A Tale of Two Witch Elves

Regular readers of these ramblings will recall my previous recounts of the Blood Bowl Exploits of my Dark Elf team, "The Drow Desperadoes".

Tonight, after a couple of weeks hiatus, I returned to Millfield Road Stadium, with the DD's in tow to play Alan's new Dwarf team, which he had converted from a pile of Mantic Dwarves that he had lying around his painting table.

Far too overdressed for a Dwarf Trollslayer but he does at least have the obligatory mug of beer.

The Mantic Dwarves really lend themselves very well to Blood Bowl conversions with the figure being stocky, short and with an almost crouched stance, they look like they are taking their place on the line of scrimmage and with a couple of snips away at the weapon hafts they really look the part of a Dwarf Blocker. With a few subtle uniform markings it would not be too difficult to differentiate between a Blocker a Blitzer and a Runner.

For sometime I have been running the DD's with 6 Linemen, 4 Blitzers, 1 Runner and 2 re-rolls, which costs 1,000,000 Gold. However, for tonight's game, I thought I would jazz up the team line up and bring back into the squad, those notorious, pyschotic, blood drinking Witch Elfs, Scary Mary and Trixie Mixie. Also starting his first game for some considerable time was the Dark Elf Assassin, Sta B'in TheBac and Runner, Runvery Faast.

With these 4 players on the team this left room only for 2 Blitzers and 5 Lineman and 1 re-roll.

With the DD's kicking off, the kick off table produced the "High Kick" result, Alan quickly moved his AG3 Runner under the ball, and promptly dropped it. Taking his first turn, he quickly burnt a re-roll on a block that still didn't go his way and his blocker ended up on his back.

The DD's burst through the line of scrimmage, with Witch Elf, Trixie Mixie, leading the charge, quickly followed by Runvery.

The Dwarves still failed to pick up the ball in their next turn, leaving the way clear for Runvery to scamper through and pick up the ball. Scary Mary had by now managed to make her way up the pitch, eager for the opportunity to select a Dwarf for the Ritual Sacrifice to be carried out at the end of the match.

However, in a huge play for the Dwarves, their runner dodged away from Trixie Mixie and performed a 1 die blitz on Runvery. I had expected this and had set up Witch Elf, Scary Mary to receive the dump off pass. Unfortunately, I hadn't banked on the "1" which meant Runvery fumbled the ball into the arms of the onrushing runner who gratefully received same. Trixie Mixie, in the meantime and had come out on the wrong side of an argument with a Dwarf Blocker and found herself unceremoniously dumped on the deck.

Notwithstanding this set back, the DD's continued to press for the ball to spill free. Although Dwarves are not known for their hand skills, Alan likes to be different and with a hand off and a successful pass, he managed to bring the ball back to the line of scrimmage. Scary Mary, showing why she is called "Scary" managed to track down the ball carrier and with the help of Star Dark Elf Lineman Velon Voltstar, sent the ball carrier spilling and the ball bouncing free, but away from the onrushing Scary, who in any event could not follow through to the ball's landing place due to the presence of other players.

Soon, the ball became the centre of a large group of players from both teams, none of whom seemed at all capable of picking the ball up and in the meantime Trixie Mixie ended up on her backside again.

For the rest of the half the ball hardly moved from the line of scrimmage and so the teams tripped off the pitch at half time tied at 0-0. Alan had put my Star Blitzer, Feliz Fasta and Star Lineman, Sleekit G'It into the KO box, from which only, Sleekit G'It, felt fit enough to join the team at the start of the second half.

Alan, set up his team for the second half with his left flank, strongly defended.

However, once again Nuffle intervened and with a huge bounce on the ball from the kick off, it ended up just behind the line of scrimmage on the DD's left flank.

Runvery, moved to collect the ball and moved back into the "pocket", hoping that some of his teammates would get into open space down field from which the long pass could be thrown allowing the easy score.

It was at this time that Nuffle intervened again, and Trixy Mixie, who seemed to have spent most of the first half on her backside, was sent flying from the pitch from a hefty dwarven blow. Unfortunately, the paramedics in their first assignment to a Blood Bowl game, cleary did not cope with the situation and with a couple of ill-placed slices of the scalpel, Trixie Mixie, failed to pull through.

So it was, that Scary Mary, in a rage at the untimely demise of her sister, came to the rescue of the DD's who were, until that time, struggling for inspiration as to where the score would come from. Scary had her own ideas and streaking down the left wing, she watched in admiration as, Star Lineman, Caloth the Cool, dodged away from his marker, with ball in hand, peel left up the DD's left wing and from the half way line complete a short pass into the grateful arms of Scary Mary.

A desperate 1 die block from the Dwarf Runner, led to Alan rolling "Skull" reroll "Skull".

This gave Scary Mary all the time that she need to work her way down the pitch to the toucchzone and try and burn some time off the clock as well. However, the Dwarves threw everyone downfield, to the extent that Scary did not risk delaying the score any longer and moved in, 1-0 to the DD's.

Only 3 turns were left for Alan to get his equalising score. No heroics from the DD's now. However the casualty rate was rising

Soon, 7 players on the pitch became 6 and the DD's were stretched to be able to cover all the avenues to their touch zone.

Still, the ball was deep in the Dwarf half and it was now that Alan, despite having 3 rerolls at the start of each half, started to regret being so eager in re-rolling his dice earlier in the half.  His first attempt in turn 6 to pick up the ball, failed in abject misery. The same story in turn 7. The DD's had backed off, the Thin Purple Line stretched across the pitch about 3 squares from their touchzone. It was the Dwarves final turn. The Dwarf Troll Slayer punched a hole in the Thin Purple Line, there was now a safe route through to the Touchzone. Alan had a Runner who with a Go For It roll would make it in. But he had to get the ball to the Runner, and this would require his Blitzer, to pick up the ball, run forward, hand off to the other Blitzer, run forward, quick pass to the Runner, Runner catch the ball and then run in (Go for it roll permitting) into the Touch zone. Ball pick up completed successfully, run forward, hand off, needing a 3+, fail, no reroll and the ball bounced into the open field, end of game. 1-0 DD's

I'm not sure I was comfortable with this team line up. The Assassin did a KO on a Troll Slayer early on in the game and then did nothing else except get in the way. Cutting the 4 blitzers down to 2, means you have lost half of your Block skills. The 2 Witch Elves are the Conundrum of the team. They may be the pin up girls of the side but they are fragile with their 7 armour. The Frenzy, if not planned for, can lead to risky second blocks taking place and against a team like the Dwarves, with so much tackle available, their Dodge skill is negated. And with the cost of the 11 players, only having enough money left over for 1 reroll is leaving no room for error and with the number of "1's" that I roll, that is probably too risky a strategy.

Jury is out on this line up - but then again maybe I should just go back to playing Dwarves myself and retire the DD's. Watch this space Dear Reader!