I want to add one thing over here, because I've seen a few replays (spectated) and seen it happen in my games too, and I want to make sure everyone is aware of the inducement system and what it offers.
If you are the underdog, and you are getting 50k or more in inducements, TAKE THEM. I see a lot of people not taking them when they have 50k+, and it really is important.
Inducements are designed to help level the playing field. Teams aren't expected to take the field vs more experienced and better teams, so they get offered FREE MONEY that is only usable for one match, which is your inducement money. You can't take it with you, you have to spend it or you lose it. If you get up to 40k in inducements, sorry, you're close enough, and there's nothing you can buy. But if you get 50k or better, AT LEAST make sure you're getting a Bloodweiser Babe before you start the game. That may be the difference, changing your KO rolls from 4+ to 3+, that allows your star thrower/catcher/blitzer/whatever to take the field again for that last drive that wins/prevents you from losing the game.
Now, there is also an added mechanic called Petty Cash, which is a little bit more difficult to understand, but basically there may be times when you're playing someone relatively evenly matched and know you could use an edge, and have a lot of money in your treasury. That would be a time where you might spend some money on an apothecary or something to make sure you're not crippled for the next game. But if you're the underdog, understand that anything you put into petty cash adds to your TV, which means you need to spend MORE money than you think you would to get the inducement you're looking for. It's kind of a more experienced move, so you don't have to mess with petty cash for the most part. You'll know when you're ready for that.
As the underdog, make the best of your inducements. I'll explain them here so you guys understand how valuable they are.
Bloodweiser Babes -- 50k each, 0-2 possible.
Normally, when your player is knocked out, he needs to roll a die before the next drive to see if he can come back on the field. A 4+ is required in order to recover from the KO. Babes add 1 to the die roll, meaning you're changing the chance of getting your KO's back from 50% to 67%, and then to 83% with 2 of them. That's insanely good for the price, and honestly, it's pretty hard to beat if your league has ANY level of bash in it at all (IE: every single league in the history of ever).
Team Reroll -- 100k, 0-4. Extra rerolls. Needs no explanation.
Bribes -- 100k (50k for goblins), 0-3. Keeps your secret weapon players on the pitch (very helpful if you're dwarf for keeping that Deathroller around for the second half), or for fouling your opponent more times before you lose your fouler. If I have 100k, I usually take this, unless I'm fighting serious bash, in which case I take 2 babes.
Wandering Apothecary -- 100k (0-2). This is more of a "I don't care if I lose the match, but I REALLY need my guys to stay healthy for the NEXT match" kind of a thing. It's basically going into a match expecting to get beaten to a pulp. Happens more often than you'd think.
Wizard - 150k, 0-1. Huge. Game changer. If you have 150k, you get a wizard, every single time. At the beginning or end of your turn, you can click on the spell book icon in the upper right hand side of your screen. 2 options appear -- a lightning bolt and a fireball. A lightning bolt hits a single square on a 2+, and injures the player with Mighty Blow. A fireball hits every standing player in a 3x3 grid on a 4+, and injures those players with Mighty Blow. This is what you get when you know you can't break the cage. This is what you get when you can't quite reach that Gutter Runner. Used correctly, it is basically a guaranteed defensive score, which is usually a game winner. The single best inducement available, and if you have 150k, you should be taking one every time.
Halfling Master Chef - 300k (100k for halflings) 0-1. This is basically what allows halflings to be competitive. It's not terribly useful for most other teams, since you're very rarely going to be getting 450k+ in inducements (because like I said above, you always take a wizard). You roll 3 dice at the start of each half, for every 4+, you gain a reroll, and your opponents lose one. Situationally pretty powerful, but like I said, you're not likely to get it.
Star Players - Various, 0-2. Differ for each race. Some are complete crap, some are decent. Bear in mind that all star players come with Loner, and all star players earn SPP which they keep. This means that you don't want to be wasting rerolls on them, and it also means that if you're using them to score, that you'll just be winning games at the expense of leveling your own players. Sometimes it's worth it, however. Eldril Sidewinder comes with Hypnotic Gaze, for example - which makes breaking cages a lot easier for the elf teams that can hire him.
Mercenary -- various. Have a black orc get injured Miss Next Game last match and really need the strength on the line? No problem, hire a new one for the match. He'll have loner, and you probably don't want to make too many blocks with him, but he'll be in the way. Hell, for an extra 50k, you can even have him come with a skill of your choice. Got a load of inducements vs a team you know you're gonna have to get rough with? Buy a bribe, and then a Dirty Player Lineman and just have him foul everything that hits the dirt every turn. It's not something I do every match, but it's certainly an option if you know you're gonna need to get physical to stay in the game.
So, the long and short of it is, if you're an underdog in a fight, and you get inducements, USE THEM. They are there for a reason, and it's to make the game easier for you in the face of superior opposition.
