TACTICS: Back to basics... for starting players

Basic Tactics for New Dreadball Players:

• Keep it Simple for a Time. Use the Trontek team of human to get the basics, or maybe the Marauders if you like a challenge. But play with a rather straight-forward team for your first few games. This foundation will help you later on.
• Go for the Goal. No matter how much you just want to continually bash someone's head in, the game is won and lost in the Strike Zone. Try to score every Rush.*
• Tally Up Your Actions Backwards. Before doing anything, decide how many Actions you need to score a goal. Use the leftover Actions for buying cards, bashing skulls, and anything else, but be sure that you have what you need for scoring.
• Protect Your Strike Zones. This is essential, if nothing else, protect that critical 4 point lane, and the entire 3 point zone if you can.
• Team Up. Use your Jacks and even Strikers to add a Threat hex on a player before you go to Slam them. If you use a Striker, try to get in the rear arc of the opposing player, so he isn't Threatening you.
• Don't Turn Your Back On Me. Try not to present your rear arc to opposing players. Unless you are a Teraton or a Sphyr, presenting your backside to an opponent is a taunt that may well get you ground into paste. Sometimes, this might be unavoidable, but try not to if at all possible.
• Count It Out. I still use my finger and count out loud when determining if the move I am about to make is viable. Don't be ashamed! Sometimes that single pivot during a Sprint can mean the difference in being able to Catch a Ball or just looking silly.
• No Guts, No Glory. When learning to play the game, if there is a long shot play that seems nearly impossible and might win you the game, GO FOR IT! You never hear someone say, "Remember that time that I played it safe and won the game slowly." **

*Later on there might be a reason you don't, but starting out, I think going for the goal is the way to do it.

** Later on, say in a tournament, this might not be the optimum strategy, but it is still the one I go with. :-)

TACTICS: Dealing with difficult teams... the Convicts

In my opinion, the Convicts may well be THE BEST TEAM IN DREADBALL. Having said that, they are not an auto-win for the coach playing them. Let's go over some schemes for defeating them.

The Convicts

With human stats for Strikers, a massive and Threatening Guard, and finally a use for Jacks (shocking, I know), the Convicts are a super strong team. In the right hands, they can be played as a scoring team, or a crush-your-opponent team. Let's discuss some ways around these strengths.

• If you have Strikers with decent Skill on your team, Throw the Ball at the back of the Grogan Guard's head. If you are the Home team, do this immediately. If you are visiting, and not starting on your back foot (like 4 points down), do it the first chance you get. If you can take out the Guards, your chances go up quickly. If you can, do this to both Guards... yeah, I know... wishful thinking. :-)
• DO NOT CLUMP! If you can in any way avoid it, do not set up your players in such a way that someone can threaten two players at once. If you do this, and the other coach is acquainted with his team, he will send in someone to shock them. This minimizes the potential threat of the Shock Collar.
• Remember that the Convicts have an Offensive coach. This is important for planning your set up for your opponent's Rush. Assume that they roll the extra move, just assume it and plan accordingly.
• Consider unique strategies that might not be otherwise obvious, like positioning two defenders in the following positions to defend the 4 point strike lane without allowing for the Shock Collar to take both defenders out:

• This will pretty much go for playing any difficult team (any team really), play to your Strengths. If you are a scoring team, use that to your advantage. If your team specializes in Slams, then Slam! Do not get too distracted by the Convicts shenanigans, do your thing. Keep the pressure on with the skew that is for you, or if your team is more balanced, then concentrate on playing smart. The Convicts are not invincible.

I would love to hear your strategies for taking on difficult teams. 

Thanks for reading!

TACTICS: Dealing with difficult teams... the Rebs

The Rebs

or "The Unincorporated" 

Following in the specialization trend that started with the Nameless, the Rebs are a a dream team of sorts. With pretty much the best Striker in the game, a Jack actually is a reliable receiver, a different Jack who doubles as a Guard, and a Guard who double as a double of himself, this team is dynamite. Looking at their stat line alone can make most coaches start down a losing path before ever putting a player on the Pitch. What is to be done?

