Big Guys for Dwarves

Colin · Post by **Colin** » Wed Sep 04, 2002 4:29 pm

I read something in another thread about having dwarves able to use steam powered robots, I would call them iron golems. Dwarf teams get access to one, counts as BG for their team (Ogres don't really fit and the deathroller is a poor substitute for a BG because it's really a SW with a penalty roll). I would give it the stats;

0-1 Iron Golem 4 6 1 10 Mighty Blow, Stan Firm 180K
special-no SPP's gained and check for breakdown (like niggling inj) at start of game and at end of drives.

Injuries would be treated the same as normal players, ie stunned=face down on pitch, KO=minor repairs, badly hurt=major repairs (miss rest of match), serious inj=severe damage (miss next game and repairs might not be able to completely fix it, in the case of stat downgrades). death=totally trashed (have to build a new one).

This is just off the top of my head, but want to know if anyone thinks this is workable? BTW, are there any minis out there that could be used for an iron golem?

Ghost of Pariah · Post by **Ghost of Pariah** » Wed Sep 04, 2002 4:44 pm

I think I'd go more like:

Iron Golem 3 6 1 10 Mighty Blow, Stand Firm G&G 150K (possibly 160K)

I'd let it earn skills too. Call them "upgrades".

I like it!

Colin · Post by **Colin** » Wed Sep 04, 2002 4:48 pm

What's G&G stand for?

Ghost of Pariah · Post by **Ghost of Pariah** » Wed Sep 04, 2002 4:50 pm

OOPS! Should have been G&S for gen and strength skill access. lol

Colin · Post by **Colin** » Wed Sep 04, 2002 4:59 pm

Right! That's something I forgot to mention. I don't mind the "upgrades" idea, it could work, but all BG have some sort of negative Racial Characturistic, so I would still include the breakdown idea (not as lame as the way the deathroller is done).

Relborn · Post by **Relborn** » Wed Sep 04, 2002 5:04 pm

I think Big Guys won't fit very well into dwarven teams. That's the reason why they have their Slayers.

I really don't think that every team should have an access to an Big Guy ... although they should have means to cope with them.

Post by **GalakStarscraper** » Wed Sep 04, 2002 6:29 pm

The MBBL2 allows the Dwarf team to have a Gnomish Contraption using basically the rules for LRB Big Guys. Again we've been using these rules for a while now and they are a lot of fun. The PBeM tool was recented updated to automatically handle all of the rules for Contraptions.

The stats for the Gnomish Contraption are:

Gnomish Contraption
100,000
4 6 1 10
Mighty Blow, Stand Firm, Contraption Special Rules
Strength, Mechanical Upgrades

Note: if using a Contraption for PBeM for the Dwarf team, the player should have the skills to make him work perfectly in the game: Mighty Blow, Stand Firm, TIKSTPK, Nonball Handler, SLOW, Easily Injured, GFI Injury, SW 8+, Big Guy

Contraption Special: A Gnomish Contraption is a massive robot body built by the Gnomes and driven by a Gnome in a cockpit in the head. A Gnomish Contraption despite being a monstrous piece of machinery on the pitch has a lot of problems to overcome to be an efficient Blood Bowl team member. The following is a list of all the mechanical problems with a Gnomish Contraption:
1) Gnomish Contraptions when built do not have working fingers as such they cannot pick up or handle the ball, any team member, or any opponent.
2) Gnomish Contraptions are not built with the safety of the Gnome driver in mind. AS a result, any injury roll against the Gnomish Contraption is made with a +1 modifier.
3) Gnomish Contraptions have really poor articulated joints. As a result, if the Contraption is prone, it cannot stand automatically. The Contraption must roll 4+ on a D6 roll modified by +1 by each team member standing next to him not in an opponent's tackle zone (just like the old 3E rules for Treeman). Failing to stand does not cause a turnover. Standing requires all 4 squares of the Contraption's movement and he cannot GFI after standing.
4) Gnomish Contraption break easily if overexerted. If a Contraption falls down due to Going For It, the Contraption makes an automatic Injury roll (no armour roll).
5) TIKSTPK (The Ingines Kannot Stand The Pressure, Kaptain!!!). Before trying to perform an action with a Contraption, roll a D6. On a 1, the engines are overheating and the Contraption loses its tackle zones and cannot perform any actions that turn. If you try to perform an action the turn after the engines were overheating and roll another 1, the engines explode. This will instantly kill the Gnome drive and destroy the Contraption. In addition, any player in an adjacent square must make an immediate injury roll due to the shrapnel and flames. (Note: if you don't perform any actions with a Contraption in the turn subsequent to rolling a one, the Contraption will cool down and the regain its tackle zone at the end of the turn.)
6) Although it looks similar to a player from the Robot team, the Referee usually figures out that the Contraption is more like a DeathRoller than a player. As a result, all Contraptions have a Secret Weapon penalty roll of 8+ at the end of any drive that it was on the pitch. (but Contraptions are not considered Secret Weapons for any other game purposes.)

