One the major games offered in the Odyssey package is a game of Football. The photograph on the left is of the acetate game board that was to be "pasted" over the television screen, using "frosted sticky tape" on the corners on the acetate.
The game offers "...all the pro action! Play your strategy! Pass! Run! Kick! Touchdown!" Six pages of player instructions complete with diagrams are provided These are offered below.
GAME AIDS | |
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 | Game Card 3 for passing and kicking plays. |
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Game Card 4 for Running Plays. |
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In addition to the game overlay pictured in the upper right of this page, the photo on the left is the "Game Board Field". |
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Oddyssey System Score Board. |
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One roll of Frosted Tape.
Football Token Yardage Marker |
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Pass Deck (20 Cards) |
 | Run Deck (20 cards> |
 | Kick Off Deck (10 Cards) |
 | Punt Deck (10 Cards) |
 | Two Play Decks; 3 cards to each deck containg: 1 Pass Card, 1 Run Card, 1 Punt Card. |
After the presentation of the game "Aids", the following information is offered:
The ball is kicked from the KICKER'S 40 yard line. When a member of the OFFENSIVE team gets possession of the ball, he runs it back. The ball is "downed" at the point where the carrier's forward motion is stopped.
The OFFENSIVE team gains yardage by passing, running, kicking, and by penalties against the DEFENSE.
The OFFENSIVE team loses the ball if they fail to advance 10 yards in 4 downs, on a fumble which the DEFENSE recovers, on a pass interception, and when a touchdown is scored.
TOUCHDOWN.......6 Points
KICK AFTER T.D...1 Point
FIELD GOAL.........3 Points
SAFTEY*..............2 Points
*When the ball is downed behind the OFFENSIVE team's goal on a running play, the DEFENSIVE team scores and is also the RECEIVER of the next kickoff.
SET UP | |
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1. Insert GAME CARD #3 into Master Control Unit. 2. Turn the SPEED setting to lowest settomg. 3. Place the FOOTBALL Overlay on the screen. 4. Set up the GAME AIDS as illustrated and shuffle each deck of cards. |
HOW TO PLAY | |
| The players flip a coin. The winners of the toss may: |
A. Elect to kick or receive. OR- B. Choose the goal he wishes to defend. The opponent elects the remaining option. |
THE KICKOFF | |
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The team kicking off is positioned on its 40 yard line. The
RECEIVER is positioned between the 0 and 10 yard line.
Each player turns his ENGLISH Control to the upright center position. The ball must be on the OFFENSIVE player's side of the field. (Use the RESET button.) The ball is kicked when the OFFENSIVE player presses his Reset Button. He uses his ENGLISH Control to maneuver the ball past the RECEIVER. Using his VERTICAL Control only, the RECEIVER tries to catch the ball; the ball will bounch off the RECEIVER - thus signifying a catch. However, the RECEIVER cannot move until the ball passes the KICKER'S 40 yeard line. |
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If the ball goes out of bounds (top or bottom of the screen), it is kicked again from 5 yeards back. (The ball is then kicked on the KICKERS 35 yeard line.) |
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If the RECEIVER misses the ball and the kick goes into the end zone, it is an AUTOMATIC TOUCHBACK. The ball is then placed on the RECEIVER's 20 yeard line and it's "First and Ten". |
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If the RECEIVER catches the ball (the light bounces off the player), the action on the overlay stops and the play continues on the Game Board. The RECEIVER is entitled to a "runback", but first, the KICKER picks a card from the top of the KICKOFF Deck to determine the kick yardage. |
WIND FACTOR | |
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The KICKER rolls the dice and determins the wind effect from the "computator" on the Game Board playing field (kickoff/wind). Find the dice total by reading the white numbers across (dice total), then reading down the Play Column, to find the "kickoff/wind" yardage - penalty or bonus. If the wind is behind the KICKER, the yardage is added - if kicking into the wind it's subtracted. (The wind is always in a constant westerly direction, as indicated on the Game Board compass. |
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The location of the ball is marked with the Football Token on the Game Board. The Score Board is maintained through the game (touchdowns, downs, quarter, etc.) |
When the RECEIVER catches the ball, he rolls the dice and reads the yardage from the "kickoff runback" column of the computator. If an"X" indicates a breakaway run. (The runner rolls the dice again and multiplies the total by 5 to determine the yardage he gained.) The Football Token is then moved on the Game Board Field to indicate it's new position.
After the token is moved to mark the ball's position, OFFENSIVE player decides on his next play. He plays one of his 3 "play" cards on the table. The DEFENSE tries to outguess him and places one of his "play" cards face down. The players turn up their cards simultaneously. If the DEFENSE has correctly guessed the OFFENSIVE strategy, it will have a profound effect on the outcome of the play. (This will be explained below.)
The OFFENSE puts the appropriate Game Card in the Master Control Unit. (Game Card #3 for passing, kicking, or punting. Game Card #4 for running.) After each play has been noted on the Game Board, the OFFENSE positions his light on the overlay in the same place as the Football Token. The DEFENSE takes his position one light square away.
THE RUNNING PLAY | (Game Card #4) |
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The OFFENSE positions his player on the line of scrimmage. The DEFENSE
positions himself one light square away as illustrated.
