Imperial Nobility Strategy Guide

Summary

Imperial Nobility are a defensive orientated team. With a host of skills to keep the opposing team stalled in their advance, the Imperial Nobility play a reactive based playstyle, focusing around an aggressive defense and counter attacks to create gaps with which their blitzers can exploit. With a wide variety of positionals the team has the capacity for a generalist approach to the game with a slant to the defensive gamestyle.

Strengths

• Lots of starting skills
• Stiff Defense
• Bodyguards are exceptional defensive pieces
• Good Blitzers

Weaknesses

• Roster is expensive and fragile
• No strong positional except the ogre
• Neither particularly strong or fast
• Thrower isn't good at ball play

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Imperial Nobility Strategy

Imperial Nobility are a new team to Blood Bowl. Specialised in a more defensive, control orientated gameplay, Nobility has a number of different positional players. The linemen utilise fend to keep enemy players away, an ogre provides much needed muscle and Bodyguards can be exceptional in holding ground. Imperial Blitzers act as both receivers and line breakers while throwers can attempt pass plays. All of this accumulates into an unusual yet varied team focused on containing the opposition players and setting up for counter attacks.

The Nobility team has a number of skills which makes them particularly potent at controlling the field. Their most prominent feature is that they can frustrate an opponents' ability to get through their lines. Noble Blitzers are one of the few non-elf strength 3 positional players with access to agility, making them easy to give dodge and sidestep. This helps boost their durability and maneuverability to pull swift counter attacks for misplays. Bodyguards' combination of stand firm and wrestle in conjunction with linemens fend makes them an extraordinarily difficult team to get through, which can be utilised effectively in both offense and defense if co-ordinated well.

That said, Imperial Nobility are also among the more difficult teams in the game to use effectively as their roster suffers from some significant weaknesses. They suffer from overtly expensive re-rolls and players meaning they have problems with forming complete starting rosters. Imperial Nobility too are not effective in committing to either playstyle as they excel at neither.

They also suffer significantly through attrition, both on the pitch as well as managing the team, replacing lost players due to low to average armour values and high player costs. All of these factors make them an exceptionally challenging team to use effectively but are enjoyable if you can adjust to their control play.

Lets look at the players which make up the Imperial Nobility team.

Noble Blitzer

• Skill Choices: Dodge, Side Step, Sure Feet
• Secondary: Break Tackle, Guard
• Carrier: Dodge, Sure Hands, Side Step, Sure Feet
• Stat Ups: +MA, +Agility, + Strength,

Noble Blitzers are your best and most important players. Starting with both block and catch with a solid stat line, Noble Blitzers will act as a mix of line breakers, blitzers and catchers. The bulk of your scoring will be done with them and they are likely to gain SPP quickly. Since they will be gaining the majority of your SPP, it is important to give then dodge as soon as possible and branch out from there. It is possible too after obtaining dodge, to save up SPP to get a random stat upgrade. It is recommended they get +AG or +MA. +Str is good but expensive so it is up to the individual coach if they think it is worth it.

Generally you want Noble Blitzers on defense to act as safeties, ideally one supporting the back and one providing hit and run blitzes at the front. They can also be used to strike deep into the enemy half if an opportunity arises to attack the carrier but be sure they are not doing so alone or they will be overwhelmed. Developing them is straight forward, ideally dodge first followed by side step, dodge giving them considerable survivability and side step giving you more control of their positioning.

Because the team only has two Noble Blitzers, be careful about positioning them and try to have them protected behind a screen or with a bodyguard to keep pressure off them.

A solid positional who will be your stars but must be protected.

Bodyguards

• Primary Skills: Guard, Break Tackle
• Secondary: Dodge
• Sacker: Tackle, Break Tackle

Bodyguards will be the workhorses of your team. Their role is to protect your blitzers, hold the line, sack the carrier and to open up gaps. Starting with stand firm and wrestle, this allows them to fulfil these roles well. Two bodyguards should be set up on the line of scrum while two others on both wings to cover ground.

