Snotling Strategy

Summary:

You seriously want to play Snots? OK, Guy. I hope you have quiet a sense of black humor and/or are in touch with your sadomasochistic side...

Here are the 4 most-cited reasons of playing Snotlings:

1. You want to see something get hurt and don't mind if it's your own team getting smashed to red jelly.
2. You like to play the underdog.
3. You want to annoy your oponent, but don't expect to beat him.
4. You dont want to be ashamed if you lose. (On the other hand: if you manage to draw, or even to win, there are fewer things more disgraceful to your opponent.)

Snots are weak, slow and you can hurt them just by giving them an evil look or speaking too loud...

Strengths:

First, we need to get rid of one illusion: Having 3 Trolls is not a Strength. Any other Team can use Big Guys to improve their bashing power, but Snots can't. Your team lacks in anything that's needed to block, so don't get to the crazy idea 3 Big Guys can do all the blocks for the other 8 players. What you really get are 3 big, ugly, expensive, realy stupid and ReRoll? lacking Guys, provoking turnovers and fouls.

The real strength of a Snot is the skill-combination posessed by the little green dead things. "Stunty" is sweet. It allows your snotlings to dodge through TZs with impunity. Having Two Heads on a big part of the team improves this dodge-power to a incredible level: Snots can run right through any lineup, dancing trough the oponent's players in a way that makes even Ag5-Wardancers green with envy. Since they have Dodge in reserve for the evil 1 rolls, and Pro on the Heroes, snotlings are the uncrowned kings of the dodge-and-run play style. Regeneration on everything but the Wagon helps keep your team alive when they invariably get mashed to a pulp by anything moving on the opposing team.

Weaknesses:

Most of the Time, you will need the great Dodge ability for running away. ST1 tells us that most players will get 3 blockdive; AV5 and stunty means that any successful block will hurt the player. So, very soon after the first kickoff, you won't be able to field 11 Players. Your chance to stop an offensive is close to zero, exept a risky blitz with one of your trolls or a smart and lucky use of the wagon. If you receive the kick, you can make it through the opponent's lines with dodges, but your players will more than likely get slaughtered in the backfield, since MA4 and MA5 all arround don't allow you to distance your snotlings from threats. AG3 or less on all the team makes passing a difficult and risky thing.

Development:

It's hard to develop Snots, since most of the money you earn from games will flow into replacing dead or niggled players. Getting skills is quite difficult, as snots can't rely on passing actions and inflicting casualties is mostly limited to the trolls and wagons. Chosen skills should further either a snotling's ability to run away, or handling the ball. Wagons should increase their bashiness, as they have no other use. Trolls should get many skills to tie up other players (tackle, guard), since even a hobbit can do a 2-dice-block to your ball carrier.

Strategies:

Offense: If you receive the kickoff, you have to answer 2 questions before you set up any player:

1. Do I have enough ReRolls? to place a wagon on the LOS?
2. Am I desperate enough to try throwing a snotling?

If you try the one-turner via TTM, don't forget to say a little prayer...

I personaly prefer the right through the middle way: Set up your trolls and wagons to the LOS, place the heroes right behind the trolls and spread snotlings and the remaining hero in the backfield. After the kickoff, try to use your wagon to get rid of any opponent with tackle. Move your snots and get some TZ on the ball, maybe try a pickup. Next, use your trolls to make holes into the other team's lineup, focusing on players with tackle first. Think twice about following up a block, for you need to get a path somewhere in the oponnent's line. After this, let your heroes dodge and run, destination endzone, ignoring TZs from the other team. Try to end a hero's move one square away from any opponent, using GFI if necsessary. If everything works as planned, your opponent will only have 3 blocks to focus on trolls and one blitz to get those heroes down. There won't be enough players to build a perfect circle around all your heroes, so it won't be a problem to dodge them free. Slowly proceed to the Endzone; Smash with the wagon, dodge free with your heroes, get the snotlings in strategical positions and the ballcarrier in the middle of a 3-troll cage. If your heroes are close enough to the endzone and you can get a handover to one of them: score.

Sounds Easy, but Casualties early on will make this Plan hard to stick by. If Everything works well, a TD can be accomplished within 3 turns. Try to score as quickly as possible, as each additional turn more than likely reduces the number of snotlings you have on the field.

Defense:

When kicking, it is important to keep in mind that you will need your Trolls in the rest of the game. So NEVER place them at the LOS if you are Kicking. Dont be a fool and hope on a oponent who dares a 2-dice-block with you choosing the dice. Even if your oponent is brave enough to do so, thers a good chance your Troll get down and also fouled some move-actions later. Dont let this happen. I Preffer to set up a Wagon and 2 Snotlings with 0 SSP, for the Wagon cannot be Blocked and a hurtet Snot is somthing you will recive in the game anyway. Place the Trolls 2-3 squares away from the los. This gives them the chance to bash if you get a blitz plus you have room for Placing them next to a ball-reciver.

You have only a little chance to stop your Oponent, so you have to choose between one of this two ways:

• Try to make him score fast so you can make an aditional TD. To do so, Blitz on his Important players with your Trolls and invariably foul the downed one with a snot. Use the chat to inform your oponent about the fact that you realy dont care if the Ref bans a Snotling from the game. this should help to prevent stalling.

• Try to Stop him. Anyway, its often better to just waste time than seriously trying a counteratack. Wasting time means: Build a wall of Trolls n Snots your oponent has to get trough. Some Snots with Diving-Tackle are realy usefull in this situation. Your Wagon can just move arround the Field, maybe you can get the Ballcarier down. If you Manage this and get your little stiky hands on the Ball, keep your Ballcarier away from oponent players as far as Possible, try to make a Pass in the Oponents half, so he must fall back. You wont score that way, but if the game is draw or eventualy you are leading I would Preffer to keep things that way.

Under Construction

Troll Tips

• Use your three trolls to form a shield in front of your weak snotlings.
• Pro is a must where trolls are concerned.

Wagon Tips

• The more wagons you have, the more RR you need. RR come before wagons!
• Save your RR for wagons, otherwise they will die very quickly.
• Only have one wagon on the pitch at one time.

Hero Tips

• Heroes are your ball handlers, protect them at all costs.
• Getting skills on heroes is difficult. You need to specialize them and keep them alive long enough to use this specialization. Sure feet and sprint is a good combination, as it makes it hard for the opponent to get their hands on those little "I can dodge on 2+ right trough your lineup" bastards. Another good combination is sure hands and catch; this allows you to save RR for the wagons and for your insane Dodge actions plus makes hand-off a reliable way to get the ball away from those mean ST2-X Guys

Snotling Tips

• Very cheap and very expendable. Remember to laugh when they die horribly!
• Are only good for two things. 1. Throwing 2. Cannon fodder
• Good Skills to make the cannon fodder worth the opponent's block actions: Diving tackle, kick

Links

• Return to the Snotling page
• Return to the Race Strategy page
• Snotling team lineups page
• Stunty Leeg Central