Acerak's Guide to the Undead
by -=-Acerak the Lich King
Purpose
To take a look at the Undead, and give some tips on how to build them
into a frighteningly effective team (as opposed to a frightening, but INeffective
team).
Players
Mummies
STRENGTHS: A 5 ST is pretty nice for a starting player. Beginning your
career with Mighty Blow is pretty nice, as well. A Mummy also has a pretty
good AV (9). Mummies can also select Strength Skills, so this is a plus.
Also, at 100K, this isn't exactly an expensive player.
WEAKNESSES: A decided lack of mobility (3 MA and 1 AG).
Wights
STRENGTHS: Wights start with Block, and are no worse than an average
player (with Regeneration, to boot).
WEAKNESSES: Wights are overpriced at 90K. Also, they can only take
General Skills, which means they are not - I repeat, ARE NOT!! - pain-dealers
by any stretch of the imagination. Since you can only get 2 of them, you
can't rely on #s.
Ghouls
STRENGTHS: Ghouls are catcher-types with good MA (7), high ST (for
catchers - a 3), and a useful starting skill (Dodge). They're also cheap
at 70,000 Gold Crowns apiece. You can also have 4 of them.
WEAKNESSES: Ghouls do NOT Regenerate. This, coupled with the lack of
an Apothecary, makes Ghouls extremely vulnerable.
Skeletons
STRENGTHS: They're cheap - for 30K, they're easily replaceable. At
a MA of 5, they're about on par with an Orc for mobility.
WEAKNESSES: Plenty of 'em. A 2 AG, to start with. A 7 AV, for enders.
Zombies
STRENGTHS: They're cheap, and have at least average AV. You can't get
ST-3 players on any other team for cheaper than 40K.
WEAKNESSES: Their MA is atrocious (4). Their AG is equally inane (2).
Starting Roster
I never start any Undead team off any differently:
2 Mummies (Stationary Death) 200K
2 Wights (Undead Linemen) 180K
2 Ghouls (Breakables) 140K
3 Skeletons (Frail Garbage) 90K
3 Zombies (Slow Garbage) 90K
3 Rerolls 210K
Fan Factor 9 90K
Total 1,000K
This does quite a few things. For one, it gives you 12 players. Even
on an Undead team, you need 12 players - many players have weak AVs, and
the Ghouls can't be counted on to be protected by Regeneration.
You also start with 2 Mummies and 2 Wights, so you have people who
can take care of themselves (the Mummies can take care of the other team's
players, too, though in not quite the same manner>;). The Ghouls can do
all the ballhandling, occasionally giving it to the Wights if need be.
(Never be afraid to let a Wight handle the ball.)
This also gives you the best possible foundation for the long haul,
because you start with the maximum allowable Fan Factor, which will allow
you to buy up the other Valuable Thing on an Undead Team [tm]: Rerolls.
Starting with 3 Rerolls will help TREMENDOUSLY. Undead players aren't exactly
buried beneath the weight of their stats or skills, if you know what I
mean. One reroll for Picking Up The Ball each half leaves you with a couple
extra to help out with that Mummy's double-down Block roll, for example,
or that critical Foul.
The First Game
Don't worry about the fact that Orcs can outhit you. Or that Skaven
can outmaneuver you. Or that Elves can get away from you.
YOUR TEAM CAN PLAY THIS GAME. I can't possibly stress this enough :)
Most teams won't be able to handle your front line (2 Mummies and some
Zombies is usually sufficient).
PLAY AS MANY PLAYERS BACK AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN. You can't afford to
get outflanked, but if you keep a Wight free on each end to Blitz anyone
deep, and have some Skeletons handy to move up where needed, and keep a
Ghoul around to pick up the ball when it pops loose, you'll be able to
play a quick transition game that will work wonders.
SKELETONS AND ZOMBIES ARE THERE TO TIE UP THE OTHER TEAM'S USEFUL PLAYERS.
When I coach the Undead, a Zombie always attaches himself to a nearby Troll.
