Halflings are geetting releases this week for Blood Bowl. See the latest on them, and see if you as luckily as they are.
via the Warhammer Community
https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/05/20/blood-bowl-on-hard-modegw-homepage-post-3fw-homepage-post-2/
Do you find Blood Bowl just… too easy, sometimes? Are you bored by well-trained and heavily muscled athletes doing epic things like roaring down the pitch, catching the ball skillfully, expertly evading or crushing the other team’s heaviest hitters? You’re in luck – Halfling teams will do none of that! On the other hand, they’re tons of fun to play and you’ll earn instant bragging rights for every win you cobble together. Grab a sandwich and kick back in a comfy chair to read our top tips and suggestions for getting the most from the ultimate underdogs.
The Lineup
There are 4 positions on a Halfling team – Hopeful, Catcher, Hefty and Treeman.
As you can see, the basic stats are less than stellar compared to even average teams. However, the combination of Dodge and Stunty make them surprisingly slippery with a bit of luck (more on that later). Hopefuls and Catchers also sport the Right Stuff skill, allowing the ever-useful Treemen to toss them down the pitch. This isn’t a gimmick, either – it’s a core strategy you should definitely take advantage of. Speaking of Treemen, their stats are far better, including a set of useful skills.
Any Halfling team worth their salt should include at least one of them, but two is safe bet, as well as the maximum allowed. Good thing the average Halfling costs less than a basic goblin to hire!
You’ll notice that both Catcher and Hefty are totally new positions for this edition. Don’t get too excited, though, because their basic profiles are about the same. The Hefty has been at the buffet and adds a crucial point of Armour Value to represent their girth and a bit of extra armour. They also trade the Right Stuff skill for Fend (they’re a bit too big for easy tossing), so they’re just that bit more difficult to take down. Catchers, for their part, add the Catch skill (obviously) and Sprint for a paltry extra 20,000 GP – it’s worth the investment to include a couple on your team.
The Downside(s)…
Halflings have dedicated Catchers now, but any good throwing plan should factor in the fact that they only catch the ball on a 4 or better, before modifiers. Since we’re talking about Halflings here, it’s also worth mentioning the Stunty skill (and probably the grease all over their fingers) gives all Halflings an automatic -1 to any attempt at accurately passing the ball. We’d advise against Hail Mary passes unless you’ve cooked up tons of re-rolls, and even then…
So, try rushing instead? Not so fast – with a basic move of 5 (just 2 for Treemen), you won’t be dancing circles around your opponents. Rely on the combination of Dodge and Slippery (have we mentioned the grease?) to get you past the line of scrimmage once in a while, but be ready to account for hard tackles because the Stunty skill means you’re more easily injured. Best to stick close to those Treemen, advancing one or two squares each turn. Slow and steady is the name of the game.
Tossing a player is one of your best plays, in many cases. Yes, you’ll occasionally injure a player, but there are plenty more where they came from… Catchers are, perhaps ironically, one of the best candidates to throw, as their Sprint skill makes them somewhat more likely to make it to the End Zone if they’re lucky enough to land on their feet.
Building Your Team
Basic Halfling players are, quite literally, cheap and cheerful. A single plucky little Hopeful costs just 3% of your starting GP allowance, and there’s no minimum limit on any position. You could recruit 11 of them for just 330,000 gold, not that we recommend it. Even if you fill up a 16-player roster with 2 Treemen and 4 specialists, you’ll end up with a fair pool of Gold Pieces left over, and investing in some Star Players is never a bad idea.
Deeproot Strongbranch is a virtual auto-include if you want to win the match at hand. His stats are solid, he has a decent list of skills that make him a reliable bruiser on a team that sorely needs one, and he’s still not very expensive at 300,000 GP. You’ll find a handful of other colourful characters in the Star Player pool, like Captain Colander (he’s easy to spot with his cape-that-just-might-be-a-tablecloth), the surprisingly decent thrower Cindy Piewhistle, and good all-rounders (and we do mean round!) like Puggy Baconbreath. And yes, those names are at least 50% of the reason coaches choose Halfling teams.
But, at least they ARE lucky, right?
Let’s be honest – you’re not winning most matches based on your stellar players or easy dice rolls. What you’ve got is a lot of money left over to create that famous Halfling luck by stocking up on re-rolls, Star Players and Inducements. Your very best luck comes in the form of a Halfling Master Chef – and you can hire one for 200,000 GP less than other teams! Not only will they occasionally grant you extra re-rolls, they’ll also remove them from your opponent. We’d go so far as to say plentiful re-rolls are essential to winning games with Halfling teams.
Another great and flavourful Inducement is the Halfling Hot Pot, full of piping-hot stew which you can lob onto the pitch to take out the toughest opponents. Just remember that splash damage (literally) can hurt your own teammates – it’s not easy to aim a giant iron cauldron fired from a slingshot…
If you have some extra GP lying around (and you will), you can give your team a bit of liquid courage in the form of a bottle (or three) of Heady Brew. It adds Dauntless, Frenzy and Really Stupid to D3 players, per bottle. Your opponent won’t be expecting the extra fight from these little fellows! Sadly, Treemen only absorb water so they can’t partake.
Does coaching an eager but hapless Halfling team sound like fun? It really is. And they’re available to pre-order this weekend, alongside a double-sided meadow picnic pitch, “lucky” themed dice, team cards and Spike!
