{"id":39215,"date":"2020-06-05T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-05T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/wordpress\/?guid=f3e3fc548596b48e7f01a940cb93bd16"},"modified":"2020-06-05T20:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-06-05T20:00:00","slug":"top-of-the-table-counter-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/wordpress\/index.php\/2020\/06\/05\/top-of-the-table-counter-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Of The Table \u2013 Counter Attack"},"content":{"rendered":"

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One of my favorite things about the board gaming hobby is the way games explore such a wide array of concepts, themes, and genres. The constraint of\u00a0abstraction that is necessary to reduce a situation into something that can be clearly articulated on the table breeds a fascinating array of results. For longtime tabletop enthusiasts, much of the joy of a new game is discovering the way the designers and artists have crafted something that “feels” like the concept or activity the game presents, whether that idea is Lovecraftian monsters<\/a> or bird-watching<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This week, we’re looking at a sphere of board gaming that rarely gets attention \u2013\u00a0the sports board game. In this case, the game at hand is Counter Attack, a wonderful project that captures much of the excitement and tactical thrill of soccer. And to offer the thoughtful perspective on the game that it deserves, my colleague Matthew Kato stepped in to check out the game, and offer his take as a guest columnist. He’s had many years of experience with an array of sports video games, and because we’re played board games together as well, I knew he’d have something meaningful to share about exploring this meeting point between sports and tabletop fun.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here’s what Matthew Kato had to say about Counter Attack.<\/p>\n

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In soccer video games like Football Manager, the A.I.\u2019s execution of your tactics can make you feel like a helpless bystander. You\u2019re never really sure if your instructions are being carried out correctly by the CPU. Counter Attack, a Kickstarted project by Colin Webster and Rachel Codd,\u00a0is a two-player soccer strategy board game that puts you in control of your team\u2019s tactics, letting you faithfully execute your plans while still highlighting the individual prowess of a star striker making an improbable strike for a glory-filled goal.<\/p>\n

Gameplay is hex-based, with players\u2019 movements, shots, pass lengths, and other actions governed by hex distances. How many hexes a player can move is defined by their pace attribute, but shots and passes, for instance, are calculated by a handy custom ruler called the Distance Stick, which lets you accurately determine the path and distance of the ball. From here you can see if the ball might be intercepted, whether it\u2019s a clear shot on goal, and more.<\/p>\n

One-on-one situations are resolved by each player rolling a single die and adding their appropriate skill values to the role. Whomever is higher wins that situation. So, a corner kick into the box might come down to the keeper\u2019s aerial skill versus the header skill of his opponent. There are modifiers on top of this, such as for injuries or rolls of a 1 automatically resulting in shots on goal missing completely, for example, but it\u2019s all easy to figure out. Refs can even impact a game since each of the four refs included has a different level of leniency in how they book players for fouls.<\/p>\n

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The Distance Stick in action<\/p>\n<\/article>\n

The straightforward nature of the gameplay leaves room for the complexity of your own tactics. If you want to dynamically change your team\u2019s shape during play you can do that. If you want to emulate a particular formation or tactic \u2013\u00a0whether they are focused on ball possession, movements of specific players, counter-attacking, launching long balls into the channels, etc., you can do that, too.<\/p>\n

Key to turning your ideas into wins is seeing the pitch in its entirety, thinking in advance of the possibilities for\u00a0your players as well as those of\u00a0your opponent. Taking actions isn\u2019t based on back-and-forth turns. Instead, whomever possesses the ball performs a specified range of actions until they lose the ball. For example, If you perform a standard pass, your next action can only be to move your players, perform a riskier first-time pass, or take a quick snapshot on goal.<\/p>\n

While you\u2019re performing these actions your opponent can also move and react to what you\u2019re doing, so player positioning and matchups are always changing, giving you new things to consider. Keep an eye on the defensive compactness of your players so gaps can\u2019t be exploited. Understand where open space is so you can use it. Make sure your players support each other so your player with the ball has options. All regular soccer tactics stuff. I once made a one-hex miscalculation with my defender that allowed\u00a0a high pass to be played into space behind him to a pacey striker. Just like real life, in a flash I was down a goal.<\/p>\n

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Although the action on the board is very fluid, the pace of play itself is slower and deliberate as players consider all their options. The game includes sand timers you can use to limit the amount of time spent on each decision, and I think it\u2019ll take players a little while to become comfortable enough with the game and their decisions before fitting into the stated 90-minute runtime \u2013 the length of a normal football match.<\/p>\n

Another tactical layer is knowing the attributes of your own players as well as those of your opponent so you know what they\u2019re capable of and how they can be utilized and exploited. At the beginning of the game, teams are constructed semi-randomly, and the player cards in the box are a mix of different fictional names and nationalities, so you can bond with your squad. The players on the pitch are represented by wooden markers screenprinted in team colors with numbers, and additional markers approximating real-world league and international sides can be purchased through the game\u2019s website<\/a>\u00a0(which also has an FAQ and more).<\/p>\n

Overall, the game’s materials\u00a0are well made. The hard, fold-out board is large enough you can place your player cards along its border, and the set comes with\u00a0two teams,\u00a0the sand timers, a rules manual, quick-play reminder cards, dice, various gameplay markers, two\u00a0Distance Sticks,\u00a0and a box for the player cards.<\/p>\n

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Apart from possibly ordering new makers representing your favorite team, one of Counter Attack\u2019s great customization options is how its simple framework allows for custom user modifications. You can easily create your own players, setup a league structure, and add and modify rules as you see fit. The game is for two players, but it can be played online or even solo.<\/p>\n

Counter Attack is hex-based and strategic, but it\u2019s also incredibly fluid like real football. It challenges you to think both short- and longterm as you try to get individual players \u2013\u00a0with their own strengths and weaknesses \u2013\u00a0to effectively play in your tactical framework against an opponent simultaneously executing their own strategies. Now you can be a manager and not just be relegated to standing on the touchline gesturing frantically and yelling at your players in vain.<\/p>\n

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A big thank you to Matthew Kato for stepping up to bring his sports expertise to this week’s column.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If soccer isn’t what you’re looking for out of your next board game night, worry not. We’ve got a wealth of additional recommendations available over at the Top of the Table hub, which you can reach from the banner below. And as always, if you’d like a personal recommendation for your next board, card, miniature, or role-playing game, drop me a line and I’ll be happy to offer up some ideas.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

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