Cross posted from the thread about this Tournament started by Halfabrain, because it's easier for me to find in the future.

https://fumbbl.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=31157

I took Goblins, i've had a very tough week, one good friend suddenly died, leaving behind a 20 year old son who is severely disabled and needs constant care. Another good friend, my wife's best friends husband, has been diagnosed with bowel cancer and is having an operation 5 days after the diagnosis, do that's bleak, and my family is in the midst of a huge row over my mothers will/power of attorney planning. Add it's been half term so bored kids underfoot and the wife has been working from home all week which is always 'fun'. I've had easier weeks.

So i took Goblins, feeling it would help me relax and have fun and not be too competitive, and not care. Just some BB to lighten my week and change the paradigm and the mood.

Well that didnt work.

I did a little bit of everything i was planning with a lot of help from PeteW's post. My thanks to him.
2 trolls with Block and Leader.
Ripper
Ball And Chain with Block
Chainsaw with Dodge
Doom Diver with Catch
5 Goblins with Side Step
2 Goblins naked.
2 Bribes
1 Reroll

Ripper was OK, but excellent at OTTD throwing.
the Trolls were alright, i did miss Block on Troll 2, but less than I expected.
the Dodge Chainsaw was sort of handy twice, but I'm not sure I'd dodge it up again.
the Block Fanatic is probably better than the 4th step and MB of Fungus, and 10k cheaper. And with the advantage that you could reroll if really really needed.
Doom Divers need catch. Definitely. Won me a game.
Im not sure DT without Side Step is worth it, 5 side steppers caused all sorts of problems for people.
2 Bribes was great, but i think one could work, choose what is likely to be effective and save that. Saw vs elves, Ball and Chain vs Str, or whatever is still alive.
I needed more rerolls of course, but something had to give.

Game one was vs pro elves. In Rain, i toyed with kicking but decided to receive. A miss-field i didn't feel i could reroll led to elves in the backfield threatening my ball but the saw sorted it eventually and killed 2 good elves, including his leader thrower, and we got it away up the field. turn seven saw some poor dice mean we got 2 goblins away, with the ball, in range to score but had to use a reroll on the one 2 die block that got us free (only needed a push), and the first 3+ dodge for the third goblin to close the door and protect the ball came up 2 reroll 2 and the ball was exposed, a wrestle catcher had to do a GFI for 2 die, got the pow and instead of side stepping forwards and infield, where other elves could well have got to the ball, i elected to gamble by side stepping backwards but still on the edge and the ball went out, the throw in was a huge 10 spaces back towards my endzone where ripper was holding 2 elves left behind by my surge forward. the bounce took it onto one of those elves, who caught it on a 5+ and despite me TTMing a gob the 2 die uphill failed and it was 1-0 to the pointy ears at the half.

second half the Ball and Chain smashed into his cage killing a Blitzer and giving the assist to allow one dice on the ball and my greater numbers eventually led me to secure ball and I ran it in for 1-1.


Second game and it was High Elves. Again I received and drove it home despite some 5+ and 4+ into cage dodging, the ball went to ground, Goblins went dead, but so did some elves and we started the second half one nil up and 10 vs 9. I got a BLitz, but he recovered it, I got it back again and it was nip and tuck fr several turns until a key Troll kill secured the space and we ran it in.

He scored in reply, but was never going to have the time for a draw, and in turn 8 Ripper and the DD combined to give me a three nil with a classic DD endzone landing TTM. So 3-1.

Game three was vs Undead. A long roster of 14, with tackle wight, 2 ghouls with blodge and sure hands and a guard wight and guard mummy. they caused a lot of casualties, the saw skulled his first hit and went off KO, came back second half and went off in 3 turns again. The Ball and Chain did fine, not really causing damage but moving stuff about and stunning a few key zombies. I got three cas, but all regen worked and in reply he took 4 of my guys off permanently. I got the 1-0 halftime but second half looked bleak. Especially when he killed a troll early on and my regen failed. But we soldiered on making it hard for him to progress and when he could have scored in turn 14 he elected to stall while trying to kill the Doom Diver. He didnt and a turn 16 DD classic (with huge thanks to caatch) saw me win 2-0.

So i was on table 2 for the final game, Undead again. this time Tackle and MB wights, and a guard Mummy, 4 Ghouls , 2 Blodgers and 2 naked, with Zombies making up to 12. He kicked to me and got a Blitz, but hit with the MB wight and not the tackler and when i side stepped leaving no path through he tried to dodge a Blodge ghoul through and it died. this also left me able to surf a ghoul, but it went to reserves, and when the following saw blitz on another ghoul failed to break armour, the MB wight killed it. The need to sort the Blitz out left my Ball and Chain exposed and it went to the KO box and never came back, a Mummy risked a one die blitz and when it was a skull rerolled it into a pow. Despite losing my weapons I dominated the first half and scored fairly easy, but at great cost. My Ko box was filling and few came back for the second half. Which then went worse. He caught the kick off, ran it forward and a troll went KO leaving gaping holes he was able to rush through. Maybe a little too rushed, as I had a fairly easy one die on the Ball Carrier, needing only 2 GFI. Bu tit still cost a reroll, so when the one die went in on the blodger and it came up skull, he was through and clear.

Bizarrely he chose to stall up when he could have scored n three, but he had a plan, kill my Doom Diver. He managed it eventually but not before Ripper was next to the Ball Carrier with a Goblin in support, so he scored turn 14 leaving me three to equalise. 3 of 4 Goblins recovered finally, and the troll came back, but not the Ball and Chain. I feinted up the right with all three trolls and 2 Goblins as i recovered the ball and he moved everything there to stop me, except one lone ghoul that tried to run through and base the ball carrier. It snaked a GFI, but even if it had got there it only added a 3+ with dodge reroll and one gfi. So I ran to the left and handed off to the 2 Goblins i had left midfield that side. the had off cost me my last reroll and while i risked one GFI without i left the other to the final turn, there was one ghoul that could reach them and block progress but Ripper and his lovely grab would allow me to move him to where he couldnt and that urgently needed doing. It was a 2 die and came up Skull/Both down, so Ripper sort of did the job, but it prevented me blocking the tackle wight who with 2 GFI and a pow on the covering goblin was able to base the BC from behind. the other wight was able to do 2 GFI and base the downed Golbin so the only option was a 3+2+ to win. The 3+ failed. So a 1-1 draw.

Meanwhile on table one the 2-1-0 Flings (!) beat the 3-0-0 humans 2-0, so even had I won game 3 with that 3+2+, i would only have been second. And not won the stunty cup. As it was i finished in a pack on 2-2-0 or 3-0-1 and didnt come in the top three (I only got one of the 4 bonuses available, one per game).

the winner richly deserves all praise, Winning a 40(ish?) person tournament with Flings, Top Casualties award, Top Stunty award and best painted. truly an impressive performance. I was probably not even second best stunty coach, as someone also got 2-2-0 with Ogres!

So a great day. I'll take 2-2-0 with Goblins and the plan to escape my worries for a day was a total success, the plan to 'not care and just have fun' somewhat less so. I did have a LOT of fun, but it clearly isn't in my nature to not really care (when the turn 16 TTM worked I confess I let out a mighty roar of joy), and i might have to work on that.

But you know what? The worst thing that happened to me today was failing a 3+2+ to come second in a Blood Bowl tournament, and that makes it a damn good day.