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Breakaway Football: Design Notes

The Concept

Real football takes 3+ hours to watch or play. Sports simulations have tended to faithfully recreate this timeframe (think Strat-O-Matic Football). Too often the complexity and nuance of pro football is expressed in raw data (stacks of detailed player cards chock full of individual statistics) or as a dizzying set of granular, down-by-down decisions (blitz the Inside Linebacker or double-cover the Split End). The result is a realistic but often long, brain-burning experience.

The Challenge

Our challenge was to create a board game that preserved realistic football strategy, pared away unnecessary complexity, and created a smooth game flow to pace up the experience.

The Central Design Conceit

Breakaway Football creates compelling football strategy while increasing pace, making it manageable to play an entire head-to-head contest in under 90 minutes. The Solo game can take as few as 60 minutes.

Breakaway Football is a true football simulator. Virtually all available teams are based on iconic single seasons in pro football, giving you the chance to play a wide variety of "what if" matchups. The goal is to capture the correct power, skill, and greatness of each iconic franchise in proportion to each other, which creates a realistic simulation of the matchup. In this way, Breakaway Football gives you the power to test your coaching skill in scenarios, tournaments, or complete seasons.

Unlike traditional sports simulators, Breakaway Football adopts six (6) key departures from real football to increase the speed of play:

1. Playing field uses 5-yard increments. This means teams use fewer total play calls to move the ball up and down the field. Fewer play calls shortens overall play time of the game.
2. First downs occur at three (3) milestones (Midfield & both 20-yard lines), which is faster than tracking the chain gang up and down the sideline.
3. There is no numerical game clock. Each Offense card represents 1:00 minute of time. Discarding used Offense cards shows your time dwindling away. It also provides an opportunity to set your strategy during discards, because the plays you keep are the only ones you can call.
4. There are no individual players. To simulate individual player actions, plausible results come from the Game Day deck. Complete with flavor text and modifiers to plays, the Game Day deck creates the storyline of your contest and consolidates the incredible individual efforts, the boneheaded mistakes, the bad penalties and fortunate bounces of the ball into single card pulls.
5. Every team has a set of special mechanisms. Teams have tendencies and personalities based on their playbook philosophies and personnel strengths. Special mechanisms give that team a set of thematic actions (some helpful, some not) to express their personality. When used wisely by the coach, these special mechanisms can tip the scales in their favor.
6. Challenge Flags nullify/offset randomness. The "challenge flag" in Breakaway Football prevents bad luck. It also serves as a blowout preventer, since the tied or losing team can continue to refresh one challenge flag if both are already spent. Clever use of the challenge flag will keep games close and down to the wire.

The result is a game that creates the right strategic decision-making, and the right situational tension of coaching real football, playing in under half the time.

Anatomy of a Franchise

Teams feature 15 Offense cards and up to 10 Defense cards (some defenses have fewer cards to model their style/power). Each play card holds two play choices (inverted top and bottom). Because Offense cards are discarded after use, the decision on which play to call from that card depends on the game situation, the remaining cards in your hand, and your preferred strategy.

In addition, each team has a player mat showing that team's special mechanisms, which are unique rules for that franchise.

The card values, play type distribution, matching play combinations, and team-specific mechanisms are unique for each team, which ensures each team will play recognizably different from its opponent. There is no single strategy to win! It truly depends on what your team can do, and how well you coach them.

Basics of Timekeeping

Because each Offense card represents 1:00 minute of game clock time, keeping time is a shared activity. Both players must begin each drive with a matching number of active Offense cards. When a drive ends (after a score, turnover, or punt), the Offense player counts their discards. The defense player immediately discards that same number from their Offense deck before starting their drive.

For example, my opening drive stalls out around midfield. I punt and have used a total of five (5) cards. Before my opponent starts their offensive drive, they must discard five of their Offense cards (to represent time run off the clock in my previous drive).

Full games are played in 4 quarters, just like real football. At the start of each quarter, both teams reclaim all their Offense cards back to the full 15. But just like real football, one team could dominate time of possession by using more plays through longer drives.

Strategy Tips

While each team has its own special mechanisms that will inform your strategic decisions, there are game-wide strategies that are helpful to learn in depth.

Using Time Outs

In real football, the time out stops the movement of the clock, which allows you opportunity to call more plays. In Breakaway Football, time outs literally add play cards back into your hand, allowing you to call more plays. Time outs are great for recovering a specific play card from your discard, for example that big Long Pass you tried earlier in the quarter. Time outs also allow you to refine your strategy late in the half by reclaiming specific formations or play types to exploit your opponent's tendencies.

