YORKTON - There are games that should be available at every coffee shop and watering hole where they want people to sit back, turn off the cellphones, stay awhile, and interact with whoever they are with – a future column might offer a few good game choices – and today’s review offering Canball Football is certainly one such game.
Readers might recall Canball Baseball was reviewed here only a few weeks ago.
Much of what was said about Canball Baseball holds for its football game too.
It is super simple, the kind of offering perfect for a grandparent to play with their grandchildren, or to share over a coffee on break, or on the cabin patio to relax in summer.
The game is simply the player who has the football rolling two dice, referring to a clearly defined chart right on the board to see what the result is –touchdown on two ones, or two sixes, put/field goal on a one/five, turnover on a three/tree, 10 yards gained on a two/four, etc. -- and charting the results.
And everything is right on a very well-made board. In this case the board is a beautiful offering, with white lines and numbers. It is very, very sharp looking.
Aesthetically it is great to leave on a desk or coffee table.
The game comes in a zippered bag so travel is slick too.
You move pegs around the field itself to track where the ball is, and one designated sport around the field to keep score.
It is neat you even roll to see if a field goal or extra point is good.
Once you score, or turnover the ball, or are forced to punt, the other player takes the dice and goes.
Gameplay is four quarters, and each team has four offensive possessions per quarter.
But as neat as it is, there is no strategy here.
No need to fret over in-game decisions.
It is simply roll dice, and hope the fates are kind.
Yet, for all its simplicity, the game has a charm – at least if you like football. The experience will of course be made better by who you are playing with. This is a buds’ game for bragging rights and laughs.
This is not a deep game, but for a football fan looking to relax, whiling away some leisure time, Canball is a solid choice to look into at canball.ca It is a bonus that they are based in Saskatoon too.
