Tis the season . . . . . for Smashmouth Bloodbowl!!!!!

While wearing a Reindeer onesie.

Yep thats me!!!!

It's Christmas and that means only one thing. . . . . My brother and I pulling out the Astrogranite for our festive (since 1988!!!!) game of Bloodbowl!

We still play 2nd edition rules and I recieve the kick off and make a break down the right wing.

Worlds collide in the middle of the pitch as our Blockers lock horns to dominate the centre of the pitch.

H(el)l Smashico. Bank Holiday Blood bowl game

Today I got a text from my brother. Despite being the bank holiday he had just had a maths test (fingers crossed) and needed to escape into miniatures for an hour or so. Despite only having a couple of days before going back to work I am easily distracted (again) and it's another Bank Holiday El Smashico game of Bloodbowl.

No fancy commentry on this one as I really need to get back to work!

See all those papers at the top of the picture? I am supposed to be reading that!

Kris is eager to give his new team a run out so it's a new classico of The Orc Team Vs the Bifrost Berserkers. 

Despite the Viking look we continue to play them as 2nd Edition Humans.

The shernanigans start early and Kris tries to field 14 players on the field. I know Orcs are poor counters but even I work out something is wrong with this picture!

Orctober. The Green streak 'ooligans

So its ORCTOBER a celebration of all thats green and good!

It starts innocently enough. If I have a bloodbowl team, I need some bloodbowl fans, Right!

It also gives me the chance to buy any miniatures I find interesting which I would not have an excuse to buy otherwise.

I LOVE ORCS!!!!

Blood Bowl. Damn the Gentlemen of the Realm.

Alister has become a bit of a Blood bowl fanatic and so we played a game this Thurs.

KICK OFF

I kick off and plonk the ball smack in the middle of Al's line.

Al collects the ball and makes charges down both flanks. I go strong down the left and plan to use my catchers to tie up the opposing blockers with tackles .

I go stompy of the left and try to channel the Gentlemen into the centre of the pitch to create a bottle neck.

I go in heavy against Sumo Sam but the asian sensation refuses to go quietly and my roll of double one sees two of my boys off to the stunned box.

I try to sandwich Al's left wingers to stall out the attack.......

................... while boots tries to run down Chun Lee.

With pressure building on Al's kicker he decides its time to send one over the top.

A roll of double one sees Chun Lee fumble the ball from his own square. Is a reversal on the cards?

Boots collects the ball and gets the kick off to the "Green streak" but the whistle goes before he gets a chance to cross the line...........so close................ so close.

SECOND HALF

So nil - nil and I'm receiving the ball. Got to fancy my chances.

I receive the ball and start legging it up the left wing. Hopefully no one will drop dead of a heart attack while sprinting this week!

I go blocker heavy at the front and decide to force my way up the left flank by fair means or foul.

Then it is my turn to suffer at the hands of the Dice Maidens as I roll a six on the sprint and my blitzer heads for the injury box, dropping the ball in the process.

In a series of disastrous rolls I see my Orcs dropping like flies as Al claims one scalp after another.

With only 4 Orcs left on the field I send the ball over the top and just hope to run down the clock.

No such luck as my Blocker is brought down and Al runs in the only touch down of the game to claim the win.

Well played Al.

Showing he's a coach after my own heart Al takes great pride in fulling my dug out with wounded!

I think I am going to need a bigger stunned box for next game!!

LESSON LEARNT

1) Al loves the up and under. I am going to have to either krunch the catchers as they bolt for the holes or break through the line and break Al's kicker deep in his own half.

2) Might be time to resurrect my 5 - 4 -2 formation from my 3rd edition games. It might leave me more vunerable at the front, but will stop the runners and maybe allow the blockers to break through and get to Chun Lee.

3) STOP SPRINTING YOU WALLY!!!!!!

MEGC Spike Fans Trophy cup. Part 1

Blood bowl fever has truly hit the MEGC as its Bloodbowl league started this Friday.

Lano has taken over as commissioner (thank goodness for that) and we are kicking off with the "Spike Fans Trophy cup". 

Random rolls were made for the draw and I got stuck with Lano. Its got an added edge for me as Lano is the only member of the MEGC I have not beaten in one on one play yet!

KICK OFF

After the experience of Monday with his Skinks shooting in left, right and centre, I try a new formation of three lines (5 - 4 - 2) which will smash any runners which try to break through. It does leave me a little vunerable at the front but with all the pushing that happens now I'm not too worried.

This seems to do the trick as Lano keeps his Skinks back behind his big fella's, so I decide to push my Blitzers forward to try to channel the skinks down Lano's right flank where I can smash them into the crowd!

It seems to be working...........

.... now time to see if I can break the little sods..............!

This seems to work as Lano lobs the ball over the top. He completely fluffs the pass and it drops close to Nigel the half orc.

Nigel runs over and picks up the ball......

Then I really cock things as in my excitement I rush my Blitzer through the gaps into an opening and then realise I can't throw the ball now!! 

And yes thats two bloody great lizards behind him. This can only go well!

Its no surprise that Nigel disappears under the trample of lizard feet and when the dust finally settles the ball pops out of the scrum which is run in by a skink.

And thats the half.

We should be playing the second half at some point over this weekend as I'm taking my Dad to the Elite masters Football tournament tomorrow at Leyton Orient and we will see how the rest of the weekend plays out.