Consider calling a time out in the following situations:

• Late quarter when you don't like the play cards left in your hand
• Before a critical 3rd or 4th down conversion attempt, to get that perfect play called
• Late half on Offense, to extend your drive
• Late half on Defense, to force your opponent into a 4th down punting situation

Playing a Field Position Game

Average punt values are about 9 yard lines (45 yards). Drives that stall on your side of midfield provide opportunity to punt your opponent deep into their own territory. There is also the "Coffin Corner Punt" mechanism that allows you to shave some yardage off the punt and pin your opponent deep. Some coaches also prefer to boot touchbacks and force their opponent to start at the 20, with a 1st Down and 6 yard lines to go, which is the longest starting position on the board. The choice is yours!

Consider valuing field position over points when:

• Winning by 4+ points in the late half. A punt deep in their own territory would force opponents to go 60+ yards to attempt a field goal, which is difficult with only 2 or 3 plays remaining.
• Weather effects make Offense treacherous. The Breakaway Football Weather Expansion provides mild, moderate, and severe weather effects including wind, rain, and snow. If the weather makes Offense hard to execute, consider punting to gain better field position.

Late-Half Offense

Some franchises are built to move the ball in the late-half scenarios. Other franchises find it more challenging. In general, at the start of your drive you will want to have three (3) time outs and at least two (2) Offense cards in your hand. This gives you a potential four plays to move the ball into Field Goal range and one play to kick the Field Goal or go for the touchdown.

Most teams will use 2 Man Under or Prevent defenses to limit longer pass plays late in the half. However, these defenses typically have little or no run defense, leaving stronger run teams open to run up field very quickly if the defense does not adjust.

When driving for a late-half score:

• Consider what your opponent is likely to call, and call the play that gives you the best numerical advantage. Long Passes are not effective in Late-Half scenarios because they are typically low accuracy and may result in Defensive Breakaways against the 2 Man Under defense. Medium Pass is a good option because they are usually your 2nd highest pass values and the Blitz (the only play that kills Medium Pass) is a high risk call for your opponent.
• Run the ball if you have a team that runs well. Most defenses will use defenses with high pass values in late-half scenarios, leaving you open to gain surprise yards with high-value Runs.

Leaning Into a Team's Personality

Every team has its own special set of mechanisms and often a unique deck construction, all of which creates unique strategies. The Privateers play a short, ball-control passing attack with a powerful pass defense while the Boneyard play an Option running attack with very little passing and a weak defense.

The best way to coach each team is to lean into their personality, even if that personality is perceived as a weakness. The Gunslingers, for example, become vulnerable in the 2nd half when winning. There are two ways to win with them: either build a big lead in the 1st half and hold on for dear life, or intentionally stay trailing or tied to score late, overtake and win. The Kardiacs can only earn their special mechanism when losing at the start of their Offense drive, but the benefit of having these "Clutch Coins" late is often the difference between victory and defeat. Understanding how to maximize the team's potential is about recognizing what type of team it is and leaning into that team's personality.

Adjusting Challenge Level

Breakaway Football offers the opportunity to tune or adjust the level of difficulty to meet your requirements. The goal is to provide that "just right" level of challenge so games are difficult but not impossible to win.

Increasing Player Count

To scale up to 3 or 4 players, simply have players pair up and designate permanent coaching duties as Offense and Defense Coordinators. This way you can have one person responsible for the Offense deck and one for the Defense deck for a given team. While there is some down time between drives, the idle player is still invested in the outcome of the game. Breakaway Football is a fun spectator experience (just like real football), so the idle coach will still be entertained!

Playing 4-handed Breakaway Football is great for pairs who prefer to collaborate and enjoy football strategy. Coordinator-level tactics can make a game feel like competing duels, which deepens the strategic chess-match and replayability.

Tuning Difficulty (Head-to-Head)

Breakaway Football is a tightly balanced game that emphasizes coaching skill over random luck. When playing an experienced coach versus a football novice, it may be useful to tip the scales in the favor of the novice. Should you want to purposely unbalance the game to make it easier for less experienced players, here are a few ways to do it without breaking the game:

• Limit Challenge Flags: The experienced coach starts with only one challenge flag, or none at all. Limiting the challenge flags for the experienced player is the simplest way to tweak game balance.
• Single-Use Challenge Flags: Prevent the experienced player from re-earning their challenge flags and/or allow novice player to re-earn challenge flags even when winning.

