Beginner advice for fan across the pond! :)

[MK1603]

Hello there 🙂

As title of topic says I am living in the UK and I am asking for any advice that any of you guys/ladies could kindly help with

Recently I have taken a keen interest in the electric football game, looks like a great deal of fun and it seems it has brought great joy to players and collectors for many many years. Being a 27 year old, my gaming is dominated by the likes of Xbox and playstation etc and would be nice to actually play something totally different which would bring out a lot more creativity and imagination. I have watched a ton of videos about this game and looks like a real blast

 

My question to you fans out there is, what size field do you recommend? I have my eye on a large field (36x18) championship electric football to get me started. Thinking about collecting parts as I go, especially collecting the different teams and may even try my hand at painting my own figures. HOWEVER.....After doing some shopping around I can only seem to find available for sale the medium fields (32x16). Is a medium field a good enough size to play? Or is playing on a larger surface a better experience? Seems to be very difficult to find a large field available here in the UK 😞 

 

I have looked at an ultimate size board unfortunately this is just a bit out of my price range. May be something to consider in future as they look incredible 

 

I currently have a chat open with one of the lovely customer service people at Tudor games talking about shipping prices and things, hoping to arrange the sale and delivery of a large board. But I would like to hear about peoples experiences with a smaller field. Do you still get a good and enjoyable game with less space? Or in this case is it "bigger is better"?? Preferably I would want to get a large table but if people are positive on a medium sized field then I will most likely consider it

 

Any advice would be appreciated and look forward to hearing from you :)

 

Many thanks

Mike K   -   England 

 

 

[nefgm.org]

First welcome to the game and hobby. If you are just getting started, get what is readily available. Bigger isn't necessarily better. Medium sized fields are fine. I have boards in all sizes. They are all enjoyable to play on. Painting my own teams and collecting is what I enjoy most. If you haven't yet, check out the nefgm.org website. A lot of good reference material there. And ask all the questions you want. We are here to help.    

[MK1603]

Thanks for the warm welcome

I managed to get a large board off Ebay for a fairly decent price. Should be shipped between 28/10 - 6/11, fingers crossed it doesn't arrive damaged as its had to travel from Michigan to the UK

 

Looking forward to playing and building a collection. Thank you for the link, I will check it out! Love seeing peoples collections of boards and accessories. I'm sure I will have some questions eventually 🙂

 

Thanks again

Mike

 

[RickLM30]

I have played on all different size boards over the 54 years I've been playing.  Most of my later games have been played on 36x18 fields and I enjoyed playing on them.  Generally, the size of the board does not preclude you from having a great time playing EFL.  I will say that I prefer the larger size boards, just because there is more room to run pass patterns, sweeps, etc. and allows you to spread the defense out a little more to enable your receivers to find the soft spots in zones.  I recently got an Ultimate board (48x24) and it really does give you a lot of room to run sweeps, outs, flags, etc.

[MK1603]

Hi Rick

Thanks for your info

I have been seeing videos on YouTube and see a lot of people playing on a medium or smaller board and still looks a lot of fun

 

But yes seems like with more space there is a lot more opportunities to be creative with the plays. But being a beginner my plays will involve a lot of trial and error and finding ways to keep my players on their feet!

 

I've seen some ultimate boards online, they look amazing with th customized field covers and end zones. They seem to also run smoothly

 

Spent quite a bit of money for the board and for shipping to the UK. And I understand that right out of the box it doesn't always work that great. Takes time and effort

 

Looking forward to really starting this new hobby

Thanks again

Mike

 

 

 

17 minutes ago, RickLM30 said:

I have played on all different size boards over the 54 years I've been playing.  Most of my later games have been played on 36x18 fields and I enjoyed playing on them.  Generally, the size of the board does not preclude you from having a great time playing EFL.  I will say that I prefer the larger size boards, just because there is more room to run pass patterns, sweeps, etc. and allows you to spread the defense out a little more to enable your receivers to find the soft spots in zones.  I recently got an Ultimate board (48x24) and it really does give you a lot of room to run sweeps, outs, flags, etc.

