Welcome to another edition of Elf Take!  I’m your host, Skip Tasteless.  Today we are heading back to the Old World Football League and reliving the exciting AFC conference championship between the Darkside Marauders (9-4-3) and the heavy favorite Brackish Brawlers (13-3-0).  As a high elf, you know I love my one turn TDs!  Today’s game, however, has you pitted against a different challenge…  Now you’re trying to prevent one against a devilish skink named Six, a phenom with MV9, AGI 4, Sprint, Side Step, and Sure Feet!  Good luck!  Mua ha ha!

Darkside Marauders (Chaos) vs. Brackish Brawlers (Lizardmen)

It’s turn 16.  The coach for the Marauders jasfoz22 has fought valiantly and has whittled down Darken-Rahl’s Brackish Brawlers to 7 players.  Not only that, but he was able to score the game-tying TD on his last turn!  The Brawlers still have one turn left, and Six is in the backfield licking his chomps for the ball!

You’re the Chaos coach.  The Brawlers don’t have any rerolls left.  What’s the best defensive formation that will prevent the easy 1 turn TD?  With side step, Six has to be chain pushed once before he can run the entire length of the field for the score.  What play do you call?

Objective

• What is the defensive formation that will minimize the probability of Six scoring.  Remember, the Brawlers will setup their own 1 turn TD attempt based on your defense.

Rules

• For simplicity, assume “Perfect Weather” is rolled (just like it did during the game) and plan for that.
• Skink #9 is located at (H, -8)
• The ball lands at (J, -7)
• Darken-Rahl can ball and will try to score.  All other Lizardmen can be positioned and will be positioned to score with greatest probability of success!
• The Brackish Brawlers have no rerolls.
• Download my Blood Bowl Challenge #12 Playmaker Template.  You can open it by installing open source image editing software GIMP.  Now you can create your own plays!
• Access the BBTactics Forum and post your solution!  Instructions on how to create your play are included at the forum.

The Brackish Brawlers scored with this formation. Could you devise another defensive formation that would complicate the Brawlers’ one turn TD attempt?

Setup your defense to stop the Brawlers’ one turn touchdown! The Brawlers will setup their offense based on your defense. This play was executed during the game for the score. Remember Skink #9 will be positioned at (H,-8) and the ball will land at (J,-7) but all other Brawlers players will be positioned to increase the probability of success.

In the actual game Darken-Rahl was able to score by:

1. Throwing a block with Saurus #1 against Beastman #7 and pushing him away to I2 and following up.
2. He then “completed the square” by moving Saurus #5 to F1.
3. Saurus #2 then blitzed Beastman #12 from D2.  Saurus #2 pushed Beastman #12 from E1 to E-1.  Skink #6 is chain-pushed, but uses his sidestop to move to D1.  Saurus #2 continues his frenzy and pows Beastman#12 from E-1 to F-2
4. Skink #9 then picked up the ball (Sure Hands) and handed it off to Six who went in for the score (3 GFIs with Sure Feet).

According to the Samba Action Calculator, the touchdown Darken-Rahl scored with Six had a ~49.394% chance of success.  After setting up your defense, figure out the best way to one turn TD against it and see if you can get a lower score.

Samba Results for the touchdown Six scored. Can you setup a defense that would force more die rolls?

Rosters

Darkside Marauders (Chaos)

Brackish Brawlers (Lizardmen)

View Tad30 Solution

This is a great solution.  The sidestep Chaos Warrior is an excellent obstacle to a one turn TD.  The STR 6 Chaos Warrior also makes it difficult to chain push as well.  It can be done, but if a blitz is used to push the the STR 6 Chaos Warrior towards the center of the field then Six will end up in tackle zones that will hinder his catching.  But there is still another way to go after it…

1. Saurus #3 blocks Chaos Warrior #3 to move him away from Saurus #2.
2. Saurus #4 moves to (E,2)
3. Pick up the ball with Skink #9 (Sure Hands) and GFI once (Sure Feet) to E1 hand off to Skink #6 (2+ Catch).
4. Saurus #2 frenzies Chaos Warrior #1 to (F,1) to (E,-1) pushing Six to D1.
5. Six dodges out and makes the score.  (2+ dodge and 3 GFI’s)

Samba Results for Tad30′s solution.

Tas30′s solution effectively cuts the chance of scoring in half.  The biggest probability sink within the entire chain of events is the required push result on the first 2D block by Saurus #2.  Can anyone think of a better defensive setup or offensive attack against Tad30′s solution?  Let me know!

Post from: Blood Bowl Tactics

Test #012: Six! Six! Six!

In this matchup, the orcs were able to score on their turn 8 to tie the game 1-1.  Since the orcs received, you have the opportunity to score once more before halftime.  You set up for a 1 turn touchdown and use your blitzer to chain push the skill-less orc lineman into your side of the line of scrimmage.  On your second block, you get a both down and a defender stumbles result.  You reroll the block but this time you get a defender down and defender stumbles.  Is the play over, or can you still put your catcher into position to score?

Objective

• Can you finish the play and score the TD?

Rules

• Your HE Blitzer#2 was used to blitz the lineman and his action and movement are over.
• You have just begun your block with HE lineman #15 and your end-result is defender down.  You can still push the lineman to 3 legal spots.
• You have no more team rerolls left, so choose the highest probability no-reroll solution.
• Assume your thrower in the backfield will successfully pick up the ball and throw for a completion.

