Blood Bowl ITP III: Where You Either Win or Blame Nuffle... Sometimes Both

[Wraith]

I have applied to join the KO Cup with an Amazon team, who have kept the name of The Band That Feeds from my previous and deservedly executed sadly disbanded High Elves. Please, Nuffle; just keep me the hell away from the Golddiggers for one match and I won't have to find and stab you. That's all I have to ask.

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Re: Rookie League
I know that Devmaar is on holiday and will be back to play in a few days. I have seen Unpronounceable posting to find Luzahn, who in turn has been offline for 12 days so I'm going to guess that he has some AFK business to be attending to. That leaves Ivellius and Froish - have either of you guys managed to find each other, or is it going to be a draw... or even a forfeit?

[Qwaz]

Think im gonna give this KO-cup a miss. Few things on the go atm.

[Unpronounceable]

I have applied to join the KO Cup with an Amazon team, who have kept the name of The Band That Feeds from my previous and deservedly executed sadly disbanded High Elves. Please, Nuffle; just keep me the hell away from the Golddiggers for one match and I won't have to find and stab you. That's all I have to ask.

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Re: Rookie League
I know that Devmaar is on holiday and will be back to play in a few days. I have seen Unpronounceable posting to find Luzahn, who in turn has been offline for 12 days so I'm going to guess that he has some AFK business to be attending to. That leaves Ivellius and Froish - have either of you guys managed to find each other, or is it going to be a draw... or even a forfeit?

I'll tell the boys to go easy on you but they don't tend to listen when they've been drinking, which is all the time....

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Bit early to be talking forfeits yet as we have a whole week to go?

[Wraith]

I'm not trying to victimise or anything so crude, but it's a fact that Ivellius has missed two games in a row. If we have no indication at all that they will attend a third, and it's the only game outstanding, then I'm open to the idea of rolling the day on sooner rather than later.

This may or may not have anything to do with the fact that I played both of my matches on Day 1 of 18, and now have to tolerate what seems like an endless stream of matchmade 40 second turn games that my opponent bails out of as soon as I roll two good dice in a row in the meantime.....

[Shishnarfne]

I'm not trying to victimise or anything so crude, but it's a fact that Ivellius has missed two games in a row. If we have no indication at all that they will attend a third, and it's the only game outstanding, then I'm open to the idea of rolling the day on sooner rather than later.

This may or may not have anything to do with the fact that I played both of my matches on Day 1 of 18, and now have to tolerate what seems like an endless stream of matchmade 40 second turn games that my opponent bails out of as soon as I roll two good dice in a row in the meantime.....

Wait, you're getting stuck in 40 second turns in matchmaking? If you check/uncheck some teams before you "spin" (start looking for a match), the game should let you set a minimum and maximum time limit (so you can avoid 40 second turns or limit yourself to just playing 40 second turns).

Spoiler: Tin-foil hat time

Show

I suspect some people in matchmaking leagues of deliberately setting so that they can only play 40 second turns, while having a "friend" queue at the same time with a similar restriction... and a 16 snotling team.

Of course, 40 second turns makes for an interesting change of pace (can't think, have to move!).

[Wraith]

Turns out, I'm not actually all that bad at it - I think I'm currently something like 4-2-2 over the whole weekend, so it's not as though this is an attempt at sour grapes.

The thing is, while I'm not inherently against 40 second turns (I like them enough that I don't mind deliberately leaving the box checked, since it seems to dramatically increase the odds of me getting a game - ANY game - in under 10 minutes of spinning) it's the combination that's annoying. It's become perfectly clear to me that quite a lot of people are starting 40-second-turn games with the sole intent of rushing a quick touchdown and then stalling the next 12 turns, just so that they game doesn't take as long to get them the MVP SPP.

And if the game goes even remotely below-average, they Alt+Tab out instead of an honourable forfeit, just in the vague hope that I will lose patience, abandon, and award THEM the forfeit. THIS has happened at least 3 times in 8 or 9 matches; I had one guy crash out of the game in turn 3 because I had badly injured one of his Nurgle Rotters - just Badly Injured, on a 0SPP player - when it took my Blitz to do it and he still had 3 Warriors surrounding his ball carrier.

I've played 40 seconds and lost badly and I've had a team crippled beyond hope of repair. I've never insulted someone by wasting their time and making them watch a clock run down, just out of spite. Play properly or not at all, is all I ask.

[Neon Knight]

Gnoman, I still haven't heard back from you about our Standard League match. When can you play?

[Silfir]

One might say that if you pre-select your pool of opponents by putting in the smallest amount of thinking-time allowed, you can't exactly expect to play against people that enjoy thinking.



Ultimately this kind of thing is why I've never played online Blood Bowl outside of an organized online community; it's been either the GitP community or the bbtactics one. At worst, players lose interest in the game and become sort of silently inactive, but I've never encountered gamesmanship or any kind of malice.