1. Let's look at this logically. The most dangerous player on the team is the Striker. Why? Because he can VERY reliably score very Rush. He needs to be your first target. A smart coach will only begin with one on the board, as not to lose both super-stars super quick. So, this is a background stratagem that should become a laser-focused-must if a Reb Striker is on the board. 
2. Don't freakout too much over the damage potential of the Rebs. The best Strength on the team is 4+. A Gaelian Jack might hit you from downtown, or a Rin Guard might try to Pummel you, but you aren't up against a Hobgoblin Hulk here. Your odds on surviving are pretty good, depending on who you
   
   are of course.
3. Remember, there is only 2 of each position. This can be used to your advantage if you watch the opposing coach closely. He will probably lean harder on some players than others-take them out. Make your opponent play a game he is not comfortable with.
4. As far as the Gaelian goes, get in his face. If you are adjacent to him, he hits like a regular old Jack. This takes away his distance and momentum advantages. If he wants to go somewhere, at least he has to make a 2 Dice Evade test on a 4+.
5. Guard the 3-4 point zone by clogging it up. Make your opponent have to clear this zone to score, because clearing it will be harder than scoring for him.
6. Do not underestimate the Sorak Jack. If he gets in your strike zone, he has a good chance of scoring too. Normally, he won't be going for extra points, but I have seen coaches ignore him and regret it later.

My ragtag group of Rebels!

Hopefully, these few little tidbits helped alleviate some of the terror you might feel when you see the Rebs on the other side of the Pitch. Next installment, the Convicts, the newest "big bads" and deservedly so.

TACTICS: Dealing with difficult teams... the Nameless

In my opinion, there are three monster teams to fear across the Pitch from you in Dreadball: The Rebs, The Nameless, and the Convicts. These three teams are really tough nuts to crack, and usually have the upper hand from the moment the ball is launched. Each has different strengths and weaknesses, and dealing with them can be nigh impossible without a plan... so, let's make one!

The Nameless

The original boogeymen and rightfully so! There is not a player slot wasted on this team. Both Guards have their purposes, one for Threatening and one for Slamming. And the Strikers are just plain great at moving the ball down the Pitch, and pretty good at scoring to boot! What should we do?

1. Don't panic. The players might be from disparate races that resemble ancient deities worshiped in the dark recesses of mankind's undreamt past, but the coach is still human (probably). Watch for openings, he can't protect all scoring lanes and go after your players too. Take careful note of the positioning of Guards, it might tell you where he is aiming for on your team. Pray to your own gods that the dice do not favor him. ;-)
2. If you are a squishy team, try to stay 6 or so hexes away from the Hard Guard. He can Dash for 6, but most coaches won't risk it. If you stay 6 away, then he will probably be using 3 Actions for an attempt at a Slam. One (maybe two) to get the Sticky Guard in place. Then one for a Hard Guard move. Then another to Slam. 
3. Keep the pressure on the other coach to score. If you have a fast and decently skilled team, score. Then score again. Concentrate on the point total and keep the pressure on. If the opposing coach is playing catch-up, he has less time to be killing your players.
   
4. If you are a bashy team, kill the Hard Guards. Team up and put them in the dirt. Do everything you can to take them out of commission. They only have a 5+ Speed, and if you can get behind them and/or them one or two dice down, you can at least send them off the Pitch. It might seems smarter to go for the Sticky Guards, but they have a 4+ Speed for a better Dodge, and they are only Movement 4, so less versatile. The smart money is on taking out the Hard Guards. I would be willing to entertain arguments for focusing on one of the other two positions if you think you have a good reason though.   
5. Clog up the entire 3-4 back line. Leave the 1-2 point scoring zones open if you have to, but protect the back field. This will slow their advance tremendously.
6. Don't panic.

Well, there's a start to playing against the boogeymen... next installment, those pesky Rebels!

TACTICS: Tsudochan Scoot!

On an all Jack team, you often have to be creative in the way you move the ball around the board to score. Luckily, if you are the Tsudochan, you have a bigger tool belt than most, using your Push ability. This is a simple tactic, but hey, everything doesn't have to be deftly crafted by Hannibal to be valid.

Let's say you have a Jack go to pick up a ball on the Pitch, and sadly, he does not double the Pick Up, meaning he only has a single space to move and throw with his second action. Well, if you are using the telekinetic Tsudochan, this is not a problem. You can be up to 6 spaces away from where you would like to throw, and not incur the movement penalty (up to 7 if you don't mind being at minus one dice on that throw).

