5punk

Not a great deal a halfling can do against an ogre. However, ogres are unreliable and half the time just stand there scratching. Could be you got unlucky, could be you gave them too much freedom to move around the ball. It might hurt to let ogres batter your players, but it stops them doing anything else too and blitzing ogres can quite easily waste the move with a failed bonehead roll. It's not as random as you think, and remember the Story games are weighted against you to horse you to try different tactics.

In an interesting turn of events, Cyanide have announced Dungeonbowl. That's a similar sort of game to Blood Bowl, played in a dungeon filled with traps and nasties. It's a weird concept but one that also has a tabletop origin.

In other news, there's rumblings of two new Chaos teams (one is Chaos Dwarves, I forget the other) for BB. Whether they expect me to buy a third copy of the game is unknown (here's a hint though: I won't, barring a <£5 dealie on Steam).

For a bigger release, with less of a niche market, I'd expect both of those to be released as DLC, but this is Blood Bowl, so they'll both be full-priced games.

Dog Pants wrote:In other news, there's rumblings of two new Chaos teams (one is Chaos Dwarves, I forget the other) for BB. Whether they expect me to buy a third copy of the game is unknown (here's a hint though: I won't, barring a <£5 dealie on Steam).

It really suprised me when we were doing the 5punk league that if you didn't all have the same edition, you couldn't play together.

It makes sense that if you haven't bought the later additions that you can't select the new races, but to me there's no logical reason for stopping you playing against others who had paid for them.

buzzmong wrote:It makes sense that if you haven't bought the later additions that you can't select the new races, but to me there's no logical reason for stopping you playing against others who had paid for them.

I cant decide whether its because of money grabbing (it means if you want to play against your mates you have to buy the game again) or laziness (im guessing it would take slightly more coding to make the two versions compatible like you suggest. Not a lot more, but still...)

Either way it's shit. It's only because I love the actual game that I bought BBLE, on sale or otherwise. I wondered about the 'online game' aspect of Dungeonbowl too. Depending on price, obviously, but it just sounds like spin on the fact that they want always online DRM and/or can't be arsed programming the AI. Even so, for the right price I'm all over it.

Dungeon Bowl seems to have snuck out without fanfare a few days ago. For a tenner you get three teams, with more looking to be released later, presumably as DLC. I don't think it has a single player mode, but the RPS Blood Bowlers who've played it have said it's not bad. It's out on Steam at the end of the month, I might pick it up in a sale at a later date, although if the DLC is cheap enough and a few 5punkers are interested I'd pay £10.

I've noticed some DLC out for Dungeonbowl; College teams are £3.50 and Dwarves £2, then you can buy a new pitch for £2. Now, compared to the board game equivalents this is pretty cheap. However, it isn't a board game, and it isn't even a very good videogame, so those prices are way too steep (and it comes across as very cynical marketing). Fiver for the lot and I'd buy it.

Blood Bowl Chaos Edition is out, adding three more teams: Khorne, Chaos Dwarves and Underworld. In yet another shitty publisher move it's a complete new standalone game which they're charging £20 for and is incompatible with previous versions. HOWEVER: You can now add your non-steam copy of BBLE to Steam, which is great. Also, if you do (or already own it on Steam), you get it for £8. I'll still not be buying it of course - I hear the Chaos teams are unbalanced and you still can't play it with other editions. I'd have bought it for £3 DLC.

Dog Pants wrote:I'll still not be buying it of course - I hear the Chaos teams are unbalanced and you still can't play it with other editions. I'd have bought it for £3 DLC.

This, and I imagine a lot of other people will feel the same about it. I will never understand why they didn't make the extra teams into DLC.

I stand corrected - the latest BBLE patch makes it compatible with BBCE. You just can't play as the new teams with LE, obviously. Whether or not you can use your BBLE player key to carry your teams over to CE is a different matter though. If I find out I'll post here (but I don't expect anyone is interested).

I bought bloodbowl, I was probably swept up by your tales of crypts and tombs and chaos fought in the shadow of the great Nehekharan pyramids. Turns out I'm pretty shit at it and it doesn't hold my interest. Still, only cost a few quid in a sale.

Also, what a total dick move. Again. But Cyanide are always dicks.

A server migration has marked an update which now allows spectators in game. Which is pretty cool. Apparently it's basically an on-the-fly version of the replay mode which was already there, but you can watch it while the game is still being played, and fast forward to see the game as it happens.

Focus and Cyanide have tediously announced Blood Bowl II by tweeting just a logo. For it not to be complete rubbish it will presumably use the exact same rules as the old one, so I'm anticipating this being a graphical update sold at full price.

Well, it could do with quite the interface overhaul. The rules cant change, obviously, but the camera controls occasionally make me feel seasick and I've lost more than one game due to where I think I'm clicking not actually being where I am clicking. Also, many of the special rules are badly (or in some rare cases just plain wrongly) implemented. The game browser and league viewing stuff are a right mess. A lot of people complain about the randomiser (although narf I don't really understand the details. I do know that if you click "re-roll" too quickly after a bad roll you quite often get the exact same result the second time around). There could be more visual customisation options for your players. There's plenty of scope for extra features (not saying they will do any, but off the top of my head: some sort of custom home stadiums, a single player campaign that is more than just a string of games against the AI, special variant game types).

