Famous First Downs: The World's Smallest Football Game (2012)

About this game

The feel of the laces against your fingers, the catch in your throat as the pocket closes in, the confidence as you unload that your wideout will be there... Do you have what it takes to be a famous football player? Find out today with Famous First Downs - the World's Smallest Gridiron Football Game! Famous First Downs is a fun, fast-playing simulation of the sport of American football. The game focuses on offensive and defensive play-calling and on the need to build and manage your team’s momentum over multiple scoring drives. Each down, the offense declares a play to which the defense secretly responds. The offense then chooses a play option, resulting in the success or failure of the play and determining any subsequent yardage. Blocked plays earn momentum for the defense while first downs earn momentum for the offense. That momentum can then be spent on special plays like interceptions, extra yards, and repeated downs. The various coins are used to track downs, momentum, and yardage. Famous First Downs is the fourth game in the Famous Games Company's line of World’s Smallest Sports Games and a personal favourite of the company's founder.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Strictly 2 players — no more, no fewer.
• Rules load. At 1.3/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 13 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.