Orange - Tsudochan, Dark Blue - Other Team

Ok, our Jack is the only Tsudochan on the opposing teams side of the Pitch. We could try to Sprint someone over to that side and Throw the ball to them, either being Threatened or having to Evade once. Then our Jack would have to Throw the ball successfully, and that other Jack would have to Catch it... Too many points of failure, and maybe the only option for some teams, but not for the Tsudochan.

Instead, let's just use our "psychic" abilities and move our guy down the Pitch. Our first action was the ball Pick Up. The second, third, and fourth actions will be using other members of our team to move our Jack down the Pitch:

Then, "Tada!" Our Jack has our team's final action to attempt the 3 point shot with 2 Dice. Not bad at all.

Remember, when playing the Tsudochan, play the game your way, not the opponent's way. Use your Push to move your guys into position, or move the opposing coach's players out of the way. Look for lanes and how to use them. It requires a different mode of thinking, but it is a lot of fun.

TACTICS: Gaelian Get-Around

Here is a simple tactic that demonstrates just how amazing the Gaelian Jack is. It also shows how as a defender, you have to have very careful planning to avoid the Rebel charge.

Often, when a coach is on the defending side the Pitch, he will set up in a heavily defensive posture. This is a good idea usually, especially since the defending coach has to take it on the chin for the first Rush. A normal defensive setup is having players defending the Center Strike Lanes on each of the Strike Zones (especially the 4 Point lane of the furthest Strike Zone). When I say the Center Strike Lane, I am referring to the following:

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to clear up that center lane, and have a chance for your Ralarat Striker to throw in for that 4 Point score? Especially considering the Ralarat Striker is the best in the game at doing that... Of course, that would be nice. Well, with the Gaelian Jack, you have a solid chance of doing just that. Let's start with the players involved...

Orange - Gaelian Jack, Blue - Defender

 

So, the two players involved here as Gaelian Jack and your average Defender. Ok, usually the side of the Pitch in-front of the Gaelian Jack is clear. So, here is what you do, numerals are movement, the 10/11 Hex is a slight pivot to the left...

This sets you up for a pretty straight-forward Slam, and with Charge!, you are hitting like a Guard!

 

Now, the defender might not make this super-easy. The defender may well be a player with Speed 3+. The defender may be a Hobgoblin, or a Sphyr. But, more often than not, in what I have seen on the table, the player in that spot is a Guard (or a Jack). If they are a Guard, usually there Speed is less than their Strength, which means this rear Slam have a good chance of knocking them down. Which means, you have a good chance of getting that 4 point score.

BTW, don't follow-up on the Slam. :-)

This tactic might need to be altered slightly depending on the defender's setup. But with a Gaelian Jack with Charge!, you can probably figure out how to execute this maneuver regardless of what you opponent has done on his/her side of the Pitch. 

TACTICS: General Miasma (Hobgoblin Team)

General Miasma (Visitor)

Dark Blue - Guard, Light Blue - Jack, Green - Striker

After a recent game where I was playing the Hobgoblins against a Kalyshi team, and had a Kalyshi Striker smack my Hulk Guard in the back of the head, sending him out until the sixth Rush, I decided I needed a better setup for my Hobgoblins to start with when being the visiting team. I think I came up with something that works pretty well on a few different fronts, but mainly is about protection.

What does this setup protect?

1. It protects my precious Hulk. By placing him back-to-the-ref, he is protected from those deadly back-of-the-head throws. He still projects three hexes out and he is near the center line for some head smashing on the other side on the second Rush. 
2. It protects the 3-4 point goal. With Hobgoblin Jacks fully blocking the 3 and 4 point strikes, it will definitely take some effort to remove them. Plus, with Stench, they are Threatening tons of hexes all around them.
3. It protects the 2 point goal, and Threatens the 1 point attempts. By placing the Hobgoblin Strikers in the center, they Threaten ever hex of the Strikezone. 

I honestly feel this might be one of the best possible setups for the Hobgoblin team. I will let you know more after further testing.

My Hobgoblin team, "The Brown Dwarf Bashers".

TACTICS: Ares Rising (Martians)

Ares Rising (Visitor)

Dark Blue - Guard, Light Blue - Jack, Green - Striker

The Martians are one of my favorite teams (if you have read much of this blog you probably know that), but they are not necessarily one of the best teams out there. The following is a fun, pretty defensive setup for a Martian team.

Guards - I have set the Guards up as defenders of the 2 point line in the side Strike Zones. I chose them to be there because they defend slightly better than a Jack does, so they run solo the best. This should dissuade, or at least slow down, your opponent's attempts to make more than a single point in a Rush.