You just blocked Orc lineman #13 with High Elf lineman #15 but you didn’t get the push result you wanted for the one turn TD. You get a defender down result. Can you still score the TD?

You rolled a defender down on your block. Can you still score a TD?

Rosters:

Arena League Cougars (High Elf)

Pine Barrens Bullies (Orc)

Post from: Blood Bowl Tactics

Test #011: Plan B? 1TurnTD!

Sprint (Agility)

The player may attempt to move up to three extra squares rather than the normal two when Going For It (see page 20). His coach must still roll to see if the player is Knocked Down in each extra square he enters.

Sprint Overview

To many new coaches Sprint appears to be a great skill to get extra movement allowing you to score from further away, or to be able to defend better by having more range. In reality all it does is give your player an extra opportunity to fall over. If you pay attention during a game most moves by your players don’t even need to be able to do a third Go For It. Most coaches also realise that doing lots of Go For Its is a great way to either waste rerolls, make their players fall over leaving holes in your positioning and maybe even injuring your players. You generally want to avoid causing your own players to fall over, it makes life far harder for you. While a 2+ roll seems easy, doing a lot of them every turn is a recipe for disaster.

Learning good positioning of your players is a skill that will increase your win rate, combined that with rolling less dice and you are giving yourself a greater edge every match. A Go For It is probably the greatest cause of loss of Block and Dodge players too. These players are really hard to knock over compared to most, don’t make it easy for the other team by falling over. Leave doing Go For It rolls for when absolutely necessary. Good positioning of your players eliminates the need to ever require a third Go For It roll (or even any). Look for spots where you can chain push your own or the opposing players either closer or further away as desired. Combine chain pushes with Side Step can also negate the need for more movement and it is also a skill that has benefits far more often throughout a match as well.

That being said Sprint isn’t terrible and the extra movement can be useful to have, I would at least make sure you have the Sure Feet skill first though. You want to avoid burning through rerolls whenever possible and being able to do two Go For It rolls reliably is more beneficial most the time over the ability to perform a third. For the players that start with Sprint the use of it is fairly self explanatory. Bull Centaurs are the best example of players that can make good use of it. They are fairly average speed on an overall slow team, but having Sprint and Sure Feet gives the teams strongest standard player extra range. As the teams primary blitzer most often (and the most mobile if they gain Break Tackle) being able to catch up or get to the blitz target is essential.

All that being said though Sprint is one of those skills that I never will usually take, even as a late skill choice on most teams.

Sprint Benefits:

• Possible Extra Square of Movement

Players to take Sprint on:

As I’ve already mentioned I pretty much never take Sprint. I especially recommend not taking it on Skaven Gutter Runners. With their already game highest movement allowance they don’t need it and so it will often be a wasted skill every turn. When you can take so many other skills which will be helpful multiple times a match you are helping your opponent out more than you are yourself. If you want to score in one turn with them, learn how to do it with chain pushes and get Side Step to make it easier.

So who would I take Sprint on? The only candidates that spring to mind would be either Halflings and Goblins. These two players only have normal access to Agility skills anyway so have a much smaller pool of skills to choose from. Neither are particularly fast (though they can move through tackle zones easier than most player) so the extra movement can help on a couple of players. I wouldn’t take it first skill though, you need Sure Feet before it as I’ve said. I also wouldn’t take it on that many (at least for the first few skills). Throw Team Mate attempts can be made a bit more effective with a few Sprint players. On one who collects the ball and then goes to hand it off to the flyer and then on the thrown player as well so they can score from further out if the scatter isn’t favourable. On the whole though there are other agility skills that are more useful for most the team.

Underworld Goblins may take it on one who is designed for being thrown as well for the same reasons, though they have Skaven team mates who can get the ball to them. Skinks are the other player type who can only get agility skills. Like Halflings and Goblins though I would suggest for the first three or four skills there are more useful options. They are also fast players to start with so are going to be less likely to require Sprint.

If you are taking Sprint on any other player then it is my opinion that you are wasting a chance to get a more useful skill. Use it wisely on those players that come with it, learn and practice better positioning and you should find you never need it. I’m sure there are many out there who disagree and will try and justify it but you are never going to convince me and if I’m facing you on the field I’ll be glad you’ve chosen it. If that isn’t reason enough not to take it then I don’t know what is!

Post from: Blood Bowl Tactics

Sprint

Hello, and welcome to Elf Take!  The show that puts you in the shoes of coaches involved in real-game scenarios!  Calling all dwarf coaches!  Today, we’re looking at high TV dwarf vs. chaos action.  As you vets know, Chaos teams at high TV become sharpened can openers that make other bash teams look like they’re suited in tissue paper.

Here’s the scenario…

Blood, Sweat, and Beers (Dwarf) vs. Terrors of Tarantino (Chaos)

We’re back at the Old World Football League and you’re up against the aptly named Terrors of Tarantino, an unapologetic team most responsible for coaches quitting!   You didn’t have a great week before and are coming into this game missing a deathroller and a troll slayer, plus you just watched the Terrors of Tarantino and the Phoenix Kings battle in an epic match drenched in the blood of elves.

