Forceball Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
• Setup
• Little League
  • Turn Order
  • End of the Attack
• Junior League
  • Face-off
  • Adjusting Your Speed in Various Ways
  • Increasing the Force of Maneuvers
  • End of the Period
• Senior League
  • End of the Game
  • Lucky Shot and Goalie
  • Foul
  • Stress
• Pro Ball Series
  • Raised Stakes
• Glossary
• Questions and Answers
  • General Questions
  • Questions About Increasing the Force
  • Questions About Lucky Shot and Goalie
  • Questions About Foul
  • Questions About Stress
  • Questions About Raised Stakes
• Quick Reference
  • Game Overview
  • Overview of a Forceball Card

Game Overview

A Forceball game consists of a number of rounds called attacks. Each attack consists of a number of turns. During an attack one player is the attacker and one is the defender. The attacker tries to score or gain a tactical advantage for the next attack. The defender tries to take the ball from the attacker or push the attacker back. Each time the attacker takes a shot that the defender can't respond to, a goal is scored. The attacker then receives points.

Setup

1. Remove the two rules summary cards from the deck and give one to each player.
2. Shuffle the deck and deal each player 7 cards.
3. Place the deck in the center of the table with the cards face up, thereby allowing both players to see the top card at all times. This is the draw pile. Reserve space next to the draw pile for a pile of discarded cards. This is the discard pile.
4. Decide who starts as the attacker. It doesn't matter who starts, since you only play for fun in Little League.

To indicate who is the attacker, the attacker can turn the attack side of his rules summary card face up (the blue side), and the defender can turn the defense side face up (the red side).

Little League

So you think you've got what it takes to become a Forceball player? Well, first you've got to learn the basics to be able to get by at all out in the arena. Here in Little League you'll try out playing as attacker and defender and learn the most basic maneuvers. Once you've played for a while and feel you master the basics, you proceed to Junior League.

Turn Order

During an attack the players take turns playing cards. The attacker possesses the ball and always takes the first turn of each attack. Do the following on your turn:

1. Draw a card from the draw pile and put it into your hand. If you don't want to draw a card, you don't have to. The only exception is if you don't have any cards left in your hand – then you have to draw a card.
2. Adjust your speed by taking a card from your hand and putting it face down on top of your speed pile. Your speed now increases by 1. If you don't want to increase your speed, you don't have to, but to be able to make maneuvers, a certain speed is required. There's no upper limit to the number of cards in your speed pile. However, in Little League you never need more than 3 cards.
3. Make a maneuver. You make a maneuver by playing a card from your hand and putting it face up on top of your maneuver pile. To be able to play the card, the requirements for maneuver type, speed and force must be met (see page 31 for a general description of a card):
   • Maneuver type: If you're the attacker, you may only play attack maneuvers (Shot, Pass and Dribble), and if you're the defender, you may only play defense maneuvers (Interception, Block and Tackle). Most cards only have one maneuver type, but on the combo cards there are two, one type of attack maneuver and one type of defense maneuver. This means that you can play combo cards both when you're the attacker and the defender, but you can only make one of the maneuver types.
   • Speed: Your speed (the number of cards in your speed pile) must be equal to or higher than the speed requirement of the maneuver (1, 2 or 3 cards).
   • Force: The force of the card must be equal to or stronger than the force of your opponent's last maneuver.

Your opponent must respond to the maneuver that you make during his next turn. This way, the game escalates. First the attacker makes a maneuver, then the defender responds to the attacker's maneuver, thereafter the attacker responds to the defender's maneuver and so on until one of the players can't or won't respond. Then the other player wins the attack, see "End of the attack".

Only when you've reached top speed, can you use your best maneuvers, but just because you've reached top speed, you don't have to play the most forceful maneuvers you've got. Once you start playing forceful maneuvers, you may have to continue doing so for a longer time than your team can manage. Remember, Forceball is as much about endurance as force.

End of the Attack

When you've made a maneuver that your opponent can't or won't respond to, you win the attack. You can win an attack both when you're the attacker and the defender. The maneuver with which you win the attack decides the outcome:

• Shot: You score and get 1 point. The opponent takes possession of the ball and is the attacker during the next attack. Both players put their speed pile into their hand.
• Interception: You take possession of the ball and are the attacker during the next attack.
• Pass/Block: You may draw 3 cards to your hand. The attacker keeps possession of the ball and is the attacker once again during the next attack.
• Dribble/Tackle: You may draw 2 cards and put them on top of your speed pile in any order. The attacker keeps possession of the ball and is the attacker once again during the next attack.

