Norse Strategy Guide

Summary:

When starting a Norse team, it is important to consider that every single player (with the possible exception of the Big Guy) has Av 7. This means that you will inevitably lose players - a lot of players - unless you are very lucky. Thus a high fan factor isn't a perk, but a necessity with this team. All players having the same stats is a drawback - take any stat increase!

Strengths:

Norse have Block across the board (again the Big Guy would be the exception) making them one of the hardest-hitting teams in the game - especially with four Blitzers who have both Jump Up and Frenzy. They are reasonably good at playing ball, scoring without much hassle, and are thus one of the easiest teams to get Fan Factor increases with. Therefore, though they will continue to lose players often, they will also continue to make money up to a very high TR as they can get their FF into the lower twenties relatively easily as they progress.

Weaknesses:

As mentioned before the biggest weakness of the team is the low armor value of only 7, making them as fragile as Wood Elfs, or Skaven. Just as those teams you have to expect heavy player losses. This is counterbalanced by the cheap linemen, who only have access to general skills, which makes for limited options in their development. Another weakness of the team is their lack of "muscle", taking as much Guard as you can on doubles for linemen is important. Another disadvantage of the team is, just as with Amazons, that no player exceeds Ma 6, St 3 and Ag 3. Thus, any stat upgrade you might roll with a player is a vital addition to the team.

In Game Tactics

The great advantage of every player having Block - disregarding the fact that you will drum your opponent into the turf a lot more often - is that you won't need to use your re-rolls when blocking quite so often as most other teams. The only thing Norse really need re-rolls for is picking up the ball, and once you start getting Sure Hands, even that is no longer the case. Norse can therefore (in theory) afford to start with fewer re-rolls than almost any other team without paying for it in terms of reliable play.

In general, Blitzers are the core of Norse teams. Relatively fast and agile, Jump Up makes them a pain in the posterior to your opponent, while Frenzy (if used correctly) gives you a free re-roll on any block resulting in a push-back. Start early with Blitzers, and try to develop them fast by scoring with them - they'll hit casualties, but scoring touch-downs will still get them to their skills faster. If you have money and more than eleven players, buy the blitzers first, but remember the heavy losses and buy enough linefodder.

Remember that all your players have the same profile, and Block. This means that a new lineman is just as good as developed players at standing in the way. They are expendable, and come back just as good for only 50k.

Skill Selection

With Linemen, you only have access to general skills. Since you will probably be avoiding match-ups with the hardest bashing teams as much as possible, this makes Tackle virtually a no-brainer. Having linemen with Block and Tackle after only 6 spps is a great bonus to the team, and as everone has block already other handy skills can be taken early, as Kick, Sure Hands, Strip Ball or Dirty Player. Later skills can give you Pass Block and Shadowing. On doubles, Guard is a good choice, Dauntless coming up a good second. Diving tackle/side step for better defense works too. Take any stat upgrade you get.

Throwers are fairly straightforward: Accurate and Sure Hands, in either order, with Strong Arm on the first double.

Blitzers should take strength skills, starting with Guard or Mighty Blow. After that Tackle and Piling On (jump up!) are good for more mayhem. However, be warned: you'll have a hard time takeing on bashy teams with AV7, and elves will refuse to play you if have too much Mighty Blow etc. For doubles more dauntless is good, and Stand Firm is always very good, and important for a frenzied player. Consider dodge for that extra mobility.

Catchers are your only way to agility skills, important both for offense and defense. Dodge and Side Step is always good, for offense go Sure Feet (need minimum 1 gfi for 2-turn TD), for defense go Diving Tackle. Pass Block is also good - with Pass Block you only have to be able to get within 3 squares of the receiver to cover him and you already have Catch, together with DT it's a nightmare for some teams. For doubles I recommend more Guard (can't get enough) or Nerves Of Steel.

Minotaurs (if you have one) are good big guys: the +1 Str from Horns on blitzing is a great asset, and the fact that they can'y move or pass except on a 4+ is no big deal, you only want them to cause damage and take on other big players. You actually don't need the frenzy, but it makes for more carnage. Very unreliable though. Pro is great on a double, otherwise take Block first. Break Tackle will turn your 5528 Mino into a 5658 Mino for blitzing, which makes him a serious danger for the opposition receivers, Guard is otherwise the first option. Skills like PO, RSC or Claw will only lose you opponents, unless you're happy to play orcs and chaos, which will shorten your team's life span very quickly. Go Tentacles instead if you feel like mutating.

Ogres are another, in my eyes better, option - their main asset is their Av 9 and Str 5, they can take a pounding like no other player on your team. They save other players from injury, especially when equipped with Guard.

Link to Norse Starting Lineups