Team Umbrella - a Nurgle team story

Every team has a story. If you want to tell the BB world yours, then this is the place to do it.

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Hasdru
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Team Umbrella - a Nurgle team story

Post by Hasdru »

After a dozen or so games against the computer to learn the basics of the team, I've created a Nurgle team to play online on the Cyanide game. The roster is the usual one: 4 Nurgle Warriors, 1 Beast of Nurgle, 1 Pestigor, 5 Rotters, and 2 re-rolls. The team is sponsored by the Umbrella corporation and its majority shareholder, M. Nurgle...

My first game is against a rookie Underworld team that has a 940 TV (Troll, 6 Skavens, 4 goblins on the pitch, 3 RR), and takes a Babe has inducements.
They win the toss and elect to receive, gaining a 4th re-roll when the kick-off event. The kick ends up being somewhat shallow.

The first Underworld results in a lineman getting as deep as it can into my half, and catching a pass. on my turn, it get blitzed by a Warrior, and the Pestigor get the ball. Team Umbrella starts moving up midfield using a sideline cage, by get halted by the faster skavens. A skaven blitzer get crowd surfed after 2 chained blocks, while a goblin injures itself on a failed dodge roll. The Pestigor and a screen of players move towards the center of the pitch only to get halted again. They move back towards the sideline thanks to a successful dodge from the ball carrier Pest. On my last action of turn 6, a Rotter 1d blocks a skaven thrower and gets a "both down" results, killing the skaven in the process. At this stage, my opponent concedes the game, which the computer processes as a 2-0 victory for Team Umbrella.

SPP gained:
- Rotter: 5 SPP (MVP)
- Rotter: 5 SPP (1 Cas, 1 TD)
- Rotter: 8 SPP (1TD, 1 MVP)
No injury suffered by the team!

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Re: Team Umbrella - a Nurgle team story

Post by Hasdru »

Team Umbrella is now 7 games into the season, and presents a 3-1-3 ratio. The team has been alarmingly outCASed so far, having suffered 15 injuries, of which 3 deaths, while having caused 2 CAS only. The Beast of Nurgle died, and hasn't been replaced so far because of cash constraints.

The currently comprises
- Nurgle Warrior (10 SPP): Block
- Nugle Warrior (7 SPP): Block
- Nurgle Warrior (5 SPP)
- Nurgle Warrior (0 SPP)
- Pestigor (6 SPP): Sure Hand
- Pestigor (6 SPP): Wrestle
- Pestigor (6 SPP): Wrestle
- Pestigor (O SPP)
- Rotter (5 SPP)
- Rotter (0 SPP)

So far, the team has suffered from a lack of skills, a few unlucky dice rolls, and some bad coaching decisions (at least 1 defeat could likely have been turned into a draw with better action management), and little ability to move safely the ball up the field. I find myself regularly outmanned on the field, as Pestigors and Rotters go down and get KO-ed (if not worse) with an alarming regularity. Hopefully, skilling up a few additional players will help!

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Hasdru
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Re: Team Umbrella - a Nurgle team story

Post by Hasdru »

With a few mroe games under its belt, Team Umbrella now presents a 5-1-4 ratio, and has saved enough cash to purchase dead positionals (Beast of Nurgle and 1 Nurgle Warrior died so far), and at last has 11 rostered players again(though a Pestigor will be MNG due to injury)!

8th game, against a near rookie Chaos Dwarf team, ended into a somewhat pyhrric 2-1 victory, but at the expense of a dead Nurgle Warrior (which, to add insult to injury, had skilled up for Block). Failing to pick up the ball 3 turns in a row put the Nurgle offense on the back foot, but a long pass sealed the team success during the second half of the game.

9th game, against Kemri, started badly for Team Umbrella, as the 2 intial Khemri blocks upon receiving the ball resulted into another CASed Nugled Warrior, and a KOed one at the other end of the line of scrimmage. Outnumbered and outmusculed, the team could slow down the Khemri team, but not prevent them from scoring. Still outnumbered in the second half, Team Umbrella had to resort to passing play to go for a draw, but got intercepted and could not avoid a 2-0 loss.

