When the Labour Day weekend arrives in Canada, football fans rejoice.
The traditional rivalries in the Canadian Football League are centre-stage, and the back-half of the season looms large, the games that always seem to matter most leading up to the playoffs and Grey Cup.
And I am led to believe some football league south of the border, but being proudly Canadian my attention never turns that direction.
So by now readers are wondering what this has to do with board games?
Well, with my mind on football, it is a pretty easy jump to the realm of board games.
There are of course a variety of board games which try to simulate football in a realistic way, generally relying on statistic-laden cards as a core element.
My interest in football games tends toward those with a high fantasy aspect.
And, I like games where you have a team of miniatures you move around the board attempting ‘plays’ based on a stat card and disc rolls. This might surprise anyone who know me well since dice and I tend not to get along very well, which is part of the reason I prefer non-luck abstract strategy games best.
But, an exception to my general rule, are the fantasy football games.
The realistic feel of player movement, the attraction in general to miniatures, and the add-on rules which allow players to gain skills, and improve in terms of game play, all make fantasy football games winners.
What would be great to see is an establishment in the city, a watering hole perhaps with a space they might dedicate to such a thing, in a fantasy football game night.
It would be a great way to get away from the television at least one evening a week over winter. It would be a chance for camaraderie across a board game.
And, it would bring out the best of the games, allowing for team growth over a longer season.
So what are the best fantasy football games?
There are a number to choose from, and a new one pops every few months it seems.
My first pick is Dreadball.
“DreadBall: The Futuristic Sports Game is the hyper-kinetic sci-fi sports game of unparalleled speed and ferocity – a fast, fun and tactical miniature sports board game written by Jake Thornton and created by Mantic Games,” notes the publisher.
The game plays a touch like basketball, but is considered football. With multiple ‘alien’ races to choose from and quick game play it is a winner.
Blood Bowl from Games Workshop Ltd., is the granddaddy of the genre, and remains well supported and a great game to play.
Guild Ball is a newcomer, launching in 2015. It has now board, using a freer form or a table top with terrain added. Great minis. A great game.
Then I must add Elf Ball. It was released in 2007, and uses a round pitch (board) that is a neat difference.
Yes, I have copies of all four games, a few buds that play. If we had that watering hole step forward, it could be a really great winter for fantasy football.
