League news (Sorry for the extended hiatus)

Commish here,

Basically, sorry for the unexpected hiatus.  I'm going to slowly try to get some of these games played, but at least for a time I'm going to have to change my write-up format.  Surprisingly, doing that was the biggest difficulty for me.  At least for a few games it'll be significantly dryer, but I promise I'll try to get things back to the way I was doing them (and even improve on it some).

I'll have the full schedule for the first season uploaded by the end of October, and hopefully will have updated all the team pages by the end of November (updating them to a better format, I mean).

So, the league isn't dead yet, just very sick :).

Murderers (1) vs Scurriers (2)

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	Murderers 1		Scurriers 2
	(0-1-0, 0-1-0 DIV)		(1-0-0, 1-0-0 DIV)

1 2 T Murderers 1 0 1 Scurriers 1 1 2

Top Performers: Murderers: Arnold (Ogre) - 1 CAS Scurriers: Sardo Slasha (Blitzer) - 3 CAS

Despite being out-muscled, the Scurriers deliver the beatings to the Ogres

Fans: 15,000 Casualties Caused: GMM: 1 (0/1/0), SS: 4 (3/1/0) Fan Factor Changes: SS: +1 Winnings: GMM: 30k, SS: 70k

Statistics: Murderers: Arnold: 1 CAS (1), 2 SPP (2) Hans: 1 TD (1), 3 SPP (3) Bomba: 1 MVP (1), 5 SPP (5) Hans will miss the next game. Scurriers: Brie Banger: 1 CP (1), 1 CAS (1), 3 SPP (3) Mozza Rolla: 1 CP (1), 1 SPP (1) Provo Lona: 1 TD (1), 1 MVP (1), 8 SPP (8) Feta Foula: 1 TD (1), 3 SPP (3) Edam Edga: 1 CP (1), 1 SPP (1) Sardo Slasha: 3 CAS (3), 6 SPP (6) Swiss Scurrier will miss the next game. Chedda Cheata will miss the next game. Provo Lona gets a skill, rolls an 8, and chooses Block. Edam Edga gets a niggling injury, and will miss next game. Sardo Slasha gets a skill, rolls a 2 (1,1), and chooses Dodge.

Tom: After some delay in getting games scheduled, my co-host and I were pleased to finally watch a game between two teams that are VERY different. The Murderers, an Ogre team, played against the Scurriers, the league's Skaven team.

Tim: And this did not go at all to what we expected. The Ogres didn't get the physical play they needed out of their big guys, while the Skaven did.

Tom: The game got off to a bad start for the Ogres, who received the kickoff, but were blitzed immediately after the ball hit the ground. The Skaven players were relentless, knocking a snotling out of the game right away, and getting a pair of Gutter Runners near the ball.

Tim: The Ogres grabbed the ball and began the push down the center of the field, knocking a few things down, but were hurt when Arnold went Bone-Headed.

Tom: The Skaven knocked another snotling out of the game, and responded to the cage by setting up a defense just ahead of the cage.

Tim: The Snotlings handed the ball off to an Ogre, who started rumbling forward, and another Snotling got knocked out. The Ogres finally get a break when a Skaven player fails a dodge and seriously injures himself.

Tom: And the Ogres help their cause by dealing their only injury of the game, seriously injuring another Skaven player. With that temporary momentum swing, the Ogres push in to score late in the first half.

Tim: The Skaven receive the kick, down 8 players to 10. With a man advantage, the Ogres had to be licking their lips.

Tom: The kick sails out of bounds, and the Skaven get their offense started by rushing a Gutter Runner down the field with a ball in hand. Snotlings barely manage to bring him down, but it's not enough as another nearby Gutter Runner grabs the ball and scores just as the half ends.

Tim: The Skaven looked to be doing pretty well, and would continue to do so, despite starting the second half down 8 players to 10 again.

Tom: They helped their cause immensely when Sardo Slasha continued his terrorization on the pitch, and seriously injured an Ogre early in the second half. They also demonstrated some strong offensive skills, getting some Gutter Runners down the field, and keeping the ball protected.

Tim: It's all for naught though, when an uncommon event happens... a Gutter Runner dropped a sure catch for a score.

Tom: With an event like that, things started to look a little rough for the Scurriers. The Ogres stunned a Gutter Runner, and surrounded the ball with Snotlings.

