The Hat is a known figure for many winthin the Guild Ball community.
This article is divided in two parts, first an intro with the game description from the Community Project website theinspiringhat.com and a second part with some basic gameplay tactics written by Mr Hat himself.
The plan is to post a few more articles written by him like this, that get into each individual guild a bit as well. Enjoy!
Intro
Two coaches, two teams, twelve points to victory. Slide into a tactical skirmish game where football and fists go hand-in-hand. When it’s for the good of the Guild, anything goes!
Bring mob football to your tabletop in this fast-paced medieval skirmish game, where powerful Guilds compete to win by any means necessary. Earn victory by scoring 12 victory points.
It’s all about your tactics…
With just six player slots to fill, think carefully about the skills you need in your team. It’s up to you whether you balance ball control with attack and defense, or weight your team one way or the other.
Guild Ball’s playbook system also lets you be strategic with attacks. When you make a successful attack, you can choose the result from the options available to your player. Choose to damage, tackle, dodge, push, or take your victim down.
Some power character plays can change the course of the game.
…and your management
Each team starts with a pool of influence. Players use that influence to kick the ball, make an attack, or perform character plays. As coach, it’s your job to allocate influence to players at the start of the turn. During the game, perform actions that excite the crowd to build momentum. Then use that momentum to to perform even more momentous actions.
Be clever in your use of these two resources, and you just might win! Earn victory points by playing the beautiful game, or by sending your opponent home in a wooden box.
Play to your strengths
Is your team great at scoring goals? Can they use buffs to boost teammates? Or maybe their talents lie in knocking out enemy players? The best game plan plays to the strengths of your Guild.
Gain Momentum
Smash in a goal. Make a crucial pass. Take down a threatening enemy. Gain Momentum Points by performing actions that excite the crowd!
Make Tactical Choices
Once you’ve gained Momentum, use it to make special and game-defining actions, like taking shots on goal, healing damage, or launching counter-attacks. The spectators will love it!
Earn Victory Points
Earn 4 points for scoring a goal, 2 points for taking out a Captain or Squaddie, and 1 point for taking out a Mascot. Remember: just 12 points stand between you and victory.
Hat’s analysis of Guilds for new players
Gameplans
When we talk about gameplans (not the actual gameplan cards) we usually use the terms 3-0, 2-2, 1-4, 0-6. The first one (3-0) then means “three goals to get to 12 VP”. The second one (2-2) means “two goals and two take-outs to get to 12 VP”.
3-0
The three goals gameplan usually revolves around having fast models with either good tackling playbooks or good kicking stats. Put in a few utility models and you have a team whose main goal is to grab the ball, score and grab the ball again. Usually they’re fine with trading one model per goal, as that’s a VP-win (4 VP goal versus 2 VP for the take-out of the striker). Also, scoring a goal usually takes less activations, making it one of the fastest ways of closing out a game of Guild Ball.
The problem with the 3-0 gameplan lies in having to hunt for the ball and that missing a goal kick can be absolutely devastating, especially if the ball scatter is very unfavorable to your team. Because of this, teams usually try to go for a more mixed gameplan to be able to switch when the ball is tucked away too well or when disaster strikes and you miss a shot on goal or that all-important tackle result.
Teams/captains that are usually known for their primary 3-0 approach are: Midas from the Alchemists, Lamplighters, Miners, Shark and Yukai from the Fishermen, Corbelli from the Masons, Navigators and the Order of Solthecius.
2-2
The mixed gameplan of two goals and two take-outs is usually reserved for the teams that have the ability to close out with three goals, but can more easily grab some take-outs on the way. This means 1-2 striker models, 1-2 beaters and 1-2 utility models for a nice mix of VP generation possibilities. While 3-0 can be fast, the 2-2 gameplan is usually faster in a match of evenly skilled opponents, since protecting the ball gets easier to do the better you understand the game and your opponent’s team.
There are no clear drawbacks to playing the 2-2 game. When primarily going for 2-2, you can sometimes easily shift into a 3-0 or 1-4 gameplan, depending on how the match evolves. It’s one of the most prevalent strategies in the game and seems to also be one of the strategies that garners the most ‘fun’, as you’re playing both sides of the game.
Guilds/captains that are usually known for their 2-2 approach are: Smoke and Soma from the Alchemists, a fast-paced Blacksmiths team, Rivet and Pin Vice from the Engineers, Festival from the Farmers, Shepherds, Skatha of the Hunters, Honour of the Masons and veteran Greede for the Union.
1-4
When your team lacks the ability to stall out the game and brawl their way to the finish, you usually try to end the game with a single goal to round out the total amount of victory points. The 1-4 gameplan usually revolves around teams whose main objective is to brawl, but do have the ability to score a goal (or two). Obviously, teams with these gameplans can switch their strategy up in the middle of a match towards a 2-2 or 0-6 game, depending on the situation.
A slower type of gameplan than either 3-0 or 2-2, the 1-4 team will usually just try to use the ball to increase their own threat ranges and start a fight on their terms, after which they will score a goal to end the game with one of their faster models. Another quite prevalent strategy, as most fighting teams have some faster models to try and end a game more quickly with a well-placed shot on goal.
Guilds/captains that are usually known for their 1-4 approach are: a well-balanced Blacksmiths team, Esters of the Brewers, Fillet and veteran Boar from the Butchers, Cooks, Thresher from the Farmers, Corsair of the Fishermen, Theron of the Hunters, Falconers, Hammer of the Masons, Lumberjacks, Scalpel and Obulus of the Morticians, Ratcatchers and Blackheart from the Union.
0-6
Your team has some ability to kick a ball around, but your team is mostly drafted from brawling fanatics. They’d rather tuck the ball away somewhere, or put it on a model that can protect the ball very well. Their strategy usually is “come at me, if you dare”. And if you can’t or don’t, they’ll come to you with their ball of death and you’ll need to run for cover.
The 0-6 strategy has also been coined ‘bunker-ball’, as that’s what is happening. The enemy squad will build a bunker around the ball (and usually a piece of defensive terrain) and will then just try to launch attacks from said bunker without any possible form of retaliation. Often seen as the ‘negative player experience’ type of play for newer players, but a grand puzzle to crack for the more experienced ones who like a challenge.
Guilds/captains that are usually known for their 0-6 approach are: a fighting-based Blacksmiths team, Tapper and Corker of the Brewers, Ox of the Butchers, Ballista from the Engineers, Grange of the Farmers, Steeljaw from the Hunters, Mourn of the Morticians and veteran Rage from the Union.