Having said all of that, I would not be at all surprised if you were correct.

To be honest, as long as they manage to make it so extra teams and stuff are actual DLC to the base game and not incompatiable expansions, it'll be quite an improvement, as they only just managed to let LE and the latest one work sensibly together.

As Joose said though, it could do with a massive interface overhaul, which is quite a biggy.

I'm playing a goblin team in the RPS divisions, but having had a few practice games in single player I've had a few thoughts for discussion. See what you chaps think.

First off, not an entirely new thought because I used to do it with Skinks, but if a gobbo levels and doesn't get a double, he's out. Reason being that I need to keep my team value low, and they're already good at dodging, and they're unlikely to ever be good at anything else unless I can pick up something like Guard, Hail Mary Pass, or Kick. Since they'll probably get a normal (Agility, only skills open to them normally) skill after that I can tailor them to their doubles. I envisage a high turnover between injuries and sackings.

Next, I'm debating whether to ditch most of the specials. They always run the risk of getting sent off after a play, and with the amount of injuries Gobbos pick up you really need as many players available as possible. Plus, again, unless they're really effective they're bloat, but on the other hand I can use the Inducements for bribes to keep them playing. Lets look at them individually.

The Fanatic is a must - he's got ST5 and sitting in the middle of a LoS causes chaos as he blunders about smashing shit up. He can also block as many times as he can move. He can also be a liability though, but I've found him to be pretty safe.

The pogoer has +1MV, leap, and long legs. Leap is a sure fire way of putting him on his arse with AG3, Long Legs is only useful for Leap and interceptions, and it's pure luck as to whether he'll be in a position to do that. However, I think he only costs 10k more than a normal gobbo, and with Sure Feet and Sprint can have a movement of 10 squares. Combane that with his Dodge and Stunty and the little fucker can get anywhere on the pitch. So not sure about him.

The Loony (as in Chainsaw Wielding) gets a free armour roll (on himself if he rolls a 1). I've never really seen him do any damage, and if he gets hit back he almost always injures himself. So he's a bit of a liability, although as a replacement for the Fanatic once he's been sent off he's handy for keeping someone on the front row on the ground. He's actually no more expensive than a normal gobbo, but he's never on the pitch long and he's a potential use of a bribe. Oh, he does scare people.

The Bomber is, ironically, hit and miss. Generally he's of some use although the bombs aren't that powerful. With rerolls he usually hits his target, but he does burn through precious rerolls (and Gobbos use shitloads of them).

You can hire better versions of all but the Fanatic as Star Players, for pretty much the same price as a player. Course you have to pay for them every game then, and they don't progress.

Trolls, for their part, level up so slowly that I don't think it's worth trying to develop them much. They spend half their time scratching their arses or lying down. Possibly worth holding out for a double so they can get Block, which as a Loner would make them less of a turnover generator, but I might be with level 1 trolls for a long time waiting for that. On the other hand, with only Strengh skills and most of the good ones taken, they're of limited use regardless.

Any opinions?

I wouldnt bother with the Chainsaw. Ive never played gobbos myself, but in every game I can remember against them the Chainsaw guy has ran around a bit then fell over and hurt himself. As such he is not much better than your average gobbo, and most gobbos at least have a *chance* of making it to the second drive of a game

Same with the Bomber. Bashy teams tend to be all up in yo grill, so throwing a bomb at them means throwing a bomb at your own dudes. Non bashy teams tend to have ball skills, so you run the risk of the bomb coming right back at you.

Fanatic, like you say, is essential. He will fuck up all front lines, and although he is a swine to get going in the direction you want there is almost nothing your opponent can do about him other than get out of the way.

Pogoer always seems to be the star of every gobbo team I go up against. As you say, he can get pretty much anywhere, which means he is quite often the one making an unexpected dash for the end zone. As such, he gets many many SPP. Put it this way, whenever I face gobbos I make a point of trying to flatten this guy early.

Trolls are a bit shit, but without them I suspect you could end a lot of games with no dudes on the pitch. When they don't have their fingers up their bums they can make a very messy front line. Plus, team mate throwing = nervous opponents.

I'm far from expert but having chiefly played dwarves, I'd be wary of a bomber as I tend to have dwarves in clusters even when not next to the enemy, as ganging up on lone dwarves is the best way to thin their numbers without worrying about them giving each other blocking bonuses. Dwarves would invariably fumble the bomb if they tried to throw it back.

I'd probably gang up on the fanatic, though not sure how successful that would be. Fast runnners (pogoer) and the Trolls ability to throw teammates right over me have often been my undoing, as the dwarves just can't keep up with any fast play that leaves them out of position.

I forgot to mention the Throw Teammate thing. Yes, that makes the Trolls essential. It's a fucking stupid tactic, as is a Hail Mary Pass or a five dodge run-with-pickup. I've found, as Goblins, if you try enough fucking stupid tactics then eventually one works and you get an awesome touchdown. With Throw Team Mate a touchdown is potentially only ever one turn away.