Thinking Man's Football
Thinking Man's Football Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Equipment
Playing Board…consists of diagrams of basic plays, scoreboard and rectangular playing field marked with shaded wind areas, yard lines and dots. Dotted lines are five yards apart; each play begins and ends on a dot; white dotted lines indicate "inbound markers"; short white bars centered on three yard lines indicate point at which try-for-point may be initiated. Arrow in center of field indicates wind direction – see kicking plays.
Ball…"•" marked with pencil on one of the dots on the field.
Spotter…"X" marked on the field with pencil and used to dictate point to which forward pass is to be thrown.
Ruler…device used to aim and measure plays.
Shift Cards…three cards (LEFT, RIGHT and BALANCED) used by Defense to commit himself to guessing direction of play without letting Offense know.
Pencil…used to mark plays and scoreboard; easily erased with sponge or tissue.
Three Dice…always rolled together; special markings indicate fouls (if any), and total rolled will determine exact results of each play or portion of play on calculator.
Yardage Marker…10 yard magnetic marking device laid along silver line at side of field to indicate minimum yardage needed for first down.
Tabulator…consists of three dials: a Timer dial for recording number of plays to go, a dial indicating Downs and one for Quarters.
Calculator…consists of Defense Selector, Offense Play Selector and Shift Columns.
The Calculator
All basic plays are listed on the calculator. These plays may be combined in various ways to duplicate almost any modern football Offensive maneuver.
To read the calculator, dice are rolled and the total is found in the proper Shift Column (Balance, Correct or Incorrect) and read across to play being used. Every time a play column is read, dice must be rolled for that column. Thus, if Offense is entitled to a BROKEN FIELD RUN after a forward pass, dice would be rolled twice – once for result of forward pass and once for the BROKEN FIELD RUN.
Calculator Symbol Key
• No Gain – Forward pass incomplete except for "Swing Pass" and for DXX penalty.
* Intercepted at spotter ("X") – roll dice and run back on BROKEN FIELD RUN.
(*) Intercepted at spotter ("X") – roll dice and run back on OPEN FIELD RUN.
F Fumble – Defense's ball, no runback.
(F) Fumble – both teams roll dice – high number recovers ball, rolls dice again and runs or runs back on BROKEN FIELD RUN.
B Blocked – Defense's ball 10 yards behind line of scrimmage – no run.
(B) Blocked – both teams roll dice – high number takes ball 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage, rolls dice again for run or runback on OPEN FIELD RUN.
[B] Blocked — both teams roll dice – high number takes ball 10 yards behind line of scrimmage, rolls dice again for run or runback on OPEN FIELD RUN.
[#] BOX AROUND NUMBER – On Punt, ball downed. On Kickoff, ball recovered by kicking team – rolls dice and runs on BROKEN FIELD RUN.
S Spotter – "X" marked at point to which ball is to be thrown.
R Ruler – used to measure plays and aim kicks.
Setup
Players toss coin. Winner of toss has one of two privileges: Which team shall kick off or choice of goal to defend.
Tabulator is set: Timer at 20 players to go, 1st Down, 1st Quarter. Defense gets Shift Cards, calculator and dice.
Basic Play
Kickoff
Kickoffs may be made anywhere along the 40-yard line between the "inbounds markers" (white dotted lines). DEFENSE marks ball position, places ruler in direction he wishes ball to go (kickoff should not go out of bounds) and rolls dice. Dice total is read through Balanced column on calculator and ball is moved downfield the number of yards indicated; if ball lands in shaded wind area in middle of the field, add or subtract 10 yards according to wind direction. Unless ball goes into the end zone or is recovered by kicking team (kicking team rolls dice for BROKEN FIELD RUN), OFFENSE must roll dice for an OPEN FIELD RUN (OX and DX marks on dice will not apply); dice total is read through the Balanced column. Ball's position is marked and yardage marker is placed (on silver line).
Order of Play from Scrimmage
- OFFENSE moves Timer dial to indicate one less play to go and other dials as required. (Note: 20 complete plays per quarter.)
- DEFENSE adjusts Defense Selector on calculator — 7·2·2, 5·3·3, Pass or Kick — and gives calculator to Offense.
- OFFENSE selects and announces his play — Pitchout, Off Tackle, Counterplay, Sneak, Forward Pass, Punt or Place Kick. If he plans any variations of these plays such as options, reverses, draws, etc. (see ADVANCED GAME), he announces it at this time. Offense does not move calculator beyond selected defenses.
