A Balanced Starting Amazon Team with Five Fan Factor

The beginning of a new Blood Bowl league season means it's time for some tough choices.

Who makes it onto the new roster? Should I bother with a thrower? How many re-rolls are enough? Can I skimp on the blitzers to save money?

The Amazon team comes with a modicum of position choices - the almighty Blitzers, the craft Catchers, the so-so- Throwers, and your run-of-the-mill Linewomen - and there are a couple of variations on good starting teams. Although my favorite choice includes a low fan factor and a full complement of skill players (read about my favorite balanced Amazon roster here), an equally viable alternative includes giving up on the Thrower position to gain more starting fan factor.

Without further ado, here's a sample starting roster, followed with some thoughts about the choices involved.

Starting Amazon Roster

• 4 x Blitzers (360k)
• 2 x Catchers (140k)
• 5 x Linewomen (250k)
• Apothecary (50k)
• 3 x Re-Rolls (150k)
• 5 x Fan Factor (50k)

Tough Choices

Three re-rolls? Since the whole team starts with dodge, the blitzers have block, and the catchers have catch, I find that I rarely use my team re-rolls. I get a lot of "free" re-rolls anyway. This also lets me use them with a bit more freedom, re-rolling blocks that might not be essential. While two re-rolls would be sufficient, I like having a third one so that I can play a bit aggressive with the hitting.

Apothecary? It would be equally costly to start with a 12th player (linewoman) instead of buying an Apothecary. I prefer the Apothecary, though. The way I see it, I'd rather use 50k to save a player from dying than to bring in an extra player from the bench. If I go into the first game without an Apothecary and someone dies, I'll spend the rest of the next few games catching up. With the Apothecary, I've got a good chance (5/6 or 86.6%) of turning a death into a non-death and a decent chance (1/2 or 50%) of keeping the player in the game and preventing him from missing the next game.

Five Fan Factor? I think this is more than enough. It's a good middle-of-the-road value, and you'll have a fighting chance at getting a +1 FAME modifier in any given game. If you play in a league where everyone starts with 9 Fan Factor, you might be at a bit of a disadvantage. In normal circumstances, though, you'll face a mix of teams and it'll balance out. Not to mention the Fan Factor modifiers aren't all that important in a game - having an extra skill player or two is probably more important than a +1 FAME.

No Thrower? This is a trade-off for the extra couple fan factor. The Amazon team can generate a powerful running game, and the Thrower isn't all that necessary. An effective offense could easily use Linewomen to pick up the ball and hand it off to a Catcher, who then proceeds to move the ball downfield. Since the Thrower doesn't come with Sure Hands, there's little incentive to take her if you're planning on actually throwing the ball. Of course, you can also buy a Thrower after a game or two... assuming no one dies early on.

Bottom Line

The goal of this team roster is to generate a balanced starting team for a League. The Apothecary provides some insurance against injuries and the middling Fan Factor prevents the team from getting out-FAMEd every game. The Blitzers and Catchers provide enough skill for a physical running game, making the Thrower unnecessary. This roster is a great choice for people who aren't overly interested in throwing the ball.