COACH'S CORNER: Conventional Wisdom - MACE!

So, for those of you who do not know, I live in in the USA in the state of North Carolina. We don't get a whole lot of conventions coming through my area. There is one that I have attended before, it is in the city of Charlotte, that is just down the road from me. It is called MACE. And it is this Friday - Sunday. My lovely wife surprised me with a weekend pass!

I have a few events on my convention calendar, as far as what I signed up for - Murder of Crows, a four hour RPG session with three quick RPGs called Micro-RPG Grab Bag, Dark Moon, and Mars Attacks: Ten-Minute Takedown. But, there are zero Mantic games being offered in the official schedule - sad face.

So, a friend and I are going to take in two board, and a few teams and just start playing. Most of the people who attend MACE are local, or regional. I would love to spark some more interest in area. We are both huge Dreadball fans and have introduced a number of people to the game already (though many have migrated to other gaming stores in the area, and therefore into other metas).

I definitely want to have the base teams there. I have a fully painted base set, my friend painted the 29ers and I painted the Marauders. I also have enough painted space elves to sub in as humans (thanks to the packaging error common to the Asterians, I have an extra Guard, therefore enough to pretend to be the human team). I am not sure what other team to take. I would like to take one that is similar to the humans or another Season 1 team, but I don't have any more Season 1 teams painted. I would welcome any ideas.

Below are my painted teams...

Perhaps I should look into becoming the voice of Mantic in my area, Pathfinder Pope if you will....

COACH'S CORNER: In Leagues with the Enemies

Ok... let's talk about comps. I know, kind of a dirty word, but it needs to be talked about. I want to try to get a league for Dreadball going locally, which might mean doing some rounds of the local stores, but before I do, I want to be sure what the League will look like.

All the opinions stated beyond this point (and in this blog in its entirety) are mine and mine alone. But I do welcome any thoughts, input or disagreements on them.

• If you purchase Schnörkel as an MVP, you are awesome (ok, so not a rule, but true none the less). :-)
• The Convicts have to be banned, or in the very least, heavily modified. In a previous blog entry, Lamanzer and I have a nice discussion about how the Convicts might be re-balanced, but I don't know if this is viable when trying to bring in the larger community. I might try something rather simple though, maybe allow the Convicts to play as a their stats are but minus the Offensive Coach and the Shock Collar ability. Less flavor, more balance?
• The Nameless are still a little OP in a league, I think in our last league my friend Dan lost one game with them. Not sure how to deal with that. Maybe every upgrade cost 50% more for them. Maybe for the Rebs too? What about Asterians? Maybe I am going overboard? Perhaps their team ranking in points should be 25 MC higher for purposes of determining underdog bonuses?
• Use the Achievements system from the Season 4 Rulebook.
• No Fans on the Pitch in regular games. Maybe in one game at some point in the League though, that could be fun.
• Allow one "We Can Rebuild Him" upgrade, and only on a Jack, must be clearly marked or represented as different somehow.
• No Hacking - from Season 6 Rulebook.
• Any Mechanite or Mutant team has to be WYSIWYG or very close, sorry.
• Forge Fathers can use Brokkr rules.
• Season 1 - Season 6 teams will be allowed. Other than what I have already mentioned.

I know there is more I want to have in there, but.... I will have to come back to it.

COACH'S CORNER: First Buys for Dreadball...

If you are thinking about getting into the Futuristic Sports Games Dreadball, where do you start?

Well, the first purchase is easy. You should start out with the the Starter Set. It used to be called the Deluxe Edition, but now I think it is just called Dreadball. With it you will get the cards, dice, ref and rules, that you need to get started. Plus, you get two teams to begin playing with right away. Full contents are:

1 - 84 Page A4 Full Colour Rulebook
1 Mounted Game Board
10 Plastic Corporation Players (4 × Strikers, 4 × Jacks, 2 × Guards)
10 Plastic Marauder Players (6 Jacks, 4 Guards)
1 Plastic Referee
2 Plastic Balls
54 Game Cards
18 Dice
13 Game Counters
24 Clear Plastic Hex Bases
1 Roster Pad
2 Mantic Points

Unless, of course, you can get your hands on a copy of Dreadball: Azure Forest Limited Edition. Then you get a nice boost to your start, for just a few bucks more. Contents include:

