Guide d'équipe : Gobelins

Why should I play Goblins?

Out of all teams within Blood Bowl, time and time again I found myself returning to the little Greenskins. They were my first race, and even after branching out to a few others, I still found myself coming back. Above all they are a team designed to be a challenge and fun. The roster consists of Strength 2 Goblins, two trolls, and three secret weapons.

Unique Game Style : Goblins like Halflings and Ogres are a special kind of team, falling under the category of "stunty". Relying on their small size, Big Guys, and wacky quirks, the Goblin team requires a coach to perform different plays and ploys to defeat the enemy which can offer a refreshing approach to Blood Bowl for those either experienced, or the newer coaches wanting to use a team entirely unique from the main stream.


Stunty and Dodge with Right Stuff:To compensate for their poor strength, all the Goblins start with dodge and stunty. Having the stunty ability mixed with dodge gives them a reasonable chance of disengaging and since they ignore tackle zones, the Goblins can get past areas which other teams could only dream of. And lastly with Right Stuff, Goblins can be tossed, either at the enemy or over them to go for the glorious one turn touchdown.


Secret Weapons :They are also the only team to have three Secret Weapon players at their disposal, who can cause havoc on the enemy team. Considered the main reason to play gobbos, the ball and chain and chainsaw wielding goblins can be catastrophic to the enemy lineup on good days, and the bomber can blast open tight clusters of enemy players...on a good day at least. The Goblins are the undisputed kings of cheating too with cheaper bribes at their disposal as inducements to allow their weapons get past the referee.


Trolls and Tossing : And lastly they also have two Big Guys in the form of Trolls, notoriously difficult to kill and providing the muscle to the team. They make for a pretty decent line of scrum vs the weaker teams or a great road blocks vs a more persistent opponent. While stupid, they also allow the team the opportunity, albeit risky, for a one turn touch down.


Taking this into account, the Goblin team provides a unique style of play, summed up as high-risk/high-reward. While they are certainly an underdog team and achieving victory is very difficult [Not that this isn't possible], they can give an experienced coach an incredible challenge and a refreshing game play, or for a newer coach who is more in for carnage and fun, the Goblins are not lacking in either.

Why should I not play Goblins?

Goblins are not amongst the better teams of Blood Bowl. In fact they are an "underdog"/stunty team, which means they are designed to be challenging and high risk. Plus due to lacking certain qualities of the other teams like positional players, they are also a very hard team to play and do well with. Their mean appeal long term is for the experienced coaches or masochists due to their high level of difficulty.

Winning is Difficult: Winning with Goblins is hard, very hard. I would be lying if I said otherwise. Over long term the initial "fun" of the goblin roster wears off, and inevitably a coach who sticks with them will want more than the random carnage and look to success. The effort required to pull off victories with the greenskins is significantly higher than the other rosters, and with their in-built handicaps and drawbacks, this is an immense challenge and, while not impossible, not something which is to be expected.


Low Strength/Squishy:The Goblins themselves are notoriously squishy and tend to get injured at a frightening level of frequency which some new coaches may be put off, not to mention their cross the board low strength. Further more the team does not start with any basic positional players, like catchers or throwers, so its up to the humble gobbos to play multiple rolls without the skills. They also make AWFUL throwers.


Limited Ability Access: Both the Trolls, Goblins and Weapons have access to only one skill tree, Strength and Agility respectively. As such, your capacity for plays such as passing or boxing (Low Strength) is almost null, and due to no General Access except on doubles, the team continues to be risky even while blocking. As such, the Goblin coach is forced to make do with what they have. Fortunately it is not quite as bad as it may seem, but I will cover skills later on.


The Weapons are Unreliable and Dangerous The Weapons too, while being the main attraction to the team, are notorious for their unreliable nature. Some games the Weapons can work wonders, but a lot of the time versus a well prepared opponent, their damage can be minimum, not to mention the chances of them offing themselves in a rather sudden manner. Fun initially but can become tedious or, at worst, a hindrance. Any plan using them as a core part is bound to fail as any Goblin coach will find, their performance is heavily reliant on luck and the ignorance of your opponent.