Tim: And then, after some Scurrier pushing and shoving, they catch another break when a key Ogre piece forgets where he was.

Tom: Talk about timely. Going Boneheaded here meant the Skaven could recover the ball, break it loose, and score to put themselves ahead.

Tim: And they had to be feeling good- the Ogres set up for the next drive DOWN 8 players to 9.

Tom: Their fans tried to keep them in the game. The Ogres managed to get the ball into the hands of a big guy, and he pushed, and pushed...

Tim: And there was some pushing in there.

Tom: Yeah, there sure was. Finally, with time expiring, the Ogre attempted to make the last dodge needed to get the tying score. He tripped, and the coaching wasn't enough to help him as he fell HARD to the turf, ending the game, and the hopes for an early tie for the Ogre team.

Tim: All in all, a good game, and one that really could've gone either way up until the end. The Skaven have to feel a little battered after that game, as they'll need 3 Journeymen next week when they play the Norse team.

Tom: The Ogres get another game versus a soft opponent- they play the High Elves.

Tim: Both should be interesting games, showcasing some very different play styles. Can't wait!

2010 Recap, and what to look forward to in 2011

Well, since I haven't posted in a bit, I figure I would throw up a post to show where I am, what will be happening here, and what's happened so far.

Let's start with the past year.  I created this blog because I love Blood Bowl, and I wanted an excuse to play league games.  I got in 10 games of Blood Bowl last year (even though I've only posted 9 of them), advancing me most of the way through the first 'week' of the season, although not very far into the first 'year'.  Still, I wrote up the team pages, and got the format for the games down pretty well, I think.  All in all I put up 39 posts last year, which resulted in 194 visits from 45 unique visitors.  Of course, a lot of those visits are myself as I go around editing posts after games, but hey, at least SOME aren't.

The most common search term that got to this blog was 'Blood Bowl Lizard'. 

Right now, admittedly, this blog has kind of slowed down, but that was expected due to the holiday season.  I'm also working hard to re-design the team pages into their final form, so that they are very easy to read, and easier for me to update quickly.  This involves me actually breaking out my Javascript and CSS skills, so it's taking a bit of time.

As for the remainder of the year, I'm hoping to get 50 games in as a goal.  That should take me until the end of week 4.  Clearly, I'm hoping to do more, but I'd like to at least have a consistent start.  Part of the slowness is the fact I'm using paper chits instead of miniatures... another situation I'm hoping to rectify.  So in short, next year, look for this blog to include more work on the miniatures for the teams, more games, and finally better versions of all the team pages.  Eventually photos will be making their way in as well.

Looking forward to seeing you guys around!

Pustules (2) vs Swarmers (0)

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	Pustules 2		Swarmers 0
	(1-0-0, 1-0-0 DIV)		(0-1-0, 0-1-0 DIV)

1 2 T Pustules 1 1 2 Swarmers 0 0 0

Top Performers: Pustules: Porphyria (Warrior) - 1 TD, 1 CAS Swarmers: Driver (Goblin) - 1 CAS

Pustules ooze their way to a decisive win over the Swarmers

Fans: 16,000 Casualties Caused: PNP: 3 (2/1/0), WES: 3 (1/1/1) Fan Factor Changes: PNP: +1 Winnings: PNP: 80k, WES: 20k

Statistics: Pustules: Polymyostis: 1 CAS (1), 2 SPP (2) Porphyria: 1 TD (1), 1 CAS (1), 5 SPP (5) Sialidosis: 1 TD (1), 1 CAS (1), 5 SPP (5) Gastroenteritis: 1 MVP (1), 5 SPP (5) Onchocerciasis dies. Trichotillomania gets a niggling injury, and will miss the next game. Swarmers: Driver: 1 CAS (1), 2 SPP (2) Acrobat: 1 CAS (1), 2 SPP (2) Rover: 1 CAS (1), 2 SPP (2) Dracula: 1 MVP (1), 5 SPP (5) Acrobat will miss next game.

Tom: And we're back! Today we watched a game between the Pustules, the league's Nurgle team, and the Swarmers, the Underworld team.

Tim: Whew, and what a stench! The Pustule fans came out in droves for this one, straight out of the local Shallya temple. The flies came out to join them.

Tom: No doubt about it, with the support of their fans, plus the Pustules' own horrendous appearance, this was going to be a tough one for the Swarmers, and it showed.

