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
For everyone that prefers a low-profile DreadBall pitch, I’ve put together another card. Before we introduce the new card, let’s go over a bit of history.
When DreadBall was first released in 2012, it came with a board for a pitch. This 1st Edition pitch was much simpler and much smaller with a lower profile (low-profile) on the table than the larger 2nd Edition pitches we’re familiar with today.
As more and more Coaches took to the game, they began to see opportunities to improve upon the basic 1st edition folding board pitch. The idea of printing the pitch on a neoprene mat was attractive. Without the original artwork for the pitch, we had to recreate the entire pitch design before we could print it. The first new designs were merely recreations of the original, but on neoprene.
Those neoprene pitches were nice, but the hexes were the same size as the original. Often players on the pitch, when next to each other, did not have enough room. The next pitch designs increased the hex size from the original 25mm to a spacious 30mm.
The larger hexes were great and opened the door to the concept of improving the DreadBall pitch. In late 2013 and early 2014, features that would require a larger area were added; spaces for the card deck, discard pile, and Action Token storage. One of the first larger pitches incorporating these features was the Neo-Tek Tesla Dome.
The improvments continued:
Mantic, acknowledging the fan improvements, released their own large size neoprene pitch that included the new pitch additions. It was named the Gruba-Tek VII Coliseum as a nod to Shawn Grubaugh who, as mentioned, created one of the first large size pitches.
The Action Token tracker was added as a nice way to keep track of how many Action Tokens a Coach was spending on players. The Action Token tracker was numbered 1 to 14, with an area to indicate if a Coach had used a token to purchase a card as well.
The tracker could be numbered from 1-14 because in 1st Edition DreadBall, all players HAD to be numbered between 1 and 14. This numbering requirement was based on the way the cards worked in 1st Edition. The cards in 1st Edition DreadBall often affected a random player. To determine which random player, a Coach would draw a card and read the numbers down the right hand side of the cards. The first number (1 to 14) that matched a player on the pitch indicated that player had been randomly selected.
When Mantic decided to release a 2nd edition of DreadBall, they looked at what fans had been doing with the pitch design and decided to incorporate almost all of the additional features into the official 2nd Edition pitch. This meant the new official pitch was of the large variety, on a quad-fold board.
The random selection of players was removed in 2nd Edition. There was no longer a requirement for players to be numbered only between 1 and 14. Despite no longer being limited in the numbering of players, the Action Token tracker remained on the new official pitch, still using 1-14.
I have played on all of these different pitch designs across many different versions of the game. Overall, the fan additions that Mantic adopted into the official design are fantastic.
In my opinion, the Action Token track should have been removed from the 2nd Edition pitch. It’s a nice feature, but it’s not needed. Keeping track of your Action Tokens can be done in a few other ways. With no requirement to number players using only 1-14 for player randomization, leaving the Action Token tracker on the pitch in 2nd Edition has always bothered me. That mentioned, it is an easy way to track your player Actions and can certainly help coaches that are just learning DreadBall.
I’ve stated many times that I prefer the smaller, low-profile pitches, closer in size to the original 1st Edition pitch. There is no room on a low-profile pitch for a dedicated Action Token tracker area. Since I know many coaches like the Action Token tracker but may also have seen the benefits of a low-profile pitch, I’ve created an Action Token track card that can be placed beside a low-profile pitch.
Here is the new card(s). They are designed to fit on big cards (3.5″ x 5.75″). There is a version with and without a designateds area to tuck your Fan Checks under as well as 2 different numbering patterns, Left to Right and Top to Bottom.
Wrapping up, let’s take a look at all the feature on a modern low-profile pitch. It’s a long way from that original pitch from back in 2012.
EDIT: See all our pitches HERE including my newest design made for the Ontario DreadBall Leage (ODBL).
So, last time I left of rambling about different versions of DreadBall in the DB universe. Really, it makes a lot of sense to me, and you see it in real sports all the time. I’m a big fan of rugby, but I really enjoy rugby sevens too. I used to watch football (erm, gridiron, or North American rules football to those in other parts of the world), but I was a season ticket holder to Arena Football.
Even in…other sports games, I really enjoyed variants. From multi race teams deep in a dungeon, to a smaller pitch with fewer players, each variation of the rules emphasized new ways to play and challenge yourself.
Well, I’d like to do the same thing with DreadBall. The first variant of the game is a little thing we have internally referred to as DreadBall 3-on-3. It started as a thought experiment on how to capture a different feel and flow to the game and slowly morphed into its own at home version. Later, the variant developed a little further for capturing some of the rules cast to wayside from DBX when we moved to second edition. And finally, it was put together intended to be used as a mini game for conventions as a smaller, quicker, introductory game to DreadBall. Well, it never quite made it to that. So, rather than be lost to the ravages of time and my “to do” folder, it is being resurrected here on BreadDoll.
