Blood Bowl Chaos Edition

[Luzahn]

No Loners, but somehow he fit under it? The value might have been slightly higher, then, but not by much. I was still giving him some petty cash.

[SaruSama]

Can we set some sort of time limit matches need to be played by. We've been waiting for the first week to get done for a while now.

[Gnoman]

I'd prefer not to set a hard time limit.


However, your point is well taken. I suggest that the last two matches hurry up.

[MLai]

Question on Blocking/Blitzing:

Reading some random online Blood Bowl discussions, and I came across something I didn't know before...
A unit can declare blitz while lying on the ground, without use of any Skill?!?
So what the heck is the skill "Jump Up" for, if all units can blitz from the floor?
Is it because only "Jump Up" units can block from the floor?? Can that even be done? I have to try it when I get home.
Which button on the bottom right is the "block" declaration button?

[SaruSama]

Jump up gets rid of the movement penalty for standing up so it helps you get further.

[Wraith]

A unit can declare blitz while lying on the ground, without use of any Skill?!?
So what the heck is the skill "Jump Up" for, if all units can blitz from the floor?
Is it because only "Jump Up" units can block from the floor?? Can that even be done? I have to try it when I get home.
Which button on the bottom right is the "block" declaration button?

1) Standing up, whether you have Jump Up or not, counts as moving, so you can ONLY declare a Blitz from prone, never a Block. And yes, you do not require ANY skills to do this.

2) Nope - as Sarusama said, the Jump Up skill means that it only costs you 1 MA to stand up instead of the normal 3.

3) I don't know about the bottom buttons, but if you highlight a friendly player and press the 'B' key then you will engage Blitz Mode. It won't actually count as using your Blitz for the turn until you double-click on the victim though, so you can measure distances and see what Dice you'll get without penalty.

[Thufir]

2) Nope - as Sarusama said, the Jump Up skill means that it only costs you 1 MA to stand up instead of the normal 3.

No, Jump Up means it costs you no movement at all to stand up.

I don't know if there is a button for blocking, you just mouse over an adjacent enemy player, it'll show you the dice, and you right click a couple of times.
The Blitz button (for blitzing from a standing start) is the lightning bolt on the right hand side of the screen.
If you wanted a Block button for blocking after standing up with Jump Up (Which you can do if you succeed on an agility roll with a +2 modifier), you don't need one; if you click to try and block/blitz with a Jump Up player, the game will ask if you want to blitz or try to use Jump Up to block.

[shadow_archmagi]

Jump Up also allows you to block *without* blitzing, which is really nice. Equip a whole team with it, and you can all get knocked down, then knock the other team down right back!

[MLai]

Whew, for a moment there I thought I wasted my Black Ork's level-up.
I rolled a double for leveling up, and I thought long and hard... he so desperately needs that Block... but he'll probably never roll a double ever again... but what was I gonna do with the Agility category for a Black Ork?

Jump Up looked good precisely because it means I can sproing off the ground like Bruce Lee and get on with hitting people.

[shadow_archmagi]

Also, Jump Up says you get a block for free if you make an agi+2 roll. That means you're going on 2+ as long as you've got an Agility of more than 2, right?

[Winters Heart]

3+ with Agi 2, as picking the ball up gives a +1, and still requires a 4!

[MLai]

Question on the skill "Diving Tackle":

Reading the manual, this sounds like a terrible skill. DT leaves my unit lying face prone on the ground, just to make the dodger's dodge roll harder. But so what if he fails that roll? He could still use his Dodge skill to reroll! So why would I take this skill over plain Tackle?

But reading other forums, it sounds like DT is great for marking enemy ballcarriers. Why is it great? I can only imagine it makes both the first dodge roll AND the dodge skill reroll harder by -2? Does anyone know?

[shadow_archmagi]

Question on the skill "Diving Tackle":

Reading the manual, this sounds like a terrible skill. DT leaves my unit lying face prone on the ground, just to make the dodger's dodge roll harder. But so what if he fails that roll? He could still use his Dodge skill to reroll! So why would I take this skill over plain Tackle?

But reading other forums, it sounds like DT is great for marking enemy ballcarriers. Why is it great? I can only imagine it makes both the first dodge roll AND the dodge skill reroll harder by -2? Does anyone know?

Well, I assume you take it after you've already taken Tackle (or in conjunction with a tackler)

[Thufir]

Also, y'know, not everyone has Dodge. And -2 is kind of a big deal.

[BobVosh]

Also, y'know, not everyone has Dodge.

It feels like it at times. Bloody elves.

Just got this game, really enjoying it. Skaven was my arbitrary decision, seem pretty strong.

