So, on to my first forays into internet Blood Bowl!

Step 1:- Back to School!

I chose to make my teams in Academy pretty much because I knew i wasn't ready or able to waltz into Ranked games and run away with anything. I figured that this way I could get back to knowing the game I used to love, and learn from anyone more experienced than I was. I'd suggest anyone who's new to Fumbbl do this too. It's a great way to get a feel for the game and some tactics you might come against in any of the factions, good also for anyone who wants to grease those long rusty BB cogs and get back up to speed. As well as being just a good laugh! Which is what it should be about anyway.

Step 2:- Squadding Up!

As already established, it was Woodies or Nobody for me from the start, and I gleefully set about putting together what I hoped would be a winning team. I now have the benefit of both Hindsight and the advice of a few web based documents (Including fumbbls own tactics section in the GLN), and realise certain mistakes I made in the creation of this limpwristed bunch of felt clad ninnys.

Obviously, looking at Wood Elves basic stats, I decided that Linemen were not going to be playing a big part in my game play. I mean, who cages with Woodies? Really?

The fodder were going to be primarily for protecting my positional players until they could make a break for the endzone surely? So I decided to pick the minimum I thought I'd need to achieve that. Little did I recognise that Wood Elf Linemen pretty much ARE positional players. Humans would KILL for MA 7 AG 4 in there basic players.. And frequently do!

But in my ignorance I went straight to packing my team out with pretty much unneccessary positional players. Two Catchers + two Throwers. Now, granted the catchers have a dodge re-roll, and a bit more zip, and the throwers have that pass re-roll. But, really Wood Elves don't need it! They have AG 4! 2+ And you've made it most of the time! However at the time, I really did think they added a bit of Glamour to the team sheet. Sure I'd lose a couple per game to KO/Serious Injury... But deaths aren't THAT common, and my teams extra pace and AG would mean I could score even with a depleted team!... I only wish i knew what I know now.

The one positional player that I don't regret however... That's right, the mighty Wardancer! Even if this guy was useless to me, I still had to have one. When I used to play Warhammer Quest, he was always my guy. I've always been a sucker for Elves since I first read LOTR. And the WD typifies what it is I love about them. Grace, Control, Beauty, but at the end of it all, a thin, pointy eared, legging wearing killing machine with big hair and a couple of Ninjaesque swords! Legolas wouldn't stand a chance mate.

Thing is though. The WD is FAR from useless. I'd read a few tactic aids saying that they are by far the best Rookie player in the game. And with Block & Dodge (very valuable when you have AV 7 innit), Leap to get into and more often out of sticky situations PLUS the fact that he's even better than a Line Elf in his basic stats, this guy (when used properly) should be the key to early success.. And therein lay my problem...

The extras... Here I think i made my biggest mistake. Because I'd spent all my cash on 90'000 players instead of packing it with linemen, I now had only 11 players and very little money left. I decided to get 1 re-roll as i figured i'd need it maybe. DURRR!!! 1 re-roll is whilst by no means useless, It's nowhere near as usefull as even 2 is. And when you step onto the pitch and your opponent has 3 you truly feel like a gigantic douche...

Fan Factor.... Oh dear... I've since read a good tactics aid on woodies that says you should start with a fan factor of 9 if you can. And i could have, if i'd packed my team with linemen, AND i still could have had a WD. As it was, I didn't have nearly enough cash left. And so... I had to make do with...3... Little did I know that the key to expanding a basic Wood Elf team is having a plentiful supply of that FF shizzle. This i fear is my greatest error so far. And it is this that has led me to some serious recondiserations regarding my squad setup. But I will get to that at a later entry. Perhaps even later tonight!

Step 3:- I Name This Child...

Team name... Team name.. Something snappy, something clever, something which relates to my Wood Elves heritage.
Out of all the team building steps, THIS took the longest. I really wanted to have a cool name, something that even if my game play sucked, people MIGHT envy me for. I had to get some reference to a forest in there, or at least a Copse.. Copse and Robbers? Nah, no criminals in my team, unless you count evironmentalist protesters perhaps... I like the police theme though... I KNOW! SPECIALL BRANCH! Wonderful, it's witty, it's got a theme, it's Simultaneously Wood Elf and real life.. That's the one for me! *Select*.. "A team already exists under this name." I am Jacks sense of dissapointment... Oh well, second best wood elf team name it is then. And so, The "Woodland" Special Branch was born!

Step 4:- First Blood!

After learning the ins and outs of Fumbbls accessible, immaculate and highly user friendly website, (can I have some more fan factor please?), I ventured into the IRC chat rooms to find myself some action. I figured, if I chose the Academy chatroom I'd find some others equally as inept as me and have a good chance of winning some easy games... Well, I'll talk about those horrors in the next entry. But the more astute of you (or those wondering who this little prig is) may have already glanced at the Woodland Special Branch's match record. In which case, i say, yes. I know. I know!