they didn't finish dead last for the tournament.

They finished 27th, out of 28th. The wooden spoon was avoided thanks to a count back, which was necessitated by the bottom four teams all drawing their last round matches. Had the pair who were playing next to me drew their match, and I lost (which was, at the time, becoming a distinct possibility seeing my elves were being butchered in the first half of the final game) then I would have taken the spoon. As it turns out, we all drew (I was playing the fourth coach in contention for last place) but my bonus points were superior, seeing I wasn't royally thumped on the scoreboard.

For the record, I drew up a new roster on Friday night, which had a treeman, two wardancers, two catchers, six linemen, three re-rolls and a fan factor of one. I took just four skills: Strip Ball on one wardancer, Tackle on the other, Sure Hands on one catcher, and Kick on a line elf. Of the four skills, Kick was the most useful, followed by Sure Hands. The team's overall record was 4 losses and 3 draws, making it the second tournament I didn't register a win at.

The teams I faced, well, three Dwarven rosters, two Wood Elves, one Skaven and one Chaos Dwarf. I drew against two of the Dwarves and one of the Elven sides, and was in contention, at times, to possibly win every match. However, the dice conspired against me in a big way. I was rolling ones for everything - each game had something different that I was constantly failing. One game it was dodges, another it was hand-offs. Twice on the second day I rolled double ones for Fame and ended up with Fame+2 against me. The block dice were no better. In game six, the first blocks I threw on the first two turns were double skulls. When re-rolled, I got double both down and double skulls again!

Still, it was a great weekend. Despite the poor record, I quite enjoyed myself. It was a great venue, and the host laid on lunch and soft drinks for both days. There were plenty of prizes, and I even got a lift to and from the venue each day.

And I also got rotten drunk on Saturday night, but that's another story. Ciao!

P.S: I have started making my Slann team. I now have the necessary four emu and bilby miniatures as my catchers, and picked up a boxing kangaroo (as a prize) to be my kroxigor. Now I just need to find something appropriate for my blitzers and linemen that's reasonably priced.

At last some Blood Bowl!

2011-09-23T11:10:00.002+10:00

Oh I am so glad that I am heading off for a tournament this weekend! With no BB action locally, I am quite keen to head off this afternoon after I finish at the community centre, and just hop on the train and head to Sydney.

Of course, I'm practically broke (nothing new in that department) but I have enough for a reasonable weekend, just as long as I don't go crazy, especially with the credit card. At least I have paid for both Bushranger Bowl and MOAB, and have arranged accommodation for both!

Still not settled on a final roster for the Wood Elves. The Bloomin' Fairies (I pinched the name from a webcomic that I read fairly regularly) have about three rosters worked out, but I'm not overly happy with any of them. I am leaning towards Option 3, which is 8 linemen, 2 wardancers, 2 catchers, 2 re-rolls and a FF of 2. We have a limit of 1.2 million for this tournament, but are only allowed to purchase a maximum of 5 normal skills. So, the five I took for this version is Block on both catchers, Strip Ball on a wardancer, Kick on one lineman, and Sure Hands on another. (Trust me, I need the Sure Hands... )

Two other options have included a thrower with Leader, plus an Apothecary, and the other had a treeman, and a thrower with Leader. Both of course had only 7 linemen and one re-roll each.

Kick, well, is an essential skill to have. In the trials that I have conducted, it has come in very handy, especially with Blitz actions. My main concern though, is the expected casualty count. In three out of the four games, the elves did get off lightly, suffering, at worst, 2 casualties. However, in the last game, against a human side, they suffered 4 casualties, and a considerable number of knock-outs, yet still managed to finish with a 3 all draw. They could've even won had the wardancer not rolled double skulls on a blitz action on turn seven of the second half to set up the winner. This result was achieved with the preferred third option.

I did play a game with Option 1 (treeman), but the humans ran away with the game and won 3-1. Turn two saw the wardancer kill himself on a failed leap which would've lead to a touchdown, turn five saw the other wardancer seriously injured by a blitzer with Tackle. Both re-rolls went by turn three of the first half, and again by the same turn in the second. Their dodging was bad, and their blocking was worse, with two sets of quad skulls, two sets of double-skulls, and two single skull results being thrown. The treeman contributed with a two skull, one both down result on his only three dice block of the match, but at least he killed the ogre (but not until turn five of the second half) but on double both down.

The thing is, I want a third re-roll, but I also want an Apothecary and 12 players. Unfortunately, I can't achieve this, so I'm going to have to grin and bear it and just take one. At least I'll get the Woodies out of the way, then Chaos Dwarves the following week at MOAB.

Whilst at Bushranger Bowl, I'll also be acting as the NAF representative, and taking renewals/registrations. My bag has a load of dice in it, and prizes for the event. I'm also taking down some copies of Feudball (the BB-esque fantasy football novel I co-wrote with Babs) to sell as well. (I'm pretty certain though most who are going have already got one!)

So, what else? I have had some more Carcassonne during the week, against Brendan. Another five match series, and I won it again 3-2. (I think that makes it 8 games apiece now all up.) The last match was close, with me just winning by three points. Just as well I won the battle of the big field!

I've also been playing a fair bit of Settlers of Catan, but only on the PC. I have acquired three versions of the game (2 commercial and 1 Java version) and can safely say the oldest of the three is the best. Simple interface, pretty good AI (I'm playing against three opponents on the advanced level) and the graphics are pretty good as well.

The newer version that I had, Cities & Knights, looked pretty, but crashed, on average, every second game during the campaign. The number of times I had to delete saved games because they were incomplete, and corrupted, was unbelievable. That, and the campaign was a bit of a joke. The opponents were very annoying, the trade menus a little confusing at times, and to top it off, the AI was, well, almost impossible. I was playing the EASY campaign to begin with, and won just three games out of twenty-five played. Needless to say, the campaign was never completed, as it crashed repeatedly when you got onto the fifth board.

So that got deleted, as did the Java one. It's ugly, but playable. The trade feature is easier to understand than Cities & Knights, but the game is not that appealing. I will, however, leave the Java one on my USB seeing I can play it at work without having to install it, along with the Java version of Carcassonne.

Any ways, that's all for now. My next lot of reports should be of the several BB games that I'll be playing over the weekend. Cheers!

More Springfield Horror Screen Shots

2011-09-12T16:53:00.008+10:00

Just a quick post to show a couple of images of the Springfield Horror board game that I have been working on. Over the last couple of days, I pruned and finished the Spell list, and now have completed all the cards for them. I edited the list down to 41, seeing I felt that there would be spells that would be doing pretty much the exact same thing. For example, I had three spells, "Levitate", "Flight" and "Summon Giant Eagle". In the end, I just left in "Flight" and removed the other two. There were also spells that I felt couldn't really work in a Arkham Horror type board game, so I removed them as well. 41 spells though is more than enough to assist investigators in the game!

This picture is just a screenshot of the program Strange Eons that I have been using to create the game pieces. It's quite a useful little program, with downloadable add-ons that allow one to create material for a custom Talisman game as well. (Which I could do, but at a later point.)

This second image is of one of the 41 spells, "Find Gate". As you can see, I used an appropriate image from one of the many Treehouse of Horrors episodes.

Before I waffle on too much, I should point out, that this project is a labor of love, and I don't intend to make any money out of it at all. It will be for personal use only.

I must say, I am even more addicted to Carcassonne now, more so seeing that I found a Java version of the game which is in English, and it is a free download (under 5 meg) as well.

There are some notable differences between the this free version, and the Koch Media one. For starters, as you can plainly see (if you click on the links) that the Java one, though Russian in origin, does have an English version. The KM one is in German, but can be simply modified to be played in English.

Both games have pretty easy interfaces, which differ. Both allow you to rotate pieces, then make a decision as to where you want to put it, and what sort of meeple you want to put on it. I do like the Java version imagery, for it appears that the tiles have been scanned in, though the KM version appeals to me more graphics wise. The Java version though does have an advantage that it automatically scrolls the screen to follow the play, whilst the KM version has to be clicked on and dragged. Meeples in the Java game appear as one-dimensional versions of the board game pieces, whilst with the KM one, you can choose mneeple types, including animated pieces.

The Java version also has the advantage, in that it includes a dozen expansion (including two sets of River tiles), whilst the KM one only has four. (I must say it was fun to use the "Dragon & Princess" expansion, and watch the dragon race around the screen gobbling up meeples!) However, the KM game has the advantage in AI. You can create a number of "bots" to play against, and adjust all their strengths and weaknesses. The Java game (the current complete version) has bots of unknown intelligence, which are randomly created every game.

And in this sense, the KM version is in front, as not only can you pick and choose which level of opponent you want, and edit their characteristics, the program allows you to run "bot wars" so they can boost their rankings, and keeps records of wins, losses and draws. It also maintains the previous settings for every game, and you can save replays of games as well for later viewing.

As for presenting scoring, the KM version displays both the player's current score, and the projected final score, which gives you an idea as to how you are really going. The Java one only shows the points for completed items (roads, cities, cloisters) leaving you to speculate as to how much your farmers are going to provide.

Overall, I like both versions of the game, and play them both. I find the KM version is good if you want a long-running campaign, and to use the same settings for each game that you play, which I do. However, the Java game is good for one off matches, and, as I have discovered, good to leave on a USB and plug it in to a PC at work, and play it when you've nothing better to do!

Both versions though nicely kill the time in-between games with a human opponent. Last Thursday I had another five games with Brendan, and won the series 3-2, with the final, deciding game won by myself by a single point.

I have also been continuing to browse miniature sites for "inspiration" for the remaining teams that I need. My problem is now, that I have too many ideas for teams, and not enough money! As a second choice, I have designed (on paper) a combined Lizardman/Slann team, utilizing the Greebo Sarcos team Sarcos miniatures. I feel the miniatures can be quite interchangeable for both teams, though I would use the Lizardman team more than I would the Slann side.

The Ogre team however I have discovered that I could have a lot of fun in creating. I originally thought of using Malifaux figures, like Teddies for the Ogres and Baby Kades for the Snotlings or Terror Tots. However, I have dismissed that idea as too expensive, that and there wouldn't be much variation appearance-wise in the side.

My next idea came from another site, where I saw Evil Snowmen and Penguins. After checking the size of the figures, I might just have to rule them out as well. Then there's a couple more from Gaspez. They have a Pygmy team and a Mouse team, with pretty cool looking big guys. The mouse team though look more suitable as Skaven however, but the Pygmy team would sure be amusing!

However, I finally decided on an African themed Ogre side, with the Tantor, Hippo, Warthog, etc as the Ogres, and Mekats as the Snotlings. This side is also more affordable (for me) and would still look good.

I have though, settled on a figure I want as my Beast of Nurgle. I have also found the rest of the squad too.

Anyway, best go. This was only meant to be a quick post. Ciao!

P.S: I have just discovered this link on the AusBowl site as to some discussion as to possible LRB 7 rule changes. As you can see, purely hypothetical at the moment.

What a haul!

2011-09-07T13:11:00.003+10:00

On Sunday, a mate who lives nearby, messaged me on the Book of Faces, and said he had a present for me. The present being, his entire collection of Blood Bowl related material.

Yesterday, I went and picked it up. Oh man, it was like Christmas had come, three-and-a-half months early! And when I say "present" he meant exactly that - I got the lot for nothing! As to why he gave me all the BB gear, well, let's just say he's considering a major life change, and getting rid of something he rarely plays was the first step.

It's actually quite staggering what I have picked up. It took an entire afternoon to go through the lot of it. For starters, I found that he did have the figure missing from my human team, which I had given to him to paint well over three years ago. My human team now has a full compliment.

Next, was an unused Carcassonne Box Set, with the set of twelve river tiles. Seeing I didn't have the river tiles, I added them to my big box set. (It was good, seeing with the two Carcassonne PC games I had successfully downloaded recently, both had the river tiles.) The rest of the box set will be passed on to Brendan, whom I've been playing the game against recently. He was quite pleased to hear that I had acquired a set of the game for him.

The Blood Bowl stuff, well...
* A Games Workshop BB High Elven team of 11 figures (2 blitzers, 1 thrower, 2 catchers, 6 linemen).
* A Games Workshop/Shadowforge Wood Elven team of 19 figures (3 wardancers, 2 catchers, 2 Shadowforge line-elves, 10 GW line-elves, 2 throwers).
* 13 Assorted Shadowforge Nun figures (2 catchers, 2 blitzers, 2 throwers, 4 line nuns, a nun leaning on a choirboy, 2 cheerleaders).
* A lone Skaven linerat with a missing foot.
* Chaos/Nurgle assortment of 23 GW figures (3 warriors, 17 beastmen, 3 rotters).
* 16 assorted Undead figures (6 plastic non-GW zombies, 3 GW BB ghouls, 3 GW BB skeletons, 1 GW BB wight, 1 GW BB zombie, 1 GW BB mummy, 1 grim reaper).
* 10 block dice (3 green & red, 2 blue & silver, 2 white & black, and 3 "bacon & eggs").
* 5d6, 1d8 and a Shadowforge football.
* A board, 2 dugouts, scatter template & throw-in template.

There was also four assorted Hero Clicks, which were being used as fill ins or game markers.

So, what will I do with it all? For starters, I've already swapped the boards around, seeing my original BB board and dugouts has been "well loved", and will pass them onto Brendan as well. I'm keeping all the dice, the blue and white ones actually finished off two sets (I had lost one of the blue ones at MOAB last year, nice to find a replacement for it!), and I now have three surplus sets to sell. The linerat has gone to my Underworld Creepers team, the zombie finishes off my Necromantic team, I've taken the two SF catchers for my Chaos Pact/Human nun team as well as the cheerleaders and a couple of other assorted figures, the grim reaper figure is added to my assorted undead "coaching staff", ten of the Chaos/Nurgle figures (the three warriors, three rotters and four of the beastmen), and the entire Wood Elven team. The Hero Clicks I'll pass on to my sister's boy. Nearly half of them, I should add, are painted.

All that now brings up the grand collection to 17 teams. If you take into consideration that my SF bunnies are combined Amazon/Vampire (and Human) teams, and that my SF Dark Elves are also set up to be used as High Elf and Pro Elf, then the total is now up to 20.

Honestly, I wasn't planning on getting all 24 of the teams. But seeing now I've got most of them, I might as well get the rest. I had a good look at the Impact site, and made a shopping/wish list of what I'd like to get. Needless to say, what I found on the site will complete the Nurgle team that has been started, as well as the Underworld Creepers, and fill in the holes of the Halfling squad as well. I'll also have an Ogre team, a Chaos Dwarf team, and a Lizardman team. That then, will only leave the Slann, and I have an idea for those. Just think of an Australian icon with big legs, a tail, and jumps everywhere...

Right. That's enough for the time being. I should really get going for my daily walk. The weather is so nice outside, I'd best take advantage of it. Might undercoat some of these figures whilst I have a chance too. Ciao!

Christening Carcassonne

2011-08-31T12:47:00.002+10:00

Been a little while since I posted. Seeing I now have a few things to natter on about, I figured now's a good as time as any.

Blood Bowl? Well, not much happening in that department. I did have a couple of solo games to test out some line-ups for upcoming tournaments. I pitted a Chaos Dwarf team against two (slightly) varying Wood Elven teams. The first game was an unusual 2 all draw, with the CD's scoring twice in the first half, and the elves scoring twice in the second half. The CD's however had two chances to score at the death to win the game, but a hobgoblin first failed a dodge to score, then failed a pick-up. Strangely enough the first casualty didn't come until the second turn of the second half. The CD's did take the casualty count, but only 2-1. From memory, the elves were failing a number of 2+ rolls in the first stanza, and the CD's two dice blocks in the second.

Game two was a bit better for the CD's, despite the elves scoring on the second turn of the match. However, they ground their way to an equalizer right on half-time, then ground the elven side into the turf during the second half. Their one and only casualty coming on turn seven (caused by a hobgoblin), but they did knock-out eight elves, with the winning TD being scored with just three elves left on the pitch on the last turn. The elves nearly pinched a draw. Conveniently, they got a Quick Snap, I successfully pushed the catcher forward another square, but, predictably, the player failed the third go-for-it roll to tie the game up.

At this stage, I'm thinking I'll take the Chaos Dwarves to Bushranger Bowl on September 24/25, and the Wood Elves to MOAB the following weekend. I'm sure I can borrow a CD team, seeing that's one that I don't have. I believe that with the make-up of the tournaments, I could probably take either team to either tournament. Bushranger Bowl is a seven game tournament, with a 1.2 mil start-up, with a maximum of five skills only to be included, with no doubles or stat increases. MOAB is a six game event, 1.15 mil start-up, and no skills to be purchased. However, prior to round one, you assign three normal skills to three different players, and prior to round four, three skills to three different players that do not yet have a skill. One of them can be a double. Both events are resurrection. To get both teams out of the way before the end of the year would be good, seeing that would leave me with just nine races to go, which I could knock off easily over the next two years.

In-between social and other gaming occasions (more on that later), I have been steadily working on my Springfield Horror project. I currently have a list of 35 allies; 22 ancient ones, guardians & heralds; 51 investigators; 191 common, unique & special items; 55 Springfield locations (including streets); 106 monsters; 10 other world locations; and 54 spells. Much as I'd like to use everything on this list, I don't think it is possible. There are still things that I don't have that I could put in, for example, Blinky the three-eyed fish, but I'm at a loss as to what use these things could be used for.

What I do have completed, are the ten other world location markers and board icons. Only eight will be used in my initial main game, with the other two coming in the first planned expansion. 24 of the allies have been completed, but I will definitely not be including all of them initially, seeing some will be “found” at locations that will be in the expansions. I have completed four ancient ones – Hank Scorpio, Kang & Kodos, The Prince of Darkness and King Homer. The only other one I really want to finish up before moving on to another section is Sideshow Bob. As for the guardians and heralds, I have one of each completed. Monty Burns is a herald (I just couldn't have him as an ancient one, seeing he doesn't really conspire to destroy the town, just control it and make money off of it), and Colonel Klink (who appeared in the episode of “The last temptation of Homer”) is the completed guardian. There are other I'd like to include, including The Leader and Judge Harm as heralds, with Mulder & Scully and Judge Snyder as guardians. Other ancient ones I want incorporate (eventually) include King Snorky, Lard Lad and Homer the Blob.

Investigators, well, I have a core dozen finished. The Simpson family is among them (including Grandpa, but not Selma and Patty – Maggie by the way is an ally, along with Santa's Little Helper and Snowball), Principal Skinner, Ned Flanders, Apu and Krusty just to name a few. I have tried to compile a vary assorted collection of items, even resorting to downloading entire episodes off the net so that I can capture some frame grabs, doing the same for certain monster images as well as spell effects. The items range from the ridiculous (such as Moe's five guns in one weapon) to the very mundane (Duff Beer). Tomes I have to be creative with, but I did finally get the image of Bob Dole reading from the Necronomicon that I was after, so that'll be in the game! Spells, again, I'm being creative, but trying to stick with the essentials that can be found in the standard Arkham Horror game. For example, Heal, Find Gate and Enchant Item. Some spells will be the same as in the basic game, but with different names, and there are some that I have just completely made up.

I am satisfied with how it is progressing, but realizing that there still is a lot of work yet to do. After all, I haven't done the location cards, the mythos cards and the other world cards. If my sleeping patterns and moods have been a bit better, then I would be a lot further towards completing the game.

As for Cthulhu itself, I may be starting up a play-by-email campaign shortly, which will be set in modern Australia. The only problem that I have, is not enough players. I have one player who has completed a character, and a second who is interested and is working on his, but the third player which I really want has been a bit hard to find. Ideally I want three, four would be nice, but two makes the planned campaign just a wee bit difficult.

