Finale
By Oliver Abendroth
Introduction
Finale is a football game for two coaches
played with cards that offer a variety of tactical
opportunities. The team that scores the most
goals wins the game. Each coach takes one of
the teams, SV Stollen (red) or FC Acker (blue),
consisting of 30 tactic cards and 30 player
cards. Each coach will choose 15 player cards
and 12 tactic cards to comprise their team. 11
players start on the field, while four sit on the
reserve bench.
The Player Cards
The nice young man pictured here is a striker.
You can tell from the red symbol in the corners
of his card. There are also midfielders (blue),
defensemen (yellow), and goalkeepers (grey).
The player’s current strength is on the top of
the card, over the his head. When the player
card is rotated counter-clockwise, his new
current strength will now be on top.
In the inside corners of some player cards are
colored symbols. Sven has one red cross and
one yellow card symbol. The red cross means
that Sven may be injured and need to be
replaced. The yellow card means that he may
commit a foul, and be sent off the field after
two such fouls. Other players may have the
red card symbol, which represents a more
serious foul.
edited by Scott DiBerardino
Next to the name of the player is his point
value. This is used when you set up your team
at the start of the game. You may not field a
team with more than 50 points.
The red X to the left of the player’s name is
useful for beginners. Instead of sitting
helplessly looking at all the cards, just pick out
the 15 players with red Xs.
The Tactic Cards
The tactic cards are used to determine which
team is on the attack and which team must
defend. They also determine which players
from each team are used. Before play begins,
each coach selects 12 tactic cards to use for
that match, three of which will start in his
hand. For your first game, we recommend
using the six white and six purple cards.
In addition to the white and purple cards, there
are six cards each in yellow, blue and red,
which play to the strengths of the respective
players (yellow = defensemen, blue =
midfielders, red= strikers).
The number on each tactic card is the strategy
rating. The coach who reveals the card with
the higher strategy rating becomes the
attacker. His opponent must defend.
Each tactic card has two green areas with
player symbols. The upper area is used for the
setup, and the lower area is used for the shot.
Each green area has a left half and a right half,
separated by two small white arrows. The
attacker uses the players on the left side, and
the defender uses the players on the right.
In the example card “Open Exchange”, during
setup the attacker will use his goalkeeper, one
defenseman, and one midfielder. He totals the
current strengths (footballs) on the players he
chose, and adds the roll of a die to his total.
The defender chooses a striker, midfielder and
defenseman and does the same. Both coaches
mark the players they used with a “!” marker.
If the attacker’s result is equal to or greater
than the defenders, the he may continue to the
shot. First, however, both coaches must rotate
counter-clockwise all their players with “!”
markers. Then each coach marks his players
for the shot in the same way as for the setup.
If the attacker’s result is greater than the
defender’s (a tie is not good enough!) then he
scores a goal.
If the attacker fails during the setup, the
defender may counterattack. Attacks are
carried out in this fashion, one after another,
until six periods have elapsed.
Preparing for Play
Each coach picks one team and receives the 60
cards of the team’s color. Select 15 players
from among the 30 player cards, 11 field
players and four reserve players. The 15
players you choose may not have a total point
value that exceeds 50.
The only restriction when choosing your
players is that you must have one and only
one goalkeeper on the field, and at least one
goalkeeper in reserve. You may choose any
number of strikers, midfielders and
defensemen.
For your first game, select the players with red
Xs next to their names. These 15 players are
worth exactly 50 points. Put the following
players on the bench, and start with the
remainder:
SV Stollen: Bernd Schranke, Paul Walze, Ali
Balla, Simon Joker
FC Acker: Hans Greifhin, Wladimir Ballnich,
Tim Talent, Erwin Pfosten
When both players have selected their teams,
set them up on the table simultaneously. In
the example, SV Stollen has 3 strikers, 4
midfielders, and 3 defensemen, while FC Acker
is trying a 4-4-2 alignment. Each teams’
reserve players are displayed to the side.
Notes on Play
Football is a game of attacking; you won’t be
able to defend well if too many of your players
are at low strength at the same time.
Injuries and fouls can decimate any team, but
you have to play on to the end regardless of
how many players are sent off. Use your
reserve players carefully.
If you lose too many players from one group
(e.g. strikers), then you may be forced to
reorganize. If one of your lines is without
players, you must provide a backup player
from an adjacent line (e.g. move a midfielder
to striker).
Selecting Tactic Cards
Each player selects 11 of their own tactic
cards, shuffles them, and places them face
down to form a draw pile. Put the white
“Finale” card (Schlußkarte) on the bottom of
your draw pile. Draw the top three cards to
form your starting hand. Note: if you use up
all 11 of your tactic cards, you will be forced to
use the “Finale” card for the rest of the game.
For your first game, use the white and purple
tactic cards. They are quite balanced and offer
a good mix for becoming acquainted with the
game. For later games, we recommend you
always use the six white cards, and exchange
the six purple cards for tactic cards of another
color. You must always use the white “Finale”
card.
The tactic cards keyed to player colors (yellow,
blue and red) use the strengths of the players
of that type, i.e. it makes sense to use the
yellow tactic cards if you have a strong defense
line. More tips on tactic card selection are at
the end of the rules.
The Play Board
Lay out the board between the players. Put
the two ball-shaped goal markers on the zero
spaces, and the umpire on the first 15-minute
period space. Leave the “!” and yellow card
markers within reach.
How to Play
The game lasts for six 15-minute periods. At
the end of the sixth period, whoever has shot
the most goals wins the match!
Determine Attacker and Defender
At the beginning of each period, each player
chooses a tactic card from their hand and
places it face down in front of them. Reveal
them simultaneously. The player with the
higher strategy rating becomes the attacker for
this period, and their opponent becomes the
defender. See below if the strategy ratings are
the same.
Each player immediately draws a new tactic
card; you always have three tactic cards in
your hand.
The attacker now makes a number of attacks
equal to the difference in the strategy ratings
of the tactic cards played.
Example: SV Stoller plays “Go it Alone”,
strategy rating 2. FC Acker plays “Open
Exchange”, strategy rating 4. FC Acker is the
attacker, and will make two attacks this period.
The Setup Phase
The attacker now chooses players based on the
left half of the setup (upper) portion of his
tactic card. The defender likewise chooses
players based on the right half of the same
card. A question mark symbol in place of a
player symbol allows you to choose any type of
player other than a goalkeeper.