Tim: With better armor and stronger players, the Pustules really had an advantage on the grinding game, and sadly, the Swarmers really didn't have many advantages to offset that yet.

Tom: well, let's get to the action- the Swarmers received the kick, and almost immediately the sun became incredibly bright, which was going to hinder passing all day.

Tim: That helped the Pustules some- they don't care about passing, but their opponents have players dedicated to passing, and this could make it difficult for them to get into rhythm.

Tom: The Swarmers got off to a good start, knocking down a Warrior, and getting the ball under control and caged, but failing to hand it off to get it fully protected. They were hoping to get a mid-range pass next turn for the early score.

Tim: The Pustules weren't exactly the fastest team out there, and although they stunned the troll, they weren't able to put much pressure on the ball, although they did mark almost the entire Swarmer team.

Tom: It isn't enough though, and the Swarmers create a great lane to prepare for the score, and get a Thrower with the ball out in the open, throwing a beautiful pass...

Tim: Only to watch it bounce out of the hands of a Skaven linemen in position to score. The Skaven fans in the audience (not many) all moaned in disappointment (or disgust), and the Nurgle team began the long grind.

Tom: They started off by knocking a goblin out of the game, then KO-ing one of the Skaven players. The Swarmers were saved from even more damage by the Beast of Nurgle going temporarily stupid, but even so, the Pustules knocked most of the Swarmers on their butts.

Tim: The Swarmers recover nicely though, and manage to Swarm (*snicker) the ball, but their plans are messed up by their Troll, Queen, failing a blitz against a Rotter in order to fully surround the loose ball.

Tom: And the Pustules' offense begins to work- their Pestigor, Ebola scoops up the ball, and begins to rush downfield, knocking a Skaven player out of the way to give himself some open running room. The rest of the Nurgle followers get into position around him, although Trichotillomania, a Rotter, fails to clear some extra room when he tries to smash a Thrower (Rover) and instead gets sent to the turf, and out of the game.

Tim: That's a pretty serious injury- it looks like he's going to need a week to let that heal up. Ugly.

Tom: The Swarmers reposition themselves to start stalling the cage, and the Pustules began to lay into them, knocking out one of the Skaven Blitzers then a Thrower in quick succession. They begin to advance the cage towards the top of the field, and enter the opposing half of the pitch.

Tim: The Swarmers finally succeed in surrounding the cage, and things are looking better when their Troll smashes in one of the corners. The Pustules still manage to advance, but are stalled when one of their Rotters (Onchocerciasis) dies attempting to block Driver, a Goblin. The Swarmers respond by finally taking the beast down, but don't have enough players handy to threaten the ball.

Tom: The Underworld team does keep throwing players in front of the cage, and finally get a player into position for a risky blitz at the beastman, which they take, and finally knock the ball loose! Unfortunately, it scatters into the waiting hands of Sialidosis, a Rotter, who blitzes through a Goblin (knocking it out of the game), and scores to end the first half, with the Pustules leading 1-0.

Tim: Off to a bad start, things only got worse to start the second half, as the Pustule fans gather enough diseased flesh to throw on the field as the kick sails out, and manage to knock ANOTHER goblin out of the game. The Swarmers are already playing with fewer players- this just made matters worse.

Tom: The Rotters kept it going- they knock out a Thrower immediately, and send most of the remaining Swarmers to the pitch, but can't manage to get control of the ball. The Swarmers get up and scatter, and try to get some pressure near the ball. It doesn't help much, as the Pustules clear a path right down the middle, and advance the ball quickly after finally picking it up.

Tim: The Swarmers can't do much to pressure the ball, as a Goblin immediately trips trying to get into position and the Pustules manage to get the ball into the hands of Porphyria, one of their Warriors. The Pustules spend the rest of the game advancing and knocking down the few Swarmers left on the field, and finally score with almost no time remaining. The Swarmers accomplish nothing in the brief seconds they get the ball to end the second half, and leave dejected.

Tom: So looking forward- the Pustules have a VERY difficult task next week, facing off against the Dwarf team who, despite having lost their first game, is still in great shape to be a tough opponent.

Tim: The Swarmers badly need an easier game... and they'll play the Little'uns next week, a game that will certainly help them recover some provide (at least they hope!). We'll be sure to bring you coverage when those games happen!

Tom: Till next time guys!

