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Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 9:38 pm
by Smeborg
IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TEAM DEVELOPMENT PLAN

No great change, but definitely food for thought.

I feel the team will be better with 14 or 15 players (because it should start fewer drives with fewer than 11). But they also need a plan which gives better protective skills on the pitch. Apoth(s) and/or Babes would seem to be quite suitable inducements (our league is not using the 150,000 Wizard, but is using the new Coaching Staff - which for Brets means only Horatio - I am not a great fan).

BLITZERS: Definitely Dodge as first normal skill. I'm beginning to wonder if 2 of the Blitzers should go: Dodge, Sidestep (positional skill). The first 2 to skill up should still go (a) Dodge, Leader and (b) Dodge, S-Hands. But perhaps early S-Step is a bit quiet for the others?

YEOMEN: I remain happy with Guard as first normal skill (about to be tested in practice). I'm starting to think seriously about S-Firm as second normal skill (combined with the Linos' Fend and some S-Step on the Blitzers, it might be pleasantly evil). But who gets to take Tackle (if anybody)?

LINOS: Not a single SPP on them so far (although they have been getting numerous Armour breaks)! This makes their first skill-up very precious. No big change to the plan, but I'm starting to have my doubts about D-Player (Wrestle may be more precious, as the Linos need better protection on the LoS, as well as the ability to block safely in open play). And I have not made a single foul in my first 3 matches! Perhaps D-P would be better on a Merc early on (120,000)?

At the moment, my 6 opponents in the league will be: 3 x Orcs (!!!), 1x Gobbo, 1 x DE, 1 x Slann (there may be more teams to come). That's 50% Orcs! The one Orc team I have played already has 2 Gobbos and a Thrower with Dodge. If you add the Gobbo team, DEs and Slann, that could be between 2/3 and 100% of opposing teams with at least several Dodge players! That all seems to suggest Tackle (but as I have said before, I have run a very successful team with no Tackle - as has plasmoid with Brets).

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2018 4:36 am
by Smeborg
BRETS ARE A (RELATIVELY) LOW AGILITY TEAM

This seems to be a defining feature. In addition, the AG (and AV) of Brets declines as reserves come onto the field. Unlike most lower AG teams, Brets have little mini-maxing in the stat lines of their players.

DEs are currently the leaders of my little league (3/0/0), all their wins being 2-1. If we compare the aggregate stat lines of Brets to DEs (11 players, one DEs is a Runner), we get:

MA: 70:73 (+3 to the DEs)
ST: 33:33 (equal)
AG: 30:44 (+14 to the DEs, or more than +1 per player)
AV: 85:85 (equal)

In compensation:

- The relative TV of the teams (including RRs & Apoth) is 103:118 (+15 to the Brets). And the Brets have a cheaper (and likely deeper) bench. Meaning 150,000+ in inducements to the Brets.

- Brets have an advantage in starting skills (16:11 or +5). Both teams have 4 x Block. The big differentiators in favour of the Brets are Wrestle (hard to deploy against AG4) and Fend (good, but quiet). Dauntless is not included (does not work in this match-up).

- Brets have ST access (Yeomen), DEs do not.

I will have to think long and hard about how to deploy these modest advantages. Most interesting. Maybe I will have to learn to love Horatio after all. Or learn to play with a D-Player and Bribe.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2018 9:36 pm
by Smeborg
OBSERVING THE SCRUM

I notice that it is the Yeomen, supported by the Linos, who like going into pitched battle in the scrum (for example against an Orc cage).

Whereas the Blitzers (or at least some of them), with their better mobility and numerous skills, like to stand off (for example one at the back as sweeper, one in the opponent's half as potential receiver and general harrasser.

This inclines me further towards S-Firm as second normal skill on the Yeomen [6338 Wrestle, Guard, S-Firm]. A bit different, eh?

