The Psychedelic Furs at Chaos Cup 2013: Game Four

Following Game Three, my first win, I bounced up to almost the mid-tables.. amazing. Game Four was the last game of the day... 4 games in one day is a lot, but we did have a break before to get some lunch.

CHAOS CUP 2013: GAME FOUR
Opponent: Purple Pugilists Pain, Orcs.  Coached by Bobby

Orcs.  I do love Orc teams. But usually I love playing them myself.  Facing a team with better armor, more skills and higher strength though... well, my basic goats are what they are and would just have to try harder.

The Orc team opted for no Troll or Goblins (I tend to favor having them) so had 4 Black Orcs, all with Block (!) 4 Blitzers, one with Sure Hands & Catch, and a Dirty Player Lineorc.
Interesting choice to go with a receiving Blitzer... that would mean I'd have to watch for that potential.

The crowd was just excited in general: we both got Fame +1. I kicked.
Must have been a loyal crowd to come out for the game because we were playing in a Blizzard!

Purple-skinned Orcs!  Clearly they were devotees of Slannesh as well.
But they showed no favors to their brothers as they blitzed after the kick and Injured Falco!
First turn and I was already down a Guard.  Harsh.

The Purple Tide pushed against the Pink.  Turn 2 an Orc Blitzer Injures Inxs! No more extra arms!
I only have 7 players with skills and I'd lost 2 of them before my 2nd turn. Things were looking grim!

But the orcs got excited and the carrying-Blitzer tripped while Going For It! The ball bounced around awhile before resting on the pitch!  Opportunity.

Turn 3 the goats make a line and push the orcs back while Ultra Vox recovers the ball!

Hope was short-lived as Ultra Vox, along with others, get knocked down.

Turn 4, a classic: 2 Die Block:  Double Skull... I Re-Roll it: Double Skull: Squeeze Stuns himself.

The Orcs took the ball down field, and I had just one chance to stop him: it would require 3 dodges in a tackle zone!  Well, he didn't make it.. he knocked himself out!

Orcs score Turn 6: 0-1.

All my thoughts were on moving the ball: must score!
But this turn would see me roll another Double-Skull, with no re-rolls left.

Trying desperately to narrow the player-disadvantage I fouled an Orc: rolled a Double-One for armor: Orc is fine, and my player is ejected.. down yet another player!  I figured it was worth a try... I was down so many I figured one more wouldn't make much difference, but if I could get one of those Blitzer Orcs off it would help.. but it wasn't to be.

Turn 7 the Orcs knock down Adam Ant: armor: rolls a 10, injury: rolls a 12. When dice are on fire like this it is hard to compete.  But he should have saved these rolls for playing Dwarves! ;)

Needless to say, he stopped me from scoring and the half ended 0-1.

With so many players injured and knocked out I had only 8 able to take the pitch against the full Orc team.
I set up heavy to my right: it telegraphs my plan, but I don't have enough players to do it any other way.

It was still a Blizzard, I was many players down and I had to score to tie it up before I lost any more players!

The Orcs crowd in, they knocked Pretty down.. he tried to get up to blitz but rolled a 1 and stayed down!

With Orcs crowding in even more, on Turn 3, Yaz, holding the ball had no choice: make a 1 die blitz to move, then make 2 Go For Its in the Blizzard to score: He Makes It!

Game is now tied 1-1, but now I'm kicking to the Orcs, who now outnumber me by a lot to little...

Set up for the kick, and my Knocked-Out wrestler refused to take the pitch.  Dang.

The Orc Thrower passed the ball to the Receiver Blitzer who ran it, but I managed to stop him!

At this point, Goats were throwing themselves bodily into disadvantageous positions against orcs, just trying to slow them down.

Yaz recovered the ball, while Echo guarded him.

In a last chance to break the tie a Black Orc dodges into two tackle zones!  He rolls a 6!  He makes it! 

He throws his 1 die block and skulls out!  

I'm pretty sure that was a Wood Elf in a Black Orc costume! 

The game ends 1-1. 

A great game, very nice player.  And I want his amazing lucky dice ;)  Should name them 'Armor Breaker' and 'Widow Maker'. 

Usually a tie suggests that it was a close game.. after all it is a Tie. But not this tie.  I was on the backhoof the whole game.  Every turn was a brain-drain of trying to make the most out of very limited resources. 

Achieving this tie felt like one of the biggest victories I've had in Blood Bowl.  

But still, a 'losing tie' being 1-1, where I inflicted no casualties but suffered 3 in return.

So back down the tables I'd be going for Game Five. 

My MVP for the game has to be #13 Yaz.  

He made two Go For Its in a Blizzard (fail on a 1 or 2, not just a 1 like normal) to tie it, then recovered the ball, and held it against the Black Orc blitz to keep the tie he achieved.  Good Job Yaz! 

Enjoy!