- DEFENSE chooses shift by deciding which direction he anticipates the play will go and places the selected Shift Card face down on the table.
- OFFENSE announces lateral motion (right or left) or places spotter (for forward pass) or ruler (for kick). He then rolls dice.
- DEFENSE reveals his Shift Card and matches it with the play's direction. If Defense shifts to right and lateral motion is left, a correct shift is called. If Defense shifts right and lateral motion is to right, shift is incorrect. If Defense remains balanced, the Balanced column is used (for exceptions see FORWARD PASS).
- OFFENSE reads calculator through proper Shift column for results of play and marks ball's new position. Ball is downed at that point unless there is a second part to the play. Remember to move ball for lateral motion.
- DEFENSE moves yardage marker if first down has been made.
Previous ball positions may be erased at any time with tissue or sponge.
Penalties
When a foul occurs, ball shall not be put in play again until the penalty has been enforced or declined. Penalties are enforced from the last ball position (exception: pass interference — see below). Fouls in this game are indicated by special combinations of marks on the dice.
| Marks on dice | Foul | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| OX | Offense Offside (only on 1st roll of dice for each play) | 5 yards |
| DX | Defense Offside (only on 1st roll of dice for each play) | 5 yards |
| OXX | Offense Clipping | 15 yards |
| DXX | Defensive Holding | 5 yards—Offense has automatic 1st down |
| DXX | Pass Interference (on Forward Pass dice roll) | Offense has automatic 1st down at spotter |
NOTE: If penalty would carry ball more than half the distance between ball and offender's goal line, penalty shall be half the distance between ball and goal line.
The Defenses
The four basic defense formations are:
| Formation | Name |
|---|---|
| 7·2·2 | Goal-line stand |
| 5·3·3 | Against running plays |
| PASS | Umbrella |
| KICK | Punt receiving |
When Defense Selector is moved to set a certain defense, it alters the potential results for all plays from scrimmage.
In addition, after the Offense selects its play, Defense has three shift options which limit or increase the potential of each play. Choosing these shift options is done with the use of SHIFT CARDS, so that the Offense does not know how the defense has committed itself until after he announces the direction (right or left) of his play. Matching the Shift Card with the lateral direction of the play determines whether the Defense has shifted correctly, dice totals are read through the Correct (orange) column; if incorrectly, through the Incorrect (blue) column. A sneak has no lateral motion factor and is read through the Balanced (white) column regardless of the defensive shift. When the Defense remains balanced, all dice totals are read through the Balanced (white) column. (Exception: For forward passes over the middle the Balanced Defense is correct — read through the orange column!)
The Running Game
The four basic running plays and their lateral motion factors are:
| Play | Lateral motion factor |
|---|---|
| Pitchout (End Sweep) | 15 yards |
| Off Tackle | 10 yards |
| Counterplay | 5 yards |
| Sneak | 0 yards |
Each time one of these plays is run, the ball moves right or left the number of yards indicated by the lateral motion factor regardless of yards gained or lost. If play carries the ball beyond the inbounds markers (white dotted lines on the field), ball is next put in play on the nearest inbounds marker. The distance between dotted lines on the field is five yards; plays always begin and end on the dots (except for try-for-points—see place kick).
The Passing Game
Forward Pass
Offense places a spotter at the point to which he is attempting to throw the ball.
If the ball is thrown to the right or left and the Defense shifts right or left, result is read in the usual manner (Correct or Incorrect column); if Defense remains balanced, 1 spot is added to the dice total for both pass and run and result is read through the Balanced column.
If the pass is thrown directly over the middle and Defense remains balanced, the result is read through the Correct column; if Defense shifts right or left, result is read through Balanced column.
To determine if the pass is complete, measure perpendicularly from the line of scrimmage to the spotter (rather than from the ball to the spotter). If yardage indicated on calculator is equal to or more than distance from the line of scrimmage to spotter, the pass is incomplete at spotter (never beyond). If yardage on calculator is less than distance from scrimmage line to spotter, the pass is incomplete.
When forward pass is complete, Offense is entitled to a BROKEN FIELD RUN from the spotter. To avoid chance of a fumble, Offense may elect not to run with the ball after catching a pass. The BROKEN FIELD RUN is always read through the same shift column as the forward pass. If the pass is caught or intercepted on the sideline, the player is presumed to go immediately out of bounds (no run).
When a pass is intercepted, the resulting runback is made from the spotter and is read through the Balanced column.
