Ogre Teams

Ogre teams have existed since the forming of the NAF and have even had some success such as winning the XV Blood Bowl. However, as any right-minded person will tell you, having more than one Ogre in the same place at the same time is a disaster in the making. The key to an Ogre team is the Snotlings. If they are close enough to jab an Ogre in the leg to remind him that they are playing in a match then you may have the makings of a team.

QTYPositionCostMASTAGPAAVSkills & TraitsPriSec
0-16Gnoblar15k513+5+6+Dodge, Right Stuff, Side Step Stunty, TitchyAG
0-1Runt Punter145k554+4+10+Bone Head, Kick Team Mate, Mighty Blow (+1) Thick SkullPSAG
0-5Ogre140k554+5+10+Bone Head, Mighty Blow (+1), Thick Skull, Throw Team MateSAGP
0-8ReRolls70kApothecary: Yes
Special RulesBadlands Brawl, Low Cost Linemen, Old World Classic

Ogre Team Overview:

Ogre teams are one of the worst in the game. What they do have going for them though is the fact they can have a strong line of Ogre players. They can deal out damage and are very hard to get past if they remember what they are doing. The Snotling players are also very cheap (the cheapest in the game) so you can have a full roster of reserves which you will probably need to use.

The team is riddled with lots of disadvantages though. The Ogres all suffer from Bonehead which can make your plans go awry and your defence disappear. The Snotlings are very weak, poor at tackling and break very easily. The team has no ball handling or hitting skills to start with and moving the ball around can be problematic.

They are very much not a team for beginners, they have all kinds of disadvantages coupled with expensive rerolls and unreliable players makes it hard to do anything. Coaches really need to realise what they are dealing with and having a team that you will struggle to use isn’t the best way to learn the game.

Ogre Team Strengths:

  • Strong Ogres
  • Very Cheap Snotlings

Ogre Team Weaknesses:

  • Lots of Bonehead
  • Very Weak & Fragile Snotlings
  • Expensive Rerolls

20 thoughts on “Ogre Teams”

  1. Yes they can be tough but I play them and their a lot of fun (if you don’t mind losing)and after a few  skill upgrades you might even start to win must haves are strong arm pro for ogres. sprint sure feet and ag +’s also sneaky git for sontlings to keep field advantage just don’t be afraid to foul or “throw” snotlings into bad situations to create chaos. Buy many many snotlings to keep the numbers game.

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  2. I would agree to buying as many Snotlings as you can. When they gang up to foul a player that has been knocked down, they can be very effective. Remember that the key to Snotlings is fluid defence. Keep them moving and swarm the opposition.

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  3. first of all: WAZ UP coach? sorry, ive also wanted to say that =D. but now my question, to get rid of all those idiots on the forum i thoguht, why not ask this smart guy called coach? so heres my question: What team in BloodBowl, is the most bashiest? i have been wondering, maybe its ogres because they are alot of str 5 guys, but i have also wondered maybe its chaos pact, chaos dwarves, norse, chaos, orcs. i would like ot know what team is the most bashiest in whole BloodBowl.
    by the way AWESOME website, peace dude ;).

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    • Sorry to disappoint you but the forum is the right place for this kind of question as this isn’t just tied to Ogre Teams. Ask it in a thread over there and I’ll give you my thoughts on the matter! Glad you like the site, I appreciate your praise!

      Reply
  4. Golfag ‘ere from Golfag’s ‘Ungry Bonecrunchers. I’m ‘ere to tell yaz all that We’ze Ogres be da biggust. da bestus an’ da baddust team in all of Bloodbowl!
    Okay, well not the best, but definitely one of the biggest. I’ev been playing Ogres for a while now and enjoy them thoroughly. With six st 5 guys, Ogre teams are definitely strong; and while the snotlings are ridiculously weak, they do have the advantage of players able to make dodge rolls on a 2+ regardless of tackle zones.
    The most fun part of this team for me are probably the snotlings really. Any snotling without a skill = totally expendable. Any snotlings with skills = totally expendable after all other snotlings have run out. There’s nothing like using snotlings as cannonballs to try to cause casualties. There’s the possibility of making a 1-turn TD gambit (which, I’ve actually manged to pull off.
    They are a surprisingly unpredictable team, with a predictable strategy: Beat the living snot out of the opponent and walk the ball into the endzone.

