College Football Board game update

[OrangeAfroMan]

So I transformed my college football sim game to one where you actually call the play types (inside run, outside run, short pass, long pass) using accurate stats and all that.  Each team has 40 offensive play cards, in the accurate ratios of who touched the ball.  

Here's an example of an outside run card for 1988 ND.  Just thought I'd share.  So far, I've made player cards for 88 ND, 01 Miami, 95 Nebraska, 96 Florida, and 91 Washington.  I have every national champion's team card going back to 1990, except for '00 OU.  Also, 71 Nebaska, 77 ND, and 85 OU.  

It's taking a long time to create 40 play cards for each team, but it's fun and once it's finished, I'll see if I can shop it around to game companies.  I was worried about the NCAA license, but I think all of that video game crap can be avoided as long as the game never includes active players.  So once the last player for '16 Clemson graduates or completes his eligibility, that team can be created and included.  I'm not sure about all that, but I really believe a legit, quality college football board game would really sell.  

[847badgerfan]

Interesting. What is the target market for this thing?

Maybe we could help sell it on this website, through the store. The store gets a lot of hits right now, but is lacking in sales. Perhaps something like this could help both causes.

I'd be curious to hear @Drew4UTk  thoughts on this.

[Cincydawg]

Be a good idea to file for some sort of IP on this.

[OrangeAfroMan]

Well there are a TON of baseball nerd/lovers who play Strat religiously.  Most of them are older and all that, but still.  

I know for a fact in every college town in the south, a college football game that was easy to play would sell out completely, as fast as you could stock it.  If it has NCAA licensing, though.  Put it in the campus bookstores, Walmart, wherever.

If the game is too tedious and gets bogged down in multiple dice rolls or turning pages in a booklet, then you'll have zero mass-audience customership.

Yes, NFL is king, but there are tons of college football fans out there.  And while the baseball card/dice games are big, football is less so, and college football is barely on the map.  The near total lack of competition is what makes this such a potential great idea.  Strat-O-Matic makes a college football game, but it's mostly online and looks awful to me.  They have 2016 college football, so I assume it's sort of generic, without the player's names.  Plus it's $59, which is nuts.

There's 2 things preventing a college football cards/dice game from being a thing:
1 - the existing game stink
2 - the licensing thing

You know everyone has one of those Monopoly games of their school - and nobody wants to sit around and play Monopoly - but they sell, because they're the University of wherever and there's real places as properties.

Well, if my game only uses players from the past, but the actual players, then we don't worry about the EA Sports licensing issue they ran into.  But we'd have past national champions, and if someday a company mass-produced this, we could have every season for every school, so if an OSU fan is particular to the 1996 Buckeyes that didn't win it all, but were still great, he could play as that team and have it go up against the 96 Gators or the 95 Huskers and see how they perform.

You'd be able to play out the what-if scenarios college football inundated us with, pre-BCS, especially.  But it's just fun seeing if '92 Bama's D could hold fast against Vince Young and '05 Texas.

[OrangeAfroMan]

I'd rather be a historical team with real players than a team from this past season using QB #12 pass complete to WR #88....that's the worst.  

Run the option with '85 OU vs '04 USC.  Eventually, when I got around to it, the Illinois fan out there could be that one squad who played in the Sugar Bowl vs LSU and have them play against '97 Michigan or something like that.  It'd be fun, it'd be sort of an argument solver, but more likely an argument accelerant, lol.

I went to a board game conference down in Tucson and felt really out of place.  But it was fun, and it's a busy, legit industry just like any other.  I met a guy who introduced me to another guy who produces games and so I have a contact.  Once it's good enough to show him, then we'll see from there.  But yeah, if at worst I make something that I can share with a dozen people who would enjoy it, that would be cool, too.

[iahawk15]

Well, if my game only uses players from the past, but the actual players, then we don't worry about the EA Sports licensing issue they ran into.  But we'd have past national champions, and if someday a company mass-produced this, we could have every season for every school, so if an OSU fan is particular to the 1996 Buckeyes that didn't win it all, but were still great, he could play as that team and have it go up against the 96 Gators or the 95 Huskers and see how they perform.

You're still going to need licensing to use school names and logos. That can be done, though, just going to take some $.

[OrangeAfroMan]

I know, but that still avoids the messy issue of current amateur players being depicted.  

