Football Strategy
Theme: Old fashioned gridiron football.
Company: Avalon Hill
Type: Board Game
# of Players: 2
Rating: 
Ken says: What can you say about a football game with such a long and rich history? Well, I'm going to try as I sing the praises of AH's Football Strategy. There are no individual players and no John Madden. Only you, the coach will lead the team down the field.
The game mechanics are about as simple as you can get. First, the defense secretly picks a formation (one of ten cards lettered A - J) of what he or she feels will stop the offense. Some are great against the run (A or B), but lousy against the pass. Some are the opposite (I & J), but most fall in-between (D - G) with two special "blitz" packages (C & H). Then the offense must choose one of twenty plays. Some are very conservative (#1 - Run Up Middle), some are very risky (#19 - The Long Bomb), some fall in the middle (#10 - Flair Pass), and some are just plain nuuts (#16 - Razzle Dazzle).
When the offense chooses a play, the defense reveals his card and the results of the play are triangulated. Field Goals, Extra Points, Kickoffs, and Punts are handled by die roll. And a simple chart keeps track of the time used.
While Football Strategy doesn't have the snazzy production values of more recent releases or the video game systems, it does produce an enormous amount of tension. I can remember one game where I had to convert a 4th & 1 late in the game. Instead of playing conservatively, I went for it with a Long Bomb and got within two yards of the goal line. Only to have my kicker miss a sure-fire field goal that would have tied the game.
Pros: Oh well, let's just say it's a great game that deserves a space on your gaming shelf.
Cons: Some games can last over three hours. But, that's a minor drawback to say the least. The biggest problem is that it's out of print. Although you can find some copies cheap on ebay.
Tips
For those of you so old fashioned that
only a boardgame of football will do;
- Keep track of all plays. Not only will this help you decifer what your opponent's tendancies are, it makes for great record keeping in case you wish to post the results.
- If it's third or fourth and long (10+ yards), your opponent will (more than likely) use defense "I" or "J", which prevents long passes. If it's third or fourth and very short (2 yards or less), you are more likely to see defenses "A" or "B". In those cases, try the "Razzle Dazzle". It works best against those particular defenses.
- I can think of no better game for League play than this one. If you know a bunch of rabid football fans who take a liking to this game, try setting up a season which everyone plays a round robin format and the two best players face off in the championship.
Addendum: The cover photo for the final edition is really hilarious. It was definately taken during a Washington Redskins/Dallas Cowboys game. But the team symbols have been blotted out. The quarterback is clearly Billy Kilmer. But they blotted out the "1" in his number (17). If you hold the box right, you can still see the "1".
