Universal Rule for Board Games - Players Decide Ambiguity: If players ever arrive at a situation not covered in the rulebook, and the rules offer no definitive answer, then players should feel free to decide what happens.

Play Calling - Solitaire Setting Charts

Q: Are NORMAL settings intended to be used no matter the yardage needed on 1st or 2nd down? 

A: Yes, unless one of the other scenarios applies (i.e. catch-up, two-minute drill, goal-line, or kill-clock).

Q: On 3rd down, what is the difference between “short” and “long” yardage? 

A: This is a game-time decision for the player - factoring in team strengths, running success during the current game, and era-specific tendencies. If the offense could confidently call a running play to gain the necessary yardage, then select the playcall for 3rd and short (NORMAL); otherwise select 3rd and long (Probable PASS). We have found that 1-2 yards is a good barometer for 3rd and short if you are unsure. Stronger running teams can stretch this out to 3 and even 4 yards when playing a weaker defense.

Q: The charts don’t make a distinction between 3rd and long and 3rd and very long. How can I increase the chances that a medium or long pass will be called when the offense needs to gain 15 or more yards for a first down? 

A: It is not uncommon for teams to run the ball or throw a short pass hoping for a long run-after-catch in these longer yardage situations. However, if the game situation dictates that the ball must be thrown deep, the gamer should feel free to act as the head coach and overrule the play-call from the offensive coordinator.

Q: Using the latest Second Season 4.0 Solitaire Offense Settings, what is the play call distribution going to be in NORMAL situations? 

A: The NORMAL play-call setting is used for 1st & 2nd down (any situation) as well as 3rd and short. (See above for guideline on short yardage). Assuming you are using the Audible feature included in the chart, the distribution will be as follows: TEND PASS - 62% Pass/38% Run, TEND NEUTRAL - 53% Pass/47% Run, TEND RUN - 45% Pass/55% Run.

If you are playing with older seasons and want to generate more running plays in NORMAL play-calling situations, we recommend using the TEND RUN result on 1st Down if the original play call is AUDIBLE. This will result in about a 40% Pass/60% Run play-call distribution.

Q: Keith recently introduced College Teams. Will the out-of-the-box solitaire offense settings still work with these teams? 

A: Yes, but you will need to make some adjustments for particularly run-heavy teams. These instructions will also work with the "Dice on Cards" Fast Action deck.

Tendency & Settings for Run Heavy Teams (These adjustments were made for the College Game - Refer to page xxi of the Instruction Booklet if playing with Pro teams. Note that a [+1] tendency for a Pro Team is still considered neutral. Feel free to experiment with the higher run tendency ratings for older pro seasons. )

+1 or +2

• Use the settings as normal, and the "TEND RUN" column on TEND rolls.

+3, +4 or +5

• Most calls should come from the NORMAL and SHORT Yardage settings; use Probable PASS sparingly

• Use the "TEND RUN" column on TEND rolls.

• For Audible results, re-roll on the "SHORT Yardage" setting. If a second audible is called, THEN roll again on the "Audible" column.

+6 or +7

• Most calls should come from the NORMAL and SHORT Yardage settings; use Probable PASS sparingly

• Use the "TEND RUN" column on TEND rolls.

• For Audible results, re-roll on the "SHORT Yardage" setting. If a second audible is called, THEN roll again on the "Audible" column. 

• For rolls of "1" on the NORMAL or Probable PASS settings, roll a Decider Die (or an odd/even roll with a d6).  If the result is "bullet" (or odd on a d6) then re-roll on the Short Yardage setting instead.

+8 (or higher)

• Use the SHORT Yardage setting for all situations, and the "TEND RUN" column on TEND rolls; use Probably PASS sparingly

• For Audible results, re-roll on the TEND PASS column.

Q: I see a lot of people still use the "Chris Howell" charts that were included with the game when Replay Publishing was selling the game. Are these better than the regular solitaire charts?

A: Editorial answer from FAQ maintainer Al Wilson follows... 

Keith Avallone is likely never going to go on record on this question because he 1) wants everyone to enjoy the game the way they think is the most fun, and 2) he has too much respect for Pete Ventura and Replay Publishing to say anything negative about an add-on they developed.  I have spent hours speaking with Keith on this topic and will share some information that may help you make your decision, and I mean no disrespect to either Pete or Chris Howell. The charts are super cool and I used them for many years myself.

First and foremost, Keith explains that if a gamer is playing the way he does it himself on his tabletop - calling the offensive play himself and rolling on the defense setting table for the defense - then his standard d6 Solitaire Defensive Settings will provide the most accurate replay results. The game charts were developed and tuned using this method over a period of many years. 