Your game plan is simple, you want to snipe away at the Chaos team as quickly as possible before their Mighty Blow, Piling On, and Claw players start accruing the casualties on your team.  For this you hired star players Flint Churnblade (Loner, Block, Chainsaw, Secret Weapon, Thick Skull) and Boomer Eziasson (Loner, Accurate, Block, Bombardier, Secret Weapon, Thick Skull) to eliminate some of his CPOMBERS (players with Claw, Piling On, and Mighty Blow).

Your first 2 turns have been great!  You were able to badly hurt a rookie beastman and you knocked out a STR+ Chaos Warrior.  Gym-bo has turned up the pressure by marking your ball carrier and he has also injured your Troll Slayer.

You need to deal some damage quickly.  You can feel Gym-bo’s iron fist closing and you need to make something happen so you can successfully stall the half, score, and hopefully injure as many Chaos players as possible.  Gym-bo has left a vulnerable Chaos Warrior begging to be pushed off the pitch.  What’s the best way to proceed?  Do you advance to the right?  Do you move your ball carrier to the center of the field?  Do you reform your cage in the vicinity of the ball carrier, but focus on crowd surfing the Chaos Warrior?

I was sitting two feet from my big screen eating my popcorn.  This moment was the turning point in the game.  The dwarf coach did not capitalize on Gym-bo’s mistake and for the next 5 turns, Gym-bo shredded away eventually scoring… leaving the living room floor littered with popcorn and my neighbors shocked by the profanity laden shouting.

What would you have done?

Objective

• Form a screen or cage around the ball carrier so he cannot be directly blitzed without multiple high risk rolls.
• Minimize the amount of blocks the Terrors will have the following turn.
• Extra Credit: Crowd surf Chaos Warrior #4 (Mighty Blow, Claw, Block, Tackle)

Rules

• You have 1 team reroll.
• All 2+ rolls succeed but should be minimized.  Using 3 2+ rolls in your solution requires the use of a reroll.  Any 2+ roll after that will fail and lead to a turnover.
• All 3+, 4+, 5+ rolls will fail regardless of reroll (note that you have a loner).
• Chainsaw will not break armor when blocking, but it will not fail either.  Still include it in your solution either as a block / foul.  The 2+ roll still counts towards the 3 2+ rule specified above.
• Any 3D blocks are defender down.
• All 2D blocks are pushes, but you can use your team reroll to make it defender down.  (Meaning you only get one)
• 1D blocks are skull but you can use your team reroll to make it both down.  (Meaning you only get one, but this should be avoided).
• -2D and -3D blocks are skulls regardless of rerolls.

You’re the dwarf coach. What movements and actions give you the highest probability of hurting your opponent and limiting your own injuries the following turn.

You’re the dwarf coach. What movements and actions give you the highest probability of hurting your opponent and limiting your own injuries the following turn.

Rosters

Blood, Sweat, and Beers (Dwarf)

Terrors of Tarantino (Chaos)

View Skip's Solution

First let me justify the rules, please just understand that the vast number of permutations of this problem will make it VERY DIFFICULT to compare and contrast between the various scenarios.  There are just too many what if’s.  Out of all the 2D blocks you make 55% will end up as a defender down or defender stumbles.  The rules I setup actually make it more difficult on you, but I would like to set it up as the typical “Nuffle hates you” type of game.  (That’s why your chainsaw will fail. )

That being said, this is what I would do.

1. Stand up Dwarf #6.  He has guard so he will aid in blocks.
2. Move Dwarf #5 to (M,-3)
3. Move Dwarf #2 to (L, -3)
4. Dwarf #1 moves to (J, -2) to mark the Chaos Warrior #5
5. Okay, now for a Cyanide Blood Bowl Legendary / Chaos Edition Tip!  Our next move we’re going to chain push our men to get a better position.  Dwarf #13, however, has Stand Firm.  If you push a player into him, the Stand Firm skill will activate and no player will move.  You have to turn this skill “off” before doing the chain push action.  Left click  Dwarf #13.  On the bottom right you should see a window with a list of his skills.  Click on the window and a new window will pop up.  From this window you can check / uncheck the skills you want activated for the next player’s turn.  Uncheck Stand Firm.  Proceed with the next step.
6.  Now’s the fun stuff.  Blitz Chaos Warrior #5 with Dwarf #4 from (J, -1) and follow up.  (Using the rules I specified I would very much hope that this is a knock down.  The solution still works without it, but I definitely would like this Choas Warrior on the ground.  So based on the rules I setup, I would “use the reroll” here.  Please note that in a real game, I would only use the reroll in case of a failure.)  Push Chaos Warrior #5 into your ball carrier #8 at (L, -2).  Push the ball carrier into your STR 4 dwarf #13.  Push Dwarf #13 to (N, -1).
7. Use Dwarf #8 to block Chaos Warrior #4 to (O, -1).  Follow up.
8. Use Dwarf #13 to block Chaos Warrior #4 off the pitch!  Don’t follow up.
9. Use Dwarf #7 to block Beastman #15, don’t follow up.
10. Use Dwarf #10 to chainsaw Beastman #7.  Hope it does some damage!

Finished setup

We have gotten rid of one of the killers.  Now we only have a killer chaos warrior, killer beastman, and a killer minotaur left.  Hopefully the killer chaos warrior is on the ground (so he has to blitz if he wants to attack, and if he’s still up, he’s surrounded by guard).  This leaves only 1 block from the claw player, which is his blitz.