Public matchmaking on the internet always has the potential to devolve into a horror show of human interaction, and I'm not the type that can weather that without it wearing me down. It's about 95% of the reasons I don't play LoL anymore.

I can play online chess, but very specifically 5 min Blitz chess; slow enough to still be a thinking game (that allows for calculating the odd combination or evaluating positions), but fast enough that you're rid of an unpleasant opponent within ten minutes at most. (Stalling is more or less ineffective completely; online chess is played in a browser and when a move is made a sound is played, meaning you can easily open another tab and do some light reading while waiting for the opponent to respond.) I despise bullet chess and similarly I would despise 40 sec/turn Blood Bowl. And in the case of Blood Bowl even that time limit is still not effective at making stalling douchebaggery ineffective.

The only way I would play in Naggaroth or the Auld World is if I were streaming the game and had a chill audience I could chat with while my opponents are being horrid. Alone, I simply could not stand it.

[Wraith]

I don't disagree with any of the above.

There is a silver lining, however. I find that 40 second turns makes you practice the fundamental basics of that game very quickly, because there generally isn't much time for anything else. As such I think I've gradually gotten better at spotting where good assists should go, where Pushes need to end up, and generally following my opponents' train of thought as I watch them play rather than zoning out, waiting for my turn to come back around and then studying the board.

I've also found that there tends to be a greater variety of teams being played, probably because it seems to be people trying out new teams that they don't mind throwing away when things go bad for them. Rookie League and our own very brave Shishnarfne aside, I can't remember the last time I saw someone seriously playing an Ogre team, for example, but there they are. Goblins, Underworld, Necromantic.... It's honestly quite refreshing.

[Gnoman]

Gnoman, I still haven't heard back from you about our Standard League match. When can you play?

You haven't heard from me because I am busy. When I am not busy I will let you know.

[Neon Knight]

You haven't heard from me because I am busy. When I am not busy I will let you know.

Okey-dokey. Thank you for the reply, sir, and best of luck with your burdens.

[Shishnarfne]

The Vampires of Barovia World Tour scored a 2-1 victory over the Human Imperial Space Corps to keep pace for the playoffs (can you believe that they're just over two matches away?).

After kicking to start the game, the Vampires were able to pressure the Humans but not stop them, scoring a kill on their +AG thrower before a Blitzer picked up the loose ball to gain a 1-0 lead on turn 4.

The Vampires were able to, despite a certain amount of difficulty, even the score just before the ref sounded the whistle for halftime (and after he'd sent off a Human player for stepping on a Vampire).

The larger bench (full of Thralls) allowed Barovia World Tour to take a numerical edge into the second half, which helped to make the game 2-1 on turn 13. The crowd, deciding that having 4 turns to score would be "too easy" for the Imperial Space Corps, rioted before the kickoff, running down the clock. With superior numbers, the Vampires were able to squash any scoring threats to secure the win.

[Unpronounceable]

Ah good, luzahn is around again then?

Hey luzahn are you around thus weekend for our game?

Should be online for most of it.

[Devmaar]

Alright, I'm back.

@Careem Soda, you free to play tomorrow, I'm really tired today.

Am I too late to apply for the ko cup?

[Manticoran]

Is the KO cup the one we were talking about w/ the slightly more than Rookie teams?

I was interested in that, but lost internet for just over a week so missed some stuff.

[Wraith]

There are currently only 3 teams in the KO Cup, so plenty of room for more.

And yes, Manticoran; teams of up to 1300TV, and preferably without shinnanigans (ie, signing up as 1300TV and then immediately buying two extra rerolls before the first match, etc)

[Devmaar]

Alright, I've sacked a lineman from my Naggoroth Orc team and applied

(I still have 12 players, the sacking was so my injured +ag lineman coming back in my second match wouldn't put me over. I also don't have significant cash reserves on that team.)

[Thufir]

I was originally planning on starting the KO cup this weekend probably, but then I remembered I'm super busy all next week so I may leeave it a little longer. Still, you should be getting your teams in pretty sharpish at this point.

[Qwaz]

GitP Blood Bowl Standard League

Season 5, Week 11
Current Week's Deadline: 07 Aug 15

any word on 99 Ways to Die (Neon Knight) vs. Destroyer of Worlds (Gnoman)?

Last we heard was Gnoman's response to Neon looking to play...

You haven't heard from me because I am busy. When I am not busy I will let you know.

...which suggests it should be declared 2-0 to Neon Knight when the week rolls on. If there's part of the story we're missing though now would be a good time to shout up cos it's deadline day.

[careem soda]

Alright, I'm back.

@Careem Soda, you free to play tomorrow, I'm really tired today.