That said is there a strategy to avoid how annoying wild animal is? I had a problem where the rat ogre took down the ball carrier and actually managed to pick up the ball. Then 4 rounds later still had it due to wild animal preventing it from handing it off. I was seriously thinking just trying to blitz through tackle zones to fail dodge rolls to get rid of it. Ended up tying because of that.

[Thufir]

That said is there a strategy to avoid how annoying wild animal is? I had a problem where the rat ogre took down the ball carrier and actually managed to pick up the ball. Then 4 rounds later still had it due to wild animal preventing it from handing it off. I was seriously thinking just trying to blitz through tackle zones to fail dodge rolls to get rid of it. Ended up tying because of that.

My suggestion would be to try and avoid picking up the ball with a Big Guy.
If you do get the ball on a Big Guy, either try to hand it off or in the case of a Wild Animal you may want to try blitzing your way up the pitch. It can work! Sometimes. Not so reliable though.

[BobVosh]

The ball didn't move when I nailed the carrier, and frenzy put the ogre in the square. I didn't want to, but it made me.

[Luzahn]

Yeah, a Wild Animal fails their action 50% of the time if that action does not involve hitting. Blitzing likely would have been your best bet there.

In another league I've got a Norse team with Werewolves that apparently really love the ball. One has an interception, and regularly picks up the ball after a frenzy. In multiple tackle zones.

It's becoming a problem.

On the subject of diving tackle, I could see that being really nice on a Jump Up player.

[MLai]

Also, y'know, not everyone has Dodge. And -2 is kind of a big deal.

The only enemy players that you end up marking all the time, are the low-STR high-AGI ones that often come with Dodge (often an elf).
For them, Tackle is utilized both for marking, and for blocking.
Diving Tackle is only used for marking, and leaves your player prone for trying. So it needs to be much better than Tackle for marking.
So if it only modifies -2 for the first dodge roll, but doesn't affect the Dodge skill re-roll, then it's essentially useless compared to Tackle.
That's why I'm asking whether it causes -2 on all dodge rolls/re-rolls.

[Shishnarfne]

Question on the skill "Diving Tackle":

Reading the manual, this sounds like a terrible skill. DT leaves my unit lying face prone on the ground, just to make the dodger's dodge roll harder. But so what if he fails that roll? He could still use his Dodge skill to reroll! So why would I take this skill over plain Tackle?

But reading other forums, it sounds like DT is great for marking enemy ballcarriers. Why is it great? I can only imagine it makes both the first dodge roll AND the dodge skill reroll harder by -2? Does anyone know?

It makes both the Dodge roll and the re-roll attempt (whether by the Dodge skill or a team re-roll or Pro) suffer the -2 penalty. The decision to use Diving Tackle is made after the dodge roll has been made, so it's only worth using when it changes a successful dodge into an unsuccessful one, when it must be re-rolled (at the -2 penalty) to avoid a turnover (and armor roll).
Since any action can only be re-rolled once (even with multiple sources of re-rolls available), if the action has already been re-rolled, it cannot be re-rolled again.

Also, on a 6-sided die, -2 is a pretty big modifier.

[MLai]

It makes both the Dodge roll and the re-roll attempt (whether by the Dodge skill or a team re-roll or Pro) suffer the -2 penalty. The decision to use Diving Tackle is made after the dodge roll has been made, so it's only worth using when it changes a successful dodge into an unsuccessful one, when it must be re-rolled (at the -2 penalty) to avoid a turnover (and armor roll).
Since any action can only be re-rolled once (even with multiple sources of re-rolls available), if the action has already been re-rolled, it cannot be re-rolled again..

Okay, now that it's clarified, Diving Tackle sounds fantastic. It's going to my Blitzers at the next level up.

[MLai]

Burning question about unexplained phenomenon in Chaos Edition:

I'm trying out a Khemri (mummies) team in campaign mode.

During the AI's turn in the game, my Thro-Ra (comes with Regeneration) gets knocked down and injured. A lot of background calculations happen very fast and I didn't get a chance to read the the dice log before it scrolls off; the AI was making its moves fast. The player is sent off to the side as Badly Hurt. I did not press anything. I certainly was never asked whether I wanted to use my Apoth/Necromancer.

Then I noticed my Apoth/Necromancer count went from 1 to 0. WTF? Why was it automatically used up? I was never asked anything. I have always been asked "Do you want to use Apoth?" when playing teams with living players.

Cue moment of rage when later on in the game my level 2 Tomb Guardian died. He had enough SPP to level up to 3, even.

Is this a bug involving the Necromancer (apoth for undead teams)? Anyone who plays teams with undead players ever experience this?

[Thufir]

Burning question about unexplained phenomenon in Chaos Edition:

I'm trying out a Khemri (mummies) team in campaign mode.

