Quiet before the storm

Tomorrow is the big day. The Gravesend Gutchewers will be in town and the Orcland Raider fans will be expecting great things from their latest lineup.

Da Boyz are having their last training session this morning and the pitch itself is in fine condition.

Over the last couple of weeks there has been much consideration given to the starting eleven. Coach Bullcher has finally settled on the following: -

Thanks for all the comments and advice given, it was much appreciated. Bring on the main event and let the games begin.

Da Boyz is ready!! Heres hoping for some great fun and a few stories to tell.

Orc Blitzers

The Blitzers are what makes the Orc team tick. They are the fastest moving of the Orcs and still have a high AV. They provide the much needed balance for the team to operate.

Sarad Wolf Poker will be leading the Blitzer lineup for the Orcland Raiders. Blitzers have the following statistics MA6, ST3, AG3, AV9 and they start with the skill Block.

Their role in the team is varied. They can ball carry, dish out damage and very importantly they can run and they can catch the ball as well as anyone on an Orc team.

The Block skill is important because with a ST3 the number of dice in play is likely to be low. Block means that if the Flash & Skull symbol is rolled both players are knocked over unless you have the Block skill in which case you remain standing. When being Blocked the chances of remaining upright improve by 16.66%.

Even if the Blitzer is knocked down the high AV9 means that 2D6 > 9 is required to injure. This should make sure that the Blitzers spend good time on the pitch and not in the hospital.

Orcs can take 0-4 Blitzers at a cost of 80,000 gp. I am planning to take all 4 and see if this bevy of beasts can be the match winners I need.

Orcland Raider Lineup

Coach Bullcher has been considering the wide variety of options available and has come up with the following preliminary lineup for a 1,000k game. I will be initially playing a team of Undead but I am not allowing this to effect my choice. I am trying to put together a fun team that could play all comers.

Orc Team Lineup

40k = 1 Goblin
70k = 1 Thrower
320k = 4 Black Orcs
320k = 4 Blitzers
110k = 1 Troll
120k = 2 rerolls

980k Total

The thinking is that I want to play something with character and I am liking the idea of a Troll. I know he can be unreliable but I am willing to give it a go. I think that there needs to be a Goblin in the lineup to support the Troll option and he also gives some alternative tactics to fox the opposition. The Throwers is a no-brainer. After this its a bit of a free for all. I can afford 4 Black Orcs and 4 Blitzers and I am thinking this should be a powerful combination.

I welcome any thoughts on these choices. Thanks all.

Bolgrot Rippin the place up

Hi there sports fans. It been another day of practice, practice, practice here at the Orcland Raiders stadium. Coach Bullcher brought in the local Undead team to spar with Da Boyz and its been carnage all the way.

Oh oh - even as I speak I see that Bolgrot has managed to break another skeleton.

Put him down Bolgrot!

They are sure going to need their Regeneration skill this evening ;-)

Are you getting the picture Mr Dark Templar. Da Boyz are com in to get ya!

A well dressed Goblin

More breaking news. The Dark Elves have taken flight and a new opponent has 'arisen'. The  Gravesend Gut Chewers , an undead team.

I needed a new goblin. Last nights discussion made it clear that taking Scrappa Sorehead was not the way forward so I give you 'Yakstick Sticky Hand' the latest member of the Orcland Raiders.

There is still some work to do but I got to tell you that I just love his hat!!!

I went looking in the garage for a suitable model and came across some plastic Gretchin. Having had a rummage I couldn't believe my luck when I discovered one with an undead skull on his head. This is what he should look like in Warhammer 40k.

I took off the gun with snippers.

And then went to work with some green stuff to create a catching mitten.

I later reduced the length of his nose. It was that big it might get in the way of a catch!! The nice thing is that he looks a bit like Bolgrot. Left hand in the air and a nice round exposed tummy. I sure hope they get along.

Orcland Raiders - Goblin Tactics

The team is allowed to select 0-4 Goblins on the team. They cost 40,000 gp, which is cheap and have the following statistics MA6, ST2, AG3, AV7. They also start with Right Stuff, Dodge & Stunty.

1. Right Stuff allows them to be thrown by a Troll
2. Dodge allows one failed Dodge to be rerolled each turn - very good skill
3. Stunty allows the goblin to ignore Tackle Zones modifiers i.e. Dodging on a 3+ anywhere, reduces the ability to Throw and makes the Goblin more susceptible to injury

(Note - altered following the comments received below)

So in short they are fast and agile and have good Dodge modifiers. They can Catch as good as any Orc which is not great but when combined with their speed and agility makes them a good option. They also allow the Troll to consider the Throw Team-Mate options. They may also be considered for ball carrying duty. In this way they will be automatically protected and can dart out at the right time for the big score.

On the down side their low ST and AV means they are very easily hurt and will therefore need protection!

I think that having a Goblin will be fun so .... have a jersey Mr Yakstick Sticky Hand and welcome to the Orcland Raiders!

Black Orcs

The key element of Blood Bowl is Blocking. Block or be Blocked that is how damage is done.

Obviously some teams love to Throw and Catch the ball with their fast players Dodging their way through tackle zones but at some point the game boils down to Block or be Blocked and Black Orcs are built for this task.

Black Orcs

The Orcland Raiders line is lead by the fearsome number 4, Vultog Flame Basher.

Black Orc and has the following stats MA4, ST4, AG2, AV9 with no special skills.