You want guard on these players as soon as possible to frustrate the oppositions ability to scrum. Break tackle allows these players to move around the pitch with ease. While they are best utilised as defensive roadblocks, their Str3 and Av9+ means they cannot be relied on to hold a line consistently or for long, so take caution when deploying them throughout a drive. Ideally you want to force an opponent to blitz a bodyguard to attempt to break through than feeding them free blocks.

Bodyguards can also be used as excellent sackers with the wrestle skill, meaning even blodge opponents need to be wary. In emergencies, can be used as ball carriers.

Imperial Thrower

• Primary skills: Block, Leader, Accurate
• Secondary Skill: Dodge OR Break Tackle

The Thrower comes with pass and running pass, giving him an in-built reroll for throwing the ball and the ability to do a quick pass and continue moving after. Imperial Throwers are of questionable value due to their lack of sure hands or PA 2+ like other throwers. This makes them not particularly good at their designated role as ball carriers, lacking a safety skill to pick up the ball or the excellent PA 2+ to reliably chuck the ball. However they are a necessary positional in order to increase the overall roster durability by reducing the amount of Imperial Retainer linemen on the pitch.

They can be used as a ball carrier in the initial phases of an offensive drive but it is recommended to hand-off to receiving Blitzers than to pass as their PA is only 3+. Can also be used to bolster the teams utility with the addition of leader and also the front lines with block. To help with their ability to throw, it is also suggested that you add accurate to them, be it sooner or later. Can also be fielded on defense to act as an additional support piece and to help bolster the front line due to their Av9+. Although this is not recommended, during urgent situations this may be necessary.

Ogre

• Primary Skills: Guard, Brawler
• Secondary: Block

Provides a good mix of durability and strength. Should be used as a roadblock either on the line of scrum or if the opposition is pushing down a side of the field.

Imperial Linemen

• Primary Skill: Kick, Dirty Player, Block

Starting with fend, Imperial Linemen allow you to stall an opponents advance. However this comes with the cost of AV8+, making these players exceptionally fragile. Should be used to provide assists or block choke points. Giving one kick would be ideal while giving others block can help them to survive longer. Don't expect them to last however. With AV8+, they tend to suffer as a drive develops so don't recklessly throw them into a scrum unless necessary.

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Starting Rosters

The most important thing as with most teams is to decide what roster you are going to build. These rosters are designed around a League or perpetual setting. For tournament builds, generally they begin at 1100k TV with free skills.

From the outset, Imperial Nobility teams' exceptionally high player cost makes formulating a starting roster difficult as you tend to have to sacrifice something in order to gain another, be it rerolls for more players or vice versa. As such, there is no real "standard" build, as it is a question if a coach wants more durability or reliability on their team.

Roster 1 (Generalist Build):

• 2 x Noble Blitzers
• 4 x Bodyguards
• 1 x Imperial Thrower
• 4 x Imperial Retainer Linemen
• 2 x Re-rolls
• +3 Dedicated Fans
• Total 995k

The most generalist roster for an Imperial Nobility team, providing two rerolls and the majority of your positional players. This gives you a nice balance of strength and reliability. You will want to buy an apothecary and third reroll as soon as possible. The ogre can be added later. You can swap 1 bodyguard out for a lineman and third reroll as an alternative for additional reliability.

Roster 2 (Ogre Build)

• 2 Blitzers
• 2 Bodyguards
• 1 Ogre
• 5 Linemen
• 1 Thrower
• 2 Reroll
• 3 Dedicated Fans
• Total 1000k

An extra build which allows you to start with the ogre without compromising your reliability and utility too much. The additional fans will help significantly in gaining cash to quickly fill out the roster. Your top priority should be to get an apothecary and two bodyguards.

Roster 3 (True Blue Nobility) :

• 2 Blitzers
• 4 Bodyguards
• 1 Ogre
• 4 Linemen
• 1 Reroll
• 4 Dedicated Fans
• Total 1000k

Gives you as many positional as possible with a solid source of income with 5 total dedicated fans to begin with. Must be used with extreme caution however due to 1 reroll but with 4 wrestlers and 2 blocks, this roster can be surprisingly effective. Not for the feint of heart.

