Bristol DreadBall Tournament Report – Part 1

Last weekend, I took home a DreadBall tournament trophy from Bristol (at Vanguard Gaming, a hobby center sitting nicely on the pictoresque canal seen above).

Here are a few more details on the actual games I played. I didn’t take notes during the tournament itself, so a few details may be off. The basics should be correct however.

My Team – Out With The Girls

It was the first time I took a Void Sirens team to a tournament. As per Mantic’s Tournament pack, all teams get 20 mc to spend, which I invested in 2 DreadBall cards. Simple.

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Game 1 vs. Marauders – Running Interference

First game of the day: Marauders (Orx & Goblins). Since I played Marauders probably more than any other team in DreadBall, including Void Sirens, so I knew roughly what I’d be facing.

Marauders were the home team and had the first rush. I deployed the girls deep in my half, away from centre-line, letting the Greenskins come to me.

On the Rush 1, I take a few slams, but the Marauders fail to score as they miss a strike.

Rush 2, my Strikers pick up the ball and score my first 3-pointer of the tournament.

Rush 3, my opponents’ Goblins display some unusually skillful passing game, with a Jack catching the ball and heading for my 3-point Strike zone with a free move … and with another action to possibly score.

It is at this point, that the Void Sirens show why they can be such an annoying team to play against. My Jack guarding the 3-point-strike-zone in my half of the pitch performs a text-book Running Interference, slamming the Goblin Jack back a square and ending his (free) move.

As Goblins an only move 1 hex and throw, he can no longer do so with his last action. Instead he decides to run to the very last hex at the end of my pitch, hoping to hold on to the ball.

Rush 4, I bring on a Striker from the reserve bench (getting another of my players send off for this Sneak foul), steal the ball and play it up the pitch for a 1-point strike.

The Marauders never get an opportunity like this again, and another 3 pointer in a later Rush secures the Void Sirens a landslide victory.

It’s fair to say the Running Interference was the turning point of the game.

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Game 2 vs. Judwan – That’s Not Supposed To Happen

There was only one Judwan team in this tournament. Still, having seen them sweep the Mantic Open Day Tourney, I expected them to be a contender (they made 2nd overall in this tournament).

Though the tournament already used the “nerfed” Spd 4+ Judwan, the team also brought a defensive coach, making them still (again?) on of the toughest teams to hurt.

In the end, I landslided the Judwan by luck, more than anything else. Investing my 20 mc into 2 DreadBall cards paid off big when I got the feared “The Ball Shatters” card at the start of the game.

I am the home team with the first rush this time. The Judwan deploy with a solid 5-man wall along the center (forcing me to evade through them) and only a single Judwan blocking the 4-point score. I have a Guard and 2 Strikers up front, and 3 (!) Jacks guarding my 3-point strike-zone.

Rush 1, my Guard hits a Judwan to no effect while one of my Strikers picks up the ball and weasels through the Judwan line for a 2-point lead.

Rush 2, Judwan do what Judwan do best. Even 3 Jacks with all their Running Interference cannot prevent the Judwan from clearing the Strike-zone with Misdirect and setting themselves up for an easy 3-pointer (though the Judwan’s centre-line is gone by now). On the last action the Judwan get ready to roll a bucket of dice for a 3-pointer, so I shatter the ball with my card.

Rush 3, my Striker picks up the ball – easily with the Judwan-line gone and two of them in my 3-point strike-zone – and scores 3 points. Before I do so, my Guard throws another ineffective punch at a Judwan remaining on the centre-line, leaving her stranded in the path of the launching ball.

Rush 4, the ball launches – using the new ball-launching rules – and hits my Guard, who somehow manages to dodge the hit. From my Guard, the ball scatters into the Judwan she had been trying to hit (and still threatens), forcing the Judwan Striker to catch the ball with a coaching die.

The Judwan Striker fails the catch and the Judwan loose the rush.

Rush 5, as nothing much changed since Rush 3, my Striker again picks up the ball and scores another 3 pointer: Another landslide victory for the Void Sirens.

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Lunch!

With two out of five games played, it was time for lunch. Two landslide victories in two games clearly put me at the head of the field at this point, so I knew I’d be facing the best players.

However, the Judwan game also set the trend for most of the day. Lady Fortuna was with the Void Sirens. My dice were hot and my cards lucky.

More to come!

Z.

DreadBall Tournament Report – Part 2