If Beastman #15 is still up (per the rules, he still is) he has to make 2 3+ dodges as well as 2 gfi’s to attack your ball carrier.  However, if he does this, he puts himself in danger of being surfed to the crowd.  If the Chaos coach is crazy enough to blitz in this manner, he also negates a blitz by one of his CPOMBers.  This is always desired.  :)

And there you go, one solution to beat claw…. minimize his CPOMBers to 1 hit a turn and continue to target them through blitzes and fouls!

View Tad30s Solution

Here is an interesting solution from one of our viewers.  Rather than go for the crowd surf, Tad30s has decided to concentrate the brunt of his force against the Chaos Warrior #5 and the Beastman #15.   His reasoning is to pin Chaos Warrior #4 to the sideline causing stress for the opponent and forcing him to save the player.  Although I wouldn’t necessarily do this myself, it is still a very valid defense.

Here is Tad30s solution and a screenshot of final positioning.

I hope that it’s not too late for ideas on how to tackle this, as I’ve just started reading those challenges, and this one doesn’t have the answer I’d give. First of all, i will not Surf C4 in the following attempt, i will focus on everything else, and-hopefully-dictate the events of the next turn. Please note, that the sheer amount of coordinates makes it very likely that a typo has occurred somewhere, or that i simply made a silly mistake.

Here goes :

D=Dwarf, C=Chaos

#1. D1 to J-2
#2. D6 Blitz C5, 2+ on Dauntless (1/2), Use Reroll to get Defender Down. Push W5 to J-1. Follow.
#3. D5 to N-3, GFI 2+ (2/2).
#4. D2 to K-2
#5. D7 Blocks C15. Push the Carrier to M-3, Follow.
#6. D8 Blocks C15, 3d. Push D7 back to M1.  Don’t follow up.
#7. D13 Blocks C4, Push to O-3, Follow.
#8. D4 to N-1, so that D13 cannot be blitzed off of the Cwarrior5 who WILL get pushed unless a miracle happens / half of his team committs / 1d block succeeds.
#9. Chainsaw C5. Hope for the best.

The end result is two enemies down, Chaos Warrior #5 chainsawed, and Chaos Warrior #4 in a world of pain with no way out. That’s what i’d go for.. I don’t see the advantages of surfing C4, if we can force Gymmy-Boy to try to save him instead.

What do you think of this solution?  Would you take the surf?

Tad30s solution. Pin Chaos Warrior #4 and attack 2 other high value targets.

Post from: Blood Bowl Tactics

Test #010: Beating Claw

Frenzy (General)

A player with this skill is a slavering psychopath who attacks his opponents in an uncontrollable rage. Unless otherwise overridden, this skill must always be used. When making a block, a player with this skill must always follow up if he can. If a ‘Pushed’ or ‘Defender Stumbles’ result was chosen, the player must immediately throw a second block against the same opponent so long as they are both still standing and adjacent. If possible, the player must also follow up this second block. If the frenzied player is performing a Blitz Action then he must pay a square of Movement and must make the second block unless he has no further movement and can’t Go For It again.

Frenzy Overview:

If there is one skill in Blood Bowl that I would consider a double edged sword, Frenzy would be it. On the one side it is an incredibly useful skill if you harness it well, on the other it can come back to bite you. The latter reason is why it is considered a skill that isn’t friendly for beginner players and as a result those teams with players who start with Frenzy are considered teams for more advanced coaches.

The key advantage of having Frenzy is that it will allow you to hit an opposing player twice in a row but with the caveat that you must both follow up and must do the second block. You can’t elect to avoid doing either, the only way you can prevent this would be if the opposing player had a skill such as Fend. You need to be careful before you block to realise where you need assists of your own and if the opposing player will gain any more assists on the second block, especially if you are going to lose yours. In some ways you could look at Frenzy as a free reoll for a block as you get two chances. If you do also use a reroll you can get 6 block dice against the one opposing player if you set up all your assists well. This gives you a much better chance of knocking the opposing player over so well worth taking, especially when blitzing the opposing ball carrier.

Crowd pushing is the second advantage and having Frenzy can effectively narrow the pitch by two squares. Pushing players off the pitch is one of the best ways to get a numerical player advantage and Frenzy makes this easier. Not to mention players pushed into the crowd automatically take an injury roll without an armour roll taking place first. So it means the other team needs to be careful when they get nearer the sideline than if you don’t have Frenzy. This can be a good way of denying them space, or with careful player positioning you can corral their team towards one sideline.

Another great use for Frenzy is just generally pushing players around. Pushing an opponent two squares rather than one can free up space for your own team, either to run recievers through or to manoeuvre a cage further towards their end zone. You can push opponents next to other team mates so they can then block them or perhaps tie them up with Tentacles or Diving Tackle. If you make good use of chain pushing players, you can set up more chances to crowd surf, free up your own ball carrier from a scrum, push their ball carrier out of a scrum to set up a block etc. Even just pushing their ball carrier further back away from your end zone can be of great benefit. The reverse of this is also useful in that you can push your own ball carrier or receiver further forward as well. This fact is worth remembering if setting up for a One Turn Touchdown for example as it will require one less player.

The last use of pushing players around is when you combine Frenzy with Strip Ball, the first hit can knock the ball loose and then the second hit can push that player away or even knock them over at the second attempt.