Movement Allowance is slow with the MA4 allowing only 4 squares of movement. This is below average, so not built for speed. Agility of 2 is really low so no dancing and dodging in the game plan. (Does Vultog look bothered? - I think not) The upside is a Strength of 4 and Armour Value of 9, both above average. This means that they can dish out damage as well as take the hits themselves.

Blocking

The aim of a Block is to move the opponent around. Force them to a square they don't want to be on or better still knock them to the ground and injure them. This is how holes can be created in the defence line. Each standing player has a tackle zone surrounding their square. It is difficult to move through tackle zones. If you can force players, and their tackle zones,  apart then free moving lanes can be created for the team to exploit.

Blocking is based on ST. The player who is blocking must be adjacent to his target in order to perform a Block. The stronger player has the advantage. When performing a Block the player rolls special Blocking dice. If both players are equal ST then one dice is rolled. If one player is stronger than the other then two dice are rolled and the stronger player chooses which dice to use for the result. This is a big advantage!

The dice themselves are D6 and look like this.

The player performing the Block is the attacker and the player receiving the Block is the defender.

1. The Skull = The attacking player is Knocked Down, not a good outcome.
2. The Skull & Flash = Both players are Knocked Down. (Can avoid the Knock Down if you have the  Block skill) This can be good because a Knocked Down player has no Tackle Zone.
3 & 4. Arrows = The defending player is Pushed Back by the attacker and the attacking player may follow up.
5. Flash & Exclamation Mark = The defender is Pushed Back and Knocked Down. (He may avoid the Knock Down if he has Dodge as a skill)
6. Flash = The defender is Pushed Back and Knocked Down

The preferred outcome is to push the opposing team back and there is a 66.66% chance of this happening. And then there is the bonus of maybe Knocking him Down as well (33.33% chance without Dodge, 16.66% chance with Dodge)

From a Black Orc perspective this has implications. If Blocking they will usually have the greater ST and so will use two dice and choose the outcome. If being Blocked the opponent will use one dice. And even if the Black Orc is unlucky enough to be Knocked Down they are likely to survive the Armour Roll with an AV of 9. (2D6 less than or equal to 9)

The Orcland Raiders

Back in the day I think there was a limit on the Black Orcs and Blitzers. I seem to recall playing with two of each and a whole lot on Linesmen. Well things have moved on and you can now have 0-4 Black Orcs. So to my mind it would seem like a good idea to field all 4 of the Black Orcs available.

So introducing....

Number 4 - Vultag Flame Basher
Number 5 - Tagdud Bone Ripper
Number 6 - Gunrukk Skull Killer
Number 7 - Gnarllug Nose Slammer

Welcome to the Orcland Raiders fellas!!

Bolgot Ripper 'Throwing Teamate' skill

Hello there sports fans. Today we have been watching Bolgot Ripper on the practice field. A sight to behold. We have been examining the Throw Team-Mate aspect of his game and it is ..... complex. Lets review how it works.

Bolgot is a troll with the Throw Team-Mate ability. He can only throw players with the Right Stuff skill. In the case of the Orcland Raiders this is a goblin.

First things first - Bolgot has the Really Stupid skill and as such must pass a test at the beginning of his turn to do anything at all. The roll is a D6 and on a 1-3 (50% chance) he stands there looking gormless!! There is a modifier however, if one or more friendly players are adjacent he gets a +2 modifier (improves to 83.33%). So note to self - make sure he is in a crowd.

Now is comes to Throwing Team-Mate. Bolgrot must move adjacent to the player he is going to Throw (the goblin). The throw is resolved the same as a Pass. Long Pass and Long Bomb are not allowed. However that is still a potential 6 spaces forward, see picture above.

For the Throw Team-Mate skill all passes are considers Inaccurate and as such will scatter 3 times upon landing and Fumble is not a turnover.

It should be noted that Bolgrot also has the Always Hungry skill. This means that there is a test roll after movement. If its a one then Bolgrot eats the goblin and the goblin is dead!! There is a 16.66% chance that this will happen!! (No giggling please - its not funny, if your the goblin)

The Pass

The question here is simple - is it a Fumble or is it an Inaccurate pass? A fumble is resolved as a Pass roll of 1 before or after modification. Bolgrot rolls a D6 to Pass with the following modifiers, +1 for a Quick Pass, 0 for a Short Pass and -1 for using the Throw Team-Mate ability. So for a Short Pass the lightly success rate is 66.66% improving to 83.33% for a Quick Pass.

Note this is further modified by -1 for every tackle zone that Bolgrot finds himself in. So you don't want to be surrounded when attempting this skill.

The Landing

The graceful landing by our goblin is based on an AG roll. The goblin has an AG of 3 and as such requires a 4+ to be successful (50% chance of success). Success results in a completed Inaccurate Pass and as such will scatter 3 times. I think it will be important to keep him away from the touchline.

Note there is a -1 modifier for each tackle zone on the final landing point, so no throwing into crowds. 

If successful the goblin can go on to take his own actions later in the turn. (if he has not already done so) With an MA of 6 there is big potential to get a score on the board.

Summary

So the question is "Are you feeling lucky punk?"

Being optimistic: -

1. There is an 83% chance that Bolgrot will do something in the turn.

2. There is an 83% chance that Bolgrot won't eat the goblin

3. There is a 67% chance that Bolgrot will complete a Short Pass

4. There is a 50% chance that the goblin will land on his feet

And there is always the Team Reroll to take into account.

Being pessimistic: -

1. Bolgrot is Really Stupid!

2. Bolgrot is Always Hungry!

3. What about tackle zones?

4. At best the pass is Inaccurate and the goblin could end up anywhere .

But having said all that won't you just love to see it work out!!!