Advance:
Mechanical Upgrades:
INSTEAD of making a skill roll, the Gnomes can upgrade the Contraption in a number of ways:
1) Add articulated fingers to the hands. The Contraption may now handle the ball and pick up team members or opponents.
2) Add roll cages and safety harnesses to the inside of the head. The Contraption no longer suffers the +1 modifier to injuries.
3) Add articulated knees and elbows. The Contraption may now stand without help and only needs the normal 3 squares of movement to do so.
4) Enhance the Contraption's structural integrity. The Contraption is now allowed an armour roll if it falls down from using Go For It squares.

If you roll for a skill and roll doubles that is not a stat increase, the Gnomes can only upgrade a Contraption in one of two ways:
1) Gain any one General skill, Strength skill, or Strength trait.
2) Add several heat sinks. The Contraption no longer needs to make the TIKSTPK rolls.

Apothecary:
Standard rules. The Apothecary can also be used on the Contraption as any injury is normally attributed to the Contraption's driver and not the Contraption itself. The Apothecary cannot be used on a Contraption or driver killed after a Contraption explodes from a double 1 from TIKSTPK.

Piepgrass · Post by **Piepgrass** » Wed Sep 04, 2002 7:33 pm

Why not make some rules for the Death roller as a big guy instead of a secret weapon.
That way you would get the model back in the game.

Poul

Ghost of Pariah · Post by **Ghost of Pariah** » Wed Sep 04, 2002 8:07 pm

GNOMES! OI! HOW DARE YOU!!!!!!!!! GRUDGE!

Colin · Post by **Colin** » Wed Sep 04, 2002 8:47 pm

Galak,

I have nothing against your ideas or league. I'm sure players have had fun with those rules for gnomish contraption, but there seems to be alot of extra rules. I prefer something more simple that can fit into the current rules without adding a whole lot of extra stuff.

Post by **GalakStarscraper** » Wed Sep 04, 2002 9:01 pm

Torg,

No problem mate.

Since the computer handles everything I don't even think about it.

Anyway ... I have a Golem team in the league also ... simpler rules for an Iron Golem:

Iron Golem
120,000
5 4 2 10
Break Tackle, Mighty Blow, Thick Skull, Rusting
General, Strength

Rusting is simple ... the Iron Golem cannot be on the pitch if its Raining.

The MBBL2 has a lot of extra teams and players ... the advantage is that almost all of them have been tested in league play. That's why I throw them out into conversations like this. The Contraption does have a lot overhead ... since the computer handles all of it ... I don't even think about it.

Galak

Trambi · Post by **Trambi** » Thu Sep 05, 2002 10:39 am

Why not simply make the death roller as a non star player or a big guy.

Post by **Thadrin** » Thu Sep 05, 2002 11:01 am

The Deathroller is a secret weapon and always should be. I'm in the camp that is eagerly awaiting the Secret weapon rules if the BBRC or whoever EVER get around to them. Hopefully it'll be the old "extra cost on a lineman" idea.

ANyway - can I just add to this debate, as a Dwarf coach, I hate all those ideas? HATE them. Not because I'm especially attatched to my Ogre. More because I think they're all bad ideas. They interest me not one iota.
Let Dwarfs have Ogre availability alone and have done with it. Its not like its broken is it?

Mestari · Post by **Mestari** » Thu Sep 05, 2002 11:44 am

I agree with my comrade in Sweden.
Give them Ogres. Simple. And the 2nd ed ogres (that look like real ogres - they've changed them a bit since then) fit perfectly to dwarven teams.

Relborn · Post by **Relborn** » Thu Sep 05, 2002 12:50 pm

Why should dwarves need Ogres ?