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  5. If there is one piece of advice I’d suggest people keep in mind when playing ogres its the power of 3 die blocks and the ability of snotlings to get wherever they need to in order to make this a reality. A snotling will make their dodge 97% of the time if there is no tackle involved and a 3 die block is 42% likely to generate a pow result and only 4% likely to require you to take a skull or both down result (compared to 31% and 11% on a 2 die block). This in turn rapidly ups the rate the opponent leaves the pitch which makes repeating this situation even easier. If you plan very carefully all 3 of these players will be standing next to the victim after the block for a follow up foul. Unfortunately snotlings face the exact same odds when they get hit, but at least they can fall down where they want.

    A far trickier tactic is to use the snotlings to get into places that allow for chain pushing another ogre someplace you wouldn’t ordinarily be able to get them with a dodge.

    Reply
    • Yup, this is how my defense works – usually I try to keep my Ogres together and get the 3 die blocks. Focusing on some key players.

      This leaves opponent the choice:

      – either score quickly, which gives me the time to try to equalize.
      – stall – which requires almost half of his time forming cage around the ball carrier – more 3 die blocks
      – go to all-out war: which is the preferable choice 🙂

      Anyway, trying “classic” defense is IMO pointless due to “bonehead”.

      Reply
  6. I want to give a headsup on the above tactic. Be very careful with it. One bonehead roll can leave the Ogre and two snotlings hanging out there. One player blitzes a snot, the other blocks a snot and you are down snots.

    You want to keep your snots standing as much as possible to prevent them from taking down Ogres too often. Try and never leave a snotling in tackle zones of a player. They will get hit, they will likely get two dice or possibly 3. You will start losing them rapidly. Most of the games I lose as Ogres are because of all the lost snotlings.

    Dodge them out, use them for assists when necessary but try and arrange it so the Ogre blocking will leave the Snots out of base contact if possible. Make screens, force them to blitz snots rather than the Ogre ball carrier.

    On that note, carry the ball with the Ogre. One bad bonehead roll can lead to easy 3 die blitzes on a snot. Remember, everyone is stunty to your snots, they can dodge on 2+ and 3+ regardless of snotling tackle zones.

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  7. the key to winning againest this team is simple kill the little bastards and the big guys will just be standing there looking stupid

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    • That would be fine and dandy Drake, if Ogres on an Ogre team actually had Really Stupid. Instead they have :

      Bone Head:
      —————————————————————-
      The player is not noted for his intelligence. Because of this you must roll a D6 immediately after declaring an Action for the player, but before taking the Action. On a roll of 1 they stand around trying to remember what it is they’re meant to be doing. While Bone-Head is in effect, the player also loses his tackle zone and may not catch, intercept, or pass, assist another player, until a 2+ is rolled in subsequent turns.
      —————————————————————

      Nowhere does it say you must have an intelligent person in the tackle zone. That’s what makes the difference between Bone Head and Really Stupid. Kind of the small advantage at least is they are more reliable then a Warpstone Troll, or other various big guys.

      Really Stupid:
      —————————————————————-
      Before taking any Actions you must pass the Really Stupid roll. If there is a smart team-mate standing adjacent to the Really Stupid player’s square, then add 2 to the D6 roll. On a result of 1-3 they stand around trying to remember what it is they’re meant to be doing, losing their tackle zones and may not catch, intercept or pass the ball, or assist another player on a block or foul.
      —————————————————————

      I would rather as an ogre coach, let you go after my full bench of Snotling’s, letting you try and get blocks in with dodge players that are essentially super expendable, then have you beating my ogres off the pitch. 😛

      Reply
      • His point was ball-handling, and I agree with that. Unless for some ungodly reason you have a sure-hands ag3 ogre, losing all the snotlings (just.. don’t) will cost you the drive.

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        • You still pick up with an ogre. 4+ but you have to until you roll ag. the other option is a snot in a snot cage picking up while the ogres are bashing the line. That is an easy cage break unless the snot cage all have DT.

          Speaking of diving tackle that should be the only skill they get unless you roll doubles, AG or MA. they will lock down players until they die and when they do, who cares?

          strong ogres making 3d blocks and little snot gang fouls are the way to win. If you are ever in doubt about a foul just do the math “Does the player on the ground cost more than 20K?”

