Let's Play Blood Bowl AGAIN - Skaven Team

[Fafnir]

Skaven? I approve.

 

[Ogg]

It seems that Bloodbowl is now the most LPed game on the Codex. It's all good for me since I find those threads quite entertaining (despite my already spending too much on the game for real).

 

[Silellak]

Finished the third match, write up coming shortly!

It seems that Bloodbowl is now the most LPed game on the Codex. It's all good for me since I find those threads quite entertaining (despite my already spending too much on the game for real).

Well, it's a fun, easy game to LP. I was considering doing an LP of a Malkavian Bloodlines playthrough, but keeping track of all the dialog seems like a ridiculous amount of work that I don't have time for.

 

[Silellak]

Game 3 vs. the Skaven!

Here are our opponents. Notice the highlighted player? He is a Gutter Runner. Now, look at his Skills Gained. Break Tackle. What does Break Tackle do? Let you use strength instead of agility when making a job. A decent skill...unless you have 4 agility and 2 strength, at which point taking it becomes retarded. Nice job, AI team.

Anyway, clearly this is my first Skaven vs. Skaven. Going in, I am a bit worried about this match - with two fast teams, I think it'll be a relatively high scoring match that could easily go to either team. I usually suck against the Skaven, and now that I've been playing as them for two games...I have no reason to think I don't still suck. My Dwarven strategy is "pound them into the ground before they get too many points", but I don't see that working for me since I'm just as fragile as they are.

Do I have reason to be worried? We'll see.

Spoiler

Fuck yes I do, and then some.

They have a bit more value than me, so I get a whopping 20k in inducements. I immediately use this to buy...jack fucking shit.

No choice here, I have to kick. I go for a Wall defense, figuring if I manage to knock the ball loose, it's a quick run to the opponent's end-zone. Apparently, the AI agrees.

You may notice something different about this screenshot, and eventually ask yourself that question that all Codexers find themselves asking early on in any Bioware-related thread...where's Volourn?

Apparently, his -1 movement injury also took him out for the next game. Whoops. Instead, we get some randomly assigned douche named Cryut. Spoiler: he will be entirely irrelevant to the outcome of the match.

First block leads to a KO on their side. Things are looking up already!

I pound the Gutter Runner who snuck over to my side for another KO. Hell yeah.

They respond by sending Kingcomrade to the sideline. YOU WILL BE AVENGED.

They break deep into my territory, but I cut them off and box them in. Where the fuck do you think you're going?

Oh. Good answer. Well, shit. I still have 4 turns this half to score, and next half I start with the ball. No sweat.

DU, you sad, sad fuck. You have a skill designed to help you do something as simple as "pick up the ball", and still it slips from your fingers like a greased-up Witcher fanboy. This is bad, since it was my first move of the turn and results in a turn-over, essentially giving the AI a free turn to tear down my defenses.

A Gutter Runner sweeps across the field and does that very basic thing which DU could not.

VD "persuades" him to relinquish the ball and sets up for a pass. You can't see well in that screen, but it's a 4+ roll, meaning I have to roll a 4 or higher. VD is a Thrower and has the Pass skill, so he can re-roll any failed pass. This gives me a 75% chance of making the pass. So, of course...

I fumble the fucking thing and the AI again sweeps it up, even CLOSER to my goal line. It's fine though, this is the last turn of the half, I'm sure I can...

...cry myself to sleep tonight.

We start off the second half with a bang. DU manages to pick up the ball this time, but after struggling so long on his first attempt, he is hesitant to get rid of it and decides instead to fumble a 75%-chance pass.

Kingcomrade recovers, and I begin to form my wall...

...which is quickly Blitz'd around, resulting in a "Both Down". Another loose ball.

DU recovers, but is trapped behind his wall with no open receivers.

Getting desperate, I consider a 6+ pass to Skyway, but go for something more reliable...

...like another 4+ pass that DU manages to fumble. Again.

The loose ball changes hands a few more times, but eventually the AI grabs hold and breaks left.