Full-color A4 Rulebook

10 Human Miniatures

10 Marauder Miniatures

1 Referee Miniature

Transparent Plastic Bases

13 Counters

2 Balls

18 Colored Dice

League Roster Pad

54-card DreadBall Deck

Limited Edition Azure Forest Pitch

Azure Forest Supplementary Rulebook

15 Azure Forest DreadBall Cards

Metal A'teo Adysi MVP Miniature

After that, go for buying the team that appeals to you the most for aethetics or gameplay... I recommend not beginning with the following teams:

• Red Planets Martian Team - Could be frustrating to new players. Have a few odd rules and Fragile, lackluster Strikers. 
• Koeputki Kolossals Zee Team - Could be frustrating to new players. Have a few odd rules. All Jacks (only one mediocre position).  
• Midgard Delvers Forge Fathers Team - Could be frustrating to new players. Slow. Require a lot of patience to make work (if you like the look of them, just ue the Brokkr rules from Season 4).
• Ro-tek Brutes Mechanite Team - Could be frustrating to new players. Requires a decent understanding of the game to make decent players. Might require multiple purchases of teams to create what you want.
• Kovoss Kryptics Mutant Team - Could be frustrating to new players. Requires a decent understanding of the game to make decent players. Might require multiple purchases of teams to create what you want.

Then, get a league going or play in a tournament. Join the FB Fanatics page. Listen to The Strike Zone Podcast. 

The community is great and always looking to grab new people! 

Have fun!

COACH'S CORNER: 100th POST

This is my 100th post about the futuristic sports game that I love! 

A short recap of what has been on Dreadball Notebook so far:

• Reviewed every team in Season 1.
• Reviewed every team in Season 2.
• Reviewed every team in Season 3.
• Reviewed every team in Season 4.
• Reviewed 2 of the 4 teams in Season 5.
• Reviewed the beta releases for 3 of the 4 teams in Season 6.
• Shared my thoughts on the Giants in Dreadball.
• Discussed a ton of TACTICS.
• Discussed lots of topics about Dreadball Xtreme.
• And a lot more...

What is in store for the near future?

• I will continue the reviews of the Teams in Season 5 and Season 6.
• I will need to update the earlier reviews in light of the newer teams.
• More Sideline Reports, hopefully getting a format down that I would like to continue with into new installments. Including some DBX reporting.
• Lots of more entries on TACTICS.
• I would like to have some guest spots with other DB Coaches that have some ideas to share.
• Hopefully a giveaway some time next year!

Any other suggestions? Please feel free to drop them as a comment below.

Finally, for the 100th post in Dreadball notebook, I would like to thank the following:

• Mantic Games for making and continuing to support this fantastic game!
• Ronnie Renton and Jake Thornton for all they do to support the hobby!
• Adam at War More Radio!
• The community of Dreadball players at the Dreadball Fanatics Facebook page!
• All the readers and all those who have commented on the blog itself!
• My friends and my FLGS!

Thank you all! I do this blog out of love for Dreadball and my continuing passion for playing this fantastic futuristic sport! I hope to keep it going for as long as I am able.

Now, let's start the first Rush!

COACH'S CORNER: Giants - Part Two

Giants - Part Two

Synechdoche

First off, the model... meh.

If you know that you are up against a "turtling"-style team, like a Forge Father, Brokkr, or a non-Striker team - pretty much anyone who will have to retain the ball over time to control the pace of the game, the Synechdoche might be a pretty good choice you. Also good against Hobgoblins... just saying, taking control of a Hulk and Slamming the little guys on the Hobgoblin team is a sweet idea.

The Synechdoche's stat line is for crap, I mean awful, but that isn't why you are taking him. You take him for the ability Mind Control. With this ability you can take control of a player from the opposing team and basically have them hand over the ball, or set themselves up for a Slam, or move out of the way, whatever. Mind Control is a great ability, but a seasoned coach will pick up on the tactic pretty quickly. He won't be able to stop it, but he might be able to mitigate it some.

The question is, does this ability warrant only having 5 players on the Pitch and the expenditure of 15 MC. Cheap for a Giant, expensive for a regular MVP.

Grade: B

Brank ‘BOOM-FIST'

I am a sucker for this model. I love it.

Talk about making Big Mech completely redundant, wow. Brank has a 3+ Armor, due to being a Keeper, and Can't Feel A Thing. Taking him out is nigh impossible! And with his 3+ Strength, he is a force to be reckoned with on the Pitch.

He is slow... Forge Father slow, but for once, it doesn't really seem to matter. I mean, he even has a 4+ Speed-jealouos much Brokkrs? :-)

Oh yeah, and Skill matters some, he has a 4+ there too.

'Boom Fist' is not bad at all for an anchor piece on the Pitch. He is a big stompy thing that is almost unkillable. Plop him down in the 3 point Strike Zone and... nothing, just let him sit there, forever.