The attacker marks his choices first using the
“!” markers. Then the defender makes his
choices, allowing him the opportunity to react
to the tactics of the attacker.
Each player totals the strength of his chosen
players by adding up the footballs on the tops
of the cards. Then each player rolls a die and
adds the result to their strength.
If the attacker’s strength is equal to or greater
than the defender’s, his setup is successful and
he may proceed to the Shot Phase.
If the attacker’s strength is less than the
defender’s, the defender makes a
counterattack using the rules below.
Each coach must now check to see if any of
their chosen players has a symbol in the upper
right inside corner of their card. Roll a die for
each such symbol (red cross, yellow card, or
red card) and resolve the results.
At the end of the Setup Phase, all players with
a “!” marker are rotated counter-clockwise
90°, resulting in new strength values for these
players.
Note: If there are no player symbols in the
setup portion of a tactic card, skip the Setup
Phase and go right to the Shot Phase.
The Shot Phase
Both coaches again choose players, this time
according to the shot (lower) portion of the
attacker’s tactic card. Mark the chosen players
with “!!” markers this time.
Important: Normally, you may not choose a
player during the Shot Phase if you used him
during the Setup Phase. However, if there is
an arrow on the tactic card connecting a player
from the setup portion to the shot portion,
then you must use the same player for both
the setup and the shot.
As before, both coaches total up their strength
and add a die roll. If the attacker’s total is
greater than the defender’s, he scores a goal!
Move the football-shaped marker to indicate
your new score.
Again, each coach checks whether any of his
players are injured or have committed a foul,
and then rotates 90° counter-clockwise all
players with a “!!” marker. Remove all “!” and
“!!” markers from all players.
Second and Subsequent Attacks
If the attacker has attacks remaining
(according to the difference in strategy
ratings), he plays a new tactic card from his
hand, then draws one from his draw pile.
During each additional attack, the defender
may discard one of their tactic cards and draw
a new one.
The players now resolve the new attack using
the setup and shot procedure outlined above,
using the new tactic card played by the
attacker.
When the attacker has performed all of his
attacks, the period ends.
Moving On to the Next Period
Move the referee marker to the next 15-minute
period on the board. The new period begins
with each coach selecting a tactic card from
their hand as before. Reveals these cards
simultaneously, and determine the new
attacker. Continue to play in this fashion until
six periods have elapsed. After the sixth
period (90 minutes), whichever team has the
scored the most goals wins the match. If the
score is tied, the game goes into overtime, and
possibly even a shootout.
Counterattacks
Once each period, the defender is allowed to
make a counterattack if the attacker fails his
setup.
If the attacker’s strength is less than the
defender’s during setup, the defender makes a
counterattack. The defender becomes the
attacker, using the players on his own tactic
card.
Both coaches choose players for the new setup
according to the defender’s tactic card. The
counterattacker uses the players on the left
side, and his opponent those on the right.
As before, total the players’ strength and add a
die roll. The counterattacker gets an additional
bonus equal to the difference in strategy rating
between his tactic card and that of the original
attacker. For example, if the strategy ratings
were 5 and 2, the counterattack would get a
+3 bonus.
Possible injuries and fouls must be resolved as
for a normal attack.
If the setup succeeds, the counterattacker may
move on to the shot, but without any
counterattack bonus. If successful, the
counterattacker scores a goal, and the
counterattack is over.
If the counterattack’s setup fails, the
counterattack is finished. If the original
attacker has attack remaining, he continues
play with his next attack. Further
counterattacks are not allowed until the next
period.
Tied Strategy Ratings
If both coaches’ tactic cards are revealed to
have the same strategy rating, they must roll