Or an Ogre. Or a Minotaur (ESPECIALLY a Minotaur). Or a Black Orc. Or a
Chaos Warrior. This forces the other team's hitters to key on your lesser
players, while your good players (ie., any non-Skeleton or non-Zombie)
key on HIS good players. This is one reason to keep Skeletons and Zombies
a few squares back from the line - once your opponent spreads out (he'll
do this often, since it works against your low MA), you can be selective
in this regard.
Use Skeletons to Foul anyone of any value who falls on the ground.
Do this often, and make sure you have a reroll handy :)
Skill Selection
Good skill selection is essential for any team hoping to rise to the
top. With the Undead, this is doubly important, as your players have many
weaknesses.
Minimizing weaknesses, of course, is also important. Some good skill
selections:
MUMMIES: Block is of critical importance, but it should be taken
SECOND. Mummies are your only source of pain (Mighty Blow) that can be
counted on on a regular basis. Because of this, you need to use that MB
*EACH AND EVERY TURN*. In order to help accomplish this, you give them
Frenzy. Frenzy also helps with their limited MA - it can always be used
to get them back into the play. Because of their 5 ST, Mummies can often
Frenzy into one or two opposing players and still get a two-die Block.
Guard is a good third skill, though Multiple Block is also nice.
WIGHTS: PRO is the ABSOLUTE FIRST SKILL FOR A WIGHT. Nevermind
Sure Hands. Nevermind Strip Ball (though you should get that later). Nevermind
anything else - a Wight needs to be versatile, scoring AND blocking, and
Pro is the weapon of choice for the versatile player.
Use Pro on anything and everything you can. Other good skills for a
Wight? It's hard to say. Without a stat increase, you should probably play
for something generally useful, like Strip Ball. Any doubles roll should
be used for Dodge, and NOT Mighty Blow. Wights make good hasslers, but
are NOT effective hunter-killers. Dodge has MANY more uses, especially
since you already have Block.
If you can get a stat increase in your first two rolls, it might help
you decide on some other skills: Frenzy for ST-4 Wights, Pass Block for
AG-4 Wights, and Shadowing for MA-7 Wights are all good examples. Leader
is a good Wight skill, too, although it shouldn't be taken until the 3rd
skill (or 4th, if you're that lucky).
GHOULS: One Ghoul will need to be your ballhandler (absent Allies),
so one needs to get Sure Hands and Block (any doubles roll is spent on
Pass). Ghouls can be given any number of skills. The only rule of thumb,
really, is not to make them all the same. Make one "speed burner" with
Jump Up, Sprint, and Sure Feet, for example. Make another "possession receiver"
with Catch, Block (he holds onto the ball once he's got it), and Sure Hands
(it gives you another runner/ passer, and he can't be Stripped). Finally,
make a "Guardian Ghoul" with Diving Tackle, Block, Frenzy (if he gets ST-4),
that sort of thing. This gives you versatility.
My own suggestions for Skeleton and Zombie skills follow:
Skeletons & Zombies
Skeletons and Zombies are the "role-players" of your team. When selecting
a skill, keep the following in mind:
Zombies and Skeletons can't be expected to dodge anywhere, so Dodge
is out on a doubles roll. While it might help the player avoid being knocked
over, its overall usefulness will be limited.
Zombies and Skeletons have no MA. "Shadowing" is right out :)
Know the limitations - Skeletons have a 7 AV. Zombies have a 4 MA.
Skeletons
Originally, when my "Cowboys From Hell" were started, I had the following
goals for Skeletons and Zombies:
SKELETONS: Get Dirty Player, followed by Pro and Block. Kick
as many players in the head as possible.
ZOMBIES: Get Block and Dauntless as fast as possible, and play
on the front line, taking down Black Orcs, Ogres, and the like.
However, as time went on, I became unsatisfied with the basic results.
I like versatility, and even though some of my favorite players of all
time have been DPs, the fact remains that a Dirty Player doesn't have a
whole lot of range.
Since then, I've modified my goals a bit. Skeletons make good Foulers
for the following reasons:
THEY'RE CHEAP. Since your opponent is likely to key on any DP or Fouler
you may have, making it an otherwise "useless" player is a good idea (because
it takes pressure off of your better players).
