Waterbowl, 15th and 16th February 2025
I normally like to write these up a day or two after the event. However a long drive to visit family over half term (straight after the long drive to and from Stockport) meant that this is over a week ago. At my age, my memory will struggle and so these may or may not be accurate recollections of all of the proceedings
This was my first time at Waterbowl. It's about a 5 hour drive (a bit quicker by train - but they were potentially striking), which is a long way and I've resolved to try to stay a bit more local for BloodBowl events for the near future, so whilst the event was great and really well run, I'm not sure if I'll be looking to go back next year.
With there being no tiering, the sensible option for anyone wanting to be competitive is a tier 1 team. I selected Amazons a fair while ago for this, although nearer to the time I'd started to wish I'd gone for wood elves as I've been enjoying them a lot on BloodBowl 3 recently. My zon roster was bit far from the one I'd used previously. I had two blitzers - one with block and one with wrestle, two blockers, one with block and one with guard, two throwers - one with block and linewomen to 13 including one with guard to make use of the available secondary skill. This was added to with an apothecary, 3 re-rolls and an assistant coach.
Round 1 v Matt (jipgobsmack)
Matt was playing humans with a 2 block catchers, 1 block and 1 cannoneer thrower, a mighty blow blitzer and block on the ogre. The lack of tackle really helped me during this game! We played the whole game in a blizzard which made both teams a little bit cautious.
I was very aggressive on defence. I got a perfect defence and was then able to tag the ball on my turn 1. I got a turnover and scored to go 1-0 up. Kicking again, I got another perfect defence and an ogre double skull allowed me to get in and score, making me 2-0 up on my turn 4 or 5. Things were going very well although I got a little bit greedy.
I marked up all the scoring threats but instead of pushing a catcher back so that they would need two 3+ rushes, I elected to push them onto the sideline so that they would be surfable if I got another turn. All the dice went right for Matt for an unlikely score which meant that I was 2-1 up at half time.
On my drive I received and slowly pushed up the pitch. On my turn 7, the ball was in the hands of my blodging thrower who I put on the sideline. The cage dive surf works and the ball is thrown in towards the halfway line. Fortunately the humans have used all of their re-rolls and fail the pick up. From what looked like an easy victory, I nearly threw it away into a draw due to 2 positional errors. Hopefully I've learned my lesson now. Or at least I've learned it for the next few weeks.
Round 2 v Cornish
It was great to have an opportunity to play Cornish. We were both ambassadors for Team England last year so had spoken a bit online, and briefly said hello at NAFC but this was the first time we'd had a chance to sit opposite each other.
He had vampires with all 6 vamps and leader and pro on the throwers, dodge on the runners and frenzy and strip ball on the blitzers. Having played a season and a half against vampires, I have a reasonable idea of what annoys vampire coaches, and I set out to play like that.
Receiving the ball, I have a guard blocker knocked out from a foul. I elect to score fairly quickly - no point hanging onto the ball when there's a big threat of them walking in and stealing it from you, and vampires are better defending so weirdly you put them on the back foot by doing a quick score.
I manage to put up a decent defence and the strip ball blitzer suffers a casualty from a foul and doesn't regenerate. I can't quite stop the score and set up for a one turn attempt but a blitz allows the key player to be knocked down and it isn't possible, so we go into half time at 1-1.
Kicking in the second half, I surf a thrall and then foul a runner so they are knocked out, although the apothecary keeps them on the pitch, but my block blitzer is casualtied.
We force the vampires down the left flank and they leave a 6+ dodge with dodge to uphill surf the ball carrier. It would be rude not to do it and amazingly the dodge works first time. I have to use a re-roll but the thrower is surfed and the ball is thrown towards the half way line. Neither of my throwers have activated and they both run towards the ball. Unfortunately they fail to pick it up, and the vampires rush back. A 4+ 3+ double rush blitz fails to knockdown the ball carrier. Out of re-rolls the runner tries to hand it off to the thrower - but with pro only being able to be used on their activation, they drop the ball. We have a chance at the score but again can't pick up the ball and it ends 1-1.
This was one of those games where it was very exciting to the end, with both teams having a chance to win it. The back and forth nature from the middle of the second half meant that it was one fo the most enjoyable games I've played for a long time.