My main gaming occasions over the last fortnight, have been two afternoons enjoying the marvelous tile game Carcassonne. Having won the big box set at Eucalyptus Bowl earlier this month, I had been dying for an opportunity to “christen” the game, and last Wednesday (Aug 24th) I got my opportunity. Brendan (a local gamer who is quite keen in playing Malifaux) tried the game out with me, and, well, it is fair to say that we are both now addicted. I even went to the extremes of finding a version of the computer game online, and despite it being in German, have been addicted to playing that as well at any opportunity I get. (But not too often mind, otherwise I wouldn't get anything else done!) Thankfully, a little modification now has the computer game in English, and I have another torrent for an updated version with more expansions included. (The version that I have only has the additional River expansion.)

Out of six games, well, Brendan leads at 4-2, but they have been fun. On Monday (Aug 29th) we tried the Dragon & Princess expansion, which made the game much more entertaining even though the dragon ate two of my meeples and a princess ran off with a third. There are still four other expansion yet to try, which we'll no doubt get to at some stage. We would also appreciate finding a third or fourth player. Two players can have an entertaining game, but with four it would be more cut-throat! Brendan commented that the game would be quite easy to get non-gamers to learn to play.

For me, I love the simplicity of the game, yet there is quite a lot of strategy involved. The PC game is just as addictive as the tile game, and with the added bonus that one can create a multitude of computer opponents of varying levels, and get a decent game every time. Even on the lower levels, the computer players can be, for want of a better word, real pricks, with the way they can cut off cities, roads and cloisters from being completed. They're also darn good at denying me opportunities to reclaim meeples, especially when I badly need one back!

I have to admit, that has been the best prize I've ever won at a tournament, marginally ahead of the carry case, the pewter mug for taking out Clash of the Titans in 2008, and Morg n Thorg. I can see many enjoyable hours ahead playing this wonderful game. No wonder it's been called Crackassonne...

Anyway, that's about all for the blog today. Ciao!

Euc Bowl 2011 Match Reports

2011-08-10T20:10:00.001+10:00

Well, taking a break from work on Springfield Horror to post these match reports from the recent Eucalyptus Bowl tournament held in Burwood over the weekend. Strangely enough, all matches for the Count Luthor Experience were decided by a 2-1 scoreline, either for or against me. The team didn't do much in the way of casualties (three all up, well, four if you include a bad bite in game two), and only scored four touchdowns, but only conceded five in return.

The best performed in the team was obviously Count Luthor, with two touchdowns and a casualty. Next was Daphne (thrall), with two casualties, then Count Conrad (vampire) with three completed passes, and finally Elizabeth and Frida (thralls) a casualty each. Still, the side was competitive in every match, and perhaps with a little bit more luck may have gone undefeated for the day.

But that's race thirteen out of the way. Only eleven more to go. I'm thinking either Wood Elves or Chaos Dwarves will be next.

Game: 644
Stage: Round 4
Opponent: Luke W
Team: Orcs
Result: Lost 1-2
Casualties: Lost 1-4
Toss: Won - received
Fame: Opponent+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Blitz, Blitz, High Kick, Blitz, Perfect Defence.

The opposing side contained four Black Orc Guards, four Blitzers with Mighty Blow, a thrower with Leader, a lineman with Kick and another with Dauntless.

Despite the orcs getting the jump on the vamps, Greta (thrall) easily recovered the ball then palmed it off to Count Conrad. With the orc front line pushed aside, and the flanks having advanced, the opportunity was there for Count Luthor to get involved early. Conrad flicked the ball towards the star, who caught it, then promptly lost it when he was tripped up by a defender, stunning himself in the process. The orcs seized upon the opportunity, with a thrower scooping up the ball, but the subsequent hand-off was fumbled on the left hand side. Daphne registered the team's first SPPs with a serious hit on a blitzer, but when Conrad targeted a black orc, he failed miserably in his attempt to bring him down. The orcs this time did hold onto the ball, with the ball scooped up and handed on to a blitzer in the centre of the pitch. However, the bad hitting seemed to be catching, with an orc blitzer stuffing up a shot on Daphne and going down. Audrey then skirted around the defence to mark the ball carrier. Conrad was going to join her, but ended up having a nibble on Keira (thrall). Thankfully, she was only stunned. Ida then charged at the ball carrier, but tripped over getting there. Josephine (thrall) was then targeted by a black orc, but survived the attack. He went down. Conrad made sure that another black orc went down as well, stunning him in the process. Luthor spied the ball carrier nearby, and went after him. He didn't get there as once again his feet failed him. An orc blitzer then joined the players on the turf, after failing to tackle Elizabeth. The direction of the attack now having switched from centre to the left. Elizabeth shoved a lineman off the pitch, but the crowd very generously only stunned him. Conrad went to blitz the ball carrier, but couldn't stay on his feet either, knocking himself out. The orcs take advantage of this and advance, but Luthor was determined to stop them, charging at the ball carrier and forcing him back. Boggy (thrall) and Elizabeth dodged clear and joined him. A black orc collided with Ida (thrall) and both of them hit the turf at the same time. Greta went after a lineman, but got a smack across the chops instead and hit the deck like a sack of spuds. With few defenders able to stop him, the ball carrier charged forward, sprinted for the line, and opened the scoring. [Turn 7.] In the remaining moments of the first half, Greta failed another block, and Frida was knocked out by an orc blitzer.

The high, shallow kick was caught at the start of the second half, and the orcs showed their intentions early, stunning Frida on a foul. Luthor responded with a charge at the ball carrier, bringing him down, and leaving the ball near the feet of three vamp players. The orcs then went to work and moved all of them off the ball, so that a line orc could sneak through and pick it up. Greta responded, going the extra yards to make the hit, giving Luthor a chance to weave his way through the greenskins, scoop the ball up and getting clear. Keira even assists by knocking out the nearest orc to the star player. Luthor need not have worried, as an orc blitzer chasing after him trips over a large rock on the pitch. As the star runs for the line, Keira tries to get clear to assist (just in case) but is tripped up by an errant bootlace. Greta is slain by a heavy hit from a black orc, and in quick succession, Daphne, Elizabeth and Boggy (all thralls) are knocked out. Luthor then marches in unopposed for the equalizer. [Turn 3.]

Elizabeth is the only thrall that doesn't return from the koed bin. The vamps then benefit from a Blitz kick-off, with Luthor charging through to flatten a black orc, and get underneath the shallow kick. The ploy works, and the star vampire catches the ball just inside the orcs half. The orc response is brutal. A group of orcs set upon the vampire, and he's stretchered off, his game ending fairly early. The orcs don't have to do the same to Conrad, as he weaves his way through the line to get to the ball, he's tripped up by a line orc as he tries to get clear, and falls heavily. He too is stretchered off and now the orcs face a team consisting only of thralls for the rest of the game. With a numbers advantage, the orcs have another crack at fouling Ida, and succeed. The main culprit however, a blitzer, is sent from the field as the third vamp player is seriously injured for the half. The orcs are now driving forward, and there isn't much that the thralls can do to stop them. Hannah (thrall) makes a desperate charge at the ball carrier, but she too is tripped up trying to get past a second orc player. She joins Elizabeth in the koed bin. In the end, it's a simple play for the winner, with a quick hand-off to a blitzer, who darts in to take the lead. [Turn 7.]

With little time left in the game, and only seven players to retake the pitch, the thralls are dismayed to see the orcs reset their line-up. The thralls try hard to get something going, with Frida (thrall) blitzing and dodging clear, rushing as fast as she could into the orc half. Keira recovered the ball near the right hand sideline, then stepped forward to fling a very hopeful long bomb down the pitch to the waiting receiver. It never makes it, as it is picked off by an orc lineman, and the game ends.

Game: 645
Stage: Round 5
Opponent: Cody T
Team: Humans
Result: Won 2-1
Casualties: Lost 0-6
Toss: Lost - kicked
Fame: Me+2
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Riot (turn counter advanced), Throw a Rock (Ogre stunned), Change of Weather (Fine), Riot (turn counter advanced), High Kick.

The Humans fielded three players with Guard (ogre & two blitzers), a Strip Ball blitzer, a Tackle blitzer, two linemen with Block, two blodging catchers, a lineman with Kick and a thrower with Leader.

With the match delayed by a feisty crowd, the kick-off veers towards the sideline, with a catcher racing forward to retrieve it and get in to the safety of a cage. Conrad needs to feed, and it's unfortunate for Hannah that he takes a little too much, and her game ends very early indeed. Luthor smashes down one corner of the cage, which brings him eye-to-eye with the ball carrier. Audrey (thrall) is badly hurt by a blitzer, but Conrad responds with a good charge at the ball carrier, bringing him down, then retrieving the ball and stepping clear with Ida and Daphne for support. Luthor tries to get down there as well but seems to be having problems with his feet again, and knocks himself out. Conrad doesn't last much longer, and is brought down by a couple of humans. Keira is next to leave the pitch, joining the Count in the koed bin, and Conrad mad dash to pick up the ball is thwarted by two defenders standing over the ball. The vampire is then flattened, and the ball bounces around, before ricocheting off the fallen vamp into the arms of the thrower, who keeps the movement going by handing it off to a catcher, who races for the line, but his moment of glory is foiled by a small hole in the bottom right hand corner of the end zone, with the ball bouncing clear, coming to rest beside the stunned player. Frida retrieves the ball, with Ida running back to give her a bit of cover. Elizabeth meanwhile has slipped off unnoticed and awaits the ball to arrive down the other end of the pitch. Frida advances, with three players in support, but the movement is halted on halfway. Daphne is struck by a blitzer and becomes the last casualty of the scoreless first half.

The vamp side restarts the game with eight players on the pitch. An enthusiastic crowd member helps them out a bit by sconning the ogre with a rock. Conrad drops back to pick-up the ball, whilst the thralls on the line flattens a few opponents, with the opposing kicker being knocked out. Elizabeth charges forward, darting downfield, whilst the human Boggy knocks out the thrall Boggy in a crunching tackle. Elizabeth though has picked up some unwanted attention, but Ida soon arrives and flattens him. He joins his team-mate in the koed bin. Conrad sees the opportunity, and throws a beautiful pass downfield to Liz, who easily catches it and runs towards the end zone. She stumbles, but stays on her feet and breaks the deadlock. [Turn 2.]

Luthor recovers to return to the pitch, and he's needed as the ogre winds up and belts Keira. She's stretchered off as the human thrower retrieves then hands off the ball to a waiting catcher. He becomes an unlikely thrower, chancing his arm by tossing a great long pass downfield right into the waiting arms of the second catcher. Count Luthor charges at him, but cannot bring him down. Liz and Conrad race down to help mark the player, but it's immaterial, as the catcher dodges past the Count, stumbles, rights himself, then runs into the end zone to equalize. [Turn 4.]

Conrad gets the game moving again after the riotous crowd have settled down, with Liz and Frida skirting the flanks and heading downfield. The ogre thunders off to chase one down, but as he gets close, he stumbles, crashes to the ground, and stuns himself. Conrad takes advantage of the big guy being down, and flings a quick pass to Josephine, who in turn runs to Frida, palms the ball off, and the vamps quickly retake the lead. [Turn 7.]

With time fast running out, the humes just settle for some tackling practice, and Ida feels the full brunt of the ogre and is seriously injured. Boggy follows soon after, after being struck hard by a blitzer. The vamps have just enough time to flatten a blitzer, with Greta charging in to lay in the boot just as the full time siren sounds. She only succeeds in stunning him.

Game: 646
Stage: Round 6
Opponent: Virral
Team: Necromantic
Result: Lost 1-2
Casualties: 2 all
Toss: Lost - kicked
Fame: Me+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Change of weather (Sweltering Heat), Brilliant Coaching (gained a re-roll), High Kick, Quick Snap, Cheering Fans (opponent gains re-roll).

The necro have both werewolves with Block, both wights with Guard, a ghoul with Sure Hands, another with Wrestle, three zombies with Block, two with Tackle and one with Dirty Player.

As the weather heats up, so does the action on the pitch. Ida, Keira and Boggy are all knocked out in quick succession, with the latter succumbing to a gang foul. Luthor charges through to attack a ghoul, but is wrestled to the ground. The ghoul who caught the ball off the kick-off races forward to hand the ball off to a werewolf, who in turn charges downfield. Josephine attacks the former ball carrier, and when she woke up she found herself with a splitting headache in the koed bin. Conrad about faces and goes after the wolf with the ball, but trips and falls short of his target. Liz's tournament ends after she is seriously injured by the second werewolf, and as Hannah is tripped up trying to get to the wolf, who's taking his time to sign a few autographs, Luthor is gang fouled, and badly hurt, but makes a great recovery. The wolf decides he has waited long enough, and steps over the line to open the scoring. [Turn 5.]

Six players then collapse from the heat, four of the necro (a wolf, a wight and two zombies) and two of the vamps (Conrad and Frida). Greta recovers the ball from the kick-off, and a cage is formed around her on halfway. Audrey makes a daring dart to get clear to create a scoring opportunity, but is tripped up, and knocks herself out. Greta soon joins her, and a ghoul scoops up the loose ball. The dirty player zombie is sent from the field trying to foul Daphne, but Hannah's attempt to charge down the ball carrier fails badly, as she too falls flat on her face. With the defence either down or parceled up, the ghoul strides away to double the lead.

Sweltering heat removes another five from the pitch (including the Count and a thrall) but the vamps aren't particularly worried about the kick, taking the opportunity to stick it up the unfortunate zombies left on the line. Daphne gets her second casualty for the tourney when she king hits the opposing Boggy, who can't pull himself together to return to the pitch in the second half.

With the vamps trailing by two at the start of the second term, the numbers are strangely evened up, with only one player from each team collapsing from the heat. As the Count returns to the pitch, Conrad is the unfortunate one to be stretchered off. The star player gets straight back into the action, thumping a wight, cracking his skull, but the undead player regenerates as play continues on the pitch. Josephine is perfectly positioned to catch the kick-off, and the heat appears to be seriously affecting the players on the pitch, as a werewolf charges at the thrall Boggy but only succeeds in taking himself out. Jo runs up field, but is taken down by a charging wight. The ball is now in the middle of a huge ruck, with four players on each side surrounding it. Some good hitting however allows the Count to get to the ball, retrieve it and dodge clear. A werewolf chasing after him drops from exhaustion, and Keira and a zombie collide, with the zombie finishing up worse for wear, being knocked out. The Count blitzes and dodges clear of the defence, but is soon surrounded by four undead players. The wrestling ghoul who is tasked to bring him down has two goes, but fails badly, and the Count simply pushes aside the werewolf in front of him, dodges clear, and the vamps get one back with enough time to force a draw. [Turn 5.]

Luthor though is exhausted from his efforts on the pitch, but Conrad returns to finish the match. In return only one necro player succumbs to the heat. Conrad chases down the ghoul with the ball, knocking him out, but a werewolf recovers the dregs and runs it back up field. A zombie tries to take down Audrey, but she fends him off well. With a couple of players open, Greta attacks the wolf with the ball, hoping to bring him down, but the opportunity to get an unlikely equalizer fails, with the thrall being palmed off by a furry hand, and that's where the game, and the tournament ends.

I can't complain. Despite only winning one game, I still managed to walk away with a rather nice prize just by showing up on the Sunday. I have cracked open my Carcassonne Big Box, and look forward to an opportunity to learning how to play it. (I have already received a couple of requests for games, just need to find the time.)

I should point out, the "Boggy" players were part of a special competition for the tourney. There were prizes for the coach who killed the most "Boggies" (a standard lineman for any race), one for the coach whose Boggy scored the most SPPs, and another for a suicidal boggy. Just a little bit of extra fun for an already enjoyable weekend.

As for my Springfield Horror project, I have been busy over the last week trawling the net for images to use. I have no problem finding character images, and common items (including quite a variety of weapons) but unique items and spells were proving just a bit more difficult to acquire. However, thanks to a couple of dedicated Simpson wikis (a Spanish one and a Portuguese one) plus a number of other English language sites, I now have a rather large collection of Simpson images to use, and with a little creative license, I'm sure I can come up with a reasonably balanced, and entertaining game. Sure, there are things I would love to have put in (like the magic hammock that allowed Homer to create clones of himself, or Bob Dole reading from the Necronomicon) but just couldn't find any imagery for them. However, there is more than enough stuff to keep players occupied and enough baddies to make things difficult for them.

Right. This has taken long enough. Time to post it so that I can get on with what I really wanted to do - watch TV. Ciao!

Quick Euc Bowl 2011 post

2011-08-08T09:47:00.002+10:00

Well, a rather successful Euc Bowl for me this time round. Was rather surprised to learn that I was guarenteed a prize just for showing up! As it turns out, I was the only "Sunday Only" player, and walked away with the Sunday Champion prize, which consisted of a medallion, and the Carcassonne Big Box set, which has the main game AND five expansions. As you can imagine, I am pretty chuffed about picking that one up!

As for the Count Luthor Experience, well, they were competitive. The ten thralls, one vampire and Count Luthor option worked quite well. Yes, I suffered twelve casualties in the three games I played (and only one came from a vampire bite), but I did win one game, and only conceded five TDs for four scored. The skill choices were spot on - blocking up four thralls, giving one Kick and another Sure Hands, then Pro to the vampire.

And Count Luthor got two of them. He also got one of my three casualties as well, so he was my best player in the three matches. He took a lot of heat, was injured and all three matches, regenerated twice but when he got clear he was practically unstoppable.

So the Vampires are now out of the way, and people agreed, if you're going to take one team for just three games, Vampires were a good choice. I seriously don't mind playing them, but figured with 1.25 million to spend on the side, I can see how they go with a few skills.

The tournament was superb. There were a number of players from across the country (a rather big Queensland contingent came down for it), a few young players, including one from Mudgee who wasn't even eighteen (he didn't win a game, but he was quite happy to get one TD - against me, and he really earned it), and a lot of familiar faces. In the end it was 76 coaches, just pipping the record set by Can Con in January as the biggest BB tournament ever held in the Southern Hemisphere. The winner, with five wins and a draw was Garden Gnome, who walked off with a rather superbly painted Dwarven team. The prizes on offer were quite superb, with quite a few supplied by Tin Soldier in Penrith. After all the main prizes were given out, even the 36th placed player managed to get something.

Next on the cards will be the Bushranger Bowl, in September. I am going to make myself available for that one. Seven games over two days. Should be a lot of fun!

I'll do the match reports later. At the moment, I have plenty of other stuff to do. Ciao!

Gee whiz a match report!!!

2011-08-04T16:58:00.001+10:00

Strange as it may seems, I actually had a game during the week! It was a trial match for the upcoming Eucalyptus Blood Bowl tournament in Sydney, with a 1.25 million start-up. I figured that seeing I get paid tomorrow, that and there's no soccer on Sunday (the scheduled make-up game was brought forward to last Sunday) I might as well go and get another race out of the way, and play a few games.

And why not? When I registered during the week, I noticed there was 77 registered coaches, which apparently makes it not only the biggest tournament in the Southern hemisphere so far, but also the biggest tournament in either Australia or the United States. That actually surprised me, as I'd thought there would be bigger tournaments in the states. The prizes on offer are very good, and there is a prize for the best performed Sunday player. I don't expect to win it, but I'll have a crack at it!

I have also noticed that there is another tournament scheduled in late September, just before MOAB. Seeing it's not far from where a mate of mine lives, I might just see if I can arrange accommodation there.