Over a series of articles, the back alley amateur version of DreadBall will be developed. The version of the game that is played by enthusiasts and wannabes as opposed to highly sought after professionals. The holographic strike targets and neodurium pitch of the pro ranks? Nah, here it’s concrete and cobbled together physical strike posts. It’s gritty and messy. It’s also chaotically fast. You won’t find any Cheerleaders or Assistant coaches either. Heck, your team will hardly be cohesive at all, and that is a good deal of the challenge. But, who knows? Maybe you’ve got what it takes to weld these dregs into a formidable force. Maybe charge up the semi-pro ranks. Maybe a talent or two gets discovered. Let’s find out! Next time we will peel back the curtain and take a peak at the fundamental workings of the stripped down amateur game.
The Coaches’ Corner is an in-depth interview with DreadBall Coaches, Commissioners, and Creators. A game is fourteen rushes, and the interview is fourteen questions.
Sam Graven is in the sin bin for this iteration, and he’s agreed to answer some BreadDoll questions while reflecting on the chaos of multiplaying Dread. He’s a commissioner for a tight knit and mercurial league – his family!
Sam Graven. Educator. Game Influencer. And, a man with an inexplicable fear of big boats (although he would argue the phobia is completely rational).
1) How did you first learn about DreadBall?
Well, I suppose when the original Kickstarter came out. It was a topic of general chat at my local club, but at that time I hadn’t really got back heavily into any kind of mini gaming: I played a lot as a kid, then moved on to RPGs and TCGs (fairly competitively). Those TCGs were why I’m very wary of tournament play of any variety as I’ve got older – and only started coming back to minis with, of all things, Heroclix. By the time DreadBall 2nd edition came around, I’d been back into gaming, and blogging about gaming over on bigcomicpage.com, for a few years. I got a review copy, and I was hooked.
2) What do you remember about your first game?
Chaos! But in a really good way. It was fast and intuitive, and I liked the way the score swung back and forth constantly. The consistent 3d6 mechanic appealed to me too, as it gave a peg to hang everything else off.
3) What is your favorite team?
You mean favoUrite team, right? 😉 [Editor’s note: Sam is our first interviewee from the UK]. That’s such a hard question. Teratons were the first team I played with after the Marauders and Humans, and I still love their aesthetic. I’m enjoying playing Crystallans a lot, at the moment, and I like the sheer variety – and challenge – of playing Rebs, especially against experienced opponents. But for total unabashed fun, it’s got to be the Zees.
4) What is your favorite MVP?
Now that’s easy, Nightshade, hands-down. Occasionally hopeless, but usually incredible. I often play fairly slow and/or Jack-heavy teams, to give the kids a chance to try to outmaneuver me, but at the same time I want someone with serious speed and skills to give them a fright. He ticks the boxes, and has only once ended up doing a comedy juggling act.
5) Across the entire DreadBall line, what is your favorite model?
Probably Barricade? Dynamic, fun to build, paint AND play with. Although I like the lids on the small objects in X-Treme! The tension they generate appeals to me, and they’re just a really nice bit of design.
6) How do you primarily play DreadBall? [One-off, league, tournament, Xtreme, Ultimate]
Ultimate all the way. Dreadball has social appeal to me. I don’t often get to hang out at my local club that much nowadays (three kids) but it’s easy to rock up with a copy of the game and a bunch of teams. It never ceases to surprise me how quickly folk get it by just watching, and in Ultimate that can mean you have full 6-player in no time. Likewise, with two kids of gaming age, it’s good to have things which we can play together. We play board games, of course, but a lot of mini gaming feels a bit clumsy with three players, or is horrendously time-consuming (and prone to the whims of a rampaging three year-old). Ultimate is the ideal game for us to play together; the kids have painted up teams, so they feel more invested in the experience, and in fact my older son bought himself a Kalyshi team just because he liked the fluff. Because we tend to play Ultimate, we’ve been experimenting with a host of other rules and spent this summer testing and playing an Ultimate League*, which has been great: a particularly jumpy Kalyshi Striker is now mounted on a flight stand, the Yndij Captain is notorious for stealing all the glory off the rest of his team, and woe betide anyone who goes near the legendary Crystallan Guard known simply as “Mr Hitty.”
7) Shifting gears for a moment, what do you do when you are not playing DreadBall?
