Dreadball Review - with Ryan Metzler

[@jeremyknutson1460]

obviously a very dangerous game, considering all the players who must have suffered dismembering injuries.

[@TRez5000]

What I learned from this review: 1. Ryan does not like games where you shoot the ball to score. 2. Ryan does not like shooting from predetermined distances to score more points. In summation, Ryan does not like basketball.

[@jbbmailbox]

Ok...I understand it takes a bit to assemble the teams and clean up the flash. IMO if your not willing to assemble the miniatures at least the game review should be held off till them. With the miniatures you have might take an hour to and hour and half to do. But for those still interested in this AMAZINGLY fun game check out Beasts of War's video series of Dreadball Academy.

[@DragonsTomeRob]

I think comparing Dreadball to BloodBowl is unfair. It's like comparing Football to Basketball. They are different sports. I think that being stuck in this comparison skewed you against the scoring especially since you said it was like Rugby or Soccer when it is more a combo of Hockey (the checking) and Basketball (the throwing to score). Also the tug of war version of keeping score is changed in more advanced versions for those who just want a high scoring game.

[@rpmetzler]

Unfair? I don't think so. Blocking/running/throwing/dodging/attack zones all work very similarly. The differences exist, but I don't think it is an unfair comparison.

[@garathon66]

Ryan Metzler There's an interesting post on the designer's blog about this very topic if you're interested!

[@rpmetzler]

garathon66 I've seen it actually! Despite his statements (which I agree, differentiate the game from Blood Bowl...I never claimed it was a "rip off"), I still think a comparison is fair.

[@thehydetennisclub-pros6395]

I understand people who are not that bothered about theme and love Euros and so forth (I love many myself), but not even putting arms on your dudes!

[@ParanoidTheMarvin]

I learned how to play Blood Bowl recently, and just find out about Dread Ball. There are lot of cool looking teams and MVPs, but I am little bit turned off by seeing Orc, Skaven, and Dwarf looking teams in this game. Was it necessary to add teams that feel like a cheap knock off, when they already had unique and original teams?

[@chrislay3827]

It's set in the same gameworld as Mantic's scifi wargame which was basically meant to be a Warhammer 40k alternative and thus features the same races.

[@ShamblerKnight]

I like this game its fast and simple the scoring is cut throat and can create frustration but if you get the expansions and the different forces it really spices up the game for you.

[@wetwillyccma]

Looks cool. I paint figures so that would be nice to put them together and use them in the game. I agree the scoring system is weird, I would rather just score points and keep them. I guess you could do that instead of moving the counter back and forth. Good review Ryan.

[@Wolfie64]

I got really into the BloodBowl PC game a year or so ago and really wanted a board game version. But BB seems too archaic and overpriced for us. So at the time this had just come out so I got it. I'm not really sure what went wrong but my group really didn't take to it very well. We were always forgetting about the bonus dice for blockers or strikers and every throw seemed to just fail causing most games to end at a tie at 0. We found the dice system a bit needlessly complex with constant chart checking even after 3-4 games and no one seemed to be having fun playing by that point. Around the same time Kaosball hit Kickstarter and I'm all in on that so hopefully it will fill the sports game niche in my collection.

[@westonwargaming]

Nice review, you had to cover a lot of info in a short space of time, but i think there's a few points that really make DB shine atm. I'm a huge fan of BB and DB however, for me the main differences are Cost, Time and Support. Mantic push their price point. To pick up a team and get started is very reasonable. To buy bloodbowl, outside of the basic box now is getting more expensive as their support for specialist games has stopped. Time wise, when I first played dreadball i only thought it was half a game. 14 turns compared to bloodbowls 32. However, due to the constant flow and the I score you score feel it gives, to me this is much more like a sports game. Fast paced and brutal. I have entered a one day DB tourney, 5 games over one day. Perfect! Lots of games, lots of action and heaps of fun. If you play a "cage" style ork team in blood bowl you can wait 5 turns as the cage slowly creeps forward.... Also, if you 4 0 down to a skaven team, and you play orks, good luck pulling it back! In DB the 7-0 white wash is great. "I won, lets play again" instead of dragging it out. Finally, in all honesty, as much as I love DB if GW supported bloodbowl the way mantic do DB i would probably go back. But to have a company support tournaments, leagues, new supplements and their community, for me it's DB all the way for now!

[@steveg7000]

I'm always leery about tactical movement games where there's no actual terrain features or elevation to negotiate. It means the only obstacles on the map are the enemy, which feels a bit thin to me.

[@Lazivlaad]

Hey! Nice review. I play Dreadball and I really like it so I watched your review with a lot of interest and wanted to hear your opinion :) I played only the videogame version od BloodBowl and read the original rules but I think Dreadball does really good job on streamlining the game while still maintaining some need for strategy. BB was really hard on calculating even in its videogame version, while in DB you can count quite quickly and think more about where you want to move etc. The experience changes rapidly (I think) when you leave the playing with just the very basic mechanics of the game and move to the full game with these special cards, referees, fauls and abilities (be it in exhibition match or in league). And even with these, the game plays very fast (opposed to BB, IMO). @wetwillyccma: I think Ryan was more concerned about how (from where) you score (which sort of depends on what sports you like), rather than a system of counting points. When it comes to counting the system introduced in the game works quite fine. There is something called "Landslide victory" that happens when score track moves to 7 on one side or the other. You could do the math when keeping points (its simply having 7 point lead on your opponent), but this way its easier to represent (IMO).

[@LMKlees]

Isn't it lacrosse? You have the lacrosse type glove thing (I know its a stick with a net) or that Brazilian sport with the limestone. All in all its not a culturally relative sport to Americans. At most it is its own sport so that's how I'd take it. Though it may have comparisons to blood bowl I would say you cant compare them that much. You wont leave dreadball feeling like you played blood bowl nor the reverse. Very different themes and action selection per player. I can see what your saying though. Dreadball isn't as meaty and for the sport type the brutality seems unnecessary. Id say that its the dodge game I love the most in DB.

[@raffaelepassarelli6444]

This is a great game.... check out our OrcoMundo campaign on FB. ;)

[@wroot_lt]

I don't think that doing a review with a crippled components is doing good advertising for a game :) I don't like the scoring also (not the part, that you have to throw the ball, but the tug of war scoring). One time will always have 0 score and you can't say where it was a sweep 5-0, or was it 7-2 in reality.. Don't like such scoring in either competitive game.

[@koalabrownie]

Reviewing a game and showing off figures that aren't assembled . . . funny

[@markkeedwell6058]

this is isnt a american footbal game lol

[@eateroftheworlds]

Must be the laziest review on Dice Tower.

[@bluetornadicamusic2010]

What a strange review