 

 

[RickLM30]

Mike, welcome to the world of EF world.  It is a great hobby.  The boards sometimes need a little tweaking (placement of motors, board support), and the bases usually need some tweaking, but it is still worth the effort in my opinion.  Painting teams is also fun, even at my age when the hands don't always do what I want them to! 😊 There are also various ways to play from just turn it on and let 'em run, to multi-stop methods.  Personally, I use a multi-stop method in my solitaire league, but there are lots of other methods (you can find info on these in the various forum pages.  Also, if you haven't yet, check out nefgm's website.  It has a lot of good and interesting info on the game.  Enjoy, it's a great hobby!

[MK1603]

Hi Rick

Yeah I am sure I will need to tweak some parts as I go along to get better performance. From what I can see on some videos of games right out of the box is the players seem to jump around and fall down a lot, so yes I think some tweaking on the bases will be in order. I will definitely be playing on my own, there probably isn't many owners of the EF game in the UK. My girlfriend and my friends wouldn't be interested in playing so I will playing solo. Not sure what rules set I will play myself I have seen some videos and I may "cherry pick" rules I want in my game as there are some I like and don't like. I am also no expert on American football so will hopefully help me understand plays more I am more of a casual fan. American football here does not get a great deal of coverage in the UK (although it is slowly growing in popularity) I think a game or two is shown weekly on SKY SPORTS but usually these are on quite late because of the time difference I guess there probably is some kind of subscription service to watch games but I am not prepared to pay the high price! Aiming to catch a game eventually when the NFL comes back to London one day. Fingers crossed the Packers will come to town but I'm not holding my breath 😅

 

I am too thinking about painting some figures myself been given some tips on another post I made on the forum. I am considering eventually painting the red/white starter teams that come with a set.  Model painting is not something I have actually really done in my life or have been interested in, but from seeing videos and other peoples creations on the forum, for the first time painting figures has definitely caught my interest. Possibly because it is to do with sports that the painting has sparked an interest and not fantasy for example Warhammer - No disrespect to fans of Warhammer the figures look great but fantasy games are not my thing 😁

 

I seriously admire the community and the amount of people playing EF to this day after so many decades of fun and hard work on the figures, boards and gameplay. So far I have found the community and the Tudor team very helpful in providing information, even if it might come across as a silly question but it seems people are always willing to help other people out - which is very nice to see. The only thing we have close to EF here is Subbuteo table soccer which is still very fun to play and does have quite a large following and fan base. I myself have a set from the late 70's-80's I believe, which still stands the test of time. But the EF community blows this out of the water when it comes to useful resources and information for its players

 

Only downside being based in the UK is Tudor not being able to send NFL licensed goods outside of the US (Hopefully this can happen one day) and to get plain figures or figures from eBay can get a little expensive due to shipping charges and import fees. In a way is a good thing for me, might be a deterrent to spend a ton of money on figures and accessories, so I can possibly pick up a new team or something once a month or once every couple of months to build up my collection slowly. I do have a couple of pre-painted teams on the way from Tudor and a New York Jets team which is coming with the EF board I recently purchased. This should be here in a couple of weeks, I will post my set-up on the forum when everything finally arrives. Fingers crossed my board isn't damaged. I'm expecting the worst but hoping for the best 😆

I have checked out nefgm.org it seems like a very valuable resource to EF players and I have so far enjoyed looking through their galleries a lot of what I've seen on there is remarkable! Will be following the site to see what is new in their collection 🙂 

 

Again many thanks for the warm welcome, I do appreciate it. Long live EF! 

 

Mike K 

[zak99b5]

Tudor sells figures that are prepainted in close to NFL teams's uniforms.  That may help get you started with a team you're interested in, and you'd only need to add some details to make them more authentic.

Solitaire can be fun.  When I played that way, I always tried my hardest for the offensive play to be successful for both teams to keep the game even/fair.  I had a few basic defensive sets I used depending on down and distance (1st & 10, balanced; 3rd & short more of a run stop, 3rd & long, a dime package, etc.).  Certainly look over people's rule sets and pick & choose what makes sense to you.

