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
Next week, the 2019 convention season launches for us at the BreadDoll.
Adepticon is here! It’s a pretty special convention; tightly curated to highlight miniature games. It’s not as sprawling as Gen Con, but it’s not as small as regional events. Adepticion is the Goldilocks of gaming.
DreadBall is well represented. As such, the BreadDoll is there too. We’re sponsoring three events and like always – Coaches participating in BreadDoll sponsored events get swag.
First up; League in a Night 2! Thursday March 28, 2019. 5pm. Coaches are going to settle down an evening of team development. It’s a four round slug fest of strikes and slams. And, experience is marked along the way. I adore League in Night tournament formats. In this humble BreadDoll editor’s opinion, league play is the superior way to enjoy DreadBall. No tournament format can replicate a league setting, but League in a Night comes pretty darn close. League play is an entirely different beast from “normal” tournament formats. “Resurrection?” No no no… If a player is injured in league play, they’ll feel the consequences in future games. Unless of course, a Coach rolls a 6, 7, or 8. Or, if a Coach wants to spend 40mc on an injury re-roll. What’s hurts more Coach? The back injury of your level 3 Striker, or your thinned out pocket book? League in a Night tests different skills sets and requires different strategies. A battle (ahem, match) can be lost, but a Coach can still win the war (ahem, league). Launch the first ball with a vanilla starting team, and promote roster growth for a high team value. Competing Coaches get a set of Home / Visitor cards from the BreadDoll.
Second is the MAIN EVENT: Adepticorp Cup! Saturday March 29, 2019. Sometime in the morning… Adepticorp Cup is the North American DreadBall Circuit (NADC) Championship tournament. Any 2018 regional winners are awarded a seat at the tournament, but even scrubs like me can buy a ticket and reach for glory. As League in a Night demands specific straggles, so too does Adepticorp Cup. Whereas “Leaguers” are tasked with developing a team through a meta growth tournament, Adepticorp Coaches need to do their homework long before their first match opponent is determined. Power gamers rejoice, because the Adepticorp Cup rewards those who “roster-bate.” Coaches are issued 1200 mc and an empty bench. Have at it! With the exception of a few omissions (Martians, Rejects, Giants), Coaches can build their team to theoretical perfection. Coaches that actually respect the game and its hobby aspect also literally build their team. What You See Is What You Get, otherwise known as WYSIWYG. Anything less in my opinion, and the Coach is just a Chump. Competing Coaches get a set of Home / Visitor cards from the BreadDoll.
Lastly, it’s BIG TIME. Saturday March 29, 2019. Sometime during the bacchanalia known as Mantic Night, six Coaches will compete in Clash of the Giants! For its fourth iteration, Clash of the Giants moves from its Mid-Atlantic roots, AND it gets a serious facelift. Clash of the Giants was a popular non-sanctioned tournament in Washington D.C. that celebrated the beautiful (and beautifully neglected) Giants. Coaches were rewarded if they added a Giant to their rosters. Fun was had by all, but after the 2018 tournament – the winds of change had blown. Clash of the Giants 2019 is now an Ultimate Match. Coaches will choose from a selection of pre-built teams. They are lean, mean rosters that happen to include – Giants. And because Clash of the Giants is a spectacle, there’s even more. MORE GIANTS! DreadBall’s deep line of miniatures include nine Giant models. Clash of the Giants will introduce FOUR NEW GIANTS. Rosters are top secret. However, the BreadDoll will offer one image to whet any Giant appetites.
Only six Coaches will get to experience the big brawl at Mantic Night. But do not fear! The new Clash of the Giants only debuts at Adepticon! If any Coach wants to participate in a colossal convention contest, Clash of the Giants will be offered several times at Gen Con 2019.
The Coach who Conquers will receive a set of Ultimate turn cards, and the Champions of League in a Night and the Adepticorp Cup will get a fresh set of BreadDoll dice.
Good luck Coaches. BreadDoll editors look forward to meeting as many of you as possible. For those that won’t cross our launch lines, come back to the site for a Adepticon Rush Report.
May your team’s Medi-bot never earn an MC out of you, and may your heart never give out. May the ten toes of your feet steer you clear of all misfortune, and before you’re much older, may you hear much better toasts than this.
Happy St. Patty’s Day to all Coaches across the Co-Prosperity Sphere.
Cheers!
Adepticon 2019 in Schaumburg Illinois (outside Chicago) is just over 2 weeks away. There are several DreadBall Events going on you won’t want to miss if you are going to be there.