We pursue. But, with 2 turns left in the game, there's not really much for me to do but settle for my inevitable defeat. At least no one's gotten badly hur--

--oh good, some salt for my fresh wound.

Luckily, my best strategy so far seems to have been "Listen to Brother None". [Intelligence] The apothecary continues to pay for itself.

Frustrated at their inability to murder my players, they settle instead for murdering my self esteem.

The kick-off event allows me to place any one player under the ball. DU, having fumbled two passes and even managed to fail at picking up the ball, sits on the side while I send VD after it. I'm right on the line of scrimmage, so if I can sneak someone by, I just might be able to score once.

VD sneaks past the line of scrimmage, and Kingcomrade goes "deep"...ish. I still can't figure out why such a short pass has only a 50% chance of even launching correctly, much less getting caught.

The catch is made! I'm a few spaces from the goal-line during my first turn of possession. An amazing, all-star-level play!...that really would've been useful about 6 turns ago.

Kingcomrade brings it home! I am at least spared the shame of a 3-0 loss. Overall, while I definitely could've played better, but this was one of those matches where I really felt I was fighting the dice. I fumbled a simple ball pick-up and three passes with a 75% chance of at least launching. On the AI's side, I don't think they failed any "vital" rolls. They failed a dodge here and there, but nothing too horrifying.

I've at least learned not to rely so much on passing, at least not until one of my Throwers levels up and I can give them something to help.

Really, as far as losses go, this one is tolerable. No one's out for the next game, I still made 40k, didn't lose any fan factor, and had a 16/20 match rating. A bit more depressing is our team roster...

Not exactly the best performance I've ever seen, but enough to get us two levels.

Brother None levels up and I give him Tackle to help bring down those slippery bastards who have Dodge.

Kingcomrade levels up and takes Block. At this point I'm pretty sure I'll give everyone Block eventually. Still no stat gains or mutations.

Next match, the first of the play-offs, is against the Dwarves again. Hopefully I can pull out another victory without taking too many casualties. At this point, I'm going to be posting shorter match summaries of races I've played before, only pointing out particular highlights or things I find interesting. Hopefully this way I can fit in 2 or 3 games per update. My goal for this LP is to make it through the first 5 tournaments. After that, I might call it quits or keep things going, depending on how I feel and if people even still care when we get there.

 

[Brother None]

Holy shit dude you got pwned!

Yeah, Skavens, they're little bastards...no offense.

Also: MVP BABY! I'd like to thank my momma, and poppa, and most of all the Lord above. Thank you, Cleve!

Also: You might not want to make posts with 1477px × 1180px images, Silellak. Hell, at 1024px × 640px your regular pics are a bit large too, but 1477 is definitely a screenstretcher.

My resolution is 1440x900 so I know that when my screen is stretched, people are hella overdoing it.

 

[Silellak]

Holy shit dude you got pwned!

Yeah, Skavens, they're little bastards...no offense.

Also: You might not want to make posts with 1477px × 1180px images, Silellak. Hell, at 1024px × 640px your regular pics are a bit large too, but 1477 is definitely a screenstretcher.

My resolution is 1440x900 so I know that when my screen is stretched, people are hella overdoing it.

Good call, I went ahead and scaled down the oversized pic. For the standard pics, I started off with 800x600, but it was just too small for my liking, so I figured I'd be pretty safe with 1024x640.

But then, my resolution's been at 1680x1050 for years, so I guess I've just spoiled myself space-wise.

 

[Marsal]

DU, you sad, sad fuck. You have a skill designed to help you do something as simple as "pick up the ball", and still it slips from your fingers like a greased-up Witcher fanboy.

I noticed that VD is the only (semi)reliable ball handler and passer on the team so far.

Great update! Can't wait for Codex league match reports.

EDIT: The screenshots are fine. Don't change a thing.

 

[Silellak]

Game 4 (and 5?) - the play-offs!

I was mistaken, next match is actually against Humans, which concerns me a bit more than the Dwarves.

They start off with the ball and make their way down the right side. I send them a welcoming committee.