Like so many gamers, I have terrible hobby ADHD. I really like Superhero gaming, primarily DC stuff, though Kitbash Games’ new Supers Unlimited range is beautiful. Gaslands is a heck of a game, who doesn’t love toy cars? Wings of Glory, because for the first time in my life it’s a game my dad will play (he’s really into WW1 aviation). Walking Dead, X-Wing, Harry Potter, and more Death Guard than’s remotely healthy – I run a very broad church. Lots of Board Games. A bIt of TCGing too – Transformers with my older, Warhammer Champions with the younger. So the common thread in all of these is that I can play them with the kids. The geek shall inherit, and so on. Oh, and in real life? I’m a teacher, Media and English, secondary school. High school, in colonial parlance.
8) Which opposing team do you… Dread… the most?
Oh, Yndij, easily. All of my most memorable defeats are to them, and given that my younger son plays with his Ninja Sharks all the time, that’s a LOT of defeats.
9) Describe your most memorable DreadBall Rush.
I’m going to cheat slightly with this (don’t tell the Ref). We had a fantastic Mantic Scotland Day up at Common Ground Games in Stirling, organized by our local Pathfinder and good buddy, Gofur Hunter. Myself, the kids, and a couple of other mates rocked up for a day of Ultimate whilst most folk around us played Kings of War. We’d started to set up, and a couple of young lads asked if they could try the game, so we gave them the Yndij to play together vs my Zees, my older son with Z’Zor and another friend with Marauders. They went last in the first Rush, managed to score 3, went first in the next, flipped a Faulty Scoreboard event, and scored 4 off their second ball! They enjoyed it so much they went over immediately to hassle their dad into buying a copy of the game! Job done.
10). What would you like to see from DreadBall in the future?
Man, what a toughie. Little things to spice up the game. I think card packs would be great – like Azure League. Limited Print-On-Demand, or even pdf packs, relatively low cost but would add a lot to the game. Or a commercially available DreadBall Ultimate pack, with the second edition Ultimate cards and Subs’ Benches, as shown in the Collector’s Rulebook. I ended making physical subs’ benches from Battlezones bits. Other than that, maybe a pdf of Challenge Cup and/or Xtreme stuff, bringing it into the mainstream? Which is kind of what we’ve been doing for Ultimate League, I suppose. I don’t think there’s much needed model wise; could do with Beauty and the Mob being back in print! Maybe some new Giants – who do I see about that? [Editor’s note: The Rules Committee has been play testing. There is good news afoot]
11) You often play DreadBall with your children. What are the family dynamics during matches?
Tense! My kids are great, my older maybe a bit too competitive, my younger a bit too sensitive, so I have to be Ref-Dad sometimes. It’s always fun when they realise they have to stop bickering and gang up to take me down! But it’s definitely a great way to spend time together. The duck and weave of Dreadball beats pretty much everything else we could play hands down.
12) You’re an educator. How would you assess DreadBall and what distinction would it receive?
Well, you know, it’s not about grades any more – it’s all about giving productive feedback. So, excellent work, just keep working on promoting the game as widely as possible! I think Dreadball’s greatest and most underrated asset is the potential of the community. And hey, BreadDoll is nothing if not the proof of how awesome it is.
13) DreadBall exists within Mantic’s Warpath Universe. What other Mantic titles do you play?
I like how you said play, not own… The Walking Dead: All Out War was actually the mini game that really got my kids playing. Terrible parenting I know! The wee fella was seven, maybe only six, the first time we played, and he immediately threw Carl to a Walker as a distraction to help win. Genius, if somewhat terrifying. We’ve found ourselves playing more Here’s Negan! though, as we like the hybrid mini/board game model. I’m blown away by Hellboy, incredible sculpts and visuals – I’m a comic nerd, after all – the difficult curve on it is immense though. That’s not a criticism, mind you.
14) If you won a BreadDoll in tournament play (last place), would you; eat it immediately in front of attending coaches, or wait until you were in the privacy of your locker room?
The chances of me BreadDolling are very high! I would glory in it. Because at the end of the day, bread is amazing. When I was a kid I would eat bread like cake. Not much has changed.
* Sam’s mention of an Ultimate League caught the BreadDoll’s attention! Loyal loaf lovers can look forward to a thorough explanation in the near future when we invite Sam back to become our first guest writer!
When I play DreadBall I prefer a narrow low-profile pitch instead of the larger pitches. I like the smaller table space the low-profile pitches take up and the portability.
One of the few drawbacks is the lack of a sideline to place Support Staff. The solution: Sideline Card.
The Sideline Card is simply placed along the side of the low-profile pitch of your choice and used to track when your Support Staff (Assistant Coaches and Cheerleaders) are available to be used.
If you don’t have or use Fan Support cards (Home/Visitor) to put your Fan Checks under you can also use an alternate version of the Sideline Card.
The Sideline Card is designed to be printed on a ‘Big Card’ (3.5″ x 5.75″). Here is a suitably large card back.
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?