I'd suggest getting a good number of bases, a mix of TTC and rookie, and try to outfit two teams where all 11 players on both perform as you want.  It will take a lot of testing to find good bases, so if you stick to iron-man teams (same 11 players play both offense and defense), it will make it simpler for you. 

You'll find that you'll need to test a handful of bases before you find a good one out of the box.  You can practice tweaking skills on the bases that don't work well, then apply those skills and techniques to the better bases to improve those even further.  I'm sure you'll want to play a game right away, but if you put the time in to selecting good bases for the players, the games will be much better.

[MK1603]

Hi there Zak, hope you're well

Thank you so much for the comment and the advice 

 

I have purchased 2 pre-painted teams that look a lot like Tennessee Titans (Home) and the Steelers (Away) which I may add more details too. I think these figures look great and for a fair price even when you factor in the shipping and import charges it is not too bad. Hopefully Tudor keeps a sale on for these items, but even at full price not a major hit to the wallet

 

The thing is I am no expert in American football personally apart from some basic plays and moves and the general rules of the game. So for now anyway, this game will be purely for fun and I am not looking at anything overly advanced as yet. My game will be a pretty simplified rules set compared to others I have seen, I'll be taking elements of other peoples games and adding them or adapting them to my casual play style

 

All this talk on bases is what I dread at the moment...... I totally understand that tweaking bases will yield the best performances and experiences, however I am not really good with my hands when it comes down to using tools and such. I more just want to play the game and not spend so much time tweaking bases and potentially ruining/damaging bases because it means having to spend more money and potentially waiting weeks for my shipment to arrive from the US

 

I'm currently using the invisibases that come with the game. The strength cleats are okay but the speed I do not think work very well however I only have just got the game so I may find a configuration that gives me at least a semi decent playing experience. I have seen that this can be achieved with the invisibases. I'm not looking for perfection or for my players to move around the board like I have seen with some Pro players that takes a lot of time, effort and resources that I do not currently have. Would just be nice to have a game where the players stay upright and go roughly where I want them to (However the game will do what it wants sometimes)

Would you or anyone have any recommendations about particular bases for a beginner that require little to no tweaking? I have seen some videos on the bases you kindly listed but their tweaking instructions may be a little bit advanced for me. But I may give these a go when I am more confident

 

Thanks again for your contribution to my post and our advice is appreciated 🙂

 

Sorry for how long my posts are too, they're a chore to read but I want to add as much detail as I can in case something in what I say may spark a thought in the community! Hopefully I can return the favor one day to the people in the community who have been very supportive and helpful!

 

Mike 

 

 

17 hours ago, zak99b5 said:

Tudor sells figures that are prepainted in close to NFL teams's uniforms.  That may help get you started with a team you're interested in, and you'd only need to add some details to make them more authentic.

Solitaire can be fun.  When I played that way, I always tried my hardest for the offensive play to be successful for both teams to keep the game even/fair.  I had a few basic defensive sets I used depending on down and distance (1st & 10, balanced; 3rd & short more of a run stop, 3rd & long, a dime package, etc.).  Certainly look over people's rule sets and pick & choose what makes sense to you.

I'd suggest getting a good number of bases, a mix of TTC and rookie, and try to outfit two teams where all 11 players on both perform as you want.  It will take a lot of testing to find good bases, so if you stick to iron-man teams (same 11 players play both offense and defense), it will make it simpler for you. 

You'll find that you'll need to test a handful of bases before you find a good one out of the box.  You can practice tweaking skills on the bases that don't work well, then apply those skills and techniques to the better bases to improve those even further.  I'm sure you'll want to play a game right away, but if you put the time in to selecting good bases for the players, the games will be much better.

[zak99b5]

As for the bases, what I recommended was trying out a bunch to find naturally good performers, not tweaking, for someone starting out in the hobby.  This does require buying a decent number of bases to find those natural good performers.

