Quick -N- Dirty

 

These Quick ‘n Dirty Rules are designed to get you up and playing your first game right away.  More in-depth play and examples are covered in the Official Rules.

 

Upper Deck Gridiron Fantasy Football (GFF) follows the basic rules of football -- if you’re unfamiliar with football, refer to Appendix A in the Official Rules.

 

In this two-person game, each player will need his own GFF Starter Deck and you’ll share one Playing Field (on the opposite side of these rules).  You will also need a number of coins or similar small markers to keep track of the Score, the position of the ball, etc.

 

Success in the game requires winning Challenges between the players.  In a challenge, each person plays cards with the appropriate Key Ability symbols and whoever plays the most symbols wins the Challenge.

 

The Key Abilities are:

 

Power (an arm)

 

 

 

 

 

Speed (a foot)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skill (a football)

 

 

 

 

Mental (a helmet)

 

 

 

Setup

 

Game Length

Each game consists of a set number of Drives towards your goal.  You should first play a short game of four drives.

 

A normal game consists of two five-drive halves.

 

Sort Cards

Sort your cards into five piles.

Each type can be easily identified by its card back:

Team cards

Offensive Play cards

Defensive Play cards

Offensive Action cards

Defensive Action cards

 

Build Teams

Select three Team cards (five in a normal game).  These represent the Star Players and other advantages of your team.  No team can have more than one Coach and one Team Franchise, and no duplicates of any Team cards are allowed.  Lay your Team cards face-down on the table between you.

 

Create Playbooks

Both teams also have Offensive and Defensive Playbooks.  These represent the plays that your team has practiced to perfection.

Select up to six Offensive Play cards and six Defensive Play cards and set them face-down on the table.  Set any remaining Plays aside for future use.

 

Prepare Action Cards

Both players also have Offensive and Defensive Action Decks.  Each deck is composed of a minimum of 15 different Action cards (if you have fewer than 15 Action cards, just play with what you have).  Don’t use more than two of any specific Action card in your first game.  Shuffle your Offensive Action Deck and your Defensive Action Deck.  Place them face-down on the table.

 

Reveal Team Cards

Turn all of your Team cards face-up.  If both of you reveal an identical card, flip a coin to decide who gets to keep his card and who has to call up a replacement.

 

Prepare the Playing Field

Set the Playing Field between both players, off to one side.  Put markers on each of following parts of the scoreboard: the “1” in the Down area, the “1” in the Drive area, and start the team scores at zero.

 

Starting the Game

 

Overview

Your first game of GFF will begin with a coin toss and a kickoff, followed by four drives.

In a normal game you’ll play ten drives, separated by a halftime during which you may revise your Playbooks and Action Decks.

 

A Drive consists of one or more consecutive Plays while the same player is on offense.  A Drive ends when the defense gains possession of the ball or the offense scores.

 

Coin Toss

Flip a coin: the winner will be the Home Team and will receive the opening kickoff.

In a normal game, the Home Team will kickoff to start the second half.

 

Kickoff

For your first game, all kickoffs reach the end zone and the receiving team takes possession on their own 20-yard line.

There are complete kicking rules for a normal game in the Official Rules.

 

Put a marker on the receiving player’s 20-yard line: this is the current location of the ball.

Put another marker 10 yards down-field indicating the distance to a first down.

 

Starting a Drive

 

Pick up your Playbook (the Offensive Playbook for the offensive player and vice versa).

 

You may exchange one card from your Playbook for one of your unused Play cards.

 

Draw five cards from the top of your Action Deck (Offensive Action Deck for the offensive player and vice versa).  If you run out of cards in your deck, take only what remains and reshuffle the discards to create a new Action Deck.  You’re now ready to call the first Play.

Playcalling

 

Select your Active Team cards.  Turn any Team cards you’d like to use face-up, making them Active.  If you are on Offense, you should turn any defensive Team cards face-down and vice versa.

 

Choose a card from your Playbook, laying it face-down on the table.  These are the plays you and your opponent are calling.

 

Reveal the Play cards and determine who has the Advantage.  If both are Run plays or both are Pass plays, the defensive player has called the Play correctly and has the Advantage.  Otherwise, the offensive player has the Advantage.  You announce that you have the Advantage.