The primary issue from a realism standpoint, is that while the "base" d20 defensive settings of the Howell charts are fine (they are very closely aligned with Keith's d6 solitaire settings), it's the red and green tendency adjustments that are the problem. They make the defense's choice too accurate from a probability standpoint. In other words, the Howell charts will generally skew all results in favor of the defense over time. Lower rushing averages, more interceptions, more penalties, fewer long gains, etc.  

At the heart of the problem is how the SAFE defense is impacted by the Howell Charts. When the Howell Defensive Coordinator is used, SAFE is too often changed to RUN or PASS depending on the tendency of the offense. The SAFE defense was designed to be called 50% of the time in "normal" situations, including 3rd down and short - no matter what the offensive play-calling tendency of the offense may be. The SAFE defense is an all-purpose defense that is designed to take into account the opposing offense strategy on behalf of the gamer. Keith is fairly certain that Chris Howell wasn't aware of this design element when he created the charts for Replay. He goes on to explain that SAFE can be effective against a pass, especially in short to medium yards to go situations, as well as the RUN in short yardage situations - it automatically anticipates either tendency across all "normal" down and distance scenarios.

The above problem is amplified if you use the the charts in spectator mode, allowing the chart to call plays for BOTH the offense and defense. The reason is simple - the Howell defense is built to beat the Howell offense. This leads to more "correct" defense calls that the game was designed around, skewing the intended results. 

In the latest version of Second Season, Keith includes a tendency adjustment for offensive play calling. He stresses that being creative with the offensive play calling in spectator mode isn't an issue at all, it's when you use a defensive system tuned to that offensive system where problems will arise.

The other much talked about aspect of the Howell Charts are all of the specific down & distance categories, and Special Situation charts. Incorporating this level of detail is a personal preference. After talking to Keith about it, and me peppering him with various scenarios covered by the Howell system, he would always have an easy answer for the proper defensive setting and would come back to how his simplified Defensive Settings not only work for any possible scenario, but they will again produce realistic results with much less work to determine the play call. 

I hope this is helpful. At the end of the day, use the system that is most fun for you!

Q: Where can I find the various solo-playcalling charts mentioned on this page? 

A: You can find them all in the PLAAY Goodies folder here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KVdIhouiHqt6DY5FCXYWxcEDL8ohFSbf?usp=drive_link

General

Q: How do I handle field goal distance when playing older teams?  Do I still add additional 10 yards plus 7 to my distance look up or ignore the 10 because the goal post were by the goal line?

A: Field goals are resolved by distance not by the yard line. So a 40-yard field goal attempt would have the same success range in any era. It's just that in earlier years, a 40-yard kick would come from the 33 yard-line, while modern day it would be from the 23 yard-line.

Q: Are teams charged time-outs for unsuccessful video review challenges? 

A: From Keith: No, they are not. But maybe outside the two minute warning they should be. It would be a good house rule. But keep in mind, the video review symbol takes into account ALL close plays, not just those challenged by coaches. I know, the game book text uses referee announcement ("after further review...") but that's mainly for color. If you add a red flag rule that introduces the cost of a time out, you would want to have the overturn rate be a little higher than the game represents it. In other words, a coach isn't going to throw the challenge flag unless he feels like he has a good chance of getting the call overturned. Currently, the success rate is about 40% overall. The game book success rate is around 22%. So, maybe you say that when a video review comes up outside the two-minute warning (all plays are automatically reviewable inside two minutes), either coach can throw the red challenge flag. If you do, you increase the success range by 1 d6. So instead of a reversal on, say, 54-66 as spelled out in the game book, it's now 44-66. BUT, if you fail, you lose a time out. That would be cool. Note that if you do this, you would NOT adjust the review dice roll inside two minutes--the referees are going to review ALL calls in that period, and a much lower percentage of them are going to be overturned.

Q: For neutral site games like the Super Bowl, how do you determine the HOME team for purposes of game results?

A: Choose any "fair" method that you like. You could play that neither team has home field advantage. You could alternate the HOME designation by quarter or half, or you could say that the team on offense is always the home team.  Keith's implementation is to play that either both offenses or both defenses get HFA, depending on how he feels the game should go.

Q: Are PUNTS from the UNUSUAL RESULTS Chart returnable? 

A: No

Q: A runner has a “boutique” rating that says “add 2d6 to any Inside run gain first two carries.”  What do I do if the inside run results in a loss?

A: In this case, the requirement of a “gain” is not met, so you would not add 2d6 to the run.

Q: If a player is injured for a “series”, how long is that?

A: The "series" here means a possession. So once the team scores, turns the ball over, or the half ends, the player can return.

Q: How do you resolve the return when the chart reads that a lineman is the player who fielded the kickoff?

A: Page xi of the manual, KICKOFF RETURNS. "If the kickoff specifies that the kickoff goes to a "blocker", then you may choose a non-return player from another position box, and assume a RET grade of "10".

Q: On page 55 of my Second Season 4.0 Game Book, the unusual results have asterisks, but there is no key for them?