Disadvantages of Frenzy:

As I already mentioned though it isn’t all good and Frenzy does come with a danger. You really need to pay attention to assists, especially on the second block and where you plan on pushing them back should that occur. If you aren’t careful while you may have a favourable first block, the second block can quickly turn against you and perhaps cause a turnover. Due to this Block (or Wrestle) is generally a prerequisite before getting Frenzy (though some players start with this handicap). Against certain teams and in certain situations Frenzy can prevent you taking blocks due to this risk. Typically if facing a team that is stronger or has a lot of Guard players.

Side Step players can also be very tricky to deal with as you can’t control where to push them. Having Frenzy as a skill prevents you from getting Grab to negate Side Step as well (having Grab also prevents you from gaining Frenzy on that player as well). To make matters worse because they choose where to place the player, they could lead your player into a trap or alternatively either towards the sideline or just away from the action (a favoured tactic of mine with Gutter Runners and similar players with Block + Dodge + Side Step against Frenzy players without Tackle).

The other disadvantage it gives is that you have no choice over whether your player follows up on the block. If you don’t knock the target player over then you are likely to be facing a block against your Frenzy player in the following turn. Again this is another reason to have Block first and protective skills can also be useful such as Dodge or even just having high strength and armour. Having to follow up is also what enabled opposing players to lead your player where they want them if they have Side Step. As a result you have to consider if following up is going to leave your player in a worse situation than if you don’t block. So while Frenzy can give you a greater chance of getting a knock down, it may also prevent you making blocks that you would have done if you didn’t have Frenzy.

Following on from always having to follow up, you must always do Go For Its if required for one or both blocks. For example if a ball carrier breaks through your defence and makes a run for the end zone and you need to blitz them. If your player is 6 movement and they are 6 squares away, you hit them for the first block getting a push. Then the second block requires a Go For It and you have to do it. If you’ve no rerolls left this can obviously be risky but you have no choice in the matter.  There is a way to avoid making a second block though and that is if you have run out of movement. To do this you have to run around wasting your move, do a Go For It to get next to the target player and then hit them with your second Go For It. While this does avoid the second block it does introduce two extra 2+ dice rolls for what would otherwise be a normal blitz. Obviously this isn’t possible to avoid if doing a block action. If you have the Sprint skill to do three Go For Its, then you can elect not to use Sprint to avoid a third forced Go For It roll. All these factors combined are what makes having Frenzy players tricky for new coaches, especially if facing an advanced coach.

Benefits of Frenzy:

• Higher Chance of Knock Down
• Increased Crowd Surf Opportunity
• Pushing players around

Players Frenzy is Useful On:

Regarding the players that Frenzy is useful on would be a very long list if I put them all here. I think it is safe to say that every team can benefit from Frenzy somewhere on the team. Some teams can carry Frenzy on more players safer than others are. The safest players to put it on (after Block or Wrestle) would be stronger players. They are less likely to fall victim to being forced into a bad block. Also teams that have a lot of Guard players which can provide a widely cast blanket of un-cancelled assists can utilise Frenzy well. So strong players on teams full of Guard are probably going to be your safest bet.

Lower strength players with access to strength skills can be good Frenzy players as well. It combines really well with Juggernaut for pushing players around and into the crowd and with more chances of getting knock downs Mighty Blow and Piling On can help leave those players down for good! If you have a player who blitzes a lot and has Horns then they can also usually negate the disadvantages fairly often.

It isn’t only the domain of strong players and those with strength skill access though. Knocking the ball loose and pushing players can be crucial to success in a lot of matches. Players you’ve built to go after the opposing ball carrier may find it useful, as I mentioned it can combine well with Strip Ball. Agile and high movement players can also be a threat. They can get to spots that stronger, low agile players can’t which poses other threats. They can either dodge or leap where you didn’t expect and crowd push a player you thought was otherwise safe. Or they can even get through a screen to blitz an isolated ball carrier. You do need to be careful against Guard heavy teams though. You can’t cancel out their assists just by marking them with Linemen like you typically would. If blitzing an exposed ball carrier with a good chance of knock down on the first hit, but it leads to a bad second hit on a push, weigh up your options before going ahead. If it is your ball hunting specialist sometimes you may just have to take the chance anyway.

Frenzy Summary:

Hopefully now you understand better the double edged sword that is the Frenzy skill. It can greatly aid you in a game as there aren’t any other skills you can gain which can provide the same benefits. I also hope this highlights the dangers you need to be aware of when you have Frenzy on your players.

One other point worth mentioning is how Stand Firm affects Frenzy. While you may end up not being able to push back a Stand Firm player, it is the result on the dice that dictates if you get a second block or not. The fact the player doesn’t get moved back doesn’t prevent the second block. Stand Firm is also optional for the opposing coach to use. So while you may have a favourable first block which would lead to an unfavourable second block, don’t assume that player is a safe hit just because they have Stand Firm.

Frenzy is without doubt a skill that can take some time and practice to truly master the benefits and work around the downsides. This will become more apparent when you find yourself match off against an advanced coach. In the mean time you should also check out the Blood Bowl Challenges on the site. Make sure you read through the comments after testing yourself against them. There are some that make great use of Frenzy and they can help advance your game to the next level.

Post from: Blood Bowl Tactics

Frenzy

Hello!  Welcome to Elf Take, the show that puts you in the shoes of past coaches.  I’m your host Skip Bayless, and the name of this episode is “Big Game Hunting”.  Agility teams fear the dreaded Mighty Blow and Piling On combo otherwise known as POMB.  Tonight, it’s time for sweet revenge….  removing a POMBer from the pitch.

