The DreadBall blog with sugar & spice!
Welcome to our DreadBall blog. We are fans of the futuristic sports game DreadBall and always look forward to our next match! Please look around. Read posts about the hobby, tactics, or events. Come back often, or better yet – follow us!
May all of your sixes explode,
Geoff, Andrew, and Lee
The Greatest Sport in the Galaxy!……?
DreadBall is by far the most popular sport in the GCPS Core Worlds. It even has a sizable following in some of the outer spheres. But the further you get from the Core and all it’s niceties, far from all the glitz and glamor, you find “entertainment” can take wildly different forms. And heck, while as previously mentioned DreadBall may be the most POPULAR sport in Core space, it is certainly not the ONLY sport.
So, what other sports grace the tri-vids and holodecks of the far future?
Well, we know OF Razordisc. But not too much about it.
I imagine there is some kind of racing too.
I also firmly believe there has to be some kind of combat sport too….a futuristic MMA with cyborgs, aliens…and…and alien cyborgs! I’ve toyed with some rules for such a thing. Maybe I’ll actually finish it one day…..maybe.
Another project I’ve looked at is a sort of mash up of American Gladiator meets Ninja Warrior. Basically, the Warpath equivalent of that cinematic masterpiece, The Running Man. I think that would make for a fantastically crazy fun game night! Star Saga tiles, some crazy big baddies (like my Barricade with two Strider Chainsaw arms!), and a couple of expendable runners….might have to dig into that one a little deeper!
However, what I really think might be interesting, and given the focus of this blog, is what other variants of DB are there? We have the stadium game. We have the spectacle that is Ultimate. But what about that rumored underground version of DreadBall? That illegal variant that may just be a little too eXtreme for the masses? Well, let’s see where we can take that, but we might have to start in a back alley first, before venturing into the criminal underground…
Till next time, keep it legal!
Dream do come true. When this BreadDoll editor was a wee lad, in the form of a college freshmen, he explored writing about himself in the third person as well as board gaming in the ‘sports’ genre. Prior to that era, everything was “me, I, Heroquest, and Dungeon!” In 1993, I bought the second edition of Blood Bowl. Months later, I bought the third edition. Those boxes, along with Dungeon Bowl, Death Zone, and a Companion led my five friends and I into a glorious season of progressive sports gaming. It was magic in a bottle that escaped each of us during our sophomore year. The lot of us still reminisce over our grid iron antics, but we rarely play that game anymore. However, a fire was lit inside of this gaming belly, and the embers of a sports league never cooled. It just took nineteen years to fan the flames again.
I’ll share more when I continue the ‘History of Fantasy Sports Board Gaming’ posts.
When DreadBall was released in 2012, a new group of gaming buddies and I agreed to make an investment. It was a long pitch, and any BreadDoll reader may give it a gander if they search my bio post on this blog. Against all obstacles of life, my private group started their NINTH season of DreadBall league play last month. We strive to compete at the same time, but in this case – my home hosted the first match alone. I was an impartial observer, so I had the distinct honor of documenting the competition and drinking scotch. As such, much of my recollection towards the end of the match is spotty at best. Colourful comments are below each picture, and a sweeping criticism is at the bottom. Enjoy.
The rest of CORT finished their respective matches later in the month. New opponents were selected, and round two will commence in a week.
League play is the penultimate experience for DreadBall. Since 2011’s Risk Legacy, progressive play in board gaming has been trending. For the most part, it’s all sizzle and no steak. League sport board gaming is the finest example of campaigning. It’s the tactics of a match, and the strategy of a season that yields challenge after challenge. It’s moneyball and it’s murderball. It’s DreadBall!
If any BreadDollers have league questions, fire away in the comments below.
The Aggregate Match
The greatest sport in the galaxy has many different ways it can be played. From the simple one off pick up games, to the chaos of a fully realized Ultimate match, each type has different aspects that can alter the types of challenges a coach may face. However, one that I find particularly interesting, yet underutilized, is the Aggregate Match.
For those unfamiliar, a DreadBall Aggregate Match is essentially two games as one. The same two teams play two consecutive matches, reversing Home/Visitor roles in the second game, and the winner is the team with the greater net score.
For example, Team A is Home in match one and wins the match by 2 points. In the second match, Team B is Home and they win by 3 points. Though each team won one match apiece, Team B would be declared the overall winner of the Aggregate Match by virtue of the score differential (3 points being more than 2, ya know).
If you really want to get in the spirit of the aggregate match, there is a great one page piece of fluff in the Season 2 rulebook from first edition DreadBall on page 22. Perfectly encapsulates the difference of playing two matches rather than one.
Now, there are two things to consider.