Anyway, the trial match was played on Monday (August 1st), at the Babster's residence. I figured I wasn't going to take this match too seriously, so I made up a Vampire squad, with twelve players and three re-rolls. I took ten thralls, a vampire, and because I could, Count Luthor, hence the name of the team "The Count Luthor Experience". I gave Block to four of my thralls, Sure Hands to one, Kick to another, and the vampire gained Pro. The opposing Ogre team had 4 re-rolls, a Fan factor of 1, five ogres all with Break Tackle (which my opponent conveniently forgot that he had for the entire first half!) and the rest of the side were snotlings.

Game: 643
Result: 1 all draw
Casualties: Won 6-2
Toss: Lost - kicked
Fame: Opponent+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Cheering Fans (Opponent gained a re-roll), Quick Snap, Blitz, High Kick.

Having generously allowed the ball to scatter right on top of an ogre (which he promptly dropped but then recovered), the ogre's started by thumping the three unfortunates on the line, knocking out Keira (thrall). However, two ogres became bone-headed, including the one going for the blitz. The response was Count Luthor going for a charge, and flattening one of the ogres. Another blitzing ogre decided that he didn't really want to charge at the thralls, but another ogre decided to have a shot at the star player. With the best of four dice being a both down, the turn was over and the ogre's advance had been well and truly halted. The numbers on the pitch were evened up with a snotling being koed by a thrall, and Count Luthor smacked another ogre to the ground. Daphne (thrall) started the casualty count by injuring a snotling on a three dicer, and with an ogre still down on the pitch, Josephine (thrall) decided to lay the boot in, narrowly missing breaking armor. The ogres then decided to veer to the left, and succeeded in getting into the vampire's half. He was soon joined by a second ogre, but a snotling running around to cover their rears tripped over going for it, but he didn't suffer any further. A pair of defenders arrived to block his path, and Boggy (thrall) forced his team-mate onto the sideline. Luthor then charged in and brought the ball carrier down, and the ball bounced around a bit before bouncing off the pitch, and being thrown in by the crowd, landing very nicely near the halfway line. Count Conrad (vampire) gets involved, flattening an ogre, allowing Frida (thrall) to move freely towards the ball. She fumbles it, twice, and a scoring opportunity goes begging, moreso when an ogre knocks out the fumbler, and a snotling retrieves the pigskin, then scampers off to hand it on to another midget. Daphne though took the opportunity to shove an ogre off the pitch, and the crowd pummeled the bejesus out of him. It was left to Josephine to step clear and chase down the ball carrier, but her block was clumsy and both players went down. The snotling though was knocked out. The snotlings then surrounded the ball, but were picked off or pushed aside to allow Elizabeth to get free, but the hopeful pass to Conrad didn't eventuate as she tripped over trying to get to the ball. With Ida (thrall) patiently waiting for the ball down the other end of the pitch, the touchdown opportunity was lost, but the ogre team took theirs. Josephine was flattened by a blitzing ogre, he then retrieved the ball, dodged clear, then made the GFI roll to score and break the deadlock. There wasn't much time left to do much, except get some further tackling practice in, with two ogres going down, and Audrey (thrall) miserably failing her blitz and ending the half.

The second half initially started quite well for the ogres, getting a Blitz off the kick-off, kicking shallow, and getting an ogre under the ball. The catch was dropped, but the ball was surrounded by attacking players. Frida, on her return to the pitch, crunches a snotling and ends his game prematurely, whilst Josephine promptly fumbles the ball twice twice whilst trying to pick it up with a snotling nearby. The ball though conveniently bounces backwards, finishing up behind Greta (thrall). A nearby snotling though weaves his way past thralls and picks the ball up and steps into the clear. His run is quickly ended by Daphne, and he joins his mate in the casualty bin. Keira then makes a great effort to get to the ball, but demonstrates more training in picking up the ball is needed, as she fumbles it twice as well. A snotling then obliges in fumbling the ball, with the ball bouncing off the pitch, then being tossed around by the crowd for a bit before it is thrown to Keira. She can't catch it, but somehow Greta manages to pick up the scattered ball, despite two snotlings standing near her. Conrad gets a bit peckish, and Daphne is helped off the pitch to the koed bin. Frida, startled by a sudden attack from a snotling, manages to negate the assault without much difficulty. Count Luthor by now is a bit overconfident, and his next blocking attempt is met by a solid ogre fist, with the count being stretchered off the pitch. Thankfully, he recovers very quickly. The ogres take heart and Greta is herded towards the sideline by a rampaging ogre. Conrad comes to her rescue, flattening the ogre, allowing her to race downfield, but an ogre that had been marking Audrey breaks clear from her, and he charges down the runaway ball carrier, who is koed. Conrad takes it upon himself to rectify the situation, but needs to feed again. He dodges past an ogre and a snotling, picks up the ball between the pair, bites Frida (who joins Daphne in the koed bin), then conveniently fumbles the pass that was intended to Elizabeth, who had been standing unmarked deep in the ogre's half for some time. The ball bounces off the pitch, and is thrown back on to land near an ogre on the halfway. Conrad, for his trouble, is booted off the field by a nearby ogre, and the crowd promptly beats him up. He doesn't recover. Josephine then joins the list of casualty creators, swatting a snotling and nearly knocking his head clean off. Ida (thrall) has a chance to tie the game up, but the attempt at picking up the ball lying behind an ogre fails badly, but not as badly as an ogres attempt to pick up the ball, where he tripped over his own feet stepping away from the thralls, and it takes several stretcher bearers to cart him off to the casualty ward. With only six players on each side now, Keira charges towards the ogre near the ball in order to support Audrey's daring blitz. She succeeds in pushing him over and stunning him, then Ida scoops up the ball, runs down to Elizabeth, hands it on to her, and the thrall streaks away to level the scores with time fast running out.

The ogres though still have a chance to win, but are hampered by the fact that the vampires have managed to get nine players back on the pitch for the death throes of the game. The ball was punted high, and deep, giving the side no chance to perform a last gasp miracle. The snotling can't take the catch, and the game ends in a draw.

It was a strange sort of game from an unlikely matching. Despite being well in control of the game in the first half, it was the ogres who scored first. The one crucial roll that could've changed the game considerably, being the failed pick up on turn five. The second half was more even, and though my star player managed to take himself out of the game from turns four to eight, and my other vampire was shunted off the pitch on turn six, I was still able to score. Both sides suffered though with some pretty bad rolls. In the first half, my opponent had used all five of his re-rolls by turn six (there were a few bone-heads that I didn't record on my sheet), and I had used all three of mine by turn three of the second half.

I'm happy though with the team, that took me barely five minutes to create. I have always wanted to try this combination, and though tempted to make it eleven thralls and Count Luthor (thus being able to pretty much skill all the thralls up) I figured one vampire would give me some options, and I was right. He only went off for two bites in the entire match, which is far better than what usually happens when I play this race!

Just a few words now on the Springfield Horror project. I have made a couple of changes to the board, replacing the Rusty Barnacle restaurant (that's on the harbour) with Burns' Casino, and removing the Veterans of Unpopular Wars Hall and putting in Krusty Burger, even though it's (supposedly) facing a different street, based on the unofficial map that I am suing. My reasoning behind this is quite simple. Matt Groening once said that the buildings in Springfield are moved around a lot to suit whatever gags they needed. (I can clearly recall in one episode, Homer going to work and parking his car in the power plant's car park BEHIND his house.)

I can't put in though everything that I would like to put in, purely because I just can't find pics of it. All the main characters shall be in, along with a number of re-occurring ones, but I don't intend to put everybody in the basic set. Some places (like the nuclear power plant) are not on the initial board, simple because there are too many other locations that should be included. I decided to break down Springfield into sections, with the main board covering everything up to the river. The power plant, as people would notice if they've watched the show enough times, is on the other side of the river pouring chemicals into it. Of course, with the power plant not being in it, Smithers won't be an investigator in the basic game. However, he will be in an expansion, seeing I intend to include the town over the river, plus a number of the holiday destinations.

But yeah, it is going to be a silly game. I wish to keep to spirit of the original Arkham Horror game happening, but at the same time, make the game funnier by placing it in a different setting. And honestly, how many times has Springfield been nearly wiped off the map (or, in the case of the Treehouse of Horror episodes, has been wiped off the map)? My main problem now is not so much creating the cards (that is quite easy) but coming up with the text, stats and abilities of investigators, allies, spells, items, etc. At least I have discovered quite a number of websites that provide episode stills. (I had thought of doing it myself, with the season five disks that I have, but for some reason, when I go to do a screen shot after pausing the DVD all I get of the image when I save it as a picture file, is the outline of the media player.)

Anyway, there is enough images on the net to give me plenty of stuff to use in the game, and there are still a number of sites that I haven't trawled all the way through yet. I have got some weird and wacky things in there, like the Evil Krusty Doll, Funzo, Boards with Nails sticking out of it, Spell Books, the Coyote Spirit Guide and so on. My thoughts are, if it was featured in any Simpsons episode (or movie) it's fair game. (Which means if I can ever find an image of Bob Dole reading an excerpt from the Necronomicon at the Republican party meeting, I will include it!)

Sigh. I like projects like this. Looking forward to having a few people test it for me.

Right, time to go. Ciao!

Springfield Horror

2011-07-29T10:08:00.013+10:00

As promised, some pictures of my current project - Springfield Horror. (I should mention that this is a labour or love, I don't intend to make any money out of this. Just want to customize a game that I like with a world I spent a lot of time watching.)

The basic board, before I added anything to it.

The board, after plenty of work on it yesterday.

An example of an Other World location.

An Ally.

A monster.

And finally a location marker.

It still needs a lot of work, but yesterday I was quite motivated to get a fair bit done. Making the board was relatively easy. Coming up with text for a hundred or so cards and determining attributes of monsters, allies, investigators, etc. is going to be the hard bit.

I've also added some pics of my Blood Bowl teams.

That's the entire collection (at the moment).

And one of the combined Amazon and Vampire squad. (I just love the idea of using the Shadowforge Bunnies as Thralls!)

As it turns out, I may be able to play on the second day of the Eucalyptus Bowl tournament. On Wednesday, that was looking unlikely, but now, the second game for the EB weekend has been moved to this Sunday. Gees, talk about short notice!

Okay, enough pics, better get back to work. Ciao!

Strange Eons

2011-07-19T11:11:00.003+10:00

Figured I should do a little update seeing it's been awhile. There really isn't that much to post, seeing my gaming outings have been, well, bugger all to put it bluntly. Attempts to kick-start the local BB league have fallen flat on it's face (again) and once again I'm wondering when I'll play a human opponent again.

Unfortunately, it might not be the annual Eucalyptus Bowl tournament in early August. My soccer commitments will see me miss the Saturday, and quite possibly the Sunday as well, seeing there may be a catch-up match. More than likely, it will be MOAB in October, a tournament I did suprisingly well in last year.

Currently, I have been keeping myself occupied with a couple of projects, whilst I recover from the inevitable winter cold, and the bumps and bruises from another hard-fought game of soccer. One is related to the round ball game, that I won't go into detail about just yet, whilst the other is a program called Strange Eons, a rather brilliant program that allows one to make custom material for boardgames. Primarily, it's for the Arkham Horror board game, but, it has plug-ins that can be downloaded for Talisman (a number of editions I'm pleased to say) and Warhammer Fantasy. I might even use it to create a game board for my soccer based game.

However, what I am using it for at the moment, is to make a custom version of Arkham Horror, which I have called Springfield Horror. Yes, I'm well aware that there is a distinct possibility that I could ever market this game, but as an experiment, for personal use, it should be quite entertaining. I do plan to work on other popular cartoons that could easily work in this system (Futurama and South Park spring to mind) and at some point, I could well just go the whole hog, design a new game from scratch. It's not as if I'm short of ideas...

Anyway, I must head out briefly, to pick up some cold & flu tablets.

And here's me thinking I was going to get through another winter without getting one. Ciao!

2011-06-27T19:16:00.001+10:00

Back again with some more Halfling misadventures! This time they get to take on the Khemri outfit in another rather mistake ridden match. For something different, I also managed to get a game of Malifaux in last Saturday (18 June) seeing soccer was called off that weekend. It was rather strange getting used to the new rules (made playing the Resurrectionist crews I favour more difficult) and new opponents (I was up against Hamlin the rat creator) but it was a close match.

Anyway, more on the Malifaux duel later, onto the second match for the Just Deserts.

Game: 462
Date Played: 17 June 2011
Opponent: MegaNob
Team: Khemri
I Played: Halflings
Result: 1 all draw
Casualties: Lost 0-3
Toss: Lost - kicked
Fame: Me+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Brilliant Coaching (+1 Re-Roll), Riot, Get the Ref, Change of Weather - Fine.

Comments: The Master Chef got the side off to a great start, grabbing two extra re-rolls, and giving the side six for the half. (And I would be needing every last one of them... ) The Khemri however were a bit sluggish to begin with, as the unmodified throw-ra (the other one got an Agility increase after the first match) couldn't retrieve the ball off the kick-off. Unfortunately for him, Donutz could, his little legs pumping for all that they were worth. The support however wasn't great in numbers, as Schwarzwaldekirschtorte decided to Take Root, and Froot Sallad had forgotten to tie his shoelaces up before coming onto the pitch, and planted his face in the turf. Donutz survived an attack, then managed to get away from his opponents. He wished though that he was a goblin, his extra efforts still leaving him just short of the line. Chokkolat Bavarian was still smarting from the gang tackle, and just couldn't get back up again, whilst Froot caught dodge-itis as well, knocking himself out in the process. Donutz is attacked again, and pushed towards the sideline. Schwarz'e is taken down by a posse of Khemri, and whilst he's on the turf, a skeleton decides to sink the boot in. Unfortunately for him, the ref spots it, and though the treeman is stunned, the Khemri have one less player on the pitch. The Halflings almost had one less too, when Frozan Eiscreme, despite having two shots at a skeleton, failed miserably, leaving Donutz a bit vulnerable. A blitz-ra gets him down on the third attempt, with the ball bouncing off the pitch, then tossed across the pitch, landing near the Khemri's end zone. Chokkolat Bavarian joined his fellow treeman on the turf, and sure enough, another skeleton was game to lay in the boot, stunning the tree but not being seen. Peechez Uncreme hairs after the ball, but collapsed from exhaustion trying to go the extra yards to the ball. The AG 3 Khemri thrower though sees a chance, and retrieves the ball then hurls it downfield. His pass may have been on target, but the intended receiver just couldn't catch it. Peechez recovers, and with an opportunity to break the deadlock presenting itself, he heads for the end zone, but collapses again, just as Schwarz'e manages to get to his feet. He has another go, and makes it this time, but Chokko Latt can't obliged, failing to pick-up the ball near the Khemri throw-ra. Froot Sallad has his lights punched out by a tomb guardian, but a second one trying to blitz crashes to the turf, after falling to spot the small pothole in the pitch. Eclares makes a run for the ball, stunning himself in the process. The Khemri try one last time to score, but even though the pick-up was good, the hand-off to a conveniently placed blitz-ra wasn't, and the half ends with Schwarz'e stuffing up block on a skeleton, and both crashing to the turf.

With another scoreless and bloodless first half, the Khemri are surprised that the Master Chef failed to grab any extra re-rolls for the half. After the crowd had been pacified, the Khemri kick-off rolls to a halt in the end zone. Chokkolat Bavarian can't move,and patiently awaits the arrival of the halfling cage, which has Puddin, Jellie and Deepfried Marsbar escorting Frozan Eiscreme down the pitch. The progress is slow going, and Frozan Eiscreme, in trying to speed things up, trips over trying to narrow the gap for a possible touchdown play. Eis Creme then becomes the first casualty for the match, crunched by a skeleton, and Schwarz'e is pushed over again in another gang tackle. The halflings are trying to recover, but Jellie gets knocked out, and Donutz can't find his feet trying to blitz, and crashes into the turf. The AG 3 throw-ra finally gets to the ball, the hand-off is good, and the halflings can only watch as the blitz-ra runs towards the end zone. Cheeze Cake decides he'll go stick the boot into a fallen skeleton, but becomes another victim of dodge-itis. The Khemri waste no further time, and break the deadlock with only an eighth of the game to go. [Turn 6.]

With a lynch mob chasing off the referee, the Khemri kick-off flies too deep, and Frozan Eiscreme draws the short straw and is given the ball. Chokkolat Bavarian picks him up, winds up, pitches him downfield, where he lands successfully, and dashes into the end zone for the equalizer.

The Khemri urgently restart the game, a blitz-ra giving the new recruit Pavlova a trip to the casualty ward just before the end of the match. Puddin retaliates by pushing a blitz-ra off the pitch. The crowd though only give him a light work-out. Chokkolat Bavarian hurls Eclares downfield towards the second blitz-ra, after he had given Proff Iterolls an early finish to the match. The blitz-ra then dodges away from the 'ling, and heads for the end zone whilst the AG 3 throw-ra retrieves the ball. The intended long bomb spills from his boney fingers however and the game ends in a draw.

The Halflings are not complaining, as all three casualties are only badly hurts. Two players, Frozan Eiscreme and Deepfried Marsbar get skill ups, and both take Side Step. There's an extra Fan Factor point, 80,000 in takings, and plenty of sticky buns and soda pop!

Right, onto Malifaux. I took McMourning into a 30 point match, taking a couple of dogs, the zombie chihuahua, two punk zombies, a crooked man, a nurse, and a mercenary convict gunslinger. The Hamlin experience was tough one, as I couldn't get used to all those spawning rats. I was pretty pleased as to how the gunslinger went. With the nurse in support, he was able to blast rats, kids, and even rat-catchers before finally succumbing to injuries. McMourning did well, though was frustrated by the lack of corpse counters being generated. The nurse survived, as did the zombie chihuahua and the two dogs.

The final score ended up being 5-8, with the Hamlin crew managing to complete their objectives and schemes (we had both taken bodyguard and Hamlin destroy the evidence I think), whilst I was able to get my supply wagon through to the centre without a scratch, and McMourning survived. I must say, after two turns, it was looking very one-sided, but thanks to some good shooting from the gunslinger, and the zombies being rather stubborn in dying (again), the game was made quite close. Hamlin survived an assault from the dogs, and his retreat to the far end of the board was enough to win him the game. Another turn might have been enough to wipe the Hamlin crew out, but I guess we'll never know.

That has been my last outing. Due to a series of doctor's appointments, and a couple of training courses, I haven't been in the store since the 18th. This Friday though, a little get together with a few of the gamers to farewell the previous store manager. Should be good.

Ciao!

First outing for the Just Deserts

2011-06-14T12:42:00.002+10:00

With my second soccer game for the long weekend cancelled due to the poor weather (and to the poor condition of the pitch), I was able to get a league game in with my newly formed Halfling team, the Just Deserts, at Babs' place yesterday. The team features fourteen halflings, and two treemen, as well as three re-rolls, an apothecary and a point of fan factor. All this only adds up to 900k, conveniently enough for a master chef to join in the fun!

Game: 461
Date Played: 13 June 2011
Opponent: Babs
Team: Slann
Result: 1 all draw
Casualties: Won 3-2
Toss: Won - received
Fame: Opp+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Blitz, Get the Ref, Throw a Rock (Halfling Koed), Cheering Fans (a re-roll each).

Comments: Probably one of the more unusual match-ups I've ever experienced in BB, even more weirder than the Goblin - Khemri match I played not so long ago. The master chef commences his work, and pinches one of the Slann's re-rolls for the half.