Also confirmation (not that it's needed), that Wrestle is a better skill than Block for the Linos in general play. A wall or clump of Wrestlers with Fend or Guard+S-Firm makes life hard for a cage (difficult to generate mobility or vital assists, never mind staying upright).

[As a bonus, the above observation of the Blitzers' behaviour would appear to confirm that M-Blow is a better doubles pick for them than Guard (which is not deployed while they are standing off).]

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2018 5:46 am
by Smeborg
THE PEASANTS ARE FEARLESS!

The hapless and oppressed Peasants are actually fearless! Not only do they queue up for duty on the defensive LoS, but they often find themselves marking the likes of Black Orcs!

When the time comes to get stuck in, the Peasants are right in there with the cream of Bretonnian society.

I can't think of many teams where the players with the lowest AV behave like this. Perhaps Khemri. And of course Underworld.

The implications of this are already taken into account in the development plan. More interesting are the implications for playstyle on defense (rapid tempo and increased risk appetite?).

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2018 8:29 pm
by Smeborg
YEOMEN ON THE LINE

There is some discussion on another thread about putting Yeomen on the defensive LoS (because they are more resilient than Peasants, what with Wrestle + AV8). Assuming they do not face P-On, of course.

So I have to think hard about whether and when to put Yeomen on the line. There is one clear case, when facing a ST3 team lacking Guard:

Peasant|Yeoman+Guard|Peasant

with a set-up denying second assists on the Peasants. S-Firm would also be nice on the Guard Yeoman in this set-up.

But no doubt there are other cases, for example when facing Frenzy (where the Fend of the Peasants is more valuable on the wings than on the line - I have already set up like this against DEs).

Because of bad experiences doing similar things with other league teams, I am not willing to put Blitzers on the line.

Putting a Yeoman "systematically" on the defensive LoS would open up the possibility of a Peasant with Kick. Does not sound like a strong rationale, though.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 10:52 pm
by Smeborg
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICAL PLAY

I have made blunders in all 3 games played, so a record of 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss reflects quite well on the Bret team.

The roster has survived, thanks to starting with an Apoth. 13 players now, seems quite luxurious. Money has been limited (100,000 in 3 games), so it's been great to have cheap linos. Just 1 Yeomen still to be bought.

The stats given above (especially the drive tracker) are revealing. No one has pulled off an 8-turn grind yet against the Brets - even when down on numbers, I have been able to "force" opponents to score early. There appears to be scope to extend the length of Bret offensive drives (stalling for a turn or so more), and to improve the return on short offensive drives. Or to extend the length of these drives by forcing opponents to score a turn or so earlier (where turnovers and shutouts are not to be had). So drive length seems to be where the squeeze is at.

I take on board plasmoid's comment (on another thread) that Brets are a "fluid" team, playing to opponent's weaknesses more than to their own strengths.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 1:10 am
by speedingbullet
Really enjoying reading these Paul, keep them coming please :)

P. S. I’m starting a Brets team in the SBBL this Thursday

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 7:05 am
by Smeborg
Thanks for your kind words, speedingbullet [Jim].

As well as exploring the Brets, I'm trying to show the sort of thinking process I go through with a completely new league team. I have earlier experiences with Nurgle and Khorne, when they were new. This being the 3rd such team, I am better able to describe the thinking process as it happens.

Interestingly, my development plan (so far) is remarkably similar to plasmoid's, so it may turn out that there will be a consensus on Bret development (or at least one style of it). Practical results remain to be seen, though. I am in a different environment to plasmoid (I face lots of Orcs, he used PBEM, which in my experience is the most error-free form of the game). I suspect that Brets are a team requiring great accuracy and discipline (on both O & D). Could be tiring to play in tournaments.

Hoping for a 4th game tomorrow night, but that is not certain, it is the first league night in a new venue [Papanui RSA, right next to the unsatisfactory Cav's venue].

All the best.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 7:02 pm
by Smeborg
4TH GAME AGAINST SLANN, A WIN (TDs: 2-1, CAS: 5-0).

