May in the UK for Blood Bowl types means the NAF Championship up in Nottingham. It's one of the highlights of the calendar, an impressively run event which regularly sees 180+ coaches battling it out for one of Blood Bowl majors.
It's especially good because it takes place in the East Midlands Conference Centre, with a discounted rate on the attached lovely hotel, and it attracts plenty of European coaches. It's a chance to meet up with friends from Italy, Belgium, France, Spain that you may only see once or twice a year, play some nerd games and have a few beers. You can even roll out of bed on a hangover and stumble over the road to your table. Get on it, you won't regret coming!
Anyhoo, I've only ever taken tier 1 teams to the event in the past, and as I'm not making many Blood Bowl tournaments at the moment I decided it was time for a challenge. The NAFC has a lot of stunty coaches (playing halflings, ogres and goblins, they're not particularly short. Well some of them are). The stunty cup is a prestigious event as a result, so I thought I'd have a stab at it.
I settled on halflings. I last played them in a tournament in 2011, so what better excuse to pick them up again!
The NAFC is a TW110 event, so you get a bit to play with and can field a star or two to help out the weaker teams. They also get a couple of extra skills to make up for their squishiness and slowness, so here's what I came up with.
2 treemen (both block)
9 halflings (3 x side step, 2 x diving tackle, 1 x sprint)
Zara the Slayer
Puggy Baconbreath
1 RR
2 FF
Halfling Masterchef
Many coaches have been taking Zara and Karla (basically Zara, without stab and stakes). You have no rerolls with that roster though, and it therefore relies too much for me on the masterchef working.
Zara is golden, but a strength 3 block fling in Puggy is also so useful. My roster was sorted!
I travelled up on Friday, meeting with some @welwynwargamers members at Warhammer World and heading out to the amazing Annie's Burger Shack for dinner (something of a Nottingham ritual for me).
After a few beers on the Friday night and some Underworlds, 191 coaches settled down for six games over two days. Here's how it went:
Game 1: vs Skaven
I was playing James Smith, who I've faced a couple of times before. His roster was all speed, and pretty frightening for the slow old halflings.
Rat Ogre
2 Blitzers
Thrower (leader)
4 Gutter Runners (1 wrestle)
4 Linemen (1 kick)
Skitter Stab-Stab
1 RR
1 FF
Yikes. At least if I hit stuff it would stay dead, but still. I'd have to be on my (hairy) toes.
James received and immediately scored in 2, although I stole his rerolls. My drive went relatively smoothly as Puggy had the ball and I employed a cage and loose screen to deter the gutter runners from trying anything ratty.
My trees did not root, and I made decent progress up the field before equalising in turn 8. I had killed a couple of gutter runners during the drive, as strength 7 trees with mighty blow often leaves a mark, and if it doesn't a 5 player gang foul might make up for it.
When James rolled a blitz at the start of the second half, he was in a real quandry. Again I'd taken 2 rerolls, so he only had leader, and with rats leaving the pitch he decided it was now or never. Unfortunately, it was never as the blitz through didn't knock over the fling and he couldn't catch the ball.
The rats never saw it again, as I removed more and fouled the remaining players off as the halflings waddled up the pitch. A 1 turner with 6 rats is tricky, even more so against two stand firm trees and a side stepping halfling. Not to be.
2-1 win, 2-0 CAS
Game 2: vs Wood Elves
This time I was up against Jason Thornton, of Tritex Games fame, along with his unique dice throwing style. Wood Elves are even more agile than rats, oh dear.
2 Wardancers (Strip Ball, Frenzy)
Thrower
Treeman
3 Catchers (1 x block)
4 Linemen
2 RR
I won the toss this time, and put the wood elves in to receive hoping to force them to score early again. I only took one reroll for the first half, but did force the turn 2 score.
This gave me a long time to try and hold on to the ball against the strip ball wardancer, but I secured it from the kick off and proceeded to attempt to bait that wardancer in. My opponent obliged, and the leap failed. And a gang foul dealt with that problem.
I could breathe a sigh of relief as with Puggy on the ball, even the tackler was on half dice if he made it into the cage and he'd be surfed/fouled to oblivion hopefully if he did. The drive went smoothly enough, and it was 1-1 at the half.