The kick is deep, but that's not what the side was worried about, seeing the Slann benefited from a Blitz action to start the game. A halfling stunned, a couple of Slann slinking behind the line, then a favourable bounce with the ball landing behind Deepfried Marsbar (Halfling). He easily retrieves the ball, then moves into a semi-cage, with Frozen Eiscreme, Donutz and Froot Sallad (all Halflings). In the blocking department, Proff Iterolls (Halfling) needes a second shot to bring down a lineman (a re-roll used on the first block of the game - not an auspicious start), but Schwarzwaldekirschtorte (treeman) flattens a lineman, seriously injuring him as well. Froot (Halfling) makes an attempt to close up the cage, but his feet don't want to work, and he ends up face down on the turf. With the cage under threat, Deepfried was spared an attack seeing a Slann catcher stuns himself trying to take down Eclares (Halfling) on the right flank. The cage ambles downfield, but Froot Sallad is first carted off the pitch for the 'lings, knocked out by a lineman, then Deepfried gets blitzed, but takes down his attacker as well. The 'lings then throw a group block on the kroxigor, pushing him aside, giving Deepfried a chance to regain the ball. However, as he tries to take advantage of his shortness, he trips over a rock and the ball spills from his grasp. Thankfully, the team wasn't punished, as a lineman collides with Peechez Uncreme (Halfling), knocking him out, but he goes down as well. Frozan keeps the play going, scooping up the ball and waddling into the opponent's half, but Chokko Latt (Halfling) couldn't go with him, and trips over a pothole en-route to guarding his rear. A Slann lineman takes advantage of the lack of players supporting the ball carrier, but his charge is badly carried out, with the lineman impaling himself on his shoulder spike, and despite the efforts of the apothecary, he couldn't be revived. Frozan moves on, with Proff and Deepfried accompanying him. but Eclares is tripped up, knocking himself out when he hits the turf and the ball carrier is still in a vulnerable position. He's assaulted again, but like the previous effort, it fails, but at least it doesn't end in a fatality. With the Halfling fans urging him on, Frozan crosses the line and opens the scoring for the match. [Turn 6]

The frog's fans are not happy about this, and chase off the referee. Two players recover in time for the restart, and the 'lings boot the ball deep, with a catcher darting back to retrieve it. The Slann are stepping clear of the stunty ones, especially the treemen, but Schwarz'e spies an opportunity, and chucks Puddin (Halfling), towards the catcher. He comes down too close to a lineman, and lands badly. The Slann, fast running out of time, hurry the play downfield, knocking out Eis Creme (Halfling) along the way. Proff though charges the catcher with the ball, bringing him down, and Chokko pushes a lineman aside. Donutz sees a chance for a possible score, but he can't pick up the ball. Chokko's opponent steps away from him, and runs into the end zone, then a catcher darts forward to pick up the loose ball. But in his attempt to lessen the distance for the pass, he collapses, and the stunty ones end the half in front.

The bench is rotated once more, with two players recovering from the knock-out, and Eclares still a bit dazed and confused. The master chef though has cooked up something good, and the Slann lose two of their re-rolls for the half, leaving them with just one. A spectator though does try to help out the frogs, by knocking out Puddin with a rock. The Slann bring back the ball, through their catcher. Froot weaves his way through the scattering of players to get to him, but an errant shoelace is his downfall. Donutz is then knocked down and out, and Sundae becomes the team's first fatality when he is crunched by a lineman. In trying to organize a defensive line, Chokko crashes to the turf trying to get clear, leaving the coach wondering if any of his places had correctly tied their shoelaces for the half. Jellie (Halfling) is next off the pitch, knocked out by another lineman, and the coach is tearing out his hair when Peechez trips over a clump of turf trying to get to the ball carrier. Chokko is then removed from the pitch, injured as he is shunted off the field by no less than four opponents. With the 'lings diminishing in numbers, the Slann amble in for an equalizer. [Turn 4]

None of the four knocked out players are able to return to the pitch, leaving the stunties a player short for what would be the final drive of the match. Both sets of fans are cheering their team on, and the ball is punted shallow, landing not too far behind the halfling front line. Peechez recovers the ball, and is well protected by a cage. It's slow progress, but it waddles into the opposing half. Chokkolat Bavarian (treeman) is rooted to the spot, making an unmovable corner of the defensive pocket. Schwarz'e and Froot Sallad knock-out players in an attempt to give the cage some space to manoeuvre, and Deepfried goes one better, crippling a catcher who was sneaking away in case the ball got spilt. Eis Creme however, in trying to get around the kroxigor, collapsed from the effort and is carried to the knock-out bin, leaving Peechez trembling in front of the big lizard. He gets smashed, and joins the other five in the knock-out ward. The 'lings try to construct something with the clock running out, but it all goes to naught as Cheeze Cake (Halfling) trips over the kroxy's tail trying to get to the ball.

The stunty ones though are happy with the draw, taking the moral high ground by winning the casualty count, and inflicting so serious damage to their opponents. Sundae is given a good send-off, and with the proceeds from the match, he is replaced by Pavlova (Halfling). The MVP goes to Schwarzwaldekirschtorte, mainly for not taking root for the entire match, and he gains Multi-Block. The Fan Factor goes up one, and there is a full compliment for their next encounter.

Though I finished the game with four re-rolls left, I am concerned that I managed to fail no less than eight dodge rolls for the match (one every two turns). Eclares, who knocked himself out on Turn 5 of the first half, didn't return for the rest of the game, whilst Chokko and Froot failed twice. The result could've turned out a lot better, especially when two of those failed dodges occurred whilst blitzing, and two more were from attempts to try and recover spilt balls.

Still, having got through the game with only one fatality, and plenty in the kitty, I can now look forward to the next game.

Last night, I was able to try out (and keep) a set of the new NAF block dice. These ones are a nice bright green, with a black inlay, and look rather good. They almost match the green on my Amazon side. I consider myself privileged that I'm one of the first ten people in the country to actually get a set of them.

Anyway, there is nothing else to report, so it's time to post this, then go have lunch. Cheers!

Gosford Gauntlet 2011 Match Reports - Day Two (plus one more)

2011-06-07T21:57:00.005+10:00

I seem to be entering a busy period for Blood Bowl. Last Friday (June 3rd) I got an offer to play another game at the store, and attempt to start another league. This league will be different to other ones that I have run, in that it will be decidedly less formal. We will be using progressive teams, and there will be no set time to play games, or locations. You can play whomever you want, wherever you want - it doesn't have to be at the store. The winner of the competition will be the team who has won the most number of games (or the highest percentage of wins, if they have played considerably more than their opponents) by X date. I'll no doubt need to set a minimum amount of games to be played to be in contention. I may have play-offs, depending on how many people are playing, but it will be a simple four team finals series if I do have them, winners decide the final, losers play for third place.

The store, I should mention, isn't exactly keen for a regular BB league to be held at the store. Casual games and events are fine, but not leagues. Which is why there'll be the option of play wherever you can, provided I'm notified of the results.

At this stage, there's only the two of us, but two others are interested. (You really only need four for a league... ) There'll be no costs, no prizes, just meet, play, and have some fun.

And I intend to. I'll be taking two teams as usual. Both of them will be stunty teams - goblins and halflings. I want to play one of these teams at a tournament this year, seeing they're still on the list. A good time to start practising with them methinks!

The first game report of the new league shall be after the second day reports from the gauntlet.

Day Two - May 29th

Game: 637
Stage: Round 4
Opponent: MegaNob
Team: Undead
Result: Lost 2-4
Casualties: Lost 1-4
Toss: Lost - kicked
Fame: Opponent+1
Initial weather roll: Blizzard
Kick-offs (in order): High Kick, Change of Weather (Fine), Perfect Defence, Brilliant Coaching (gained a re-roll), Change of Weather (Fine), Blitz, High Kick, Blitz.

Comments: Young MegaNob has become my regular sparring partner of late. A keen player, who has some interesting ideas for sides, both in progression and in appearance. (His Khemri team will be quite a sight once it is completed.) He gave a wight Strip Ball, a ghoul Sure Hands, and turned another ghoul into a blodger.

An unusual start weather wise. (The only conditions I didn't play in during the tournament was Pouring Rain.) The kick was caught by a ghoul, and the undead returned the ball with gusto down the left flank. The defence was equal to the task, and forced the play across the pitch. February charged at the ball carrier, but could only force him back, but October did one better, injuring a skeleton with a good hit, ending his game considerably early. (This, I should note, was the only casualty I caused for the entire tournament from a block that one of my players threw... ) The attention February was providing forced the ghoul to step clear and go back across the field, and hand the ball on to another ghoul. A wight gets involved in the action, clearing a path for the ball carrier by knocking out July. September though was able to tip-toe past a defender, then charge into the ghoul, pushing him off the pitch. The crowd was very friendly towards him. The ball was nicely tossed back just into the undead's half, and January took advantage of it, and hared in to pick the ball up from the feet of a skeleton. However, she wasn't so good in getting away, and was tripped up. March was next to visit the knocked-out bin, and the undead took advantage of a slight advantage in numbers, by retrieving the ball, and flinging a short pass across the pitch. The ghoul to ghoul conveyance paid off, and with no defenders to worry about, the receiver sprinted down the right hand side of the pitch, braving the snow, to break the deadlock. [Turn 4]

The snow stopped falling almost as soon as the point was registered. The elves weren't complaining, and whilst September recovered the ball, February punches a hole in the defensive line, and tears straight down the middle of the pitch, with October and November in support. September is carefully advancing down the pitch, deciding on which target to deliver the pass to, but with April injured by a wight, her position looked decidedly vulnerable, and she was taken down by the second wight. The ball fortuitously bouncing to December. May was struck by a ghoul, with both players crashing to the ground. The undead player finishing up considerably better, as the line-elf is stretchered off the pitch. August was next, bowled over by a wight, and November was taken out by a skeleton. With four injuries quickly sustained, the elves were in ruins, and December had no chance to get a pass off before hitting the turf. A ghoul darted through to recover the ball, and with December tripping over a rock trying to get clear of her marker, in a desperate attempt to stop the score, the ghoul crossed the line to double the lead just before the end of the half. The elves were frustrated in the few moments that were left with a re-organized defence, and the half ended with the elves two down, and in serious trouble.

With only eight players able to start the second half, the elves needed a few things to go their way to get back into the game. With their coaching staff working overtime, they decided that they needed to keep the ball moving, and stay clear of the defence. September retrieved the ball off the kick-off, and passed it on to December on the right hand side. February punched a hole in the line and joined the catcher down the other end of the pitch, where they were surrounded by half the undead side. December, though forced back to the sideline by a wight, somehow hung onto the ball, then pushed aside the ghoul in front of her. She stepped past him, then away from him, and much to team's relief, she raced in to score and halved the lead.

The weather was steadily improving, however the brief period of luck for the elves was well and truly over. The kick was shallow and to the right and the ghouls again got things going, one picking up the ball, then handing it on to another, who raced down the pitch. January opted to step clear to bring him down, but was tripped up, and the undead increased the lead once again. [Turn 3]

With July still off the pitch, the undead swarmed around their counterparts before the ball landed, almost able to double mark every elf on the pitch. December was knocked flat, and out but September still managed to recover the ball. With the number of eligible receivers fast dwindling, she tossed the ball down to June, who raced down the middle of the pitch. October and March went with her, but couldn't stop a rampaging wight from bringing her down, then grabbing the ball as it bounced back to him. June returned the favour, and stunned him in a good hit, with some assistance from October. With the line open, and the ball on the turf, she tried to step clear to pick it up, but failed, falling flat on her face. The ghouls though had no problems retrieving it, and quickly moved the ball up field. The touchdown play was thwarted however, with the hand-off being dropped. It was only a temporary setback, as the defence was in no position to retrieve the pigskin, and a ghoul got it right, picked up the ball, and strolled in for the team's fourth. [Turn 7]

The elves, beaten on the scoreboard, were also well and truly beaten on the pitch, with only five players able to start their final drive. The kick-off was high, wide and well off the pitch, and January took the ball, then blitzed her way through the line in an attempt for a consolation point. She was quickly swarmed by undead, but she remained on her feet, and with sheer determination, pushed a wight out of the way (despite him having a team-mate in support), dodged past him, then away from him, and ran in to add some respectability to the scoreline.

In what little time that was left in the match, the elves pre-empted the kick-off, but to no avail, and the game ended with the undead clearly the victors. October was given the honours in that match, and was awarded Wrestle.

Game: 638
Stage: Round 5
Opponent: Steve W
Team: Orcs
Result: Won 2-0
Casualties: Lost 1-2
Toss: Won - received
Fame: Me Fame+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Cheering Fans (each gained a re-roll), Throw a Rock (Orc Blitzer koed), High Kick, Perfect Defence.

Comments: Steve, an irregular league player, was playing in his first BB tournament. His first game was against Gnome, then he had to face me. He blocked up three of his black orcs, and added Tackle to one of them as well.

The kick-off was caught by May, who then raced down the left-hand side of the pitch, seeing February knocked out a nearby black orc. The orcs quickly responded, with July knocked out, then May flattened by an orc blitzer, who couldn't quite get to the ball. September then retrieved it, but her attempt at a touchdown pass failed miserably, the ball dropping from her hand as she cocked it back to throw to October. A plucky goblin retrieved the ball, then darted away with it. October tried to step clear to nail him, but didn't see the pothole, and fell awkwardly, and had to be stretchered off. The goblin however, didn't get much further, with January lining him up, then knocking him out. The ball bouncing around until it popped up for an orc blitzer. Despite the attention of two elves, he grabbed it. January didn't have much time to curse his good fortune, as she was attacked from behind by a black orc, and she joined October in the casualty ward. April then had to carry out the blitz on the ball carrier, and was rather successful. However, September's pass across the pitch to February was dropped - the orc marking her making the difference. The orcs get the ball back, but didn't have it for long, as February makes amends, and strips it from his grasp. The ball rolls off the pitch, the crowd toss it back in, and it lands perilously close to the orcs end zone. September sees the opportunity, and past the orc thrower, and goes the extra yards to retrieve the ball. March, April and May dodge clear to give her some cover, but November fails to close the hole in the pocket, after she falls head over heels trying to get clear. She needn't had worried. The orc blitzer bearing down on September mistimed his run, bounced off her shoulder, and the thrower only had to step across the line to open the scoring. [Turn 6]

The crowd got involved, one of them knocking out an orc blitzer with a well thrown rock. The elves elected to kick deep, the ball rolling towards the end zone. The move was rewarded with the orc thrower failing to pick it up. Fortunately for him, there wasn't any elves nearby, though a pair weaved their way through the line and were heading towards him, so he hurriedly gets a pass off - the ball missing its mark, and scattering into the elves half. To make sure that the orcs didn't get a chance to equalize before the break, March retrieved it, and four team-mates formed a cage around her.

With the elves restarting the match with their noses just in front, they booted the ball high, and it was promptly dropped by the orc thrower. He picked up the dregs, then handed it on to an orc blitzer, who was forced back by the elven defence. He stepped clear to hand the ball off to a goblin, and the troll picked up the little blighter and hurled him down the pitch. The goblin descends just behind September, but lands poorly, knocking himself out in the process. The elven thrower senses an opportunity, grabbing the ball, and going an extra yard to lob the ball to December, who dashes downfield. She's run down by an orc blitzer and a thrower, but neither could grab the ball. November had presence of mind to dodge clear into the end zone, before May steps past the orc blitzer, throws a beautiful pass downfield, which is easily caught, and the elves double their lead. [Turn 3]

To make it tougher for the orcs, the elves reform their line before play restarts. The orcs are severely hampered by a blitzer, then a thrower both failing to pick-up the ball. December charges downfield, flattens and stuns the thrower and goes the extra yards to recover the ball. February though leaves her a bit vulnerable, as she makes a terrible attempt to tackle a black orc, and falls flat on her face. The orcs take advantage of it, and an orc blitzer races in to smack down the catcher. A goblin retrieves the ball, and darts off downfield, but collides with April in his mad rush. The pair both go down, but it's the goblin who is stretchered off the pitch. December senses a chance for a third point, but as she envisions tomorrow's headlines, she fumbles the pick-up. The orcs then see an opportunity, but an orc blitzer trips over his shoelaces and winds up face first on the pitch. The elven catcher then tries to get up to get into the end zone, but she too has an errant shoelace, and falls over. Finally, an orc thrower recovers the ball, runs downfield to hand it off to a goblin, and though the troll was interested in tossing him downfield, he drops him as he winds up, and the goblin lands on his feet, then gives the big guy a kick for spoiling his chance for a touchdown.

It was a tough game, and things could've quite easily been different. However, the elves were now back up the ladder, and ready to face the Pro-Elves for the final match. November was given Block.

Game: 639
Stage: Round 6
Opponent: Barks
Team: (Pro) Elf
Result: Lost 3-6
Casualties: Won 2-1
Toss: Won - received
Fame: Even
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Brilliant coaching (each gained a re-roll), Brilliant coaching (each gained a re-roll), Brilliant coaching (opponent gained a re-roll), Change of Weather (Fine), Quick Snap, Change of weather (Fine), Riot (gained a turn), Brilliant coaching (opponent gained a re-roll), Perfect Defence, Change of Weather (Fine).

Comments: I have to go back to October 2009 to find the last occasion that I had six put past me in a game, and that was by an elven team as well. (Coincidentally, the next game of soccer I played, my team lost by the same scoreline... ) None of my results reveal a game with so many touchdowns having been scored, the previous highs being seven point matches. The pro elves come into this game, with only one loss under their belt in second place, and with two catchers with Dodge, the third with Block, and both blitzers turned into blodgers.

The game started promisingly enough for the high elves, with an extra re-roll, and a quick score [Turn 2], with September charging through a gap created by January, then tossing a ball to a waiting October, who had wrestled her attacker to the ground, then got back up to stumble into the end zone, and make the catch. July also seriously injured a pro elven line-woman in back play, after the latter had tried to take her down.

With the coaching staff of both sides working overtime, it was the pro elves chance to attack, their thrower quickly recovering the ball off the kick-off, then sprinting downfield to hand-off to a catcher, who ignores the defence to take the ball, and easily dodges away to score the equalizer. [Turn 3]

The pro elven kick-off was unusually short, landing just in the high elven half, and nearly bouncing back after January failed to catch it on the left flank. She recovers the pigskin before her opponents could, and with November and March in support, charges downfield. The blitzer is run down, loses the ball, and it's retrieved by the pro elven thrower, making two dodges, picking it up with a stunned November standing beside her, then dodging away from her. The catcher has the last laugh, and picks off the pass despite having two opponents marking her. With some good marking, November blitzes, pushes aside the pro elven thrower, dodges clear, and runs in for the high elves to retake the lead. [Turn 5]

It was quickly becoming a case of "anything you can do... ". The high elves responded with a shallow kick of their own, but the pro elves quickly recover it, and form up in a defensive pocket. One corner of it gets picked off, and July dodges past three defenders to charge into the elven thrower, but can only force her back. The pro elves push aside their high elven counterparts, a catcher then charges downfield and pushes August away from a blitzer who was in scoring range, and it's a simple dodge and hand-off to the unmarked player for the fourth touchdown for the match. [Turn 6]

There is just enough time for one more drive, and the high elves are determined to take the lead at the main break. The kick lands in the middle of the high elven half, and January, February and November weave their way downfield, anticipating a touchdown pass. However, July, in attempting to get clear to mark a pro elven catcher, trips over. The pro elves send a catcher and a line-woman through to get the ball, the former managing to pick it up, despite the presence of December. The high elven catcher lunges at her and both of them go down, with the apothecary saving the pro elven catcher from a serious injury. With time fast running out, the line-elf then dodges, picks up the ball from September's feet on the second grab, dodges past her, then past October as well, and goes the extra yards to score an unlikely point and gives the pro elves the lead right on half-time.

