With the Canadian Football League kicking off Canada Day -- isn't it great to have the Canadian gridiron game back for another season -- it seemed appropriate to look at Pizza Box Football. Now I'm afraid it isn't a simulation of the Canadian game, but it's still football.
The game is a sister product to Pizza Box Baseball, in this case the elder sister being released in 2005, three years before the diamond game. The football game proved so popular it spawned the development of the game style to another sport.
Both games were designed by Erik and Scott Smith, and are published by On The Line Game Company.
Yes the game gets its name from the box it comes in, which looks like a pizza box. Inside are a heavy game board, which unfolds into a football field, dice, pegs, laminated-feel play calling sheets, rules and scoresheets, all the good stuff needed to play football.
The game is scalable in terms of time, and complexity.
Red Zone Shootout can be played in as little as five, or 10-minutes, while a full 'professional' game will go past an hour.
The professional has the highest level of strategy involved.
The 'Smashmouth' version can play past an hour too, but requires a little less strategy.The four versions are all two-player.
You can also download a solitaire rule set at www.PizzaBoxFootball.com, which is a nice addition to the playability of the game.
Not unexpectedly players have to apply football strategy, much like a head coach, in order to score touchdowns and field goals, or to defence the opponent from doing that. So on offence you choose when to run, when pass, going short or long and how to beat the defence.
Three expansions add plays which broaden and add depth to the offensive strategy by adding options such as screen passes, draws, play-action passes and add run and quarterback blitzes for the defense.
The depth of strategy, copying the real game in excellent detail is a huge aspect of the game, and certainly makes it one to check out for football fans. That it all folds out of a 'pizza box' makes it highly transportable too.
Among a myriad of football sims, Pizza Box Football is about as good as it gets. Check it out gridiron boardgame fans.
If anyone is interested in this game, or other boardgames feel free to contact [email protected]