 

Determine the Dominant Ability for the play.  The Dominant Ability is the Key Ability on the Play card revealed by the player with the Advantage.  You can announce this as well.

 

Determine your initial Ability Total.  Count the Dominant Ability symbols on your Play card.  Add any Abilities from appropriate Team Cards.  Ignore other Ability types for he rest of the play unless a card states otherwise.  Mark your current Ability Total using the colored dice.

If both players have the same Ability Total, the player with the Advantage has the higher Total.

 

Playaction – The Challenge

 

If you have the lower Ability Total, play Challenge Action cards with the Dominant Ability until you have the higher Ability Total.

Remember, if both players have the same Ability Total, the player with the Advantage has the higher Total.

You may not play additional Challenge Actions if you have the higher Total.

If you do not have sufficient cards with the appropriate Ability, you must skip.  You may also skip if you would rather retain your Action cards.

Change the dice to reflect the new Ability Total.

Take turns until one player skips.  Action cards with no Ability symbols have immediate effects and can be played at any appropriate time.

Certain Team cards have effects that you may apply at anytime.

 

Play Results

 

If the offensive player has the higher Ability Total, the play is successful.  Apply the Objective stated on the Offensive Play card.

If the defensive player has the higher Ability Total, the play is stopped.  Apply the Objective stated on the Defensive Play card.

If the last Action card played by the winner of the play was a Challenge Action card, apply that card’s Special Result, even if it doesn’t benefit the winning side.

Your first game should be a friendly game, ignoring Penalties.

 

When you play a normal game, consult the Official Rules for complete Penalty Results.

 

Advance the Down marker to the next Down or reset it to First Down when one is achieved.

Return any used Play cards to the appropriate Playbooks.

Discard all used Action cards.

You may discard one unwanted Action card from your Action Hand.

Draw Action cards until you have five cards in your Action Hand.

 

Finishing a Drive

 

A Drive ends when one of the following occurs:

The Official Rules contain additional normal game rules for all of the following.

 

You may choose to Punt instead of calling a normal Offensive Play.

Advance the ball 40 yards and the defense takes possession.  If the ball enters the end zone, the defense takes over on their 20-yard line.

You may choose to kick a Field Goal instead of calling a normal Offensive Play.  If you are within 25 yards of your opponent’s goal line, the kick is good.  Score three points and kickoff to your opponent.

If you attempt a Field Goal and it fails (as the result of a card played by your opponent), the defensive player gains control of the ball where the play started.

If you fail to achieve a First Down after four Downs, the defensive player gains control of the ball at the end of the play.

If a Fumble occurs (as a result of a card used during a play), the defensive player gains control of the ball at the end of the play.

If a Pass is Intercepted (as the result of a card used during a play), advance the ball as if the pass had been completed.  The defensive player gains control of the ball at the end of the play.

If a normal Offensive Play ends with the football reaching or passing the defensive player’s 0-yard line, the offensive player scores a Touchdown, receiving six points.

After a Touchdown, you may either kick an automatic extra point, adding one point to your score, or you can go for two.  Attempt one play from the defensive player’s 2-yard line, adding two points to your score if you cross the 0-yard line.  Whatever the result, kickoff to your opponent.

If a normal play ends with the football reaching or passing the offensive player’s 0-yard line (as the result of pushing the offensive player back through a successful Defensive Play), the defensive player has achieved a Safety and scores two points.

After a Safety, the offensive player must kickoff.

 

At the end of a Drive:

Advance the Drive marker to the next Drive.

You may discard any number of Action Cards from your Action Hand.

If you have completed four Drives, the clock has run out.

End the game.

 

Ending the Game

 

The player with the most points wins.  If the game ends in a tie, you may play Sudden-Death Overtime.  Start it with a Coin Toss and a Kickoff – the first Player to score in Overtime winds the game!

Congratulations!  You have triumphed (or perhaps been horrifically slaughtered) in your first game of GFF!

To enhance the game, the Official Rules contain complete rules on Kicking, Secondary Challenges, Doubling, Penalties, and more!

In a normal game the Official Rules always take precedence over the Quick -n- Dirty Rules.