Post by DocOz3000 on Apr 28, 2017 9:25:06 GMT
Prepare to Kick Yourself
A Bretonnian Playbook from Oz
Introduction
The Bretonnian team is NOT an easy team at any TV, so I decided to write something to "hopefully" help anyone that wants to try them out. I must say in advance, that my experience with Brets has been anything but enjoyable, they are one of the most frustrating BB teams I have had the pleasure of Coaching. Your players are expensive, your RRs are expensive, you have no Ball Handling skills (sans Catch on the Blitzers) and turn-overs will be a-plenty because of this. Add to this, your weak AV7 Linemen will get injured or die so often it can be hard to dig yourself out of early holes in league play.
I would like to say, at some point you’ll overcome initial deficits, but… that would be untrue. Brets are always going to challenge their coaches at every TV.
I will provide a few different initial team roosters and how each has Strengths and Weaknesses. First, let’s look at the individual players; Cost, Stats, plus a few notes;
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The Team Roster
Blitzer
7 3 3 8 Block, Catch, Dauntless 110k
Blocker
6 3 3 8 Wrestle 70k
Lineman
6 3 2 7 Fend 40k
RRs are 70k each, placing them equal to the most expensive RRs in the game. Also note, NO Big Buy is available for the Brets and they sorely miss this.
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Blitzers
7 3 3 8
Block, Catch, Dauntless
(Note: Skill access for Blitzers is General, Passing, and Agility)
Team Role
I cannot say enough about Bretonnian Blitzers and their role within the team’s make up. In simpler terms, your Blitzers are the team. Your team will live and die as your Blitzers level up or get injured and become very expensive anchors that will ultimately drag the team down.
You would like to grab some ball handling skill like Sure Hands as soon as possible but Dodge is literally a mandatory first pick skill on these guys because you just can’t afford to have one die early. I would be hard pressed to even forego a double roll for a ST skill due to the Dodge skills importance to these guys. After Dodge, the sky is the limit on what these guys can do.
The one caveat to taking Dodge as a first pick is the opportunity to grab +MV, +ST or +AG (Note: not +AV). An early stat increase easily makes these guys Star Player quality at level 2, equal to players 2 or 3 levels higher than them.
Blockers
6 3 3 8
Wrestle
(Note: Skill access for Blockers is General and Strength)
Team Role
These will be your bruisers and general purpose players of the team, and you only have 4 to make a lot happen. At 70k each, losing one of these players will hurt the team almost as much as the loss of one of your Blitzers.
Like Blitzers, you might want to do many things with your Blockers but unfortunately, Guard is a mandatory first pick skill with Dodge “maybe” edging it out only slightly on a doubles skill roll.
Like Blitzers, Blockers are just screaming for a stat boost, +ST makes these guys instant stars on the team. +AG is debatable, I still might just take Guard instead. +MV or +AV is a non-starter as far as I’m concerned unless it’s a 3rd or 4th skill pick.
Linemen
6 3 2 7
Fend
(Note: Skill access for Linemen is General Skills only)
Team Role
Cheap (Sort of) fodder to, hopefully, keep your “real” players alive long enough to skill up. The one strength that might not be immediately evident with Bret Linemen is that replacing them, while cheap, is not of a very high priority. Journeymen Linemen will do the role just as good if not better than actual Linemen purchased permanently for the team roster. You will rarely, if ever, use an Apothecary on injuries or deaths for these guys.
Besides +ST, I would forego any stat boosts for these guys; +MV is a maybe but I would rather just have a skill. +AG makes them AG3 and that’s average and adds unnecessary TV. +AV puts them to AV8 which again is blah, I’d rather have a skill.
Not to sound too much like a broken record but 1st skill selection for these guys is vanilla due to their low AG. Ball handling skills are laughable so you’re pretty much going to go with Wrestle/Block, Dirty Player or Kick (If it’s the first Lineman to level on the team) on a normal roll and Guard or Dodge on doubles.