The lucky game that every team needs early in a league season. My opponent is relatively experienced, but much sharper than I was expecting. Despite my best efforts to throw the game, I sneaked a win on turn 16. I love playing with and against Slann. It seems to produce the wildest and most sociable games. My opponent had 12 players (including 2 Blitzers, 3 Catchers, no Krox), Apoth, 4 RRs. Just 2 skill-ups (like me), a Blitzer with +1MA, a Catcher with Dodge. No Block, Wrestle, or Tackle.

GORY DETAILS: Winning the kick, I received and immediately put a Catcher in the KO bin through pure skill (Thrown Rock). But I returned the compliment immediately, when a Peasant skulled (end of turn 1-die block) and KOd himself. My lone Guarder was already very useful, I caged warily for a few turns. My opponent having no Tackle, no Wrestle, I was able to keep my paws on the ball (1-die sack attempts failed). After caging warily for 3 turns, on turn 4 I was forced to leg it to the green fields beyond (a run into open space). With most of the Frogs on their backs, my ball-carrying Blitzer was out of range, all my opponent could do was to put TZs on him. Trying to learn from experience, I took only a slight risk in stalling for 2 more turns, scoring on turn 7, and burning my opponent's re-rolls in the process. My opponent had just 2 turns to score, but I got a Blitz!, put good pressure on the ball, and popped it loose on turn 8. Having managed to retain a precious re-roll to the end, I was a tad unlucky to fail the pick-up for what might have been 2-0. But my opponent did not have a player in range to score. Half-time score: 1-0.

The start of the second half saw the wildest and most entertaining drive of the game. Since I had been racking up the CAS, I was at a big advantage in numbers (11-8), and my eyes lit up when I got a second Blitz! The kick went deep, I pressured the ball immediately, sacked my opponent 3 times (once near his End Zone, followed by a mini-scrum, once in mid-field, once just a square from my own End Zone). But my opponent recovered the ball (5+ pick-up) and sacked me both times I got the ball, scoring on his 5th turn. 5 sacks in one drive! I made 3 "small" errors on this drive, and was duly punished (in plain English 3 "small" errors is a blunder). [Correction: it was only 4 sacks, not 5, my "3rd" sack was actually a Long Bomb by a Slann Catcher (5+), dropped in the End Zone by a Slann Blitzer. I then attempted to surf the Slann Blitzer, failed (both down, 1-die), recovered the ball, but got sacked in return by the downed Froggy, who scored.]

The wildness continued in the last drive. My opponent got a Blitz! this time, but I managed to pick up the ball (no RRs left) and walk it in eventually without needing to GFI or take big risks. It helped greatly that my opponent was down to about 7 players by the end, with 2 of these stunned. Not only did I get 5 CAS (all of them "real" CAS, i.e. earning SPPs), but no Froggies were permanently harmed in the making of this production (which I thought was only fair, and jolly decent of the Bretonnians).

INTERESTING STATS: Still no drive of 8 turns, whether on O or D. And for the 4th time in 4 games, exactly 2 meaningful drives in each half. I think I am beginning to see a pattern here.

SUMMARY: While I made my by now statutory blunder, I was pleased that I played quite accurately for 3 out of 4 drives. Also that I learned my lesson from previous games, and knowingly extended the first drive (from 5 to 7 turns), a manoeuvre that likely won the game. The lone Guarder was very handy indeed, as well as helping in the cage, he allowed me to dominate the defensive LoS (my opponent having no Guard, and no player above ST3). Extremely useful having a Blodger to carry the ball. Though IIRC, I never needed to dodge with him. With 4 Block and 3 Wrestle, I dominated the blocking wars (though getting 5 CAS was, frankly, a bit jammy).

