Football Strategy Tournament Rules

The game is played using the rules and charts from the 1982 version of Football Strategy as published by The Avalon Hill Game Company, except as identified here.

Game errors during play

While the playtesters and I have done our best to ensure that results are calculated correctly, it’s possible that there might still be mistakes in the game. If you find that something happened that doesn’t seem right, please let me know so that it can be fixed.

However, the results of the game will stand as recorded. (Consider it to be a particularly bad call by an official - they do happen.)

The Appeals process

If the error is so egregious that a player would consider it patently unfair to continue the game at that point, they should:

• Let their opponent know that they do not feel it fair to continue under the current circumstances.
• Disconnect from the game. (Click on the “Lobby” menu entry at the top or close the browser tab.)
• Email me immediately with a description of the situation. Include information about both what happened and what you think should have happened.

I will research the issue at my first opportunity, and either correct the issue or explain why I’m not going change the results. In either case, it is then up to the players to reschedule their continuation of the game. Note: Unless it takes me more than 24 hours to resolve an issue after being notified, the players are still required to complete their game before the end of scheduled Round.

It is most important that you do not continue play beyond the incident. The longer that play continues beyond the problem, the more difficult it is for me to justify “rewinding the clock”.

Overtime

If overtime is warranted (game is tied), select the option to continue into overtime.

For the purposes of this event, we will use the current NFL Playoff overtime rules.

Both teams will have at least one possession unless the kicking team starting the overtime period scores a safety on the receiving team’s initial possession, in which case the team that kicked off is the winner. (2025 NFL Rulebook, Rule 16.1.4(a) )

If the receiving team fumbles the kickoff in overtime, this counts as their possession. That effectively means that the next score (regardless of which team scores) will end the game.

It is up to the players to recognize when the overtime should end. To end the game, either player should select the “OT Ends” button, and the other player should confirm the selection.

If there is a question or dispute as to whether the game should end, the player thinking that the game has ended should disconnect from the game and email the GM (me). I will review the game log, and will end the game if appropriate. If the game hasn’t ended, I will notify both players that the game is to continue.

Kick Offs, Field Goals and PATs

Kick Offs, Field Goal and PAT attempts are resolved by a 2-die chart as shown within the game. (They can be found under the “Charts” menu entry at the top.)

An OnSide kick may only be attempted by the trailing team.

Special cases for kickoffs are resolved as follows

When a fumble is rolled on a kickoff

• The dice are rolled again to get the final position with the kicking team getting the ball at this point.
• Subsequent fumbles result in ball changing hands on each fumble.

When a fumble is followed by a ‘Long Gain’ result

• The fumble is recovered once the final location is determined from the Long Gain roll
• If the result would be a touchdown, the ruling is that the fumble occured in the field of play and the ball rolled through and out of the endzone. The kicking team gets possession on their own 20.

When a penalty is rolled on a kickoff

• Should a single penalty be rolled, apply the ‘Penalty’ procedure below. Otherwise, the penalties all cancel out and the kickoff is resolved as if no penalty occurred at all.

• The dice are rolled again to get the final position with the receiving team getting moved back 10 yards, or half the distance to the goal line for any result inside their 20 yard line.

When a penalty is followed by a ‘Long Gain’ result:

• The penalty is applied against the receiving team once the final location of the ball is determined from the Long Gain roll.
  • NOTE: On a long gain roll of 1 or 2, the penalty is assessed from the 50 yard line.

When a penalty occurs with a fumble:

• If the kicking team recovers the ball, the penalty is declined and the ball is recovered by the kicking team as if the penalty did not occur.
• If the receiving team recovers the ball, the penalty is applied as described above.

Punts

Punts into the End Zone are automatically resolved as a touchback, except for the Long Gain result which is resolved and applied.

You may call “Punt Formation” (PF) on any down when you have more than 15 seconds left on the Play Clock.

You may only call the “Punt 4th Down Only” (P4O) play when you are in punt formation.

When in PF, any offensive gain against any defense other than “A” or “B” is halved. (Note: There is currently a bug where a result with a Penalty isn’t halved. It is not likely that this will be fixed for this event.)

Other clarifications

Any Interception result that would extend beyond the end line (10 yards past the goal line) is instead considered an Incomplete pass.