Jacks - I set three Jacks up in a full defense of the 3-4 zone. They work well to keep the opposing team out of this area because they are blocking the whole thing. As an added bonus, one of the side Jacks can Sprint up and turn to get into position to shoot almost anyone in the back-movement 6 is awesome! 

Striker - Well, you need one on the Pitch to grab the ball during your Rush, and placing the Striker where he is further argues to your opponent that going for the 4 just isn't worth it. And if it isn't worth it, then why bother the Striker. At least that's the hope!

Ack ack!

TACTICS: Make a hole! (Brokkr)

Make a Hole! (Home)

Red - Guard, Orange - Jack, Yellow - Striker

I will be the first to admit that I am not a Forge Father/Brokkr player. I am not a master strategist with such a slow moving team, but having said that, here is an interesting slant on a space dwarf setup. :-)

First, I decided that since I am the starting player, I was going to lean hard to one side, but play so that I can move toward either. My overall strategy is to move the Guards in to Slam any player that is in my way and go for the 2 points. Hopefully, I will be able to protect my strikers at least some once they are down the Pitch with a Guard at the Striker's back. With Grizzled, those Strikers are a much more difficult proposition than say a regular Forge Father Striker. If the ball ends up on the side I am leaning toward, I think that my plan will work pretty well. And maybe I can clear some of the opposing players from that side of the board (where my undefended Strike Zone is too).Now, if the ball ends up on the lighter side of the Pitch, I will grab it with one Striker and probably pass it to the one on the more defended side after clearing some space.

The back of the pitch is defended in the centers with a Guard and Jack. On Rush 3, I plan on using that Guard, with the Jack in toe, to wreck the face of whosoever is on my side of the board. I did leave one side undefended, but I am hoping this is mitigated by clearing that side of the board some, and used as a little bit of bait.

I would love to hear some Brokkr tactics from an actual Brokkr player. They seem like a team that could be good, but will take time to perfect.   

TACTICS: Protection Sphyr (Sphyr tactic)

Protection Sphyr

Green - Sphyr Striker (with ball), Red - Sphyr Guard

This is how I think you could most efficiently use your resources to protect a Sphyr ball carrier. Because sometimes you cannot always make it to where you need to be to score.

Striker: The Striker with the ball is positioned the way he is to best utilize the Sphyr's Tail ability. By facing the wall in the way he is, it is going to give a -1D to anyone trying to Steal or Slam him from behind (which is any hex available). It also has him positioned that to pivot one and fly down the side of the Pitch eleven hexes if necessary. And don't forget, on a double to dodge, on your move, you should turn your back on your attacker.

Guard: The Guard is there to provide an additional Threat to the hex beside the Striker. If he is Slammed, he can Slamback. If he loses the Slam, he has nowhere to go, so he falls into the same hex-still defending the Striker somewhat. If he wins the Slamback, he can choose not to Follow Up.

Two Sphyr = simple but effective ball protection.

TACTICS: That Stinks! (Hobgoblin Team)

That Stinks! (Visitor)

Red - Hulk Guard, Orange - Hobgoblin Jack, Yellow - Hobgoblin Striker

If there is one thing that the Hobgoblin team is know for... well, it would be the Hulk. But, the second biggest thing the Hobgoblin team is known for is their horrific (and fantastic) Stench! This starting formation as the visiting team is a highly aggressive utilization of the Stench ability.

I have set up 4 Jacks and one Striker along the front line of the visiting side. This setup covers anywhere the ball might come out, except the odd bounce on a roll of a 6. This is going to force your opponent to deal with, or attempt to deal with, the short, stinky front line before trying to score. Sure, they can try to Evade past your players, but the odds are NOT in their favor as the Hobgoblins threaten 360 degrees. The best tactic for the other team is probably to just straight-up attack you, but that will deplete precious resources, and of course, there is the Hulk lingering in the background. If someone comes on your side of the Pitch, you can almost guarantee when it is your turn, they will exit the Pitch immediately!

This is a "high risk-high reward" initial setup. It is probably not as good against a Bashy team as it is against a Striker-heavy, Jack-heavy, or Balanced team, as the Bashy team will probably be super happy to see all those targets right there. And as always, do keep in mind your opponent's setup and counter it as best you can. 