to decide who gets to attack. Each coach rolls
a die, and the higher result becomes the
attacker. Only one attack is awarded, no
matter what the results of the roll were. If the
attacker fails his setup, the defender
counterattacks without a counterattack bonus.
If both coaches roll the same, keep rolling until
one coach wins.
Special Symbols on Player Cards
If there is a symbol in the upper right inside
corner of a player card with a “!” or “!!”
marker, you must roll a die for that player.
After the die rolls, the marked players are
rotated 90° counter-clockwise.
Red Cross: On a roll of 2 (1-in-3 chance) the
player is hurt and must be taken out of the
game. Remove him from play. You may
replace him with any play from your reserve
bench, regardless of type.
Yellow Card: On a roll of 0 or 1 (1-in-2
chance) the player is warned by the referee.
Place a yellow card marker on the player. If
this player gets another yellow card later in the
match, the referee ejects him from the game
(see Red Card below).
Red Card: On a roll of 3 (1-in-6 chance) the
player is given a red card by the referee and is
ejected from the match. You must remove the
player from play, but cannot substitute in a
player from your bench. Your team must play
a man short for the remainder of the match.
Important: If a tactic card (like “Go it Alone”)
requires a particular player who has been
removed from the game, you must instead use
another player of the same type (color). If you
have no other players of the same type, you
may use any player.
Player Substitution
You may make a substitution four times in
each match. You have three players and one
goalkeeper on your bench. You may send in a
substitute at the start of a new period, before
tactic cards are revealed. The player you
replace is removed from play (not put on your
bench!). The new player may be a different
type of player, allowing you to modify your
strategy. Note: The reserve goalkeeper may
not be used as a field player. If your reserve
bench is empty, you may not substitute any
more players.
The “Finale” card
If a coach has used all 11 tactic cards, his only
remaining card will be the “Finale” card. Once
you’ve used your last tactic card, you must use
the “Finale” card for the remainder of the
game; leave it face up. For the remaining
periods and attacks, you will always have a
strategy rating of 1, and can only use the
players indicated on the “Finale” card.
Game End
The team that has scored the most goals at
the end of six periods wins the match. If there
is a tie, players may agree to play overtime.
Overtime
If both players want, two additional periods
(105 and 120 minute) are played. Each player
gets back all their white tactic cards, whether
they were used or not. The “Finale” card is
again placed underneath the new draw pile,
and each player draws three cards. Play
proceeds by the normal rules. If the game is
still undecided after 120 minutes…
Shootout
From here on, ignore fouls and injuries on the
player cards. Each coach selects five players
(no goalkeepers!) to conduct the shootout.
Sort the players you chose into any order you
choose, and turn all players back to their
starting facing. Dice off to see who begins.
Each coach puts out his goalkeeper. The first
coach takes his first player to go head-to-head
against the opposing goalkeeper. Both
coaches roll a die and add the result to their
player’s strength. If the shooter’s result is
higher than the keeper’s, a goal is scored!
Regardless of the result, rotate the goalkeeper
90° counter-clockwise after the shot. Players
alternate this procedure until all five players
from both sides have had a shot. The team
with more goals wins the match, but if it’s still
a tie, select another five players and go again!
Variants
Tactic Card Free Choice
If you want more options for building your
tactic deck, follow these rules. You must
choose a total of 11 cards: two with a strategy
rating of 5, two with 4, two with 3, four with 2,
and a single card with a strategy rating of 1.
To this, you must add your “Finale” card.
Each player may choose the three cards in
their starting hand.
The Trophies
The trophies are a little addition, if you want to
play a German or European tournament with
friends. The winner receives the appropriate
trophy. Then the champion would have to
defend his title, maybe with a bonus or