Grave Robbas (0) vs Bashers (3)

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	Grave Robbas 0		Bashers 3
	(0-1-0, 0-1-0 DIV)		(1-0-0, 1-0-0 DIV)

1 2 T Grave Robbas 0 0 0 Bashers 2 1 3

Top Performers: Grave Robbas: Screamie (Wight) - 1 CAS Bashers: Hrafnkell (Linemen) - 1 TD, 1 CAS

Bashers have an easy time with the Grave Robbas

Fans: 6,000 Casualties Caused: GR: 1 (1/0/0), BB: 1 (0/0/1) Fan Factor Changes: BB: +1 Winnings: GR: 50k, BB: 50k

Statistics: Grave Robbas: Lycander: 1 MVP (1), 5 SPP (5) Screamie: 1 CAS (1), 2 SPP (2) Drool dies. Bashers: Asmundur: 1 TD (1), 3 SPP (3) Friobjorn: 1 MVP (1), 5 SPP (5) Helgi: 1 COMP (1), 1 SPP (1) Hrafnkell: 1 TD (1), 1 CAS (1), 5 SPP (5) Sigurgeir: 1 TD (1), 3 SPP (3)

Tom: Well, both my co-host and I were really expecting this to be a close, gritty game with a lot of casualties. Have to say I'm quite surprised.

Tim: You and me both- with all those poorly armored warriors on the Basher's side of the ball, plus zombies on the other side, I really expected a fairly gruesome game. This was almost disappointing.

Tom: Well, casualties aside, this was a pretty good game, and certainly will make opponents a little more wary of playing the Bashers during the season. The game started with perfect weather, and the Grave Robbas received the kickoff.

Tim: And the Norse organized a perfect defense after the Necro team was on the field. They adjusted to minimize some of the damage they would take early, which was a disappointment to the Grave Robbas, who needed the early damage done.

Tom: It wasn't completely successful though- 2 Norse players were knocked out right from the start of the game, but the Grave Robbas couldn't get a hold on the ball quickly enough to get their offense moving.

Tim: That was a Werewolf trying to pick up the ball- they are fast, but they looked like they wanted to be up on the line, joining in the fun, rather than stuck in the back taking care of the ball-handling duties.

Tom: The Bashers responded by putting as much pressure on the ball as possible- they flooded the line, tying down the Grave Robba players, and managed to put players near the loose ball.

Tim: The Grave Robbas didn't have much success clearing them out, and struggled AGAIN to pick up the ball.

Tom: The Bashers began pounding back, knocking a lot of Necro players to the pitch, but failed trying to clear out the Grave Robba Werewolf near the ball. A Necro Werewolf finally got control of the ball, and attempted to pass it to the other Werewolf downfield, but the pass fell incomplete... and the Bashers didn't waste a second, grabbing the ball, and launching it downfield for a Touchdown.

Tim: I'm sure the Grave Robbas didn't expect to go down so early- with the numerical advantage early, they were hoping to grind the Norse down. They received again in the first half with plenty of time to try again, and got control of the ball quickly, caging around their werewolf in the middle.

Tom: The Bashers played very aggressively- they surrounded the cage, and tried to force the Grave Robbas to break themselves out... but a Flesh Golem failed to do anything against a Norse Lineman, despite a big strength advantage, and without 'coaching magic' (*coughrerollscough*), the Norse were in prime position to capitalize.

Tim: And they sure did. Hrafnkell, one of the Basher's linemen, stepped up and outright killed one of the two Necro Werewolves, a huge blow to both the Necro morale, and their team's development.

Tom: Do Necromantically risen players really have morale?

Tim: I guess not, but they sure didn't look like they were in the game from here on. Hrafnkell, after the beating he unleashed, stepped up and grabbed the ball he had knocked loose, and ran towards the goal-line.

Tom: And despite heavy Grave Robba pressure, he manages to blitz his way free for the score. 2/3 of the way through the first half, the Norse were up 2-0. A pretty good start.

Tim: And both teams' fans went crazy! That last series of plays was what they came to see.

Tom: The Necro team tried a different approach on the next reception. They lined their remaining Werewolf on the line, and got him the ball immediately. He booked it downfield, but unfortunately one of the Norse Werewolfs caught up to him and brought him down in time to end the half.

Tim: The Bashers received to start the second half, and the Grave Robbas came out swinging. Blitz!