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          • After another season at Orca Cola (2-4-3) I have a few comments:
            – 3 die blocks are a must
            – I have ag3 Ogre, but I use my ag4 snot with kick-off return to pick the ball in the first turn and then either give it to Ogre or get ready to fly / run. Depends on opposing team. That’s pretty much my offense.

            Defense:
            – it’s totally unreliable. Two boneheads and you have no defensive line. Instead I focus on inflicting damage and waiting for opponent to make a mistake ( like assuming that since Ogre has ag2 it won’t try to dodge and blitz his carrier).

            Snots:
            – flying ag4
            – 2 Diving Tackle to stall opponent – with free of movement placing snot next to the ball carrier forces him to waste blitz or risk dodge. Sometimes I place him on the line against ag teams next to Ogre buddy. In this case he risks dodge at -2 or will get hit next turn by an Ogre
            – sneaky git, leader, kick are some useful skills as well

            To sum up: snots are critical for an Ogre team. I lose my games when opponent focuses on those little guys 🙂

  8. Long since anyone wrote here. I still play ogres. I don’t win often, but the petty cash box is always filling. I got a snotter with +1MA for chasing the ball, and I have a ogre with +1 ag. Couple of them have block, one got multiple tackle for dealing with little guys trying to gang up on him. Today I scored in turn two, and I couldn’t believe it: won the coin toss, received: Orcs on other side formed a big wall with a troll in center. We bashed them a little, +MA snotty grabbed ball, didn’t drop it (Miracle) and ran to the bash cage I was setting up. 2 boneheads and it wasn’t looking too hot, the black orcs where making headway. Turn 2, I blitzed a linesman orc who was guarding deep, then +1ag ogre picked up the ballcarrier, threw him way downfield, the little bugger managed to land on his feet, ran in terror from all the orcs around him and touchdown! That’s his 6th this season. MVP snottlings….

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  9. Hi Guys

    I am writing this as i wanna help the Ogre coaches around the world in how to skill up Ogres.
    Cause most people right them off and to be honest there is more to them than meets the eye…
    A lot of people will not agree with me, however i have been playing them a lot, and i have tried every build possible and to me i have had more success with this build than any other.
    Also this is more for the longhal of player development, so if you play occ or a continuing league after league after league, then this will help fellow Ogre Coaches, as its the only way they can become competitive… and its fun to win matches as you leave frustrated coaches in your wake as you win games…

    First off the build.
    For a long time i did the 5 Ogres 2 re-roll Ogre build. However my most successful team came after i did the 4 ogres 3rr apoth and a whole lot of snots. The reason i chose this build is to create money in the team, so you can get 600k in the team treasury.
    You will need this in case of death of Ogres and also Team re-rolls and of course replacing snots…

    TV is very important for ogres, as no team bloats more than Ogres.
    Its a shame as the other teams have a huge advantage when it comes to that. Ogres roll more dice than any other team cause of BH, and normally those rolls determine if we win or lose…

    So this is the build i suggest.
    You can do it with any Ogre team build, however i found this team the most easiest to move forward with…

    This took years to master and a lot of blood bowl games, and also you are gonna lose a lot of games before you see results…

    When skilling up Ogres i always took BT as the first none double skill, i rarely took Piling on as the games about the positioning of the ball, and if your ogres are gonna be stuck hitting people all day, then that limits you moving the ball around.
    The other reason i take BT is because if you get a skill increase in +AG +ST or +MV, its a handy skill to have and keeps your Ogres mobile.
    So many times i put guard first and then i roll an +AG increase, to me it was annoying as BT would be more useful to get away when needing to dodge.
    So please Take BT on every ogre that you can, it comes in handy and forces your opponent to think about his cage…

    The next none double i take is Guard. This compliments with the st the ogres already have and helps then, cause we do not get block off the bat. The 3rd skill i take is Stand firm, and at least one Ogre with Stong arm, just makes that throw team mate a lot safer and hoping to use that re-roll on the landing if possible.
    Those are the main 3 skills i take, after the forth one its gets a little tricky as there is not a lot more in the strength category to help moving ogres. Piling on in this instance is a possibility, however i find that if you take it and again roll an agility increase, its a wasted skill, as that ag3 is now ya ball carrier.
    The more agility you can get on ogres the better the team will function as they need it. I normally have 1 piling on Ogre, but as the Ogres develop into better blockers and runners, i end up cutting them later on in the games.
    The stand firm helps with the cage, and keeping your ogres firmly in place, and cannot be crowd surfed easily, also if you have piling on and guard, i think its pointless, as you are on the ground and your guard is useless. Also you have enough problems with BH, and now you are creating more holes on offense and defense. So for me it hinders your team, and is counter productive.
    One note, if your gonna take piling on then do it on every ogre, cause that way you can PO every damn turn, but this will not win you games, only cas which the ogres can do naturally and with out being on the ground.
    Also it leaves you prone to fouling and that’s bad, make them get you down so there are less people fouling u…

    I also use Ogres as Ball Carriers. At first i use the snotlings, but as soon as i get a BT Ogre, hes my Ball carrier, It also helps skill him up faster.