penalty. In such a competition, you must
always use the overtime and shootout rules.
 SV Stollen
White (Mandatory)
1 Schlußkarte! Mit letzter Kraft! 1 Finale! With our last strength!
1 Elfmeter! Die Chance! 1 Eleven Meters! Our chance!
2 Eckball! Die Langen vor! 2 Corner Kick! Forward enough!
2 Flanke! Aber bitte genau! 2 Flank! But be precise!
3 Kontrolliertes Spiel! Nur kein Ballverlust! 3 Ball Control! Don’t lose the ball!
4 Offener Schlagabtausch! Ein harter Fight! 4 Open Exchange! A hard fight!
Purple (Balanced)
1 Abseitsfalle ausgetrickst! Feiner Trick! 1 Cheating Offside! A fine trick!
2 Alleingang! Mach mal was! 2 Go it Alone! You can do it!
2 Einwurf! Und schön verlängern! 2 Throw-in! Beautiful extension!
3 Vorsichtiger Spielaufbau! Nichts überstürzen! 3 Careful Setup! Don’t rush!
4 Brechstange! Wenn nicht so, dann so! 4 Breakout! This way or that!
5 Alles oder Nichts! Jetzt muß er rein! 5 All or Nothing! Now keep it clear!
Red (Striker)
1 Rückpaß erlaufen! Auf der Lauer liegen! 1 Back Pass! Now it’s up to the lookout!
2 Schwalbe!? Der fällt leicht! 2 Dive!? Piece of cake!
2 Steilpaß! Auf den Linksaußen! 2 Chip Pass! On the outside!
3 Fore-Checking! Gleich abwürgen! 3 Checking! Hold them off!
4 Sturmlauf! Stürmen mit Mann und Maus! 4 Striker Run! Attack to a man!
5 Powerplay! Immer in Überzahl! 5 Power Play! Always outnumber them!
Blue (Midfielder)
1 Freistoß! Scharf vor’s Tor! 1 Free Kick! Straight in front of the goal!
2 Doppelpaß! Und der Weg ist frei! 2 Double Pass! And the coast is clear!
2 Fernschuß! In den Winkel? 2 Long Shot! Into the corner?
3 Kampf um jeden Meter! So ein Gewühle! 3 Fight for Every Meter! Such a melee!
4 Kurzpaßspiel! Technisch brillant! 4 Short Passing! Technically brilliant!
5 Pressing! Den Gegner einschnüren! 5 Press! Constrict your opponents!
Yellow (Defenseman)
1 Abschlag! Hoch nach vorn! 1 Kick Off! High and far!
2 Befreiungs-schlag! Ab die Post! 2 Release! From the post!
2 Konter! Und kurz verschnaufen! 2 Counter! And a quick breather!
3 Abseits! Zu früh gestartet! 3 Offside! Started too early!
4 Betonmauer! Alles dicht! 4 Concrete Wall! Everyone get close!
5 Kick’n Rush! Wer kriegt den Ball? 5 Kick ‘n’ Rush! Who’s got the ball?
 FC Acker
White (Mandatory)
1 Schlußkarte! Mit letzter Kraft! 1 Finale! With our last strength!
1 Elfmeter! Klares Foul! 1 Eleven Meters! A clear foul!
2 Eckball! Alle nach vorn! 2 Corner Kick! Everybody forward!
2 Flanke! Und der Schuß! 2 Flank! And the shot!
3 Kontrolliertes Spiel! Ballbesitz ist Alles! 3 Ball Control! Ball possession is everything!
4 Offener Schlagabtausch! Immer rauf und 4 Open Exchange! Always up and down!
runter!!
Purple (Balanced)
1 Abseitsfalle ausgetrickst! So macht man das! 1 Cheating Offside! That’s how you do it!
2 Alleingang! Wie aus dem Lehrbuch! 2 Go it Alone! A textbook play!
2 Einwurf! Sehr weit! 2 Throw-in! Very far!
3 Vorsichtiger Spielaufbau! Sicherheit geht vor! 3 Careful Setup! Proceed with caution!
4 Brechstange! Mit Gewalt? 4 Breakout! By force?
5 Alles oder Nichts! Getümmel im Strafraum! 5 All or Nothing! Storm the penalty area!
Red (Striker)
1 Rückpaß erlaufen! Schnell und clever! 1 Back Pass! Quick and clever!
2 Schwalbe!? Foul oder nicht! 2 Dive!? Foul or nothing!
2 Steilpaß! In die Spitze! 2 Chip Pass! In the corner!
3 Fore-Checking! Im Aufbau stören! 3 Checking! Disrupt their formation!
4 Sturmlauf! Alles nach vorn! 4 Striker Run! Everyone forward!
5 Powerplay! Nicht locker lassen! 5 Power Play! Do not relent!
Blue (Midfielder)
1 Freistoß! Eine neue Variante! 1 Free Kick! A new variant!
2 Doppelpaß! Die verstehen sich blind! 2 Double Pass! They can do it blind!
2 Fernschuß! Den Torwart überlisten? 2 Long Shot! Fake out the keeper?
3 Kampf um jeden Meter! Hart aber herzlich! 3 Fight for Every Meter! However hard!
4 Kurzpaßspiel! Fast brasilianisch! 4 Short Passing! Almost Brazilian!
5 Pressing! Räume eng machen! 5 Press! Close the space!
Yellow (Defenseman)
1 Abschlag! Mindestens 70 Meter! 1 Kick Off! Over 70 meters!
2 Befreiungs-schlag! Weg mit dem Ball! 2 Release! Away with the ball!
2 Konter! …der tödliche Paß! 2 Counter! …a deadly pass!
3 Abseits! Mindestens 2 Meter! 3 Offside! By at least 2 meters!
4 Betonmauer! Da hilft nur Köpfchen! 4 Concrete Wall! Use your heads!
5 Kick’n Rush! Hoch und weit nach vorn! 5 Kick ‘n’ Rush! High and far forward!
Summary