And he looks so cool!

Grade: A -

Skarathron

Model, ok I guess...

A fast, Threatening Jack with Stretch. I am not seeing the appeal. Really, just not. I would rather take Alpha Simian over this guy-though in all frankness, I am not sure I would ever take a Giant Jack.

For 20 MC, give me a Striker MVP and a Guard MVP, over Skarathron any day.

Am I missing something here?

Grade: C -

Karadon

Crazy shark guy. Not crazy about the mini, it's ok though.

A Threatening Keeper with a Strength 3+, not bad at all. This is the damage-dealing other side of the 'Boom-Fist' coin. He has a Move of 5, so average on that. Speed 4+, so average on that. Skill 5+, eh, not great for a Keeper. But of course, with the better Armor (seemed to be misprinted as 4+ in the book, it should be 3+), he is still a monster. Pun intended.

You could do worse than Karadon for 19 MC, I put him up there as one of the better Giants for sure.

Grade: B +

So that puts my tiers of Giant Assessment as the following:

Tier 1 (A range)
Nameless Spawn - The Irresistible Force
Brank 'BOOM-FIST' - The Immovable Object

Tier 2 (B range)
Dozer - Our Lady of Wrecking Face
Karadon - Giant Shark of Destruction
Synechdoche - Strange ... the... the.. Greatest Player of All-Time Ever... I must serve Synechdoche...

Tier 3 (C range)
Skarathron - Big 'ole Fast Spider-Thing
Alpha Simian - Dreadball's Monster Ape
Barricade - Rolling Wrecking Ball

Tier 4 (D range)
Big Mech - Big Disappointment

COACH'S CORNER: Giants - Part One

The next two Coach's Corners are going to be a two part look into the Giants of Dreadball, in a literal sense. Giants are an interesting aspect of the game that, quite honestly, very rarely see play in my neck of the wood. I think the main reasons for their absence are:

1. We tend to play a whole lot of one-off games.
2. In our last league, there weren't any Giants "for sale"... or maybe there were and no one "bought" any.
3. Until very recently, only two of our local players had any Giants (and one was a rare attendee of game nights). 

We are trying to get more on the Pitch now though. So, we'll see. We have talked about doing more Exhibition Games rather than just straight-up one-on-one games.

I am splitting the section up into two parts:

1. Part One is going to be a look at the Giants released in Season 3. This is the section below. 
2. Part Two are the Giants from the Season 6 book, which are available already.

So, let us commence with Part One...

Giants - Part One

Alpha Simian

First off, I really dig this mini. Alpha Simian is a great sculpt. He looks very cool and was one of the poster children for Mantic's Giants.  

Ok, so first off he is a Jack, meh. But he has Slide and Stretch, hmmm, getting better. And he has a Speed of 3+... ok, now we're talking. In addition to that, he has a Skill of 4+. Throwing from or to a Giant is nice too, as you choose the "front hex"-they are hard to block. I am seeing a decent addition to the scoring side of a team.

So, decent at Slamming, and good at getting to where he needs to be and ball-handling. Is he worth 19 MC? Is he worth 19 MC when you compare him to other MVPs, like The Praetorian for 11 MC, or even Mellisandra for 10 MC (both from the same Season 3 book)? Well, probably not. At least, not as far as my play style goes. 

Grade: C 

Barricade

Next up is Barricade. The mini itself is alright. I like that it has wheels. :-)

He's a Guard with a Move 6 which is great, but a Strength 4+, which is pretty middle of the road. He also has Stretch, Threatening and Comin' Through! All these abilities are good. The is all about barreling through your opponents and Slamming them from a decent distance away. Oh, and a Speed 3+... huh, that is unexpectedly good.

He is meant to be a cannonball, rocketing through the opposing team. I wish he were a regular-sized player though-this is really an overall trend in my way of thinking with Giants. For  cost of 18 MC, I can get me Buzzcut, or a Grak, and still have enough left over for another MVP (not necessarily a good one, but another body on the Pitch, which of course Giants count as 2 players).

Grade: C +

Big Mech

Very cool Deadzone-styled model. I love it!

Threatening, awesome! Can't Feel a Thing, excellent! Strength 3+, yes! Showoff, ok. Jack, what the ...

Had Big Mech been a Guard, he would have been SO MUCH BETTER, but alas, he is a Jack. And as bad as it is to be a Jack in regular DBO, being a Giant Jack is worse.