Tuning Difficulty (Solo)

While there are built-in rules for handling the solo game, you can curate your own experience. Some players will see the random Offense card draw and defense AI logic sheet as sufficiently challenging. Others will want to increase the difficulty to make the experience incredibly difficult. Below are some simple ways to increase the difficulty. Consider adding these one at a time to find the right balance for your liking.

• Use the Advanced Solo AI: The most thematic and compelling matchup will come from using the Advanced Solo AI. This sheet provides a more challenging opponent in part because the AI is tuned to make situationally appropriate play calls. The Advanced AI also has the advantage of accessing its entire offensive playbook on every down. For a tough opponent, use the sheet.
• Rotate Cards to Better Matchup: Regardless of score, the AI gets the better play on the card (unless the Defense earns a breakaway on the opening matchup). This is a catch-up mechanism already in the AI logic when they are losing by 9+ points. To make the game more challenging, allow the AI to rotate cards anytime they are tied or losing.
• Boost Play Values for AI: Give the AI an extra 1 or 2 points per run & pass to tune the difficulty up. The AI becomes more powerful to offset the lack of coaching perfection.
• Limit Challenge Flags: The human coach starts with only one challenge flag, or none at all. Conversely, the AI gets two, and can refresh both throughout the game.
• Alter Re-earning of Challenge Flags: The human player cannot re-earn their challenge flags. Also, the AI can re-earn challenge flags even when winning.
• "Stack the Deck" for the AI: Allow the AI to choose two Game Day cards per play and choose the more favorable result. This can make the AI very powerful. You have been warned!

Breakaway Football: Team-Specific Strategies

Each team features a specific philosophy and unique decks that possess strengths and weaknesses. A team's intended play style is outlined on its special ability card. In the following pages, we offer advice on how to maximize a team's effectiveness, how to exploit their weaknesses, and how they should "feel" when you play them.

Fire/Lightning

Offense

Based on a traditional Pro-Style Offense, the main strength of the Lightning and Fire is their versatility. Both offer impressive variety in style of attack, with teams being able to flexibly adopt a run-heavy or pass-heavy philosophy within the same game. Versatility makes it possible for these teams to either control the clock or strike quickly through the air. Your best approach is to promote a balanced attack to keep your opponent guessing, especially throwing out of run formations and running out of passing formations.

Defense (10 cards)

Defensively speaking, the Lightning and Fire have strong plays in each formation, but their formations tend to broadcast tendencies. A 4-3 defense formation is naturally stronger against the run, while the Dime is naturally stronger against pass. As a result, crafty opponents can use the audible to their advantage, switching their offense call pre-snap to attack the defense's perceived weakness.

Special Ability - Fire

The Fire focus on field position by means of an outstanding Kick Return Game. Each kickoff return is 2 yard lines (10 yards) longer than any other team. Also, all punt returns are treated as automatic breakaways. This means instead of pulling one card for the punt return, the Fire pull multiple cards until they encounter a "0" or fumble. Though the risk of fumbling is greater than usual, the reward of a free breakaway can often create excellent field position or even score a touchdown.

Special Ability - Lightning

The Lightning focus on field position by means of an impressive Kicking Game. The punter is powerful and accurate, with the Lightning able to add or subtract 1 or 2 yard lines from their punt. The Lightning can pin their opponents deep near the goal line or purposely punt into the end zone to prevent a dangerous punt return. The Field Goal kicker also has a powerful leg, adding 1 to the kick value on the Game Day card. Therefore, the Lightning have much easier time making long and mid-range field goals.

Vulnerabilities

When coaching the Lightning/Fire defense, if you guess correctly, you can completely shut down an opponent. Guess wrong and you expose the defense to many big plays. Their offense playbook can also telegraph your play strength to your opponent. Shotgun is pass-heavy with bad running just as I-Form is strong running and weak passing. It is crucial to keep your opponent guessing by subverting expectations implied by your Offense formations.

Solo AI Play

Because the Fire and Lightning mechanisms are passive, they only need to be tracked by the human player. Even though both teams have identical playbooks, their Defense AI and Advanced Solo AI sheets are tuned differently, meaning you will see the teams play distinctly different from each other.