I use TTC bases on the interior linemen.  I find the strongest ones (I made a little "corral" to keep the bases head-to-head for testing) that go reasonably straight.  The ones that go to the right I use on the left side of the line and vice-versa.  Center gets the base that goes the most straight. 

To help with player setup during a game, I use jersey number 50 for the center, 61 & 62 for left and right guard respectively, and 71 & 72 for the tackles.  Odd lines up on the left, even on the right.

TTC on the QB as well.  Needs to be a base that goes straight and moves pretty well.  For pass plays the dial is set to 3:00 or 9:00 so he spins in place.  I also put the base on backward if I want him ro roll out to either side.

WRs, TE, and RBs get rookie bases (as they are faster than TTC).  I like them to run fairly straight, especially RBs.  And I number theplayers similarly to the O-line as well as having any natural turn lead them to the center of the field.

If you're happy with the strength invisibases, keep the O-lines on those.  Buy a dozen TTCs to find two you can use on the QB figs (one for each team).  For RB/TE/WRs (ten total needed for two teams), I'd say get 3 or 4 packs (a dozen in each) of rookie bases.

Oh, and don't leave the guys standing upright on the bases when you're not playing.  It will alter how they run.

[nefgm.org]

6 hours ago, zak99b5 said:

As for the bases, what I recommended was trying out a bunch to find naturally good performers, not tweaking, for someone starting out in the hobby.  This does require buying a decent number of bases to find those natural good performers.

I use TTC bases on the interior linemen.  I find the strongest ones (I made a little "corral" to keep the bases head-to-head for testing) that go reasonably straight.  The ones that go to the right I use on the left side of the line and vice-versa.  Center gets the base that goes the most straight. 

To help with player setup during a game, I use jersey number 50 for the center, 61 & 62 for left and right guard respectively, and 71 & 72 for the tackles.  Odd lines up on the left, even on the right.

TTC on the QB as well.  Needs to be a base that goes straight and moves pretty well.  For pass plays the dial is set to 3:00 or 9:00 so he spins in place.  I also put the base on backward if I want him ro roll out to either side.

WRs, TE, and RBs get rookie bases (as they are faster than TTC).  I like them to run fairly straight, especially RBs.  And I number theplayers similarly to the O-line as well as having any natural turn lead them to the center of the field.

If you're happy with the strength invisibases, keep the O-lines on those.  Buy a dozen TTCs to find two you can use on the QB figs (one for each team).  For RB/TE/WRs (ten total needed for two teams), I'd say get 3 or 4 packs (a dozen in each) of rookie bases.

Oh, and don't leave the guys standing upright on the bases when you're not playing.  It will alter how they run.

Very good advice on all points. Very similar to what I do.  I would suggest multi-stop style of play which allows players direction to be adjusted during the execution of plays which also reduces the need for tweaking other than having them run straight.

[MK1603]

Thank you again both of you for the advice

I'm going to consider having a try with all bases eventually to find a configuration that I think works well. So far I have only been using strength and speed invisibases with most weighed down a little bit with Blue Tack/Poster putty. Also manipulating the plastic spikes seems to make them work better. Getting pretty decent results in my opinion, players are only very occasionally falling down and have managed to run some okay rushing plays and a couple of good passing plays. Just the only downside is sometimes the players are pretty slow off the mark but I think with some playing around that can be improved with time. Obviously most are going in random directions, but that's probably more due to my lack of experience. But I will buy a load of rookie bases and TTC bases over the next couple of months, will take me a while to build up a collection as when you factor in shipping costs to UK can end up getting a little expensive but never mind if it takes longer to build a collection then so be it. I have seen ones called ITZ bases I believe, they look pretty cool

 

I played my first game last night which probably would make some of the experienced on players on here absolutely cringe (breaking of rules, time it took to set up after a play, time keeping etc) but hey I had a fun time regardless. And that its what its all about I think 🙂 (The generic white team defeated the New York Jets 10-0 in the inaugural Boris Johnson Bowl if you are interested 😂) wasn't a timed game just spent a couple of hours last night just playing

The way I have been playing at the moment is I do a snap, then a read and then determine if I am going to attempt a pass or a run. If a pass I press the remote for a few seconds to see if a runner gets open (not sure if this is correct or blatant cheating)  The thing I can't wrap my head around is when do I start and stop the clock? Is the clock meant to be running when doing a snap, read, measuring up the pass? Or is the clock meant to be stopped until the ball is live again. I have watched videos and seen posts on the forum but not entirely sure what they mean?

