Movement, Possession and Set Pieces

Core rules for movement, passes, shots, contests, fouls and restarts.

Player cards and skills

Outfield cards list Pace, Dribbling, Heading, High Pass, Resilience, Shooting and Tackling. Pace is the movement allowance in a phase; the other attributes are added to the die when their named contest or check occurs. Goalkeepers have Aerial Ability, Saving, Handling and passing skills. Referee cards show Leniency. The card’s printed attributes are the authority for each player; do not infer a missing value from a player’s role or nationality.

The Zone of Influence and distance

A player’s hex blocks movement and standard passes; a shot through that hex may be deflected. In the six adjacent hexes, a defender may steal a dribbled ball or intercept a pass on a 6, and players may contest headers. A header contest from two hexes away takes a -1 die penalty. Use the printed distance stick for legal pass, header and shot ranges rather than counting hexes.

Movement phases

The attacking manager may start a phase after an action except a high pass. Follow the 4–5–2 sequence: the attacker moves four players up to their Pace; the defender moves five up to their Pace; then the attacker moves two different players up to two hexes each. No player moves through another occupied hex. The card-sliding reminder helps track who has already moved; reset it after the phase.

A defender moving adjacent to the ball carrier can attempt a tackle. If the carrier crosses a defender’s Zone of Influence, that defender may try one steal in that phase: a 6 steals, while a 1 is a foul. If a tackle succeeds, possession changes and the phase ends. If it fails, the attacker may reposition around the defender as described by the rules. A tie produces a loose ball.

When the ball is in one final third and an action ends, players in the opposite final third may each move up to six hexes, attacking side first. Apply this free repositioning when its printed condition is met.

Passing

A standard pass travels along the ground. It cannot pass through an opponent; a defender whose Zone of Influence lies within one hex of the path can intercept on a 6. Teammates do not block the pass.

For a high pass, point the stick at the intended teammate’s head. If an opponent is adjacent to the passer and directly blocks the path, the pass cannot be attempted. Each team then moves one player up to three hexes while the ball travels; a goalkeeper also gets a one-hex move if the ball is going into the penalty area. The passer adds a die to High Pass: 8 or more is accurate. Resolve a header after an accurate pass; an inaccurate one becomes a loose ball.

A long pass may target open space anywhere except from one final third to the other. It cannot be attempted if an opponent blocks the route next to the passer, land within five hexes of a teammate, or land adjacent to an opponent. A 9+ High Pass result is accurate. After it, the defender may move the goalkeeper by its Pace and the attacker starts a Movement Phase. For a first game, omit high and long passes as the printed guide recommends.

Shooting and snapshots

A shot is a duel: Shooting plus die against the goalkeeper’s Saving plus die. A shot outside the penalty area and a snapshot each impose a -1 die penalty, to a maximum combined penalty of -2. An outside-box shot lets the goalkeeper move one hex before saving. If the attacker wins, score a goal; on a tie, resolve a loose ball.

When the goalkeeper wins, roll for Handling: a result equal to or above the keeper’s Handling gives the attacker a corner; a lower result means the keeper catches the ball. A snapshot may be taken during a Movement Phase when the carrier is in the box, or immediately after a pass from any location. Before the snapshot, the defender moves one player up to two hexes to attempt a deflection; the goalkeeper may be selected.

Loose balls

Use the pitch’s direction numbers and two die rolls: first direction, then distance in hexes. The starting point is the incident or the destination of an inaccurate pass. If the moving ball hits a player, that player’s side takes possession. If no player is hit, resume the existing phase or begin one with the attacking manager moving first. A loose ball may score: if its route passes within one hex of the goalkeeper, the goalkeeper saves it on a 5 or 6; otherwise it cannot be saved.

A shot passing through a defender’s hex can be deflected on 5 or 6; through an adjacent hex, on a 6. A successful block creates a loose ball.

The goalkeeper

The goalkeeper can move during a Movement Phase and gains one free hex whenever the ball enters the penalty area. When saving, the keeper may dive up to three hexes parallel to the goal line; a shot four or more hexes away cannot be saved. After catching the ball, choose a quick throw (standard-pass range, cannot be intercepted, and no player repositions) or a kick. Before a kick, both sides reposition players in either final third up to six hexes each, keeper’s team first. The kick uses High Pass; 8+ is accurate, then both teams move one player up to three hexes and nearby defenders may challenge for a header.