This challenge is inspired from an actual MM match between High Elves and Orcs.  Mardaed, on a blood-lusted whim, was able to snipe at an orc POMBer using a portion of this solution.  Unfortunately, it was at the cost of one of his key players (he was KO’d).   We’re now back at the practice field to recreate the play and to find a solution so his high value pieces are protected.

High Elves vs. Orc Scrimmage

Here’s the situation.  The game is tied at 1 and you have plenty of time left (4 moves) as well as rerolls (3).  On the previous drive, the orcs scored on an unbelievably long TD pass to an orc lineman who snuck around the back while your high elves were scrambling for the ball.  Don’t ask me how an orc lineman can sneak around elves, but it happened…  You’re disgusted with the touchdown and now want blood!  You were already successful in injuring the Orc’s Mighty Blow, Frenzy, Piling On, Pro Blitzer, and now you’re setting your sights on his other killer.  As the Orc coach sets up for a kickoff, your eyes maniacally light up.  Licking your chomps you setup your offense and attack!  What did you see?  How do you do it?  And how do you protect your key player(s)?  What is the minimum number of 2+ rolls that you need?

Objective

Remove Orc Blitzer #5 (Block, Mighty Blow, Tackle, Piling On) from the pitch.  Protect all of your skilled players so they cannot be removed from the pitch on the Orc Team’s next turn.

Rules

• You must do this in one turn and it’s the beginning of your turn.
• Assume that all 2d (your favor) blocks will result in pushes. All 1d blocks and 2d blocks in opponent’s favor will result as skulls.
  
• Assume that all of your opponents blocks regardless of dice will end in pushes.
• Assume that your opponent will pass all 2+ and 3+ rolls but not 4+ rolls and higher.
• Ensure every 1d non-block action attempt is a 2+ (i.e. passes, catches, hand-offs, dodges, etc. all should be 2+ for success). Assume successful rolls.

Eliminate the killer on the Orc’s Team…. Blitzer #5.

Rosters

High Elf Practice Squad

Orc Practice Squad

Post from: Blood Bowl Tactics

Test #009: POMBer Snipe!

Hello all to the eighth installment of Elf Take!  I’m your host Skip Tasteless and today we’re going to take another look at a one turn TD.  Let’s take a look at the challenge!

Phoenix Kings (High Elf) vs. Got Wood (Wood Elf)

During Match Week 6 at the Old World Football League, Hammertime’s Got Wood team (Wood Elves) has put up an early lead against Mardaed’s Phoenix Kings (High Elves). The game has been a nasty slugfest as both coaches have been ruthlessly targeting each other’s key players with fouls and blitzes. After a 4-turn score, Got Wood received a Blitz! kickoff event and has tallied up the score 2-0 on turn 8.

You’re Mardaed and are in control of the High Elves. You look in frustration as three of your knocked out players fail to wake up. Your MV9 catcher is also layed out with a niggling injury. You’re trying to stay calm. You put your Strong Arm Accurate thrower in the backfield and position your men into a one turn TD formation. The kick is off and a Quick Snap! event is rolled! Saving the blitz for the catcher, you position Blitzer #6 next to Wood Elf Lineman #5 in hopes of pushing him back into High Elf territory. You can feel the pressure of the game slipping away. It’s time for you to act! Score the TD and make this a game again!

Objective

Score a TD.

Rules

• You only have 1 turn left, and you have just started it.
  
• What’s the best chain of events to score the TD.  Who do you blitz?

You can feel the pressure of the game slipping away. It’s time for you to act! Score the TD and make this a game again!

Thanks to Alessandro Francesconi for his batch image manipulation plugin for GIMP.  It helped in resizing FUMBBL icons.

Higher Resolution 2D image. Can be enlarged.
Score the TD!

Rosters

Phoenix Kings (High Elf)

Got Wood (Wood Elf)

Post from: Blood Bowl Tactics

Test #008: Elf 1 TurnTD

Welcome to Elf Take!  I’m your host Skip Tasteless and today we have a challenge that is not for the faint of heart!

We are going to take a look at the one turn touchdown… not with Wood Elves or Skaven… that’s too easy…  We’re looking at a 1TTD with Undead!  No sprint, no sure feet.  When I first posted this, I was able to provide a workable solution, however, once the Orca-Cola and BBTactics community got involved, a more optimized solution was found.  We will cover that elegant solution as well.

If you can find the optimal solution (or a solution that is even better) without peeking at the answer, then you are definitely a Grade A Blood Bowl B.A.  Let’s take a look at the challenge.

Boneyard Reapers (Undead) vs Darkside Marauders (Chaos)

The 2-1 grind…  a staple of Blood Bowl strategy.  During this Old World Football match, the Boneyard Reapers look to become another victim to the Chaos race… or are they?  You’re the Undead coach.  It’s the last turn and you’re receiving the kickoff.  What’s the best way to setup for the 1 turn TD?