But when in doubt, at least make the other coach yell, "That Stinks!", when they see your setup. :-) 

TACTICS: Rebel Yell! (Unincorporated / Rebs)

Rebel Yell! (Home)*

Red - Rin Guard, Gaelian Jack, Sorak Jack, Ralarat Striker

I was playing the Rebs the other night and thinking pretty hard on what the best setup was for them being the Home team. I came up with this one after playing a slight variation on it on the table. I think this is better than the one I was using though.

First off, you want to score, of course, so you are going to need your Ralarat Striker out there. While he is on the Pitch, I feel pretty certain that scoring is going to happen. Now, I am not a proponent of having both Strikers on the Pitch, as they should be you opponent's first target. Only even have one on the Pitch, unless it is near the end of the game and you can grab a victory with both on the board.

Next, I want both my Rin Guards out there. I want one up front, to hopefully bash some heads. Then, I want one a little further back, for that 3rd Rush retaliation! 

Now, for the Gaellian Jacks, They are too good not to have on the Pitch. I set one up protecting the 4 point line. And then, I set one up on the 2 point line on one side. They are there to get in some good Slams from downtown. These guys can show up where you least expect them.

Finally, I always want one Sorak Jack up front. I will send him into on of the open Strike Zones, just in case the frogman doesn't double something. He is GREAT for catching and he does a decent job of scoring. Plus, should he end up with the ball at the end of the Rush, he is the most difficult player on your team to Steal from. 

The setup that inspired my thought process.

*A special 'thank you' to English poet William Idol for the inspiration for the name, because with the Rebs, you want 'more, more, more...'.

TACTICS: Surge Forward Offense vs Jacked Up Defense (Orx and Goblins vs Orx and Goblins)

I thought it would be an interesting exercise to set up a mental game of Orx and Goblins vs Orx and Goblins. I don't think I have ever played this exact match-up, but I thought that as far as mirror matches go, it's probably pretty common.

I first set up the Home team as if I had the knowledge I was OG and playing OG. Then I set up the Visiting team in response. These are not necessarily the best setups in the world, but just how I would have done it if the board and teams were dropped in front of me and I were jumping into a game in real life (and I made the setups in "real time").

I have added a line from the center of the players (circles) to indicate front facing. Not sure if it works, but I think it conveys the idea--and I don't have any actual art programs on my computer, so this was done with a simple online tool. I also dropped in a few pics, Adam at The Strike Zone recommended this to me. Expect more, and better, pics in the future!

Surge Forward Offense (Home)

Red - Guards, Orange - Jacks

There were two factors that went into this setup. 

One, I wanted to be able to get the ball quickly. I positioned my three Jacks in such a way that they are able to easily grab the ball not matter where it ends up. Hopefully, the plan would be one of the outside Jacks to move into place to score, face and end their movement facing the general direction of the ball. Then have the center Jack grab the ball and toss it to that waiting Jack. This should give me an opportunity to score something. And in an OG vs OG game, I foresee every point (and attempt) counting.

Secondly, I wanted those heavy-hitting Guards as close to the opposing team as possible. Even with my Jacks taking 4 actions in the turn, the Guard should have at least one good attempt at Slamming someone. They are both in the rough center to maximize pitch coverage.

I do have a final Guard in the backfield to cover the 4 point lane. In hindsight, against a Jack-only-scoring team, I probably should have placed him somewhere closer forward to protect a 1 or 2 point zone, but I hate leaving the 4 point lane wide open.

Alternate front line setup.

I think a nice alternative to this might be to go more Guard-forward with 3 Guards on the front line and a Jack defending the rear (see pic above). The downsize to that is a little less coverage for when the ball is launched, and a bit less flexibility in scoring attempts. It really depends on your play style.

Jacked Up Defense (Visitor)

Dark Blue - Guards, Light Blue - Jacks

Looking at the other team's setup, I began placing my players on this side with what the other side of the board looked like, keeping in mind that the team was a Jack-centered team (for some reason, responding to the other side and remembering they are Jack scorers seemed more natural... not sure why).

I set up defensively on the extra point lanes, putting a Guard in each of the

1/2 lanes and a Jack in the 3/4 point lane. Then I set a Jack on the outside of both 1/2 lane Guards. I did this to Threaten the hex directly in front of the Guard (and the other hex in the Strike Zone of course), and to give him that single extra hex of movement should he have to Sprint to grab a newly launched ball--might help, might not. Finally, I set a Guard on the 4 point hex, both to give a little extra defense there and to be in a great position to respond to any scoring attempts by the other team (in other words to punish the Jack that scored, or attempted to score). He is facing forward as not to expose his back to the other team. I have heard some people face him backwards to Threaten the 3 point hexes, but this seems like just handing over a key piece without a fight. I never think it is a good idea to turn your back on your opponent (well, maybe a Sphyr... but that is a different discussion).

