Talk Fantasy Football

I'm refering to Foul Appearance, if anyone was wondering. I never really had much of a chance to use the FA skill as I usually don't play teams that can get it. With the new rules review and the Nurgle Rotters team being released in the last little while, I have tried the skill out in a game and found that as it now stands it seems a bit overpowered.
As I hadn't used the skill all that much before, I had forgotten about the affect on passing and catching. Now that this comes into play even with the player prone, I think there needs to be a change. I have no problem with it working while on the ground, as far as the not wanting to hit part is concerned, an ugly player is still ugly lying on the ground.
My suggestion would be to split the skill into two seperate skills for the seperate abilities that the skill now has, one skill for rolling to see if opponant will hit player - still call this foul appearance, and one for the affecting passing and catching. I think it would make more sense (fluff wise) that a big, nasty, mean looking player would bearing down on a player would be more likely to cause a ball to be thrown too soon or missing a catch. I would call this skill Fearsome Appearance and only let players that start with ST over 3 have a chance to get it. I would also make it a ST trait so it would not be too easy to get (but obviously a little easier than foul appearance). As most BGs, BOBs, and CWs are used for bashing on the line, it still might not be the first choice when someone rolls a double.
Anyway, I think that a skill or trait should normally only affect one thing, the more things you can do with a skill or trait, the more powerful it becomes, expecially if it has an affect when prone. I think that splitting the two abilities of FA into two different traits would help prevent this and I don't think would greatly affect play.

Like the sound of this.

I think FA as it stands is to powerful, especially when you think a Nurgles Rotter team starts with 4 (or 6, depending on who you listen to), and all players possibly. This team could be the death of Elven teams (which might not be a bad thing )

This from a guy who is wrecking my ogre team tackle zones with Hypno Gaze!

Why not just make it like it was before and not work when prone? Simpler is better.

I agree. Adding one clear sentence to FA is much cleaner than creating more skills/rules.

Whether or not it works when prone is not the point. I think the two abilities of this trait should be split into two traits. What could be more simple than having only one ability per skill/trait?

And fluff-wise, it makes more sense for bigger, meaner looking players to hurry a throw or make a catcher miss a catch when he's bearing down on him. More sense than someone who's just plain ugly doing the same thing

I agree, simpler is better. I'd prefer to see it changed back.

I don't see much support for splitting FA's 2 abilities. The "must roll a 2+ in order to throw a block" is pretty lame and would be a waste of a skill if it were a choice somewhere. It helps ocassionally but it's rare. It's a sometimes useful side ability at best. Increasing it to a 3+ would be a little better but I don't think it would benefit the Higher ST guys like you propose. I see it as a low ST skill since these guys get hit with 2 dice against on a regular basis without an assist.

Actually, i said that the affecting the pass and throw part of the trait be changed for stronger players, not the blocking part (still for the ugly players).

I agree with Zombie on this one. It shouldn't matter how ugly someone is when they are on the turf. I don't have eyes in my boots.

Torg wrote: Anyway, I think that a skill or trait should normally only affect one thing,

I disagree with this standpoint.
Due to the limited number of skills that a player can gain, I think it's a good thing that skills have more than one nature in them. If players could easily gain several skills, then this would be a more valid standpoint, but with these development and aging rules I cannot agree with it.

FA is more than a bit powerful when it works on the ground, simply because of how it is utilised. You put your FA players in the passing lanes where your opponent is likely to pass from, you stick the others so they overlap the eligible recievers. The standard play is to drop the FA players to open up the passing lanes. Tactical jiggery-pokery ensues.

If it works on the ground then you can't do this. A Skaven coach with a few FA players (like, ooh, me for example) can pretty much shut down passing entirely. Absolute killer on Orcs and Dwarves when combined with a deep kick - if you play your defence right then a pass is the only way they can move the ball up to their forward pocket.

Splitting the skills wouldnt' fix this, it would still make it nasty. I think it just needs to be changed back to "doesn't work on the ground".

Personally, I like FA the way it is...but that's not why I replied.

I replied to troll an answer from y'all while you got FA on your minds.

Say I have a guy with FA and pass block, and say, he's 5 squares away from a catching/throwing player. Can I use my 3 squares of Pass Block, even though it won't put him in INT range or a TZ...but will affect the catch/throw with the FA?

You can only use pass block to put a tz on the thrower catcher or under the range ruler, otherwise no, not even if you have FA

The UniGoblin wrote: Say I have a guy with FA and pass block, and say, he's 5 squares away from a catching/throwing player. Can I use my 3 squares of Pass Block, even though it won't put him in INT range or a TZ...but will affect the catch/throw with the FA?

Nope, the passblock skill is written specifically to state that it may be used ONLY if you can put a TZ on the thrower/catcher, or get under the ruler for the INT...not just "in some way affect the pass" or similiar langauge.

LRB p.27or so iirc, just look for "passblock" skill listing.

right...that's how I read it, too. Was just curious, because if I could get away with it in this lot...it should be alot easier to get away with in my league...