You can find the RULES & REGS for the tournament and League night on the documents page.
Don’t worry if you want to play but haven’t pre-registered. You can register at Adepticon when you get there or just show up with your entry fee at the correct place and time and there will be a seat for you.
Pitch Protocols: Team Analysis—Draconis All-Stars
Overview
The Neobots are a well rounded team that are deceptively average…..on paper. However, clever use of their Linked ability can allow them to be VERY active in their Rushes and get a lot of work done on the pitch.
Strengths
One advantage of the All-Stars roster, is their access to specialists. They have Jacks, but their default roster contains three each of Guards and Strikers. This allows the team to be tailored to any style of play, and can make it easier to get a Specialist role in position to do what they do best.
While being “Average” can sometimes be a tongue in cheek derogatory statement, in DreadBall, it can actually be an advantage. Their is no obvious weakness in terms of stats to take advantage of from an opponents perspective. They can’t abuse your Agility, Strength, or Armour. Sure, sometimes might have an advantage, depending on the match up, but that doesn’t mean it’s a weakness for the Neobots. This can make the All-Stars a difficult matchup to prepare for, as they can do just about anything, making them unpredictable in the hands of crafty coach.
The true strength of this team, though, is their Linked ability. Linked can be very strong, but for most teams it has limited value as the ability requires another player to have the same ability to be utilized. Since the Neobots all start with it, that’s no problem for them!
Linked really could have its own article on effective use, but it primarily serves two main functions: 1) Do a thing better or 2)Do two things for the price of one. For example, I could “do a thing better” when I play a Slam card on a Guard, and use the Free Run to first move another player to threaten the target. Or, I can “do two things” by playing the same Slam card, but use the Free Run to pick up a loose ball with a Striker. Done well, Linked allows the All-Stars to really outwork the opposition in terms of total number of actions completed.
Weaknesses
For some coaches, being “well rounded” is a bit of a weakness, as the squad lacks that single minded focus of having a specialty that they really excel at.
The major weakness for Neobots, however, is their “trick” has a limit. You spend DreadBall cards to activate it, specifically Action cards. There are ways to work around this, but it’s still a cost. It doesn’t help that the suggested starting roster only has one card, making it difficult to take advantage of.
Strategy and Tactics
While the matchup is always a factor in determining how to best defeat the opposition, it is especially so with teams that are “average”. Look for the opposing teams weakness and try to exploit it. High strength teams, for example, tend to lack in other areas, and you want to build your strategy around your advantage in those facets of the game.
However, another approach is to try and take advantage of Linked as much as possible, flatly outworking your opponent in terms of number of actions completed. Doing more each Rush can add up to a big advantage that steamrolls later in the game. Try and draw a DreadBall card each Rush that you can afford it, and in most cases choose a DreadBall card on Fan Checks to try and stockpile options. Not only do the cards themselves represent extra actions, but with Linked, it actually gives you two!
DreadBall Coaches achieve immortality in a number of ways. Sometimes, it’s through a singular victory. Sometimes, it’s the stewardship of a dynasty. Personally, I achieve my youthful appearance by a strict refusal to mature.
I visit toy stores.
Frequently.
Toys inspire me. They inspire my; studio practice, stage work, understanding of popular culture, and hobby time.
In the spring of 2017, toy stores where inundated with product for a highly anticipated summer blockbuster; GHOSTBUSTERS. Ghostbusters are awesome. Firmly rooted in the 1980s, the films and cartoons (and RPG) were instrumental in my development of the man-child I am today. The 2017 film may not have actually delivered on the hype, but it did a damn fine job with merchandise tie-in. Regardless of preferred media deliver form, physical toys of the Ghostbusters have always been universally dope.
I ran across ONE Ghostbusters toy that I KNEW would make a perfect containment center for my FAVORITE DreadBall team. I had a new home for my Ada Lorana ‘Kooky Spooks;’
01 Guard – Winston
02 Jack – Vinz
03 Jack – Zuul
04 Striker – Ray
05 Striker – Egon
06 Striker – Peter
07 Jack (Team Captain) – Gozer
It was a Ghost Trap.
The 2017 Ghost Trap toy served double duty. It was not only a diminutive prop, it was a play set.
With Trap in hand, it was clear to me that the Ada Lorana would need to have their new real estate beautified. Paint, washes, magnets, black electrical tape, and varnish later – it was ready for new occupants.