Generally Unreliable :Trolls being Big Guys are also unreliable, with Really Stupid and Loner, they are by nature somewhat erratic in their performance, though not as much as the weapons, so attempting to plan around them can be difficult. This would not hurt so much if they did not play such an important roll in the Goblin team. Fortunately to compensate they have regeneration. Goblins too, despite having dodge and stunty, is not a safe method of disengaging and as mentioned above, the weapons performance is very luck dependent and consistency makes it difficult to form safe plans.


In spite of all of the negatives of the Goblin team, there are methods to compete with them. Make no mistake though, they are a high risk/high reward team and winning with them requires more effort than almost any other. However, on a more positive side,they are definitely a challenge and can be enjoyable, and if you are looking for either of these, mostly the former, then welcome to the world of a Stunty coach!

Da Positionalz

In this section I will give a brief description for each positional on the Goblin roster. Unlike standard teams the Goblins do not start with catchers, runners or blockers. Instead they are given their Secret Weapons and trolls/Goblins to compensate. Fortunately due to their low cost, it is possible to start with almost everything from the get go.

Goblins Image

The foundation and core of the team. These little chaps are dirt cheap at a nice 40k, so don't concern yourself over their death or injury. Starting with Dodge, this allows you to disengage from enemies easier without wasting team Re-Rolls, as well as having a modest Ag3 and Mv6. Unfortunately they also have stunty, which, while ignoring Tackle Zones, makes them very easy to hurt. To be used in a multitude of rolls, catchers, ball carriers, fodder, and troll food/ammunition. Still though, despite their expendable nature, at least IMHO, it is these guys who will win you the game.

Goblins are not as slow as some people may think in terms of developing, but they are not elves. Personally I would suggest with your first normal level up as a catcher. This allows you to use the ever infamous Throw-Team Mate with the trolls with greater reliance, not to mention if you are cornered, keeping a catcher mid field can be good as a last ditch attempt to break off.

Side Step and Diving Tackle is all up to personal preference. Personally I always choose DT over Side Step. Many people would rather Side Step, but to me, Diving Tackle can be used in far more situations. For example, if you are trying to break off in offense but a pesky blitzer is at you, marking him with a stepper would not be half as effective as with a Diving Tackler. Not to mention vs Elves, Side Step has limited amount of use in my experience, where DT makes the normally fearlessly dodging Elf have something to be concerned about.

Quick Tip: Unless you are taking so many casualties that it is digging into your reserves, its best to save your doctor for the trolls, or in the case of later, your skilled gobbos, which will be few.

For the first double, a block gobbo can be a great asset in terms of defense or offense. A blocker can go a long way in adding an extra element of reliability, either as a blitzer or a blocker in the opening line of scrum. A Dirty player is another interesting asset and at least in terms of long term use, can be used up until death and can be great at taking out key players knocked to the ground.

The best level up possible however is a Goblin with +1 Agility. This guy should be kept exclusively for offense as with an Ag4 Gob, this actually brings the roster up to a touch below semi competitive, a major boost. Incredible dodging and in a crisis situation, the one turn touchdown actually becomes pretty feasible.

+1 Strength can also prove to be a nasty surprise, especially if you are willing to risk dodging him into a box to 1dblock the enemy ball carrier. Personally however I would much rather give Goblins block than Strength.

Essentially though the Goblins play a multiple rolls within the team, from the all important ball carrier, blockers [From time to time], blitzers, foulers and of course, cannon fodder.

Normal Level: Catch, Side Step/Diving Tackle, Sure Feet
Double: Block, Dirty Player, Sure Hands, Kick
Stat Up: +1 Agility, +1 Str, +1 MV

Trolls Image

The muscle. Your Big Guys. The Munchas. Da Big Cheeze.The Trolls. They are my all time favourite Big Guys in the game and for good reason. With av9 and regeneration they are a tough nut to crack, and with an apothecary as a fall back they can generally take a proper beating and get back up. However, as is the nature of all Big Guys they are brutally unreliable and unfortunately play a core part of your plan, second only to the Goblins themselves. However, they are also excellent at tying up and with two Big Guys, they can provide a formidable amount of strength to compensate for the Goblins St2.

