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StreetSoccer by Corne van Moorsel

StreetSoccer by Corne van Moorsel art n/a publish Cwali players: 2 duration: 20 mins. type: sports game PACE: Quick. Once you get the hand of positioning, play zips right along: roll die, move one player and the ball. LUCK: Medium. Even though the central part of this game is dice rolling, it actually works very well. You may have some bad die rolls, but then positioning becomes very important, and positioning can mitigate all sorts of die rolling disparity. TENSION: High. It is not a strategic tension, but trying to rally the troops two goals down, or trying to get that Golden Goal in extra time -- yowza! VICIOUS: Medium. Just like in real soccer, you are trying take advantage of bad positioning of the other player in order to score goals.o SOCIAL: Medium. It's light enough to be social, but the game moves very quickly, and is only 2-players. VISUALS: Excellent. A soccer pitch in a field with a few trees in the background, and the white lines over textured grass. Nice sturdy wooden player pieces. THEME: High. Yes, there is dice, but it is uncanny how much it feels like a soccer game -- expecially the positioning. GAMER APPEAL: Probably. Footy fans take note! Maybe the best light 2-player game I have played. NON-GAMER APPEAL: Probably. So far the people I have played with it, one who admits not liking soccer, really enjoyed the game. And the die rolls make inexperienced players feel like they have a chance. Wonderful game for children too! 2 PLAYERS: Excellent. REPLAY: Excellent. I've played 10 times. Good with 2 players. Best with 2 players.

by Corne van Moorsel

Quick Summary | If you had told me a month ago I'd be adding a soccer board game that used die-rolling as it's main mechanic to the Gold Games list, I would have laughed at you. The joke's on me! This little gem by Corne van Moorsel is a near perfect thematic fit. Play is simple. The board is a 6 x 10 grid, and each "coach" has 5 players each (it is, after all, street soccer, and not FIFA soccer. =) There are a few restrictions as to where pieces can be placed, but it is very simple, and they all make sense. Then the game consists of a coach rolling the die, and then choosing one of his players to move orthogonally around the board. When a player comes in contact with the ball, the ball moves the remainder of the die count plus 1. (That way a player can never ever be in the same space as the ball at the end of the turn. A player who moves rolls a 3 and is 3 spaces away from the ball would move to the space the ball is on and move the ball one mroe space.) The ball can be moved in any direction (including diagonally, which the players can't), and when it comes in contact with a teammate, it gets an extra movement, which means stringing together passes, just as in real soccer, creates all kinds of scoring chances and trouble for the defense. Since die rolls are a big part of the game, a player often uses a "bad" roll to get a defender in a better position. Do it right, and you'll deny your opponent goal scoring chances or even good places to pass! Positioning in this game is vital, and the ebb and flow of the game is nearly identical to soccer. On top of that it is just a really great game, and plays in 20 minutes! Good for gamer, non-gamers, kids -- just some light, "footy" fun.

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