The Brets enjoyed a good end-to-end scramble, they are almost Slann-like in that regard.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 8:11 pm
by Smeborg
HERE IS THE JAMMY ROSTER AFTER 4 GAMES:

Blitzer: - (2 SPPs, CAS)
Blitzer: - (2 SPPs, CAS)
Blitzer: Dodge (6 SPPs, 3 CAS in game 4)
Blitzer: Dodge, M-Blow (18 SPPs, all 6 of the team's TDs)
Yeoman: Guard (10 SPPs, 2 MVPs)
Yeoman: - (5 SPPs, MVP)
Yeoman: Guard (9 SPPs, 2 CAS, MVP)
Yeoman: - (0 SPPs, purchased after game 4)
6 rookie Peasants (with 0 SPPs)
2 RRs, 3 FF, Apoth, 20,000 in Treasury, TV129 (which seems high so soon!)

So the dessert wines have it! I was particularly pleased with Blitzer no. 3 (Chateau d'Yquem, one of the finest wines in the world), with his 3 CAS in one game. And the record of Blitzer no. 4 (Muscat de Beaumes de Venise) speaks for itself.

It is much easier to skill up a Blitzer once he has Dodge (because you can entrust him with the ball - that is why no. 4 has been scoring all the TDs). I will consider feeding MVPs to the 2 Blitzers with 2 SPPs each if they do not show inclination to progress further. For now at least I have a second ball-carrier. I managed to hold my nerve and for the 4th game in a row fed the MVP to the 3 Yeomen. Still no SPPs for the Peasants (although I live in hope as they continue to get occasional armour breaks, even some KOs).

I have decided to stick to my guns, and go with my plan to give M-Blow as first doubles skill to the Blitzers. This is made easier by the fact that the recipient has Dodge already, giving him protection against (e.g.) Black Orcs. The roll was 2,2. Also, I notice that 5 of the team's 7 CAS have been by the Blitzers (Block is of course better than Wrestle in this regard, and I have had 4 Blitzers to 3 Yeomen, but the stat is nevertheless skewed in favour of the Blitzers). I am taking the risk that it may be a long time before the team gets Leader and S-Hands, so the decision may come back to bite me. Who knows?

It will be interesting to see whether I get any more M-Blow on the Blitzers (but no doubt I am getting ahead of myself). With 2 Blodgers now, 1 can hold the ball, the other with M-Blow can go hunting (when appropriate). And even with just the 1 M-Blow, I feel slightly more inclined towards the tough choice of D-Player as first normal skill-up on a Peasant (which hopefully will occur some time this century). Joking apart, it is hard to see how the Peasants will skill up barring lucky CAS or Intercepts (clearly they will not be allowed anywhere near the ball except in desperation)

For the first time (I was going to say ever, but I will just say in this league) I got annoyed by Wrestle, and started wondering if there is such a thing as too much Wrestle on a team (implication: should Linos take Block?). I attribute this heretical thought mainly to the fact that my opponent had no Block (the Wrestle of the Yeomen being simply outstanding against players with Block, e.g. Orc Blitzers). But I will allow the heresy to creep into my thinking.

No big implications from the last game for the Yeomen, though I suppose I am allowed to start thinking about a damage based Bretonnian team (e.g. Guard, M-Blow on the Yeomen). Still seems a bit odd, not to say dirty, but I do not rule it out. More heresy. Looking forward to playing (or at least starting a game, lol) with all 8 positional players. I suspect it will make a noticeable difference.

Still no fouls, despite the queue of Peasants gagging for it. To be fair, I think I did have one opportunity to foul in the last game, but blew it through some untidy play.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 3:55 am
by Smeborg
MUSINGS ON DAMAGE

I feel the need for more observation of damage and numbers (including, for example, KOs and stuns). I will think about what I can reasonably record at the table. The dynamics so far are thus:

- Game 1 (11 men vs. 15 Gobbos): clear numbers disadvantage (draw),
- Game 2 (12 men vs. 11 DEs): slight but clear numbers disadvantage for most drives (loss),
- Game 3 (12 men vs. 12 Orcs): big numbers disadvantage on the first drive, numbers advantage for the next 3 drives (win) - but luck played its part in the numbers game, as I suffered 6 KOs on the first drive, all of which came back (2 sets of rolls),
- Game 4 (13 men vs. 12 Slann): growing numbers advantage through the match (win).

