The iconic Big Guy of the Halflings. The strongest players you can field on the pitch outside of Star Players, absolutely iconic to the game, the slowest things imaginable and all-round most fun to hit things within Blood Bowl. Treemen are considered the main reason to play the Halfling team and for very good reason, with their unmatched strength and reputation for single handily ruining your opponent’s Line of Scrimmage, all while never moving and hilariously catapulting Halfling all over the pitch, whether it’s to score or simply using them as ammunition.

They aren’t without their weaknesses, however, as with all big guys of course. MV2 is woeful, even Dwarves can outrun them, Take Root is a pain that will always crop up at the wrong time (although is surprisingly manageable for a nega-trait) and while Timmm-ber helps, standing up on a 3+ is still BAD.

Still, compared to the rest of the team, these big boys aren’t all bad at getting SPP with Mighty Blow and the OH I’M SO HAPPY THIS NOW EXISTS YES THANK YOU GW <3 1 SPP gained from a Superb TTM. In terms of the  Altern Forest Treeman Player Builds there’s really only one way to go with them and although they can get SPP it’s not as consistent as other players in the game so you need to use it wisely.

Let’s get going shall we?

Randomised Skills:

Eh, maybe, most of the Strength skills are useful but for a Treeman I wouldn’t want to leave it up to chance. There’s a decent risk of getting something meh like Arm Bar, Pile Driver or Juggernaught and even Guard isn’t that useful on them. There’s a decent chance of something useful with the smaller pool thanks to their starting skills but I’d rather spend a bit more money to choose a skill.

Secondaries are another meh for me as well, you’re better off waiting for another Casualty or two, which will come.

A Tree-mendous Player | Altern Forest Treeman Build

Primaries: Grab/Break Tackle/Multi-Block/Brawler
Secondaries: Block
Characteristics: MV/ST

The Altern Forest Treeman does one thing and does it very well… they HIT STUFF!

Grab is always going to be the first thing I get as it helps mitigate Take Root as it allows you to keep a player next to you whether you’re standing still or not. If they’re still alive, they then get the fun decision of either standing next to the giant wooden beat stick or try to dodge away and potentially falling over. Obviously, against Elves this isn’t quite as effective thanks to AG2+ and a savvy Elf coach is ALWAYS going to dodge away as opposed to taking the hit, but a dice roll is a dice roll and as a Union coach myself, double 1s happen!

Break Tackle is a good one as well, giving you essentially a 2+ dodge away if you’re bogged down with bodies or want to hit something more valuable. It’s not as good on the Treemen compared to other Big Guys because of Take Root, but it’s good to have in a pinch. Multi-Block is something I’d maybe considered before BT as ST6 with some assists meaning your 2 Trees are getting 4 blocks with Mighty Blow between them, both a good way of generating SPP as well as clearing the field faster.

Brawler is a new skill and one I REALLY like the look of. Something Treemen have always struggled with is getting Block early on. Although that’s mostly been done away with thanks to the new SPP buy system, getting Brawler later on in the build means you’ll have a better chance of knocking down those Block Linemen who will inevitably try to tie up your Trees. There’s an argument for getting it early but I feel paired with Block, later on, gives you a chance for a Stumbles or Defender Down against levelled players.

Block is something you will want to get as soon as you can, preferably as the first skill so it saves you 2SPP. It’s going to be up to you if you want to get Grab or Block first and if you’re struggling for SPP the former is worth taking just to help with Take Root. But an Altern Forest Treeman with Block is SCARY AF and you’ll be putting players into the ground at an alarming pace. Paired with Multi-Block & Brawler, you’ll be doing some serious damage.

As for Characteristics, MV is well worth the SPP if you can get it gives the tree a wider threat range when paired with BT and means you’re not rolling to get up. ST isn’t bad either but probably not worth the investment, it used to be amazing when you rolled for it but it’s going to cost you 18SPP at a minimum, which get you Block and 3SPP towards a more useful skill. 3 Dice Blocks vs ST3 guys is great don’t get me wrong, but you have the Hefties for that now to provide a more durable assist.

I will mention some other skill while we’re here. Pro isn’t a bad shout at all, again it’ll help with both getting your Treemen up as well as with Take Root. Tackle is worth it if you can get it, it’ll help vs Elves and some Blodgestep shenanigans. Accurate of course is hilarious for TTM plays and probably worth it much later on if you’re looking for an extra Skill. You CAN, of course, get it early if your LOVE to TTM and I highly respect all coaches that do so.

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The Altern Forest Treeman is the ultimate big guy, throwing everything from punches to Halflings. They’re a little restricted in their builds as you want to maximise their hitting potential as you need to remove players to keep up with the Halflings you’re losing. TTM has been nerfed a little now that you’re getting a -1 for Short throws but it’s still something fun you can lean into if you like. As someone who is actively top of the Casualty Charts in Season 4 of GRUMMBL, I’ll stick to making them big bruisers for now!

That’s it for the Altern Forest Treeman Player Build, Head over to our Hopeful, Catcher & Hefty Builds!