Swing (Screen) Pass
The swing pass is a variation of the forward pass. The spotter is placed on any dot five yards or more behind the line of scrimmage. The results are read on the Forward Pass column through the same shift column as a regular forward pass. If result is a large dot or any yardage number, the swing pass is complete and Offense is entitled to a BROKEN FIELD RUN.
Lateral Pass
When the lateral pass is used with a running play, it adds five yards to the lateral motion of that play. In other words, a lateral tacked onto an off tackle play would carry the ball 15 yards to the right or left (10 yards for off tackle plus 5 yards for lateral pass). If the pass is used with a sneak play, Offense may choose whether the lateral motion will take ball to right or to left. The pass is read through the same column as the running play.
When a lateral pass is "ad-libbed" (not announced as part of the play from scrimmage), it can only be used with a running play that has gained at least five yards. Ad-libbed laterals are always read through the Balanced column.
The Kicking Game
On all kicking plays (including kickoff), the ruler is placed to aim the kick before the dice are rolled.
ALL KICKS LANDING IN THE SHADED WIND AREA IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD HAVE 10 YARDS ADDED TO OR SUBTRACTED FROM THEIR DISTANCE ACCORDING TO THE DIRECTION OF THE WIND ARROW.
Punt
It is frequently desirable to punt out of bounds. The ruler is placed (with the "0" at the ball) in the direction the ball is to go, dice are rolled and the kick is read through the Balanced column. If the ball travels far enough along the ruler to touch the sideline row of dots, it is out of bounds where it touches. If it does not reach the sideline, the ruler must be rotated toward the middle of the field using the ball as a pivot until the distance mark on the ruler touches a dot; the ball is placed on this dot. The Offense (Receiving team) is entitled to a BROKEN FIELD RUN unless it elects a fair catch or to let the ball roll dead. If a punt is attempted from the shaded wind areas adjacent to the goal posts, 2 spots are deducted from the dice total before reading the calculator.
Place Kick
When making a place kick, the ruler is placed to clear the nearest goal post with the "O" at the ball. The place kick is always read through the Balanced column. Yardage indicated must be at least one yard further than the distance between the ball and the point where the ruler touches the crossbar. If the place kick is tried from the shaded wind area in the middle of the field, 5 yards are added or deducted according to wind direction. On the try-for-point, the place kick may be measured from the short white bar centered on the three yard line instead of from a dot.
Scoring
Scores are marked on the scoreboard with the special marking pencil. All scores are as follows:
| Score | Points |
|---|---|
| Touchdown | 6 pts. |
| Successful try-for-point (Place Kick) | 1 pt. |
| Field Goal | 3 pts. |
| Safety | 2 pts. |
Advanced Game
Make up your own plays: Running plays, lateral passes, forward passes and BROKEN FIELD RUNs may be combined in various ways to duplicate almost any modern football offensive maneuver. A few of these combinations follow: (Note: Remember to roll dice for each play used.)
Option
Off tackle plus optional lateral pass thrown in same direction as the run. Offense must announce OPTION before rolling dice, but need not take the optional pass if the Shift Cards are unfavorable to him.
Draw
Sneak plus BROKEN FIELD RUN — both read through the Correct column if the Defense remains balanced. Offense must take BROKEN FIELD RUN regardless of how much was gained or lost by the sneak.
Reverses
Combination of any running play (except sneak) and lateral pass. Ball position of running play is marked first. Dice are then rolled to determine yardage for the lateral or reverse part of the play. The pass is thrown in the opposite direction of the running play. Lateral motion factors on the calculator are disregarded for the Lateral Pass and instead are:
- 30 yards if used with Pitchout
- 20 yards if used with Off Tackle
- 10 yards if used with Cutback
The Defensive shift covers the direction of the lateral pass. When the Defense has shifted correctly, the dice roll for the running play is read through the Incorrect column and the dice roll for the lateral pass is read through the Correct column. The Offense has no option — he must run his play to the right or left and then follow through with the reverse lateral pass.
Halfback Pass Option
Pitchout plus optional forward pass. After Offense announces this type of play, the Defense may change its defensive formation. The pitchout is run against this new formation. If the Offense does not gain beyond the line of scrimmage, he may then exercise his option. If he decides to do so, the Defense may then select another Shift Card to cover the forward pass. The pass is then handled as a regular forward pass, except that the distance is measured from the point reached by the pitchout instead of from the line of scrimmage.