Chaos Dwarf

7/27/2019 Chaos Dwarf

1/6

MaimingIsntEverythingAguidetocoachingChaosDwarfsinBloodBowlChaosDwarfsplaytheirownbrandofBloodBowl.TheydonthitashardasChaos,theycant

runmethodicalgrindingplayswithasmucheffectivenessastheirDwarfcousins,andthey

certainlywont

be

mistaken

for

Elves.

What

they

can

do

is

combine

solid

linemen,

apair

of

ungainlywreckingballspeedstersandahandfulofexpendableslavecreaturestocreatea

surprisinglyeffectiveteam.Withthisguide,Ihopetoprovidethetoolswithwhichthechosen

ofHashutwillcrushtheiropponentsintothepitch.

TeamSelectionBeforewestartworryingaboutstrategiesandplayeradvancement,weneedtofigureoutwhat

yoursquadwilllooklike.AsmuchasIhatetoseecookiecutterteams,Ifeelthatthisisthe

mosteffectivestartinglineup:

2BullCentaurs260,000GoldPieces

4ChaosDwarfBlockers280,000GP

5Hobgoblins200,000GP

FanFactor550,000GP

Rerolls3210,000GP

ApopularvariationinvolvesdroppingtheFanFactorto2andusingthatGoldtotradeoneof

theHobbosinforanotherCDBlocker.Iunderstandtheidea,asthisslightlyincreasesthe

durabilityandhittingpoweroftheteam.ThisreallyisntworththelossofFanFactor,though,

aswinningtheFAMErollsnotonlyofferstheoccasionalonfieldboost,butalsoaddstoyour

winnings.WithalittleluckyoucanhaveenoughGoldtobuyafifthBlockerfollowingyourfirst

game.YourFanFactor,ontheotherhand,willtakeaminimumofthreegamestobuildupfrom

2to5.

Nomatterwhatyouhear(fromsaboteurs,nodoubt)DONOTtakeaMinotaurinyourstarting

lineup.Hemaybeabletoblowaholethroughyouropponentsline,butheisjustaslikelyto

loseconcentration

and

let

an

enemy

ball

carrier

run

right

past

him

into

the

endzone.

For

as

muchasaMinotaurcosts,youwouldhavetotradeallofyourBlockersinforHobbosorlosea

BullCentaur,andtheresnowayaMinoisworththat.

Anotherbadideaisstartingwithfewerthanthreererolls.Yourmostagileplayersarestillonly

averageballhandlers,andtheydontstartwithanyrerollskills(Pass,Catch, SureHands).This

meansyouwillalmostcertainlyneedthreererollseveryhalf. Italsotakesforevertosaveup


2/6

forareroll,astheycostdoubleoncetheseasonstarts.Havingtoomanyrerollsissimplynot

possibleatthisstageofyourteamscareer.Ifyougambleongoingwithoutrerolls,youre

guaranteedtospendwholematchesfumblingtheballaroundyourbackfield,justwaitingfor

someWoodElftohopinandstealitfromyou.

Ive

heard

of

some

coaches

starting

without

a

single

Bull

Centaur.

I

have

to

assume

this

is

some

sortofjoke,orperhapsamasochisticritual.TheCentaursarewhatmakethisteaminteresting.

Youwanttopickupbothofthemrightaway,astheydontgainStarPlayerPointsasquicklyas

youmightimagine.

BasicStrategiesWithallofthevariablesinvolvedinthedifferentracesyoullfaceandtheskillsyouandyour

opponentswilleventuallyacquire,itwouldbefoolishtosuggestthatacertainplaywillalways

besuccessful.Therefore,Imgoingtoprovideyouwithtwoextremelybasicplays,onefor

offenseandonefordefense.Asyourteamchangesandyourcoachingexperiencegrows,you

shouldbeabletotailortheseplaystothesituationsandopponentsthatyouface.