Each player takes his hand off his HORIZONTAL Control and keeps it on the table, but may maneuver his VERTICAL Control as the signals are called. The OFFENSE calls the signals - three to five 1 or 2 digit numbers (32! 64! 76! Hike!). On "Hike" each player races his hand to his HORIZONTAL Control. |
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The OFFENSIVE player tries to maneuver the ball past his opponent. The OFFENSIVE player may not go off the top or botton of the screen, or he is out-of-bounds and suffers a five yard penalty. |
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If the OFFENSIVE player outmaneuvers his opponent and passes through the goal side of the screen, the play is sucessful. The OFFENSIVE player brings his player back "on" screen by only using his HORIZONTAL Control. Play is stopped on the game overlay and resumes on the Game Board. |
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The OFFENSIVE player then takes a card from the Run Deck to determine
the yardage gained. If his player is touching a HORIZONTAL line, he gets the greater yardage indicated on the Run Card.
The Football Token is moved to indicate the gain.
If a "breakaway" run card is picked, the OFFENSE rolls the dice and multiplies the number by 5 to determine the yardage gained. |
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If the OFFENSIVE player is successful in trying to outmaneuver his opponent,
one of the players will vanish from the screen, thus signaling that body contact has been made. Play is stopped on the game
overlay. There is no yardage gained if the DEFENSE did not guess the OFFENSE'S play, there is no penalty.
Important - however, if the DEFENSE guessed the OFFENSE'S stratgey, he rolls the dice to determine the penalty against the OFFENSE team. The results are fead from the "run row" of the computator. The Football Token is moved to indicate the penalty. An "X" in the Compulator Run Row indicates a fumble with the DEFENSE recovering. |
THE PASSING PLAY | (Game Card #3) |
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The OFFENSE positions his team on the line of scrimmage. The DEFENSE
drops back to the segment between 0 and 10 yards. The OFFENSE calls signals, and at "hike" presses the Reset Button to
throw the pass.
The OFFENSIVE player uses his ENGLISH Control to manuever the ball past the DEFENSE. If the ball goes off the top or bottom of the screen, the pass is incomplete. |
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The OFFENSE begins the next down. The ball MUST go off the goal side
of the screen to be a completed pass.
If the pass is completed, the OFFENSIVE player picks from the Pass Deck to determine the yardage gained. If a "bomb" card is picked, the OFFENSE rolls the dice and multiplies by five to find the yardage gained. The Football Token is moved to indicate the gain. |
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If the ball bounces off the DEFENSIVE player, the pass is incomplete,
and if the DEFENSE did not guess the play, the pass is simily incomplete. There is no penalty.
However, if the DEFENSE did guess the play, the DEFENSIVE player rolls the dice to determine the penalty against the OFFENSIVE team. He reads the results in the "pass row" of the compulator. An "X" in the "pass row" indicates an interception. The Football Token is moved to indicate the penalty. |
THE PUNT! | (Game Card #3) |
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The OFFENSE is on the line of scrimmage. The DEFENSE is between the 0 and
10 yard lines.
The OFFENSE calls signals. At "hike" he presses his RESET Button to make the punt. Using his ENGLISH Control, he tries to manuever the ball past the RECEIVER. If the punt goes past the RECEIVER and off the screen there is no runback. The KICKER then picks from the Punt Deck to determine the yardage. Then the dice are rolled and the wind effect is read from the computator (punt?wind). |
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If the punt is caught by the RECEIVER, he runs it back. (The ball will
bounce off the RECEIVER, thus signifying a "catch".) Play is stopped on the overlay and resumes on the Game Board.
The RECEIVER rolls the dice and reads the results in the "punt runback" row of the computator. An "X" in the "punt runback" row indicates a "breakaway". The RECEIVER again rolls the dice and multiplies the dice total by 5 to determine his total yardage gained. The Football Token is moved on the Game Board to indicate the new position. |
A player can declare and try for a field goal if he is within the yardage range idicated on the computator chart (the DEFENSE'S 0 to 50 yard line.) He merely rolls the dice and reads from the correct yardage row to determine the results:
"+" is a successful field goal. The team gets three points and there is a new kickoff.
"0" is an unsuccessful field goal. The opposition takes over on their own 20 yeard line.
OFFSIDES: If a player crosses the line of scrimmage before the ball is "hicked" - 5 yards.
ILLEGIAL PROCEDURE: If a player activates the game without using the correct Game Card - 5 yards.
The game is divided into four quarters; each quarter has 20 plays. Players swich ball and field positions after each quarter. Reshuffle the Pass, Run, Punt, and Kick Decks after each qwuarter.
During the last four plays of each half, If the OFFENSE is inside the DEFENSE'S 40 yard line, he can declaire and throw a "bomb". He inserts Game Card #3 and follows the instructions outlined for the PASSING PLAY. If he is sucessful, he rolls the dice and multiplies by 5 to determine the yardage gained. If his attempt is unsuccessful, the ball is automaticall intercepted and his opponent geta a breakaway runback and merely rolls the dice and multiplies by 5 to determine his yardage. In either case, the change in position is noted on the Game Board and play is resumed.
Last update March 17, 2010