Am I too late to apply for the ko cup?

Hey Devmaar, I am available starting now, until I fall asleep in about 6 hours. I will be available all weekend as well.

[Devmaar]

Hey Devmaar, I am available starting now, until I fall asleep in about 6 hours. I will be available all weekend as well.

You posted this around 2 am my time, which is not doable for me. If you can be available 2-3 hours earlier tonight, tomorrow or Monday I can make it happen.

[careem soda]

You posted this around 2 am my time, which is not doable for me. If you can be available 2-3 hours earlier tonight, tomorrow or Monday I can make it happen.

Cool, I'll be there.

[Devmaar]

Champions of Dread 2-0 A Communist Party

Not an exciting game, CoD were without Bull Centaurs or Minotaur and merely trudged their way up the pitch. ACP meanwhile were hindered first by Cyanide forcing Careem Soda to pick the ball up with a zombie, and later by Nuffle deciding that the Werewolf should never succeed an Ag roll...

[Wraith]

With which, the Champions of Dread rocket up three places into 6th in the League, once again putting the Chaos Dwarfs within long, but optimistic reach of the playoffs. Hopefully some of those level ups will go some way towards accounting for your horribly crippled Centaur

That leaves Warpstoners vs. Black Ribbons and the Storytime Crew vs. Klepto'backs still to go. Whereas I have heard from Unpronounceable, no one else has said a word even though I've seen them logged into Steam. Am I going to be assigning two unplayed games when I get up tomorrow, or have there been last minute plans made over the weekend?

[LCP]

any word on 99 Ways to Die (Neon Knight) vs. Destroyer of Worlds (Gnoman)?

Last we heard was Gnoman's response to Neon looking to play...



...which suggests it should be declared 2-0 to Neon Knight when the week rolls on. If there's part of the story we're missing though now would be a good time to shout up cos it's deadline day.

We're two days past the deadline now. Certainly looks like a forfeit in NK's favour to me.

[Unpronounceable]

With which, the Champions of Dread rocket up three places into 6th in the League, once again putting the Chaos Dwarfs within long, but optimistic reach of the playoffs. Hopefully some of those level ups will go some way towards accounting for your horribly crippled Centaur

That leaves Warpstoners vs. Black Ribbons and the Storytime Crew vs. Klepto'backs still to go. Whereas I have heard from Unpronounceable, no one else has said a word even though I've seen them logged into Steam. Am I going to be assigning two unplayed games when I get up tomorrow, or have there been last minute plans made over the weekend?

Game on between the rats and Leeches in approximately... now.

[Neon Knight]

We're two days past the deadline now. Certainly looks like a forfeit in NK's favour to me.

For my part, I contacted one of the commissioners on the day of the due date and let them know the situation; I haven't heard anything from them since then.

[Manticoran]

Submitted my ChD to the KO Cup.

[careem soda]

I'll be submitting a Lizardmen team to the KO Cup shortly.

[Unpronounceable]

Black Ribboners 1-1 Wymbildon Warpstoners

The Rats managed to snatch victory consolation from the jaws of defeat in the dying turns of the match.

The match started with the Rats kicking and was rather uneventful. I did my best to stall the vampires/break into the cage but too much Str 4 vs my str 2 didn't make it easy. Also Luzahns Agi4 dodge pieces meant he could rearrange the cage easily. The ref decided to take a dislike to the underworld goblins and sent off 2 of them for only 3 fouls, neither of which caused any injuries. By turn 7 enough of the rats were Ko'd that I gave up trying to stall and let luzahn stall and score in turn 8.

Setting up for a 1TTTMTD attempt the kick-off table turned up a blitz, but an uneventful one as all the Blackribboners were on the touchline to stop the TTMTD. In the end it failed as Uncle bulgaria decided to try and eat the goblin he was meant to be throwing.

Setting up to receive in the second half, another Blitz event came up, this one was much more annoying as the Ribboners managed to get a vampire next to the ball landing spot. Several turns of pushing and shoving ensued with a scrum developing on the sidelines about halfway into the Warpstoner's half. The ball changed hands several times before bouncing out, and being thrown onto the Warpstoners touchine. A Skaven thrower managed to recover the ball but he had 2 vampires nearby.

Sure enough one of the Vampires blitzed, 2-dice. Double skulls, no reroll it having been spent on a bloodlust roll, and to top it off the vampire was Ko'd. Rejuvinated by the sudden fortune the warpstoners managed to KO 2 more vampires and crowd surf the last one, leaving 6 thralls against the entire underworld team. Sure enough, the thrower ran the length of the pitch in the remaining 3 turns and scored the equalizer with all thralls on the floor.

Turn 16 saw another Blitz event (3 for the game but at least this one was in my favour) a few blocks and then time.

Thanks for the Game Luzahn it was good comedy fun.