DefenseThisisthebasicSmashsnoutformation,whichwillserveyouwellinmostsituations:

YourthreeBlockersonthelinewilllikelyend

upontheground,buttheyshouldsurvive

injury,andtheirBlockskillwillincreasethe

oddsofyouropponentknockinghimselfover

andgivingyouanearlyturnover. The

secondarylineofdefenderswillkeepthe

enemyfromdodgingthrough,andevenawell

placedblitz

will

only

knock

asmall

hole

throughyourdefenses.TheCentaursare

theretoactassafeties,blitzinganypotential

scorersthatmakeitintoyourhalfofthe

pitch.Theyrealsocloseenoughtopounceon

anyballthatisturnedoveraroundmidfield.

Onsubsequentturns,standyourBlockersupandplacethemnexttoopposingplayersifatall

possible.TheideaistoforceyouropponenttohitplayerswithBlockordodgeawayfrom

playerswithTackle,andtheBlockersfitthebillforbothofthoserequirements.Keepyour

Hobgoblinshandy

to

lend

assists

or

snatch

up

adropped

ball.

The

Centaurs

can

be

used

to

augmenttheBlockerspress,butbecarefulwiththeirplacement.Highstrengthmeansnothing

ifyoureallaloneamongapackofenemies.ItsbesttokeepatleastoneCentauroutofthe

scrumandreadytohandleanybreakaways.However,youmustrememberthatCentaursdont

startwithBlockorTackle,soitsbettertouseaBlockertoblitztheballcarrier. Nodefenseis

impregnable.Theideaistosetupopportunitiesforyouropponenttofail.Iftheotherteam

avoidsallofthese,itsnottheendoftheworld.Itjustmeansitsyourturntosetupandhit

himback.


3/6

Offense

ThisisaplayIcallLeftHoofBlack;itsjustaverysimplewedge.Ifyouropponentrunsan

asymmetricaldefense,theresnoreasonnot

to

switch

the

play

to

the

right

(you

just

wont

feelassinister).Youshouldstartsetupasso:

ThethreemiddleBlockersthrowblocks,with

theinsidemanwaitingforanassistandgoing

last.TheweaksideHobgoblinrunsbackto

covertheball,theremainingBlockermoves

diagonallytocoveropponent#4,andthenthe

leftmostBullCentaurblitzes#5andthen

dropsbackonesquaresothatashortlinecan

formaroundhim.Everyoneshiftsleft,except

foryour

Hobgoblin

in

the

backfield,

who

attemptstopickuptheball.Ifhemanagesto

doso,heshouldthenrunasfartothefront

andleftaspossiblewithoutcominginrange

ofpotentialblitzersfromtheopenside.

Ifallgoesaccordingtoplan,theendofthe

turnshouldlooksomethinglikethis:

Fromhere,youropponentwillhavetowork

hardtoknockdownmorethanoneofyour

men(eventhatwontbeasurething),and

youllbesettocontinuethepushuptheleft,

orshifttothemiddle,dependingonhowthe

defensiveplayershavebeenplaced.Youcan

leavetheballwiththeoriginalcarrier,orhand

itofftoanotherHobgoblin.HaveaCentaur

covereachofhisflanks,withsomeBlockers

fillingouttherestofthecage.Youshouldbe

ableto

score

in

three

turns,

providing

you

dontseemanySkullsordroppedballs.


4/6

BuildingYourTeamAsthewinsstartrollingin,sowillthemoney.Therearethreemainwaystospendit:players,

staff, andrerolls.Youmaybeinahurrytoprotectyourplayersthroughthepurchaseofan

Apothecary,butthatcanprobablywaituntilyoustartgettingdoublesonskillrollsorareupto

afullcomplementofBlockers,whichevercomesfirst.OnceyouhaveallsixBlockersandan

Apothecary(this

should

take

you

35matches),

you

should

consider

what

your

team

has

been

missing.AreyourHobgoblinsgettingknockedoutearly?Buyanextraone.AreOrcsandChaos

outbashingyou?PickuptheMinotaur.Doyoufindyourselfblamingyourdiceforeveryloss?

Timeforanotherreroll.Itsreallythatsimple.