Sure, he is hard to take out, very hard to take out. Sure, he hits like a ton of bricks. But his effective Slam range is one hex away. Ugh.

I mean, I get the big Gorilla being a Jack, and he is a decent one at that, but I see Big Mech and my brain screams, "GUARD!" 

I can't see a situation where I couldn't find something better to spend 19 MC on.

Grade: D 

Dozer

The model is fine... 

Guard, Threatening, and a 3+ Strength, now we're talking. I realize that she has a Move of 4, so she is slow, very slow, but she is finally a Giant worth really looking at! She has a Threatening Slam with 6 Dice on a 3+, with Brush Aside, nice! Very nice!

Plus, wanna hit her in the back? She ain't having it! With Teleport, she is outta there! This is a nice mitigation of one of the weaknesses of the Giants.

For 19 MC, she is a fair purchase. There might be better uses of your MC, but at least this one does not feel like a ripoff.

Grade: B +

Nameless Spawn

And finally, we have the Cthulu monster that apparently scares the bejesus out of everyone! Nice model for that!

Here we have a Guard, with the so-so Strength 4+ stat, but... but... but... THREATENING AND GOTCHA! Unholy crap! This Giant is freaking crazy. You realize, of course, that means you are on a 6 Dice Strength 4+ Slam against an opponent that is rolling minus two Dice (or minus three if you thought ahead and put another player Threatening him)! 

The Nameless Spawn is a murderer. Period. This creature excels at casting opposing players into an early grave. And yeah, go ahead and try to Slam him head-on... go ahead, at your minus 2 Dice. Good grief.

Oh yeah, and a Speed 3+ is pretty nice too!

Now 21 MC, that is still a steep price. If you had the perfect combination of MVPs, you could probably get a more powerful bang for your 21 MC... maybe. If it is an important game, and let's face it, what game isn't? The Nameless Spawn is not a bad choice.

Grade: A -

Next week, the second wave of Giants...

 

 

COACH'S CORNER: These are a few of my favorite things... Player Edition

My Greenskins on the Pitch!

Season 1

Orx Guard

This my favorite model in the original line of models. They might be my favorite models in the whole range. I actually like painting them too! And their stats are excellent! Even in the games I have used them in against Season 4 teams, they still wreck face! 

Ever player wants to punch you in the face.

Season 2

Void Siren Jack

A number of Jacks have abilities, varied and plentiful abilities. But no one has Run Interference as an ability on the model in starting play. The Void Siren Jacks allow you to defend your territory like no one else. They also force the opposing coach to make hard decisions when coming down the pitch. These Jacks alter the game in ways that most other models don't even approach.

That's her in the top right corner... and all the other girly girls with their legs up in the air.

Season 3

Asterian Striker

Ah, the Asterian Striker... Just a force of nature on the pitch. Fantastic Speed and Movement allow you just go wherever you please. They are one of the most reliable models for the purposes of scoring. I don't really care for the actual models though, I think that is their only real shortcoming, aside from, well, you know, being a space elf. 

I am the proud papa of this cute guy.

Season 4

Martian Jack

If you have read this blog for any amount of time, you probably know I love me some Martians! And it is the Martian Jacks that make the team so fun. Sure, you are going to have a few tossed out of the game for shooting someone in the back, but hey, who cares! Also, I love the models (the whole Martian team actually), and I took a lot of time and effort painting them. ACK ACK!

COACH'S CORNER: DBX Quick Reference Spreadsheet

I made a quick reference chart/spreadsheet for the "groups" in DBX. I wanted something that I could look at quickly to determine if the sponsor I was designing was actually in-line with my wants/play style. It is nothing fancy or elaborate, I know some of people on the Dreadball Fantatics FB page are making some that are way more intricate and with a better and more polished system ("Tech Guys" if you will) but like I said, this is a quick reference that I made and have been using. Feel free to comment if you see any errors...

DBX Sponsor Sheet

If you want to make it more user-friend, just copy the whole thing and paste it into another Spreadsheet and use a Filtered view. That will make searching even faster.

COACH'S CORNER: These are a few of my (least) favorite things... Team Edition

And now, for the teams I like the least from each season and why...

Season 1

Midgard Delvers

Do I like the look of the Forge Fathers? Yes. Do I like their flavor and history? Yes. Do I enjoy playing them? Nope. They are not my play style at all. Their Speed is awful, their Movement is ridiculously slow, and the only successful way I have ever seen them played has to do with scoring quickly and them hoarding the ball. Totally viable strategy mind you, I just find it boring. And besides, why play the original Forge Fathers, when you can play the Brokkrs! Seriously, why?
Be part of the Solution: I think that there could be a number of things that could help out the Forge Fathers. First, I think that it should be racial trait across the board that they have Steady. Then maybe something new, like... Low to the Ground - +1 on attempts to Pick Up the Ball. That could be on both Jacks and Strikers.

