Object
Score more points than your opponent. A coin toss decides who opens on
offence in a local or single-player game. The host sets a target score
before the game (21 by default). Both teams get the same number of
possessions: if the team that opened on offence reaches the target first,
the other team gets one drive to tie or beat it. If that drive ties the
game it goes to overtime, where the first team to score four points wins -
a touchdown ends it, and two field goals do as well.
The field
Thirty yards by eighteen lanes, with an end zone at each end. Each
team owns an end zone: team one attacks the near end (yards 1-3)
and team two the far end (28-30), all game. A change of possession does not
flip the field - the ball stays exactly where it is and the new offence
simply turns around, exactly as on a real field. Each end zone is painted
in the colour of the team that attacks it, over the same mown grass and
checker as the rest of the field, so the end a team is driving at is always
its own colour.
The host can set the board the other way round before kickoff:
the offence always drives up draws the field from the other end
while team two is on offence, so whoever is on offence is always attacking
up the screen. The rules are identical - only the picture flips, and it
flips with possession.
Scoring
- Touchdown: 6
- Extra point (PAT): 1 - almost automatic (19 in 20), for either team, including after a defensive touchdown
- Field goal: 3
- Safety: 2
A play
-
The offence picks one of its eight formations. The defence sees it. Every
offensive card is a legal NFL formation: eleven men, at least seven on
the line of scrimmage.
- The defence picks one of its nine formations.
-
The dice roll themselves, unless the offence has a kick or a punt
to think about (fourth down, or a field goal in range). Each side
rolls two dice.
-
The side with the higher die moves the number on that die. The other side
moves the number on its lower die. On a tie both sides move their high die.
- The offence moves first. Click a player, then a square.
-
When both sides have finished their turn, roll again and the same down
carries on. Points you do not spend are banked into
that roll, up to 8, so a poor roll is never wasted.
Moving
- One square costs one die point, except the quarterback, who pays two - unless his team took the Speedy QB special. A diagonal costs both steps.
- You cannot move through another player.
- You may stop moving at any time with your End turn button.
- A defender tackles by moving onto the ball carrier. That ends the play.
Downs
A tackle starts the next down where it happened. You get four downs to
get past the yellow line. That line is three rows down
the field - practically twelve yards, because the markers down the side
read 4, 8, 12 and so on - but the game calls it ten yards,
the way football does: you cannot stop at exactly ten, you cross the line
that sits between ten and twelve, and that is your first down. Get past it
and a fresh set of four starts, with the line three rows further on; fail
on fourth down and the other side takes over on that same spot and turns
around, because the ball never flips to the far side of the field.
The line
Every player is a helmet-and-shoulders bust. The helmet colour shows
the position, the jersey is that team's chosen colour, and the width
of the shoulders tells a lineman from a back at a glance. A strong
lineman burns a red glow: he is the one man on the
line a defender cannot come through. A vertical football badge marks
whoever is carrying the ball. The two marked rows - the line of
scrimmage and the line to gain - can be drawn as a line on the edge
of the row or as a tinted row: the Lines button in
the tools switches between the two.
- A defender cannot move onto a strong lineman (the red-rimmed square), and a weak lineman is the only offensive player he can go through: a back or the quarterback has to be gone around.
-
The line's strong men are rolled only after the defence calls
its play, so a formation cannot be picked to attack them.
-
The carrier can push any teammate forward: hold
Shift and click him (a plain click still selects him), or click a
strong lineman without Shift. A push has no premium - it costs the
normal one point per square, two for a quarterback. The whole line of
teammates shifts one square if there is an empty square in front of
it. A defender caught in that line is shoved too, at double
the cost, but only a strong lineman can move him - and only
one: two stacked defenders stop the push. The edge of the field, or a
pile with no empty square beyond it, also stops it. A teammate's badge
shows the cost with a ⇧ (shift) mark.
-
The carrier can also run through the gap past a strong lineman: click
the carrier, then an empty square beyond the line. It costs two points
per square moved (three per square for a quarterback) and the lineman
stays where he is.
-
A defender can go through a weak lineman (an L on the line) for two
points. The two players swap squares.
Passing and handoffs
-
Double-click a teammate to throw to him. The confirm dialog shows the
dice and the chance of completing it before you commit.
-
A handoff is a throw to an adjoining teammate who is not forward of
you. It is automatic: no dice, no confirmation, no chance of failing.
A handoff to a teammate on the same row is free.
-
A handoff backwards - to a teammate further from the end zone than
you - banks one die point for the ground you gave
up. That is the quarterback's escape valve when the pocket collapses.
-
One forward pass per play, and only from behind the
line of scrimmage. A forward pass costs two die points and can reach
any receiver. A lateral is any throw that is not forward, so it is
never intercepted and does not spend the forward pass.
-
Only the quarterback throws at full strength: any other thrower
(a back or receiver who took a handoff) gives the defence
one extra die. A lineman is not an eligible receiver.
-
A lateral behind the line of scrimmage completes unless the 1-in-100
fumble hits; past the line it is 19 in 20. A dropped lateral is a
fumble: the ball lands on an empty square beside the receiver, the
offence loses its remaining die points, and the defence moves next.
-
A fumble is a scramble. The ball is hidden, each side
gets one blind step (a diagonal counts as one square), and a player who
steps onto it recovers it. If neither side finds it, roll again: the
ball is visible from then on and is recovered normally.