Objective

Score a TD

Rules

• You must do it in 1 turn.
• Position a ghoul in the backfield to field the expected incoming kick.  You can still use him for chain pushing, but you must position him at least 6 spaces from the LOS.
• Assume the kickoff lands off the field, so you can give directly to your ball carrier.
• Assume you win a reroll during the kickoff.
• For simplicity, treat all chaos players as rookies.
• You can use everyone on your roster.
• Once you figure out your strategy, plug your moves into this Samba Calculator to get the probability of success and compare with Skip’s solution.  Blood Bowl Calculator

You’re the Undead? Setup your roster to score the one turn touchdown!  For  simplicity, assume all Chaos players are rookies.

Rosters

Boneyard Reapers (Undead)

Darkside Marauders (Chaos)

View Skip's Solution

This problem is very tricky, and my solution is not the one I envisioned at first glance. I had thought the Mummy with Grab could be used to allow a ghoul to blitz through the line. I also thought there would be a solution with an AGI+ Ghoul as a ball carrier. Unfortunately I could not figure either out. The solution here takes advantage of sidestep, but it requires a 5+ dodge O_o! If you can do better, let me know!

Here’s my solution: (Thank you to Mikkel Pahlke Fausing for his excellent tool! Original Play Creator)

Move 1

Position your players as illustrated. Since the ball lands out of bounds, give it to Ghoul #3. Move Ghoul #4, so he marks Beastman (yellow) #3. This will make your blitz a 3-die block.

Move 2

With Ghoul #5, blitz the Beastman with a 3-die block, but do not follow up. Push the Beastman into Ghoul #3. Take advantage of sidestep and push him up and to the left. Position Ghoul #5 as illustrated.

Move 3

With Zombie #8, block the Beastman into Ghoul #3 and push him up.

Move 4

Move Wight #7 so that he marks both Beastman #2 and Beastman #3. This will form part of the “T” needed for Mummy #1 and Mummy #2 to chain push. His guard will help give the mummies 3-die block support.

Move 5

Complete the “T” with Zombie #5. He adds the extra strength support needed to give Mummy #1 a 3-die block.

Move 6

Block with Mummy #1. It is here that you’re hoping for a knockdown. If Beastman #3 is knocked down, Ghoul #3 does not have to dodge out when he runs for the end-zone. Both scenarios are taken into consideration for final probability analysis.

Move 7

Complete the “T” for Mummy #2. Mummy #2 should already have a 3-die block with the 2 guard players marking Beastman #2.

Move 8

Block Beastman #2 with Mummy #2. In this situation you can get push, defender down, or defender stumbles. Push Beastman #2 into Beastman #3. Push Beastman #3 into Ghoul #3. Now Ghoul #3 can reach the endzone!

Move 9

Run to the end-zone! Hopefully, Beastman #3 was knocked down so Ghoul #3 doesn’t have to dodge out. Run in between the line, this is a 2+ GFI as well as a 5+ dodge. The next move into the end-zone will require a 2+ GFI and a 4+ dodge roll. Remember to dodge into only 1 tackle zone! Touchdown! Now let’s check the probability analysis.

Samba Calculator Results:

There are two branches. The block by Mummy #1 can either end up as a push or as Beastman #3 getting knocked to the ground. If Beastman #3 is down then that’s one less dodge for Ghoul #3! Unfortunately the Samba Calculator does not let you compute using this type of branching system. We can still use the calculator to do the heavy lifting for us so we can get the answer we need!

When the 3D block is rolled you will have either a 70.3704% chance of rolling defender down / defender stumbles or a 25.9259% chance of rolling a push result. We have to take this into consideration for our final figures. The easiest way to do this is to allow Samba to figure out the probability of our two branches of events and then multiplying by the corresponding value of our block result. Since the probability for a no Team Reroll scenario is calculated by multiplication, we’re safe in skipping the 3D block when inputting the events into Samba. We’ll multiply that result with our known figures to probability for that particular branch of events.

Branch #1: Beastman knocked down. Ball carrier Ghoul does not have to dodge out

1st block 3D (pushes required)

2nd block 2D (pushes required)

3rd block 3D (do not input this block – we know the probability of rolling this is 70.3704%)

4th block 3D (pushes / defender down / defender stumbles)

Other player: Ballcarrier Ghoul

Go For It 2+

Dodge 5+ with dodge skill

Go For It 2+

Dodge 4+ with dodge skill

——————————————————————-

Samba Result without Team Reroll: 9.441%

Multiply by 70.3704%

Success Percent without Team Reroll: 6.643%

Branch #2: Ball carrier has to make a 3+ dodge.

1st block 3D (pushes required)

2nd block 2D (pushes required)

3rd block 3D (push result – do not input this block – we know probability = 25.9259%)

4th block 3D (pushes / defender down / defender stumbles)

Other player: Ballcarrier Ghoul

Dodge 3+ with dodge skill

Go For It 2+

Dodge 5+ with dodge skill

Go For It 2+

Dodge 4+ with dodge skill

——————————————————————-

Samba Result without Team Reroll: 7.262%

Multiply by 25.9259%

Success Percent without Team Reroll: 1.883%

Team Reroll Calculation

If we make the assumption that we only reroll our 3D block on a failure then we can approximate the probability of success using a Team Reroll. We simply plug in our 3rd block as a 3D Block (push / defender down / defender stumbles) and we ignore the NoReroll result from Samba. We do this for both scenarios so we can get a range. The true answer lies somewhere in between.

Branch #1: Beastman knocked down. Ball carrier Ghoul does not have to dodge out.

