The great BLOOD BOWL thread

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High Elves incoming? The clues are there.

 

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@ChapterAquila92 @Bowser , between chainsaw guys, bombers and ball & chain guys, who do you like and why? Who of the group is the best and who is the worst?

 

[ChapterAquila92]

@ChapterAquila92 @Bowser , between chainsaw guys, bombers and ball & chain guys, who do you like and why? Who of the group is the best and who is the worst?

Each has their respective niche, really.

Chainsaw guys get around needing to roll block dice to go straight toward breaking armour, so they're more a blitzer you use to go after big guys and anyone with a naturally high armour save. Caution to be exercised against those with Iron Hard Skin though.

Bombers are crowd control and auxiliary throwers, best used to break up cages and scrimmage lines when not throwing a ball.

Ball & chain guys are functionally high-strength blockers with Frenzy that can strike as many times as they have movement, their only major limitations being that they can only move in the randomly determined direction within a "cone" of travel, and can never blitz.

 

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Each has their respective niche, really.

Chainsaw guys get around needing to roll block dice to go straight toward breaking armour, so they're more a blitzer you use to go after big guys and anyone with a naturally high armour save. Caution to be exercised against those with Iron Hard Skin though.

Bombers are crowd control and auxiliary throwers, best used to break up cages and scrimmage lines when not throwing a ball.

Ball & chain guys are functionally high-strength blockers with Frenzy that can strike as many times as they have movement, their only major limitations being that they can only move in the randomly determined direction within a "cone" of travel, and can never blitz.

Are there any of the three that you are more hesitant to face with your team? Perhaps one that has caused greater trouble in the past? And would such a choice be dependent on the team you are fielding?

 

[ChapterAquila92]

Are there any of the three that you are more hesitant to face with your team? Perhaps one that has caused greater trouble in the past? And would such a choice be dependent on the team you are fielding?

Having faced all three (courtesy of a local Goblin team), the one thing I will say is that you learn what they don't do well against, and play accordingly:

Chainsaw guys are aggressive, but they often can't take a hit themselves.

Ball & Chain is hampered by random movement and often have low movement - the easiest (and best) way to deal with them is simply to keep away.

Bombardiers are liable to be a persistent threat while on the board, but between their short range, tendency to scatter, and the possibility that the target can catch and throw the bomb back, they're also liable to be as much of a hindrance to the bomber's team as they are to the target's.

Ultimately though, all three are typically on players with the Secret Weapon trait - just by ignoring them and playing for the touchdown, each such player still on the board by the end of the drive has an 83% chance of being ejected from the game, not only denying your opponent their utility but also cutting into their reserve pool without you having to put them in the casualty box. Conversely, the player using the secret weapons is incentivized to keep the drive going as long as possible to make the most out of them (or hope that they've gotten enough inducements to bribe the ref).

 

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Chainsaw guys are aggressive, but they often can't take a hit themselves.

Ball & Chain is hampered by random movement and often have low movement - the easiest (and best) way to deal with them is simply to keep away.

Bombardiers are liable to be a persistent threat while on the board, but between their short range, tendency to scatter, and the possibility that the target can catch and throw the bomb back, they're also liable to be as much of a hindrance to the bomber's team as they are to the target's.

Those are useful counterstrategies! Great strengths balanced by inherent weaknesses.

Ultimately though, all three are typically on players with the Secret Weapon trait - just by ignoring them and playing for the touchdown, each such player still on the board by the end of the drive has an 83% chance of being ejected from the game, not only denying your opponent their utility but also cutting into their reserve pool without you having to put them in the casualty box. Conversely, the player using the secret weapons is incentivized to keep the drive going as long as possible to make the most out of them (or hope that they've gotten enough inducements to bribe the ref).

That's a good point. Can they rack up enough damage in a drive to justify their position on the team.

Ball & chain guys are functionally high-strength blockers with Frenzy that can strike as many times as they have movement, their only major limitations being that they can only move in the randomly determined direction within a "cone" of travel, and can never blitz.