Both players discard their maneuver pile before the next attack. Put the cards face down in the discard pile.

If you're the attacker and can't or won't make the first maneuver of the attack, your opponent takes the ball as if winning with an Interception.

Often both the attacker and the defender have what it takes to succeed with one or two maneuvers on each speed level. To increase your chances of winning the attack with a certain maneuver, it can be wise to take it easy before striking. A smart attacker passes and dribbles the ball, and waits for signs of weakness before taking a shot. A smart defender acts in a corresponding way before playing his best interception.

Junior League

So, you managed to get through Little League. Then you ought to be ready to go through with a whole game. A Forceball game consists of three periods. The player with the most points at the end of the third period has won. Real Forceball games start with a face-off at the beginning of each period, so that's the first thing you've got to learn. Moreover, some of the junior players are quite fast, so to keep up with them you'll have to learn to control your speed better. Also, you no longer have to hold back to avoid injuries, but now you'll learn to give it your best shot.

Face-off

Decide who starts as the attacker at the beginning of each period by each taking a card from your hand and showing it simultaneously. The player that shows the attack maneuver with the strongest force is the attacker and starts the first attack of the period. Discard the shown cards. If you show equally strong cards, you discard them and each show a new card and so on.

You don't have to show an attack maneuver but can show a defense maneuver instead. Then you automatically lose the face-off. If both players show a defense maneuver, you discard the shown cards and each show a new card and so on.

If you show a combo card, it's the attack maneuver that counts, not the defense maneuver.

If you run out of cards in your hand during the face-off, you deal each player 7 new cards.

It's a natural instinct to make the best possible face-off, but remember that a really good face-off actually reduces your attack possibilities. Always consider the pros and cons of getting the ball. If your team mainly is on the defense, it may be better to lose the face-off and instead try to get a grip of the game and prepare the ground for an attack later in the period.

Adjusting Your Speed in Various Ways

When you adjust your speed, you may perform one of the following actions:

• Increase the speed. To increase the speed, you take a card from your hand and put it face down on top of your speed pile.
• Decrease the speed. To decrease the speed, you take the top card in your speed pile and put it into your hand.
• Restructure the speed. To restructure the speed, you swap the top card in your speed pile for one of the cards in your hand.
• Transform the speed into maneuvers. To transform the speed into maneuvers, you discard the top card in your speed pile, and then draw up to 2 cards to your hand.
• Restructure your hand. To restructure your hand, you discard any number of cards from your hand, and then draw up to the same number of cards to your hand. This doesn't affect your speed in any way.

You may only perform one of the actions above on your turn. If you don't want to perform any action, you don't have to.

To succeed in Forceball, you always have to be prepared for your opponent's tricks and have as many cool maneuvers as possible available. Therefore you shouldn't stop increasing your speed when you've reached the speed where you can make your most advanced maneuvers but keep on increasing. You can transform the extra speed into new maneuvers when you're adjusting your speed without having to slow down. The instant the team stops moving, you're done for, believe me.

Increasing the Force of Maneuvers

When you make a maneuver, you may increase the force of it. You can do this in two ways:

• Take cards from your speed pile and put them transversely across the maneuver face up. For each card you take from your speed pile, you increase the force with the speed requirement on the card. Always start with the top card in the speed pile and work your way down. The cards don't have to be of the same maneuver type as the maneuver. You may decrease the speed to become lower than the speed requirement of the maneuver. The speed requirement is only of importance when you play the maneuver from your hand.
• Take cards from your hand and put them transversely across the maneuver face up. For each card you take from your hand, you increase the force with the speed requirement on the card. The cards must be of the same maneuver type as the maneuver.

The possibility to increase the force of a maneuver makes it possible to play a card with a maneuver that has a weaker force than that of your opponent's last maneuver as long as you increase the force of it to the same level as your opponent. If you want to, you can increase the force even further. As long as you have the cards for it, there are no limits to how much you can increase the force.

