Method to Play American Football Strategy Game

Abstract

American football is unique among all team sports with respect to the level of coaching involvement in each play. The moment that coaches from both sides call the offensive and defensive play respectively, there's already a winner and a loser on paper. The key idea and original motive of this invention is to develop a football game algorithm to compare two play calls drawing on boards: one offense and one defense, and to predict what is the likely outcome for one scrimmage down. To make the game algorithm as close to reality as possible, many aspects need to be considered, which include but are not limited to: real football rules, real event sequence, information process logics, and balance among position players with similar role. The result of all the careful consideration is a football strategy game with three-stage algorithm for a scrimmage down.

I claims: 
     
         1 ) A method of playing an American football strategy game comprises:
 a game board having a rectangular shape resembling a football field comprised of plurality of blocks for positioning of player indicia;   a plurality of football player indicia positioned and moved on the said game board by two parties of game participants;   a multi stage algorithm simulating football events of scrimmage run play and scrimmage pass play comprising of formation stage, tackle box stage, and down field stage;   a symbol selection mechanism simulating football events not covered by the said multi stage algorithm.   
     
     
         2 ) The football strategy game of  claim 1 , wherein said rectangular game board comprises:
 two fixed rectangular areas on both ends of the said game board's length direction and running full length in the said game board's width direction as the football endzones;   an offensive side of the said game board comprising all the horizontal lanes ranging from the offensive first lane to the last horizontal lane of the offensive end zone, wherein the offensive first lane is defined as the horizontal lane where the conceptual football is located;   a defensive side of the said game board comprising all the horizontal lanes not in the said offensive side of the said game board;   a tackle box area, one floating rectangular area inside the said game board, which moving along with the block location of the said the conceptual football;   a game board coordinate by marking along the said game board's length and width directions;   
     
     
         3 ) The football strategy game of  claim 1 , wherein said the player indicia comprises:
 offensive team player indicia comprising offensive linemen (hereinafter OL) indicia, quarterback (hereinafter QB) indicium, running back (hereinafter RB) indicium, tight end (hereinafter TE) indicium, and wide receiver (hereinafter WR) indicium;   defensive team player indicia comprising defensive linemen (hereinafter DL) indicia, linebacker (hereinafter LB) indicium, safety (hereinafter S) indicium, and cornerback (hereinafter CB) indicium.   
     
     
         4 ) The football strategy game of  claim 1 , wherein the said multi stage algorithm comprises:
 a run play mechanism setting rules of player indicia movement and calculating outcomes of a run play within the said tackle box;   a pass rush mechanism setting rules of player indicia movement and calculating whether a pass play would result in a sack;   a pass play mechanism setting rules of player indicia movement and calculating the outcome of a pass play on the receiving end;   an open field chase mechanism setting rules of player indicia movement and calculating the outcome of an open field chase scenario from either scrimmage run play or scrimmage pass play;   
     
     
         5 ) The football strategy game of  claim 1 , wherein the said symbol selection mechanism comprises:
 each party of the said game participants to select a single symbol in a pool of symbols;   established probability relationships between all symbol pairs of the said pool of symbols;   a plurality of established football events probability tables;   comparing the said selected symbol pair to one of the said football events probability tables to decide the outcome of the said football event.   
     
     
         6 ) The football strategy game of  claim 5 , wherein the said football event probability table comprises:
 an outcome column comprising all the likely outcomes of one football event;   a probability column comprising probability number assigned to the said outcome column;   a selection result column comprising one or plurality of the said symbol pair to exactly match the said probability number.   
     
     
         7 ) The football strategy game of  claim 2 , wherein the said tackle box area comprising:
 plurality of blocks of the said game board forming a rectangular or square shape;   the said plurality of blocks being horizontally symmetric about the block location of the said conceptual football;   the said plurality of blocks covering areas in both the said offensive and defensive sides of the said game board in vertical direction.   
     
     
         8 ) The football strategy game of  claim 1 , wherein the said formation stage comprises:
 the party of game participant playing offense submitting offensive formation of the offensive player indicia on the said game board to the said algorithm;   the said algorithm broadcasting the said offensive formation to the party of game participant playing defense;   the party of game participant playing defense submitting defensive formation of the defensive player indicia on the said game board to the said algorithm;   the said algorithm broadcasting the said defensive formation to the party of game participant playing offense;   
     
     
         9 ) The football strategy game of  claim 1 , wherein the said tackle box stage comprises:
 the party of game participant playing defense submitting final block locations of all defensive player indicia in the said tackle box area to the said algorithm;   the party of game participant playing offense submitting final block locations of all offensive player indicia in the said tackle box area to the said algorithm;   the party of game participant playing offense submitting a scrimmage play type, comprising either run play or pass play;   the party of game participant playing offense submitting run play specification, comprising the block location at the offensive first lane, to the said algorithm if the said scrimmage play type is run play;   the party of game participant playing offense submitting pass play specifications, comprising quarterback drop back block location, maximum down field travel number, to the said algorithm if the said scrimmage play type is pass play;   the said algorithm applying the said run play mechanism if the said play type is a scrimmage run play, and broadcasting the result of the scrimmage run play;   the said algorithm applying the said pass rush mechanism if the said play type is a scrimmage pass play, and broadcasting the result of the scrimmage pass play if the said result is a quarterback sack;   the said algorithm broadcasting the said maximum down field travel number to both parties of game participants if the said scrimmage pass play result is not a QB sack.   
     