I am slowly developing my own way of determining kick offs, punts and conversions using 2 dice, pretty basic for now. Unfortunately the kicking function on my TTQB doesn't work. May add fumbles and penalties to the dice sheet as I become more advanced. Passing is a mixture of using the TTQB and also a less accurate version of passing sticks using a ruler, pencils, straws, magnet as ball marker. Loosely based on how the passing sticks work, I have a set of passing sticks on order so the passing aspect of my game will be a lot more accurate on not a free for all and a complete guess 😂 Might also add my own twists and inventions to the game have a couple of ideas with the felt balls, will be all trial and error and as I'll be playing alone there won't be a risk of upsetting people 😁

 

Will need practice in knowing my figures and their functions as setting back up is painfully long for now. I have written down their jersey numbers and what positions they should be to help me out but over time I'm sure it will become natural to me and I wont need cheat sheets anymore. I like Zak's idea with the numbers that could be useful going forward!

Can't wait to play some more after work tomorrow! 🙂

 

Mike

 

 

[zak99b5]

Glad to hear you're having fun.

As for timing the game, in my league we use 8 plays a quarter (beer league).  I posted the score sheet we use on another thread here if you're interested in seeing it.

Coach Kinchen has a more refined version of this where plays that stay in bounds count as one minute, and out-of-bounds or incomplete passes count as 15 seconds.   Simply add up the "time" of each play and end the quarter when you get to 15 (or whatever you decide) minutes (simpified by me).

Note that PAT attempts aren't timed plays, nor are free kicks that aren't returned.  Scrimmage kicks (FGs and punts) are.

My kickoffs are done with the kicking team at or behind the 50 yardline.  Receiving team has five on the 40, four on the 20, and two returners at the goal line at the hashes.  We drop the ball between the returners, and whoever the ball lands closer to (or hits) has it.  Pivot return team, pivot kicking team, and run the board till the play is completed.  Results are typical NFL kickoff returns, minus the inevitable illegal block flags!

FGs and PAT kicks are done with only two players.  We set two magnets a long passing stick apart at the goal line, centered side to side.  "Kicking" team puts one player at the LOS (FG) or the PAT mark on the field, and the other team puts one player at the goal line.  They can then be pivoted.  Run the board; if the kicking team player goes into the enzone between the magnets, the kick is good--contact between the players doesn't matter.

[nefgm.org]

The main thing is you are having fun and playing the game. When playing solitaire, there is no right or wrong way to play. You develop rules and a style of play that makes it fun and entertaining for you. It is great to see how someone that is not that familiar with the game of American football can use an electric football game to learn the game. Please continue to keep us updated with your progress.  

[MK1603]

Yeah I have seen your score sheet and someone elses which is fairly similar and easy to understand. For now I have just photocopied the score sheet from the instruction manual, think that will be more than okay for now. I think timing a game via so many amount of plays like your Beer League is probably a more sensible option for a newbie like me and will definitely help focus more on the game. As much as I like Coach Kinchen's work this is a bit out of my depth for now and knowing my luck I will forget to start and stop the clock and have trouble adding up the times 😂

 

I do like the sound of your approach to kickoffs, FG's and PATs. FG and PAT, that sounds like a quick and easy resolution rather than setting up all over again to block the kick, so I think I will add that or a version of that to my game going forward. May do a similar thing like you do with kickoffs seems like a pretty fun and easy way to start the game

 

thanks 😄

 

 

3 hours ago, zak99b5 said:

Glad to hear you're having fun.