The goalkeeper automatically intercepts a pass whose path goes directly through its hex. If a pass comes within one hex, a 5 or 6 intercepts. During a dribble, a keeper may dive at the attacker’s feet and compare Saving with Dribbling; a 1 is a foul.

Headers

Players within one hex of the high-pass destination may challenge using Heading; players two hexes away challenge at -1. Goalkeepers may challenge with Aerial Ability. If a defender wins, it heads the ball away using the distance stick and becomes the attacking side; headers cannot be intercepted. If an attacker wins a headed attempt at goal, the goalkeeper makes a Saving roll without the attacker rerolling. A tied header creates a loose ball. Players who challenged cannot participate in the next Movement Phase. Two consecutive headers by the same team are not allowed.

Fouls and set pieces

A roll of 1 on a tackle or steal is a foul. The attacking manager may play on or stop for a free kick or penalty; injury and booking checks still happen. For injury, roll against the fouled player’s Resilience; an injured player loses two Pace for the rest of the match and may be substituted at a stoppage. For a booking, roll against the referee’s Leniency; a second yellow dismisses the player. A professional foul that stops a clear scoring opportunity may be checked for a straight red using Leniency.

If an attacker is caught offside, restart with a free kick to the opponent from that player’s location. A substitution may be made at any set piece; the substitute takes the replaced player’s squad number.

At a corner, the attacker places the ball and taker on the corner arc. The teams take turns repositioning two players at a time, six each, starting with the attacker. Play with a high pass (no distance restriction, always accurate) or a low first-time pass.

For a throw-in, select a player and complete a Movement Phase before the throw; the throw travels the distance of a header. A free kick moves nearby opponents two hexes away, then both managers reposition players in the printed alternating sequence (attacker 7, defender 6 total). The attacker may pass or shoot. A 9+ Shooting result is on target and cannot be blocked; a lower result can still score but defenders may block. A foul in the penalty area may be played on or taken as a penalty; only taker and goalkeeper may remain in the area, and the goalkeeper saves at -2. Substitutions are allowed at any set piece.

Advanced rules

The rulebook recommends learning the Core game first. These options add the following procedures:

• First-time pass: after a standard pass, choose a different receiver. Each manager moves one player one hex while the pass travels, attacker first. A defender entering the ball’s path intercepts on 5 or 6; within one hex, intercept on 6.
• Long pass across both final thirds: the Advanced rule permits a pass from one final third to the other, but the High Pass plus die result must be 10 or more.
• Difficult shooting angle: a shot from a hex marked with a small circle takes a -1 penalty.
• Inaccurate shot or header: a die result of 1 makes it off target. Defenders can still deflect a shot; if no one deflects it, restart with a goal kick. An off-target header cannot be intercepted and also gives a goal kick. Reposition both teams as for a goalkeeper catch.
• Goalkeeper saving penalty: a save at the third hex of the keeper’s dive range takes -1 to Saving.
• Goalkeeper against a snapshot: if the defender moves the goalkeeper to deflect a snapshot, apply -1 Saving at the second hex away and another -1 at the third hex away.
• Reckless tackle: announce it before rolling. Only the defender rolls: 1–2 fails and gives the defender a yellow card; 3–6 commits the foul, then the referee’s Leniency check determines yellow or red. The target must be within three hexes of the ball.
• Tackle from behind: the two hexes behind an attacker (assume the attacker faces the opponent’s goal) make a 1 or 2 a foul. The referee check gives a yellow or red card as specified by the Advanced rule.
• Head back to the goalkeeper: when a player heads the ball back to their own keeper, a 1 sends it into their own goal.
• Control a high pass: if no defender is close enough to challenge, the intended receiver may control instead of heading. Dribbling plus die must reach 9; otherwise resolve a loose ball.
• Nutmeg: during movement, the attacker can attempt to pass through a defender. Resolve the usual tackle contest, with the defender’s Tackling increased by 1. On success, the attacker moves to an empty hex on the other side and the defender cannot move in that phase; on a loss, the defender wins normally; a tie creates a loose ball.

Use the printed text for edge cases and apply each chosen option consistently through the match.