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Defense and Offense as Imperial Nobility

Imperial Nobility are a very defensive orientated team which emphasise disrupting and controlling your opponents advance up the field. They also start with a wealth of combat skills in the form of four wrestlers and two blockers which makes them surprisingly brawly if played correctly. However the core of your strategy should be reactive based, focusing on breaking open gaps either with your blitzers, bodyguards or ogre and then breaking through with your carrier.

Defense

Some general advice for defense.

• Nobility are not a durable team, do not engage in protracted fights
• Let the enemy come to you unless an opportunity to get on the ball emerges
• Use your bodyguards to sack the enemy carrier if possible
• Be sure to keep 1 blitzer back field with a bodyguard as a safety

Nobility excel in defense and in their own way, are far better at dealing with bash teams than their regular, plebeian counterparts. This is due to having a large presence of fend and stand firm, making them capable of shutting down an offensive push in its tracks.

Your general plan should be to screen the opponent while attempting to break a gap open for a bodyguard and blitzer to slip through and begin applying pressure to the opponents box or carrier. During this time, the team should continue maintaining a strong screen presence in front of the advancing bash team, with a bodyguard and blitzer at the rear ready to intercept a break through or reinforce a failing side.

Always be sure to protect your blitzers at all times, with a bodyguard close at hand. The team needs them to fully function and they are very expensive to replace.

Offense

Nobiity offense emphasises, similar to their defense, making a gap for your blitzers to break through either with ball in hand or to receive the ball with the thrower.

It is however suggested to use a blitzer as your primary ball carrier due to their MA7 and starting block. You can utilise the second blitzer as a receiver, handing off to attempt a switch play or do a break through. Your bodyguards should be at the forefront of the screen supported by the linemen and the Ogre too should be utilised as a passive, defensive player to gum up certain players and take hits.

Do not be afraid to gum up the opposition when you manage to break through their lines. Practically the entire team is expendable except for your blitzers and you should treat them as such.

Overview

Imperial Nobility are a defensive orientated team. Playing primarily as a reactive team, a coach should be conscious and ready to react on potential opportunities to pressure the opposition. With abilities like fend and stand firm across the roster, it is more than possible for an Imperial Nobility team to stop an opponents offense dead in its tracks. Although not as adaptive as the standard human team, the Imperial Nobility can still prove to be an extraordinary and effective team when it comes to facing off against the best the BB pitch has to offer.

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Star Players

While an Imperial Nobility teams generally aren't known for being the underdog, there are certain situation they may find themselves at a disadvantage. This can occur normally if a Human coach is entering an established league or they have had the misfortune of losing some key players during a rough match or two. Fortunately for Humans, they have a wide array of Star Players to choose from where the majority are both affordable and effective on the pitch. As such, there may be some opportunities for the Human coach to hire a Star Player and knowing which one does what is important. Below are costs and descriptions of each one.

For detailed information on Star Player stats and abilities, go here:

https://fumbbl.com/help:BB20HumanSetUp

The list and costs are as follows

• Helmut Wulf - Star Human Chainsaw Looney - 140k
• Rumblebow Sheepskin - Halfling on a Ram - 170k
• Grim Ironjaw - Dwarf Slayer Star - 200k
• Karla von Kill - Star Human Blitzer - 210k
• Grombrondil - The White Dwarf - 210k
• Mighty Zug - Star Human Blocker - 220k
• Grak and Crumbleberry - Ogre and Halfling Duo - 250k
• Deeproot Strongbranch - Star Treeman - 280k
• Griff Oberwald - Legendary Star Human Blitzer - 280k
• Morg 'N' Thorg - Star Ogre - 380k

Helmut Wulf

At 140k, Helmut Wulf is now freely available for all teams as a chainsaw star. However with both pro and his special rule which allows him to reroll a single armour roll, Helmut is extraordinarily dangerous and also reliable as he will not waste rerolls if he kicks back. A decent choice if you can get him in addition to bribes.