Kicking to a Goblin team for their 10th game, Team Umbrella prevented them from scoring in the first half, and didn't suffer from too much fouling neither. Receiving for the second half, their trusted armor prevented the chainsaw from doing much damage, until it eventually kicked back in the face of its user. Having injured 2 additional goblins, Team Umbrella marched on to another victory, all the while avoiding being fouled to death.

The team is currently made up of
- Nurgle Warrior (9 SPP): Block
- Nurgle Warrior (7 SPP): Block
- Nurgle Warrior (2 SPP)
- Nurgle Warrior (0 SPP)
- Beast of Nurgle (0 SPP)
- Pestigor (16 SPP): Sure Hands, Two Heads
- Pestigor (12 SPP): Wrestle
- Pestigor (11 SPP): Wrestle
- Pestigor (1 SPP) - MNG
- Rotter (5 SPP)
- Rotter (5 SPP)

Let's hope the current roster will somewhat be able to re-balance the abysmal injury ratio of the team (19 suffered - 4 inflicted)!

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Re: Team Umbrella - a Nurgle team story

Post by Smeborg »

Nice team, Hasdru, with classic development. You should find things improving now that you have all the positionals. You still need some reserves, though. I find 13 or 14 players is about right, depending on environment.

All the best, and good luck with the team.

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Re: Team Umbrella - a Nurgle team story

Post by Hasdru »

Thanks Semborg, feedback is always nice to have.

Team Umbrella played 2 more games yesterday, the first one against a Skaven team with 2 star Gutter Runners (AG5, Very Long Legs, for one, ST3, Block for another) and some musles (Ogre Rat and both Blitzers with Guard). Being 130k down in TV, Team Umbrella benefits from 2 Bloodweiser Babes for the game. In the classic Skaven fashion, they managed to score in 2 turns during the first half. I had 6 turns to grind them and equalize, but rushed in bit too far without enough protection of the Pestigor ball carrier... ending in a 1d block, the untimely demise of the Pestigor, and a second Skaven TD before the end of the first half. I still have to practice playing into 40 seconds turns. Receiving the ball at the start of half 2, I managed to score; even better, the Beast of Nurgle avenged the dead Pestigor by killing the Ogre Rat. By the time the skavens set up for the last drive, I can only field 9 players, which creates holes in my defense, and allow them to score a final TD.
Result: 1-3 loss, 2-1 Cas

The next game was against a Necromantic team fielding 2 werewolves (1 rookie, 1 with Block), 2 flesh golems (both with Block), and 1 Ghoul (Block) . Still down to 10 rostered players and without a dedicated ball carrier, Team Umbrella is joined by a journeyman for the game, while the Necros induce a Bloodweiser Base because of their lower TV. The Necros receive in half 1, but their offense is stalled around the LoS. Their ghoul ball carrier gets sacked, a Pestigor picks up the ball but can't escape the scrum. Having several Nurgle Warriors with D-Pres range of the ball prevents the Necros from picking it up either. On turn 8, Team Umbrella manages to set up for a TD opportunity by placing a Pestigor in the end zone, but a Rotter fails to pick up the ball. End of Half 1, things look good to me as the Necros didn't score, and their skilled Werewolf stays KOed for half 2. The Nurgle team drive starts well as the Necros placement allows me to set up a midfield cage, and start grinding them upfield. The Necros are plagued by 3 self-inflicted casualties on failed dodge rolls or skulled blocks. When Team Umbrealla scores on turn 14, their opponents concede the game.
Result: 2-0 victory (conceded), 3-0 Cas

Team Umbrella, once again, can field 9 positionals on its roster:
- Nurgle Warrior (17 SPP): Block, Stand Firm
- Nurgle Warrior (9 SPP): Block
- Nurgle Warrior (7 SPP): Block
- Nurgle Warrior (2 SPP)
- Beast of Nurgle (2 SPP)
- Pestigor (16 SPP): Wrestle, Tackle
- Pestigor (12 SPP): Wrestle
- Pestigor (4 SPP)
- Pestigor (0 SPP)
- Rotter (5 SPP)
- Rotter (5 SPP)

1 Pestigor is a TD away from being developed again into a ball carrier, and I hope the last Warrior will skill up in the coming games!