When you're shooting, it's tempting to give it all you've got. Even the most experienced Forceball pros make that mistake sometimes. But be careful before increasing the force of your attack too much. A resilient opponent may respond to your maneuver. Then you'd better have some strength left to be able to keep on playing at the same high level. Otherwise you're history!

End of the Period

When you're about to draw cards but can't because there are no cards left in the draw pile, the period ends immediately. This applies to all situations when it's possible to draw cards, not only at the beginning of a turn but also when you transform the speed into maneuvers, restructure your hand or draw cards as a reward for winning an attack. Gather all the cards, shuffle the deck and deal 7 new cards. Decide who starts as the attacker in the next period with a face-off.

When a period nears its end, it's time to be tactical. If you're in the lead, you've got every reason to play for time by restructuring or transforming the speed into maneuvers. If you can make the period end faster, it's to your advantage.

Senior League

Okay, now it's for real. In Senior League it's win or die, and you don't have to play fair in every situation. Time to learn some dirty moves. And you have to learn how to put pressure on your opponent during critical situations. To measure up to Senior League, you also have to improve your shots and saves. The difference between winning and losing often depends on whether you can do the unexpected to surprise your opponent.

End of the Game

The game ends after three periods. The player with the most points wins. If the players have the same number of points, it's a tie.

Lucky Shot and Goalie

When you win an attack with a certain maneuver type, you can trick your opponent by changing it to another maneuver type. To do this, you must have a Lucky shot or Goalie card in your hand:

• Lucky shot. When you're the attacker and win an attack with a Dribble or Pass, you can play a Lucky shot card from your hand. You put the card next to your last maneuver, which is then transformed into a Shot, and you score. Your opponent may not change his mind after you've played the Lucky shot card and say that he now wants to respond to your maneuver.
• Goalie. When you're the defender and win an attack with a Block or Tackle, you can play a Goalie card from your hand. You put the card next to your last maneuver, which is then transformed into an Interception, and you take possession of the ball. Your opponent may not change his mind after you've played the Goalie card and say that he now wants to respond to your maneuver.

Never hesitate to use the goalie if possible. To rid your opponent of the ball without the goalie's help isn't that easy, and many inexperienced players put so much effort into it that once they've got the ball, they don't have the strength to go through with a proper attack. Just make sure that your opponent doesn't suspect that you're about to use the goalie.

Foul

When you make a maneuver, you can foul. This means that you play a card of a certain maneuver type but say that it's actually of another maneuver type. The card retains its speed requirement and force. You must still be able to make the maneuver type that you say you're playing. In other words, if you're the attacker you can only make attack maneuvers, and if you're the defender you can only make defense maneuvers.

You can only foul with the card that you play as a maneuver. This means that you can't change the maneuver type of cards that you take from your hand to increase the force of the maneuver. Those cards must therefore be of the same maneuver type as the one that you've changed the maneuver to.

When you foul, there's a certain risk that the referee will see it and call a penalty. To determine if the referee sees the foul, the opponent lifts part of the draw pile to reveal a random card:

• If the card is a Referee card, the referee sees the foul. The maneuver is deemed illegal and your opponent wins the attack with his last maneuver.
• If the card isn't a Referee card, the referee doesn't see the foul. The maneuver is deemed legal and the attack continues as usual.

When less than half of the draw pile remains, the opponent lifts part of the discard pile instead of the draw pile to determine if the referee sees the foul.

There are plenty of innocent darlings out there who claim that they never foul, but they are full of you-know-what. There are occasions when you have to foul to avoid getting run over. Then the choice is easy; what's a lashing across the shinbone or an antigrav shoe in your opponent's groin compared to a goal scored against you? In half of the cases the referee doesn't see the foul anyway, and Forceball is after all a physical game.

Stress

There are Stress cards that make attacks come to an end. If you draw a Stress card, your turn immediately ends and your opponent wins the attack with his last maneuver. This rule is in effect during attacks, that is when you draw a card at the beginning of your turn, when you transform the speed into maneuvers and when you restructure your hand. It isn't in effect when you draw cards as a reward for having won an attack.

Note that you never have to draw cards if you don't want to, except when you don't have any cards left in your hand at the beginning of your turn. In all other cases you can refrain from drawing a Stress card that is on top of the draw pile, thus being able to continue playing and responding to your opponent's maneuver. However, sooner or later someone will give in and draw the Stress card.