While most by now would be aware just how unreliable Big Guys are, with Goblins the Trolls play a critical role in both offense and Defense, playing further into the risky game style of the Goblins. In Defense generally where the trolls are based should be where the defense is formed around. Where the trolls go the Goblins go, though a little bit behind just to be safe! Unlike other Big Guys who are either assets to form up a few tackle zones or the occasional blitzer, Trolls are absolutely critical to the Goblin team's success and in my view, arguably more so than the weapons. Offense similarly the Troll's objective is to hold ground so that you can attempt open gaps mid field with which you can exploit. Big Guys in general are unreliable, and with loner and Stupidity, things can go awry at the worst of times.

However, all is not bad. With Really Stupid, all actions taken should be on a 2+ if you are positioned correctly and although unreliable, their immense durability and staying power more than makes up for their negative traits. No player is safe from the wrath of Nuffle but in my experience, Trolls, at least on the Goblin team, tend to have very long life spans and as they slowly level their mere presence can add a lot to assisting the Goblins, particularly with guard. Plus with the extra bonus of throw-team mate you got a pretty diverse Big Guy.

As for level ups, guard as the first in order to add extra ease on the LOS, followed either by Stand Firm to make the troll an annoying road block or break tackle to add mobility. On a double, naturally one should go for block. Pro and Dodge is up to personal preference but the general opinion is pro to add extra reliability to the Big chaps.

For stat ups, +1 Strength can add a lot to the Troll, making him a nightmare on offense in the LOS. One assist will give him a 3dice block which is by all accounts "safe". +1 Av should only be taken if your Troll already has Guard, otherwise it is not worth investing in, as you will get a lot more value from a skill than a stat up.

On a more personal note I have lost very VERY few Trolls to death or crippling injury, I would estimate at most, if even, twenty, after hundreds of games.They are not reliable, like all Big Guys, but as I have said before, their immense durability and capability to get into the most vicious of scraps and come out in one piece is staggering, and while no one is safe from Nuffle, ultimately they are tougher than a box of nails.

A special note: Contrary to popular belief, +1 Agility does NOT have any influence over throw team mate. Throw Team mate always counts as an inaccurate throw, so unless its a short pass, which is a 2+, the quick pass is ALWAYS a 3+ to throw, strong arm withstanding, as it always gives a -1 penalty on the toss. Hence why it is not listed in the stat ups. Strong arm too I find should only be invested in if you are especially daring, but I would not recommend it.

Also: SAVE THE APOTHECARY FOR THE TROLLS!

Normal Level: Guard, Break Tackle, Thick Skull, Stand Firm
Double: Block, Pro/Dodge, Side Step [After you got the first two]
Stat Up: +1 Strength, +1 AV

Da Pogoer Image

This guy would be your primary ball carrier. Being both fast and agile, combined with leap, makes this guy rather difficult to pin down and with Mv7, he is quite a capable runner. I personally am not a fan of him, but he is an incredible addition to the Goblin team and is a remarkable runner. With leap and Very Long Legs too, he can also manage to break off if things are getting too clustered, mixed with stunty and dodge, he is considered by many THE Goblin team's ball carrier. Not compulsory but not too far off either.

Skills: Sure Feet, Sprint or Catch.
Double Skills: Block/Sure hands


Secret Weapons:

Before I continue I want to make a brief note. Most people consider the Goblins to be 99% based around the weapons. This is a nice mindset, especially if you really want a break from competitive play, but this really is not how they should be done. Some may say, if you are going to be like that, why not use Orcs? Well, by that logic, why bother playing halflings? You play Goblins for a challenge, and though while you can have fun (Mind you should ALWAYS have fun no matter who you are using in BB), you can also try to win. Through my experience, Goblins can work a lot better if you don't solely put your plans reliant on the weapons.

The standard way of thinking with Goblins is "Do as much damage with the weapons, gain a number advantage.....WIN!!" It can work initially but against more experienced coaches, the weapons can be countered very easily, particularly because they are also rather match-up reliant. Thus I wish to give this very small chart in terms of priority in importance within the Gobbo Roster.

Core: Image Image Image

Assets: Image Image Image *In no specific order*

There is absolutely no doubt the Weapons are enjoyable and can be quite effective on a good day, but they have a very erratic level of performance in my experience, from the downright devastating to being completely useless, or worst case, self destructive. When I get to the match-up strategy and formation section I shall cover this in more detail.

I will also briefly cover their skill up recommendations but for strategy I will look at that in my next post.