    Once i get to level 6, if no doubles are rolled then i cut them, and with the money i have saved buy a rookie ogre, as you need doubles on this team, and start again with the rookies.
    I do what i can with the rookie ogres to help skill them up, the rest of the ogres that are skilled will help the Rookie Ogres do this…

    If you roll a double first up i take BLOCK…
    Block is awesome on ogres, i used to not take it for other skills, however it just keeps your Ogres upright, and ya 2D blocks safer. If you get another double on that block Ogre, then take tackle… i cannot stress this enough its the best combo for ogres reliability for getting blodges down. If you got BT on this Ogre already then he is a blitzer, and no blodges are safe or anyone with blodge for that matter. Now if you manage to get a BT ag3 Block Ogre i would take dodge on him, because he becomes a reliable ball carrier. Yes there are strip ballers out there but this is why.
    Even if the strip baller gets to hit him and you are caged up nicely, its gonna be an up hill block. So i take it, not that the dodge protects you, but also good for dodging out to score, and BT makes that a 2+ dodge with a re-roll.
    This ogre is hard to build i know, but i have one right now in OCC and hes a pain in the ass to everyone when he has the ball
    Its fun to watch him tear up the field with people trying to stop him. I call this play the Jonah Lomu effect, cause if you ever look up this guy, he reminds me of what ogres can do with the ball in hand…

    I also Create a Passing Ogre as well.
    First Double is Pass so you can re-roll the throw team mate mostly, but also if he picks up the ball you can also throw it to a catch snotling for more offensive ability. If you get pass then strong arm follows by BT it helps with the moving thrower so you are not stranded, and can dodge out of the first tackle zone to throw ya snot or ball. If you get another double on this ogre after Pass, consider Nerves Of Steel or Pro as it helps with the BH and also blocking dice at times the NOS means you can throw in multiple tackle zones with out a negitive to passing so its gold and now you have created a better version of brik farth, but he plays for your team all the time… Strong arm can come later as its a normal skill but i have had very good success with the throwing ogre and then i try to create a pro snot for he landing roll… or an ag4 snot if you can get one… its amazing when you have rerolls on the throw and landing rolls that makes the throw Team Mate a real threat… you need these players most of all to win games as this is where you can make a difference

    The strength 6 Ogre. Take him over block please, because if you have BT hes dodging into cages on a 3+.
    That is your can opener, plus its easy to get 3D blocks with him and helps skill him up faster.
    If you get another double take block on this guy, and if you ever get another one its up to you dodge for the re-roll into the cage, or tackle for the quality of the hit… but a st 6 blodger is an awesome piece to have, so take the ST6 ogre he helps on a lot of levels…

    +AV i never take unless i am trying to make morg n thorg. 9 is enough, the +1MV i do take also as it helps get the ogres into position better, however if its a double 5 i take the block and move on from there…

    With Ogres block is the most important skill, it keeps your rerolls on the BH for the important rolls, and make the blocks easier to manage. So take the doubles where you can…

    The snots i tend to leave them alone or fire them if they don,t roll a double on the first skill.
    Leader is the first double skill i give them, keeps the TV down as rerolls are expensive, and maybe a dirty player in there, Hail Mary Pass is another
    The snots, i use for screening and fouling, to help the ogres out and dodge them away from trouble. Thats it, keep them lean and keen.
    Also take the AG4 snot hes gold, get an ogre with strong arm, and if he gets a double i would take pass, these 2 combos work well. If you get an ag5 snot then keep him on offense, but again hes hard to get, i have never done this yet…

    Well that’s my thoughts on Ogres. I hope you find this novel helpful, and will help fellow future Ogre coaches

    You can win games with this team it just takes time, alot of it and practice.

