Throw-throw, catch-catch!!

Hi all

***edit*** in my haste to post, I put out the last in this series of BB posts first and forgot this one.  Looks like a double post this week you lucky people!!***

This week I look at the first two positionals for the Gnash-Gnaw. 

First up are the throwers.  I have 2 (naturally) but only take one in my first 11.  So number 1 is Krik,  this all-star rat boy originally ran with the bad rats at the lowest level of "the Pit". Spotted by the overlords of that Hellish place when he kept his nerve, not spraying the musk of fear, when facing down a squad of Storm Vermin and flinging a pilfered bag of warptokens at a waiting runt in a nearby tunnel with pinpoint accuracy.  Since then his calming presence helps steer the Gnash-Gnaw to victory.

Number 13 is yet to appear on the TableTop for me, although he has made it into my online version of the Gnash-Gnaw (when I play BB2) and therefore has finally been given a name - Likad Venom. Venom is happily warming the benches most times, its safe and warm but when he does manage to get some field time, he's known for his "dump off" skills - a quick pass just before being sacked.  This cool headed ability allows the team to keep the ball even as he gets taken out.

Onto the sneakiest of the sneaky - the Gutter Runners. The Skaven don't have catchers as such, but they do have these guys. Super agile, fast and armed with the dodge skill, they are able to get themselves into and out of tricky situations and into scoring positions.  These guys are literally the fastest players in the entire game and have pulled my fat out of the fire on many an occasion. I started with two with the option to take two more as and when I can afford them.  Not much is known about the mysterious runners, closeted away in the Eshin quarter of Hells Pit when not playing but Nurgjit is my star player online and on the TT, racking up the SPP

so that's my throw/catching contingent, next up is the heavy hitters.

hope you enjoy

dGG

Crush- crush, kill-kill

Hi all

***edit*** in all the excitement, I've published this post before another, rather than recall this one and publish in order, I've just posted both today. My suggestion would be to read "Throw-Throw, Catch-Catch" first and then come back to this one***  https://dagobbosgrotto.blogspot.com/2019/12/throw-throw-catch-catch.html

So we get to the last part of my Gnash-Gnaw team overview - The muscle section

Skaven, in this edition, have access to Storm Vermin who play in the Blitzer role.  These are my favourite minis in the 2nd ed range and the reason I didn't buy the new GW minis for my fave race.

So we have Surgad Venom (2) litter-kin to Likad Venom, substitute thrower for the GGs. Surgad was taken from the litter as an infant due to his aggressive (for a skaven) behaviour and began his training as a Storm Vermin, the elite warriors of the Clan. It was due to Surged's influence that his smaller kin was taken onto the team and away from the beast pits of the deeper warrens at Hell's Pit.

Neeable Snarl (3) is a massive ratman, bulging muscles ripple beneath his fur, mostly due to his Skalm addiction and this is reflected in a strength increase for him.  This increase combined with his block skill, makes him a very formidable player and I often use him out on his own, splitting the play and my opponents attention.

Kratak (4) is a huge Rat Ogre, a mutated beast - created by mad engineers of Clan Moulder at the cost of many warp tokens. Online he was killed in my very first league game, leaving a huge gap in my team. He has survived and performed much better on the TT and restores my faith in taken a "big guy" despite the downsides of skills such as "wild animal" meaning they only perform some of the time.  Kratak is a Warhammer FB mini from some time in the 90's and was part of my massive Skaven horde up until recently when I painted him up to bolster the Gnash-Gnaw ranks.

So that's my team guys, with no support staff.  I was going to ask for some coaching minis and cheerleaders (yes there are some around!!) for xmas but ended up buying another BB team which I will show off next week.

just to finish this post, I've attached a YouTube playthrough of my boardgame "Blood, Sweat & Horses" that I recently recorded with Jay Austin, the founder of Meeples Peoples Circus. Sadly you don't get the multi camera angles that were planned due to technical difficulties, but you do get a top down view of the game board and of course some quality banter between the players. Hopefully this gives you an idea of how the game plays.

https://youtu.be/hB3FSCCwLYs

hope you enjoy

dGG

Ratling Cannon Fodder

Hi all

So onto the first part of my introduction of my Skaven BB team - the Gnash-Gnaw and as I did with the UUs, I'll introduce the line men...ahem line rats first!

 No backgrounds for these guys as yet, as not one of them has lasted long enough to level up! Yes the attrition rate of line rats is huge! Low AV and no outstanding qualities, line rats struggle to cope with bashy opponents and subsequently die in droves, but as an experienced skaven coach, I know this and factor it into my plans.  luckily they are as cheap as chips to buy...

These minis are all 2nd ed and that puts them in the 25+ years bracket and I've had them since then as well.  They, along with the 2nd ed game, have moved house (twice) survived living in my loft when I lost my wargaming mojo for several years and have been repainted 3 times! I do love these little critters... not enough to name them but still... Number 11 is the old kicker model but seeing as that position has been retired, he steps in with his giant armoured boot as a line rat.

hope you enjoy

dGG

ps as this post is a little light, I have been building a pitch for the Gnash-Gnaw! check out my You Tube channel to watch the build https://youtu.be/9Lfu4ReMJ5I

Gnash - Gnaw

Hi all

more Blood Bowl goodness coming your way, this time from the dark places beneath the empires of men and dwarfs - the Skaven!  While the Double U's (my human team) were the first team to get painted following my rediscovery of BB and I really enjoy playing them, I couldn't resist digging out my Skaven team - the Gnash-Gnaw!

Skaven society is highly stratified and bound up in complex rituals, but on the Blood Bowl pitch, all barriers drop away as every player gives their all for their teams complete and utter victory. The game has become very popular in all fields of Skaven life - the Skaven loving any opportunity for mindless violence. In fact, it has become very difficult to persuade them that there is any other purpose to the game once they are on the field, or even when they are just spectating in the stands! Some of the great all-time Player Death and Crowd Death records have occurred in games in which the Skaven have been on the pitch.

Skaven are one of the fastest teams in the game, capable of moving the ball from one end zone to the other with ease. They are generally thought of as a finesse team because of their Gutter Runners’ but their Blitzers’ and Rat Ogre give the team a real punch as well. They are a very versatile team capable of switching their tactics at any point in the game to get the win, and while they will lose players most games they can still function very effectively on the pitch when reduced to a handful of players. Unlike bashy teams Skaven can fall back on plan B or C if plan A is not going to plan, so no matter how bad things seem to be getting a win is almost always within reach. 
What makes Skaven so special is their Gutter Runners; 4 players with Ma 9, Dodge and Ag4 means any mistake or bad luck from your opponent can be exploited with a ruthless efficiency and their main strength and tactic is to just go for the ball and ‘Shoot the Gap’. 

So onto my team the Gnash - Gnaw. This team of malcontent verminous villains hail from Hell Pit in the far north and have just started to make a name for themselves.  Led on the field by the Thrower - Krik, these ruinous rats are racking up the TDs.

The majority of this team are 2nd Ed miniatures that I have owned since 2nd ed BB was released back in the day, this is their third reinvention and I'm loving them! Sadly as the Catcher role is no longer on the Skaven roster, I've had to retire my pair of catchers but in the main, these gorgeous minis date back 20+ years!

more about the team when I introduce them next time...

hope you enjoy

dGG