Quote Originally Posted by Zim View Post
Since it was on sale I went ahead and gave the game a try. Despite playing the tutorial I have very little idea what I'm doing. Probably something to do with not reading the manual...

My Skaven have been having problems with their rat ogres falling to puny man-things. Doubtless some rival has had them drugged...

Edit: Just had an incredibly frutrating/amusing go at an Orc SP campaign. After losing the first game I was determined to win the second, which turned out to be against Ogres. Come up with a weather change (pouring rain) from the kickoff roll. The Ogres and I spent the following 16 turns taking turns fumbling the ball and/or having our guys fall in the rain when trying to push their movement too far. At halftime I was two squares from a touchdown, then again near the end of the second half (although at least this time I had lost the ball from a failed dodge right before scoring rather than still being in control of it and having to watch the game end just before my victory). I'd be upset but it was very funny watching both sides fumble the ball around.

On the plus side I took out quite a few of their snotlings and my boys held their own quite well in brawls with the ogre players. I think that qualifies as a win by Orc standards.
Bloodbowl is a very easy game if you take the time to research it a bit. The game's a perfect translation of the Warhammer BB board game, and Games Workshop has graciously given us access to the entire rulebook online.

Important things to remember:

1. Players with high STR are not to be used for running touchdowns or passing, unless you somehow manage to keep a Blitzer or Thrower alive long enough to pump up their strength. High STR players are used to put the hurt on the opponent. My Orc team won a game against an Elf team because there was nobody left conscious on the pitch.

2. Similarly, players with a high AGI are not used for blocking. Use these players for throwing (either for getting touchdowns or for farming experience).

3. Dodge, while primarily used to slip past an enemy tackle zone, can be used defensively when the enemy blocks (you will only be Pushed Back on a Defender Stumbles roll). A player with both Dodge and Block (referred to online as the Blodge skill) is nigh invincible, as they can only be knocked down on a Defender Knocked Down roll (unless the enemy has Tackle, which negates Dodge). This is why the Amazon team are pretty overpowered for their cost; they have the stats of a human team, but every single one of their players have the Dodge skill.

4. If you're going for a bruiser, Block, Mighty Blow, and Tackle are all fine choices. Using Mighty Blow against a Skink or a Snotling will definitely increase the chance of an injury or death.

5. If you see an enemy right on the edge of the pitch, go for a Blitz move and push them out of the field. The raving fans will ensure that the enemy player will be automatically knocked out (if not injured or killed). That's one less player you need to worry about.

6. If you're team's value is less than the opponent's team, you will get an inducement bonus to buy goodies before the match. The best ones to buy are the Wizard + 4 Cheering Fans (so you can cast Lightning Bolt on a ball carrier), Potions, or a Star Player.