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Starting Line-ups
Qty Type Cost
4 Blitzers 440k
4 Blockers 280k
3 Linemen 120k
2 RRs and No Apothecary!!!
IMHO this is probably the strongest line-up you can initially put on the pitch. But… with no Apothecary, a bad 1st match (or 2nd if you don’t make enough to buy one) could cripple the team with the loss or permanent injury to one of your Blitzers. Also note, with only 11 players you will probably be playing man-down BB most of the match after your Lineman start getting removed from the pitch.
Qty Type Cost
4 Blitzers 440k
3 Blockers 210k
4 Linemen 160k
2 RRs plus an Apothecary
With this line-up, you have access to an Apothecary to hopefully save an expensive player in early matches at the cost of one less Blocker. This line-up is OK but you’ll probably be playing multiple Journeymen Linemen earlier, in League Play, and it’s going to take 2 or 3 matches to be able to purchase the 4th Blocker. Hope that luck is with you and those Journeymen don’t steal MVPs too often. Also, once again, you will only have 11 players starting most matches due to MNGs and deaths, so be prepared to play man-down BB most matches.
Qty Type Cost
2 Blitzers 220k
4 Blockers 280k
6 Lineman 240k
3 RRs plus and Apothecary
Here’s what a 12-man starting line-up looks like. I’ve tried this line-up recently and can’t recommend it. One thing you’ll notice immediately is only 2 Blitzers. Blitzers are far too important to the team to not max them at all costs initially IMO. The one strength this roster has is you can try to emphasize SPPs on Blockers and Lineman with the extra RR. Also, with a 12-man roster you can afford to be a bit more liberal with this team’s main tactic, namely Fouling (This will be addressed more thoroughly in the Team Tactics Section)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
General Team Tactics
I can’t tell you how to move your players but I will tell you my experience playing various teams at various TVs. Also, I can’t say I’ve ever gotten Bretonnians to High TVs because I haven’t been able to progress a Bret team beyond 1500 -1600 TV yet.
The Main Tactic that this team excels at is basically pulling from the Undead teams play book since their Linemen equivalents, Skeletons and Zombies, play a similar role. Basically, if you knock an opposing player down he needs to receive a boot before your turn ends. Foul…Foul Often, Foul Hard every turn from the 1st to the 16th… The one benefit of starting with Fend, beyond stopping follow-up blocks from Frenzy or Pile-On crazies is that your Linemen will be free to move to downed opposition players and drop kick them in the head or other vulnerable points. Hopefully trading your relatively useless 40k Linemen for a much more expensive and game impacting opposing player. Your Blockers starting with Wrestle will help to facilitate getting players on their backs.
Beyond the Fouling game the other members of your team, namely your Blitzer Corp should be ball hawking and using those excessive and expensive skills to win you games.
Once you’ve gotten Dodge on every Blitzer (See above) you can start specializing roles for them from Ball Hawks, to Frenzy Blitzers (hopefully with a dub or two to get MB though I would avoid PO or else you may find your prized players getting a boot or two from the opposition), Passers, even NoS Catchers. Literally, as I said previously, the sky is the limit to how insane these guys can get.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a ton of variety to the game play and tactics you’ll employ vs different teams but here’s a few pointers.
Bash Team Tactics
Against Bash teams you’ll want to stay away and limit the hits they’ll get on your team as much as possible. Pretty much maintain a perimeter and try to break their cages from the rear. Blitz a player with a Blocker if you can’t get to the Ball Carrier and then put a boot to ‘em. Definitely… Stay Away from the MB Players!!! They will destroy you quickly, once your Linemen are gone you’ll start fouling with “Good” players and that’s a slippery slope.
Dodgy Team Tactics
Against Dodgy teams, use your Wrestling Blockers to take down the most important (i.e. Expensive) players and foul the crap out of em… Rinse, Repeat, until they score. Then take your kick-off, cage, and begin the fouling process anew… Stall as long as possible to keep KOs out as long as possible. Definitely…Stay Away from the MB Players!!! If they have any, those would be my primary targets for early fouls.