Preparing for play:

Choose 15 players, maximum 50 points.

11 players on the field, 4 players on the bench.
Choose 12 tactic cards, including white “Finale” card.

How to play:

For each period–

Each coach selects and reveals a tactic card.

High strategy rating becomes attacker. Resolve ties by die roll.
Attacker makes a number of attacks equal to difference between strategy ratings.
Each coach draws a card.

Each attack–

Setup
Attacker chooses players based on tactic card, then defender. Each coach totals their strength and adds a die roll.
If attacker’s total is equal to or greater than defender’s, continue on to shot.
If attacker’s total is less than defender’s, defender counterattacks.
Check player symbols and rotate players 90° counterclockwise.

Shot
Attacker chooses unused players based on tactic card, then defender. Each coach totals their strength and adds a
die roll.
If attacker’s total is greater than defender’s, a goal is scored.
If not, the attack ends.
Check player symbols and rotate players 90° counterclockwise.

Counterattack
Defender becomes attacker and chooses players based on his own tactic card.
Resolve counterattack as normal, except during setup (only) the counterattacker gets a bonus equal to the
difference between strategy ratings.
Only one counterattack can be made per period.

Further Attacks
The attacker continues any further attacks by playing a tactic card (and drawing a new one) for each one and
resolving the attack normally. The defender may discard a card from hand and replace it for each attack. When all
attacks are resolved, the period ends.
After six periods, the game ends. Whoever has the most goals wins!