Would they not automatically "blitz" / block if they come into contact with a player through their random movement?

 

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High Elves incoming? The clues are there.

 

[ChapterAquila92]

Would they not automatically "blitz" / block if they come into contact with a player through their random movement?

In the instances that the scatter does put them into a player, yes. It in fact sets B&C guys apart from nearly every other Secret Weapon player: they don't need the Violent Innovator skill to score SPP from causing casualties.

 

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In the instances that the scatter does put them into a player, yes. It in fact sets B&C guys apart from nearly every other Secret Weapon player: they don't need the Violent Innovator skill to score SPP from causing casualties.

That I did not know. That's a pretty good advantage over the other Secret Weapon players. Does that mean that the rest of the secret weapon players don't level up too often?

 

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[ChapterAquila92]

That I did not know. That's a pretty good advantage over the other Secret Weapon players. Does that mean that the rest of the secret weapon players don't level up too often?

Levelling up other Secret Weapon players can indeed be tricky. If they also have the No Hands trait in particular, then their only way of scoring SPP is through inflicting casualties, which we've already gone over.

Chainsaw guys have it the hardest purely because they cannot do normal block actions of their own, meaning that the only way they can get SPP from casualties without Violent Innovator is if someone blocks or blitzes them and gets knocked down in the process for their troubles. With that said, chainsaw guys are also one of the few kinds of players in the game that you don't really need to invest SPP with - their prime benefit is just being there with a chainsaw.

Bombardiers on the other hand have quite a bit to gain from advancing, especially where their ability to pass is concerned, and the vast majority (if not all) of them are capable of doing things other than throwing bombs. It does mean however that the first few games will be spent getting SPP on them rather than using them for their primary purpose if you want to go that route.

 

[Imrahil]

View attachment 169911
View attachment 169912

Wow! That's a whole different level of painting
Those eyes seem to be laser focused on the fouls committed

Grrr, !mrahil

 

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Levelling up other Secret Weapon players can indeed be tricky. If they also have the No Hands trait in particular, then their only way of scoring SPP is through inflicting casualties, which we've already gone over.

They could still potentially get MVP SSPs as well, right? But as you said, they don't really need SSPs, so that would be a big waste.

Bombardiers on the other hand have quite a bit to gain from advancing, especially where their ability to pass is concerned, and the vast majority (if not all) of them are capable of doing things other than throwing bombs. It does mean however that the first few games will be spent getting SPP on them rather than using them for their primary purpose if you want to go that route.

Would the top priority be to give them Violent Innovator so they can start accruing SSPs more easily? Or is it better to give them pass as soon as possible so that they are more effective right away? Besides pass, how many other skills are useful for them?

Wow! That's a whole different level of painting
Those eyes seem to be laser focused on the fouls committed

Grrr, !mrahil

I wish I could paint like that. Stunning.

 

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[ChapterAquila92]

They could still potentially get MVP SSPs as well, right? But as you said, they don't really need SSPs, so that would be a big waste.

MVP is also a source of SPP, though regardless of whether you commit to the random d16 roll or some other means it's not always going to be consistent enough to rely on.

You also have to consider that on average they'll be up for all of one drive that game, short of your opponent making the mistake of pushing them off the pitch or knocking them out. That in itself needs to be factored into whether it's that important to give them SPP over a player who's likely to be available for the entire game.

Would the top priority be to give them Violent Innovator so they can start accruing SSPs more easily? Or is it better to give them pass as soon as possible so that they are more effective right away? Besides pass, how many other skills are useful for them?

I'd sooner increase their Pass attribute, really, followed by giving them the Pass skill. That way you can use them as an auxiliary ball thrower (which while it only nets you 1 SPP per successful pass is far better odds of success than trying to fish for casualties). Having said that, I'd need to have the book in front of me to adequately make that judgment, as I'm currently on vacation a continent away from mine.

That's also provided the player can take Passing skills, so if not, then yeah, stick to Violent Innovator and build from there.

 

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