Finally, play to win, have fun, and be prepared for some whining once you put your game plan into effect… No one enjoys watching their best players getting continuously booted turn after turn till they’re removed from the pitch. But if you’ve decided to play Bretonnians, that’s just what you do…
Water is Wet… The Sun Rises in the East… Bretonnians Foul Every Turn They’re Able…
A Bretonnian Playbook from Oz
Introduction
The Bretonnian team is NOT an easy team at any TV, so I decided to write something to "hopefully" help anyone that wants to try them out. I must say in advance, that my experience with Brets has been anything but enjoyable, they are one of the most frustrating BB teams I have had the pleasure of Coaching. Your players are expensive, your RRs are expensive, you have no Ball Handling skills (sans Catch on the Blitzers) and turn-overs will be a-plenty because of this. Add to this, your weak AV7 Linemen will get injured or die so often it can be hard to dig yourself out of early holes in league play.
I would like to say, at some point you’ll overcome initial deficits, but… that would be untrue. Brets are always going to challenge their coaches at every TV.
I will provide a few different initial team roosters and how each has Strengths and Weaknesses. First, let’s look at the individual players; Cost, Stats, plus a few notes;
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Team Roster
Blitzer
7 3 3 8 Block, Catch, Dauntless 110k
Blocker
6 3 3 8 Wrestle 70k
Lineman
6 3 2 7 Fend 40k
RRs are 70k each, placing them equal to the most expensive RRs in the game. Also note, NO Big Buy is available for the Brets and they sorely miss this.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Blitzers
7 3 3 8
Block, Catch, Dauntless
(Note: Skill access for Blitzers is General, Passing, and Agility)
Team Role
I cannot say enough about Bretonnian Blitzers and their role within the team’s make up. In simpler terms, your Blitzers are the team. Your team will live and die as your Blitzers level up or get injured and become very expensive anchors that will ultimately drag the team down.
You would like to grab some ball handling skill like Sure Hands as soon as possible but Dodge is literally a mandatory first pick skill on these guys because you just can’t afford to have one die early. I would be hard pressed to even forego a double roll for a ST skill due to the Dodge skills importance to these guys. After Dodge, the sky is the limit on what these guys can do.
The one caveat to taking Dodge as a first pick is the opportunity to grab +MV, +ST or +AG (Note: not +AV). An early stat increase easily makes these guys Star Player quality at level 2, equal to players 2 or 3 levels higher than them.
Blockers
6 3 3 8
Wrestle
(Note: Skill access for Blockers is General and Strength)
Team Role
These will be your bruisers and general purpose players of the team, and you only have 4 to make a lot happen. At 70k each, losing one of these players will hurt the team almost as much as the loss of one of your Blitzers.
Like Blitzers, you might want to do many things with your Blockers but unfortunately, Guard is a mandatory first pick skill with Dodge “maybe” edging it out only slightly on a doubles skill roll.
Like Blitzers, Blockers are just screaming for a stat boost, +ST makes these guys instant stars on the team. +AG is debatable, I still might just take Guard instead. +MV or +AV is a non-starter as far as I’m concerned unless it’s a 3rd or 4th skill pick.
Linemen
6 3 2 7
Fend
(Note: Skill access for Linemen is General Skills only)
Team Role
Cheap (Sort of) fodder to, hopefully, keep your “real” players alive long enough to skill up. The one strength that might not be immediately evident with Bret Linemen is that replacing them, while cheap, is not of a very high priority. Journeymen Linemen will do the role just as good if not better than actual Linemen purchased permanently for the team roster. You will rarely, if ever, use an Apothecary on injuries or deaths for these guys.
Besides +ST, I would forego any stat boosts for these guys; +MV is a maybe but I would rather just have a skill. +AG makes them AG3 and that’s average and adds unnecessary TV. +AV puts them to AV8 which again is blah, I’d rather have a skill.
Not to sound too much like a broken record but 1st skill selection for these guys is vanilla due to their low AG. Ball handling skills are laughable so you’re pretty much going to go with Wrestle/Block, Dirty Player or Kick (If it’s the first Lineman to level on the team) on a normal roll and Guard or Dodge on doubles.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Starting Line-ups
Qty Type Cost
4 Blitzers 440k
4 Blockers 280k
3 Linemen 120k
2 RRs and No Apothecary!!!
IMHO this is probably the strongest line-up you can initially put on the pitch. But… with no Apothecary, a bad 1st match (or 2nd if you don’t make enough to buy one) could cripple the team with the loss or permanent injury to one of your Blitzers. Also note, with only 11 players you will probably be playing man-down BB most of the match after your Lineman start getting removed from the pitch.
