Scrimmage: Tactical Professional Football (1973)

About this game

Scrimmage - Tactical Professional Football is, in many ways, "the ultimate wargame". It combines varieties of movement, combat and objectives rarely found in actual warfare. First published in Strategy & Tactics magazine #37, Jim Dunnigan transformed the game of Football into a wargame, with limited success. Played on a hex map football field (6 hexes = 10 yards), players set up their teams and run plays. Rules cover all aspects of the sport: facing, movement, contact, transferring the ball, passing and running. The standard 'Combat Results Table' in most wargames becomes the 'Contact Results Table', where players are neutralized for a number of play segments or immobilized for the turn. On passing plays, a 'Pass Completion Table' is consulted. Extensive examples of play are included for both running and passing. However, no rules are included for kickoffs/punts or Field Goal attempts.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Strictly 2 players — no more, no fewer.
• Rules load. At 2.7/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 10 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.