Maulers

Offense

Inspired by the 1983 Washington Redskins, the Maulers are a run-first Offense with high-value runs in all three formations. While most teams have runs of "3" or even "4" value, the Maulers feature multiple runs with a "5" value. Unless the defense guesses perfectly, the Maulers' best opportunity to gain yards is on the ground. The Maulers' passing game is weaker than average, but when used as a counterpunch to a defense that overcommits to the run, it can be very effective. Clever running by mixing up play types to keep the opponent guessing will result in defenses feeling pressured to call high-run value defenses, which creates more opportunity to pass. When the balance is there, the Maulers are a tough Offense to get off the field.

Defense (10 cards)

The Maulers defense is a powerful squad against the run. While their pass coverage is a bit predictable, there is a latent run support on virtually all plays, meaning a defensive coach can gamble with passing defenses against most opponents and still limit rushing gains.

Special Ability - Chew Clock

The Maulers are all about controlling the clock by dominating time of possession. The Chew Clock mechanism allows the Maulers to discard an extra play card whenever the Maulers earn a first down by crossing a milestone (at either 20-yard line or midfield) or when the Maulers score a touchdown. Strategically, the Chew Clock mechanism limits the opponent's chances to score by burning clock. That, coupled with the overall strength of the Maulers defense, makes it even harder for opponents to score.

Special Ability - Hard Count

The Hard Count is a free 5-yard (1-line) penalty that the Maulers can use once per game anytime they have possession of the ball. The Maulers can only use Hard Count once per game, so deciding when it has the most benefit is the key. The Hard Count offers the Maulers a chance to pick up 3rd or 4th and 1 without any risk, allowing them to extend critical drives. The Maulers can also use it before a Field Goal attempt to pull one yard line closer to increase the success chance of the kick. Everything about the team is built to control the clock and wear down the opponent.

Note: Hard Count is a penalty on the opponent. As such, the Hard Count mechanism cannot earn that final yard line at the goal line to score a touchdown. Remember, penalties cannot advance into the end zone. Therefore, using Hard Count can never result in a score.

Vulnerabilities

Because the passing game is weaker than normal, if the Maulers fall behind by 10 or more points, it can be very challenging for them to climb back into the contest. Try taking more risks on defense to create breakaways. Go for it on makeable 4th downs if you are losing in a close game, as the Maulers run Offense can usually overpower all but the most perfect run defense.

Solo AI Play

The Maulers will wait to use the Hard Count until the 2nd half. If the game is within one score, the Maulers will use Hard Count to gain a first down on a 4th and 1.

The Maulers will always Chew Clock when winning, tied, or losing by 7 or fewer points. If the Maulers are losing by 8 or more points, they will NOT Chew Clock.

Pharaohs

Offense

Inspired by the New Orleans Saints of 2012, a defense that gave up over 7,000 yards in 16 games, the Pharaohs feature the overall strongest passing offense of any team. Their formations are loaded with high-value passes. For example, the Pharaohs sport a "9" Long Pass and an "8" Medium Pass, which are league highs. Their balanced formation is "Shotgun," which is the pass-heavy formation for many teams.

The running game is underwhelming at face value. However, opponents typically overcommit to pass-heavy defenses to limit the Pharaohs' passing gains. Since the defense is relying on low-value run defenses, the Pharaohs' low-value run plays are often more effective because the opponent is surprised by the run. The Pharaohs are a tough Offense to shut down unless the opponent can generate frequent defensive breakaways.

Defense (10 cards)

The Pharaohs have the worst-rated defense in the game, which puts a ton of pressure on their Offense to score a touchdown essentially every time they have the ball. The defense card values are comically low. As a result, the Pharaohs' defense is encouraged to "swing for the fences" on every play. Defensive breakaways are the only way to stop an opponent.

Special Ability - Force Turnover

The Pharaohs' defense has one saving grace: it is opportunistic. Once per game, the Pharaohs' Force a Turnover mechanism provides a free turnover on their 5th defensive breakaway. Consequently, the Pharaohs should not sit back and play it safe, but instead should attack and risk giving up big plays in the hopes of generating breakaways that can lead to an automatic turnover. That one key stop can often allow the Offense to extend a lead in a shootout.

Vulnerabilities

Almost every Pharaohs' game turns into a shootout. Their defense can tip the scales if they get the free turnover. Generally, it takes 2 defensive stops to put the Pharaohs in position to win. Therefore, even if the Offense scores every drive, the Pharaohs defense must somehow come up with 1 or even 2 stops for them to win.

Solo AI Play

The Pharaohs tend to take risks on Offense as well as Defense. They must score a TD on every drive to hope to win. Therefore, when in doubt, the Pharaohs will "Go for it."