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.

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. :-)

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!

MANTIC UPDATE: Warpath - The Sci-Fi Battle Game (Kickstarter)

If you are looking for a new war game to add to your game night, how about Mantic's Warpath?

There is a Warpath Kickstarter going right now, and it is a fantastic way to get into the game! This is the universe that birthed Dreadball. Check it out, and pledge if you have the inclination! Only a few days left on the Kickstarter!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1744629938/warpath-the-sci-fi-battle-game

I mean, come on, it's a game where the Forge Fathers are worth playing!

Tactics and/or Sideline Reports on Tuesday will return next week!

INSIDE THE BOX: Mechanites

Much like for the Mutants, I wanted to catalog what I received for my Kickstarter Rampage pledge for the Mechanite team - mostly for my reference. This may, or may not, be the same as the retail, AND when I opened the bag, it exploded. So, though unlikely, I might be missing a piece or two.

This is a picture of everything that was in my Kickstarter bag of Machanites.

This is a picture of the arms that were included (except what was in the small plastic bag - see below). It is pretty much two of each of the arms on the arm chart on page 13 of the Season 5 book.

Here we have the final few arms: four hands and two claws. And there is a ball in the bag too.

Here we have the Body pieces. There are two each of the Body Types A, C and D. There are 4 of Body Type B.

Here we have the Guard should pads.

The heads included are three of each of the following: Crane, Quadeye, Radar, and Slim. Then two Tank heads. Also on this sprue is a metal plate (x3)

Legs, two of each set.

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!

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!