Buoyed by taking an unlikely lead before the break, the pro elves go on the attack early in the second half. A mediocre kick is easily retrieved, and the pro elven thrower works her way downfield and sends a beautiful pass to a waiting elven catcher, which grazes October's outstretched mit along the way. The catcher easily avoids two defenders, and the high elves double their lead. [Turn 2]

The high elven fans are greatly upset by this turn of events, and cause quite a disturbance. When play resumes (the clocks being wound back), the ball gets flung from one end of the field to the other. First it's September who retrieves the kick-off, flings it downfield to November, who charges down the left-hand flank. She's tackled, and stunned, and the pro elven thrower responds with a neat dodge, an effortless pick-up, then good pass to a catcher. She in turn races downfield, but in an attempt to score, fails the second GFI, and the ball bounces off the pitch, and is tossed back in by the crowd as the catcher is carried off to the koed bin. December sees an opportunity, recovers the loose ball, and gets off a lovely long pass downfield to October, who easily catches it, and it's 3-4. [Turn 2]

The pro elves haven't finished scoring as yet, and attack again. Despite failing to pick the ball up off the kick-off the first time round, the elven thrower tries again, and is able to keep the movement going by tossing the ball quickly to a nearby catcher. She dodges past two defenders, makes the extra yards, and the pro elves have five. [Turn 4]

They get to reform the defensive line too, much to the high elves annoyance, but they still manage to force their way through the line, November going straight down the middle of the pitch after taking an easy pass from September. January, February and June are with her, but it's to no avail, as a pro elven blitzer charges through and brings her down, then somehow recovers the bouncing ball. They take no chances, and form a cage up around her. February hits the turf, after failing an easy block on a line-woman, December and September are marking catchers downfield. One steps clear, runs into the end zone, and a simple hand-off to the elven thrower sees her attempt a hopeful long bomb. It doesn't miss by much, but it's into the crowd, the ball being thrown back in inside the high elven half. September retrieves the ball, chucks an easy pass to October, who dashes downfield. August tries to step clear to watch her back, but trips over. The catcher is nailed in a two woman hit, and the ball is picked up, handed off to the thrower, who tosses a short pass to an open catcher, and the pro elves have six.

In the final moments of the game, the high elves try to exact some revenge. August knocks out a line-elf, but June swings wildly and falls over when she tries to connect. With the ball still on the turf, the pro elves are thinking of a seventh, but time is almost up. The final action of the game sees October shunted off the pitch, where she is pummeled by the crowd, and pronounced DOA in the casualty bin.

So, my first serious attempt at running high elves wasn't a success. I'm looking at the for and against, and see that opponents crossed my line fourteen times. Take away the ten scored against me in games four and six, and it would've been quite impressive indeed. In two matches, the 2+ curse cost me dearly, and I'm thinking with an ounce more luck, I could've finished second rather than second last.

Oh well, that's Blood Bowl for you.

Now, onto a game that was played last week, on the 3rd of June to be exact. Both of us decided to play a side that neither of us have used before. I'm no stranger to stunty teams, but this was the first attempt with goblins, and I can seriously see the appeal of them! The Special Goblin Squad started with seven goblins, all four weapons, and two trolls, leaving enough cash to acquire an apothecary and three re-rolls, with some leftover for a bribe.

The game ended up being a rather scrappy affair. Both sides made plenty of mistakes, it's just the goblins made fewer of them.

Game: 640
Opponent: MegaNob
Team: Khemri
Result: Won 2-1
Casualties: 1 all
Toss: Lost - kicked
Fame: Opponent+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Quick Snap, Blitz, Brilliant Coaching (opponent gained a re-roll), Blitz, Change of Weather (Fine).

Comments: Though the khemri started off with a Quick Snap, they really couldn't take advantage of it, with a tomb guardian taking himself and Big Ted (troll) out on the second block of the match. The throw-ra's then try to exchange the ball between themselves, but they forgot that they're not humans and the ball gets dropped. Little Ted (troll) crunches a skeleton, and the game is over early for him, whilst Nutta (fanatic) collides with a tomb guardian and they both go down in a heap. Cheesey (goblin) gets knocked out by a blitz-ra, whilst Little Ted smacks a throw-ra back onto the ball, causing it to bounce. By this time, trio of goblins had wandered downfield, and one of them, Chukka, retrieves the ball from the feet of a throw-ra, scampers clear, and with his little legs pumping for all that they are worth, he scores to give the greenskins an early lead. [Turn 4]

The bribe to get the fanatic back onto the field fails miserably, but the side takes advantage of a slow opposition, with Blackface (bombadier) stunning a blitz-ra with a bomb, and Choppy (looney), charging at a tomb guardian, but unable to get through his thick hide. The kick by now lands deep inside the khemri half, by Choppy's appearance on the pitch is ended rather quickly, as he gets thumped by a tomb guardian. Thankfully, he just missed the chainsaw, and avoids serious damage. Little Ted tries to retaliate, but then forgets who he was meant to be hitting. Chukka knocks out a blitz-ra with the help of two mates, and Blackface knocks another opponent over with a near miss. The khemri though have gotten the hang of picking the ball up and passing, and have managed to get the other blitz-ra into the clear, after he received the ball from a throw-ra. Snigga (goblin) dodges clear to mark the escapee, whilst Kunning (goblin) is tossed downfield by Big Ted, successfully lands and then moves in to mark the blitz-ra from the other side. The khemri player decides to attack Kunning, flattening him, but then has to step away from Snigga. With the line beckoning, the undead player trips over a deceptively flat piece of earth, and Kunning picks himself up, and retrieves the ball. Hedgehoppa (pogoer) pushes a throw-ra off the pitch, but he only gets a light work-over from the crowd. Blackface lives up to his name when he fumbles one of his explosive devices, and his game ends there. Kunning, still with the ball, is forced back into the end zone, but manages to dodge clear, then attempt an audacious pass for an unlikely touchdown play. The ball flies wide of Hedgehoppa, and the half ends with the greenskins just in front.

With both sides having players not wanting to leave the knock-out bin, each team only fields nine players for the second half. The goblins take advantage of the extra space, with Bluey (goblin) retrieving the ball, whilst Hedgehoppa bounces downfield. Bluey though gets floored, and the ball rolls around a bit. Chukka gets his hands on it, flings a quick pass to Cumere (goblin) but over exerts himself trying to get the ball to Hedgehoppa for the score and crashes onto the pitch. The khemri tries to get the ball down the other end of the pitch, but forget that they're not elves, and their long pass fails dismally. Bluey is back on the scene, recovers the loose ball, hands it off to Chukka, who does exactly that, and Hedgehoppa doesn't even have to move to take the catch, and pretty much seal the game. [Turn 3]

The following kick-off is quite bad, and scatters off the pitch. But whilst the crowd fight over the ball, the goblins charge downfield, catching the khemri by surprise. When the ball is returned, it's given to a tomb guardian on the right flank, who proceeds to march downfield. Bluey madly launches himself at the guardian, and somehow forces him back, Big Ted then hits the khemri player, but Bluey's attempt to blitz a throw-ra in order to get to the ball fails. Big Ted then swings again, but takes himself out as well as the tomb guardian he was aiming at. A throw-ra embarrassingly collides with Cumere, and the goblin gets up before his opponent does. The second throw-ra winds up with the ball, but his short pass to the open blitz-ra in scoring range fails. Kunning then sprints back to retrieve the ball, and fumbles it, then gets flattened, and the blitz-ra then picks it up and shuffles in to score. [Turn 7]

The goblins try for the air goblin play, but Little Ted forgets what he is supposed to do, leaving Big Ted with a harder pass to make. Kunning recovers the ball, hands it on to Bluey, but Big Ted drops him cold as he tries to launch him downfield, and the goblin fails to land properly, but gets away with a light stun, which is where the game ends.

It's 40,000 to me, and 60,000 to my opponent, and the team gets a Fan Factor increase. Little Ted gets the MVP for the casualty, and he gets Strong Arm.

Phew! All done. Now I can post this, then go watch a DVD. Ciao!

Gosford Gauntlet 2011 Match Reports - Day One

2011-06-01T14:38:00.002+10:00

Back again!

Seeing it is so horribly wintry outside, I decided to get cracking on the match reports, even though I'm not expecting to play any further games soon. (However, myself and one of the staff at Good Games in Gosford are going to attempt to kick-start another local league. But more on that later.)

As stated in my previous post, the "Calender Girls" were well and truly all over the place during the two days of competition. Like all elves, they suffered from the "2+ Curse" regularly, and in some games, these hiccups were very costly indeed. At this stage, I would have to say that I still prefer Dark Elves to the other three elven teams, though I must admit, I was pretty impressed with the (Pro) Elves. Despite their low armor, catchers with Nerves of Steel, and blitzers with Side-Step to begin with, make them quite formidable in a tournament such as the one I have just run, seeing there are limited skills to be acquired.

And I must say I believe the format that I have in place for the Gauntlet is quite good - resurrection, but with the appearance of being progressive as well, seeing teams get (20k) skills after the first five matches. It allows coaches to spend 1.1 million on a line-up any way they like. (A loop hole that I realized late last week, was that coaches could purchase mercenary players with skills, seeing I clearly state in the players guide that all inducements are acceptable, with the exception of wizards and special play cards. No one has taken advantage of it as of yet - perhaps they believe spending that much on a mercenary is probably not worth it.)

The roster I ended up taking was slightly modified from my trial games. In the end, I opted for three catchers instead of two, promoting a line-elf. The extra movement was the clincher, and the lasses scored five of the teams eleven touchdowns between them, as well as contributing with two completions, a casualty and an interception. The two blitzers did all right, and my thrower got off quite a few passes. I'm thinking if I ever played them again, giving her Accurate to begin with wouldn't be a bad idea, not that she failed many passes (dropped accurate passes by players on the other hand... ) but it would turn her into a more dangerous player, especially if was to obtain Nerves of Steel to go with it as well.

Speculation aside, with the Dark and High Elven teams out of the way, I can now work on some Pro and Wood Elven rosters. However, I do want to try a stunty team sometime this year in an event, so I might start practicing with them, provided we get this league up and running.

Anyway, onto the reports.

Day One - May 28th

Game: 634
Stage: Round 1
Opponent: Mr Stabby
Team: Wood Elves
Result: Won 3-0
Casualties: 1 all
Toss: Lost - kicked
Fame: Even
Initial weather roll: Very Sunny
Kick-offs (in order): Brilliant Coaching (each gained a re-roll), Riot (lost a turn), Quick Snap, Perfect Defence, Riot (lost a turn).

Comments: An interesting way to start the tournament, with an elf on elf clash. The woodies were quick off the block, taking to the air on the first turn, and a wardancer accepting an easy pass. What wasn't so easy, was his leap, and he fell very badly indeed, becoming the first casualty of the game and quite possibly the first casualty of the tournament as well. I couldn't complain about having a wardancer badly hurt on turn one, and proceeded to clear opponents off the dropped ball, with Miss February (blitzer) charging in shoulder a player out of the way before retrieving the ball. She continued to blitz and dodge her way down my right hand side of the pitch, but her fellow blitzer (Miss January) couldn't keep up with her, and fell by the wayside. Both teams by now also had a player each in the knock-out bin, and though the second wardancer failed his dodge to bring down February, a plucky line-elf showed him how it should be done, and drags her down, getting the ball on the bounce. February recovered, and flattened the line-elf, then dodged clear to pick up the ball. Another line-elf charges at her, but he just ends up bouncing off her. With some assistance from Miss April (line-elf), February pushes aside the last defender, and races in to score the opening point for the game. [Turn 5]

With the crowd being a little over excited, causing the game to be shortened, the wood elves decided to take to the air again, with the thrower hurling a long bomb down the pitch to the second wardancer. The bane of many a side tried to get past the defence, but was tripped up, and he was stretchered off, very much off with the fairies. Miss July (line-elf) pushes a player off the ball, and whilst fending off a second one manages to recover it. She in turn is brought down, and thanks to a butter-fingered line-elf, dropping a hand-off with the line begging, the high elves hang onto the slim lead at the break.

The high elves started the second half with Miss September (thrower) easily picking up the ball. There is a clash of heads in the middle of the pitch between line-elves of opposing sides, and September duly takes advantage of the small gap to dash through the line, and flick a short pass to February. She keeps the movement going, handing the ball off to Miss May (line-elf), who strolls in to double the lead. [Turn 2]

The wood elves resort to going over the defence again, seeing that the ladies were allowed to reset their defensive line-up. The wardancer takes an easy pass, then, unlike his blitzer team-mate, safely clears the line and lands on the other side and dodges clear. September tries desperately to bring him down, but fails, seriously injuring herself. It doesn't cost the team at all, with the wardancer miserably failing a blitz, losing the ball. February recovers, dashes downfield, makes the extra yards, hands it off to January, who races in for the third, and the game. [Turn 5]

The crowd are either deliriously happy, or quite upset by all this, so they riot once again. With more time lost, the wood elves vainly try for a consolation point, and to win the fight. Miss March (line-elf) is fouled and knocked out, and the wood elven thrower gets off yet another pass, with the wardancer taking an easy catch. February tries to step aside to bring him down, but is tripped up, but she needn't had worried, for the ball carrier promptly lands badly, stunning himself in the process. Miss November (catcher) picks up the dregs, and hangs onto the pigskin until time is called.

Not a bad start for the girls I must say. For having a good match, February gets the first skill, and gains Strip Ball.

I wish the tournament had ended there - I was leading!!!

Game: 635
Stage: Round 2
Opponent: D'Arquebus
Team: Chaos Dwarves
Result: Lost 1-2
Casualties: Lost 0-3
Toss: Lost - kicked
Fame: Opponent+1
Initial weather roll: Sweltering Heat
Kick-offs (in order): Change of Weather (Fine), Blitz, Blitz, Brilliant Coaching (opponent gained a re-roll), Brilliant Coaching (each gained a re-roll).

Comments: The Chaos Dwarf team was coming off a narrow win in the first round against the Lizardmen, with their chosen skill being Juggernaut for the minotaur. The ladies put them under pressure straight away, with a shallow kick to the left. The good kick was made a bit more perilous when the hobgoblin assigned to pick up the ball failed the GFI and knocked himself out. With the ball on the ground, the elves surged forward, with February pushing a hobgoblin back onto the ball, but unable to get a favorable bounce. Miss August (line-elf), made a successful attempt to get the ball, but was tripped up trying to get clear, knocking herself out in the process. A second hobgoblin then managed to retrieve the seemingly cursed pigskin, and got in to a defensive pocket. April survived a tackle attempt by a chaos dwarf, who bounced off her thighs, allowing a narrow gap for Miss June (line-elf) to charge at the ball carrier, her mistimed block however causing both of them to go down in a heap. Another hobgoblin stepped up to try and gather the ball, but it slipped through his fingers. July then pushed another hobgoblin back onto the ball, which bounced back to the elf, but she couldn't hang onto it. The ball bounced back to the pushed hobgoblin who managed to snatch it. Miss December (catcher) then desperately charged at him, but only succeeded in pushing him back further. With the drive going nowhere, the chaos dwarves endeavored to clear a bit of space. Miss October (catcher) was the first to go, pushed off the field by a rampaging minotaur and knocked out. April then obliged by tripping over an errant bootlace, knocking herself out as well. Miss March (line-elf) became the side's first fatality, killed by a chaos dwarf, and when February was seriously injured by the minotaur, the ladies were down to just six players, and couldn't do much to stop the hobgoblin from running in to score. [Turn 8] In what little time that was left, the CD's surged forward with the kick, but couldn't take any real advantage and were content to be in front by one at the break.

A pair of elves managed to regain their sense during the break, and returned to the pitch. Though it was a bad kick-off, the ball flying way too deep, the CD's benefited from another pre-emptive play before the ball was given to September. July & October weaved their way through on the right, but it was for naught, as a rampant bull-centaur charged down the thrower, despite her having two players back in support. The ball bounced nicely, but Miss May (line-elf) couldn't retrieve the ball from the feet of the bull-centaur, and a hobgoblin was on the spot to recover the ball and dash into the end zone to double the lead with still a fair chunk of the match to play. [Turn 2]

With the CD coaches working hard, the ladies rallied for next drive, despite being a player down. September effortlessly recovered the ball, then stepped up to deliver a beautiful long pass to December, who, with two opposing players marking her, dropped it cold. A hobgoblin managed to retrieve the ball, but his run was cut short by May. January hopefully darted into the end zone, and her optimism was rewarded when October gathered up the ball, despite having an opponent nearby, dodge clear then fling a speculator down the pitch, where it fell nicely into the blitzer's hands and the lead was halved.

The coaches on both sides were now working overtime, and the elves were eager to get back into the action. The kick was rather shallow, landing on the right hand side, but was scooped up by a vigilant hobgoblin who advanced downfield. Miss November (catcher) made a daring charge at him, stepping in front of two players to throw herself at the ball carrier. Both players went down, but the hobgoblin had to go off, nursing a sore head. The ball though bounced to a chaos dwarf, who deftly grabbed it. November repeated her previous effort, this time knocking the CD flat without going down herself. With August in scoring range, July dodged past the defence, picked the ball up from the feet of a hobgoblin, dodged clear of him, threw a beautiful long pass - which was promptly dropped by August, dashing any chance of an unlikely equalizer. November for her efforts was smashed in a heavy tackle, and finished the game on a stretcher in the medical bay.

It was close, but no cigar. With the guts of the team ripped out with two casualties and two knock-outs in the space of three turns in the first half, the side couldn't stop the first point, which was the difference between the two sides. Seeing the need for Kick, August was given the job.

Game: 636
Stage: Round 3
Opponent: Sangraal
Team: Norse
Result: Lost 0-2
Casualties: Won 1-0
Toss: Lost - kicked
Fame: Opponent+1
Initial weather roll: Fine
Kick-offs (in order): Quick Snap, Get the Ref, High Kick, Blitz.

Comments: The rivalry between Sangraal and myself goes back to 2005, when I first played against him at MOAB in 2005. Before this match, in all games, we were locked at seven wins a-piece with five draws. The match here now put him at equal seventh of my list of most played opponents.

The Tanelorn Rebels Blocked up both their wolves before the match, and the Norse started confidently, stepping forward as the ball was kicked. November made a daring charge, weaving her way past four defenders, but conveniently failing the second GFI to throw a hit on the thrower with the ball. The Norse team then started a relentless grind down the pitch. January, February and July were knocked out in quick succession, with the first being dumped unceremoniously off the pitch. October soon joined her, but survived the mob and managed to get into the dugout unscathed. May made a daring charge to attack the thrower, forcing him back despite having to dart into the clutches of two other opponents. It was only a matter of time until the visitors finally scored, with no elven player left standing on the pitch when the thrower crossed the line.

Incensed, the referee was driven off by maddened fans, allowing the elves to get some revenge back. An unfortunate Norse lineman was the target, and after being blocked, he was set upon by most of the team, with August utilizing her kicking skills in a very effective manner. Despite being seen by the ref's replacement, she was not sent off, and the unlucky opponent was carted off the field in a coffin right on half-time.

