Goals, tie-breaks, touchdowns: 11 game tips for sports fans

Who doesn't know them: Monopoly, Risk or Settlers from Catan. But have you ever heard of Downforce or Set & Match? In times of the coronavirus pandemic, sport is also on the gaming table. Everything is there, from the football stadium to the camel race.

Berlin (dpa) - No kicking with the soccer buddies, no Formula 1 race on TV - what could be more obvious than bringing sport to your home: In the Corona crisis, the goals fall and the tires smoke the living room table. A selection of eleven recommended sports board games:

TIPP-KICK (football): The classic football game in your own four walls. The game with the mechanical metal figures and the falling plastic keeper was invented in the 1920s by Schwenningen businessman Edwin Mieg. Each team consists of a field player and a goalkeeper. The ball is half white and half black - the side on top determines who is on the ball.

SUBBUTEO (football): In contrast to the tip kick, Subbuteo is even more widespread outside of Germany. The key differences: the players are flicked against the ball, and each team consists of ten field players and a goalkeeper. Due to the large number of characters, tactical skills are particularly in demand.

MACHI KORO FOOTBALL: This soccer offshoot from Machi Koro appeared just in time for the 2018 World Cup. But here a city is not built like in the base game, but a football club. Snack bars, ticket booths and Co. give the player income depending on the luck of the dice - because of its simple rules, it is perfect for families with a passion for football.

KLASK (football / hockey): The pub is at home and there is no place for kicking at home? Then Klask is a good alternative, because the skill game made of wood fits perfectly on the table. The two-player game from Denmark is a mixture of soccer and air hockey and is played with two magnetic sticks. The goal, of course, is: goals. In this case two wells. Players from 17 different nations took part in the 2019 World Cup in Helsinki.

TABLE HOCKEY: On the gaming tables (mostly from the Stiga company), the special feature is that each figure is not only movable forwards and backwards, but also by 360 degrees. There are many technical and tactical options. The game is very fast. Organized table hockey has been played in Germany since 1993. 57 players took part in the last championship season in Germany.

DOWNFORCE (Formula 1): The new edition of the classic Top Race is not just for Formula 1 fans. The mix of racing and competition ensures exciting moments and also has a nice annoyance factor when the opponents are slowed down in the corners. The game has simple rules and is particularly suitable for large rounds.

FLAME ROUGE (cycling): Whether Paris-Roubaix or a difficult mountain stage at the Tour de France: with Flamme Rouge the traditional cycling events can be re-enacted. The two drivers of their own team (Sprinter and Rouleur) are brought up in advance with cards. It is important to use the slipstream of the peloton cleverly and to divide the forces well. For fans of the game, there are already extensions with cobblestone routes, catering zones and weather influences.

SET & MATCH (tennis): The tennis snippet game released in 2017 has already conquered many hearts in the board game scene. Whether ace, tie breaks or double faults: everything is included - it depends on the right feeling when snipping. For two (single) or four (double) players. As published by a small French publisher, the game is difficult to come by.

BLITZ BOWL (American Football): The two-player game is for real nerds. In a tough football match, the team of humans battles against the team of the orcs - albeit with smaller contingents: here six against six fight for the touchdowns. The dice are tackled. There are extra points for special actions on cards. The small offshoot of Blood Bowl plays quickly and smoothly, but is not for tender souls.

CAMEL UP (Camel Race): The game of 2014 is a mixture of a camel race and a competition and usually creates crazy situations at the table. Because the desert animals take each other on the humps, the last camel can suddenly be the first. Not a player is a camel, but a member of the Egyptian nobility who indulges in gambling. The cube pyramid is a funny gimmick.

RUDI RECK (gymnastics): The battery-powered skill game is a game for children and parties at the same time, but not easy to master. At the push of a button, Rudi Reck gets going and jumps - hopefully at the right moment. It is precisely because it takes a lot of practice to let the gymnast land well that laughs are guaranteed.

Official website Tipp-Kick

Homepage Subbuteo Association

Machi Koro football (Kosmos-Verlag)

Klask (Game Factory)

Homepage of the German Table Ice Hockey Association

Downforce (Hutter Trade)

Flame Rouge (Pegasus Games)

Set & Match YouTube video

Blitz Bowl (Games Workshop)

Camel Up (Pegasus Games)

Rudi Reck (Hasbro)