On a whim I've decided to enter Spiky Clubs yearly Blood Bowl tournament...6 games over 2 days.
After literally minutes of deliberation I have decided to play a Halfling team.They are universally pants, though can field 2 treemen, however it gives me the great excuse of saying "but I'm playing halflings!" when I lose all my games.It's important to plan ahead for these things. My game tactics will almost entirely revolve around lobbing halfings towards the endzone, and sort of hoping they have the ball...
My challenge will be to get the team painted by the 9th October...I've just ordered them now, and can expect to receive the package of comedy midgets sometime next week. By then I will have needed to decide on;
1) A team name. Recommendations welcome...tradition dictates that halfling teams are named after foodstuffs and generally food/drink related matters. My current favourite is "The Halfpint Bar Stewards", though something based around Fudge-Packing may also be suitable...
//added
Current name options;
1) Gloriole Fudge-Stackers
2) Halfpint Bar-Stewards
2) A colour scheme. I shall limit myself to army painter core colours...tempted by Greenskin or Demonic Yellow...after all this is a professional sportsteam...they should be garish!
I should be able to rattle off a team fairly quickly...2 treemen will take an evening or 2, and the 14 halflings the same. Basing will take an evening in total if I take my time.
I also need to source some game basics...block dice, scatter templates and a range ruler...I suspect this will be eBayable stuffage.
Comments
Just read the tournament rules, and I'll need to sit down and work out what team I want.
You have 1,200,000 to buy a team...shockingly halflings are pretty cheap. 14 halflings (30,000 each) and 2 treemen (120,000 each) take up 660,000, and fills my roster. Add in 3 rerolls (60,000 each) and a Fan Factor of 4 (10,000 a point) and I've spent 880,000.
You can buy skills for some of your players (for halflings upto 6 players...the maximum allowed) for 20,000 each. Each improved player can have 1 or 2 skills, and you're not allowed to have the same set of skills twice (so, for example, you could have one with Block and Dodge, and another with just Block...but you can't have 2 with just Block).
I have 320,000 left, enough to buy 6 players 2 skills each, so maxing out the star players. Alternately, I could buy in a pre-made Star player (there are 2 halfling specific ones....Puggy Baconbreath, who is about as close as I'll get to a blitzer, and Deeproot StrongBranch, who would replace a treeman, and is fairly tough, but very expensive...)
I think I'll make my own guys up. Halflings by their very nature are a running team...they all get Dodge and Stunty (good at moving through teams, rubbish at throwing and taking a hit), so there are some skills that sould help them;
Dauntless - allows them to equal another players strength. As everyone is Strength 2 (pitiful), this would allow me to have a "blitzer".
Block - Makes them harder to knock over...very important. Also useful for treemen, who don't get this as standard.
Leader - it's a cheap team reroll (20,000 rather than 60,000)
Leap - always useful, though with an agility of 3 a bit of a risk
Guard - allows players to support a block even if in a tackle zone...again with a strength of 2 this can be vital (damn...it's a Strenth skill, so Halflings can't take it...)
Dump-Off - a way of getting the ball out of a fight, though as it's based on throwing I can see a few issues.
Hmmm...decisions desicions...
The team are painted, and currently in the 48-hour drying phase. The name has been finalised as the "Glorieole Fudgestackers".
I now have to have a think about team skills and extras, to fit into the 1,200,000 tournament cost.
(the following stuff will make no sense if you haven't played Blood Bowl)
First off, looks like a Halfling Master Chef is a must (roll 3D6 each half, for each 4+ that you get you get 1 reroll, opponent loses one) for 100,000
A Budweiser Babe (50,000) will add +1 to recovery from KO rolls...useful when your entire team has Stunty and AV6, making it probable that all injuries will be KO or worse.
2 Team Rerolls, to back up the Chef, so an average of 3-4 a half.
Base team cost is 660,000 (14 halflings and 2 treemen)
Skills cost 20,000 each, and I can have a maximum of 6 skilled players with 1 or 2 skills each...
Treeman 1 - Block + Pass
Makes him hard to take out, and helps with flinging halflings all over the place
Treeman 2 - Pass + Break Tackle
Another launch pad, and allows him to use his strength to move away from tackle zones for more reliable throws.
Halfling 1 - Sure hands + Hail Mary Pass
can pick the ball up well, and throw it anywhere, but would never be accurate
Halfling 2 - Catch + Diving Catch
My secret weapon...he can be thrown by a treeman (without the ball, so no risk of causing a turnover), and then has a reasonable chance of catching an inaccurate pass, before then walking into the endzone...
Halfling 3 - Dauntless + Strip Ball
A backstop...has a decent chance of equalling strength with an opponent, and a push-back will drop the ball to the ground (then bring in halfling 1)
Halfling 4 - Sprint
A backup flinger...he would be thrown with the ball, and can make more distance.
This leaves 50,000 to spend on Fan Factor to help with kick-off rolls. I could drop Fan Factor to 3, and give Halfling 4 a second skill (Sure Feet, for a reroll on a Go For It! roll?)
I've located and placed the dice etc... in a tub. Will be posted next weekend.
Cheers, much appreciated!
the team is pretty much done now, I have to wave a can of matt spray paint over them tomorrow, and then thats it.
It's a shame that halflings are not in the Blood Bowl computer game, as I could get some practice in then!
You need to practice crushing losses? :D
Dice etc... Have been posted, the parcel was confirmed safe at the post office.
Cheers...much appreciated!
How can this team lose?
They are full of awesome! All 3'3" of them...
Dice, ruler and templates recieved today with thanks.
Gill was gutted that there was no actual Gu in the tub!
Np, the fella in the post office was somewhat perplexed by it to start with. They've done well tho, posted at half 3 yesterday.
If Gill's ever in Edin we'll make her brownies in compensation. By which I mean Jayne will. :)