Season 2 

Chromium Chargers

What a cool concept for a team! What cool models! What a disappointment in action. I have seen so many people struggle with the robots. Quick Change Artist is great... in theory. In practice, you end up wasting actions trying to turn your players into something every other team already has. And don't get me started on failing to change... ugh!
Be Part of the Solution: I think that they should allow a double on Quick Change Artist to give you a free action, that would change the entire play style of the team and make them a LOT more interesting.

Season 3

Koeputki Kolossals

I own the Zees. I have played the Zees. I just don't like the Zees (except in DBX, where I LOVE them!). All Jack teams are hard enough as it is without making them so bad at scoring too. If you want to have a few fun Exhibition Games with them, they can be a hoot. But trying to play them as your "everyday team" or league team is going to be challenging.
Be Part of the Solution: I would do something like... Supported - For every Zee in the same scoring zone as the Zee trying to score, you get +1 dice (to a max of +2). Too much?

Season 4

The Unincorporated

Ok, I have the Rebs on here for a totally different reason than the others. The Rebs are too good! It is ok to have a Jack that can move 7 and still Slam? Sure it is. Is it ok to have a Guard that double Slams? Yeah. Is it ok to have a Jack that can reliably catch the ball? Yes. Is it ok to have a Movement 6 Striker with a Skill of 3+? No. I do not like a regular player having a 3+ Skill. But, I could live with it if the rest of the team were not amazing too! I think that the Unincorporated are just plain Overpowered.
Be Part of the Solution: Make the Striker Skill 4+.

COACH'S CORNER: Magnetic Tape for Dreadball!

So, a buddy of mine is magnetizing all his Dreadball figures and bases. This is pretty awesome, but it seemed like a lot of work to me. Since DBX came along, I have happily been using Blu-Tack to adhere my players to their bases. But this still left me with the issue of the ball just having to sit on a player's base.

At first, I thought I would use magnets too. And though that still seems a viable answer to me--just glue a tiny magnet to the corner or like m buddy, let the one in the center hold it. But I didn't have enough to do this to every base. And there is nowhere near me, that I know of, to buy rare earth magnets.

Then I read about magnetic paint. "What a fantastic idea!" I thought. I found a little can of it at Lowes Home Improvement for $20 bucks... too pricey for me. So, I started to brainstorm.

I thought about getting one of those thing magnetic sheets that you can cut for crafts. I went to Ben Franklin Crafts and sadly they didn't have a big sheet of it, just little squares. And those little squares seemed over priced too! Then, beside the squares, I noticed Magnetic Tape! Roughly $8 later, I am heading home with the stuff to try it out.

The Quick Easy Process

First thing I did was grab a Rare Earth Magnet and glue it to a Dreadball. This is the one thing in this process I would change for sure. My friend uses larger diameter magnets--I should be doing this too.

Then I put tiny piece of magnetic tape on a base. This small of a piece of tape would allow nearly all the bases I have to have a tiny piece of tape on them.

A model on the base. Once the base is painted black, you won't notice the tape. I plan on priming a base with the magnet on it to see if that interfere with it in any way.

Much to my joy, the ball, even with the tiny Rare Earth Magnet, jumped right onto the strip of magnetic tape.

The ball goes on easy, with no issue staying on during moving the model around, even upside down. But, the ball comes off easily too. It has just the right amount of magnetic attraction. 

I am going to add a little piece of tape to some of my existing black painted bases and test it out soon on the Pitch. I don't think the adhesive needs any super glue, but I might add it on just for good measure.

Pretty happy with the results and thought I would share.

COACH'S CORNER: These are a few of my favorite things... Team Edition

Of the 4 Seasons that are out right now, the following are my favorite team in each Season and why...

Season 1
Trontek 29ers (Human Male Corporation Team)
I love the truly balanced nature of this team. I have never put them on the board and thought I was at a disadvantage. Everyone is pretty decent on this team--there might be no one that shines like the North Star on this team, but neither is there anyone that is just outright awful. In addition, you get a Coaching Dice, which is nice to get your momentum rolling. And, most importantly I believe, you get two starting cards. The two cards really make this team a nasty rival no matter who they are up against. The Corporation team really is the standard by which all other teams are measured, and rightfully so.

