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!

A painted Bloodbowl game 26 years in the making!

So 26 years after buying Blood bowl my Brother and I finally got round to playing a game with two fully painted teams!

Unfortunately it looks like the camera lens got condensation or turkey fat, or double cream etc on it as most of the photos are out of focus or whited out or just plain crap

I think my brother took the term "28mm photo porn" too literally and smeared the lens in vaseline for a classic 70's soft porn effect.

Thankfully there were two decent photos to record the event!

The Mauraders line up for the kick off

An action shot just before "the Gentlemen of the Realm" send one over the top to equalise.

The game ended one all and it seems my brothers fiance is a much better player then he is!

Hopefully we will get another game in before going back to work as he is starting to construct his own stadium and it is a sterling effort for his first attempt!

My brother's dice tower as a WIP. A cracking effort.

Introducing "Her Majesties Gentlemen of the Realm" Blood bowl Team. Victorian Human Blood bowl Team.

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!!!!!!

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!!!!

3rd Edition Blood bowl. Hmmmmmmmmmmm

Popped into Minature Empire to pick up some Reaper miniatures I ordered and got talked into playing a game of 3rd edition.

First impressions are so so. It is a lot more punishing if you make mistakes and once you get your head round the rules I can imagine it is a lot faster flowing as there is a lot less reference to tables but .................. I'm still not sold. The players are so basic in the beginning and its much harder to clear the field (which I really like!) and most of the blocks result in pushing your opponent about. Time will tell.........

Only played one half before my parking ticket expired so will not do a narative but the photos did look brill.

Looking to google for inspiration

We now start up on the half way line. Lanos new lizard mat looks awesome

Sumo vs Skink it must be Blood bowl

Kermit plays Blood Bowl. What would Ms Piggy say?

The dug out staff

My score, re roll and turn markers

Kung fu Vs Baby shark?

Just porn really as Lano and I wanted to compare big guys. We are going to have a nightmare come the game as they are only supposed to take up one square each!