“Final of Black Box Brawl CCCII - a hard-fought and brutal game against a top coach with a murderous Chaos team. It felt very much like a race - could the rats score enough TDs before the Chaos bulldozed them off the pitch? Thanks largely to Nuffle's grace, the rats came through with a flurry of TDs; however, Khorne demanded a heavy blood price in return (Nuffle gives nothing for free). Read on for more details:

The Skaven kicked off first, the slavering vermin keen to pounce on any slip by the Chaos team. With his swirling ball and chain, Fezglitch did a good job causing havoc on the line of scrimmage, which caused enough of a distraction to give Malek Ravenstorm a shot at the ballcarrier. He brought him down and managed to gather the loose ball, scoring the opener on turn 3. The rats then had another large stroke of luck, rolling a blitz on the following kickoff. They quickly scurried into their opponent's half and snatched the ball, before the Chaos team could react. Even though the ball was momentarily spilt, a well-placed lightning bolt from an unseen spectator brought the massive hulk of Shabran Darr II to the ground, giving the Skaven gutter runners the window they needed. Before the Chaos knew what had hit them, they were two down and chasing the game.

On the third kick-off, the Chaos managed to secure the ball and the casualty boxes started to fill up with furry Skaven bodies. The bashers charged down the pitch in fury, smashing anything with a tail and seeking gory revenge for the touchdowns that had been inflicted upon them. However, just as they were positioning themselves to score one in return, the devious Malek once again spotted a chink in their defense and leapt in fearlessly, bringing down the ballcarrier. The Chaos team tried in vain to gather the loose ball, but were unsuccessful, giving the rats a critical lead of 2-0 at the half.

However, by now the lifeless furry bodies were being shovelled off the pitch in large numbers, leaving the Skaven with only 9 players to start the second half. They knew that the Chaos would be coming at them full-throttle with a vengeance and their only hope was that their evil one-turner, Ixis Shadowguard, could score enough to keep them ahead. Thanks to Nuffle's grace, he was on form, and all the Chaos team could do was watch in disbelief as he darted past them like a slippery shadow, scoring not 1, not 2 but 3 TDs!

The Chaos pulled out all the stops and scored twice but, knowing they weren't going to be able to to outscore the devious rats, they grew increasingly angry and violent, seeking to take out their frustrations on the furry pests. In the final two turns of the game, with ratty bodies littering the pitch, the 1-turn star of the show, Ixis, finally tripped and fell to the floor. Signalling to his players, with pure rage burning in his eyes, the Chaos coach slowly drew his finger across his throat. Seeing this, the beastmen viciously gangfouled the Gutter Runner, breaking one of his legs with their hooves and leaving him crippled on the ground. He had stolen the show second half, leading his team to an amazing 5-3 victory, but in the end he paid a heavy price. The rats put him down swiftly at the side of the pitch.

Thanks again for the game, CrioxFer. I knew we would have to strike fast and early, before the casualties hit, but I didn't expect to have quite that much help from Nuffle. Still, we're going to have to do some rebuilding before they venture into another tourney. Anyway, good luck with the team, it's been ... nice gnawing you! :)”