THEY HAVE A 5 MA. Compared to a Zombie, a Skeleton is an Olympic track
star ;)
Note also that Skeletons CAN'T take a lot of punishment, owing to their
weak AV.
As noted, I grew disatisfied with my DPs. Mighty Blow, I thought, would
be MUCH more useful, since not every Skeleton can Foul every turn, of course.
But Mighty Blow required doubles. What would I do in the meantime?
PRO: As another Necromancer noted, Skeletons and Zombies are only going
to get SPPs by getting casualties. While Block will help out a bit, the
fact remains that Block won't help you get many more Casualties - it just
keeps you from becoming a Casualty yourself. Pro can be used on Fouls *and*
on Blocks, and - especially with 2-die Blocks - is a lot more useful than
the Block skill for gaining SPPs.
If every Skeleton has Pro instead of Dirty Player first, a lot of otherwise
useful rolls are not "wasted" - like AG +1 on a DP, for example. Or MA
+1. Or ST +1 (who wants to be walking around Fouling with their ST-4 Skeleton?).
After Pro, you should use any doubles roll for Mighty Blow - this can
be used on Blocks AND Fouls, and is thus a lot more useful than DP. If
your second roll is normal, try Block - Block & Pro work great in tandem.
If you come up with a stat increase, you can try something else: Frenzy
on a ST-4 schlep (like a Skeleton) is always great. A MA bonus or an AG
bonus is going to be a little harder to work on, since the skills that
work best with each - Shadowing and Pass Block - are offset by your abysmally
poor starting stats. However, these might be worth trying out all the same
- after all, you'll have Pro to back you up.
Tackle would probably work well on a Skeleton, too, since some of them
can play "linebacker" and attach themselves to players with Dodge.
My best Skeleton had Dirty Player, Pro, Block, Kick, and Dauntless
(because large players tended to wander near him in an attempt to kill
him:).
Zombies
Zombies do NOT make good Foulers, largely because of their immobility
(4 MA). However, Zombies DO make good supplements to your front line -
if you know how to work 'em.
While I am the greatest proponent of the Pro skill I've ever come across,
I do not - repeat, DO NOT - recommend giving Pro to a Zombie. There simply
isn't enough they can do with it besides reroll Blocks (since they can't
Foul well).
Zombies make great linemates for your Mummies (my Wights don't play
the line). As such, BLOCK is an absolute first for any Zombie.
Because most of your opponent's larger players will be on the line,
DAUNTLESS is another must for a Zombie player. Dauntless works best against
Black Orcs, Chaos Warriors, Bull Centaurs - those types of players.
Most Zombies, to be painfully honest, won't ever get a third skill
roll, so I wouldn't be so concerned about it. If you would actually get
that far, I might recommend PRO (for help with Dauntless blocks), or possibly
TACKLE (if your league is particularly pointy-eared, if you know what I
mean).
Any doubles rolls are best spent on GUARD. A couple of Guards on the
front line make it difficult for your opponent to open up by having his
Ogre spank your Mummy. Any Zombie can then actually be valuable when he
spends his 4 MA to stand back up (3 MA) and get back up to the line (1
MA).
Don't worry too much about Mighty Blow, unless you're lucky enough
to get a second doubles roll (in which case Stand Firm wouldn't be too
bad, either).
Stat increases, sadly, are mostly wasted on a Zombie. A MA-5 Zombie
should probably be retired to your coaching staff, to tell you the truth.
An AG-3 Zombie DEFINITELY belongs there (where's he gonna go with his 4
MA?). A ST-4 Zombie, however, is a gift from the Dark One, and should be
treated accordingly ("30K Black Orc! Wahoo!";).
IN SHORT: Don't worry too much about these players. They're only there
to help support the rest of the team.
Other Necromantic Notes
Try to keep 15 players on your roster - never 16. This is the cheapest
way to increase your assistant coaches (you simply raise a dead player,
put him on the roster, and retire him at the end of the game).
I think that's about all I have to add on that particular subject.
Happy haunting!
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