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Re: Team Umbrella - a Nurgle team story

Post by Hasdru »

3 more games, 2 against Lizardmen teams, and 1 against Chaos Dwarfs.

2 losses to lizzies (0-1 and 0-2), 1 victory (1-0) over the Dwarfs, altough at the expense of yet another dead Nurgle Warrior (already had to blow 440k gold into buying replacement positionals, so much for regeneration). Team Umbrella find itself regularly both outmaneuvered and outbashed (0.6 cas to game inflicted, vs 1.6 suffered) on the pitch, which makes drives difficult to manage. It doesn't help that the random turn length regularly causes turnovers with players out of position before they could move, thus exposing ball cariers to blitzeq. Definitely something I have to work one to improve.
2 Pestigors are close to levelling, but have been unable to score so far... Maybe in the next games!
With SPPs hard to get by and retain, I will likely turn a couple of players into killers to level the man advantage, and try to get Warriors SPP faster. FA indeeds prevents some blocks, but on a limited number of games (15) it did not prevent bashier teams from winning the battle of attrition.

The team currently consists in:
- Nurgle Warrior (19 SPP): Block, Stand Firm
- Nurgle Warrior (12 SPP): Block
- Nurgle Warrior (9 SPP): Block
- Nurgle Warrior (0 SPP): the rookie member of the team, hired to replace the untimely demise of its skilled predecessor
- Beast of Nurgle (2 SPP)
- Pestigor (19 SPP): Wrestle, Tackle
- Pestigor (12 SPP): Wrestle
- Pestigor (4 SPP)
- Pestigor (2 SPP)
- Rotter (10 SPP): Dirty Player
- Rotter (5 SPP)

I would rather retain cash to plan for further replacements than purchase extra Rotters, this also helps keeping the TV lean, as I already struggle against developed teams of a similar TV.

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Re: Team Umbrella - a Nurgle team story

Post by JaM »

What do you mean 'random turn length' ?
Dont you have 4 minutes per turn?

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Hasdru
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Re: Team Umbrella - a Nurgle team story

Post by Hasdru »

No, it's set randomly from 30 seconds/turn to 4 minutes/turn at the beginning of the game. I couldn't find any option to calibrate the time, either in the league settings or in the general options of the game, although I assume there is one.

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Re: Team Umbrella - a Nurgle team story

Post by JaM »

ouch

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Re: Team Umbrella - a Nurgle team story

Post by mattgslater »

Wow, that's wacky. That would drive me nuts! I need all 4 mins sometimes....

Keep up the blog! Good stuff. The process of building a slow-starting team is its own kind of fun.

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Re: Team Umbrella - a Nurgle team story

Post by JaM »

Normally, vs the AI (or, AU/AS, what have you), I need a bit less than 2 mins.

But having your turn stopped at 30 seconds ... I like BB but 30 secs turns wouldnt cut it for me. Unless the opponent also had 'only' 30 seconds, ...

I've played/watched "1 minute bloodbowl", and it's fun and wacky. On a board. I doubt that I could stand it online, with all the graphics and stuff.

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Re: Team Umbrella - a Nurgle team story

Post by Eruletho »

The "random" time is becuase when you search in matchmaking, select your team in the pop-up windoe before pressing search. It'll show a Min. Time and a Max. Time for turns. If you are OK with 2-minute turns, set the Min to 2, otherwise make them both 4 minute turns and you'll never suffer from tiny turn lengths again. If you think 4 min is too long, set the Max down to 2 min (if you set the M sec, it's the only timeframe you'll get, just like setting the Min to 4 min.)

As for the development, it sucks to lose your beast, as it's kinda the centerpiece of the team in a lot more ways than most other big guys are, but you seem to have recovered from it well.

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