As for timing the game, in my league we use 8 plays a quarter (beer league).  I posted the score sheet we use on another thread here if you're interested in seeing it.

Coach Kinchen has a more refined version of this where plays that stay in bounds count as one minute, and out-of-bounds or incomplete passes count as 15 seconds.   Simply add up the "time" of each play and end the quarter when you get to 15 (or whatever you decide) minutes (simpified by me).

Note that PAT attempts aren't timed plays, nor are free kicks that aren't returned.  Scrimmage kicks (FGs and punts) are.

My kickoffs are done with the kicking team at or behind the 50 yardline.  Receiving team has five on the 40, four on the 20, and two returners at the goal line at the hashes.  We drop the ball between the returners, and whoever the ball lands closer to (or hits) has it.  Pivot return team, pivot kicking team, and run the board till the play is completed.  Results are typical NFL kickoff returns, minus the inevitable illegal block flags!

FGs and PAT kicks are done with only two players.  We set two magnets a long passing stick apart at the goal line, centered side to side.  "Kicking" team puts one player at the LOS (FG) or the PAT mark on the field, and the other team puts one player at the goal line.  They can then be pivoted.  Run the board; if the kicking team player goes into the enzone between the magnets, the kick is good--contact between the players doesn't matter.

 

[RickLM30]

Mike, As far as a multi-stop system goes, there are a lot of choices.  Some coaches only allow 1 or 2 stops total for each play.  I have used a multi-stop system since I started playing EF in 1966.  I started that way because the players ran around willy-nilly when I let the board run.  I didn't know about tweaking the bases back then, and I don't do much tweaking now (probably because I'm too lazy 😊).  I found that if I have a bunch of guys that run straight, a multi-stop system works pretty well. I run the game for about 3 seconds between stops.  At the stops, I adjust all players on the field, to simulate the back reading his blocks, defenders reacting to the ball carrier or pass receivers, flow of the play, etc.  I pivot them around the front of their base.  Some coaches only allow pivoting players not in contact with opponents, but I pivot all of them (offense and defense) to simulate trying to get off a block or trying to continue a block, make a cut in a pass route, etc.  Other coaches have other ways of playing, which are described in other locations in the Forum.  It's really whatever floats your boat.

As far as clock stoppage goes, I use a set number of plays per quarter rather than run a clock.  It just seems easier for me.  I don't count any plays that would stop the clock as a play, such as out of bounds, incomplete passes, penalties, injuries, and do not count extra points or kickoffs out of the endzone.  Just my system.  The number of plays per game varies among coaches and mine is most likely way out of line.  I use 30 plays per quarter (60 per game).  You may not want to do that, as it takes me  about 3-4 weeks to complete one. 😊  I keep statistics on each game and each player.  I track each player who has played in my league over their career on Excel spreadsheets.  I'm kind of a statistics nerd.  Anyway, just my thoughts on a couple questions you asked earlier. 

The important thing is to have fun and play the way that is fun for you!

[RickLM30]

Mike, that should have read 120 plays per game at the end of my last post.  I'll learn how math works one of these days! 😊

Also, I decide before setting up whether it will be a run or a pass.  I have diagrammed running plays and pass plays that I use (some from when I played in high school) and others that can be found on the internet.  I also run RPOs at times as you do.  I also have various defenses to use based on downs and distance, including blitzes and man to man or various zone pass coverages.  Plenty of information for 4-3, 3-4, and various other defenses and coverages are available on the internet and can be incorporated into EF.

[MK1603]

Hi Rick

Thank you for your advice. Apologies for the short response as I am using a mobile I do like the sound of some of your ideas and may incorporate some in my gameplay in future 🙂

 

currently I am playing 15 plays per quarter. May shorten this as my setting up time is still slow

 

Having a great time so far! I like your system of pivoting engaged players. I may pivot a couple to simulate breaking out of a block for a bit more realism

 

thanks again Rick for your thoughts on this, good hearing from you and I do appreciate it 🙂