Backfield defended!

I think this setup would funnel my opponent into at best going for 1 point. I might alter some of the setup on a second go around--maybe shift the center Guard to one side, or re-position the Jacks on the outside. Not sure, but I set this up quickly as if responding in real life.

TACTICS: An Anti-Tsudochan Defense

Again, I know this team is still technically in beta...

Anti-Tsudochan Defense

Yellow - Any position

The Tsudochan are an opponent that doesn't play the same game as ANY other team. They will pretty much ignore your players unless they have to do something with them. Well, as an initial setup, MAKE THEM HAVE TO DEAL WITH YOU! This setup makes the Tsudochan have to sacrifice tons of Movement that they do not have to spare if they want to go for a 3 or 4 point goal--being a team made up of entirely Jacks, they NEED Movement desperately. The center line of 4 players causes them to give up 8 spaces of Movement to clear the 4 point Hex line. You can make this defense slightly better versus 3 point attempts too, if you position your Threat Hexes on the straight line of players just right. To do this, face the player closest to the home team forward, then face the player behind him completely backwards, this will give a double Threat on two Hexes at least.

This has been the best defense I have come up with to deal with the Tsudochan. I would be very thankful to anyone who might have a different or better setup they could share!

TACTICS: Robots Setup - Standard Packaging

Now, with full disclosure, I do not play the Robot (by Robots I do mean the Season 2 Chromium Chargers). I have a buddy that does and I have watched him play them a good bit. This is more theory than practice, but it seems solid enough.. :-)

Standard Packaging (Home)

Orange - Jacks

This would be my starting setup for the Robots. It is a pretty standard setup with Jacks positioned near the launch line and three Jacks protecting the 3/4 point goal--something has to be sacrificed, in this case I decided on the 1/2 point areas.

Red - Guards, Orange - Jacks, Yellow - Strikers

I would use my first two actions to convert two Jacks up front to Strikers (of course, if the ball is one the left side the set up above would be the reverse). I would run one into position to catch and shoot the ball. With another action, I would convert my other upfront Jack into a Guard for later Rushes*. With my final action I would Pick Up the Ball, hope it doubles, Throw the ball to the other Striker, hope he doubles the catch, and throw the ball in using my Coaching Dice.

Surly someone has a more reasoned setup than this one... please share! :-)

*Another very viable option as an alternative here, would be to buy another card. This might well help you get into position to score better, depending on the card.

TACTICS: Koris Setup - One Shot At Glory!

Again, I know this team too is still technically in beta... but I just love them!

Koris!!!

One Shot At Glory! (Home)

Red - Guard, Orange - Jack, Yellow - Striker, Purple - Portal

I really enjoy the Koris. I like their look. I like their play style. I like the fact that they are unique and challenging. Having said all that, I am still trying to get down exactly what I like as a starting setup for them. This is where I am at right now. 

I always like to make someone work for the extra points, so I have 2 Jacks and a Guard keeping lookout over those lanes.* This is half of the team setup right there.

The other half is in a tightly-knit ball near the center of the pitch. First, let me start with the Jack. His job is to Sprint into the best possible position down the pitch and spit out another portal, for the Striker. The Striker is positioned to go after the ball as quickly as possible. Then he should jump into the portal, to the portal the Jack made and go for a 3, or if you are really lucky 4, point goal. Please recognize, these two might die in this effort. Such is life--that Striker has a HUGE target on his back as it is.

The last Guard in the center is setup to make it difficult for someone on the other team to use the portal. He has Gotcha!, so that assists a lot in the whole stopping people arena.

I would love to hear any other setups for the Koris, I plan on playing the heck out of them once they are released!

*As a quick aside, recently I have been wavering between this "protecting the extra point lanes" strategy and the "protect the 3/4 point zone entirely" strategy. Moving the two Jacks to protect the 3/4 point zone is really up to taste here, AND who you are playing. If you are against a Striker-heavy team, protect the 3/4, if you are against a predominantly Jack team, you might want to protect the extra lanes. It also depends on how many Coaching Dice a Jack team might have and... this is a topic for another time.