WhiskeyWolf pays the ultimate price...for about 5 seconds, before the apothecary brings him back. For those of you keep tracking, that's a death every game since I bought the apothecary. Which either means it was an incredibly worthwhile investment, or having an apothecary is incredibly bad luck.

The ball carrier makes a break for it and pays the price for such behavior. With everyone on the lower-right side of the field, it's easy enough for one of my Gutter Runners to grab the ball and...

...do what they do best.

One of their linemen is sent to the pitch with a permanent -1 penalty to strength. Might be time to send that one to the glue factory.

Volly, in his first game back, causes the second Human casualty of the match. Rumor has it his opponent said something mean about NWN.

Second half, my possession. This is an exciting moment for our team, marking the first time DU has actually managed to pick-up the ball. Is this the turn-around moment for his career!?

Time to find out. He goes for a pass to the recently-healed WhiskeyWolf...

...amazing! A ball pick-up and a catch all in the same half! DU is going places. Now, this picture is interesting because I made the arguably-unnecessary gamble of a hand-off between Gutter Runners. Why? WhiskeyWolf is already level 2, and I wanted to spread the SPP around by letting Shuma make the touch-down...

...which he does.

4 turns left, 2 points ahead, the game is pretty much over. All that's left is to avoid...

...any...significant...injuries.

Alas Kingcomrade, we knew you well. This is a bit depressing, particularly because he was one of my few level two players.

Fear not! You shall be avenged!

Next round, in fact. It's pretty rare to see two deaths back-to-back like that, but it does happen. Is this proof of the long-rumored Kingcomrade/Anthony Davis relationship we all suspected, but never confirmed?!?

Spoiler

No. That's retarded.

Close, but no cigar, my human friends.

Pretty good game all around, except for the whole "death of Kingcomrade" thing. Luckily, we now have enough money to fund his giant, ogre-shaped replacement!

Decent SPP all around. VD was MVP despite DU doing all the work, but that finally means I get a level 2 Thrower.

I was tempted to go with additional movement or armor, just because the roll was so rare, but since it was also doubles, that meant I had access to skills I can't normally choose, including mutations. Sadly, very few of the mutations are at all useful to a Thrower, but there is a particular strength skill that could come in handy...

Bam. About time. If I can get him the +1 to all pass rolls skill next level, he will be pretty dangerous.

Shuma also levels up, but doesn't get access to anything interesting, so takes Block.

Jasede steps up to join the team.

Next match against the Dwarves! I'm feeling a bit lucky here, because I really expected it to be the Skaven again. They always seem to sneak their way through the play-offs.

I choose to receiver and start-off by putting VD's new skill to the test. What would previously have been a 4+ roll is now a 3+ roll.

WhiskeyWolf makes the catch, but one of the Dwarves is able to catch up to him and send him down. Unfortunately for them, WW is a Gutter Runner, so even though he's down, he has enough movement points to get up, make the dodge, grab the ball, and...

Not bad for our second turn. The only downside is that this gives the slow-ass Dwarves 6 turns to score. Hopefully, I can avoid any...

...first death of the match...is actually a Dwarf! Fuck yeah. Anthony Davis AGAIN. Who the fuck is this guy?

The Dwarves retaliate by sending Brother None to the injury ward for the rest of the match.

Unfortunately for them, their Runner tries to sneak down the line...and Jasede earns his first paycheck. Pro-tip: try not to stop your Runner within Blitzing range of a fucking ogre.

Shuma recovers the ball and, well...I think you all know how it ends by this point.

I'm starting to feel a little bad at this point, but the Dwarves start with the ball in the second half, so I can't get too comfortable.

Before the half is over, VD goes down, but as casualties go it's pretty minor.

And this is pretty much what I expect my sideline to look like at half time in a game against the Dwarves. With three down and no replacements, that means I can only field 8 vs. their 11. Not really worried about a defeat, but if I get unlucky, it could be a tie.

Two turns in and the Dwarves...try to pass? What the fuck? Who convinced them this was a good idea?

Skyway makes the interception, and...

I'm almost getting tired of finding ways to say "and then the Gutter Runner scores". Almost.

3 points ahead. Two turns left. Everyone knows what time it is, right?