One, I find Aggregate more interesting if teams don’t “reset”. By that, I mean it is more like league play in that casualties matter. Teams can’t ignore the effects of attrition and simply try to outgun their opposition if it means going into a second match seriously depleted.
Two, tiebreakers. What happens if both teams have the same score? Well, the simplest route to take is to simply set back up for a third “winner take all” Match. Another similar, yet subtly different approach, is to take the match into overtime. However, the key point is that you and your opponent have an agreed upon plan in place should a tie happen.
Anyhow, I think the Aggregate Match has a lot to offer in changing the way even casual games are played…even offering a taste of league style play to those who might otherwise not get much opportunity. Give it a go next time you hit the neodurium and let us know how you got on!
Piling onto our July 9th post about DreadBall fluff, this BreadDoll editor wanted to remark on a favorite bit of background with a separate post.
The lore for Lucky Logan / Kreed is ace. The best however, is the tale of 0Rabb1.
Unfortunately, the model for 0Rabb1 is difficult. As part of the ‘People’s Choice Champions’ MVP set, it is not difficult to find. Instead, it’s difficult to assemble. Once erect, it’s also just a little difficult to admire.
0Rabb1 is five-piece build, and not one of the strongest miniatures in the DreadBall line. The scale is particularly unfortunate, especially when compared to its predecessor, the Medbot (or, Medi-bot, depending on how long you’ve been coaching).
The Medbot model is fab. It’s full of character; silly and sleek like all z-grade science fiction. Cast in plastic, the Medbot also lends itself to easier customization. And so a project was born.
“I WILL CREATE MY OWN 0RABB1!” – Andrew Wodzianski
Editorial rant: I paint miniatures as a means to an end. I wear many hats, but when it comes to hobby time; I’m a gamer first and a painter second. My first world priority? Paint towards a table top standard to assist in play immersion. I’ve painted every single piece of DreadBall, because my league and I play with every single piece of DreadBall. I play games with friends to escape banal reality. But every once in a while, something deserves a little more effort. I thought 0Rabb1 needed that kind of attention.
Why stop with a customized MVP? Why not make a diorama? Why not make a story? WHY NOT?!
Materials for an uprising:
Cut, glue, stomp, paint, spin a blender, and add more hours than needed; FINISHED!
Form follows function, so this diorama’s 0Rabb1 can be removed for gameplay.
The goal was to create a little narrative, depicting 0Rabb1 at the launch of it’s revenge on organic life forms. Perhaps during its tenure on the DreadBall pitch, it grafts the spikes seen on the official model. For this early interpretation, those angled pieces of metal are envisioned as repurposed tools from an operating room.
Now it’s time to SLICE AND DICE. Enjoy.
Let’s talk about how we store and transport our DreadBall miniatures. For the purposes of this discussion lets assume the miniatures in question are painted. Unpainted miniatures can be stored and transported in just about any container you can imagine and there’s not much point in displaying unpainted minis.
Once your miniatures are painted, you, like me, will probably want to be a bit more careful with them so as not to damage the beautiful paint job you have done. You might also want to put your pretty models on display to show people how amazing they are.
Obviously all it takes to display miniatures is to set them on a surface where people can see them but if you want to get fancy a display case is the way to go.
I use a Detolf case from Ikea. It is afordable and it looks great. Because a lot of miniature gamers use the Detolf to diplay their models there are several upgrades available. You can get extra shelves and all kinds of fancy lighting systems.
If you’re not really into displaying your DreadBall miniatures you’ll at least need a way to store them.
I use miniature cases to store my models that aren’t on display. You can get all sorts of cases from many different companies using foam or even magnets to keep your miniatures safe. The cases I primarily use are from a Kickstarter. They are Mantis (not to be confused with Mantic) cases. They are basic cardboard boxes that hold foam trays with slots for miniatures. I know a few companies make cases similar to this, for example KR Multicase.
For storage purposes you can also use Plano storage cases. BreadDoll editor Andrew uses this system to store his entire collection and it works great for organization. You can get this type of case just about anywhere.
Michaels sells a set of storage containers that are similar to Plano boxes in multiple colours.
Keep in mind when using these plastic storage boxes that if you also intend to use them not just for storage but to transport your minis, you might want to add some padding to them. Adding some paper towel or tissue with the minis in the boxes will help prevent your paint jobs from getting damaged by the harder plastic of the cases.
Once upon a time DreadBall teams came in clamshell cases. You may still be able to find some of these older retail teams in stores. The clamshell cases work well enough to store a single team. The clamshell cases came with a couple thin layers of foam. If you want more you can always make your own upgraded foam insert.
While hard to find now, if you have an old first edition box set of DreadBall, there were custom foam inserts created to fit inside the box.