Season 2
Void Sirens (Human Female Corporation Team)
This team is a powerhouse! These ladies take the game to another level. Where the boys have the cards to give them extra actions, the girls have the cunning to really play a stronger defensive game (thanks to Run Interference). The Void Sirens can make the opposing coach quiver just trying to make a decision, due to their Jacks being able to utilize the opposing coach's turn for their own purposes. This is one of the few teams where you don't mind having Jacks going onto the pitch for you (as they are the real weapons on the team). Add to this 4 Coaching Dice and this team is just fantastic on the pitch!

Season 3
Kalimarin Ancients (Nameless Team)
Wow, these guys can just plain dominate the pitch! Their Strikers are amazing, with a Movement of a Veermyn, the Skill of a Human, and A Safe Pair of Hands! But where the money is at is definitely the Guards. Between the Hard and Sticky Guards, you have a duo of monstrous killers, literally. Plus, this team first introduced the concept of 2 distinct types of player in the same position, very cool. I HATE seeing these guys on the other side of the pitch from me! But playing them... well, that's another story altogether. And just in case I have not made it abundantly clear, these Cthulu-Outworlder-No-Jack-Having-Machines-of-Destruction are REALLY, REALLY, REALLY good (many think too good).

Season 4
The Red Planets (Martian Team)
I am going to go with who I love to play for Season 4. I will put these little green men up against anyone, and often lose, but with the Martians it isn't about winning. The Red Planets are about the most fun someone can have playing Dreadball. They are cheating invaders who will happily stab (or shoot) you in the back. So they die easily, they can't score worth a crap, and the Guard is nothing to write home about, but GUNS BABY! I love them.

COACH'S CORNER: Play Testing the Koris and the Tsudochan (both V.2)

I had the good fortune to be able to wrangle a free night to try out two of the teams that Jake released for play testing from Seasons 5 and 6.

Tsudochan:

Game:
Tsudochan V.2 vs Male Corporation Team (I was playing Corporation)

Result:
Landslide victory for the Corporation in the 8th Rush

Thoughts:
The Tsudochan are very interesting. You cannot block their path. You cannot threaten them. You have to play an entirely different game against them. From the beginning, I knew the game was going to be unlike playing against any other team, so I set up my defense with that in mind. I was the Visitors. I used Guards to block the center lanes of the 1/2 point zones and used my remaining 3 Strikers and a Jack in a straight line defending the 4 point lane of the 3/4 point strike zone (see picture). I thought that if nothing else, he would have to dedicate a lot of resources to moving my players if he was going to go for the big score--I wanted to prevent that as long as I could. My opponent began in a standard 3 Frontline/3 Goal Guarding setup.
Even though the Tsudochan were able to scoot my team all over the pitch, moving the ball was hard for them. They tried a few times to score, but due to the amount of movement it was taking for them to get in place, they were almost always trying for a strike with a single roll of the dice, a straight up 50/50 shot. This overall swung the game to the team with some Strikers.
As the Corporation, I was easiy able to move the ball down the pitch and score, opting for the 3 point shots whenever I could. Eventually, it came down to the fact that I was able to just run the pitch with the ball-handlers, and constantly moving my other players into places where he had to sacrifice his movements to use the Push ability. Without a solid Striker or a Guard to dish out some damage, the Tsudochan are almost playing a different game on the pitch entirely. Which is not a bad thing, but would take some getting used to.
My friend and I discussed how we would change the Tsudochan after the match. We settled on what we thought they needed for a straight team on team match was to begin with a Coaching Dice (or maybe 2). The 2 Cards were not as needed as one might think, due to the specialized nature of the cards, heck you can't even use Striker or Guard cards at all. But a Coaching Dice would allow them to have a more solid shot at getting some points on the board and moving some momentum toward their side of the table.
In a League, these guys may well become monsters! Especially, If they can get an MVP or a Free Agent, they will be unstoppable. Same goes for an Exhibition Match with say 120 MC, that would entirely change the dynamic.
Overall, super fun and cool team with interesting rules and interactions. They seem like with a little practice, they might be a force to be recokoned with! And as a side note, with an all jack team, go for the 1 and 3 point shots most of the time, the odds are way better.


Koris:

Game:
Koris V.2 (I played the Koris) vs Male Corporation Team

Result:
One point victory for the Koris

Thoughts:

Portals! Man, the portals were a ton of fun, for both sides! And boy does it change the game flow and strategy!

