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Dark Elf Playbook For Blood Bowl
Dark Elf Playbook For Blood Bowl
“A right royal romp of truly epic proportions – and course, these are not exhaustive and you may well, should
that’s just his weapon!” in fact, find yourself developing a few tricks of your own –
A. Nonnymus, Colleges of Magic but this will certainly get you off to a good start. Enjoy…
and if Rakarth comes looking for me, tell him I’ve joined
“A real page turner, I didn’t have to lift a finger!” the Khemri Foreign Legion.
Telekinetics Gazetteer
…“I sense fear in you.”
“… n’ my fav’rite bit is where der woman-fing loses
her clobber, Hur-Hur. No wait, dat wuz der diff ’runt “I’m surprised you didn’t smell it.”
one.” “Yes.”
Some idiot, in a street
“Erm, I’m here to ask a few questions about Dark Elf
tactics?”
“Soft, strong and very long. Perfect!”
Guild of Outhouses and Public Amenities “Well, we are a very ‘flexible’ race, I personally like
it like this…”
“Dark Elves are renowned for being evil and depraved – “NO! I mean Blood Bowl tactics.”
and that’s just the Cheerleaders!”. So begins the “Did you
“Of course you did.”
know…” for Hubris Rakarth, star blitzer of the Cowboys,
and, as a Dark Elf coach of some time, I know the cruel “Am I going to die?”
fate that would befall me if I were to divulge too many of “…Yes. But don’t worry – I shall enjoy it very
their secrets (not to say the number of games I would much.”
soon start to lose). However, the great God Nuffle (and his
“Please, I am just a poor scribe, show mercy!”
pet minion, Andy) doth compel me to speak, so speak I
must. Here then are some thoughts on the Dark Elves. Of “I already have. Welcome to the Darkside…”
INTRODUCING…
Dark Elves are infamous for their worship of weird and
deviant violence so Blood Bowl fits into this very nicely
indeed. They are a cruel and incredibly vicious race,
combining high intelligence and natural grace with an
intense hatred for all things living and dead. Needless to
say, this makes them superb Blood Bowl players equally at
home throwing the ball or running with it, or simply
forgetting about it entirely and smashing the hell out of
their opposition, which, due to their evil temperament,
they are wont to do on occasion.
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improving your understanding of their game. Also, learn MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
the rules well – when the rules are second nature to you, I’m not going to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do
you can focus more on what it is you want to do without in picking a starting team, that would defeat the whole
having to worry about whether or not it’s allowed. point of it being your team, (and there’s no right or
wrong) but there are a few points worth considering.
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For me, this is too big a sacrifice just to have a twelfth man In league play I opt for players over Re-rolls. Players can
on the squad, and plumping for the Throwers just to get develop, and a Re-roll will never be more than a Re-roll no
a ‘position’ player onto your team just isn’t what Dark matter how early it was bought. The doubled cost of later
Elves are about – and in any case you could currently start Re-rolls is of no consequence to your future costs because
an identical side to this using High Elves for less cash! if you bought several Re-rolls instead of players at the
start, you would be short of those players and therefore
But to purchase your Blitzers and Witch Elves straight require the same amount to be saved for each (approx
away (and so make your team uniquely Dark Elf) you 100,000) and end up waiting a very long time before you
will have to sacrifice those all-important Re- get them for your team. Which in reality means you would
rolls/Apothecary/substitute players, and as a consequence spend most of the season not actually playing a Dark Elf
you are almost sure to suffer. team at all, just a squad of generic Elf linemen.
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A big problem faced by any Elf team is what to do about that it isn’t worth going into. Oh yes, and there’s that little
high Strength opposition. If you are to enjoy success with point that to write such a list would be a complete kop out
Dark Elves you are going to need to come up with on my part. Tactics should apply to every Dark Elf team.
something to stop Str4+ players bearing down on your Giving coaches lists of ‘must-have’ skills does nothing to
End Zone, and more importantly, figure out a way to answer the basic need, “how to play that team better”.
break a hole in a Str4+ defensive line. Though having said that I will drop in a few pointers in
case you haven’t thought of them.