The Norse kicked deep, but the high ball enable November to get back and catch it on the goal line. The elves formed up a defensive pocket formed by August, September and April. December was taken down in a good tackle, but managed to get straight back up and run to the end zone. However, she didn't see the big rock on the pitch, and tripped over it, falling into the end zone. November was attacked, knocked down, and the ball recovered by a lineman. February dodged clear of the defence to charge after the ball carrier, but her tackle failed miserably, and she was the one ending belly up on the pitch. January then spied a werewolf on the sideline, and desperately tried to shunt him off the pitch, dodging past defenders just to thump into his chest. A Norse lineman decides that February needs to go, and has a crack at her on the pitch, but could only stun her. The ref though saw the foul and sent him from the pitch. It still couldn't help the ladies, as they were falling over themselves trying to offer some resistance, and when November was knocked out in a heavy two man tackle, there was nothing much left for the Norse to do except score, seeing the elves were again picking themselves up off the turf. [Turn 6]

The Norse were ready to go again, catching the ladies unprepared. Somehow though January managed to break through the line and get clear, to offer September a target for a possible consolation point. It was never to be. May, despite having assistance, still wound up on the ground trying to block an opponent, and August didn't need any extra help in tripping over a pothole, landing face first on the pitch. Thankfully, for the ladies, their miserable game ended not long after and they staggered off the field and headed straight for the showers.

I suppose I should be thankful that I won the casualty count, and didn't have anybody injured. The Norse must've threw fifty blocks during the course of the match, but only succeeded in knocking-out six players. I think I broke armor maybe once in the entire game, and that was for the foul just before half-time. To even things up, I decided January should have Strip Ball as well.

Okay, that's day one out of the way. Stay tuned for day two. Ciao!

Gosford Gauntlet 2011 Report

2011-05-30T17:44:00.001+10:00

Well, the Gauntlet has been and gone for another year, and all there is left for me to do is to type up my match reports and a few notes on the tournament itself.

All up, nine coaches took part in this event, however two of those nine only played five games between them. One played the Saturday, and one turned up for two games on Sunday, needing to catch a bus home. The good thing though, is that all nine coaches got a prize. Two teams (from the limited Black Scorpion range) were awarded, with an assortment of other miniatures, including a couple of Griffs, a Troll, an Impact Treeman and some Impact Dwarves. Strangely enough, I only gave away half of the booby prizes this year. The first self-inflicted injury, that of a Wood Elf wardancer failing a leap to get over the line to score, occurred in the first turn of a first round match, with the first double one for a go-for-it also being picked up in the first round match as well. No one claimed the triple skulls (it wasn't claimed last year either) and no one got the quadruple skulls, which means I got a couple of extra prizes to take home! :)

So, was I disappointed about the low numbers? Yes. I had expected at least twelve, and would've had it except three who were only going to be playing on the Sunday didn't play at all, and one who said he was coming for both days, changed his mind not long before the tournament started. Needless to say, I won't be inviting him to any of my events again.

Apart from that, I was quite happy with how it turned out. Sure, matches went over time, and I finished far later on Sunday than I should've, but it was a problem free event, and I couldn't have asked for more than that. We even had time for drinks on Saturday night and a bit of socializing, but I must admit, by the time I got home around ten pm, I was extremely tired, and barely had enough strength to make a quick post on Facebook with the day one standings.

To conduct the tournament, I used an old tournament organizer which was created by a BB coach by the name of Bevan. (I've used it before, and it's reliable enough to run an event.) The point scoring I used for this event was:
Win 100
Loss 16
(A loss by more than 1 TD will earn 6 points)
Draw 44
2 TD Extra Win 8
2 TD Extra Loss -10
Cas Win 6
Lose Cas 0
Draw Cas 3
2 Cas Extra Win 4
2 Cas Extra Loss 0
So maximum points a coach can get is 118, minimum points is 6.

In order, this is how the participants finished:
D'Arquebus (Chaos Dwarves) 644
Barks (Elves) 494
Garden Gnome (Orcs) 366
Shasta (Lizardmen) 311
MegaNob (Undead) 305
Vimes (High Elves) 265
Sangraal (Norse) 262 (played five games)
Mr Stabby (Wood Elves) 59 (played three games)
Steve W (Orcs) 18 (played two games)

D'Arquebus also registered the most casualties, with 22 over the six rounds, and Barks scored an equal amount of touchdowns. He also won the "Punch Drunk" award, with a whopping 36 of his players knocked out during the course of the tournament! Due to the low numbers, I did not have Sportsmanship or Painting prizes, seeing everybody got something anyway, that and it saved a bit of time.

I should point out, D'Arquebus won five of his games by one touchdown, three of them 2-1 wins, and two 1-0 wins. Both the 1-0 wins could've been draws, and at least one of the 2-1 wins could've been a draw as well. Three other coaches were in contention for the major honours at various times in the event, but D'Arquebus defeated all three of these contenders and was a deserved winner of the tournament, going through undefeated.

As for my side, the High Elven Calender Girls, I was left scratching my head on quite a few occasions. They got off to a brilliant start, winning 3-0 over the Wood Elves, but then fell in a heap, losing consecutive matches to the Chaos Dwarves, Norse (they somehow won the casualty count in that match, despite being blocked all over the park), and Undead. The game against the Undead was terribly crushing, as in the first half, the stuffing was ripped out of them on turns six and seven, where four players were injured. At that stage, I was only down 0-1, but they conceded one more before the break. Despite starting the second half with only eight players, and finishing the game with five, they managed to score twice in the second half and at least add some respectability to the scoreline.

They picked themselves up to win game five against the orcs, but had to rely on the green skins to fail a couple of attempts at lobbing the goblin down the pitch. In the final game of the tournament, they were well and truly thrashed by the second placed Elven side, who went on a rampage in the second half. Nine touchdowns were scored in the game, but my ladies only got three of them. They did score first, then lead 2-1 as well, but a failed dodge roll cost the side dearly, and with the ball still on the ground from the kick-off, they were punished, and their (Pro) Elven counterparts scored an incredible touchdown right on half-time to lead 2-3.

Oh well, them's the breaks. Again, I was hampered by being unable to cause much damage, the team registering just six casualties for the game. Only ONE came from a block that one of my players threw. Three came from both down results thrown by the opposition, one was from a failed leap, and the other was a fatality caused by a gang foul, when the team managed to Get the Ref for a brief turn before half-time against the Norse. In return, I had 11 injured, and 22 knocked-out.

Touchdowns, well, I scored a few, but had more scored against me. The balance sheet in this department read 11 to 14. My best player (in terms of Star Player Points) but not by much, was my thrower, Miss September, who got seven completions and a touchdown. Miss January (blitzer) picked up nine SPPs from three touchdowns, and Miss October (catcher) got nine from a completion, two touchdowns, and one casualty.

The match reports I shall type up later. I just wanted to get this up whilst dinner was cooking.

And it's almost done, so I'd better go. Hopefully, I'll have the match reports up by the end of the week. Ciao!

A couple of trials before the Gauntlet

2011-05-25T18:02:00.002+10:00

Gees, haven't had to do too many of these recently - match reports!

Yes, about time that I had some games to write about. Two trial matches for the Gosford Gauntlet, which is only three days away. The games represent only the 10th and 11th matches that I have played this year, as compared to this time last year, where I had played three times as many. Of course, this time last year, I also had a league to run...

Lamenting aside, preparations for the Gauntlet are going well. The trophy is three-quarters done. The base has been completed, the "gauntlet" painted, and I'm in the process of stuffing it so that I can mount it on the plinth. I have half the booby prizes I've been after, and will get the rest before the big day, along with the last place "trophy".

As for numbers, well, currently, I have ten confirmed for both days, myself including. One has even paid in advance. I also have one who can definitely only make Sunday. Probables, well, at least ten, possibly thirteen, and two more probably for Sunday. If only half of these turn up, then I shall still have roughly as many as I did last year. Of course, I'd like a few more, but, well, I can only hope that's the case.

I haven't changed my mind, and will opt for the High Elves, so that I can get them out of the way. The two practice games have been encouraging, but they've also been frustrating as well. The line-up that I have settled upon, is two blitzers, two catchers, one thrower, seven linewomen, with two re-rolls and a fan factor of four. Though I am thinking that I could change one of those linewomen to a third catcher, and settle for a fan factor of two. I have titled the team "The Calender Girls". (Yeah, well, I wasn't feeling too creative when I named the team and the players.)

Anyway, onto the reports. Both of these games were played last week at the Good Games store in Gosford, against MegaNob, who fielded Undead on both occasions and may well do the same for the Gauntlet.

Game: 632
Date Played: 20 May 2011
Result: Won 2-1
Casualties: Won 2-1
Toss: Lost - kicked
Fame: Me+1
Initial weather roll: Fine

The fans were getting involved early, cheering on the elven lasses, and inspiring them for the first drive. The kick settled in the middle of the opponents half, and the undead side commenced to return the ball to halfway, with a simple pick-up and hand-off from a wight to a ghoul. With a second ghoul weaving through the defence, and making his way to the end zone, the elves were looking at trailing early. But they needn't had worried, for though the pass to the target was good, the catch was terrible, and the ball bounced off the pitch. The crowd obliged by tossing it quite near to one of the elven catchers. She saw a blitzer unmarked in the undead half, quickly retrieved the ball, dodging past defenders, then going the extra yard to shorten the length of the pass, and tossed it beautifully to the waiting blitzer, who raced downfield, and stretched out to put the opening point on the board, with just on a quarter of the half gone.

The crowd was quite dazzled (or annoyed) by the quick turn-around, and promptly invaded the pitch. When the dust had settled, nine players were face down on the turf, with five of them being elves, including both blitzers. The deep kick helped, but not an unfortunate linewoman who was charged at by a wight and knocked out in the hard tackle. The undead opted for the air again, but the aspiring thrower ghoul fumbled the ball, and a pair of elves darted downfield to put him under more pressure. Another linewoman is then knocked out by the same wight, but the undead can't take advantage of the lesser elven numbers, with the same ghoul now fumbling the pick-up. A linewoman flattens a skeleton near the ball, and another dashes into the end zone, hoping for a pass. A third linewoman tries to obliged, but fails the second go-for-it roll to grab the ball. The ball though conveniently bounces to the offending ghoul, and despite the attention from a frustrated elf, he manages to grab the fumble. The undead try to move forward, but are hampered by a bad block from a skeleton, which opens the way for a linewoman to charge at the ball carrier. She comes off second best, knocking herself out, and a fourth linewoman follows soon after. The first casualty for the match quickly follows, with a clash of heads between a mummy and a linewoman. Both go down, but only the mummy gets up, with the poor elf getting the last rites. A surviving linewoman manages to push the ball carrier back, which allows the thrower to have a shot at him. They both go down in a tangle of limbs. The undead try a chancy play to score, a ghoul recovering the loose ball, then rushing over to a wight who is marked by two players. The hand-off is dropped, and a catcher tries desperately to hurl the ball down the other end for an unlikely point, but the pass is inaccurate, and scatters away from the mark. The elves breathe a sigh of relief as half-time is called, with themselves one up.

Three koed elves return to the fray, with the second half commencing with a Quick Snap, which the elves duly take advantage of. The thrower recovers the ball, effortlessly throwing a quick pass to an available catcher, who gets in behind a couple of team-mates in the undead half. A ghoul steps away from an elf, and charges at the catcher, but has mistimed his run and falls heavily. With some assistance from a linewoman, the catcher blitzes the only defender in her road, and pushes them aside to double the lead. [Turn 2]

The undead coaching staff desperately come up with a strategy to try and save something from this match. The ball is kicked shallow, and is caught on the half-way line on the (my) left flank by a ghoul. With the undead still with a slight numbers advantage, an elven blitzer decides to even up the score by shoving a wight off the pitch, the crowd eagerly rendering it unconscious. The ball is handed on to another ghoul, and the undead are looking like they'll pull one back quickly, however an elven linewoman desperately weaves her way past two defenders, and throws herself at the ghoul. Both are stunned during the collision. The second wight recovers the ball, and aims for an open ghoul on the right hand sideline. The pass is lousy, but it bounces to it's target, however the ball slips through his fingers and the chance is missed. A catcher recovers the tossed in ball, and moves into position to throw to a blitzer waiting downfield. Unfortunately, the passed is picked off by a lurking mummy, who then hands it on to a ghoul. The defence moves in to cut down his options, and a linewoman takes care of the butter-fingered ghoul on the sideline, and bundles him off the pitch on her second attempt. The crowd take an instant dislike to him, and seriously injure the unfortunate ghoul. Another line-elf puts her body on the line, charging at the ball carrier, and despite bringing him down, she is stunned. The undead try again to get a point on the board, and this time they succeed, albeit a little too late. In the end, a ghoul shuffles into the end zone, with his flesh-eating team-mate tossing him the easiest of passes, and the elves' lead is reduced by one. [Turn 7]

The ladies try to squeeze in another point, and pre-empt the kick-off, with a blitzer shouldering her way past a defender, and getting underneath the kick, catching it easily. Her success though is short-lived, and she is flattened by a rampaging mummy. The ghouls again cannot handle the ball, with another hand-off being fumbled, and the only chance for an unlikely equalizer goes begging. A linewoman attacks a skeleton, with both players going down in the melee. The elf lands heavily on the skele, and he fails to pull himself together and is reburied at the end of the match. The final plays see a ghoul shunted off the pitch, and knocked out, whilst a skele who wants to do the same to an elven catcher, fails miserably, stunning himself and crashing to the ground.

It was an ugly win, but for my first game ever with high elves, it wasn't too bad.

Game: 633
Date Played: 22 May 2011
Result: Won 2-1
Casualties: Drew 1 all
Toss: Won - received
Fame: Opp+1
Initial weather roll: Sweltering Heat

The re-match sees the elves getting off to a bright start, with a Quick Snap, and a catcher doing exactly that with the kick-off. An elven blitzer flattens a skele on the right flank, opening up a little gap on the flank. The catcher takes the opportunity to get herself into a defensive pocket just inside the undead half. A linewoman murders a ghoul, whilst an elven blitzer murders a touchdown by fumbling the hand-off from the catcher. The undead player nearby had nothing to do with it. A ghoul steps aside in order to charge downfield and mark the open catcher, but is tripped up by a linewoman, which leaves the catcher with a simple pick-up, then a blitz to push aside the sole defender, and run in to score. [Turn 3]

Sweltering Heat then takes it's toll, flooring four players, three of them being elves. However, the missing undead player was a mummy. The weather conveniently cools down a bit after that, and the elves kick the ball into the centre of the undead half. They respond with an easy passing play, with a wight the target this time of a good pass. The defence cut him down, but can't recover the ball, which leaves the throwing ghoul an opportunity to rush downfield, scoop up the loose ball, and hand it on to a team-mate - who then promptly fumbles it. The elven thrower, spying a player in scoring distance down the other end of the pitch, then scrambles for the lose ball, but she can't retrieve it either. The throwing ghoul tries again, this time lobbing the ball to one of his brethren, who manages to catch it and get away. A desperate charge from a line-elf sees both players go down, and a ghoul again conspiring to stuff up another opportunity after retrieving the ball, then tripping over in the end zone on the GFI. A line-elf manages to get back to the ball, but has nowhere to go. A wight sees her, dodges clear of a defender, brings her down with his charge, and finally a ghoul manages to not only recover the ball, but stay on his feet as he enters the end zone for the equalizer right on half-time.

The elves pre-empt the restart, and once again a blitzer manages to charge forward, and get under the kick to take the catch, despite having an opposing player on her. She also stunned a ghoul on her charge through. A mummy though, unimpressed by her actions, charges and flattens, and the stunned elf crashes to the turf next to the ghoul she knocked over earlier. The ball though, can't be retrieved, and the elves sense a chance to retake the lead. A catcher gets clear, stumbling briefly before finishing up in the end zone. The elven thrower then retrieves the ball, but her pass, despite her best efforts, is picked off by a ghoul. The other elven blitzer is smashed by the second mummy, and has to be stretchered off, whilst a skeleton collides with a line-elf, and the pair crash to the turf together. A linewoman takes a chance to dart towards an unmarked ghoul and cover him, anticipating a pass. One does come, but it's nowhere near the target, the elves breathe a sigh of relief. Three line-elves clear some space around the ball, but the thrower still can't retrieve it, with two undead players still lurking near the ball. With the ball uncomfortably close to the elven line, they are spared by a suicidal ghoul, who crashes into a line-elf, and the pair slump to the pitch. A linewoman picks herself off the pitch, flicks an easy pass to a team-mate, who catches it despite the presence of an undead player near her. That player though trips her up as she tries to get away, but the undead can't capitalize, with a ghoul rushing into the end zone, but tripping over in the process. The elven thrower notices that an elven catcher has been patiently waiting down the other end of the pitch, and she starts to run towards her, veering off to the left flank. The undead stumble across in cover, but the determined thrower dodges away from them, and with the catcher moving away from the last line of defence, the thrower lobs a simple pass to her, and the elves hit the lead with very little time left on the clock. [Turn 7]

The ladies get their second blitz for the half, and the second catcher rushes forward, sensing an opportunity for an unlikely third. However, with her mind envisioning tomorrow's headlines, she failed to see the divot, and she stumbles and falls, the touchdown opportunity going begging. The undead crowd in to stomp on the unfortunate line elf who is face down on the pitch, but the referee sees the offending ghoul, and sends him off. The elves throw a hopeful block at a mummy, but only push him back, and that how the game ends.

The elven coach is happy to win the game, but feels his side needs a great deal of improvement before the tournament this weekend.

Of course, the second touchdown mentioned in the last report, was my 1000th point. Nothing spectacular to say the least, but it got me the win, and that was enough.

A pair of scrappy matches, with both sides missing plenty of opportunities, but both games were quite enjoyable. I just hope the tourney is as enjoyable as those two trial matches were.

Ciao!

1000 Touchdowns!

2011-05-22T18:23:00.003+10:00

Yes, I finally achieved it! It took 633 games to do it, but it was worth the wait! The actual point itself wasn't much to write home about. It occurred in a trial match for the Gosford Gauntlet next week, where I managed a second practice game using my High Elves. Seventh turn of the second half, in what was a pretty scrappy match, the thrower dodged clear with the ball, lobbed a beautiful accurate pass to the catcher, who had been waiting in the end zone for about three turns, and caught it, to give me a 2-1 win. The recent games, I should add, have also given me an idea as to how to progress this team with skills.

I also had a chance to examine all the Mythos cards for the Arkham Horror board game this afternoon before going home, seeing we have a copy at the store that has every expansion included. I haven't gone through all the location cards, but the "popular" gates for the original box set, have remained constant throughout, with the Witches House, Independence Square, Unvisited Isle and the Woods having 25 instances where gates open there, with 5 instances each where it is a seal burst. The Unnamable and the Black cave have 16 instances each (with 4 seal bursts) and the Graveyard is next with 14 (3). At least with the other added expansions, there are 12 instances where nothing happens, but 11 instances where no gates open, but +2 Doom tokens are added.

Anyway, must dash. Dinner is ready. I'll write up the reports later. Ciao!

Guess who got a copy of Arkham Horror???

2011-05-19T00:12:00.002+10:00

Back again! Miss me?

There are things to report on, I dare say the most important of them being the recent change in management at the Good Games store in Gosford, which is what I'll start with.

I won't go into too much detail, suffice to say that the person responsible for bringing Good Games to the coast, Tim, has been replaced by his assistant, Damien, who in turn requested two locals to work casually at the store. Was I given a look in? Not on your life, but, well, I sort of expected that I wouldn't have been approached anyways. The two people that were taken on, one has a good knowledge of Magic the Gathering (not as good as Tim's, but not too shabby either) and 40k, whilst the other, well, knows pretty much about everything. I have been approached however to assist in creating interest with Malifaux, Blood Bowl and regular role-playing sessions.

As it turns out, Tim resigned, amidst some controversy (and some shenanigans), and is now taking it easy, before heading off for an extended holiday in England. He has also received a very substantial payment from the company, in lieu of wages owed to him during the time he ran the place. He's not happy about the situation, and definitely not happy with his offsider, but is somewhat satisfied with the payout.