Welcome home team!
A roster of six, plus the team captain Phantasm, as well as two prone markers. Every Coach needs to use their prone markers. It’s a sign of maturity.
Magnets ensure that the models can best utilize the limited space, and in this narrow case – it’s thematically perfect. Ghosts don’t need to obey the gravity, right?
Sold separately was a perfect Coach model. Unfortunately, there is a pesky skeleton resting inside of the dapper assistant. Its removal would sacrifice the glow-in-the-dark properties, but those bones just don’t make sense.
The Kooky Spooks are THRILLED to have a new containment center that makes their Head Coach remember a favorite film. They are less than thrilled to know it won’t travel far from their home pitch because airline security thinks it’s of nefarious means. Truly, the only harm these blue besties inflict are on my opponents.
I don’t like to share Works-in-Progress, but here’s a sneak peek of a future project. I’ll let BreadDoll readers pontificate my intentions. I’ll share the final results in another Hobby Highlight (est. 2021)…
Here comes the Ontario DreadBall League!
I’ve wanted to get a DreadBall League going again for a few years now. A while back some friends and I had a small League but it wasn’t well organised and eventually fell apart. The time has come to give it another try.
We are stating small with 4 coaches. We’d hoped to get 6, which seems like a good number, but we decided better to just start than spend any more time recruiting. That said, if you are in Ontario and want to join let me know (geoff@breaddoll.com) ASAP, and we’ll see if we can work it out. If you’re on the fence stay tuned for updates on Season 1 of the Ontario DreadBall League (ODBL or OddBall). We’ll likely do a Season 2 starting in the summer and look to expand the number of coaches participating.
The plan is to have each coach play each other coach twice. One game will be as the Home coach and the other as the Away/Visiting coach. We’ll have 2 weeks to organise and play each match. With 6 matches on the schedule the league should take about 3 months. This will work with only 4 coaches. Once we expand the league we will have to revisit how we run the schedule. Maybe divisions?
I have decided to play Brokkr in Season 1 of the ODBL. I was planning to play them at Adepticon this year so choosing them for this league will incentivize me to get them painted and ready to go.
I will also magnetise the Brokkr Guard(s) arms and heads so they can be converted to Keepers over the course of the league.
I will have more information on the ODBL in my next article. Hopefully we’ll have at least played our first match and I’ll have pics of my painted Brokkr team. Wish me luck and I’ll talk to you in 3 weeks.
Konrad Castle continues cooking chocolate. And he’s pleased to report the C-4 will return in 2019! Curious Coaches may need a reminder;
C-4 = Cocoa Castle Corporation Cup
If any competitive Coach needs a cause to attend a North American DreadBall Circuit (NADC) contest, the C-4 is the cream of the crop.
…because the trophies are chocolate. Dates to be announced. TEASE!
Meanwhile, Happy Valentines Day.
Home Pitch Advantage: A Different Crowd
As I’ve talked about previously, I love the idea of DreadBall taking place in different venues and on different worlds. These are not only thematically interesting, but can also pose unique tactical wrinkles to the game of DreadBall as well. While far from perfect, the 1st edition supplement Challenge Cup, was on the right track for the sort of experience I’ve been looking for.
One of the elements that could be paired with the Global Rule suggestion from Franchise Mode, is the concept of A Different Crowd. Not only can the venue itself pose different conditions, but the crowd can also potentially impact the game as well. This could add some thematic home field advantage.
The premise is that not every crowd expects the same style of play, or appreciates the same elements of the game as another. For example, the Long Rock Lifers home crowd may be much more interested and excited in seeing players carried off in body bags or getting one over on the Ref than seeing skillful passing plays develop deep down the pitch. However, the fans of the Pelgar Mystics may have the exact opposite sentiment.
For now, let’s assume there are broadly four types of crowds to start. The Typical Crowd, the Brutal Crowd, the Finesse Crowd, and the Demanding Crowd. The Typical Crowd is the same as the standard Fan Check conditions already described in the rules, so there is nothing to examine here. But let’s check out the other three:
The Brutal Crowd
These folks LOVE violence. They can’t get enough of it. Often the result is of little consequence to these fans, as long as someone gets pasted. Instead of the normal Fan Check conditions listed in the DreadBall rules, only the following triggers Fan Checks for a Brutal Crowd:
*Inflicting an Injury
*Committing a particularly successful foul
*Win a Distract test
*Any cards, cheerleaders or special rules that generate fan checks work as normal.
