Finale (1998)

About this game

Another game in Kosmos two-player series, this game casts players as soccer (football) coaches on opposite teams. Players use special square cards to represent the players they have in each of the positions: strikers, mid-fielders, defenders, and goalies. Each turn, one of the two players will be the offense based on a simultaneous selection of cards from their respective play books. Then players allocate their players to the current play, which rotates the used players. A player card has a number of soccer balls on each edge, which tells how many skill points the player will contribute to a given play, and using the player (thusly rotating him) might actually weaken him for the next use. Re-implemented as: Tooor!

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Strictly 2 players — no more, no fewer.
• Rules load. At 1.9/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 12 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.