Onceyouhavefourteenplayersandhalfadozenrerolls,youshouldjuststartbankingyour

winnings. YouwanttoleaveemptyslotsontherostertotakeStarPlayersandMercenariesas

inducementswhenfacinglargerteamsandyoulleventuallyneedsomeofthatgoldtoreplace

deadorcrippledplayers.

PlayerAdvancementsAs

well

as

adding

players,

your

team

will

also

be

growing

in

experience.

Being

more

dexterous

thantherestoftheteam,youwillfindthattheHobgoblinshaveamucheasiertimegaining

SPPs.Thisisfine,astheyarethemostimportantplayerstogiveskillstointheearlygame.As

timegoeson,however,youshouldconcentrateonearningSPPsforyourotherplayers.Ifyou

holdacomfortableleadorareabouttoscoreawinningtouchdown,whynothanditofftoa

DwarforCentaurandlethimrunitin?Thechancetogain3SPPsforoneofthoseplayersistoo

goodtopassupinasafesituationlikethat.Anothergoodopportunityariseswhenyour

opponentmakesthemistakeofsendingtheballoutofboundswithhiskickoff.Youshould

absolutelygivetheresultingtouchbacktoaCentaurandlethimrumbleallthewayinfora

score.Here

are

some

ideas

as

to

which

skills

suit

each

position:

HobgoblinsWhenyourfirstHobgoblinreceiveshisfirstskill,SureHandsisthebestoption.Ifyoucantpick

uptheballinthebackfield,nothingelsereallymatters.Yournexttwoplayerstoskillupshould

takeKickandDirtyPlayer.Kickwillallowyoutopinyouropponentdeepinhishalf,andDirty

Playerwillgiveyouameansofdealingwithteamsthatwanttododgeawayfromyouevery

turn.WithDP,youllatleastbeabletoBlitzoneofthecowardsandthenstomponhisthroat

oncehesdown.Hobgoblinsarenotatallresilient,soitsagoodideatohavebackupsforyour

importantroleplayers.Therefore,youlleventuallywanttoaddanotherplayerwithSure

Hands,aswellasasecondDirtyPlayer.Youcandeveloponeortwointoblitzersbygivingthem

Blockand

Strip

Ball,

and

eventually

Wrestle.


5/6

Inthecaseofdoubles,yourchoiceofskills

willdependonwhattheplayerhasalready

gotten(ifanything).IfaplayerhasSure

Hands,addAccuratetomakehimintoa

reliablepasser.YourDirtyPlayerswillwantto

addSneaky

Git,

to

lessen

their

chance

of

beingejectedfromthegame.Dodgealways

helpstokeepHobgoblinsalive.Consider

givingoneofthemLeader(Iknow,Iknow,a

HobgoblinleadingChaosDwarfsis

blasphemy),thiswillallowyoutobuyonelessrerollandkeepyourTeamValuelow.

AnystatincreaseiswelcomeforHobgoblins,butinthecaseofdouble5s,Iwouldtakeaskill

overincreasedMAorAV.

ChaosDwarfBlockersIdivide

my

Blockers

into

two

categories,

Holders

and

Hitters.

Four

Holders

manage

the

line

ofscrimmagewhiletwoHittersgrindthroughtheopposingteam.HolderswilltakeGuardas

theirfirstskill,followedbyStandFirm.Fouroftheseguyswillserveasthefoundationforavery

strongcageoramenacingdefensiveline.TheHitterswanttotakeMightyBlowrightaway.

Followingthis,theycantakeFrenzyorProifyouwanttoincreasethechanceofknocking

someonedown,orPilingOnifyourefeelingadventurousandbloodthirsty(andwhywouldnt

yoube?).MightyBlow/Claw/PilingOnisaparticularlynastycombo,butyourpreciousmutant

(seebelow)wontlastlongifhesspendingmuchtimeontheground.

Blockerscanchoosemutationsiftheyrolldoubles,andthatoptionwillbeenticing.YourHitters

shouldabsolutelytakeClawondoubles,andTentaclesoraPrehensileTailaredecentchoices

forHolders.

