I'd love to have special plays. No banana peels, etc. but special plays: situations in the game that the team has recently practiced for.Acerak wrote:I'd like to see special plays brought back as Special Plays rules
They might be hard to implement, and might need cards...
Perhaps we could use the numbered yellow cards that are supposed to be used for nominating a random player to determine what plays each player has. Or simply numbered paper pieces to determine which plays the team has managed to practice so well that it actually helps them out in the game.
Anyhow, this is my idea:
There is a number of special plays. Each team receives a random number of them, the amount specified by dice, handicap, whatever. The idea is, btw, that the special plays are not game-winners: even though they could give you touchdowns or some slight advantages, they are not overpowered, just simple, surprising elements you can install into your game plan.
There would have several lists of special plays: you could choose from which list you roll the plays: one list that is aimed at strength teams, one against ag teams, one against stunty(!) teams etc. To represent the fact that prior to a match, the teams try to practice themselves against the strengths of the other team...
Special plays are certain situations on the pitch that the team has practiced for.
If at some point you see a corresponding situation on the pitch, you can use the special play card and follow its instructions.
They'd be divided into categories:
1)modifiers gives a reroll or bonuses to certain rolls.
2)possibilities: creates a possibility for doing something not possible under normal rules (see example below)
EXAMPLE 1: A special play modifying a single roll
NAME= Tackle interference
DESCRIPTION= Your players have intesively trained at interfering players that try to prevent one of yours from dodging
SITUATION= A player of yours is dodging to a square on which there are opponent TZ's.
EFFECT=You can ignore the -1 modifier for every opponent that is standing in a TZ of one of your players (except the dodging players). Such players may not use Tentacles,Tackle or Diving Tackle.
EXAMPLE 2: A special play creating a possibility of doing something not possible under the normal rules.
NAME= Breakthrough
DESCRIPTION= Your players have trained a play where one player squeezes between two opponents while two of his teammates pin them down and prevent them from tackling him.
SITUATION= Two opposing players are standing, facing two of your
players. (X=opponent, o = empty square, Y = own). You are moving with a third player of yours. He must move at least one square prior to arriving to the S-squares and still have at least 3 movement left. He can't use GFI's to compensate. He may/may not have the ball.
either| or
--------------
EEE | EE
XoX | XX
YoY | YY
SSS | SS
EFFECT=By declaring the breakthrough-play, you can move the moving player from the S-square to one of the E-squares, by using 3 movement points and rolling a single dodge roll. TZ's and the two pinned players cannot modify the roll, so if there are no opponents surrounding the S-square, the roll is usually a normal +1 roll.
(It could also be: without dodge roll, but I still prefer special plays making certain situations (that aren't under normal rules) possible and perhaps quite easy, but not automatic.)
These two were dodging-related, but we could devise practically an endless number of these, just to have enough of variety in them (Not: "hmmm... he has 3 special plays - I wonder which one of the 4 total he doesn't have").
And... when devising them, one has to be especially careful to consider any rules-related issues they might get involved in - like the tentacles/tackle/DTackle part above.
Also, at first I'd prefer that they'd be restricted to your own turns.
But I must admit that for example the following example would be a tempting one...
EXAMPLE 3:
NAME= Passer/Catcher blitz
DESCRIPTION= Your team has been training pass blocking a lot lately, and especially how to blitz/block down the thrower or the catcher during the pass.
SITUATION=A non-PBlock player of yours is standing next to the thrower or the intended receiver, or a Pass Block player of yours is within a 3-square blitz from either of them and manages to move next to the target
EFFECT= A single player fulfilling the requirements above can make a block against the thrower or the catcher. After the block:
IF the thrower is still standing, follow the normal passing/intercepting procedure: however, he must make a pass to the originally intended square, even if the catcher is no longer standing there. In addition he must use any skills he has to go for an accurate pass (pass, Accurate,SArm etc). This represents the fact that the thrower had already thrown the ball when the catcher was blocked.