    Reply
      • Hi guys

        Well I have already written one guide on skills to get ogres setup but what about the snots… Well it’s the snots turn To see the limelight as no one seems to skill these guys up, and I need to tell you you need them…

        First off you need these guys to help the ogres out with fouling being thrown etc however the are also the piece to win u games and I will show u.
        Again a lot of coaches will say team bloat but to be honest when playing ogres team bloat is gonna happen anyway so just except it… It’s what you can do with this team that will blow coaches minds…

        In occ where Da Tiny Titanz play I did all my skilling on the ogres which was great… However this team as great as an ogre team can be was missing something and that was skilled up snots… And yes they get killed but they are also crucial to the team…

        There are 2 ways to skill the snots up defensively and attackingly….

        First defensively.. Diving tackle is a must, this is to help keep the ball runners in place, if you get two diving tacklers on a ball carrier or 3, it just makes the opposition baller have to take risks, as the ogres will reach the ball carrier if snots are holding there own… Also fouling also works on defense as they send the block tackler your way to take out the snots either gang up on him or knock him over with an ogre,and foul him till he’s out then move onto the next one… The TTM into the cage can also create a hole so using them as projectiles helps some times you do get lucky and hit the ball carrier… On the defense side if diving tackle is taken then jump up is a must… As this gives you movement and also sure feet and then sprint…
        If a double is rolled and has diving tackle then pass block and then catch if a normal is rolled, catch is a good combo for the intercept snot… Along with diving catch.
        Also the sneaky git DP is a must for the tackling block monsters.

        So diving tackle jump up sure feet and sprint if they last that long.
        And diving tackle pass block diving catch, catch sure feet,sprint
        And a sneaky git DP
        the other is also diving tackle and wrestle then jump up quite effective as well again if you get that far
        It will help you get around the park if they last that long, some do, normally they get badly hurt and will be available next game…

        As for offensive this is how I build mine… First off the ag increase is gold if you get an ag4 or 5 put them on offensive only and wrap that guy up in Cotton wool… Offensive snots only until they have to take the pitch..
        They will live a lot longer… If no agility is rolled its ok, you need +1 mv snots they are also gold put sure feet and sprint on these then ya golden… I have a +1 mov snot with sprint sure feet catch block level 6 I prob should have gone NOS on the snot or pro as it helps with catching in tackle zones when perfect defense is rolled, or pro for a reroll landing roll… The reason I say that is I combine this with a pass ogre this is really all the offensive u need… If I roll doubles I take the standard leader snot first a sure hands one… And if I get that far a kick off return snot as well and a Hail Mary. The KOR Kinda helps with the throw team mate when a kick is deep, plus if you have +1 mv snot with sure feet and sprint he can travel 9 squares pretty quick for a snot…

        I normally build the offensive first as most of the skills are there first hand… That first double on an ogre etc and sure feet to keep the snots alive from killing themselves.

        Trust me having attacking snots wins u games against most teams, the only real team I struggle against is nurgle the disturbing presence is a real pain… Also apart from dwarfs and Amazon, which are hard the dwarfs lack the ability to keep up with a throwing game and the amazons eventually drop off when injured… So this is your best option best defense is offensive.

        If you ever get injuries on the snots like -MV, niggle or -1AV cut them all they do is hinder ya team unless they have a double depends on the role you have them play, are worth keeping!!! or let natural kills take care of it.

        That’s all I got so I hope this helps u in your guide to ogre greatness… This is more for the ball attacking ogre team there are other builds you can do but for my playing styles this has worked for me… On a side note I beat elves 3-2 with this build and the best score I have ever done is 4-0 so the results speak for themselves…

        Ogre and out

        Reply
  10. yep using snotlings as projectiles is always fun, however there is a time and place for that and i save it for the desperate play, i once threw a snotling at a wardancer hit him and killed him, he was also holding the ball at the time which gave us the win, does not happen very much but it can happen… Ogres to me are great.. i like them, i like the challenge and i also like the amount of damage they can cause when they are on…. to me honestly i play them competitively and to earn respect from other coaches to make them sweat, most of the time people go oh is Ogres that will be an easy win, and then start getting hammered and beaten from time to time, i am yet to win a championship, but i have gotten close in a championship called BBPN we have made the playoffs 4 times now but we seem to either lose in the first or second round of the playoffs, but we got there and alot of other coaches did not… as i strive for a championship win i will always play ogres until this is done

    Reply

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