Second half, the chef kicked into gear and I had 4 rerolls. Jason leaped in as often as he could, and with only 1 reroll it did not pay off. It's only a 3+, but I think he failed it virtually every time, although he had a half dice blitz to roll if he did. When he failed, the wardancer was fouled, but only for a stun each time.
Eventually I was up by his endzone, merrily fouling catchers and lineelves off the pitch. His only shot was a multi-dodging block catcher, who did finally get there but couldn't sack Puggy and then got surfed for his troubles.
I scored in turn 16, and the wood elf one turner met a side step fling and that was that. 2 wins!
2-1 win, 2-1 CAS
Game 3: vs Lizards
Giovanni Torre and his lizards was my reward for a second win. This was going to be tough, lizards are faster and much stronger. The Kroxigor is a big pain too. Hmmm.
6 Saurus (2 x block, 1 x break tackle)
6 Skinks
Krox
2 RR
Formidable indeed. I stole one reroll and decided to receive this time, hoping to kill a skink or two with Zara and possibly chip a saurus with so little block.
My drive was a little tricky, as skinks are so fast they can get round you and an early failed pick up didn't help me. One of my trees rooted early which made progress tricky, but I had the ball safe enough.
I had done little damage and was losing players, and eventually having not been able to force any way through I used my rooted tree to hurl the fling over the top. He stuck the landing, and it was 1-0.
A lizardman one turner is a thing of beauty, but it didn't happen because of stand firm and side step. So 1-0 at the half.
Second half and halflings got splatted good and proper. A riot at the start meant though that Giovanni didn't fancy scoring too early and it was meandering to a draw as thrown flings didn't find their target in the cage and treeman were too far away to cause damage.
I had a one turner attempt with the throw team mate, but a deep kick left me too many dice and I failed the landing for what would have been an undeserved winner.
1-1, 2-3 CAS
Game 4: vs Humans
They're still faster, they have better armour, and they're stronger. And they have an ogre. I was up on table 7 for this one, could the flings pull off another shock?
Ogre (block)
4 blitzers (2 guard, tackle, frenzy)
2 catchers (2 block)
Thrower
4 linemen
3 RR
Apo
1 FF
Not 100% on the roster, but I think it's correct.
I stole all 3 rerolls and decided to receive and get in amongst them. An early double skull from Zara wasn't great, but I did manage to recover the kick off and get it into a cage. Again early rooted trees cost me rerolls, but a timely CAS on a blitzer, followed by a lineman, allowed the flings to surge (roll?) through and I was in position to score.
Gordon had played the first half without rerolls, managing manfully as he took few risks and put them in his favour when he had to roll dice. Good coaching! However, it did bite him when he went for 1 block too many in turn 7, and to make matters worse he didn't break armour on my fling.
That allowed Puggy to get a 2 dice blitz, and he shuffled into the endzone for a nervy TD.
Again no one turner, so on to the second half. Gordon had some rerolls this time, but with hefty pressure on went for a couple of GFIs (burning a reroll) to hand off to a catcher and decided to put it in in turn 2.
It was the halfling turn to start rolling skulls as I tried for the winner, with Zara failing and a tree rooting despite a reroll. I was struggling to make progress although had secured the ball and Gordon went in with everything, marking all available flings and leaving me with dice to roll.
When Puggy inevitably failed the dodge away it was looking grim for the flings, although the ball had tackle zones on it. It was no reroll time for the humans however, and a crucial block was a double skull and the flings could recover again.
I was just over halfway, and sent a runner up ahead to distract the humans. The ball wasn't safe to advance, and Zara had been knocked out by now so I had to offer the fling up the pitch as a tempter and resort back to a throw teammate if needed.
It was needed as I burned my penultimate reroll in turn 6 or 7, but thankfully having cleared the treeman he made the pass and the halfling aced the landing to win it!
2-1 win, 2-2 CAS
Game 5: vs Amazons
I was again on table 7, with top Italian coach Francesco Panicucci facing me. He had Karla too, this was going to be tricky
4 Blitzers (3 guard, mighty blow)
7 Linewomen (tackle)
Thrower (leader)
Karla von Kill
2 RR
A strength 4 blodger on the opposing team was going to be a problem I felt. This was the best game of the tournament for me, so tense on both sides.