FOULING TIME! Unfortunately, I don't cause anything permanent. Sigh. The only thing broken are my dreams. Edward R Murror is sent out for the game, not that it really matters at this point.

The Dwarves, desperate, try yet again to pass. Predictably, the ball ends up on the ground. Shuma recovers, and Skyway goes deep. With just a single turn left, my only option is to have Shuma run the field, hand-off to Skyway, and have Skyway run it in. It's a long-shot, but...

+

Ouch. Easily my highest scoring game ever. Unfortunately, I am an idiot and forgot to take a screenshot of individual player stats. There were 3 level-ups though, so that says something...

MINE.

I go ahead and give Anthony Davis a point in agility. He's such a machine lately that having him able to move more freely around the field is always a plus.

Skyway and Racofer take Block, because I'm failing to roll anything interesting. I really want a fucking mutation.

Here are the champions.

I have enough gold to buy a new Gutter Runner to replace Kingcomrade (RIP ), so who wants in on the team?

Next game is a re-match against the same Dwarf team. Hopefully they won't be too upset about their loss...

 

[Brother None]

What the fuck? You got two stat-ups already, and you even ignore one (honestly, you shouldn't, even tho' VD doesn't have that much use for bonus MA or AV, their rarity puts them above Strong Arm, in my opinion)?! The fucking fuckshit cunt why the hell don't *I* get any whaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

Also also, I thought you got a bit bogged down in fighting those humans, but well-played against the stunties. Outrunning them is definitely the way to go.

Not sure what's up with the AIs constant passing attempts, tho'. I've never seen it.

 

[JoKa]

Please let me run and die for the glory of the mighty decline!

 

[Ratatosk]

Pick me! Pick me!

 

[Monocause]

Pick me! Pick me!

Or me! I've got only 5 SPP in Brother None's LP, maybe I'd achieve something to be proud of in your team.
[Speech] Maybe being Skaven fits me better.

 

[Brother None]

Or me! I've got only 5 SPP in Brother None's LP, maybe I'd achieve something to be proud of in your team.

[Perception] You have 15, dude

 

[Silellak]

Or me! I've got only 5 SPP in Brother None's LP, maybe I'd achieve something to be proud of in your team.

[Perception] You have 15, dude

[Intelligence] 15 is more than 5.

 

[Monocause]

Or me! I've got only 5 SPP in Brother None's LP, maybe I'd achieve something to be proud of in your team.

[Perception] You have 15, dude

[Intelligence] 15 is more than 5.

[Barter] Depends on the currency.

Must've missed something while following your LP, BN. Every time I looked at the post-match player table I've seen zero's at my SPP tab, except for a recent one where I got five. Or do players gain a fixed value of SPP just for participating in a match or other stuff?

 

[racofer]

This thread and LP delivers.

Keep it coming.

 

[Anthony Davis]

I am watching and I approve.

signing off!


...but still watching.

 

[X40c]

Need MOAR! These Blood Bowl LPs are better than playing today's dumbed down games. There should be a LP for each race. Then we could rename codex to bloodbowlwhores.net. Best decline evar.

 

[Imbecile]

If you are short a player then surely a skaven "Imbecile" is the way forward. Looks fun.

 

[Azael]

Great LP so far, I'm getting more and more convinced that I must get this game.

I'll be your Huckleberry if you ever run out of rat faced bastards.

 

[Brother None]

Must've missed something while following your LP, BN. Every time I looked at the post-match player table I've seen zero's at my SPP tab, except for a recent one where I got five. Or do players gain a fixed value of SPP just for participating in a match or other stuff?

Derrr...*flipping through archive*...Thank Frith I'm methodical so searching through past stats is easy...

You had a touchdown in match 1 (3), you got an injury and the MVP in our final against the dwarves in match match 9 (7) and the MVP in match 10. You've got 5 SPP through actions and 10 through MVPs. Still, only a point removed from level 3.

 

[Whipporowill]

Thanks to Mr Davis and BN's LP's I just couldn't stop myself from buying the game - and making my brother and friends get it as well. Damn sneaky PR! I can't even stop reading either of the currently running LP's when NOT playing...