Round 3 v Ian (weary_runtherd)
Ian was playing humans, but a much more annoying human build than we'd faced earlier in the day. They had 3 guard and 1 tackle on their blitzers, as well as block on a catcher and an ogre. This was a lot more difficult for me to deal with.
I kick and despite my best efforts, I can't do anything to stop the score. I have some hits on the ball with aggressive play but they don't produce a knockdown and the humans blitzing with a tackler almost every turns really had an effect and my numbers were whittled down quickly. The referee didn't help the situation spotting every one of my fouls, but ignoring my opponents!
I try for a one turn touchdown that didn't look feasible but end up rolling pows into both downs, and my player falling over.
On my drive, I dart left and right and get crowded near the sideline with guarders and the tackler pushing me in. It feels like I have to give them 2 turns to score, so I score on my turn 15.
I make a mistake on my turn 16 by standing up a player that could later have dodged which would have allowed me to chain push the ball carrier back such that they would need double rushes as well as other dice rolls to score. With some pows and dodges, the humans easily clear the path and this is a 2-1 loss.
Round 4 v Dave (Tintenfisch)
After some games at the venue on Saturday evening, we arrive on Sunday morning, in a positive mood. I'm then drawn against Dave' mean mean undead.
This picture of my dugout basically tells the story of the whole game. Yes, that is my entire team there.
There's not a lot to say really. I receive and look to surf a ghoul, however I get a blocker counter surfed and it went downhill very quickly from there on. My ladies forgot how to dodge. The ball is exposed and we are into desperation mode very early. We are 1-0 down at half time and event with a blitz on our kick off that could have allowed us to get under the ball doesn't help. My dice pick up a bit as we try to dodge in and blitz the ball carrier, but we are pitch cleared and lose 2-0.
I enjoyed playing against Dave who I had chatted to a bit before, but I didn't enjoy playing against his team!
Round 5 v Dave... I think. My memory is sketchy (doc70)
Dave (or maybe not Dave) was playing halflings with Maple. At this point, I think 2 losses, and especially the pitch clear, had got to me and I wasn't playing as well as I know I can.
I kick and the flings try a quick throw team-mate action to score, but the fling hurts itself. I recover the ball and score on my turn 6. I should have stalled, but with no halflings to hit, the turns wouldn't have been very exciting so I don't. This then results in a throw team mate touchdown being scored against me as despite 6 dice on the ball carrier with a block blitzer, I fail to knock him down and a 3+ stunty dodge makes an easy score.
I receive and don't pick up the ball. A double skull that I elect not to re-roll means that a thrown fling can recover the ball, pick it up on a 5+, dodge out and rush twice to take the lead. From a game that looked ours to win, we are looking at a possible defeat.
I elect to score fairly quickly to give myself time to try to get a winner and then the intended thrown fling drops the ball. Unfortunately I can't pick it up to recover to pass to a waiting blitzer so we end up drawing 2-2.
Round 6 v James (quack)
James (formerly known as something similar to quaqueque) was a lovely opponent to end the weekend playing. We'd been at a few events together before but I don't recall speaking to him (although I had thought we'd played before - a case of mistaken identity - so who knows, we may have had an hour long heart to heart. As I get older, the memory gets worse).
He was playing skaven with a fairly standard build - 4 gutters who had taken block, strip ball and wrestle, blitzers with mighty blow and guard, and a rat ogre with block.
I kick and get a blitz. With the gutter snaking the pick up, I'm 1-0 up on my turn 1. James scores back and I get another to be 2-1 up at half time. He has a lot of rats knocked out but most of them come back and he's able to field 10 players.
Receiving, I get a fairly quick score under pressure, which also allows me to get a few surfs in to go 3-1 up and effectively win the game. However, for some reason I think there's only a 1 TD advantage and so defend like my life depends on it. James tried to score quick to get a chance at a third with a time out, but a deep kick slowed him down. I'm unable to nick the ball and run away and despite a surf on the ball, it isn't enough as it is recovered by a gutter runner. I'm able to knock it over and surround the ball. An unlikely sequence of dice could have got one back, but the rats fail to do so and we end up winning our final game, which was very enjoyable against a great opponent.
Unfortunately my carmate Dimmy Gee who had been the only player on 5 wins lost his last game (needing a draw to win the whole tournament), which would have been his first victory after a few runner up places last year. I'm sure it will happen soon for him though.
Conclusion
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