The Turboleague continues! After a full season, by which I mean one game, my Sheogorad Saints are back in action in 2021, facing the Vindaaagh Pulling (represented by my Orcland Wanderers miniatures).
Of course, the Saints are somewhat worse for wear after line-elf Methulu Ienith and blitzer Fieryra Targaryen were killed. Here's our current lineup:
#5 Jenassa Samarys - runner (5 SPP)
#11 Barenziah Targaryen - witch elf
#33 Raven Dren - assassin
#44 Irileth Targaryen - blitzer (3 SPP)
#55: Aralosea Romori, line-elf
#69: Darane Mencele, line-elf
#71: Hlireni Indavel, line-elf
#77: Endroni Dalas, line-elf (1 SPP)
Line-elf #73 Brelda Quintella is out with a strained groin, leaving me with a total of eight players on the roster. I used my earnings of 50,000 gp from the Ravens game to recruit an apothecary, bringing my effective team value for the game to a grand total of 820 000 gold. Since I had the Plague Doctors handy, I painted one of them up as an Apothecary:
With only eight players, we'll be using the services of three journeymen: #50 Cruelle Helbaron, #66 Lilith Llethri and #75 Morgiah R'zamenar. This meant painting at least two new line-elves; I had three models left over, so here they all are:
I have to say, I really like these Shadowforge miniatures! I also added these folks from Footsore Games' Mob Tertius to my stands.
With the stands and the goblin camera crew deployed, we were ready for action.
**
Six thousand Saints fans had made the trek to the Dagon Fel Superdome to watch the season opener, but to their surprise, they found themselves outnumbered two to one by a howling mob of Pulling supporters! The Vindaaagh team won the coin toss, and elected to kick the ball. However, the opening kick landed just beyond the Saints end zone, resulting in a touchback.
The Saints secured the ball, shoved the orcs back on the line of scrimmage, and assassin #33 Raven Dren knocked out Pulling line-orc #95 with a well-timed stab. In the right wide zone, witch elf #11 Barenziah Targaryen spotted an opportunity to blitz VIP#15 into the waiting arms of the capacity crowd. Sadly, all she managed to do was knock herself out for the rest of the half and cause the first Saints turnover of the game.
The game then devolved into a midfield brawl, much to the delight of the audience.
The Pulling players apparently decided that if they can't have the ball, at least they can stomp some elves: below, in what I believe is a Turboleague first, a halfling referee ejects Pulling #28 Jerry Ottaaagh from the game for fouling Saints line-elf #55 Aralosea Romori.
As the fighting continued, a gap opened up on the Pulling left.
Saints blitzer #44 Irileth Targaryen dashed into the Pulling zone, catching a pass from runner #5 Jenassa Samarys.
In a heroic effort to derail the Saints offense, Pulling blitzer #15 leapt up from the sideline, knocked a Saints line-elf covering him out of the way, and went for it to cover the Saints blitzer - only to fall down despite using a team re-roll.
The Saints secured the ball in the Pulling zone, while the orcs concentrated their ire on the two line-elves isolated in the opposite half of the pitch.
Here's a blurry action shot of our indefatigable halfling referee throwing Pulling lineorc #29 Big Boi Nick out of the game after they KO'd Saints lineman Romori, setting the league record for most players ejected by the referees in a half at three.
Finally, Irileth Targaryen crossed into the end zone for her second career touchdown.
In their last turn of the half, the Pulling scored a completion for their thrower VIP#8, and inflicted some gratuitious but inconclusive violence on the Saints line.
And so, the first half ended with the score 1-0 Saints and the knocked-out players returning to play, with the understandable exception of much-fouled Saints line-elf #55 Aralosea Romori.
**
After the rampant rules violations of the first half, it was obviously necessary to strengthen our officiating corps with Eureka Miniatures' orc referee and human referee to keep some semblance of order on the pitch.
Both teams came out for the second half short-handed.
Unfortunately, the masses of Pulling fans were enraged by their players being ejected, and the next kickoff was interrupted by a pitch invasion!
My witch elf, #11 Barenziah Targaryen, had recovered from the KO she sustained in the first half, trying to blitz a Vindaaagh player on the sideline. She now tried to blitz a Vindaaagh player on the sideline, got a Both Down result, and injured herself: she'll miss our next game with a fractured arm.
The Pulling set up a cage and started rolling down their right, and we set up the traditional Elfball defence, albeit two players down.
The action got a bit close at times, but we were successful in slowing down the Pulling cage until they were running out of time, and had to resort to desperate measures.
Sadly (for them), a series of desperate dodges by a Pulling blitzer, and in the last turn, the thrower carrying the ball, were unsuccesful in reaching the end zone.
And so the Vindaaagh Pulling ended a hard-fought league debut with the ball just short of the goal line, and the score 1-0 Saints.
**
In post-match matters, I was lucky enough to maximize my income, netting a total of 70,000gp, while the Pulling took home 40,000 gold. I might need it, too, because unfortunately the MVP award went to journeyman #50 Cruelle Helbaron, while the Vindaaagh MVP was VIP#75.
Both my runner and surviving blitzer levelled up, with #44 Irileth Targaryen rolling a double skill. I think that means I have to take Guard, while runner #5 Jenassa Samarys is getting Dodge; we're still so under-elved that she's going to have to pull her weight on the defense! Unlike her league debut, my witch elf was spectacularly useless, only managing to take herself out of the game twice. We'll see how we do without her next time.
Anyway, I'm absolutely delighted that the Turboleague is underway again, and this time we'll be seeing many more teams than mine and the defending champions! Stay tuned.
**
League table [pts, goal differential, casualty differential, fatalities, completions, interceptions, sacks]
Sheogorad Saints (Dark Elf) (1-0-0) 4 pts, 1-0, 0-1, 0, 2, 0, 0
Vindaaagh Pulling (Orc) (0-1-0) 1 pts, 0-1, 1-0, 0, 1, 0, 0
Touchdowns:
Irileth Targaryen (Saints) 1
Casualties:
VIP#52 (Pulling) 1
Completions:
Jenassa Samarys (Saints): 2
VIP#8 (Pulling): 1
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