Although this is early days, the data seem to agree with what other Bret coaches say, which is that the team does badly when down on numbers. The challenge is not so much how to go up on numbers (which is always nice), but how not to go down on numbers. Often on offense I seem to have just sufficient numbers to cage, or lack the numbers to foul. This suggests the numbers game is very close for this team. Questions for the team development plan:

- Whether to take P-On (e.g. as second doubles skill for the Blitzers). We are playing "traditional" P-On for now. At the moment I incline to Guard (to keep the player upright), but I will think long and hard if the situation should arise.

- Whether to give early M-Blow to the Yeomen (e.g. as second skill: starting Wrestle + Guard + M-Blow). Relatively ineffective against Dodge, but perfectly good against opponents with Block and no Dodge (bear in mind 3 out of 6 declared opponents in my little league are Orcs). Looking outwards from the Yeomen, will a likely maximum of 4 Guarders be enough?

- Whether to give the Peasants Block, rather than the planned Wrestle (because Block will cause more damage to opponents lacking Block). As a secondary question, if Block is taken, should the complementary doubles skill be M-Blow, rather than Guard (I'm not holding my breath, 4 games in I have not 1 SPP on the Peasants)? Of course there are other aspects to Wrestle vs. Block (not least that Wrestle implies less damage will be taken on the defensive LoS). There is also the ever-thorny question of when to give D-Player to a Peasant (e.g. 1st or 4th).

The other side of the coin to dishing out damage is to avoid taking it. I seem to have gone down this route already in the plan, with Dodge as first normal skill on the Blitzers, and first doubles skill on the Yeomen. The question of whether and when to put Yeomen on the defensive LoS remains one of the great mysteries of life.

To make matters foggy, I do not know how long the league will run (and I am league commish, lol). We are re-starting the league after a torrid couple of years (due to a bad venue - new venue is good). But I appear to have time to decide the above matters. Let's see what happens in the next game or 2 (especially against Orcs). On the plus side, the Bret team can lay down a lot of blocks, always bringing the potential to inflict damage.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 6:31 pm
by Smeborg
LOPSIDED SPPs

SPPs earned (excluding MVPs) in 4 games are:

Blitzers: 28
Yeomen: 4
Peasants: 0

This is remarkable, and is the most lopsided I have seen on any team. Brets are decidedly odd (and live up to their "fluff").

Blitzers are the natural ball hogs (because MA7, Block, Catch, early Dodge), but they are hogging the CAS as well. Yeomen are not trustworthy ball carriers (because: Wrestle, MA6), and are getting fewer CAS (again because: Wrestle). The Peasants never see the ball (because: AG2, MA6), and with only 2 Team Re-rolls, they are not reliable blockers.

No Pass Completions to date. Only 2 Pass Actions called that I remember, both in scrambles, both times a Yeomen failed to pick up the ball (the only times anyone other than a Blitzer might have held it, lol) . No luxury scorelines (the best have been 2-1 wins on turn 16). Thus no opportunities to "feed" SPPs to Yeomen or Peasants (1 of the failed Pass Actions would have given a TD to a Peasant, IIRC it was a 1 in 6 chance, no RRs). With no passing skills on the team, and just 2 Team Re-rolls, passing opportunities have only arisen when desperate. All hand-off attempts have been to Blitzers (because: Catch, MA7).

Just as well we are playing semi-chosen MVP as per the new rulebook (choose 3 players, randomise). I have fed all 4 MVPs to the Yeomen - they still lag the Blitzers in total SPPs.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 8:24 pm
by speedingbullet
Alas my first game with Brets was postponed yesterday as the club was inaccessible due to roadworks! We’ll try again next week.