TACTICS: Crystallans Setup - The C3 Defense

Before I even begin, I know that as of this time this team is still officially in beta status, and their stats and relative play style may change. But, reading Jake's comments on his blog, probably not that much. So, having said that...

Crystallan Center Column (Visitor)

Dark Blue - Guard, Light Blue - Jack

This defense ("The C3 Defense") is the way I like to begin with when I am the visiting side of a match as the Crystallans. 

It is a powerful defense of the 3/4 point zone. If you can take out one of the Fully-Harmonically-Tuned Guards, you deserve those points! Each Guard will be hitting you back like a Forge Father Guard rolling at full Strength! Unless you are a Hobgoblin Hulk, with a little Hobgoblin sidekick or two, you are going to be hard pressed to clear the lanes enough to make a 3/4 goal.  When you opponent's Striker inevitably geets stuck in your backfield... well, destroy him! That should be easy considering the Harmonic Guards back there. 

In addition to what was just said, you have made an Evasion gauntlet in the center using the Guard and two Jacks. And what of those Jacks? Well, if the center Guard should survive the initial onslaught from you opponent, then you get the Movement bump for the Jacks to be able to get further. They might need to work in tandem to get the most out of ball-handling, but that is really just the whole Crystallan thing--working together and whatnot.


BTW, I also thought that "C3 "was clever, as in they are more powerful when they can "See Three"... SMH at myself. :-)

TACTICS: Asterian Forward Commanders Setup and Hobgoblin's Middle Irk Setup

Please note, these two setups are to be understood independently of each other, they are just presented on a single pitch because one was for a Home team and one for a Visiting team. In the future, I will display only one side at a time for individual team setup.

Asterian Forward Commanders (Home)

Red - Guard, Orange - Jack, Yellow - Striker

I like this setup for the Asterian for a number of reasons if you are the Home team. 

The first reason is that you have your Guard on the Pitch at the beginning of the game. With the ref starting on the Visiting side, it is much more likely that you Dirty Tricks is useful on the first Rush--use it! Try to take out a Striker, or failing that a pretty hefty Guard. Once the first Rush is over, and you find a Rush that you have two Actions left (this seemed to happen a good bt with the Asterians believe it or not), then exchange him for one of the Jacks. The Jack will do just as good at Dodging as the Guard, so blocking the 4 point hex line works fine, plus you always have that Taking a Dive to use. 

Second reason, you have a Jack positioned in the direct center of the Pitch to move down and try and clean a path to either a 3 or 4 point goal using Taking a Dive. If this isn't necessary for some reason, he is still a decently reliable player (heck, an Asterian Jack is nearly as good as many teams' Strikers!). This give a bit of flexibility, which is nice.

Speaking of Jacks, if that center jack does not use his Taking a Dive, perhaps in the third Rush, one of those jacks in the 1/2 point zones can use their Taking a Dive. You are bound to have some of the opposing coach's players on your side, and they are surly asking for a Foul!

Finally, the pinnacle of the Asterian team, the Strikers! These guys are amazing, if you didn't know! Use their incredible movement and Speed to get into position to score that 3 or 4 points. You can go for a 1 or 2 pointer, and you might have to depending on you opponent, but push the Strikers to move down the Pitch and try every time for a 3/4 point goal. They can easily get there and score without breaking a sweat on the very first Rush--they may need the Jack to try and clear a path though.

Hobgoblin's Middle Irk (Visitor)

Dark Blue - Guard (Hulk), Light Blue - Jack, Green - Striker

For this Hobgoblin setup, what I focused on was getting to the second Rush. If the opposing coach is smart, the first thing he does to the Hobgoblins is remove their Hulk, or try to at least. So, this setup first and foremost is about protecting the Hulk. 

The Hulk is flanked by a Jack on either side*, their Threat Hexes, combined with Stench, helps protect the Hulk from ever side and angle--unless you are going to come all the way around and Slam/Throw the Ball at the Hulk from directly behind him. Once you are in the second Rush, these two Jacks become the Hulk's little buddies. They should lead an advance and have the Hulk follow, devastating the opposing team. 

One Jack stays back to protect the 4 point hex.

The two Strikers are guarding the 2 point lanes on either side. They are there because you will need them on the second Rush, to hopefully score. Should the other coach go after one... good, the Hulk can turn them into paste next turn. 

