1st and Roll Review: Join the NFL!

American Football is basically centered around conquering space. The offense team must advance at least 10 yards in 4 tries, which are called downs. If they fail, they have to hand over the ball to the opposing defense team. But, if you manage to advance these 10 yards or more, you'll get 4 new tries to keep advancing. This means you have to be decisive at all times, or, better yet, in each down.

Let's join the NFL and play American Football with 1st & Roll!

1st & Roll is best played with 2 to 4 players, ages fourteen and up, and was designed by Stephen Glenn. It was illustrated by Jennifer Vargas.

It was first released in 2018 by R&R Games. Its main mechanic is dice rolling.

Here's some interesting trivia about its designer, Stephen Glenn, and its illustrator, Jennifer Vargas: they worked together in the past version of this game, 1st & Goal, which used cards and dice. After it came out, they noticed they could still improve the game if they made it a dice-rolling game only, and that's how 1st & Roll came to be - nowadays, it is more fun, and one match lasts half of the time!

Feel all the excitement of a football match with 1st & Roll. Everything is, quite literally, in your hands. Is it time to run, pass, or kick? Pick your strategy and roll the dice. Making the right decisions may make you advance many yards, unless the defense manages to handle your attack. Fumbles, interceptions, sacks, penalties, deep passes, big races - in 1st & Roll, you'll see all of this and much more.

Like any football match, we'll start by tossing a coin. The winner picks if they'll start kicking off the ball, defending, or receiving the ball.

After that, you'll set up the magnet markers on the scoreboard and the time-out areas, then set up the clock marker, and the penalty and kick dice. And, the most important of all, you'll also set aside 3 offensive dice (positive values) for the offensive player, and 3 defensive dice (negative values) for the defense player.

One of the best details in 1st & Roll is that, besides the other markers, the "1st down" marker and the ball will remain on the board at all times. Imagine all of these markers and the other components moving around all the time - yeah, the game designers planned it all very thoroughly. They won't get in the way.

At the beginning of the game, the defense team kick offs the game, and the offense team picks between touching back (to start with the ball at 25 yards), or trying to run the ball out. This means running with the ball as much as you can and as much your dice rolls allow you. Straight away, you can tell the game will force you to make difficult decisions.

After that, you'll play a regular turn:

And this is how the entire game plays out:

The fun detail that makes this game so similar to football is that the clock dice has 3 sides:

But don't think you just need to roll the yard die and run with the ball. The defense can also roll a die, and, if they pick the same color die as you and get a higher number, you might lose yards, just like in real life.

Each team has 3 dice with different colors and roles:

These choices aren't that obvious because, depending on the board state and how many downs you still have, you'll need to somehow deceive your opponent and advance the ball.

And there's more: defense dice are different from offense dice, and they're the ones that make this game feel like a real football match.

Considering all the possible dice combinations this game includes, everything that happens in a regular football match can happen in 1st & Roll:

Please note that everything that happens in a real match can and will happen in this board game, so it is quite immersive and exciting.

The game ends immediately when the clock marker reaches the last space on the clock during the second half. Whoever has more points wins.

If there is a tie, you can keep playing through overtime. Pick a player at random to receive/kick off the ball, exactly like before. Then, the game goes on as usual. The first team to score wins.

It's that simple!

1st & Roll is all about picking the right dice. It might seem obvious, but you'll have to consider your down, how many yards you still need to run, if you're playing offense or defense, the score, the clock… These variables might seem obvious, but they'll make the game quite unpredictable.

The game will get quite intense when, exactly like a real football match, you have to decide what to do on the 4th down. You can keep playing and try to run the yards you need, return the ball with a punt, or even try to score a field goal. These are a few of the important decisions you'll have to make.

If you need to turn the game around, you might have to make a hail mary pass, and that might be the difference between winning and losing. You'll need nerves of steel.

As a Chiefs fan, I guarantee you: what happens in a regular match also happens in 1st & Roll!

I confess that this is a bit of a niche game, so it is great if you enjoy football, but it might not be that exciting for someone who isn't really into sports. It is, however, an excellent opportunity to explore the rules of the game and turn someone into a football fan!

Check out this unboxing:

Learn the rules:

1st & Roll might be a niche game, but it is great for all ages, as it encourages you to work on your logic and management skills, and refine your strategies. It is also quite exciting and intense thanks to its dice-rolling mechanic.

You'll need to use your math skills throughout the entire game because the numbers you get on your dice rolls will determine how many yards you run or retreat. So, you'll have to add and subtract constantly.

You'll also need to prepare strategies beforehand if you want to manage the clock by stopping it with timeouts, and plan your downs correctly, as you'll have to pick which die you want to use to run less or more. This game includes many variables that will have you scratching your head - in a good way!

1st & Roll is very fun, and teaches you a lot about sports and strategies.

I highly recommend 1st & Roll to your collection!!