Now, I’m not going to get bogged down in a long list of
skills to take for several reasons. One; the skills you pick The problem lies in the fact that yours, despite being the
for your team should be to maximise your playing style or ‘mean and nasty, kick bottom’ Elves, are the only team not
counter any weakness your game has, which you will be to have access to Strength 4, or Big Guy players/Stars. In
able to identify over time and will inevitably be dictated by my opinion this is not an oversight. Dark Elves loathe
the league in which you play – otherwise I would be anything and everything that isn’t Dark Elf (and those are
forcing you to play in a style that does not come naturally the easygoing ones) so you really shouldn’t be looking for
to you and might be unsuitable for the league you play. any non-Dark Elf players to add to your team anyway.
Secondly, the development of your team is what will make You’ve got to do it with cunning and guile, or if that’s not
it your team and there are so many possible permutations your thing, venom and cruelty.
Strong Teams are usually incapable of moving the ball about quickly, so against these you should be trying to spread
the game out across the field and isolate pockets. You are more likely to survive (or even deliver) a beating if your
opponent has his players split into two or more groups than when he has them all bunched together in support of
each other. The diagrams below show this.
Diagram 1: Bunched Up Diagram 2: Split Groups
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Note – Coaches of Strong Teams are gluttons for Anything that will give you a numerical advantage on the
(delivering) punishment, so they’ll often chase after your field (or the area of importance) will be a good thing, not
danger players in the desire to get big casualty numbers, only will this leave more space on the field to exploit, it
relying on superior Strength & AV to protect them if they gives you extra assists. With Frenzied Witch Elves you can
get separated. push opposing players off the sidelines (or manoeuvre
them to be pushed off) better than most other teams, just
If your team spreads its defence you will be able to single make sure you have an assist or Re-roll available for the
out such strays and pummel them, even if this means you blocks else you will find yourself flat on your face (“your
are ignoring the ball. Your opponent will start to worry woman-thing loses her clobber”, you could say). If you
and send a few helpers, (he’ll worry about not having the adopt this tactic be careful not to leave your Witch Elf
numbers to form his ‘cage’ in the next half, and if you open to reprisal attacks – there is nothing more annoying
actually clear these players he’s done-for right now!) Tah- than to watch your game plan get turned against you (Side
Dah! Split groups: one trying to score, the other is Step and Block can come in handy).
fighting. Now this is where your superior AG comes in
(and Dodge when you can get it). Whilst leaving as few A final word on Fouling. You are Dark Elves. If there was
players as possible to tie the fighting crew in tackle zones ever a race that should foul it’s you (in my opinion they’re
(don’t step every player out as you will nullify any Dirty Players at birth!). Even though the rules make
advantage your AG gives you in that your opponent will fouling a very dangerous activity to take part in, especially
not have to dodge to give chase) you refocus the assault for you as your game relies on keeping as many players as
against the now outgunned ball crew. you can on the field, you should really try to get a few in,
if only to play in character. Sadly, if you want to win the
With a bit of cunning you should find an assist (or at least match with Dark Elves, committing Fouls is not a
enough to cancel assists) and get fair blocks against the recommended tactic, as you will regret it much more
ball carrier squad (or force him into dodging). often than not.
Should the ball pop out, your opponent lacks the AG to HAVE FUN
win it back whereas you will be able to sneak it out Dark Elf teams are late developers, expensive to start up
(preferably with a Thrower) and with a swift pass upfield, and, due to the low skill/team Re-roll count and high
or second manoeuvre of players, you’ll be on the attack casualty rate, slow to get going. But once your surviving
and your opponent will be in a mess. Without much in the players have managed to get a skill or two the deaths will
way of Dodge, and very few Re-rolls, this does require a lot be less common and hopefully you’ll start to see the
of luck from a rookie squad. So any skill that enables you squad grow, and you’ll be well on your way to enjoying
to manoeuvre players or the ball are to be valued above some fine wins. But regardless of victory or defeat, and
others. irrespective of tactics, if you’re having fun with your team
then you’re playing it right in my opinion – it’s a game,
That’s all fine regarding a high power, low agility team – enjoy it!
but what about those one-off stars setting TD records on
Author Matt Brown is a veteran Blood Bowl
the ball handling teams? Well, one thing, you can just coach and has been writing for
ignore them and focus your destructiveness on the Blood Bowl publications since the
weaker squad players. Remember, if your opponent can late 90’s. Matt (along with jis
brother, Carl) was the driving force
move well, he probably can’t cope with many casualties behind the All At Sea (Blood Bowl on boats) articles.
and is focused on trying to outscore you rather than beat Further Dark Elf teams are available from GW Direct (See
you up. Information the How to Order pages).
More BB Turn to page 52 for the Blood Bowl Rules Review.
Website www.BloodBowl.com
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