Tom: Sadly for them though, they almost failed another hit by a Flesh Golem, only succeeding by using some of that precious coaching magic. The Norse struggle a bit throwing the ball, but the Grave Robbas just couldn't seem to hit with any meaningful result, whereas the Bashers had an easy time knocking out a Flesh Golem early in the half.

Tim: The Grave Robbas do finally catch a break when they knock a Norse lineman out of the game, but it's too little, too late at this point.

Tom: The Norse decided to give up on the passing game, and grabbed the ball, advancing it hard. The Grave Robbas kept their Werewolf back as a safety. Unfortunately, despite a Norse Werewolf stunning himself on a failed hit, the Grave Robbas manage to kill their entire defense by a self-stun of one of THEIR players, and are only barely able to get a player to the ball carrier in time to knock it loose.

Tim: The game, towards the end of the second half devolved into a fairly physical shove-fest, and the ball finally makes it way out of bounds, only to be thrown back in by the crowd... in the exact spot the Norse need it to be. They pick it up, trot in for the score, and the game was a great victory for them.

Tom: The Norse performed fantastic, and they'll take their scoring against the Skaven next week. We haven't seen the Skaven play yet this year, but that could be a major battle for the division lead, potentially.

Tim: The Necro team badly needs a game to recover from this one, and next week they'll play the Amazon team, the Bondage Girls. They aren't as physical a team, so they might be able to take advantage of the game.

Tom: This division is looking to be an interesting one to watch this year, but we still have one more game in it- the Skaven vs the Ogre team. If the Skaven survive that one intact, this division could have three very competitive teams. We'll be keeping an eye on it.

Scorpions (1) vs Demolishers (2)

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	Scorpions 1		Demolishers 2
	(0-1-0, 0-1-0 DIV)		(1-0-0, 1-0-0 DIV)

1 2 T Scorpions 0 1 1 Demolishers 1 1 2

Top Performers: Scorpions: Seth (Blitz-Ra) - 1 TD, 1 CAS, 1 MVP Demolishers: Dasha (Blitzer) - 1 TD, 1 CAS

Orcs grind out victory over the Scorpions

Fans: 12,000 Casualties Caused: ZS: 3 (2/0/1), DLD: 3 (1/1/1) Fan Factor Changes: DLD: +1 Winnings: ZS: 70k, DLD: 70k

Statistics: Scorpions: Bomani: 2 CAS (2), 4 SPP (4) Seth: 1 TD (1), 1 CAS (1), 1 MVP (1), 10 SPP (10) Menes: 1 COMP (1), 1 SPP (1) Seth gets a skill, rolls a 4, and chooses Mighty Blow. Edfu dies. Anubis will miss the next game. Demolishers: Dasha: 1 TD (1), 1 CAS (1), 5 SPP (5) Smasha: 1 MVP (1), 5 SPP (5) Blitza: 1 CAS (1), 2 SPP (2) Odi: 1 TD (1), 1 CAS (1), 5 SPP (5) Chukka dies.

Tom: Another great game to report to you, sports fans. This time, the Dark Land Demolishers, the Orc team, defeated the Zandri Scorpions, the Khemri team.

Tim: The Demolishers are many fans' pick to win it all- many people consider the Orcs to be the best team out there, and they certainly handled this game easily.

Tom: This game had gorgeous weather throughout, and really this was a fantastic game to watch. The Khemri received the kick.

Tim: And boy did they look funny out there trying to get a handle on that ball. You'd have thought it was covered in holy water the way they struggled to keep hands on it.

Tom: I think you're thinking of the wrong undead. The Tomb Kings technically use...

Tim: Blah blah blah. Who cares? The point is- the Khemri team really struggled with ball handling almost the entire game.

Tom: That's true. The game started off with a bang, as a Tomb Guardian knocked out a Black Orc on the very first action of the game, followed by the Orcs knocking out a Skeleton and killing a Blitz-Ra in return.

Tim: Then another Tomb Guardian knocked out one of the Orc Blitzers, and managed to pick up the ball and start running it down field. Their offense stalled some, when a Tomb Guardian was dropped on a blitz attempt against an Orc Lineman.

Tom: The Orcs put a lot of pressure on the ball carrier, but he broke free, only to be chased down. A Tomb Guardian attempted a blitzing hit to break the ball carrier free for a score, but got knocked down and knocked out by the Orc Blitzer he was going against.

