Back about ten years ago, I picked up an unpunched copy of Avalon Hill's Anzio at a Fantasy Shop auction. As of the summer of 2007, the game was still unpunched, so I decided to trade it. Fortunately, I was able to find a local gamer looking for a copy, and he was trading a new copy of Pizza Box Football. I had heard good things about the game, and thought that it would be at least worth a try. I played a couple of games with Andrew and Patrick (and watched Al and Steven play it once), but then put it on the shelf until this week.
The game is fairly simple, even compared with the basic version of Strat-o-Matic. Even the advanced version of Pizza Box Football only has six offensive plays and six defensive calls. The expansion includes individualized cards for the 31 NFL teams, but there are no cards or ratings for individual players. It's closer in spirit to the favorite of my childhood, Vince Lombardi's Game. I would recommend Pizza Box Football for someone wanting a faster game than Strat-o-Matic or for younger gamers who aren't familiar enough with the strategies of NFL football.
Each January, the game's creator (On the Line Game Company) offers a free download of the preliminary team cards for the two Superbowl teams (reflecting the just-completed regular season). Gamers are urged to play the Superbowl and post their results. I downloaded the cards last week, and Patrick (taking the Indianapolis Colts) and I (taking the New Orleans Saints) played Superbowl XLIV. If our "preview" is any indication, there will be a lot of points put on the board next weekend, as the Saints topped the Colts 42-30. I posted a game summary at Boardgamegeek.
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