So, I was the home team Koris in this matchup. I set up with a slight variation on the standard 3 up and 3 defending configuartion. I had a Guard defending a 1/2 strike zone, and Jacks defending the other 1/2 and 3/4 strike zones. I played my Striker in the center, flanked by a Guard and a Jack. I placed my initial portal right behind the Striker. My opponent set up in a almosted honeycombed configuartion that was well-planned to prevent me from having an easy go at a deep feild incursion. 

The first thing I did on my turn was Sprint my forward Jack as deep into the center of my opponents backfeild as I could. Then I placed a portal. This was key. I used that portal constantly. 

At first, the 4 Movement was really bumming me out. Then, I decided that I had to utilize the portals better and as a constant part of my tactics on the pitch. Then everything changed. I used Jacks to move portals and jump to place just beside the ball, or used the portal as my one space move for a Jack to throw on the other side. It was loads of fun!

My opponent enjoy using the portals too! He used them to score, to Slam me and generally take advantage just like I was. The problem, of course, was that pushing your luck like that will eventually catch up with you, and it did! A portal gave him the chance to win the game in the 14th Rush, then with a Failure on a Confusion check, it solidified the win for me! This was a really close game, btw.

I think the Koris are great! I look forward to more games with them and more teleporting shenanigans! They would be great in a League too. I don't think I would change a thing about them. 

Pro-tip: Protect your sole Striker! He is your money-machine!

COACH'S CORNER: Play Testing

One very important aspect of gaming is play testing. And being fans of Dreadball we are really in luck. Jake at Quirkworthy has allow the community the opportunity to try out the beta versions of the upcoming teams. Not only that, be he has asked for play testing and feedback on them. This is a wonderful reflection on what Mantic wants to be--a gaming company that is trying to interact with their community.

With these host of teams to play test, what do you think is the best way to carry that out? A lot depends on the size of your DB group and the time you have available (especially as the play test period is rather short). We have three solid players in my area, three more casual but very interested players, and about 3 more just casual players. I think that I am only going to be able to rely on myself and on other player to get together, and probably only once. So, that probably means two, maybe three games. Here is the way I plan on doing the play testing:

• I always want to play the new team against the Corporate team. Reason being, they are the zero point on the number line that all other teams are either a positive or negative towards. And, they have honestly remained a solid team throughout all four seasons so far.
• I think to save time, which will be in short supply, I think we should play the set stats teams (ie not the Mutants and not the Mechanites).
• I will let my opponent chose which new team to test out first. Then I will make the second choice and play it.
• Who I would like to play: 
• First choice, the Fran-Taar Philosophers, theTsudochan team. I love the backstory, the looks,  and the mechanics of this team. I have looked forward to these guys since the moment I saw them. They are the reason I did the maximizer for Season Six on the Kickstarter. Plus, they look both balanced and fun from the get-go.
• If my opponent want to try them, then I will try out the Glambek Ghosts, the Ada Lorana team. I also was drawn to the look of these guys, but unlike the Tsudochan, they look terribly broken. I want to see if my gut feeling is right.
• Third choice, if we get a third game, the Crystallans.
• Take notes via audio recording to keep the disturbance to a minimum.
• Report my findings to the Quirkworthy blog (and the DB Fanatics FB group).

Here's hoping I actually can get out to play test before the period for input is over!

COACH'S CORNER: League Ideas

I am thinking of running a league in my local area to drum up some more interest in Dreadball. I helped run one last year, but I would like to do something a little different this time.

League Ideas:
Minor Leagues - Play a shortened league season and only allow Seasons 1 and 2 teams. Maybe end the season with a short tourney or a few bowl games. I think this could be a fun way to get some new blood into the game with too many strange abilities or unbalancing teams. I really believe this could be a lot of fun.

All-Star League - Have a number of MVPs equal to the number of teams, allow each team to choose an MVP (Free Agents only for Underdog bonus). Start with the team at the bottom and let them choose one, then proceed in ascending order.*

Invasion League - Come up with multiple special rules for different arenas (there are already a number of them out there) and allow the first team to win to be the "home" team. Keep a galaxy chart and allow races to invade planets. Or, something like that.

Two List Format League - This one is like the two list format from Warmachine/Hordes tournaments. It would be as if your were a Sponsor with two teams to ring to the match and neither would know until the time of the match who you were bringing. Winner determined by a tourney at the end.

Regular Old League - ...would still be fun.

*Due to the way someone can "game" the system, I am only going to allow one player to be dropped in-between games, regardless of format.

COACH'S CORNER: Dreadball Resources

Mantic Website

Of course. It is a great place to find some free rules, to see when releases are happening, and what is in the box. 

Mantic Forums

A nice place for rules questions and to show off your models.