Before he left though, a few of us took advantage of his offer for purchases, with his employee discount. Yours truly certainly did, and as a result now has a copy of Arkham Horror in his loungeroom, which I've been playing considerably over the last two weeks. (As a solo board game, Arkham is actually very good, on par with Agricola, though you can't hunt down monsters whilst building up your farm. I have whiled away the hours studying and playing the game, and have made some pretty interesting findings. More on that later.)

So, what does that mean for the store? Business as usual, that's what. Events are still on (including the Gosford Gauntlet on the 28th and 29th of this month), opening hours have changed (closed all day Tuesday, opening later on Wednesdays and closing earlier on Mondays), and each of the staff have been tasked with working on getting more people to play the various gaming systems at the store. There will even be a dedicated board game day, on Wednesdays, where a series of games shall be played (a different one every week) and a league of sorts run. Everything else has pretty much stayed the same.

Has there been fallout from Tim's departure? Hard to say really, seeing I haven't been in there for a week. It appears that everything is normal, but it's too early to say. The same people that usually go there were still calling in when I was there last, but as I said, I haven't been in for a while. If there is to be any fallout, it will probably be with numbers for Magic, but I've heard that that might not be the case.

Where I have been, is home, nursing a sports injury, which I sustained a couple of weeks ago. I've recovered from it once, and I'm aiming to do it again for this Saturday, seeing the following Saturday I'll be running the Gauntlet. (For the record, out of four games played, the side has a draw and 3 losses, with a total for and against of 7 to 11. All four games, I should add, we should've won.)

I have also been dedicating some time to getting some website work done, seeing I have been slacking off on it. My three main projects, my personal site, the Toy Library at Morisset and the Dark Dimensions comics and collectables store in East Gosford have all had some work done, some more than others.

Anyway, store politics aside, like I said the Gauntlet is still going ahead. Earlier this evening I received a phone call from Babs, informing me that he can only participate on the second day of the tournament, due to work commitments. (A work conference at the Gold Coast no less.) However, he has drummed up some interest for the tournament, and it appears that I will get the ten that I'm after for the event, possibly quite a few more. If I get sixteen again like I did last year, I would be happy with that.

Which means that I'd best get cracking and get some booby prizes, as well as finish off my half of the trophy and see if I can find another giant wooden spoon. I'll call in to the store tomorrow to check with Damo about numbers (apparently a few people Babs rung come into the store, so I need to try and confirm these if I can). I have 23 names on my list, but have learnt from past experiences that until they turn up...

Okay, before going on to my solo Arkham experiences lately (the store ones haven't been that productive - we're going through another winless slump at the moment), I will mention that I've had another crack at running a Mansions of Madness game. Whereas all my investigators died last time, this time they actually survived, and successfully completed the mission. It appears that I chose the wrong one, and, well, though they were almost beaten by the clock, they still manged to complete the scenario. I must say that it is one game that I do look forward to playing when I visit the store.

Right. As I've already mentioned, I now have a copy of Arkham Horror. I christened it the same day I got it, and in the space of two weeks, have played 18 games, winning 8, having defeated all of the uberbaddies, half with two investigators (Yig, Ithaqua, Nyarlathotep, Yog-Sothoth), and the rest with three (Shub-Niggurath, Cthulhu, Hastur and Azathoth).

What I did discover during the course of the game, is a lethal combination of investigators. Once I had sat down, went through the cards and examined the number of times certain gates popped up, my win ratio increased dramatically - especially when I employed that knowledge with the three investigators that I selected. The four games I won with these particular three investigators, were consecutive wins - defeats of the monstrosity on the first attempt. All of them, I should add, never materialized, with all the gates closed.

The three investigators I selected, after a disastrous run of losses trying to defeat Shub-Niggurath (it took seven attempts before I finally succeeded), were carefully chosen for their particular abilities and stats. Before I selected them, I had played with every other investigator, randomly drawing pairs, then trios. The random pairs won initially, defeating Yig and Ithaqua on the first attempts, but struggled to take out Nyarlathotep (four attempts) and Yog-Sothoth (two). The pairs finished with two losses against Shub-Niggurath. After that I switched to three, and suffered four more defeats. (Some were agonizingly close to wins, as I'll detail later.)

The three that I decided to use for the last four games were Kate Winthrop (scientist), Mandy Thompson (researcher), and Joe Diamond (private eye). Kate I picked due to her flux stabilizer, which paid off in the first three games where she denied six gates in total from opening. Her high Lore made her a good spell caster too, and when she acquired Find Gate, well, games finished quickly!

Mandy was selected for her wonderful ability to allow investigators re-roll one failed skill check in the turn. I was using it pretty much every turn. (If anyone saw how poorly I can be with dice rolls, then they'll understand why I chose her!) Her stats are reasonable across the board, and she starts with 4 clue tokens, meaning I only had to pick one up, then send her through a gate to get a valuable sealed gate at the other end.

Finally, I added Joe, for the good reason that he is a monster basher par-excellence. He starts with a .45 automatic, he's fast (up to 6), and has a great fight. If you get him to the Curiosity Shoppe early (with his $8) and get a magical weapon, then he'll just shoot and slash his way through Arkham, and close a gate or two when necessary. His ability to roll an extra dice whenever he uses a clue token is very useful, especially when he combines it with a skill that allows you to add an extra one as well. In the last game, whenever he added a clue token in combat, he was rolling three extra dice, thanks to his Fight skill.

The three combined, took out the four heavyweights from the starter box set. The last game against Azathoth was a marathon effort, but a big win overall points wise.

Here's how the "campaign" went.

Yig vs Mandy & Amanda (student). Yig defeated, all gates closed. Score - 18 points.
Ithaqua vs Michael (gangster) & Sister Mary. Ithaqua defeated in combat. Score - 4 points.
Nyarlathotep vs Ashcan Pete & Dexter Drake. Nyarlathotep emerged victorious.
Nyarlathotep vs Joe & Kate. Nyarlathotep emerged victorious.
Nyarlathotep vs Harvey (academic) & Monteray Jack (archeologist). Both devoured.
Nyarlathotep vs Darrell (photographer) & Jenny (dilettante). Jenny died, but Darrell hung on to defeat him. Score - 13 points.
Yog-Sothoth vs Gloria (writer) & Vincent (doctor). Yog won easily in the end.
Yog-Sothoth vs Carolyn (psychologist) & Bob (salesman). This time, Yog was defeated in combat. Score - 18 points.
Shub-Niggurath vs Michael & Darrell. Shub victorious.
Shub-Niggurath vs Carolyn & Gloria. Shub victorious.
Shub-Niggurath vs Monteray, Ashcan & Jenny. Shub hangs on to win by the barest of margins.
Shub-Niggurath vs Joe, Amanda & Sister Mary. Shub too good again.
Shub-Niggurath vs Kate, Dexter & Mandy. Shub victorious.
Shub-Niggurath vs Bob, Harvey & Vincent. Yup, Shub won again.
Shub-Niggurath vs Kate, Mandy & Joe. First win for the deadly trio. Score - 22 points.
Cthulhu vs Kate, Mandy & Joe. The great one defeated in near record time! Score - 20 points.
Hastur vs Kate, Mandy & Joe. Hastur didn't last much longer than Cthulhu did. Score - 24 points.
Azathoth vs Kate, Mandy & Joe. A titanic struggle, but a big win for the trio in the end. Score - 38 points.

To think, had there not been one dot on the terror track, and had I not used an elder sign to seal a gate, they would've gotten 40.

The simple way to winning this game, as I have quickly discovered, is to shut the gates. Sealing them is even better, but, as I've noticed, with two or three investigators, you don't have much time to waste jumping around to get clue tokens.

So the trick is, seal the gates that are most likely to come out. Well duh I hear you say, but which gates do come out often? An hour with the starter set cards revealed that there are four unstable locations that have ten mythos cards for them. They are - Independent Square, the Unvisited Isle, the Witch's House and the Woods. Of these four, the latter two also have a location card that provides a gate as well. On the next tier, with six mythos cards each, are the Unnameable, the Black Cave, and the Graveyard. Only the Unnameable has a location card with a gate. (There are only three in the original set.) Finally, on the bottom tier, with two instances, are the Science Building, the Silver Twilight Lodge, the Historical Society and Hibb's Roadhouse.

So, logically, if you have to seal gates (in a two or three investigator game), best to seal the tier one locations if you can. Even sealing one would go a long way to helping you win the basic game. The victory against Azathoth was achieved because I sealed Unvisited isle and all three tier two locations. That's 29 instances all up. Add Kate's flux stabilizer to the mix, and not only does she prevent gates, monsters won't come out as well, which keeps the terror level down.

Of course, I had some luck during the games. You need it. There were times where I was sweating on certain mythos cards to come out, where gates had been sealed, or to create monster surges. I also was fortunate with weapons on occasions, spells, and very rarely, environmental factors. On one occasion, it was a little from column A and a little from column B. The win against Yog-Sothoth, eventuated thanks to an environmental card which canceled all sanity costs for spells, and stayed in effect for the rest of the game. Carolyn had acquired the Dread Curse of Azathoth spell. +9 combat checks, with a Lore re-roll as well. Bliss!

Having said that, I was also unlucky equally as often. I look at the results against Shub and see that he was in three games, on 1, 2 and 5 hit points respectively. Another occasion, he was on ten. In two games, I was one gate from beating him, and in another, two. Investigators took the wrong times too to get injured, lost in time and space, or go nuts. In one game (the third one vs Shub), all three investigators, thanks to an environmental card, all got blessed on the same turn. Three turns later, they all lost the blessing on the same turn.

The big win though in the last bout saw the investigators armed to the teeth with items. Kate started with a shotgun, then acquired an enchanted blade. Mandy started with the Sword of Glory, Joe with the Tommy Gun. It was tough going though, as the Southside Strangler nearly eliminated all of the allies, and the Good Work Undone card was only two clue tokens from coming out, which meant all the elder signs would've been removed from the sealed gates. The trio finished with 13 gates between them, Kate got 7 of them. There were only three gates left in the pile, and Azathoth was on 12 doom tokens. A combination of monster surges and denied gates allowed Kate to get back, and seal the last gate at Independent Square. Mandy and Joe had been busy with monsters, claiming 27 toughness worth of critters between them.

So, there is a method to winning the solo game. I will investigate it with other characters, but for the moment I think I'll pack up the box and concentrate on some other things, like preparing for the Gauntlet next weekend. I haven't even chosen a race to play yet.

Until next time!

A rare BB game to report

2011-04-26T17:31:00.003+10:00

Back again.

Yeah, I know, it has been a while, but there hasn't been a hell of a lot to report on. Since losing the league final in February, I have had one solitary game of Blood Bowl, which was at the start of the school holidays. The occasion was good, teaching a new (and keen) young recruit how to play the game at the Good Games store. I even sold him one of my spare boards.

However, the planned Blood Bowl sevens league which was to take place at the store on April 10th didn't eventuate. Apart from myself and the Babster, only one person turned up - hardly anywhere near what we were hoping for. Babs and this visitor from Newcastle played the one solitary game, and that was that.

As for me, I settled in for a marathon day of Arkham Horror instead. I did bring a team, but by the time the BB game finished, I was well into my second game of Arkham. It was good that we had not just two three player games, but a four player and a rare five player game as well.

Still, it was good to get a rare game of BB. I have usually found, that I have a far better chance of getting a game when I don't take anything in. As it turns out, my opponent entered the store about a minute after me, and asked the sole employee there for a game. He then directed the kid towards me. Thankfully, there is a store copy of the game, with some plastic figures, block dice, and a copy of the current rules. Apart from trying to get across the fact that you really only can blitz once each turn, the kid played fairly well for a newb, having at least tried the game on the PC first.

Since that game though, there's only been a couple more games of Arkham and a game of the Mansion of Madness, where I actually got the chance to run the scenario against four foolhardy investigators.

But before I talk about that, my sole BB game for two months. This match is only my ninth game for the year. At this time last year, I had already played 26.

Game: 631
Date Played: 11 April 2011
Opponent: Sam
Team: Orcs
I Played: Humans
Result: Won 1-0
Casualties: Lost 0-1
Toss: Won - kicked
Fame: Even
Initial weather roll: Fine

I availed myself of four blitzers, a thrower, a catcher and six linemen. My opponent strangely enough did not take any black orcs, opting for four blitzers, five linemen and two throwers. Having won the toss, I elected to kick, in order to demonstrate how to set up properly.

The match started with a Riot, which cost us a turn. I kicked fairly deep, the ball scattering towards the sideline on the right flank. My front line didn't last long, but I was given a reprieve when the thrower failed to pick-up the ball. I took the opportunity to send a couple of players through, in order to put some pressure on the throwers. The orcs finally recovered the pigskin, but by that time there were plenty of humans in their half. The thrower then tried to get rid of the ball, but fumbled the pass, and a ruck then formed over the ball. The orcs eventually recovered, but the thrower was brought down close to the end zone. After pushing players from the sideline to clear a channel, I ran a lineman to the ball, but he promptly fumbled it with the line wide open. [Turn 6.] Next turn, an orc thrower then threw a rather hopeful long bomb. The pass was only just inaccurate, however, it scattered nicely. The orc blitzer underneath it though couldn't oblige with a catch however, and at half-time, the game was locked at 0 all.

The second half started with some Cheering Fans, where both sides were rewarded with re-rolls. With one player off the pitch knocked out, I brought the catcher on, dodging him through the orc line and sending him downfield on what eventuated into a diversionary run down the left on turn two. With an opportunity now presenting itself on the right, I tried a short pass, only to be horribly disappointed when the blitzer dropped it. With the orcs next turn ending pretty quickly, all I really had to do was recover the ball and run it to an open blitzer, who was in no danger of being caught. The orcs, with nobody in kooee of the ball carrier, responded with the only casualty of the game - an unfortunate lineman being fouled and killed by an orc thrower. His sacrifice wasn't in vain, as the blitzer scored next turn. [Turn 5.]

The crowd again showed their enthusiasm for the game by rioting a second time, costing us another turn. With a casualty, and one in the koed bin, I was down a player for the half. The orcs quickly got into position for a pass play on the restart, which temporarily paid off. The humes attacked, freed the ball, and a daring lineman managed to recover the ball in a tackle zone, after a blitzer nailed an orc equivalent with a one-dice blitz. There was a charge downfield, and a possible second point, but the cover defence brought down the intruder, and went for another hopeful long bomb, with a blitzer waiting in the end zone. Again, the pass was only just inaccurate, but it scattered off the pitch. The crowd threw it back in, but it was no use for the orcs and the humes clung on to win the match.

This game did have some significance. It was the 100th occasion that I had played against orcs. My record against that race now is 57 wins, 11 draws and 32 losses. I am now four shy of 1000 touchdowns.

As to when I will reach that mark remains to be seen. With the local BB scene quite dead (despite talk of a challenge between players from Newcastle and the Central Coast, but that has not eventuated) and my commitments now to playing soccer on weekends, I am thinking that the milestone will not be reached until the Gosford Gauntlet at the end of May. Yes, it is a shame that the local scene has died, but there really isn't much I can do about it. I had considered playing in a league in Sydney, but it isn't really convenient for me at this time.

Changing gaming systems now, on the day that I played my last game of BB (for the time being), I was able to run a game of the Mansion of Madness. The game is relatively simple as a player, but as the game master, the set-up process, for a first time GM for this game, took a considerable amount of time. The GM needs to plot his own storyline for the scenario at hand, taking careful note of which story options he has elected to go with. This is important, as clues, equipment, puzzles, etc. have to be placed accordingly. The floor-plan too has to be set-up correctly, and it was convenient that I had printed up the FAQ sheet, as there were a couple of errors for the scenario (The Green Eyed Boy) that I was running.

Once the game got going though, it was relatively simple - the players carried out their actions, I gained threat points, played event cards, attacked with monsters and screwed with the characters minds. My game plan was quite simple. It was a four player game, and I knew there was one player trying to complete the game before time ran out. So, I picked on the other three, who were more interested in beating up monsters. Not all of the clues or equipment were picked up, and the boy wasn't even found. I had won the game when an investigator (Harvey) decided to enter the freezer room in the laboratory, despite warnings not to go in there. The reason being that there was a dimensional gate, with Ithaqa waiting for the player. The surviving characters were cleaned up by the monsters, and it was a total party wipe-out.

I still like the game, and look forward to having another crack at it. Players have commented that they cannot see that the game has plenty of repeat playability, considering the limit of outcomes for each scenario. It would only take a couple weeks of regular playing of the game to go through all outcomes.

However, we don't play the game often enough. With fair gaps in-between games (days, weeks) players may not pick which outcome the game is being steered towards, or, if they do, may not be able to do anything about it. The GM too also has the opportunity to vary play, and not just with altering how he uses the threat level (to play events and cause miscellaneous harm to the investigators) but in his placement of monsters as well. Though there may be only three conclusions to each scenario, the combinations to reach that conclusion can vary, seeing the GM can take different options.

The game will become better, like Arkham Horror, with expansions, and the more one plays it, the quicker the game will be set-up and running.

I still very much like Arkham Horror though. Last Tuesday (April 19th) I even took the opportunity to have a solo game of it. I took two characters against Azathoth, Daisy and Ursula, and got off to a dream start, with two gates closed in the first three turns. The girls were doing very well, and on a couple of occasions, were only one gate away from winning the game. However, Daisy got lost in time and space, Ursula was hospitalized, and that was enough for Aza to get ahead. The pair put up a brave fight, but in the end it was in vain. Between them though they had closed nine gates, sealing three.

The marathon session on April 10th was quite entertaining. The first game, a three player affair, saw me start with Zoey the mad chef. First turn, up pops a Shan, Zoey fails the roll, and is devoured. Great start eh? My next character, the cursed reporter, lost a strength point on his first turn, but he did put his clue gathering ability to good use. He wasn't able to shake off the curse before the end of the game, and Y'Golonac won pretty easily.

Game two featured four players, and this time we were up against Aboth. I took Lola the athlete, and don't remember too much about this one, except that she picked up an insanity and an injury along the way, and the group was well beaten.

Game three was a five player game, and this time I had the martial artist. Our opponent was Nyogtha, and finally, we were victorious. It was at a cost though, as four players were devoured, with two hanging on to finish him off. Had the game been scored, we would have gotten eight points, which is practically on par with a loss.

Game four was the second three player, and this time Yig was drawn, with a hinderer in the form of the Black Goat of the Woods. The starting trio to take him on, was the psychic, the bounty hunter and my character, the gangster. Monsters I generally had no problem with, but the gangster was picking up a hell of a lot of corruption points. In the end, he died, with a record fifteen CPs. The psychic went next, with seven CPs and a cult membership. My character was replaced by the private eye, with the soldier coming on for the psychic. Yig came out, and he was roundly thrashed. However, score wise, we registered a big fat zero!

Those two wins was followed up by another win on April 18th. Initially, it was a two player game, with two characters each, but a third player joined in a bit later and took one of them over. Bokrug was our opponent, and I can recall that I had Ashcan Pete and the psychologist. She had also picked up a great mission, where she had to visit four locations, and sacrifice a point of sanity at each one for the uber-baddy to have his modifier modified in our favour. I completed that pretty quickly, and the group was able to keep on top of the monsters as well. With all of his little minions removed, when Bokrug came out, he was at plus three, rather than minus three. We had eight turns to beat him, but with the ridiculous amounts of dice we were rolling (Pete was rolling fifteen and the psych eleven) we achieved victory in three.

So, I have plenty to ponder about before the Gauntlet on May 28th/29th. The first thing is how to get some regular Blood Bowl happening at the store again. With April 10th being a complete fizzer, the second half of the sevens league in May was cancelled as well, but there was also the added factor of that it fell on the same day as a Magic the Gathering release.

