Goal!
Goal! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
1 playing surface, 56 cards, 1 ball, rules.
Object of the Game
To have scored the most goals at the end of the game.
Dealing the Cards
When playing with more than two players, form teams as follows:
- 3 players: play two against one.
- 4 players: play two against two.
Remove the card labelled "Buteur" and shuffle the others. Deal the following number of cards, face down, to each player:
- 2 players: eight cards each.
- 3 players: six cards to the teamed players and eight to the lone one.
- 4 players: six cards each.
Place the remaining cards, face down, on the table to form a draw pile. The players can now examine the cards they were dealt.
Game Play
Place the playing surface between the players and put the ball in the middle of the central circle ("milieu de rond central") (see fig. 1).
When there are two teams, play alternates, as follows: a player from the first team, then a player from the other team. When playing with three (A against B and C), A plays twice each turn. Example: A plays, then B, then A again and then C and so on.
Note that the playing surface has red and blue halves, marked by coloured squares near the goals.
Decide who goes first and on which side he or they will be. The first player then kicks off (3).
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Each turn you play one card (rules 5-9 are exceptions) and you move the ball. The ball advances as indicated (by the arrow and number) on the card: the arrow indicates the direction that the ball goes and the number determines the distance that it moves, that is to say the number of squares.
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Always move the ball towards your opponent's goal. At the end of each turn, don't forget to draw one or more cards from the deck so as to replenish your hand.
Kick Off
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To kick off, you must use an Offence card (4). Once you've chosen your card, play it on the table so that everyone can see it, to the discard pile beside the draw deck. Move the ball as indicated by the arrow and the number on the card, starting from one of the two squares on your side of the midline. Draw a card to replace the one you've just played.
Do not forget: to kick off, you must use an Offence card. You cannot use a Penalty, a Corner, a Goalkeeper or a Free Kick.
The Cards and the Game
- Offence Cards
These have, in the top corners, one of these three symbols: a hand, a red flag or a blue flag. In addition to the kick-off (3), these cards are used to attack the opposing goal (11) and to clear (6) when the ball crosses the goal line ("ligne de but") to exit the game on either side of the goal. The flag and the hand appearing on these cards are used to resolve Penalties (9) and Corners (8).
- Free Kicks ("Coup Franc")
These cards can be used at any time, except when the ball is within the penalty box ("surface de pénalité"). The dashes indicate the choices you have. When you have played a Free Kick, you must play an Offence card (4) immediately, within the same turn. Move the ball according to both cards. If the ball reaches the penalty box and you have a Penalty card, you can also play it, still within the same turn (9). Draw, from the deck, as many cards as you've played. If you can reach the goal (11) with a Free Kick, you need not play an Offence card as well.
- Clearing Kicks
To clear, use an Offence card (4) or a Goalkeeper card (7). When the ball exits the playing area, to the right or left of the goal, the following player clears. If the ball exited to the right, he starts the clearing kick from one of the two squares on the right side of the clearing box ("surface de réparation") (see fig. 2). If it was to the left, he uses the squares on the left.
- Goalkeeper Cards ("Gardien")
A goal is not scored, even if the ball has entered the net, until the next player has had a chance to stop it. To stop a goal, you can use a Goalkeeper card, moving the ball as indicated by the arrows on the card, from the square of your choice of the clearing box. Goalkeeper cards can also be used to clear (6).
- Corner Cards ("Corner")
A goal can also be stopped by a Corner. Like the Goalkeeper card, the Corner card can only be used once the ball has entered the net. On each Corner card, there is a red or blue flag. When you play this card, place the ball on the corner of the matching colour. The next player (who belongs to the team that kicked the ball into the goal) must then cut the deck to reveal a card:
- if the card bears a flag of the same colour as the corner where the ball is, the goal is scored. After a goal, the ball returns to the centre for a new kick-off (3). The team that did not score kicks off.
- otherwise, the goal was stopped. The other player places the ball anywhere within the clearing box and kicks clear (6).
- Penalty Cards ("Penalty")
If the ball is within the penalty box and you have a Penalty card, you can use it within the same turn. Discard your Penalty card and place the ball on the Penalty spot ("point de pénalité") (see fig. 3).
Your opponent must then cut the deck to reveal a card:
- if the card shows a hand, the Penalty kick was stopped and he puts the ball back down anywhere within the clearing box and kicks clear (6).
- otherwise, you score and the ball goes to the centre for a new kick off (3).
- Throw-Ins
If the ball crosses the touch line ("ligne de touche"), at any time, the next player must throw it back in. First, he places the ball on the square where it left the playing area. Next, he moves it one square in any direction and then plays a card in the usual fashion.
If the ball goes out diagonally at a corner, at either end of the touch line, it is thrown back in rather than kicked clear (6).
- Goal Kicks
The ball need not reach the goal by exact count. You need only reach any one of the net squares behind the goal line ("ligne de but"). If the next player cannot stop the goal with a Corner or a Goalkeeper, the goal is scored. Don't forget to write down your score!
End of the First Half-Time
- The game is played in two half-times, as in a real match. When the draw deck is down to three cards or less, the first half-time draws to a close. The next player plays one last time normally and the half-time is then over.
If the last play is a goal kick and the next player plays a Goalkeeper or Corner, the goal is automatically stopped. You need not move the ball nor cut the deck. The second half-time then begins (see the next section).
If the last card played is a Penalty, the next player must use the discard pile to resolve the Penalty. After that, the second half-time begins.
Second Half-Time
- When the second half-time begins, all the players keep the cards they had in hand when the first half-time ended. Shuffle the discards and place them face down to form a new draw deck. Before resuming play, check to make sure everyone has a full hand, drawing if need be.
Switch terrain halves and place the ball in the centre before kicking off (3). The team or player that did not kick off initially kicks off this time.
End of Game
- When the draw deck is exhausted a second time, the game ends. Conclude the second half-time like the first if it ends with a goal or Penalty kick.
The Winner
- The team or player that scored the most goals by the end of the game wins!