A: This was an omission in early versions of the 4.0 game book. Not all books have this problem. The single asterisk means that on XP kicks 1985 to present, the kick is good (not blocked). The double asterisk means that on punts 1985 and later - no fumble, use punters AVG grade for distance.

Q: On page 1 of my Second Season 4.0 Game Book, result 53 refers to positions F or “R” and result 55 refers to positions H or “P”. Are these typos?

A: Yes, the results should be “F or I” and “H or F” respectively

Q: When playing a single-team season replay and tracking injuries for my own team, how can I simulate injuries for each weeks opponent?

A: Here is a house rule idea: Before each game roll a d6 for the other team. They must then conduct that many injury rolls. These would be representative of the opponent's injuries in the PREVIOUS game. Probably half (or more) of them would not carry over to the current game.

Q: When checking player ratings do the +/- ratings change for a player if the ball crosses midfield during the play?

A: No, for consistency, +/- ratings are determined based on the line of scrimmage of the play.

Q: You’re at opponent's 4 YL. You call screen, and the play calls for 15 and a GAIN fumble check. What's the protocol for this?

A: Once the ball carrier crosses the GL, the play is over. So in this case, there is no fumble, just a touchdown! 

Q: You’re at the opponent's 25, you call medium pass, and the result is a GO where you get 40 yards. Is this a TD? 

A: Yes, you can assume it's a completion up to a total of 40 yards if possible.

Q: From the opponent's 32 yard line, the QB throws a long pass.  The Y chart indicates an INT 44 yards downfield.  That puts the ball two yards deeper than the end of the endzone.  Is it still an INT.....or an INC pass?

A: According to Keith, it's an incomplete pass.

Q:  Ball at the opponents 12 yard line. Result of play is 17 yds, HARD HIT. Result of HARD HIT is fumble.  Is it a Touchdown or an Incomplete Pass?

A: From Keith, "If the HARD HIT results in a fumble, then it would be a touchdown--"once the ball crosses the plane," etc. This would only happen on HARD HIT results 46, 55, 64, 65 or 66. The other HARD HIT results are incompletions, those would NOT be touchdowns as the ball was knocked loose before the catch could be completed."

Q: From the opponent's 24 yard line, the QB throws a long pass.  An Unusual Result indicates Pass Interference 40 yards downfield. Is it still Pass Interference....or an INC pass because the yardage puts the play past the end line?

A: According to Keith, Pass Interference is considered to have happened in the End Zone.

Q: From the opponent's 20 yard line, the QB throws and there is a HARD HIT result 31 yards downfield. Is it an incomplete  pass because the yardage puts the play past the end line?

A: According to Keith, the reception and Hard Hit is considered to have happened in the End Zone. If the HARD HIT results in a fumble, then it would be a touchdown--"once the ball crosses the plane," etc. This would only happen on HARD HIT results 46, 55, 64, 65 or 66. The other HARD HIT results are incompletions, those would NOT be touchdowns as the ball was knocked loose before the catch could be completed. 

Q: When playing solitaire and the audible column comes into play from the offensive play-calling chart, which personnel package should I assume is in the game? For instance, the roll calls for "audible," which then calls for a run play. Should I assume my pass play personnel were in the game and my QB changed it to a run at the line of scrimmage? Or should I use my run personnel?

A: There's no definitive answer to this question, but it points to one of the things people sometimes get wrong about the game. While the defense subs are tied to the defense setting (i.e., [pass] defenders are considered to be on the field whenever the PASS defense is called), it's different with the offense. Just because a running play was called doesn't mean that the offense had the jumbo package in the game! Often times, a team will use its pass people as a decoy and call a run instead, or vice-versa. And, of course, often it's the standard/default lineup that's in the game. For those reasons, when these situations come up when I'm playing solitaire, I rely on the the tried-and-true odd/even roll!

Finally, remember that the rules are different when playing head-to-head. It's the offense coach's responsibility to announce his personnel changes BEFORE he calls his play. If you don't make any announcement, you are locked into using the default (bolded starter) line-up and ignoring the pass/run package designations.

Q: Who is considered offense on kicks and punts before and after the reception of the ball?

A: The team with the ball when the penalty was called is considered to be the offense, regardless of which platoon is on the field.

Q: What is the optional rule for Red Zone Defense when using the Solo Play Calling Charts?

A: When the offense is inside the opponents 10 yard line, any SAFE defense call is changed to the correct RUN or PASS play call.

Q: What is the '<' symbol next to some players on the team sheets?

A: This indicates a free agent signing.

Q: The LONG RETURNS chart has a note that says "On kick and punt returns, use return man's "RET" grade, and make adjustment indicated below to determine length of return." Does that mean I add the RET grade to whatever yardage comes up?  