Passing odds
The throw is the one action priced before you commit: the confirm dialog
names the dice on both sides and the exact percentage. It is worked out at
the moment you throw, so the price follows the board. Moving the receiver
first, letting the defence spend its points elsewhere, or waiting a down
all change the number.
-
Your dice. The nearest defender within three
squares sets them: 1 if he is right beside the
receiver, 3 at two squares, 6 at
three. With nobody within three squares the catch is
automatic and nothing is rolled.
-
Their dice. One per defender anywhere inside those
three squares, two for the one beside the receiver,
plus one for every defender standing in the straight line
between thrower and receiver, plus one if the thrower is not
the quarterback. Sure Hands adds one die back for you.
-
The contest. Highest die wins and a tie is rolled
again, so a tie never hands the ball over. Only the count of
dice matters.
Chance of completing a forward pass. The columns are the defence's
total dice.
| Nearest defender |
You roll |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
| nobody within 3 |
- |
always caught |
| 3 squares |
6 |
91% |
82% |
73% |
65% |
57% |
50% |
43% |
37% |
| 2 squares |
3 |
79% |
63% |
50% |
40% |
33% |
27% |
22% |
18% |
| beside him |
1 |
50% |
31% |
21% |
15% |
11% |
9% |
7% |
6% |
-
Reading it. Six dice against one defender completes
91% of the time; one die against four is 15%. A crowd is worse than a
star: every extra defender inside the ring, and every body in the lane,
is another defensive die. A receiver three squares from three defenders
rolls 6 against 3 (73%) - better than the same receiver covered by one
defender at two squares (50%).
-
The pick is on top. Every failed forward pass is
intercepted 1 in 15 (1 in 10 against Ball Hawk). The
interceptor holds the ball and runs it back with whatever points the
defence has left: a tackle ends it as a turnover at that spot, reaching
the far end zone is a defensive touchdown, and a pick in your own end
zone is their touchdown too. The two points are spent whether the pass
completes or not.
-
Making it better. Move the receiver clear first (one
point a square, two for the quarterback); throw with the quarterback,
because a back or receiver throwing adds a defensive die; clear the
throwing lane; and throw late in the round, after the defence has spent
its points going the other way.
-
When not to throw. A handoff is free and cannot fail.
A lateral costs the same two points and is never intercepted (99 in 100
behind the line, 19 in 20 past it). With a bad number, take the ground
yards and throw on a later down, when the coverage has moved.
Every action: cost and risk
| Action |
Cost |
What can go wrong |
| Move a player |
1 a square (2 for the quarterback) |
nothing - the worst case is that it was wasted |
| Push the line |
1 a square, 2 for the quarterback; a shoved defender costs double |
only a strong lineman can shove; one defender only, two stacked
stop it, and so do the edge of the field and a boxed-in pile
|
| Run the gap past a strong lineman |
2 a square (3 for the quarterback) |
the lineman stays put, so the hole closes behind you |
| Go through a weak lineman (defence) |
2 points |
the two players swap squares |
| Tackle the carrier |
the move onto his square |
1 in 20 fumble, and the ball is live for either side |
| Handoff (same row or backward) |
free; a backward handoff even banks a point |
nothing - it is automatic |
| Lateral |
2 points |
1 in 100 fumbles behind the line, 1 in 20 past it; never
intercepted
|
| Forward pass |
2 points, once a play, from behind the line |
coverage dice, then 1 in 15 intercepted; the points are spent either way |
| Field goal |
ends the down |
the distance table below; a miss gives the ball up on the spot |
| Punt |
ends the down |
lands within ten numbers either way of the spot you pick |
Kicking
-
Field goal: the game works out the distance to the posts
from where the ball is. In a local game the host chooses how the kick is
decided. Paper football: the game rolls how far the kick could
go, and if it reaches you kick a paper football and answer
true or false. Dice formula: roll three dice
against a total that climbs with the distance - 95% from inside 40 yards,
about 84% at 45, 50% at 60, 9% at 65, three sixes from 70 out, and past
80 yards it is out of range. Online games always use the paper football.
The kick button shows the current distance and, in formula games, the
chance.
-
Punt: choose up to the distance the game allows; the
ball lands within ten yards either way.
-
PAT: after a touchdown, kick a paper football and answer
true or false for one point.
Special players
Optional, and chosen before kickoff in a local or single-player game.
Each team gets one; the AI picks its own. Online games play without them
for now. Each team's special is named beside the score under a gold star,
and the one that belongs to a single player - the Speedy QB - also wears
that star on his chest, down in the corner of his square.
- Lead Blocker - once a play, a teammate next to the square you leave follows you into it for free.
- Ball Hawk - your defence intercepts on 1 in 10 instead of 1 in 15.
- Sure Hands - +1 die on a contested forward pass.
- Speedy QB - your quarterback moves at the normal rate: one point a square instead of two, and the same through a hole in the line.
Turnovers
-
Any tackle has a 1-in-20 chance of a fumble. The ball goes live beside
the pile - the football sits alone on that square - and the first
player to reach it recovers it. A defensive recovery is a
live return: the defender carries it, keeps running with
the defence's remaining points, and a tackle ends the return. Reaching
the end zone the defence is attacking (the one the offence defends)
is a defensive touchdown.
- A defender who falls on the ball in his own end zone (the one the offence attacks) gets a touchback: his team takes over at the kickoff spot instead of running it out.
- Tackled in your own end zone: the defence scores a safety.
These rules describe what the code actually does.
Player 1