Dreadball Xtreme Website

A newer website dedicated to all things DBX. I like the layout and info so far. Hopefully as Dreadball Xtreme grows, so will the website.

Dreadball Fanatics Facebook Page

This community is fantastic in my opinion. A great resource all-around. You will need to be added, as it is a closed group. The group's description is: 

This is the unofficial fan group for DreadBall by Mantic Games. Feel free to post questions on rules, share pictures, conversions, paint jobs, news, tactics, and anything else related to DreadBall.
You can use the group to sell or trade stuff, but use your judgement - if things get out of hand and spammy, to the point where it covers up important threads of lovely pics of painted models, we might change this.
By stuff we mean keep it dreadball or games related. anything else you will be banned!
Let's keep everything family friendly, but the group is pretty lax and we've never really run into any issues so far so let's keep it that way. :)
We're in no way official, but we do have a few pathfinders and Mantic staff in the group so keep that in mind. Game on!

Dreadball Board Game Geek Page and Dreadball Xtreme Page

Another great resource and place for some discussion.

Strike Zone Podcast on War More Radio

PODCAST - Great thoughts and advice--and a joy to listen to! And focused on Dreadball!

Beasts of War: Dreadball Acedemy

VIDEOS - A wonderful Youtube series by the cool fellas over at BoW.

I know there are more that I am missing. Please feel free to alert me to any and I will add them! Thanks!

COACH'S CORNER: Introducing New Players to Dreadball

 One of the best things about our hobby is being able to introduce people to games that are new to them. And of course, the one I always want to show off to a gamer is Dreadball.

If the player is a miniature gamer, they usually jump on board with little prodding or coercing. Miniature gamers are often familiar with Mantic in some way, and if not, they are familiar with Blood Bowl, which makes them interested pretty quickly--especially when I describe it as, "a fast-paced game more akin to basketball or hockey rather than football (American Football, of course)." If they are regularly a board gamer, they usually are willing to jump in pretty quickly too when they see the familiar shape of the game board come out. This contrasts starkly with most miniature games having to set up terrain on a large table.

Once a person is willing, where do you go from there? I think that the general recommendation from most is to start with the basic set up of the starting two teams of the Corporation and the Marauders, no ref and no cards. I agree with this... sometimes. Not matter what someone wants, I always play the first game with no cards and no ref, but beyond this, this is where you often have more success knowing if you are playing with a miniature gamer or not. If the person across from me is a mini gamer, then Corporation versus Marauders it is. They are probably intimately familiar with the idea of sides that are differently balanced but solid. These two will work with them easily. For the non-mini gamer, I really think the match should be the perfectly balanced Corporation vs Corporation. The truly balanced game is something much more similar to a board game. This, of course, requires you having 2 Corporation teams (preferably painted or with colored bases to help differentiate). After a game or two, then introduce the element of the Orx and Goblins.

***I would recommend that those teaching new players encourage them to watch the Dreadball Acemdemy on Beast of War too--it is a a great intro and a riot!***

The next step is the the introduction of the cards and ref. After a few games with the two starter teams and ref/cards, then I move on to talking about the Season 1 and Season 2 teams. Most people are ready at this point to begin a discussion of what they enjoy most about the game. This allows for a more seasoned player to recommend a team or two to the new player. I have found that the addition of the abilities slipping in with the new teams has not been an issue with new players. They are ready to soak up that knowledge happily. Sometimes it might require a few more minutes of explanation, but it's worth it. Adding just the rest of the Season 1 teams can also work, but after a few games, most people are either into Dreadball and ready to find their niche, or they appreciate learning a new game, but it is not for them.

Why not Season 3 too? I find that Season 3 is where it gets a bit more complicated and, just to be honest, can be VERY unbalanced to a new player. Teams like the Nameless and the Asterians can just run the pitch. Whereas the Zees are, at best difficult, and at worst terrible. So, Season 3 is a more advanced step (as is Season 4 especially with teams like the Martians and the Rebs). Tht is not to say many gamers, especially old Blood Bowl players, wouldn't be able to jump into the harder teams without a problem--just know your new coach's comfort level.

After all the Season 1 and 2 teams are introduced, then MVPs in Exhibition Games are next. Which leads into introducing Season 3 and 4. This should lead into Exhibition Games 120 or 130 MC to use for Coaches and Cheerleaders and abilities rolled from charts. This should lead right into a league. Hopefully, you have a decent community or a good number of interested new players when a league starts. The more the merrier is definitely true for a DB League.

And as always, the key to it all is to have a blast!