Football card game

Abstract

A football card game ( 10 ) employing a deck of cards ( 100 ) that includes the following categories of cards: yardage cards ( 20 ), offensive cards ( 30 ), defensive cards ( 40 ), kick off cards ( 50 ) and scorecards ( 60 ) wherein, the rules of the game allow a player to choose each time it is their turn to play a card whether to pursue an offensive strategy against all other players or a defensive strategy against a selected one of their opponents that are eligible to pursue an offensive strategy wherein, the criteria that establishes a player's eligibility to pursue an offensive strategy requires that the player has previously played a kick off card ( 50 ) followed by a yardage card ( 20 ).

I claim:  
     
         1 . A method of playing a football card game wherein the game comprises a deck of cards divided into the following categories of cards: yardage cards, offensive cards including at least one touchdown card, defensive cards, kick off cards and scorecards involving the steps of: 
 a) segregating the score cards from the remainder of the deck of cards;    b) shuffling the remainder of the deck of cards in a random order;    c) dealing a selected number of cards to each person playing the game and placing the un-dealt cards in a draw file;    d) requiring that each player draw one card from the draw pile and choose whether to play one of the cards in their respective hands or deposit a selected card in a discard pile;    e) preventing a player from initiating either an offensive or defensive strategy until they possess one of the kick off cards;    f) the first player to play a kick off card must employ a yardage card on their next turn to determine how many yards they have advanced from their own imaginary goal line;    g) once a player has played a yardage card, the remaining players, if they also have already played a kick off card and a yardage card, have the option after removing another card from the draw pile to either pursue their own offensive strategy or to employ a defensive strategy against a selected opponent.    
     
     
         2 . The method as in  claim 1  further comprising the steps of: 
 h) once a player either plays a touchdown card or has accumulated yardage cards that either meet or exceed 100 yards, that player is awarded a scorecard having a value of 7 points which concludes the first quarter.  
 
     
     
         3 . The method as in  claim 2;  wherein, the defensive cards include fumble, interception, and punt cards that can be employed against any other player to interrupt their offensive strategy and lose the accumulated yardage cards that they have played.  
     
     
         4 . The method as in  claim 3;  wherein, the defensive cards also include field goal cards that can be employed against any other player during the four quarters of the game to interrupt the selected players offensive strategy wherein, the selected player forfeits their accumulated yardage cards while being awarded a score card worth 3 points.  
     
     
         5 . The method as in  claim 4;  wherein, once a player has been awarded a scorecard, all of their played cards are placed in the discard pile and the other players continue to pursue their offensive strategy.  
     
     
         6 . The method as in  claim 5;  wherein, a player that has been awarded a scorecard must play another kick off card before they can resume their offensive strategy.  
     
     
         7 . The method as in  claim 6;  wherein, the offensive cards include run cards and pass cards and an interception card can only be used against another player immediately after that player has played a pass card.  
     
     
         8 . The method as in  claim 7;  wherein, each quarter ends when any player is awarded a scorecard having a value of 7 points.  
     
     
         9 . The method as in  claim 8;  wherein, at the end of the second quarter, each player's played cards are placed in the discard pile and the rules governing the play of the first quarter apply to the play of the third quarter.  
     
     
         10 . The method as in  claim 9;  wherein, if two or more players are tied for the highest score at the end of the fourth quarter, those players continue to play a sudden death overtime according to the rules governing the play of the third quarter and the first player of the tied players to be awarded a scorecard is declared the winner of the game in the overtime period.  
     
     
         11 . The method as in  claim 10;  wherein, during the overtime period, a field goal card becomes an offensive card that can be used by the player possessing the field goal card to win the game when the first opportunity to play the field goal card arises.