Talk Fantasy Football

We were noticing that the game doesn't have enough ST skills, especially now that some of them are traits, so my friend "Grambo" came up with a new one which I think is a great idea. I thought I'd run it bu you all...

Stiff Arm: Strength Skill: Allows +1 Strength when you are being blitzed.

Simple, effective, fun, and adds some choice to the strength skill list after guard and mighty blow.

OK fire away!

Stiff Arm (SKILL) - This player is skilled at pushing a would be blitzer off with a stiff shove. If an opponent has moved at least one square and then blitzes this player, the player with Stiff Arm may apply -1 ST to the blitzer(minimum ST 1). This skill may only be used once a turn and is applied before other strength modifiers (such as Dauntless and Horns).


MBBL2 skill from Galak's site, though it's an Agility skill.

Darkson wrote:Stiff Arm (SKILL) - This player is skilled at pushing a would be blitzer off with a stiff shove. If an opponent has moved at least one square and then blitzes this player, the player with Stiff Arm may apply -1 ST to the blitzer(minimum ST 1). This skill may only be used once a turn and is applied before other strength modifiers (such as Dauntless and Horns).


MBBL2 skill from Galak's site, though it's an Agility skill.

hehehe wow maybe that's where he got it from...or maybe great minds think alike

wow having that as an AG skill would really make be complain a lot less about losing diving tackle!!

(and yes I know it's technically not GONE, it's just lame)

A little overpowered though, isn't it? Wardancers with an effective 4 strength on defence spring to mind.

Skummy wrote: A little overpowered though, isn't it? Wardancers with an effective 4 strength on defence spring to mind.

That's pretty much what I thought... heck, any Elf (WE Catchers excepted) ST4 when getting blitzed? Not something I'd like to go up against.

Darkson wrote:Stiff Arm (SKILL) - This player is skilled at pushing a would be blitzer off with a stiff shove. If an opponent has moved at least one square and then blitzes this player, the player with Stiff Arm may apply -1 ST to the blitzer(minimum ST 1). This skill may only be used once a turn and is applied before other strength modifiers (such as Dauntless and Horns).

On the first glance this skill seems quite powerful. Especially for wardancers and the like. But apparently this has been succesfully used in the MBBL for how many seasons? Has there been any complaints?

Mestari wrote: On the first glance this skill seems quite powerful. Especially for wardancers and the like. But apparently this has been succesfully used in the MBBL for how many seasons? Has there been any complaints?

The first time I read this, I agreed with you Mestari. In fact, I do agree that its been used in the MBBL with no(?) coomplaints. Then I read the skill description again:

Stiff Arm (SKILL) - This player is skilled at pushing a would be blitzer off with a stiff shove. If an opponent has moved at least one square and then blitzes this player, the player with Stiff Arm may apply -1 ST to the blitzer(minimum ST 1). This skill may only be used once a turn and is applied before other strength modifiers (such as Dauntless and Horns).

Important things to note:

...If an opponent has moved at least one square and then blitzes this player... means that this skill is really helpful when you leave this guy out of contact (pretty easy to accomplish)

and

...This skill may only be used once a turn and is applied before other strength modifiers... since the opponent can only use a blitz once a turn (under the standard rules), isn't this skill kind of always in effect? IE: the HElf Catcher with the ball in my backfield is ST4 every time I try and hit him?

Consider as well the "standard" Elf tactic of dodging away so they only get a blitz... every blitz done against ST4 in the extreme situation (the entire team with this skill)? This'd pretty much be among the first two skills I'd take for nearly any Elf (the only exception would be the Throwers); Dodge would be the other.

Has the MBBL or the MBBL 2 ever thrown out a whacky new rule because it didn't work? I don't know the history of the MBBL 2 but I know the MBBL has yet to find a broken rule...anybody find that odd?

It could of course be that no elf team has yet tried to over-take this skill and try if it breaks anything.
Somebody said some time ago that the fact that POn is broken is evident only when it is taken en masse (id est = a lot). Maybe this is the case with the Stiff Arm too?

Galak will surely say that they've tested "it for two seasons and there has been zero problems with it". But my BB-sense is tingling that this could perhaps be abused when taken alot? What do you think? Has anyone else tried this skill in their leagues?

Dwarven team - Longbeards with Guard, Blitzers and Runners with Stiff Arm.

I smell an ouch.

(PS - How is Grambo? haven't played him in years )

Actually the skill is in the mbbl2 not the mbbl. Next only approved bbrc requested rules for testing are in the mbbl Pariah, all of the other rules are lrb, therefore only a very small set could be dumped (i.e. the experimental ones). The experimental rules have not been evaluated enoough that they should be dumped, or are u saying that rules should be playtested for 5 games or so, voted on and them dropped? Mestari Galak would probably say that in the 3 seasons only a few players have ever taken it and therefore its not shown that there is proof it is broken. Back to pariah, quite a few changes have been made between seasons in the mbbl2 because of people saying there is a problem, there were also a few changes midseason (i should know 2 of them impacted my team). Sounds like u guys are talking about things that u havent researched. As to how the skill works, lets not forget dauntless and horns work just fine, so the gr made blitzer still gets 2 dice on him. Not to mention that any bad rolls earlier in the turn (i.e. turnover) can make it impossible to get out of contact. There is also the matter of assists, a not so experimental technique.

How does it interact with Dauntless?

EDIT: Heh. Sorry, didn't read the whole thing first, Sean.

In the mbbl2 i used both Jam and Stiff Arm. Jam is a waste of time, i will never ever ever take it again with anyone less than ag 6, even then i probably wont. Stiff arm on my st 3 guy was nice but not overpowering, however i dint try it on a majority of the team. Stiff arm is usually given to st 2 guys however; GR's, human catchers, welf catchers, etc. Do u really want to fill a team with a skill usable only 1 time in the opponents turn?

Sean: Do u really want to fill a team with a skill usable only 1 time in the opponents turn?

I just see the potential to put it on a Lion Warrior or similar 3 strength ballcarrier. It's an incredibly good offensive skill, since a good offence dictates who the defence needs to blitz.