The second thing to ponder, is what is happening at the Good Games store itself. There is going to be a major change there, and though I know what it is, I can't really say too much about it until it actually happens. The change will take place after the Magic release in May, that is given.

So that's everything. I had hoped that I was going to do some gaming over the extended Easter weekend, but nothing eventuated, and I spent most of the weekend playing Age of Wonders - Shadow Magic, and watching DVDs. The weather hasn't been very encouraging to say the least, though I was glad it was fine enough last Sunday (24th) to go to the park and kick a ball around for an hour.

Hopefully, I'll have something to put in this blog before the Gauntlet in May.

Cheers!

Mansions of Madness

2011-04-05T10:08:00.002+10:00

S'funny. When I post a few days ago that I hadn't done any gaming for a while, what do I end up doing yesterday?

By chance, I was in town yesterday, and online. I received a message from the store, asking me if I wanted a game of Arkham Horror. Naturally, I said yes. It had been some time since I had played, but it didn't take long to get back into it.

The first game was a three players effort against Hastur. I took the psychologist, and did not get off to a good start, obtaining a madness on the first turn (Necrophobia). My first rolls were pretty poor, but, thankfully, the game improved for me, though I did acquire an injury (sore arm) as well. With me in this game was the student and the scientist.

In short, we ended up winning. Hastur came out, and we absolutely thrashed him, considering that his modifier was only -1. (We had kept the terror level very low!) I was in the unusual situation of being able to roll eleven dice in combat against him.

The next game, well, not so fortunate. We were up against Zhar, and we were well beaten. Four players (athelete, gangster, and one I can't remember - plus me taking Ursula the explorer). I started in the strange house in the mist before transferring to a gate via a card.

However, it was almost a triple whammy, with not only gates opening regularly, the Dunwhich Horror one step from appearing, and the fish men one spot away from raiding Innsmouth. Zhar got out first, and despite the fact we knocked off Zhar in the magical immunity combat, we couldn't beat him in time for the physically immunity.

The recent store record for the last four games is just one solitary win...

Yesterday, I was conveniently at the store when someone brought in the new Mansions of Madness game. The rules took a little while to interpret, but we got there in the end. I liked the use of the miniatures (puts it all in perspective) and the little puzzles one had to solve were a good touch.

There is replay value. Each "Mansion" has three different alternatives, and of course, depending on the game's controller...

Anyway, it was good. I look forward to another game!

Now I must dash. Ciao!

Not much happening at the moment

2011-04-01T10:49:00.003+11:00

Yes, it has been that quiet on the gaming front for me. No role-playing sessions, no games of Blood Bowl, in fact, no games of anything.

Hopefully though, that will change, seeing we'll be starting a mini-league next week, on April 10th. (I don't know how I'll be that day. Soccer season starts on the 9th and I'll be playing in my first grade match for North Rocks FC. Position - goalkeeper.) It'll be a vastly different format from our other leagues, seeing it will be held on just two days, with May 8th being the second day of matches.

And it will be a sevens league. Haven't done that for a while, since the last Russell Drysdale tournament in 2009. Eight games, four games on each day, progressive. Person with the most points wins the competition - simple. Matches to be played at the Good Games store in Gosford.

For those unfamiliar with the sevens concept, we'll be using tried and tested rules that were devised by the Babster many years ago, which we used in the Russell Drysdale events. Basically, you can use the same races, however, position maximums are halved (rounded down). So, for example, you can only have two Human Blitzers on the roster instead of four. The only teams that can field big guys, are the Halflings, Goblins and Ogres. The maximum amount of players you can have on the roster is ten. It's played on the same sized board, but with six turns each half instead of eight, and you only need two players on the line of scrimmage at kick-off instead of three.

For this league, team funds is 650,000 GP. I haven't decided what race I'll be fielding, though I'm tempted to give my Skaven a run. But then, Undead could be very amusing to play as well. However, I should be thinking ahead, and run a race that I haven't played before, seeing I want to get a couple more out of the way before the end of the year. Currently, I'm thinking High Elves, which I'm also thinking of taking in my event, the Gosford Gauntlet, which will be on the 28th and 29th of May.

I do plan to play a stunty team at some point, probably at Eucalyptus Bowl. But that's another story. Cheers!

Brief league final report

2011-02-26T21:06:00.003+11:00

Well, the ladies tried hard today, but unfortunately, it wasn't hard enough. As I have found out so often, victory and defeat in Blood Bowl can be down to a single pip on the dice on a single roll.

And that's what happened. It was a single pip (even after it was re-rolled) that failed a dodge, which saw the ball scatter conveniently towards Skitter Stab-Stab, who in turn ran it in for the touchdown that ultimately won the game on turn six of the second half.

Then, after some good hitting, it was a single pip that cost me again. This time, the dreaded one came up for the Go-For-It roll that could have had my sprinting blitzer in for an equalizer, and extra time on what was the last roll of the game.

I have no doubt that I would have won the game in extra time. With the casualty count at 6-2 in my favour, with a swag of re-rolls still to use (all the assistant coaches, cheerleaders and Fame got me three extra re-rolls for the match, two in the second half), the team could've easily steamrolled their opponents to take the match.

But, as it has been demonstrated so many times, the dice can be so cruel, and it obviously just wasn't meant to be.

So, after leading 1-0 at the break, this time the ladies went down in the second term. Ironic that the semi-final saw me trailing at the break, and winning by the same scoreline in extra time.

Still, at least my side wasn't humiliated. Babs' Ogre team was absolutely thrashed, both in score and casualties, in the second play-off match. D'Arquebus' Underworld Creepers won 4-0, and murdered the team 10-2 in casualties, which equals the record for the bloodiest league match in all Central Coast leagues.

Despite the final result, and the dwindling interest in the league, overall, this league was one of the better ones that I have run/co-run over the years. I was also quite happy with the overall performance of my Amazon side, and hope to give them another season, if we ever get a chance to run veteran teams in a league.

For the record:
Overall winner: D'Arquebus
Runner-Up/Most Touchdowns: My Amazons
Third Place/Most Casualties: Babs
Sports: Sam

$80 in prizes were dealt out to the above.

There was no third place play-off for this season. Azure Fade, who was minor premier, elected not to contest the match after losing the semi-final.

Next season, well, a change of pace, some sevens, to be spread over two days in March and April. It will be an eight game progressive league, with four matches to be played on each day. I'll post more details about it later. Ciao!

Parliamentary Madams through to the final!

2011-02-24T17:44:00.003+11:00

Well, I got the result I wanted! After trailing 0-1 at half-time in the semi-final against Azure Fade's chaos team, the Madams knuckled down for the second half, forced the turnover, and recovered to equalize on turn six of the second stanza. Along the way, Anna Bligh (linewoman) increased her season tally of casualties to six, by badly hurting two beastmen in the second half.

Mind you, the chaos were falling over themselves to help the ladies. The minotaur failed two crucial hits in that period, the second allowing Edith Cowan (linewoman) to get clear and get the equalizer. With the line beckoning, crucial pick-ups were fumbled by the chaos side, and the 'zons only needed one chance to skip away to keep the match alive.

I had fancied my chances to win if I could take the game to extra time. I had plenty of reserves, but didn't need them. In the end, it was a dropped ball off a high kick (after the chaos had won the toss for the restart), a bad block allowing three of my players to get downfield, then a fumbled hand-off which allowed those three to take out the ball carrier - Amanda Vanstone (blitzer) to smash down the beastman, dodge, go-for-it and pick up the ball, then laugh as a beastman fails a dodge to blitz her. Amanda charged off, makes the GFI roll and the game is over on turn three.

And I even won casualties!

That means, that the ladies will be playing either Babs' Ogres, or D'Arquebus' Underworld Creepers this Saturday (Feb 26) at the store. I'm hoping it's a long bloody match, with plenty of casualties on both sides. Ciao!

A quick report for COTT 2011 - second day

2011-02-20T16:54:00.003+11:00

Well, today it was two games I should've won, but didn't, for whatever reasons. Against the lizardman side in game four, I couldn't hurt the skinks quickly enough and take them out of the game, and against the skaven, I couldn't really hurt them at all! The quicker teams were able to put the extra speed to their advantage, and in the end, I'm thinking perhaps I should've gone into the tourney with Roxanna rather than Zara. To be honest, she did attract a fair bit of attention in the games, which meant I was free to do other stuff on the field - unfortunately, it didn't really help me result wise overall. However, with a MA 8, AG 5 on the pitch, I could've done a bit more scoring, and perhaps covered my based better in defence with such a faster sweeper.

It was annoying. I had both games well and truly under control, but in this game, one can't really cover all possibilities that could occur on the pitch. Against the lizards, how was I to expect Zara to fail an easy dodge on turn one, then my blodging linewoman to fail a two dice blitz on a skink? The end result was as you would imagine - pick up in tackle zone, dodge, dodge, score. I was down 0-1 after two turns. I was able to hurt skinks, but in the end, I couldn't get rid of all of them. I should've won the casualty count by more than four considering the number of stupid dodges he was making, and the number of opportunities he was presenting me. Still, I didn't lose the game, a 2 all draw had to suffice, but I didn't suffer any casualties at all.

The last game was really annoying. I got an early casualty against the skaven, and won the toss AND ended up with Fame+2 for the match. I got a few extra re-rolls. I couldn't use them enough in the second half. I was leading 1-0 at the break, had no casualties against me, and put another rat in the koed bin. Zara had even chipped in with her sole casualty of the tourney. The second half though, as my younger opponent became more annoying (and I was trying hard not to lose my patience) the rats started stringing passes together, scattered balls were bouncing into their hands, Zara was fouled off, a thrown rock injured one of my blodgers... In the end, it was a ridiculous play on the last turn of the game that nearly gave me a second win for the event. All the blodger had to do was catch the accurate pass in the end zone and I would've taken the game 3-2...

Overall, I finished 5th. The overall winner was Gnome, who won his fifth tournament today, playing Khemri. His line wasn't crossed all tournament, and he scored more touchdowns than anybody else (nine). In the end, that prize went to me. (First time that I had won most TDs or Casualties at a tourney.) Had I scored that third TD in the last game, I would've been equal with him. Thomsy, with Goblins, finished second, and it was a Dwarven team, played by Emma B, which not only finished third, but won best painted as well, and she was ahead on sportsmanship as well (and that prize went to the other female player, won finished fourth as well).

So, for all the talk of players taking teams just to thrash my 'zons, well, it didn't pan out that way. In touchdowns, I finished even. In casualties, I finished 11-10 ahead. Not bad for an AV 7 side eh? I walked away with a prize: Shadowforge miniatures - a pack of support staff - medic, physio and psychologist; with a pack of three cheerleaders - all for the human team that is STILL being painted after all these years by other people...

So, overall, it wasn't too bad, but with the discussion we were having after the event, and overhearing a few words for the overall event organizer, the Titan Cup, the Blood Bowl event at Clash of the Titans, is on very shaky ground, and it is doubtful that it may be run next year.

Time will tell though...

Ciao!

P.S: There will be a fuller report for "Zara and Friends" later. Hopefully, when time permits in the next week or so.

A quick report for COTT 2011

2011-02-19T18:53:00.005+11:00

Well, day one was decidedly well below average, both in turn of personal results, and with turn out. To start with, only eight people showed up, two paying on the day, and of those eight, only five being registered NAF members. The tournament was poorly advertised (well, the Blood Bowl event was poorly advertised) which resulted in a the rather low number of people playing. Forum postings, especially on the most used Blood Bowl site in Australia, AusBowl.com, were started by participants rather than the organizer, whom wasn't even confirmed as the organizer until a fortnight up to the event.

As for the NAF, well, between D'Arquebus (a regular participant to the Central Coast League and tournaments), Babs, and myself, we got the event registered with the NAF, so that the results between NAF players would count, and to hopefully get a few more participants to the event (which it did).

As for me, well, got off to a great start. My Amazon side, made up of 11 linewomen and Zara the Slayer, defeated a human side 3-0. The opening kick-off was even a Blitz, and I even positioned myself well to catch it. I scored on turn four. I lost the casualty count 2-3, but by the time it really started to take effect, I was already two up. (It was an especially amusing game considering both teams were made up of Shadowforge Bunnies... )

Game two, I drew the one team that Amazons really do not want to face - Dwarves. The girls struggled, in more ways than one. Dodges were failed in the first quarter of the game, with the dwarves content to just grind their way down field and score on turn five. Then players started going off, blocks were being missed, and being very ineffectual when they were hitting. They even received Perfect Defence to start the second half, and that proved very costly, as did the three extra re-rolls they picked up during the game. The last quarter of the game was rather good, and the girls did get a point back, and win the casualty count to save face.

Game three, well, I lost the kick-off, I lost the match. Zara was injured on the first turn of the game, and the Chaos side I faced took the full half to score. The team couldn't do much right for the entire match, and with three casualties against me by turn three of the second half, and with two players knocked-out on the second turn of the half, the team was hardly in a position to complete a successful drive and save the game.

Still, the touchdown count is dead even, and I'm only three in the red with casualties. It could be worse - I could be sitting in last place with three losses...

Ciao!

P.S: Interesting to note that the 3-0 win in game one constitutes my biggest win with Amazons, and the second casualty in game two against the Dwarves was my 1300th. Hmm, wasn't a total loss then! :)

Pretty sad end to the season

2011-02-12T08:51:00.004+11:00

Well, there's not much to report Blood Bowl wise. Actually there's not much to report gaming wise either. The last month has been rather quiet on the gaming front, though I do intend to make up for it with the Clash of the Titans event next weekend at Cherrybrook, though from what I've read on the Ausbowl and Wargamer.Au forums, there doesn't appear to be much of a turn-out for Blood Bowl there either. (Unless there's a very late run of entries, which wouldn't be the first time that has happened... )

But it's not as if I've been avoiding the gaming store. Back on the first of February, I had a rather enjoyable RPG session, for the long-running Dark Heresy campaign. Our previous session to that (which I think was late last year) which nearly saw the entire party killed (in the end it was just one fatality, that of a non-regular character), had our mission only partially completed. The scene was a siege of a major city on this distant backwater, and our group of inquisitors had to investigate mysterious disappearances of the locals. We did find what was responsible (I would say who, but they weren't really human), and managed to slay one of them, but two got away.

Which leads us to the next session on the first. We had to grill the sole prisoner we took, and discovered that the aliens (for want of a better word) had a secret landing site outside the city in a swampy area. Normally, it would've been easy if the city wasn't currently under siege... (The two warring factions, I should point out, are competing for control of the planet's only spaceport, and the revenue it generates.) We were lead through a tunnel that supposedly lead outside the city, but it turned out to be an ambush instead. A local tavern owner hired some mercenaries to waylay us, but the tables were quickly turned when Tim's character (the Good Games store manager) dropped a smoke grenade, allowing me to let loose with the flame thrower in the confusion. All but one of them ducked, and he was burnt to a crisp.

The combat though was rather brief. After the other two characters had their actions (I was rolling poorly for initiative) I let loose again. Three opponents were caught in the blast this time, but again, only one toasted. The other two though were nicely lit up, and the tavern owner decides this is a good time to make a get-away, whilst Tim and Ashleigh (Tim's GF) keep the other two busy.

The tavern owner is out of range of the flamer, but not my pistol. Good hit, right in the back, he's dead before he hits the turf. The other two now get a chance to question the sole survivor and do some looting...

Now to Blood Bowl. Season six of the Central Coast BB League is coming to a miserable end. After we had several games contested way back at the first meet (July 31 2010) and fourteen games contested for the first two rounds (then a slight increases for the next two rounds), it looked as if it was going to turn out to be a good season, considering I now had plenty of regulars.

However, at the last meet last Saturday (Feb 5th), not even one game was completed. Apart from myself, just two people turned up. One of those arrived an hour late, then left four hours early, and the other one, seeing nobody else turned up, went off to play in a Magic the gathering event that was taking place at the store.

I can't actually put my finger on it as why there is such a sudden lack of interest. It is all so very good for the first three or four months, but, like in previous leagues, the interest just wanes for whatever reason and the league just fizzles out. It just appears to be unbelievably inconceivable that the one day in the month I have the league on, people just seem to have something else on.

Either that, or, as I have discovered from earlier leagues, that people on the coast "just can't be bothered". It has happened for other events as well, not just my leagues, where organizers are just grumbling because of a lack of interest from locals, for whatever reason.

For the record, the sole game that was started, that between my Arab Norse team and Babs' Ogre side, was locked at 0 all at half-time. One of my linemen was the sole casualty for the half.

It should have been 0-1 at the break. But then, it was very nearly 1-0, had my pass from my AG 4 blitzer been thrown correctly rather than fumbled. Babs stalled for about four turns of the second half, intending to grind my team into the turf before scoring.

He didn't get across the line. His swarm of snotlings and ogres were halted by two blitzers and two lineman, right on the goal-line. He could've scored on turn four, or five, or six, but didn't, electing to continue his super slow drive, then going from left to right across the field. In the end, he gave me one too many chances to stop the drive, as he has done in the past. Abdul, my Mighty Blow blitzer, was the intended target for an ogre blitz. The ogre very conveniently bone-heads, Abdul and the linemen then either flatten snotlings or occupy their tackle zones, which gives Kofi, my AG 4 blitzer, an opportunity to go after the ball carrier, parked almost in the bottom right hand corner of the board.

Kofi jumps up, dodges diagonally back into the end zone. Moves diagonally forward into the tackle zone of a snotling, then dodges into the ogres tackle zone. Two dice blitz against, he rolls double-skulls. Re-rolls: defender stumbles, push back. Babs' takes push back.

The ogre is right on the side-line. Kofi frenzies. Push back, both down.

I am so terribly pleased with myself! It has paid off - finally! It's a "great" situation for the Babster: the ogre is either down on the spot, or pushed off the field. Babs' takes the both down. The ball rolls off the pitch.

It's a good choice. I roll ten for the armor, but only seven for the injury. The ball is limply thrown back four squares, and bounces into the end zone. Kofi is the only player that can get to the ball. He dodges back into the end zone, makes two go-for-it rolls, and picks up the ball. (Ironically, if Babs had taken the push back, and been pushed off the field, I would have had to follow up because of frenzy, and then would not have had enough movement left to pick up the ball. Deep huh?)

Kofi is then the intended target of the next ogre blitz on turn seven, but gees, it's another bone-head. Two of the three snotlings which had been moved to mark him are put down, and he blitzes the third one away and runs off down field. I had, by that time, moved a lineman into my opponents half, just in case. On turn eight, I get the chance, after the ogre attack on Kofi fails. He moves clear, makes the go-for-it rolls to bring it to short, but fumbles the pass. I though, am very satisfied that the game is still 0 all at the break. I may have one koed, and one badly hurt, but I have three reserves - my thrower, and two blodging runners. (And he somehow thinks the half wasn't wasted? To me, one koed and one BH was a small price to pay for stopping the TD.)

He got greedy. Pure and simple. I was expecting his go slow tactics. In previous matches he had left me in similar situations, and had avoided not scoring thanks to my players failing that vital dodge or go-for-it roll. This time though, I had the right player, and it paid off. Sure, a skull on either of those two dice blocks would've been my downfall, but considering the five other results on the dice were in my favor...

As for Clash of the Titans, I will be taking Amazons, so that I can cross them off my list of races played at tourneys. I have come up with two simple rosters. The first, eleven linewomen and Zara the slayer. The second, ten linewomen, a thrower, and Roxanna Darknail. Naturally, thanks to the resurrection format, I will be creating blodging linewomen in both rosters, saving a few crowns, though I might come up with a third option and employ some frenzied blitzers...

That's enough for the time being. Ciao!