I’ve also seen coaches take foam miniature trays and cut them down to fit in the newer 2nd edition DreadBall box set. These are really good if you only have a couple teams and want to keep them stored in the offical retail box while protecting the paint jobs.
If you don’t always play DreadBall at home you will need to transport your minis to where you will be playing. Many if not all of the storage solutions above may also be used to transport your minis, especially if you are careful.
Personally I like a smaller case to transport my minis as I tend to only take 1 or 2 teams at a time when I travel to play. My case of choice is the Feldherr MINI . The MINI is the perfect case in my opinion. It holds a couple teams and is fairly inexpensive for great quality. I also really like the Aquilla 1 or Aquilla 5 by KR Multicase. They’re also not too big, not too expensive, and have alots of room for a couple DreadBall teams.
There are TONS of solutions for storing and transporting your painted DreadBall minis. I’ve gone over some of what I use and what I have seen. If you have a solution you think is great, please comment and let us all know what it is.
Fluffy Fluffy Fluff
DreadBall is the Greatest Sport in the Galaxy! But even as fierce as the action is on the pitch, there are even more stories and events to be told off of it. What we mostly have is some “fluff” in the rulebooks, snippets of happenings and factoids that allude to the greater context the sport occupies. There is the fan fiction collection from the Xtreme KS, and perhaps a few pieces in the old Iron Watch. There also appears to be a DreadBall novel coming in the not so distant future.
There is so much that can be explored in DreadBall. Unfortunately, “sports fiction” can be particularly tricky to “get right”. In that sense, some times the smaller type of pieces in the rulebook can be better, to convey just a simple scene of action and leave it at that. However, getting behind the scenes entails doing a lot more, and I’m hopeful we will get something the excites that imagination as to what a DreadBall league or season can be like.
My favorite type of pieces right now are the throw away one off remarks, like the Teraton Cheerleader disaster. I am also really fond of the one page piece of the Aggregate match interview between a Marauder and Corporation squad. Probably just because I like the Aggregate format as something a little more unique, but still, it offers a glimpse into the DreadBall world as more than a single match—which is prone to happen when you mostly play one offs, or even tournaments with the normal “reset” between rounds. At least in League play, you have to manage more than wins and losses…..for better, or for worse.
Anyway, what’s your favorite bit of background from the DB universe? Or what would you like to see or find out more about?
Drafts are uncommon outside of planet Earth’s North American continent. Within those borders, the process of allocating certain players to certain teams is both numerous and varied. The NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, MLS, WNBA, and the CFL conduct drafting events/spectacles. Lesser known to the public, but perhaps just as important? The CORT league DB Draft.
This BreadDoll editor has many pots on the burner, with two on-going posts;
1) History of Fantasy Sports Board Gaming
2) Coaches’ Corner
as well as some upcoming
3) Rush Reports from this summer’s NADC
and
4) A tasty Hobby Highlight featuring one of the best DreadBall MVPs!
Never mind those assignments. Today’s post is about DRAFTING, and the process of one League’s efforts to make clever visual announcements.
Longtime BreadDoll Coaches know CORT as a private league. The public only knows CORT as an acronym; Citizens Of Rage Town. Yep. That’s it. Nothing more.
At the beginning of every season, CORT Coaches must draft their new team following a few rules.
Rule 1 – Team drafting will be sequenced according to the previous season rankings; last place selects first whereas first place selects last.
Rule 2 – No Coach may draft a team already selected by another Coach.
Rule 3 – No Coach may draft a team they have previously coached.
Rule 4 – Drafts must be announced within a designated time frame on a private social media site. Wit, sarcasm, and smack talking encouraged.
CORT’s ninth season begins on Monday July 8, 2019. Matches are set. Balls will be launched. Before the first die is rolled, it’s fun to see how the new season materialized. BreadDoll readers are encouraged to guess who is fielding which team in the comments below.
Please post any guesswork below.
Long live CORT, and long live DreadBall. BreadDoll is pretty tasty too.
I’m gonna keep it short and sweet this week. I’ve created many custom pitches since I started playing DreadBall. The design has evolved over time to my current favorite.
The BreadDoll pitch has ball launch arrows, ball launch/scatter directions on both the Home and Visitor sides of the pitch, bounce direction references for maximum distance launches, and strike value pips. It’s a narrow, “low profile” pitch which I prefer for it’s portability.
While I’m still working (however slowly) on making a 3-dimensional pitch I’m also in the mood to make a new 2-dimensional (traditional) DreadBall pitch.
There a few pitches over the years that I started working on but never finished as well as a few I wanted to make but never started on. I’ve decided to work on one of the unfinshed pitches and finsih it up using all the design elements of the BreadDoll pitch (above).