     
         10 ) The football strategy game of  claim 1 , wherein the said down field stage comprises:
 the party of game participant playing offense submitting to the said algorithm with specifications comprising: which offensive player indicium to be the catcher indicium for the reception of the conceptual football; which block on the said game board will the said catcher be positioned; which block next to the said catcher block will the conceptual football be delivered to;   the party of game participant playing defense submitting to the said algorithm with specifications comprising: block locations of zone coverage player indicia; position locations of man coverage player indicia;   the said algorithm applying the said pass play mechanism and broadcasting the result of the scrimmage pass play.   
     
     
         11 ) The football strategy game of  claim 13 , wherein the said run play mechanism comprises:
 rule regulating the movement of the RB indicium: moving into an unoccupied block in the offensive first lane within the tackle box;   comparing player indicia position in both the offensive first lane and the defensive first lane to conclude the scrimmage run play result: (a) fumble, if the RB indicium is opposite to the middle defensive player indicium of three defensive player indicia on three neighboring blocks on the defensive first lane; (b) stop, if the RB indicium is opposite to an defensive player indicium in the defensive first lane not in the middle of three neighboring defensive player indicia, or the RB indicium is opposite to an unoccupied block in the defensive first lane, being bracketed by two defensive player indicia; (c) invoking open field chase mechanism, if the RB indicium is opposite to an unoccupied block in the defensive first lane with at least one neighboring block unoccupied too.   
     
     
         12 ) The football strategy game of  claim 13 , wherein the said pass rush mechanism comprises:
 rule regulating the movement of the QB indicium: moving backwards into one of several blocks within the tackle box;   comparing player indicia positions in both the offensive first lane and the defensive first lane to conclude total penetration number, wherein the total penetration number comprising: (a) the QB indicium block location after the tackle box stage; (b) concluding individual penetration number of each lane based on the QB indicium block location from an established penetration number table; (c) each defensive player indicium in the defensive first lane opposite to unoccupied block in the offensive first lane gaining the individual penetration number of the lane; (d) summation of all the gained individual penetration number to get the total penetration number;   comparing the said total penetration number with the maximum down field travel number in a sack table to conclude whether a sack is the result of the scrimmage pass play, wherein the sack table being defined: (a) a two dimensional table with total penetration number as one dimension and maximum down field travel number as the other dimension; (b) an artificial line drawn from one corner of the said two dimensional table with high penetration number and low maximum down field travel number to another corner of the said two dimensional table with low penetration number and high maximum down field travel number, with the said artificial line defined as the sack line separating sack from no-sack for the sack table.   
     
     
         13 ) The football strategy game of  claim 13 , wherein the said pass play mechanism comprises:
 rule regulating the movement of the catcher indicium: moving to a block on the game board within the limit of the maximum down field travel number;   rule regulating the movement of the man coverage defensive player indicium: choosing one of eight blocks surrounding the covered offensive player indicium;   rule regulating the movement of the zone coverage defensive player indicium: moving to a block on the game board within the limit of the maximum down field travel number;   a two dimensional base pass completion probability table comprising: (a) relative positions between the said catcher indicium and the conceptual football as one dimension; (b) relative positions between the said catcher indicium and the man coverage defensive player indicium as the other dimension; (c) artificially tabulated event results and probability number to the said two dimensional base pass completion probability table;   a two dimensional diminishing pass completion probability table comprising: (a) a two dimensional table with blocks of the game board as units for both dimensions with a zone coverage defensive player indicium in the middle; (c) artificially assigned negative probability numbers surrounding the said zone coverage defensive player indicium, with larger absolute number closer the player indicium;   mechanism applying applicable base pass completion probability table and diminishing pass completion probability table to conclude the scrimmage pass play result: (a) interception, if the conceptual football is moved to the same block as one defensive player indicium; (b) invoking symbol selection mechanism if the combined pass completion probability is between ⅙ and ⅚; (c) completion and down, if the man coverage is on the opposite side of the conceptual football, which is not ahead of the catcher indicium, and there's no zone coverage applicable; (d) invoking open field chase mechanism, if completion is achieved with the conceptual football ahead of the catcher indicium; or interception is achieved with the conceptual football is behind of the catcher indicium.   
     
     
         14 ) The football strategy game of  claim 4 , wherein the said open field chase mechanism comprises:
 rules regulating the relative traveling speed of individual player indicium: (a) the WR, RB, CB, S player indicia traveling at the same block count; (b) the QB, TE, LB player indicia traveling at a reduced block count of a WR player indicium; (c) traveling diagonally being allowed, but having a block count ratio of less than unity as traveling in straight lanes; (d) player indicia not being able to be positioned in the same block on the game board, but not impeding each other's travelling pass;   the mechanism optimizing the best combination of player indicium and route for the chasing side;   the route of the ball carrier being either predetermined route or being optimized by the mechanism.   
     
     
         15 ) The football strategy game of  claim 8 , wherein the said man coverage defensive player indicium is defined:
 a defensive player indicium outside of the said tackle box and: (a) positioned in the defensive first lane and opposite to an offensive player indicium in the same vertical lane of the game board regardless whether the offensive player indicium is on the offensive first lane or not; (b) positioned in the defensive second lane right behind another defensive player indicium in the defensive first lane if two offensive player indicia are stacked in the same vertical lane; (c) same rule applying to more than two offensive player indicia stacking.   
     
     
         16 ) The football strategy game of  claim 8 , wherein the said zone coverage defensive player indicium is defined:
 any defensive player indicium outside of the said tackle box not defined as man coverage player indicium.