In the meantime I’m digesting your useful info. I have at least settled on a starting roster (tv100). It will be:

Blitzers x3
Yeoman x4
Peasants x 5
Reroll x2
Apoth

Looking forward to getting started.

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 10:00 pm
by Smeborg
There are plenty of variants to the Bret starting roster.

I started with 4 Blitzers, because I reckoned it would be a long time before I could buy one (it would have been after the 4th game). Let's see how your roster gets on.

I definitely like starting with an Apoth.

2 RRs, no S-Hands, and no Dodge gives the team a tournament feel.

[Edit: I forgot to add one of the biggest reasons I started with 4 Blitzers. My reasoning was that if I started with 3, and lost one, I would then have to buy 2, along with any other purchases. Tough with a starting team. I hope I haven't given the commentator's curse... :D ]

Re: Knights of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune (Brets)

Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2018 1:03 am
by Smeborg
EXPLORING ORKY GOODNESS

It will likely be 10 days before my next league game. Meanwhile, since Orcs loom large in my local landscape, I had a little test game against them (using my current roster). For the Orcs (rookies) I chose:

Varag
Troll
3 x Black Orcs
4 x Blitzers
3 x Linos
3 x RRs

Partly because the TV gap exactly matches Varag's price, but also because in my first league game, it was M-Blow that did much of the damage. And I wanted to see what happened against all AV9.

The result of the game was 2-0 to the Brets, but that is not very meaningful (the Orcs failed their first 4 pick-up rolls, they also rolled several doubleskulls, and failed multiple dodges instead of sacking the Bret ball-carrier). Also, I lack experience playing with Orcs. Of more interest was the damage ratio:

- The Orcs got 4 CAS and 2 (perhaps 3) KOs. M-Blow (Troll & Varag) was instrumental in at least 1 of each (let's say in 1/3 of cases). The first turn (Orcs receiving) saw 1 CAS, 1 KO and 1 Stun (and would likely have been decisive, had the Orcs managed to pick up the ball). One of the 2nd half CAS was a judicious foul by a Lineorc on a Peasant (Orc sent off 5,5:6,6). I did not record stuns, but there were a good many.

- The Brets, on the other hand, broke armour once in the game (Varag KO'd on the last turn - I forgot he had T-Skull, so it may have been just a Stun). On the "plus" side, 2 judicious fouls (on turns 7 and 8, to remove all possibility of the Orcs scoring) were 1 short of breaking armour (suggesting that D-Player might be a good investment - assuming, of course, the hapless Peasant can get himself to the party). And a decent number of armour rolls following knockdowns were 1 short of a break (suggesting that M-Blow is a worthwhile investment on the Bret team - but it looks like it would need to be more than 1).

Overall, the test game confirms that Brets will likely struggle (perhaps greatly) against "hurty" teams. Whether they can generate sufficient "counter-hurt" remains to be seen (not in this match!). Curiously, the Yeomen stayed on the pitch. It was the Peasants and Blitzers who flew into the dugout. The team made it to the 2nd half with a bare 11 players, but was missing 2 Blitzers by then. The last drive saw 11 Orcs against 10 Brets.

OTHER LESSONS: 1 Guarder (no need for more) was useful on the offensive LoS. The Yeomen dodged quite a bit (again suggesting Dodge would be a good doubles pick for them), and also took some Blitzes.

The conundrum of when to put Yeomen on the defensive LoS remains unsolved. Some of the armour/injury rolls would not have hurt them, but quite a few would have put them in the dugout.

The Peasants, whether individually or as a group, have a bi-polar approach to life. Either they squeal and run back to mummy in the dugout, or they somehow stay on the pitch for the whole drive, annoying the opponent greatly with their Fend. I have reached the stage where I regard a Stunned Peasant as a good outcome, lol.