But there were always friends that had somehow figured out how to control their guys better, and some even claimed that they had somehow mastered the power of Electric Football by figuring out how to best adjust those little dials. These days, there are still people that actively play it and even hold tournaments. I think that’s pretty weird, but I guess it isn’t any weirder than grown men playing German children’s games about diarrheal donkeys.
Reflecting on Electric Football, I think that the time is ripe for a revival of the “vibrating board” mechanic. It’s a lot more interesting and exciting than all of this mathematical claptrap and cube-fidgeting that passes for gameplay in many of today’s top titles. I’d love to see something along the lines of an Electric East Front, where little German and Soviet Soldiers square off on a vibrating map of Stalingrad. Or how about an “Electric Board” Edition of PUERTO RICO where the position of your slaves is determined by where they end up after a couple of seconds of powering up the board. How much more exciting would that be to watch your slave wander toward the outhouse when you had his dial set in hopes that he’d get over to the market?
Although I think Eurogame designers would do well to take a look at what makes Electric Football so exciting, it may very well be the quintessential American board gaming experience. It’s loud, ridiculous, unpredictable, and full of power. It has to be plugged in and turned on, and if you’re not careful it could electrocute you. It’s got miniatures, randomness, and drama. American Football fans need look no further for a perfect tabletop rendition of pigskin gridiron whatever it is, but if all of this interests you then hit Ebay, thrift, or yard sales- I doubt very seriously that we’ll ever see Fantasy Flight Games or Z-Man reprint Electric Football, but there again I’d advise both companies to take a good hard look at the possibility electrified versions of some of their most popular games. ELECTRIC DESCENT would be awesome. Or an edition of PANDEMIC where the viruses spread around via violent shaking rather than clever mechanics. I’m on board for that.
Volume One of this series of books does a grand job of introducing gaming to the masses, but offers a lot of familar information for gamers already in the know.