Tim: That was two separate Tomb Guardians that went down trying to hit opponents they should've had huge advantages on.

Tom: An Orc Blitzer grabbed the ball, and began running downfield, shrugging off ANOTHER Tomb Guardian blitz. The Blitzer made it to the goal-line, but waited before scoring, giving the Khemri time to kill an Orc Thrower.

Tim: You know- the Orcs stalled in order to prevent the Khemri from having a free swing at some of their players. A dead Orc probably wasn't in their plans.

Tom: No, probably not. The first half ended with a 1-0 Demolisher lead.

Tim: The Scorpions were definitely looking excited for the start of the second half- most of their knocked out players came back, giving them a 10-8 player advantage.

Tom: They kick off to the Orcs, and immediately their excitement dropped some, as they watched one of their Tomb Guardians get knocked out. The Orcs get set up, but lose the ball on a pass attempt.

Tim: The Khemri tried to surround the ball, to prevent the Orcs from picking it up easily, but the Orcs stunned three Khemri players letting them obtain control easily.

Tom: After yet another failed block by the Scorpions, the Demolishers knocked out ANOTHER Tomb Guardian, and bring the ball near the goal line, and try to stall. The Khemri put some serious threat onto the ball carrier, and force the Orcs to score, however.

Tim: And then a riot started! Fortunately for the Khemri, the ref ended up resetting the time to earlier in the half, giving them more game to play. Fortunate for the Khemri!

Tom: And they certainly tried to make the most of it. The ensuing kick went out of bounds, giving the Khemri an easy start to their drive from the touchback, and then tried to lay some beatings.

Tim: A Tomb Guardian knocked a Black Orc out of the game, then a Blitz-Ra knocked out ANOTHER Black Orc out of the game. The remaining Black Orc must have gotten nervous, because soon after he failed to knock down a lowly skeleton without himself falling over.

Tom: The Orcs do eventually strike back though, with a Blitzer getting through and single-handedly knocking out the Khemri ball carrier, and seconds later another Blitzer dealt a pretty serious injury to a skeleton.

Tim: Ball on the ground, late in the game- that's a recipe for disaster with a Khemri team.

Tom: And for a few minutes, it certainly looked that way... but finally, finally, a Skeleton bravely jumped into a tackle-zone, grabbed the loose football, dodged out, and handed off to Seth, who ran for a score just as time expired.

Tim: Not the beating many of us expected, but a convincing victory for the Orcs!

Tom: The Orcs play the Wood Elf team, the Ambushers, next week. We haven't seen them in action yet, but that should be a tough matchup. The Khemri will enter next game a little battered, and they'll play the Chaos Dwarf team, the Nightmares, which probably won't help them recover much. Should both be great games though!

Lizards (3) vs Mavericks (0)

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	Mavericks 0		Lizards 3
	(0-1-0, 0-1-0 DIV)		(1-0-0, 1-0-0 DIV)

1 2 T Mavericks 0 0 0 Lizards 1 2 3

Top Performers: Mavericks: Gloac Umedrikath (Thrower) - 4 COMP Lizards: Ichtaca (Skink) - 1 TD, 1 MVP

Lizards run around the Mavericks for an easy win.

Fans: 16,000 Casualties Caused: MM: 1 (1/0/0), LL: 0 (0/0/0) Fan Factor Changes: LL: +1 Winnings: MM: 60k, LL: 60k

Statistics: Mavericks: Griader Etaytram: 1 CAS (1), 2 SPP (2) Erie Aciraband: 1 MVP (1), 5 SPP (5) Gloac Umedrikath: 4 COMP (4), 4 SPP (4) Lizards: Eztli: 1 TD (1), 3 SPP (3) Ichataca: 1 TD (1), 1 MVP (1) 8 SPP (8) Coyotl: 1 TD (1), 3 SPP (3) Ichataca gets a skill, rolls a 12, and chooses +ST

Tom: Good afternoon everyone! We're back to bring you more after-action reporting, this time for the game between the league's Lizardman team, the Lustrian Lizards, and the Human team, the Middenheim Mavericks.

Tim: Tom and I are unabashedly Maverick fans, of course, since we are, ya know, human.

Tom: Last I checked, certainly. But yes, we had high hopes for the Mavericks going into the season.

Tim: And this wasn't what we had in mind. What a beating!