The Finesse Crowd
This type of crowd loves the fancy plays and seeing the high level of skill professional players possess. They actually care about points being scored! Instead of the normal Fan Check conditions listed in the DreadBall rules, only the following triggers Fan Checks for a Finesse Crowd:
*Doubling a Strike
*Catches a 9-hex pass. Once per Rush.
*Any cards, cheerleaders or special rules that generate fan checks work as normal.
The Demanding Crowd
There are some fans that just won’t be pleased with regular, run of the mill play. These folks need to be wowed, and only exemplary effort and skill move them to cheer. Instead of the normal Fan Check conditions listed in the DreadBall rules, only the following triggers Fan Checks for a Demanding Crowd:
*Catching a scattering ball.
*Dashes 3 or more times in the same Action without falling.
*Evades 3 or more times in the same Action without falling.
*Tripling an (X) roll with 3+ successes.
*Any cards or special rules that generate fan checks work as normal, but the Cheerleader Ability Work the Crowd has no effect.
In league play, a team could pick which type of crowd best represents their Home fans and use the modified conditions for Fan Checks when they are the Home team in a match. Or, if the game is more of a Neutral site affair, or you just don’t “know” what type of crowd is going to show up any given match, you could roll for it! Before the match begins, the Home coach rolls a dice and consults the following:
1: a Demanding Crowd
2: a Brutal Crowd
3: a Finesse Crowd
4-6: A Typical Crowd
Of course, there could always be more types of crowds…and maybe some support staff that could modify or interact with that as well, but alas, that’s for another time. Now get out there and get those fans on there feet!
EVENT HORIZON is a wrap, and all Coaches have returned to their locker rooms. Wounds must be mended.
On January 27, 2019 – an elite gathering of DreadBall Coaches descended upon a planet Earth watering hole titled ‘Franklin Hall.’ Adult beverages were consumed. Adult words were spoken. Below is a Tournament Organizer’s account of the day, followed by some stats. Scroll past images for their hilarious captions.
Prior to the loaded transport’s departure, it was time to announce my team of the day. An Xtreme team was constructed and aptly renamed, the Pojo Pussies.
Coaches arrived as soon as Franklin Hall unlocked their doors. Tabs were opened. Rosters, Home/Visitor cards, and Tournament Score Sheets were distributed. Balls were launched before high noon.
Four rounds of mayhem ensued. Mayhem is stressed, because all games were conducted with the Event Deck. Elmer and Dobbs know how to create crazy! Blinding lights, streaking fans, and countless brawls threw the most seasoned Coach into a tailspin. Random photos from various matches are posted below.
One of the most startling events witnessed was through a Matsudan Team Captain card.
And at the end of the day, there was one Hero. North American DreadBall Circuit tournaments are equitable with sharing superlatives. Because Event Horizon was non-sanctioned, the lion’s share went to Kevin Cornell’s Marauder team – THE NUT PUNCHERS!
And… There was one zero. The BreadDoll‘s very own Miniature Master and Hobby Highlighter got the titular prize for last place.
By the numbers
Coach Name / Team Name (team type) / Tournament Points / Fan Check “Cheers” / Serous Injuries = record
EVENT HORIZON, Franklin Hall, and a BreadDoll. Good times! If planet Earth is still intact, it’ll happen again in 1/2020. Meanwhile, look for some BreadDoll editors at Adepticon.
SHAMELESS PLUG – Mantic Games is currently promoting a great DreadBall sale. Visit http://www.manticgames.com/mantic-shop/dreadball-sale.html
The truth can be hard to believe. It was once thought that there was only one last surviving Elastopod. Truly. This is ridiculous. There are 8.
The Elastopod home world was destroyed when a starship carrying unknown alien artefacts exploded, obliterating the entire Elstopod home system. This was almost the end of the Elastopod race. Luckily the members of the Elastopod Special Forces Bravo Squad were on patrol in a ship at the far edges of their solar system. When their planet was destroyed Bravo Squad survived. Really.
Making their way to the GCPS, Bravo Squad now plies their advanced military training on the neodurium pitches of the pro DreadBall leagues. They are a team to be feared no matter what some may say. Elastopods are not all bumbling goofs as rumor would have it. It’s unclear where that rumor began but the Sole Survivors are having none of it. Match after match the last of the Elastopods teach their opponents to respect Elastopods once again.
No, Seriously.