Rumblebow Sheepskin

A halfling mounted on a ram. With block, tackle and horns, Rumbeblow makes an exceptional tackler if you need to put down opposing players with a lot of dodge or blodge. While at 170k he is relatively cheap, he also is quite fragile at Av8+. Cautious use is required to utilise Rumblebow well as a hard block may be enough to put him out of the game for good.

Grim Ironjaw

Coming in at 200k, Grim Ironjaw is a Str4 Dwarf Slayer with the addition of multiple block. While not the most expensive star, the value he brings to a team is questionable. Not particularly strong, fast or tough and multiple block being of limited use, Grim is generally best left in beating up people on the line of scrum or as a blitzer. However his frenzy can potentially get him in trouble. Be cautious when using him and generally, there are better stars and inducements for their value.

Karla von Kill

At 210k, Karla Von Kill is a Str4 Human Blitzer with block, dodge, dauntless, jump up and an ability to double her strength if she passes her dauntless roll. An extremely good Star well suited for scrumming, blitzing or support and in extreme cases, as a carrier. Barring teams with a lot of tackle, Karla is definitely a solid Star Player all round and definitely worth a pick for any team at a disadvantage.

Grombrindal

Grombrindal the White Dwarf makes his premiere onto the BB pitch for the first time. With Str3, Block, Dauntless, Mighty Blow, Stand Firm and Thick skull as well as AV 10+, he is an exceptional support blocker and can take a hit too. His special rule as well, allows him to add Break Tackle, Dauntless, Mighty Blow or Sure Feet to an adjacent player PER TURN makes him an incredibly useful support Star as well as capable of getting stuck in to bash some heads! A definite solid purchase.

Mighty Zug

At 220k, Mighty Zug is a Str5, Block and Mighty Blow human blocker. While slower than an Ogre, he essentially acts as a Big Guy with no negative traits and a solid chance of putting an opponent down. An exceptional Star Player for dealing with opposition front lines and breaking heads. Good for slower, bashier teams to help the team to hold their own in scrums and heavy crowds.

Grak and Crumbleberry

Coming in at 250k, Grak and Crumbleberry give you two star players in the form of a decent, albeit slow, ball carrier halfling with sure hands and a standard Ogre. He also provides the Human team with an additional big guy and halfling with sure hands. Expensive but a decent choice.

Deeproot Strongbranch

The single strongest star player in the game, Deeproot is a mighty treeman at 280k with strength 7, block and mighty blow+2 without take root. He is easily the single best roadblock in the game and hits devastatingly hard. However he is slow and opponents will be sure to avoid him.

Very useful for his ability to throw team mate with no risk of turn over if fumbles. While strong, he is expensive for what you get but if you need a player to tank hits for you, he is your guy.

Morg 'N' Thorg

Coming at 380k, Morg has seen a significant price reduction from his old price (430k) since previous editions. On top of that he now has Mighty Blow +2, meaning he can now add +2 to either the armour or injury roll! This means Morg is more than likely to put a fair amount of players into the injury box. With Str6 and Av11+ you can also expect him to stick around throughout the whole game barring the most exceptional or determined opponents. He also can be used as a ball carrier in emergencies.

While expensive, Morg is a major asset to any team due to his destructive powerhouse like nature.

As a player, Morg is very good, his only drawback being his exceptional price.

Griff Oberwald

The legendary Griff Oberwald is the single best star player in the entire game without exception. Coming in at 280k, Griff Oberwald comes with Str4, Ag2+, Pa3+, Block, Dodge, Fend, Sure Feet and Sprint. This means that not only is he capable of playing almost any role, from blitzer, runner, catcher and thrower (in emergencies), he is also capable of moving extremely quickly and getting to where he is needed most. He has an inbuilt reroll or safety skill for almost everything and his ability allows him his own personal reroll which bypasses his loner. He is fast, strong and reasonably durable and capable of doing almost anything.