Tom: Thankfully only in the scoring- this was a fairly bloodless game, much to the fans' disappointment. The fans definitely were in high spirits coming into the game, giving the Mavericks an added re-roll to start the match. Those cheers quickly turned to jeers right from the start, however.

Tim: That's right, Big Derp, the Maverick's Ogre, went Boneheaded straight away. This turned out to be a common theme of the match; he spent almost half of the game staring at his shoes while the game was going on around him. The Mavericks coach is going to have to issue some harsh words to his Ogre!

Tom: Umm, what would you say to an 8 foot tall monster whose sole purpose is beating the tar out of opposing players?

Tim: Hmm.... 'Good game' maybe? You got me there.

Tom: Yeah. So anyway, the humans started by receiving the ball, and quickly tossed it to Coimar, one of their Blitzers, hoping to score quickly. Unfortunately, one of the human players stumbled en route to surrounding the ball carrier, leaving him vulnerable.

Tim: The Lizards surrounded him, but didn't get any hits on him... but didn't need to, as Coimar's attempt to get away failed due to some bad luck. The Lizards quickly hopped on the ball, but the Maverick's Thrower, Umedrikath, knocked it loose to prevent the touchdown.

Tom: The Lizards wasted no time in getting their offense rolling again though, they were right there to pick the ball up again, but botched the handoff that would've led to a touchdown. Umedrikath attempted to grab the ball to get it onto the Lizards half of the field, but unfortunately, he knocked it out of bounds.

Tim: Pretty unfortunate, as he knocked it into a lot of Lizard fans. They tossed the ball back on the field, right in front of Eztli, the skink, who scooped it up and ran it in. And early lead for the Lizards!

Tom: The Humans struggled to move the ball, and even worse, they struggled to move the Lizards. Big Derp didn't move for the entire drive!

Tim: 'Good game'?

Tom: Whatever. On the next kickoff, the Lizard fans showed more support for their team, giving the Lizards another reroll... and again the Mavericks watched their expensive Ogre stand around watching the game.

Tim: Maybe they can adjust his contract?

Tom: The humans got the ball into position, but again, clumsy running- this time trying to extend a run- caused the ball carrier to be unprotected. The Mavericks caught a break though, and the Lizards couldn't get the ball out of the human hands despite heavy pressure.

Tim: And badly needed at this point, Big Derp again... did nothing.

Tom: A common theme in this game. The Lizards do end up knocking the ball loose, but fail to secure control of it until near the end of the half. They do get quit a numerical advantage on the pitch though, knocking out 4 of the Mavericks. The Lizards end the half within a few feet of the endzone, but a Saurus blitz to clear the path ends up with a Saurus on the pitch, and the Lizards sporting only a 1-0 lead.

Tim: Only. It gets worse for the Mavericks here- only one of their 4 knocked out players was feeling well enough to return to the game.

Tom: The Lizards received the kick to start the second half, and quickly helped their player edge by KO'ing another Maverick. And again, badly needing some physical presence, Big Derp again goes boneheaded. Ugh.

Tim: The Mavericks couldn't put any pressure on the ball for this drive, and the Lizards score with ease, barely a quarter of the way through the second half.

Tom: The humans finally got some reinforcements from the dugout, so things were definitely looking up. The Lizards got another reroll on the kicking from their brilliant coaching, and to stop the humans' hope quickly, they failed to pick up the ball. The Lizards applied some serious pressure right away.

Tim: Then proceeded to knock down and foul Big Derp, knocking him out. Not that he did a whole lot even IN the game.

Tom: The Mavericks finally got some aggression back in them though, with Etaytram knocking a skink out of the game. They couldn't turn that aggression into ball movement, sadly.

Tim: The Lizards still didn't struggle in that department. They knocked the ball loose, picked it up, and scored a third touchdown. Then received another Brilliant Coaching reroll.

Tom: The Mavericks had one final attempt to score a touchdown, to save some face... but their Blitzer stumbled trying to get by the last defender between him and the endzone.

Tim: Just a really disappointing performance from the Mavericks. I honestly expected a lot more out of them.

Tom: Hopefully next week they can do a little better. They play the Chaos team, the Northmen, who won their first game. That should be a tough match, especially if Big Derp can't provide some 'punch'.

Tim: The Lizards face off against the Undead team, the Tombstones. We'll see how the Tombstones fare in their upcoming game. That might be a tough match too.

Tom: See you guys next game!