If you're the attacker and about to make the first maneuver of the attack but first draw a Stress card, your opponent takes the ball as if winning with an Interception.

How you perform during stress determines if you're a real Forceball player or not. Too many players that strap on the antigrav shoes and grip the laser blade crack as soon as the going gets tough. Whenever you're exposed to stress, you have to make a critical decision: do you have what it takes to handle the stress longer than your opponent? If you're not sure about the answer, it might be better to let your opponent go through with his maneuver and save your strength for the next clash.

Pro Ball Series

Congratulations, you managed to make it to the Pro Ball Series. You're already a fully-fledged Forceball player, but it takes one more thing to become a true champion – the ability to sense when your opponent is weak and use that to gain extra points. Because in the Pro Ball Series a goal can be worth more than 1 point.

Raised Stakes

At the beginning of an attack the next goal is always worth 1 point. During the attack this can change. At any time on your turn you can request raised stakes. This means that the points for the next goal are doubled. The first doubling will make a goal worth 2 points, the next doubling 4 points and so on.

Either player can request the first doubling. Thereafter, only the player who didn't request a doubling last time can request a doubling on his turn. This means that the same player can't request a doubling two times in a row.

When you request a doubling your opponent must either choose to accept the doubling or immediately interrupt the attack. If your opponent chooses to interrupt the attack, you get as many points as a goal is currently worth, that is before the doubling. It doesn't matter which maneuvers you and your opponent have made. They don't affect the outcome of the attack since the attack is interrupted before anyone wins it with a maneuver. Your opponent is the attacker during the next attack.

After a goal, the next goal is once again worth 1 point until someone requests raised stakes.

It's never easy to decide on raised stakes. You have to know your team and carefully choose the occasion. Usually you raise the stakes when you're attacking and think your chances of scoring are good, but your tactic can be subtler than that. More than once I've chosen to raise the stakes the moment I saw my team lose their breath. Hopefully my opponent doesn't know the condition of my team, and if I can bluff him into giving away points in this situation, I've got everything to gain.

Glossary

Attack: During an attack the players take turns making maneuvers until one of the players can't or won't make any further maneuvers. The other player then wins the attack. Both the attacker and the defender can win an attack. The winning player's last maneuver decides the outcome of the attack.

Attack maneuver: An attack maneuver is a maneuver that only the attacker can make. There are three types of attack maneuvers: Shot, Pass and Dribble.

Attacker: The player who is the attacker possesses the ball and takes the first turn of the attack. The attacker can only make attack maneuvers.

Block: Block is a defense maneuver. If you win an attack with a Block, you get to draw 3 cards to your hand. Your opponent keeps possession of the ball and is the attacker once again during the next attack.

Combo card: On the combo cards there are two maneuver types, one type of attack maneuver and one type of defense maneuver. Thus, both the attacker and the defender can play combo cards to make a maneuver. When the attacker plays a combo card, he makes the attack maneuver. When the defender plays a combo card, he makes the defense maneuver. The force value on combo cards is both blue and red.

Defender: The player who is the defender doesn't possess the ball and therefore waits for the attacker to take the first turn of the attack. The defender can only make defense maneuvers.

Defense maneuver: A defense maneuver is a maneuver that only the defender can make. There are three types of defense maneuvers: Interception, Block and Tackle.

Discard: To discard cards means that you put them in the discard pile.

Discard pile: The discard pile is the pile to which you discard cards. The cards in the discard pile should be placed face down to be able to tell the discard pile and the draw pile apart.

Draw: To draw cards means to draw cards from the top of the draw pile. Usually you put the cards you draw into your hand, but when you win an attack with a Dribble or Tackle, you put them on top of your speed pile in any order. If you don't want to draw cards when you're allowed to, you don't have to. When you're allowed to draw more than one card, you don't have to draw all the cards but can stop drawing at any time. The only situation when you have to draw a card is when you don't have any cards left in your hand at the beginning of your turn – then you have to draw a card.

Draw pile: The draw pile is the pile from which you draw cards. The cards in the draw pile should be placed face up so that the top card is visible at all times.

