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1. 1. A.P.E., Season 1, Game 4

The midpoint of the season, and it looked like a good matchup as two teams with spotty records faced off, Apes 1-2 vs. Slann 1-1-1. Missing their 4th Gorilla MNG, the Apes got 100k in 'Babes to go with their 2 team skills, a Guard Gorilla and a Dodge(!) line-ape, while Slann had only +MA on one Catcher, Pass(!) on another, and a Wrestling lino.


In Sweltering Heat the Slann chose to receive, and an extreme kick scattered OB as the Frogs got a 5th RR - a good start. Double-skulls burned the RR early, but they went ahead to try for the fluff pass for a lino skill - fumbled near the LoS but behind a screen, and a fight for the ball threatened. The Apes KO'd a lino and blitzed with a Gorilla to move the ball, which bounced through his hands (5+) and into the hands of the same 5 spp line-frog (another 5+), who ended up marked by 4 Ape players. The ballcarrier dodged and (sobering up) simply handed off to a Catcher, who fled behind a screen to the 4 yard line. A Turn of stalling only saw the Dodge line-chimp -Ag himself by trying a 1d block without RR that skulled (Apo fail), and Turn 4 the score was 1-0.

The Heat hit the Apes hard, and Turn 4 only 6 Apes total, 3 Gorillas, a Chimp and 2 lino-chimps (inc. 1 Loner) were receiving facing 9 Frogs, their +MA Catcher and a Blitzer out (plus the KO'd Lino who did not wake up). The kick went almost to the coffin-corner, where they Apes screened while the 3 Gorillas manned the LoS, managing to MNG a Frog Lino. The screen swung wide to their own 7, and the Frogs immediately pounced (literally), knocking the ball loose and challenging for it. Turn 6 the Apes recovered and moved up to their own 10, this time without a screen, and the Frogs were able to mark, but the 3+ dodge to blitz failed despite RR, and with no RR the MA 7 ballcarrier GFI'd to the 7. The Frogs had a 3+ Leap for the 1d blitz - but, again, that failed despite RR, game tied 1-1.


2nd half the Heat ended with only 1 Ape out, 9 vs. 9 as the Frog KO slept on. The Apes caged up near the LoS with 3 Gorillas in front, KO'ing another lino, and then slid over and up to the Frog 11 yard line, but this time with only 1 Gorilla in the mix. Turn 2 the Frogs had a 1d blitz on the ballcarrier, but aborted when their RR was used early, leaving 1 corner of the cage marked. The Apes thought to push up 1 square when they Stunned a Frog Blitzer, but it was their turn to fail 3+ dodges thru RR, leaving one corner of the cage open. Turn 3 they found a Pow, but failed the leaping 4+ pickup, ball marked by a Catcher and a Bonobo on the sideline on the Frog side of the LoS. Apes cleared the markers and freed the potential ballcarrier, then went for a 2d with a Gorilla away from the ball - which quad-skulled(!), and used their last RR. But Frogs returned the favor, RR'ing a Skull to a Both-Down to end Turn 4. Turn 5 Apes tried a 3+ Pickup/Blitz move, but failed the pickup, and the ball bounced along the sideline in favour of the Frogs. Another 1d was tried by the Slann, and another Skull, but this time RR'd to a Pow (using their last RR) - and they succeeded in the 3+ pickup and 2+ handoff, and MA 8 left the area and the Apes far behind to end Turn 5, and declined to stall Turn 6, 2-1.

A KO'd Frog Lino and the Wrestler slept on, so 8 Frog faced 10 Apes, 5 starting well back at their own 6 yard line. The kick went short but to the weak side, and the Apes pulled off a 2+ Pickup, 2+ Catch, then FAILED the 3+ Pass - BUT it scattered back to the receiver for a 3+ Catch! Not satisfied with that luck, the Apes sent a 1d no-skill Blitzer (before moving the ballcarrier into scoring range) who GFI'd to find a Pow, and then, end of Turn, found 2 more GFI's to help screen the ballcarrier. But the Slann were not deterred, and had the MA to assist for a 2d, finding a knockdown and screening the loose ball. Turn 8 the Ape 1d blitz found only Both-Down - game over except for a Slann pass for 1 spp, 2-1.”