I played Francesco in the German Team Bowl last year, and that was another cracker, so this was played in a great spirit.
I received, and managed to get a couple of ladies off the pitch thanks to the trees. I stole all Francesco's rerolls, and he wasn't able to cause any damage despite mighty blow as flings stayed on their feet.
Thanks to the rerolls I had, the trees remained mobile and I eventually forced my way through to score in turn 8.
Second half I had plenty of flings, but grabbed just the one reroll this time and finally the amazons could break some armour and remove my players. Wisely, knowing we had to win if we wanted to get into the final (there's a final for the top two placed coaches after round 5), Francesco put it in hoping to turn me over and get the second.
So followed 4 or 5 turns of too-and-fro Blood Bowl. It was tense, it was looking good for me, then a great turn for Francesco and it was looking bad, and then it would flip again.
Zara was key for me, blitzing people away from my flings or stabbing them if they got too close as I desperately tried to cling on to the ball.
Finally he had enough in turn 6 and made a 6+ dodge into the cage and got the ball loose. Uff, but he'd had some poor rolls for GFIs especially.
Then it was Zara's turn to hit back and POW the ball carrier. Again I could recover, and made a cheeky hand off to Puggy (nerves of steel FTW) and a dodge back inside the pocket. However, I couldn't protect him from Karla, who would need a dodge to get out and hit him. She made it with the reroll and hit the POW, knocking him out.
The ball was loose, and I felt it was curtains, but I had diving tackle in key places and thankfully it worked enough to prevent the amazons getting the ball in turn 8.
But I still had a turn... I needed many dice, including dodges through tackle, a pick up in tackle zones, GFIs, a handoff in tacklezones, pass by the tree and a landing.
I proceeded to make the dodges with the first fling, and my opponent got more and more pale. I made the GFIs. I failed the handoff, but I had a reroll! I passed the handoff....
And the tree failed his root roll to move over and throw him! What an epic finish. A draw was the right result, but with a growing crowd cheering on the flings I came pretty close. Great game.
1-1, 1-2 CAS
Game 6: vs Wood Elves
Now on table 5, dizzying heights for my flings. I was in with a good chance of the stunty cup, as my third round opponent made the final against Kfoged's dark elves. I was playing great friend David Downes, this would be fun whatever happened.
2 Wardancers (tackle, strip ball)
4 Catchers (2 block, 2 side step)
5 linemen
2 RR
Apo
Again I think this is correct. Definitely 4 catchers.
I stole the rerolls, but Dave chose to receive. I felt I had a chance.
The wood elves danced around as they do, and my previously decent dice decided now was the time to take a break. An early double skull with Zara again cost me position, and then a tree rooted and I couldn't reroll.
It was plain sailing for the wood elves as two thrown flings splatted and didn't hit the ball carrier. 0-1, but a throw team mate chance.
The kick was ok, but I failed the landing for the fling for the one turner.
Second half, and I'd only removed one elf and lost a few of my own. Dave blitzed with his tackle every turn as he should, knocked over a fling but I don't think he broke armour until turn 7 or 8.
I burned rerolls pretty quickly, and eventually as my numbers dwindled was forced to go for a TTM to at least get on the board and force him to win it. That worked (with final reroll), but he had 3 to win it.
And although a deep kick gave me some hope, my lack of rerolls was telling. Puggy had a chance of a 1 dice blitz for glory on a wardancer, but that went south and the wood elves needed either a simple dodge and GFI or a dodge and hand off to win.
The first dodge roll was a 1, but the second was a 3 and that, as they say, was that.
1-2 loss, 1-0 CAS
I was delighted to go 3/2/1, having played just tier 1 teams and all the speed that was more than I could hope for. I knew it would likely be close for the Stunty Cup with Purplegoo - current world number one (not with goblins) also in the hunt.
In the end, first tie breaker was strength of schedule, and my 4 games on the top 10 tables earned me the trophy. I was pretty pleased with that!!!
Congratulations to Jawa who won the final after extra time, and special mention to Thomas W who won the up and coming coach - he's only 10 and was up in the top 10 tables on day two. Amazing!
Til next time, thanks for reading!
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