Qty Type Cost
4 Blitzers 440k
3 Blockers 210k
4 Linemen 160k
2 RRs plus an Apothecary
With this line-up, you have access to an Apothecary to hopefully save an expensive player in early matches at the cost of one less Blocker. This line-up is OK but you’ll probably be playing multiple Journeymen Linemen earlier, in League Play, and it’s going to take 2 or 3 matches to be able to purchase the 4th Blocker. Hope that luck is with you and those Journeymen don’t steal MVPs too often. Also, once again, you will only have 11 players starting most matches due to MNGs and deaths, so be prepared to play man-down BB most matches.
Qty Type Cost
2 Blitzers 220k
4 Blockers 280k
6 Lineman 240k
3 RRs plus and Apothecary
Here’s what a 12-man starting line-up looks like. I’ve tried this line-up recently and can’t recommend it. One thing you’ll notice immediately is only 2 Blitzers. Blitzers are far too important to the team to not max them at all costs initially IMO. The one strength this roster has is you can try to emphasize SPPs on Blockers and Lineman with the extra RR. Also, with a 12-man roster you can afford to be a bit more liberal with this team’s main tactic, namely Fouling (This will be addressed more thoroughly in the Team Tactics Section)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
General Team Tactics
I can’t tell you how to move your players but I will tell you my experience playing various teams at various TVs. Also, I can’t say I’ve ever gotten Bretonnians to High TVs because I haven’t been able to progress a Bret team beyond 1500 -1600 TV yet.
The Main Tactic that this team excels at is basically pulling from the Undead teams play book since their Linemen equivalents, Skeletons and Zombies, play a similar role. Basically, if you knock an opposing player down he needs to receive a boot before your turn ends. Foul…Foul Often, Foul Hard every turn from the 1st to the 16th… The one benefit of starting with Fend, beyond stopping follow-up blocks from Frenzy or Pile-On crazies is that your Linemen will be free to move to downed opposition players and drop kick them in the head or other vulnerable points. Hopefully trading your relatively useless 40k Linemen for a much more expensive and game impacting opposing player. Your Blockers starting with Wrestle will help to facilitate getting players on their backs.
Beyond the Fouling game the other members of your team, namely your Blitzer Corp should be ball hawking and using those excessive and expensive skills to win you games.
Once you’ve gotten Dodge on every Blitzer (See above) you can start specializing roles for them from Ball Hawks, to Frenzy Blitzers (hopefully with a dub or two to get MB though I would avoid PO or else you may find your prized players getting a boot or two from the opposition), Passers, even NoS Catchers. Literally, as I said previously, the sky is the limit to how insane these guys can get.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a ton of variety to the game play and tactics you’ll employ vs different teams but here’s a few pointers.
Bash Team Tactics
Against Bash teams you’ll want to stay away and limit the hits they’ll get on your team as much as possible. Pretty much maintain a perimeter and try to break their cages from the rear. Blitz a player with a Blocker if you can’t get to the Ball Carrier and then put a boot to ‘em. Definitely… Stay Away from the MB Players!!! They will destroy you quickly, once your Linemen are gone you’ll start fouling with “Good” players and that’s a slippery slope.
Dodgy Team Tactics
Against Dodgy teams, use your Wrestling Blockers to take down the most important (i.e. Expensive) players and foul the crap out of em… Rinse, Repeat, until they score. Then take your kick-off, cage, and begin the fouling process anew… Stall as long as possible to keep KOs out as long as possible. Definitely…Stay Away from the MB Players!!! If they have any, those would be my primary targets for early fouls.
Finally, play to win, have fun, and be prepared for some whining once you put your game plan into effect… No one enjoys watching their best players getting continuously booted turn after turn till they’re removed from the pitch. But if you’ve decided to play Bretonnians, that’s just what you do…
Water is Wet… The Sun Rises in the East… Bretonnians Foul Every Turn They’re Able…