The State of Football Board Games: Roundtable Discussion
It's almost time for "The Big Game!" Geoff Giordano from the APBA Football Club is holding an online roundtable discussion tomorrow (02.01.26) between designers of tabletop football board and computer games, talking about the various challenges and quirks of the 2026 NFL post-season. He'll record the video, edit, and then post it shortly after the meet-up concludes. I will include the link here once I’ve received it. Each designer will give their views on several topics of interest. I'm unable to participate live because of a prior commitment, but I asked Geoff if I could convey my thoughts in a blog post and link to the discussion for others to enjoy. With Geoff’s blessing, here goes!...
Initial Questions as an Introduction
• What's the most complex mechanic of your game to calculate? (For Second Season Pro Football) Probably the "game on the line" ratings. It would be easy to go overboard on assigning these, and there are players who could be awarded them who don't get them simply because I want to keep things as simple and straightforward as possible. Plus, I always feel a little sheepish giving a player the game on the line "burst" symbol, it's like, "who am I to criticize?"
• What's the most unique mechanic of your game? I think it's the "yes/no" aspect presented by the game book, where a player either makes a play or doesn't. The difference between the yes/no result can be sizable: for example, an offensive tackle makes a pass block, the quarterback has time to connect downfield for a long gain. If he misses the block, the quarterback gets sacked. This mechanic adds drama to almost every play!
General Conversation, Variety of Topics
• The relative popularity of football on the tabletop vs. a) video and PC games and b) the actual sport (i.e., NFL vs. MLB, NBA, etc.). The first part is a tough one to answer, as I don't feel really qualified to talk about video or PC games. I do think that the real NFL will always out-draw any tabletop re-creation! As for pro football's standing as the "National Pastime," I think the NFL does an incredible job of marketing itself. It's the gold standard of brand imaging and awareness, sports OR otherwise! I think the popularity of football-thematic tabletop games is growing, although the case has been widely made that the "heavy user" category of board gamers is not thought to overlap much with the "heavy user" consumer of professional sports.
• The games you most admire besides your own. I grew up playing APBA football and it continues to have a strong appeal to me! However, I admire ANYONE who has created their own game! Strat, 49 Sports, Grid Zone, Season Ticket, many more—It's a labor of love, and NOT an easy thing to do!
• What the future holds for your game and for the NFL. I think the future of the NFL is in flag football. A hundred years from now, I wonder if they'll still be playing tackle football, with all the safety concerns. The NFL's recent multi-faceted promotion of flag football (i.e., FLAG leagues, Pro Bowl Games, etc.) is not an accident. As for my game, I have seen increasing interest in the "express" (faster playing) version of Second Season as well as in our Fury Football and Draft Duel Football games. My sense is that alternative presentations of football that are less time-intensive are becoming more and more attractive to folks as life gets busier!
• The crazy events of the 2026 NFL season and how you'll handle them in your game. First thing that comes to mind is the fast-moving snow storm that affected the Broncos/Patriots game--Second Season already has optional weather effects that can be implemented. However, the mechanic calls for the weather to be determined at the START of the game. It doesn't capture what happened in Denver last weekend, where the game started off in great conditions and the first half was not affected at all! I think most games will be able to re-create the the Caleb Williams "Hail Mary" pass at the end of the Bears/Rams game. The controversial interception call that went against the Bills, that's a difficult one to re-create. Second Season does have video reviews (although that call apparently was NOT reviewed?), but none (currently) that could turn an incompletion into an interception.I HAVE thought about adding a boutique rule for the 2025-26 post season that says that dice roll 21 on the "Y" chart (which reads, "Defender and receiver struggle for the ball, incomplete") could get a V2 video review symbol when re-playing that specific game (which would allow for the defender to be credited with the interception)! Bo Nix's injury--I think it comes down to what are you wanting from your game table experience? The more open-ended your approach, the more flexible you'll be in accepting/ignoring outlier outcomes like this.
• Use of postseason stats in player/team cards. I consider the post-season to be an entirely new, different season. So, no, I don't factor in those results when creating player and team ratings. I understand/respect that there is a variance of opinion on this.
• Lightning round SB60 predictions. I think the Seahawks will win, could even be a blowout. Not sure that Drake Maye is entirely healthy. Seattle has looked very strong in the post-season. All that said, it’s always unpredictable—so who knows!? “That’s why they play the game!”