Unfinished designs:
I’m leaning towards the water or Z’zor pitch but let me know which one you’d like me to work on.
To Dice, or not to Dice?
A particular DreadBall quirk of mine is that every team I use has to have their own set of dice. Not just any dice, mind you, these dice have to match the team colors and/or theme. I’m not really sure why I do it, there are some sets of dice I like better than others, but a habit is a habit. Last week for Origins found me buying a new dice cube just hours before the first launch of the tournament.
I also happen to use a completely different set of dice for coaching dice during the match as well. I only have a few sets of these, the most important part is that they are easily distinguishable from the “normal” dice I use during a match. My favorite set for coaching dice at the moment are the exceedingly beautiful BreadDoll dice, with the BD properly placed on that good ol’ exploding six.
Not that it matters too much, but I also have a habit of only using 16mm dice too.
It’s got me to wondering, what match quirks or habits do other DB coaches have?
Drop us a comment and share!
It’s time to scratch your competitive itch. A new season of the North American DreadBall Circuit (NADC) is upon us! This post includes event notifications, rules for gaming, and rules for… life.
We BreadDoll editors wear multiple hats. We are spouses, sons, and fathers (I adopted a cat, damnit). We’re also Coaches, Rules Committee Members and Ambassadors to a game we adore. DreadBall! On occasion, we’re Tournament Organizers (TO).
This humble editor is organizing three (maybe four) DreadBall tournaments under the NADC banner. And so the bell must be rung. While it’s not the best method of communication, announcements should be made where Coaches will read them. For DreadBallers, that often means the social media site Facebook. Last week, I posted the following on Facebook’s DreadBall Fanatics;
ATTENTION COACHES! It’s the summer of Slams! It’s the season of Strikes! It’s another cycle of the North America DreadBall Circuit!!! The NADC concludes its run every March at Adepticon. Coaches attending compete for the continental championship. The contest is open to all, but if a Coach wants to WIN their ticket – they need to conquer a regional tournament first. And so it begins. Already posted on DreadBall.com, the first three events cross the U.S. of A. ;
Friday June 14 = Origenes Cup at the Origins Game Fair
Friday August 2 = General Control Cup at Gencon
Sunday August 4 = DC*DC at Washington DC’s Franklin Hall
NADC events have swag! Come get some! Certificates, BIG TROPHIES, little trophies, dice, and the occasional baked good. Perfect your rosters. Suit your team players. Attend your regional tournament. The NADC 2019 rules packet has been uploaded to the files section.
And here’s a challenge; if you attend a NADC event? BRING A FRIEND. Let them borrow a team (or borrow one from the tournament organizer). Share this gem of a game with others.
Are any BreadDoll readers not members of Facebook? If not, I suppose you could consider joining. It’s a fascinating cess pool of ignorant trolls. Thankfully, one respite is the secret group DreadBall Fanatics. Ask to join, answer some non-robot questions, and Geoff will most likely punch your ticket (he’s on Facebook twenty two hours every day).
Less visited, but still important? Boardgamegeek.com. Presumably, it’s a popular site. A few people visit on a semi-regular basis. Also, a favorite from this editor; therewillbegames.com. Posting tournament announcements to multiple sites is wise. No site will capture all eyeballs. Diversification is needed. Even if no one reading an announcement on BGG will attend a DreadBall throw-down; they’re still reading the announcement. They know the game is active and a community supports it.
Once Coaches have a play date, they’ll want rules to govern the competition. The 2019 NADC rules have been uploaded, here! NADC-Tournament-Rules-Pack-2019 Give them a gander. Veteran Coaches may notice that all transfers are now legal, Giants too! However, MVP transfers are still limited to one (and Giants are MVPs).
While Coaches roster-bate, the tournament organizer is doing their own prep work. Punch lists are good, and here’s a modification of what this editor brings in a BRIEFCASE OF DREAD:
Once the big day arrives, the Coaches and Organizer need to perform their duties. Coaches need to play legal and efficient games, and the organizer needs to keep the trains on time.
DreadBall Tournament DOs and DON’Ts
DO
DON’T
A rather all-encompassing DON’T, it’s important. Here are some specifics:
Prep work is almost finished for this Friday’s tournament at the Origins Game Fair. The Origenes Cup is a raucous good time. Raucous, because it’s after hours. The dealer hall is closed. It’s Friday night. Origins is a dry Fair, but many Coaches (AND THIS ORGANIZER) look forward to a nightcap after the winner is crowned. The BreadDoll will have a Rush Report in three weeks, if not sooner. One History of Fantasy Sports Board Gaming III will appear in July.
Good luck to all competing NADC Coaches.