:sob:

Edit: I'd join either team to see how messy of a death I can get!

 

[Silellak]

A short update here, entitled "A rematch vs. the Black Axes" or: "Why you shouldn't play Blood Bowl when you're too tired to think"

For this match, I'm replaying the same Dwarf team I played last game.

First order of business: everyone welcome JoKa, our replacement Gutter Runner, to the team!

The Dwarves get a bit over 200k in Inducements and send it on their Star Player, Grim Ironjaw.

As you can see, he's basically just a Troll Slayer with 1 more point of strength, and Mighty Blow. I'm really not worried...

...but apparently I should've been, as Grim ensures Volly misses the next game. This will be the second game Volly missed due to an injury. I swear, he gets beat up on the field even more than he does in the Codex.

Jasede, full of vengeance...actually kills Grim Ironjaw. Holy shit. I didn't think Star Players could die. Chances are he can still get hired in the future, but still. Holy shit. We're off to a nice, bloody start to the game.

The Dwarves form their wall and advance. I'm honestly a bit worried here, as they have the entire half to score, and the Skaven aren't really up to the task of breaking through a Dwarf wall. My only real hope is to scare the Runner into making himself vulnerable, then beating the shit out of him.

Three turns later and they haven't really advanced very far.

Shit. Due to a combination of unlucky rolls, brute Dwarven strength, and my own stupidity, the Dwarves break through late in the half. I try to cover them to keep them from making the final run - which will also require to "Go For It" rolls.

The Skaven covering the ball runner are knocked away, and the bastard makes both of his Go For It Rolls. I start the second half down a point and a player.

VD gets the ball, and I start playing it risky, because I have to score early if I want a chance to get the ball from the Dwarves during their next possession and pull out a victory.

Skyway goes long down the left, VD makes another pass with a 75% success rate...

...which he somehow manages to throw out-of-bounds, leading the ball to get thrown across the pitch onto the lower right corner of my half. Where I only have one player. Of-fucking-course.

Despite being outnumbered, DU recovers the ball and holds it long enough for help, in the form of WhiskeyWolf, to arrive. DU seems to be trying his darnedest to make up his failings in the previous games.

WhiskeyWolf is in the clear, which leads unsurprisingly to a...

I try to kick the ball short, but it goes out of bounds. Luckily the AI gives it to a front-liner anyway. This is a risky move, but if I want to recover the ball and run it back for a chance of victory, this is probably the best way.

They break through quicker than expected, and it's up to DU to hold the line again.

...he doesn't do so hot this time, and now VD's blitz is all that stands between me and a loss.

Meanwhile, a Dwarf tries to sneak past Mr. Murrow, and ends up very much a corpse. Good night and good luck, indeed.

VD manages to recover the ball. On the last turn, with no chance left to win, I decide to have him pass (rather than try to run it out) in order to get some last-minute SPP. This turns out to be very, very retarded. As I should've expected, he fumbles, and the ball is one square away from my end-zone. Above all, I somehow forgot the Dwarves still get one more turn.

Needless to say...

Argh. That was painful. I can't believe I lost to the same douche-bags I won against 4-0. I guess that just goes to show you what a difference a good strategy makes. This was easily the worst game I've played in a long time, and it shows. The dice weren't particularly friendly either, but I made a lot of stupid calls, and deserved this defeat.

10 SPP divided between two people. Fucking pathetic.

WhiskeyWolf gains another level. Lacking anything interesting to give him, I go for Leap, as I've never had a player who could leap before, and a Gutter Runner seems like the perfect canidate

Sorry for the less-than-thrilling match this time around. In the future, I'll try avoid playing when I'm half-awake. This page is getting a bit screen-heavy, so next update when we reach page 3!

 

[Ratatosk]

First order of business: everyone welcome JoKa, our replacement Gutter Runner, to the team!

Gorramn Joka! Bench it is then for me...

But entertaining LP nonetheless!

 

[Jasede]

Aww, aren't they adorable?

You made me a rat ogre. D: