Venture into Guild Ball

It has been so long that I can't even remember the last time I posted in this blog (last March)! At that time, I was extremely busy with work...well, how times have stayed the same! Gladly though, I have enough time to hopefully blog more infrquently than before! Let's see how far we get shall we!

So, it's been around a year since I got my Guild Ball miniatures. For those who don't know, Guild Ball (GB) is a football (soccer) game set in a fantasy realm where disputes aren't settled with war but instead settled with violent football matches using various tools (crossbows, axes, high heels, etc).

The idea is simple - Get 12 points and you win! No set turns, just get 12 points. How do you get the points? Score a goal (4 points) or take a player out (2 points). See, simple! Each team will require 6 players per side but must include: a Captain and a Mascot with 4 other players from your faction. You can hire in 'Union' players (hired hands) if they will play for your current faction.

Models are fairly well balanced and there are no real 'meta lists' - players in each Guild will do well against different teams and, just like every other game, you will have models which are good all-round models.

I backed the kickstarter many moons ago and the two teams I chose (based on looks) happen to be fairly hard to master! I've had to put one of which aside for the moment while I get to grips with the other.

I went for Morticians and Alchemists! OoOoh! Pretty!

At the moment, I'm trying to learn the Morticians but I'm finding it pretty difficult. We have been really lucky at my FLGS that Rob (@derby_malal) has seen the light and has shifted from East to West Mids and with him he has brought a great enthusiasm for this game. So much enthusiasm that we have 5 tables playing at our last club night down the store.

I managed to get a game against a Butchers team, who look like this -

I know, beefcakes - right?
I will also point out at this moment that these are the basic Season I teams, we are already on Season II and models have been added.


On to the game. Now, we haven't been playing long as a store but there are some very experienced people playing - neither my opponent nor I were in that group but we keen to give it a go. I will point out that I've played maybe 4/5 games in the past but against much experiened opponents. It was good to play against someone who was getting a feel for the game like I was. Also, it gave us both a chance to play the game and talk out what we want to do and how we were going to do it in a relaxed atmosphere.

The Teams:
My team: Morticians.
[Captain] Obulus
[Mascot] Dirge
[Player] Ghast
[P] Averisse and Greede (Union)
[P] Mist (Union)
[P] Silence

My Opponent (Russ)'s team: Butchers
[C] Ox
[M] Princess (a dog!)
[P] Boar
[P] Boiler
[P] Brisket
[P] Tenderiser

So... if you take the team just by names... I've lost!

My Strategy
Simple... don't lose! But seriously... don't lose...
My strategy was very easy - get the ball to Mist, get her in position and score. In order to do this, I'd be using Obulus' ability to move players either away or move my players in to clog up lanes. I'll try and use Averisse and Greede to out activate my opponent (This model counts as one model to start with but can seperate into two models).

It would be at this point that I fill your eyes with photographs but... that didn't happen! I forgot my device for taking photos! Sorry!

Match Report
Don't worry, this will be short. Butcher's have a reputation as a 'smash-em' Guild and to some extent that is true. Boar is a combat beast but they also have some firepower too in order to score goals.
The fact is that I got dominated off the board. I didn't manage to keep many of my models away from the big hitters of the Butchers and subsequently, I paid the price. Russ managed to get a goal (4 points) but the remaining 8 points were by knocking models off the table! I should state here that models have the ability to come back onto the table after they have been removed at reduced health.

I should use the Guild's power to manouvre and manipulate opposing players by seeking out activations and utilise abilities more. Saying that, I've looked closer at the cards since this and by understanding the game a bit better, I sort of understand the abilities better. Of course, this will change when they get on the table and you play against someone who has different ideas and has a different vision from you!

Admittedly, I felt incredibly disheartened when I finished that game. It just seemed that other models and Guilds were strictly better in terms of play style and abilities than the Morticians and I seriously considered putting them down and leaving them alone but as I said, I've had a re-read and I've pushed a few models around at home trying to get the strategy right and try a few options out.

What next?
Well, keep going is the main thing. I've taken heart from the fact that Morticians are found to be competitive and they don't just roll over - so it's just me!
Next, I need to add two other models to my team from the Union (hired hands) - Fangtooth and Averisse and Greede. Now, I know what you're thinking - 'You've used A&G in the Bat Rep.' And you are quite right but I did manage to borrow one from Matt (@thetweetsofmatt).
Finally, I need to try out some of the other models from my Guild that I haven't used yet. With Season II comes new models and new captains that you can use for each Guild. I do have all the models for my Morticians (and Alchemists) but I don't really know what they can do on the tabletop.


Incase you're wondering there are other Guilds out there: Masons, Union, Brewers,  Hunters and Fishermen.

Of course, other models are available for these Guilds and they do look pretty awesome on the table.

I'll see how I get on and report back with my next game!
Meanwhile, I do have other projects on the table; MkIII Warmachine, Wild West Exodus and Age of Sigmar are at the forefront of my gaming. I'll be posting pictures of these later!

Anyway, that's all from me.
Thanks for reading.

I'll see you soon!