1st block 3D (pushes required)

2nd block 2D (pushes required)

3rd block 3D (pushes / defender down / defender stumbles)

4th block 3D (pushes / defender down / defender stumbles)

Other player: Ballcarrier Ghoul

Go For It 2+

Dodge 5+ with dodge skill

Go For It 2+

Dodge 4+ with dodge skill

——————————————————————-

Success Percent with Team Reroll: 20.928%

Branch #2: Ball carrier has to make a 3+ dodge.

1st block 3D (pushes required)

2nd block 2D (pushes required)

3rd block 3D (pushes / defender down / defender stumbles)

4th block 3D (pushes / defender down / defender stumbles)

Other player: Ballcarrier Ghoul

Dodge 3+ with dodge skill

Go For It 2+

Dodge 5+ with dodge skill

Go For It 2+

Dodge 4+ with dodge skill

——————————————————————-

Success Percent with Team Reroll: 17.043%

Total Probability: Add both non-reroll branches to get probability of success in either scenario.

Success Percent without Team Reroll: 6.643% + 1.883% = 8.526%

Success Percent with Team Reroll: In between 17.043% and 20.928%

If the sidestepping ghoul was AGI 4 these probabilities go up to:

Success Percent without Team Reroll: 15.009%

Success Percent with Team Reroll: 32.181% – 34.448%

View Muffin Thief's Solution

Muffin Thief from the Orca-Cola League found an incredibly optimized solution that requires 5 3D blocks and it makes the ball carrier an AGI+ ghoul.  Let’s see how he did it.

Move 1

 

Move 2: Use Grab

 

Move 3

 

Move 4

 

Move 5

 

Move 6

 

Move 7

 

Move 8

Let’s take a look at the numbers.

Branch #1: Beastman knocked down. Ball carrier Ghoul does not have to dodge out

1st block 3D (pushes required)

2nd block 3D (pushes required)

3rd block 3D (pushes required)

4th block 3D (pushes required)

5th block blitz 3D (do not input this block – we know the probability of rolling this is 70.3704%)

Other player: Ballcarrier Ghoul

Go For It 2+

Dodge 4+ with dodge skill

Go For It 2+

Dodge 3+ with dodge skill

——————————————————————-

Samba Result without Team Reroll: 10.407%

Multiply by 70.3704%

Success Percent without Team Reroll: 7.323%

Branch #2: Ball carrier has to make a 2+ dodge.

1st block 3D (pushes required)

2nd block 3D (pushes required)

3rd block 3D (pushes required)

4th block 3D (pushes required)

5th block blitz 3D (push result – do not input this block – we know probability = 25.9259%)

Other player: Ballcarrier Ghoul

Go For It 2+

Dodge 4+ with dodge skill

Go For It 2+

Dodge 3+ with dodge skill

——————————————————————-

Samba Result without Team Reroll: 9.461%

Multiply by 25.9259%

Success Percent without Team Reroll: 2.453%

Team Reroll Calculation

If we make the assumption that we only reroll our 3D block on a failure then we can approximate the probability of success using a Team Reroll. We simply plug in our 3rd block as a 3D Block (push / defender down / defender stumbles) and we ignore the NoReroll result from Samba. We do this for both scenarios so we can get a range. The true answer lies somewhere in between.  Let’s work on Branch #2 first.

Branch #2: Beastman pushed. Ball carrier Ghoul has to dodge out.

1st block 3D (pushes required)

2nd block 3D (pushes required)

3rd block 3D (pushes required)

4th block 3D (pushes required)

5th block blitz 3D (push / defender down / defender stumbles)

Other player: Ballcarrier Ghoul

Go For It 2+

Dodge 4+ with dodge skill

Go For It 2+

Dodge 3+ with dodge skill

——————————————————————-

Samba Result with Team Reroll: 24.674%

Branch #1: Beastman knocked over. Ball carrier Ghoul does not have to dodge out.

Press X on the 2+ Dodge in Samba.

Samba Result with Team Reroll: 26.521%

——————————————————————-
Total Probability: Add both no-reroll branches to get probability of success in either scenario.

Success Percent without Team Reroll: 7.323% + 2.453% = 9.776%

Success Percent with Team Reroll: In between 24.674% and 26.521%

My results:

Success Percent without Team Reroll: 6.643% + 1.883% = 8.526%

Success Percent with Team Reroll: In between 17.043% and 20.928%

 

A few notes to consider….

Muffin Thief elaborated on his solution.

Not counting ball handling (which is the hardest part of any non-elven/skaven 1ttd play), the odds of success are:  3d – 2 success, 3d – 2 success, 3d – 2 success, 3d – 2 success, (branching path at this point as it may eliminate a dodge)…

Branch 1:  3d – 2 success (a push), 2+,4+,3+ dodge (W/RR), 2+ GFI, 2+ GFI.

Branch 2:  3d – 2 success (a pow), 4+,3+ dodge (W/RR), 2+ GFI, 2+ GFI.

Note:  While not important in this example, as the ball scatters off the pitch, if the backfield ghoul that moves in for an assist in step 4 needs to pickup the ball and throw it forward, his spot can be replaced by Wight 6.  This adds a 3+ dodge and changes 2 blocks from 3d to 2d.

Congratulations Muffin Thief, you have been immortalized in the annals of BB Tactics.  Don’t let the fame get to you.

Post from: Blood Bowl Tactics

Test #007: Undead 1 TurnTD