I'm glad you posted, though.  I should ask you what season would most Iowa fans want to play as, if you could pick one.  2002?  Something from the last 30 years or so - defensive stats are hard to come by way back when Kinnick was playing and not the name of the stadium.  Although that aspect of the game is more of an "if you want to" part - knowing who makes each tackle isn't essential to the game.

Who would Iowa fans want to play as?  Illinois?  Indiana?  Any of the schools that haven't won a NC in the past 30-35 years.  What say you guys?

[ELA]

I'd rather be a historical team with real players than a team from this past season using QB #12 pass complete to WR #88....that's the worst.  

Run the option with '85 OU vs '04 USC.  Eventually, when I got around to it, the Illinois fan out there could be that one squad who played in the Sugar Bowl vs LSU and have them play against '97 Michigan or something like that.  It'd be fun, it'd be sort of an argument solver, but more likely an argument accelerant, lol.

I went to a board game conference down in Tucson and felt really out of place.  But it was fun, and it's a busy, legit industry just like any other.  I met a guy who introduced me to another guy who produces games and so I have a contact.  Once it's good enough to show him, then we'll see from there.  But yeah, if at worst I make something that I can share with a dozen people who would enjoy it, that would be cool, too.

My brother had a football strategy board game, that wasn't to this level, but more to be played at tailgates and what not.  Was a ton of fun, made a few prototypes, and marketed it around.  Tough, tough industry, particularly because the trademark protections are so easy to get around

[Cincydawg]

Depending, I could see getting a useful utility patent on this, maybe.  They cost $500 to file for a small entity, and you needn't worry about Europe etc.

It depends on what the critical novel part to this game might comprise.

I'm pretty good at writing patent applications.  I had one grant and issue five months after filing.

[Geolion91]

Don't know if you're familiar with this game by Avalon Hill.  It's pro football, I would have loved it if they made it for college ball.  I have the 1984 edition.



https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1498/paydirt

[Drew4UTk]

if you're willing to take on a partnership with them, i can get you in touch with some folks that have licenses in place (meaning they know the course and could likely pick it up on some sort of rider)

when it's all said and done, the NCAA just wants a cut... a big one.  

now what i think would drive it wildly is an electronic version- one that can be used as an app available on appstore/istore... allowing strangers or friends to play same game... it would have a light footprint insofar as bandwidth and memory is concerned, and would likely actually drive sales of the physical game, too... 

i got app developers that would be all over that, too... and i can host it from the server stack same as the site... could set up a board for it- national leaders and such.. 

it would be fun?  i think so. 

[OrangeAfroMan]

I'm not sure about patents and all that, I'm not looking to make a bunch of money on it.  Maybe sell it to someone higher up, let me have a percentage or something, I don't know.  

All I do know is that a well-made, easy to play college football game would sell, if it has licensing.  

The most novel concept of the game is probably:
the percentages that each RB and WR/TE carried or caught the ball is accurate (top 4 rushers, top 6 receivers)
the yardage gains are set, and they average out to each player's rush or reception average

I'm still working out the kinks on defense, but I was really pleased by my initial effort, where it was a sim and the plays were random (but accurately ratio-ed).  But everyone wants to be an OC, not a bystander, lol.  

In the sim, I had the top 10 tacklers on D, with their tackle percentages, but with this version, maybe I'll just use the top 3-4, as I'm now thinking with the 4 play-call types, there will be 4 defensive keys on those potential play-calls.  Hell, it's basically as simple as Tecmo Bowl 'pick their play' thinking.  

But then I'll need to play a few games and work out the kinks some more.  Fun stuff.

[FearlessF]

I know, but that still avoids the messy issue of current amateur players being depicted.  

I'm glad you posted, though.  I should ask you what season would most Iowa fans want to play as, if you could pick one.  2002?  Something from the last 30 years or so - defensive stats are hard to come by way back when Kinnick was playing and not the name of the stadium.  Although that aspect of the game is more of an "if you want to" part - knowing who makes each tackle isn't essential to the game.

Who would Iowa fans want to play as?  Illinois?  Indiana?  Any of the schools that haven't won a NC in the past 30-35 years.  What say you guys?

1985 Hawkeyes

[OrangeAfroMan]

I'll check them out.  Wow, that's a crazy coaching staff, lol.  Alvarez, Stoops, Snyder, McCarney....