Agility

skills

can

be

at

least

as

useful,

though,

so

dont

feel

like

you

have

to

take

a

mutationateveryopportunity.DivingTackleisexcellentforeithertypeofBlocker,andDodge

isusefulforanyplayerthatgetshit(meaning:everyplayerinthegame).Oneskillthatis

oftenoverlookedisJumpUp.AsslowasBlockersare,askillthatallowsthemtostandupand

stilltaketheircompletemovementcanbeincrediblyuseful.

*Manyexpertswilltellyoutoalwayspasson

anincreaseinMAorAG,optingtotakeaskill

instead.Therearesomeinteresting

possibilitiesindevelopingsemiagileornot

soslowDwarfs,however.Blockersstarttheir

careersasfairlywelldevelopedplayers,so

thelossofoneskillslotisnttheendofthe

world,andanextrasquareofmovementor

theabilitytopickuptheballinaclutch

situationcancomeinhandyonoccasion.It

maynotbethemostsensibledecisiontoacceptthesestatincreases,butdoingsomightleadto

somesurprisinglyeffectiveplayers.


6/6

BullCentaursThemostimportantskillsforBullCentaursareBlockandBreakTackle.Blockallowsthemto

actuallyusetheirhighSTtoitsfullpotential,andBreakTacklekeepsyouropponentfromtying

themupandkeepingthemawayfromwheretheyneedtobe.Theorderinwhichyoutake

theseskillsdoesntmatterthatmuch(Iwouldstartwithoneofeach),buttheyareabsolutely

thebase

skills

for

your

Centaurs.

Once

those

are

out

of

the

way,

Ibegin

to

specialize,

making

oneCentaurintoanoffenseorientedFullback,andtheotherintoadefensiveSafety.Bothare

goingtobeonthefieldforoffenseanddefensealike,ofcourse,buteachwillbebuilttoexcel

inoneaspectofthegame.TheFullbacksnextskillsshouldbebasedaroundgettingtheballin

hishands,andSureHandsandKickOffReturnbothfitthebill.TheSafetyhasmoreoptions,as

Tackle,StripBall,Frenzy,andJuggernautareallexcellentskillsforhim.

*IfaBullCentaurrollsdoublesearlyinhiscareer(withinthefirstthreerollsonthe

advancementchart),hehasessentiallybecomeyourFullbackbydefault.Catch,Dodge,Jump

UpandSideStepareallexcellentskillsforanoffensivemindedplayer.FortheSafety,JumpUp,

DodgeandDivingTacklecanalsobeuseful,thoughtheskillsmentionedinthepreceding

paragraphmay

be

preferable.

Centaurs

cannot

get

mutations,

unfortunately.

AnysortofcharacteristicincreaseisahugeboontoaBullCentaur,andallpraisesbetoHashut

ifyoumanagetorollone.ACentaurwithaMAincreaseisveryfast,aCentaurwithaST

increaseisverystrong,andaCentaurwithanAGincreasecanactuallypickuptheballmore

thanhalfofthetime.

MinisbyArashi

Ihopethatsomeoftheideasinthisarticlewillproveusefulforcoachesplanningtotake

stewardshipofaChaosDwarfteam.Ihaverecentlyenteredanewleague,andamthusrunning

asquadofthemmyself.Joinmenextissue,andIllletyouknowifmyconceptstranslatedinto

success.Theplaybook graphicsaboveweregeneratedusingMikkelPahlkeFausingsBloodBowlPlayCreatorfoundat:

http://www.bloodbowl.net/Resources/PlayCreator/PlayCreator.html)
http://www.blood-bowl.net/Resources/PlayCreator/PlayCreator.htmlhttp://www.blood-bowl.net/Resources/PlayCreator/PlayCreator.htmlhttp://www.blood-bowl.net/Resources/PlayCreator/PlayCreator.htmlhttp://www.blood-bowl.net/Resources/PlayCreator/PlayCreator.html

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Chaos Dwarf