Still despair at the lack of damage done to each other and was heard muttering "stupid bloody 3rd edition" several times, especially when a three player block resulted in a skink only being PUSHED BACK!!! and at the end of the half there was only one player in the casualty box and that was from being caught fouling another player! 

Jervis what have you done?

Blood Bowl. Blessed be the 2nd Edition

So got a text from Alister wondering if a game of Blood bowl could be on the cards. After my 3rd edition experience on Monday I jumped at the chance.

Once again it would be the epic contest of "The Orc Team" Vs "The Gentlemen of the realm"

KICK OFF

I receive the Kick off deep in my own Half of the field. I push my team off to the left of the field as we are playing with a Ref today and I want to stay as far away from him as possible!

Alister soon finds out why I've done this as the Ref goes trundling up to one of his Blitzers and swiftly shows him the red card. I'm a player up and I have not thrown a block yet.

With the gap open in the middle of the field I change tactics and decide to open a channel up the middle for my Catchers and Blitzers.

Now this is how a game of Bloodbowl should look!! As bodies go flying and drop like flies. Proper Bloodbowl.

With so much of the field blocked with prone bodies Al's Blitzer and catcher are forced round the melee to try to bring down my Chucker.

I exploit the gaps and run through with my Blitzer, taking a blocker with me. All I need to do now is lob a ball over the top and its TD City!!!

That is until I fumble the pass, and then manage to really cock thing up and fumble it from the Chuckers square. With only my Kicker in the way of four Gentlemen this could get real messy real quick. 

Al pounces and knocks both orcs for six and then his catcher collects the ball.

Bloodied but unbowed my Blockers get stompy and clear most of the field.....

........ But its too little too late as Al's catcher bounds over the line for the first touch down of the game.

2nd HALF

I kick off. I decide to send the ball deep and kick the snot out of the oomies, pick the balls out of the hands of the last crippled human and then bimble over the line as quick as possible.

The best laid plans of mice and Orcs and all that.

Al has already seen the Ref in action and is real quick to learn that you have to leave certain channels open for the ref or you could be in trouble! The force is strong in this one!

Al uses his kicker to retrieve the ball so I decide to form a line of hurt to krunch any runners while keeping a second line further back to catch any ball thats comes lobbing over the top.

After a coulpe of turns of smash mouth football I am starting to get the upper hand, and Al is wary of kicking the ball over the top due to my second line.

Then it all goes tits up really quickly!!

First a double 1 see two of my boyz heading for the injury box..................

In desperation I put some boyz around the Ref to block his LOS so I can stomp away on Al's floored players.

The fouls work wonders and Al's injury box fills up nicely, but just my luck the ref Wanders over and Red cards two of my players.

And then to add insult to injury I hamstring several players as they are forced to sprint to cover the gaps which are opening up left, right, and centre. One of which decides to drop dead.............. should have insisted on more cardio during pre-season training!

This carnage leaves a total of 10 players on the field (my 4 to Al's 6).

Balor my blocker chases down the ball as Al finally sends it over the top.

But an excellent multiple block from Al, coupled with the loose ball bouncing directly into his Chuckers hands wraps up the game with a two - nil victory to Al.

So Al is a definate convert to Bloodbowl.

As I have always said, there are only two types of people, those who love Bloodbowl and those who have not played it yet!!!!

Blood bowl, Jervis what have you done?

With the MEGC Blood bowl league kicking off this Friday I figured I had better get some practise in with the 3rd edition rules. Basically I was pulling this face most of the way through.....

I might be in the minority but I really do not like the 3rd edition version. If this is the version I had to play as a kid I really do not think I would still be playing 20 odd years later!

First off I get my million gold coins and pick my squad plus various other bit and pieces (i will give a full break down next post). Then we toss for kick off and I choose to receive the ball.

Straight away I feel frustrated by the lack of movement on the pitch as you can only blitz once per turn, other wise you have to start next to the opponent you wish to block. This seems to result in me staring at the board for 10 min before I move 3 players!

A couple of the Orcs get stuck in and floor a Lizard but most of the blocks result in pushing each other about. I played rugby for years before moving on to MMA and I wish I had been this hard to knock over!

One of my "Green streaks" get stuck in but the result could mean an early finish to my turn, I use a reroll (interesting addition), but the gods of Nuffle have spoken and I roll exactly the same result!

Lano makes a great play for the gaps I have left in my defence and mobs my thrower on my own Touch down line.

No more multiple blocks BOOOOOOOO! but with the assist system the skinks push the thrower over the TD line and then he falls over and drops the ball which in run in by Skink Ali.

1 - Nil to the lizards and the mood in the Orc camp is rather glum.

Restart and another brutal lesson in how the game has changed as I fail my first block despite the reroll and thats turn over. Well done you!

Once again Lano exploits the gaps I have been unable to plug. Guess what my thrower is standing by?

Yes thats the touch down line again!

I'm not having this again and pull down the Skink and finally get to injure someone. About bloody time!

I pull back and regroup around my Thrower. The plan is to make a charge down the right side of the field and see if I can get one back.

Lano jams out my catchers and pushes my blitzer into the crowd which now results in going straight to an injury roll.

And thats the half. I have to bail out early to get home to pick the kids up and to be honest I'm glad as I'm not sure I could muster the enthusiasm for another half.

I never thought I would get bored during a game of Bloodbowl..... Jervis what have you done?

We have the Spike cup kicking off this Friday and its a knock out so I will give it a go and see how the league works out from there.