A: You use the results of the KR/PR column as adjustments to the return man's RET grade; the LONG return results are read as-printed.

Q: What’s the difference between a Line and Gain fumble?

A: LINE = fumble occurred behind or maybe just past the line of scrimmage. GAIN = fumble happened after a gain of yards…

Q: If the game book doesn’t specify, is it possible for runners to attempt to get out of bounds to stop the clock in the last two minutes of the game?

A: Keith has a house rule where he rolls a single die when an outside run or pass play is called. (even he gets out of bounds, odd he doesn’t). You could also use a decider die!

Q: If an A grade runner has an "OU" grade of AA for his first 4 carries, do any "IN" carries count towards these first 4 carries?

A: Yes.

Q: Is it possible for a punt that is returnable from inside the 10 to roll into the end zone?

A: This is a house rule, and only applies to regular punts, not coffin corner punts. If the punt lands inside the 10 yard line, then the receiving team can let it bounce into the end-zone for a touchback.

Q: How are you supposed to handle free kicks after safeties?

A: After a safety, NFL rules allow for a kickoff or a punt from the 20 yard line. Years ago, the kickoff was the most-often used option, but in recent years teams most frequently punt. In Second Season, you can use the PL (long punt) chart for distance and ignore the return text--that is, allow the primary punt return man to return the ball, regardless of what the text says.

Q: I have seen various timing methods used. Which is better?

A: The timing method used is completely personal preference. Here are the Options for both regular time and 2-minute time.

Regular Time: Option 1 (from the latest instructions booklet)

• • Plays that do not stop the clock: 30s

  • Plays that stop the clock: 15s

Regular Time: Option 2 (introduced by Replay Games when they published the game from 2004-2009)

• • Run or Complete Pass: 36s

  • Run or Complete Pass Out of Bounds: 24s

  • Incomplete Pass, Turnover, Penalty, Play followed by Time Out, special teams play: 12s

Regular Time: Option 3 (contributed by Stephen Thomas)

• • Run or Complete Pass: 35s

  • Run or Complete Pass Out of Bounds: 25s

  • Incomplete Pass, Turnover, Penalty, Play followed by Time Out, special teams play: 10s

Regular Time: Option 4 (contributed by Ethan Musulin)

• • Run or Complete Pass: 45s

  • Run or Complete Pass Out of Bounds: 15s

 2-Minute time: Option 1 (from the latest instructions booklet)

• • Clock-running plays in CONSUME mode: 50s

  • Clock-running plays in CONSERVE mode: 25s

  • Plays that stop the clock (NOT INCLUDING incomplete passes or plays followed by T.O.): 10s

  • Incomplete passes or plays followed by T.O.: 8s

  • Placekicks, and punts with no return: 4s

 2-Minute time: Option 2 (introduced by Replay Games when they published the game from 2004-2009)

• • Clock-running plays in CONSUME mode: 40s

  • Clock-running plays in CONSERVE mode: 24s

  • Special teams, plays that stop the clock, plays followed by T.O.: 8s

2-Minute time: Option 3 (home-brew hybrid to make timing easier with “5s” increment clock)

• • Clock-running plays in CONSUME mode: 50s

  • Clock-running plays in CONSERVE mode: 25s

  • Plays that stop the clock: 10s

  • Placekicks, and punts with no return: 5s

2-Minute time: Option 4 (home-brew hybrid to make timing easier with “4s” increment clock)

• • Clock-running plays in CONSUME mode: 48s

  • Clock-running plays in CONSERVE mode: 24s

  • Plays that stop the clock: 8s

  • Placekicks, and punts with no return: 4s

2-Minute time: Option 5 (contributed by Stephen Thomas)

• • Clock-running plays in CONSUME mode: 40s

  • Clock-running plays in CONSERVE mode: 25s

  • Plays that stop the clock: 10s

2-Minute time: Option 6 (contributed by Ethan Musulin)

• • Clock-running plays in CONSUME mode: 45s

  • Clock-running plays in CONSERVE mode: 25s

  • Plays that stop the clock: 10s

  • Placekicks, and punts with no return: 5s

Q: Are there any methods to assign Offensive Tendencies to teams that don’t have them printed on their team card?

A: Yes. Here is the easiest method courtesy Davide (LordGrifo):

1) Count how many asterisks a team has for its receivers (all the asterisks after the R value) This is X.

2) Count how many asterisks a team has for its rushers (don’t double count for IN or OUT) This is Y.

3) If rushers have only one or no asterisks, subtract 1 from Y for the new Y value.

4) The final Tendency rating is 5-X+Y.

Example: FA Chicago 2010, 6 asterisks for pass plays (X=6), and 1 asterisk for pass plays (Y=0). 5-6+0= -1.

Example: FA Golden Bay 2010. Pass, 5 asterisks (X=5), run, 2 asterisks (Y=2) 5-5+2= +2.