*One note about this little threesome, it can also work if all three move back a hex, putting the Hulk in the 4 point hex, but I generally like them as far forward as possible. Either is extremely effective.

TACTICS: Basic DBO Starting Setup

I thought I would explore a few of the myriad starting set ups for a standard DBO game. Now, do keep in mind, these will vary drastically depending both on which team you are playing and which team your opponent is playing. And these are basic setups, I plan on exploring more in-depth setups with positions and team-specific setups at a later time.

Standard Offense and Standard Defense (and Standard Defense Option 2)

This is a very standard board setup, at least in what I see played casually. 

Offensively (Home), it covers your extra point hexes in all three scoring zones and it gives the starting player a decent spread of his ball carriers up front. This allows the Home team coach to focus on grabbing the ball and trying to score quickly, while still having some basic coverage for his backfield. 

Defensively (Visitor), this set up is for trying to keep your opponent's initial points, should they score, to a minimum. The Visitor team coach has all the extra point hexes covered, but in addition, the entire 3 point scoring zone is blocked by three players in a defensive line. To add yet another deterrent, there is a player in the extra point hex itself. This set up makes the Home team have to really put forth a lot of effort to score anything more than 1 point. *This is one of my favorite setups for the Crystallans, btw!*

A slight variation that I see a lot for the Visitors is to bring that player in the 4 point hex forward to the front. This gives you a 1 in 6 chance of a Threat on the ball. That player can act as a lure to the other coach sometimes too. And finally, if that player is left alone, and your opponent scores, you at least have one player in position to grab the ball upon the new launch.

Bestial Setup and Threatening Setup

These two were setups that I used early on in my DBO career, when I was trying different ideas on the very basics of the game. I enjoyed the highly aggressive posture of both of these. Of course, I will emphasize again, these are better for some teams than for others--for instance, these are for highly bashy teams.

On the Home team side, we have what I call the Bestial Setup. Generally I would use this as the Visiting player, not Home player, but I wanted to display it with the other setup, because the two have some similarities. Bestial Setup gives full Threat Hex coverage, protecting your side of the pitch. If your opponent is a team with a low Speed value, this can really work for you (even worse if they have low Movement too). You are forcing Evade tests, and anytime you can do that, it is a good thing. This is in some ways a betting strategy too though. Half of the pitch is almost double covered, where your players are thick, if you prefer a little more of a balanced defensive line, perhaps instead go with... 

The Threatening Setup accomplishes everything the Bestial Setup does, but with the heavy bet on a few hexes. Plus, the Threatening Setup does give you the one player in line of the 4 point goal. This setup is a bit more stable, and I prefer it for sure at this point, and still use it sometimes.

The Arrow and The Pyramid

The Pyramid (Visitor) is a pretty standard style of setup, but is far enough away from the "Standard", that I thought I would mention it. It protects against those extra point shots. It gives you a player remaining in the middle to either run for offense when it is your Rush, or assist in crushing someone in your backfield on your turn. It also gives you some defense on the outside of the pitch. The outer players make it more difficult for movement around your players, and they also are extra defense against the 2 point goals. Those two outer players are also in great spots to respond to your opponents movements.

The Arrow(Home), on the other hand, is meant to be an offensive punch, to be a hyper-aggressive attempt at the 3/4 zone. A few Guards and a few Strikers making a push to punch through to make a 3 or 4 point goal. It takes some practice, but is a decent starting setup for a Home team with a balanced number of positions. 

The Practiced Void and Standard Symmetry

Standard Symmetry, is one more variation on the Standard setup. It is one that I see a lot. Though the outside players near the launch line are sometimes over a hex or two toward the outside.

Ok, I know I said I wasn't going into team-specific setups, but... The Practiced Void (Home), is a fun setup a Void Siren team, or should you draw a Run Interference card at the start of the game (and have Jacks, of course). This setup can work equally well as a Home or Visitor team. You have a pretty basic setup upfront, but the three players in the rear give someone with Run Interference an exciting opportunity. With the three players positioned in the center of the Strike Hexes, you are defending the entirety of your score zones. If you are the Void Sirens, you are causing your opponent to play an extra layer of strategic planning. If you just have a Run Interference card, you are just being sneaky... sort of.

Feel free to share your starting setups, I would love to hear them.

I am hoping to do more of these TACTICS in the future. Please comment below on what you might like to see.