Fanatic: Mighty Blow/Grab Double: Block
Looney: Dodge/Sneaky Git Double: Block
Bomber: HMP, if he fails to get a double on his first level up fire him.


Starting Rosters

There are a number of ways to go with the starting Goblin roster. However, for those of you wishing to experiment with your own quirks or bits, I would suggest at a minimum taking the following:

1 Apothecary: 50k
3 RR: 180k
2 Trolls: 220k
11 Goblins: 440k
Total: 890k

You need some form of a bench with Goblins due to their fragile nature, and having at least two would be the minimum I would allow my roster to drop to. Some may consider going the Halfing route, where you purposely go out of your way to gimp your TV to hire star players and bribes. I am not a fan of this, in fact I think it does more harm to the goblins than good, as unlike the halflings, you have the capability for a pretty solid running game and your Av, while low, won't break if you are coughed on. Its your choice of course, as Goblins are very diverse, and if you are willing, you could easily drop the apothecary (I would NOT recommend this! You cannot afford to lose a troll imho), and another goblin.


Variant 1: Standard Gobbo Roster

1 Apoth 50
3 RR 180
2 Trolls 220
1 Fanatic 70
1 Pogoer 70
1 Looney 40
9 Goblins, 360

Total: 990k

You get everything in this roster, 3 RR and Doctor as standard, and all but one of the toys. You get a nice 14 man roster with two secret weapons. Generally I would suggest to get your 15th and 16th man ASAP, unless you are in league play, this leave one slot open perhaps for the star players. The Pogoer is there as your primary ball carrier, his ability to leap and +1 MV making him a remarkable runner and quite good for breaking off in sticky situations.

A note on the Bomber: For those of you a fan of the bomb wielding crazed psycho, a word of note, he is NOT SAFE. The Fanatic and Looney can only really damage themselves, unless in the former you are very unlucky, but the bomber can, on a regular day, either kill himself or get intercepted and have his bomb tossed back. If the bomb which was intercepted explodes by one of your own players and knocks him down, you suffer a turn over, which makes him the only weapon holding another potential of a premature end.

If you really want him, replace a goblin with the bomber, but then you are running with a very thin bench. He is not worth it IMHO but for those purely in for the fun, go ahead, but I can assure you that he very quickly gets irritating after the initial flare wears off.

Variant 2: Fan Favourite

1 Apoth 50k
3 RR 180k
7 FF 70k
2 Trolls 110k
11 Gobbos 480k
1 Looney 40k

(Alternatively, switch the FF with 1 cheering fans and 1 Assistant coach, or a 4th RR and 1 of the former)

Total: 1000k

This takes a rather unusual approach to the Goblin roster. Instead of trying to branch out on a weapon heavy roster, this is more to do with long term leagues. Since Goblins are somewhat difficult to win with anyway, the Fan Factor should really pay for itself even as it declines with the cash granted by FAME.

The chainsaw is there for obvious reasons being an unreliable but devastating blitzer on the right days. Since he is the only weapon on the team, you can also rely on having a semi deep bench to begin with as well allowing you to foul with reasonable freedom. For those of you who are fans of the Pogoer, you can drop 3 Fan Factor and replace one of the line Goblins with him.

In the circumstance that any of you are fans of the fanatic, he can be easily added in later but I would suggest basing your team around one weapon (IMHO the Chainsaw) to allow yourself both hitting power and a bench. Otherwise you run the risk of having Goblins kicked off before even taking any action and I find the chainsaw useful in all matchups in contrast to the other two. Look to add two more goblins to complete your roster if you are in a TV Matchup environment. In a league environment or ranked, leave one spot open for a star. A fourth re-roll is a valid option but generally three should be more than enough.

General Team Management Advice:

You are not halflings, so do not go out of your way to completely gimp your TV. However, on that note, unless you are getting some ludicrously good level ups, NEVER EVER exceed 1450 TV. The Goblin roster's sweet spot is around 1300-1370. Any higher you are likely suffering from TV bloat or you are blessed by Nuffle and have GOD LIKE level ups. Generally speaking however, if you are entering the 1400 TV region, consider cutting one of the experienced goblins with regular level ups with a rookie.

Thats my 2 cents, I hope this proves helpful for newer coaches or those interested in Gobbos and il look into formations and offensive/defensive strategy another time. Enjoy your Gobbos!