During the AI's turn in the game, my Thro-Ra (comes with Regeneration) gets knocked down and injured. A lot of background calculations happen very fast and I didn't get a chance to read the the dice log before it scrolls off; the AI was making its moves fast. The player is sent off to the side as Badly Hurt. I did not press anything. I certainly was never asked whether I wanted to use my Apoth/Necromancer.

Then I noticed my Apoth/Necromancer count went from 1 to 0. WTF? Why was it automatically used up? I was never asked anything. I have always been asked "Do you want to use Apoth?" when playing teams with living players.

Cue moment of rage when later on in the game my level 2 Tomb Guardian died. He had enough SPP to level up to 3, even.

Is this a bug involving the Necromancer (apoth for undead teams)? Anyone who plays teams with undead players ever experience this?

Khemri (And Necromantic, and Undead) don't get an Apothecary. They automatically get a Necromancer, which doesn't do the same thing at all. The Necromancer means that if you kill an enemy player (with ST<4 and without Regeneration or Stunty), you can add them to your roster as a Zombie, or in the case of Khemri, a Skeleton.
Your only means of healing injuries on your players is the fact that they all have Regeneration. On the plus side, they all have Regeneration, and you never have to make difficult decisions about whether or not to use your Apothecary in a given situation.


ION, I made another video. Finally into Season 2! I'll catch up eventually...

And on the subject of catching up, what the hell is up with the two matches which still haven't been played? Winter's Heart, Octopus Jack, Continued Life and Sir Mopalot, what are you doing? Please play the games.

[MLai]

Khemri (And Necromantic, and Undead) don't get an Apothecary. They automatically get a Necromancer, which doesn't do the same thing at all. The Necromancer means that if you kill an enemy player (with ST<4 and without Regeneration or Stunty), you can add them to your roster as a Zombie, or in the case of Khemri, a Skeleton.

Okay I understand the problem now. I didn't know that undead teams never have an Apoth equivalent except for the temporary Igors you buy with inducement money. I thought the "Necromancer" is an Apoth equivalent, but he's different.

I do remember killing AI linemen, but I never see an additional skeleton joining my team? Do I have to remember to look in the "Purchase Players" after the match? Or does the game actively ask me if I want to raise a dead body?

[Brother Oni]

And on the subject of catching up, what the hell is up with the two matches which still haven't been played? Winter's Heart, Octopus Jack, Continued Life and Sir Mopalot, what are you doing? Please play the games.

Judging from the news reports, weather maybe?

At least the 6 Nations starts today, so we can get our fix of men bashing each other over an inflated pigskin bladder.

[Winters Heart]

Been trying but Octopus Jack seems retardedly busy recently, every time I mention bloodbowl there seems to be somewhere he has to be/something he has to do within the next half hour or so.

[Thufir]

I do remember killing AI linemen, but I never see an additional skeleton joining my team? Do I have to remember to look in the "Purchase Players" after the match? Or does the game actively ask me if I want to raise a dead body?

It should ask you after the game if you want to hire the guy, same as it does with the automatic journeymen it gives you when you have less than 11 players for a match.

Edit @^: You could pick a time in advance rather than just trying to spring it on him? I mean, I am a fan of spontaneity, but sometimes scheduling is kind of useful.

[MLai]

At least the 6 Nations starts today, so we can get our fix of men bashing each other over an inflated pigskin bladder.

I just saw a little bit of professional rugby for the first time. Because y'know, not in the USA right now so I actually get exposed to it on TV.

OMFG, that is a game? How do those players live longer than one season? No helmets, no pads of any kind, full contact... and the thing that got me the most was, the ball is still in play even if it touches the ground. Every time someone got tackled he just tosses the ball back to a mate; there are no downs, the game just went on forever!

This rugby game is crazy!! Feels urge to play more Blood Bowl.

[Wraith]

The biggest difference is that high tackles (above the waist) aren't legal in Rugby, whereas in NAF they kinda need the pads and helmets for when a 350lb Quarterback comes in at throat height.

The game makes much more sense when you realise that one false move just gets you roughly knocked to the ground and someone is lying on top of you, rather than decapitated.

[Science Officer]

ION, I made another video. Finally into Season 2! I'll catch up eventually...

I went back and watched parts of our match from season one. Was... amusing. Lots of "I don't know why he's doing this" and "That doesn't make very much sense". Most of my play style is formed from senseless aggression and mis-understanding the blocking mechanics (though less of the latter recently).

Speaking of not-quite-bloodbowl there is this. Really impressive the level of customization in terms of appearance and capabilities. If anything, that's what a real-time Blood Bowl should be like imo, Madden with non-human and super-natural players.