Dribble: Dribble is an attack maneuver. If you win an attack with a Dribble, you get to draw 2 cards and put them on top of your speed pile in any order. You keep possession of the ball and are the attacker once again during the next attack.

Face-off: You decide who starts as the attacker at the beginning of each period with a face-off. You each take a card from your hand and show it simultaneously. The player that shows the attack maneuver with the strongest force is the attacker and starts the first attack of the period. Discard the shown cards. If you show equally strong cards, you discard them and each show a new card and so on.

Force: All maneuvers have a certain force. To be able to play a maneuver, its force must be equal to or stronger than the force of your opponent's last maneuver. If the force is weaker, you can't play the maneuver unless you increase the force. You can increase the force by taking cards from your speed pile and your hand. For each card, the force increases with the speed requirement on the card. The cards that you take from your hand must be of the same maneuver type as the maneuver.

Foul: A foul means that you play a maneuver of a certain maneuver type but say that it's a maneuver of another maneuver type. The maneuver retains its speed requirement and force. When you foul, there's a certain risk that the referee sees it and deems the maneuver illegal.

Game: A game consists of three periods.

Goal: When you're the attacker and win an attack with a Shot maneuver, you score. You then get as many points as a goal is currently worth. You can also get points when you request raised stakes if your opponent doesn't accept the doubling.

Goalie: When you're the defender and win an attack with a Block or Tackle, you can play a card with the Goalie symbol from your hand. You put the card next to your last maneuver, which is then transformed into an Interception, and you take possession of the ball. Your opponent may not change his mind after you've played the Goalie card and say that he now wants to respond to your maneuver.

Hand: At the beginning of a period both players get 7 cards in their hand. The number of cards in the hand will change during play, and there's no upper or lower limit to the number of cards a player can hold in his hand.

Interception: Interception is a defense maneuver. If you win an attack with an Interception, you take possession of the ball and are the attacker during the next attack.

Maneuver: A maneuver is an action that your team performs. You always have to make a maneuver on your turn or lose the attack. To be able to play a maneuver, you must fulfill the requirements for maneuver type, speed and force.

Maneuver pile: The top card that you haven't put transversely on your maneuver pile states your last maneuver. The cards in your maneuver pile should be placed face up.

Maneuver type: All maneuvers belong to a certain maneuver type. There are six maneuver types in total. To be able to play a maneuver, it must belong to a maneuver type that you're allowed to play. If you're the attacker, you may play the maneuver types Shot, Pass and Dribble. If you're the defender, you may play the maneuver types Interception, Block and Tackle.

Lucky shot: When you're the attacker and win an attack with a Dribble or Pass, you can play a card with the Lucky shot symbol from your hand. You put the card next to your last maneuver, which is then transformed into a Shot, and you score. Your opponent may not change his mind after you've played the Lucky shot card and say that he now wants to respond to your maneuver.

Pass: Pass is an attack maneuver. If you win an attack with a Pass, you get to draw 3 cards to your hand. You keep possession of the ball and are the attacker once again during the next attack.

Period: A period consists of a number of attacks. When you're about to draw cards but can't because there are no cards left in the draw pile, a period ends immediately. This applies to all situations when it's possible to draw cards, not only at the beginning of a turn but also when you transform the speed into maneuvers, restructure your hand or draw cards as a reward for winning an attack.

Raised stakes: Raised stakes means that you at any time on your turn can request a doubling of the number of points that the next goal is worth. Your opponent can then request a doubling on his turn and so on. The same player can't request a doubling two times in a row. When you request a doubling, your opponent must choose to accept the doubling or immediately interrupt the attack and let you get as many points as a goal is currently worth.

Referee: If you foul and your opponent reveals a card with the Referee symbol on it when he lifts part of the draw pile or discard pile, he immediately wins the attack with his last maneuver. The cards you used to make the illegal maneuver including any cards to increase the force are forfeit.

Shot: Shot is an attack maneuver. If you win an attack with a Shot, you score and get as many points as a goal is currently worth. Your opponent takes possession of the ball and is the attacker during the next attack.

Speed: Your speed determines how forceful maneuvers you can make. The higher the speed, the more forceful the maneuvers. Your speed equals the number of cards in your speed pile. You can increase or decrease the speed on your turn when you adjust the speed. Then you can also restructure the speed, transform the speed into maneuvers or restructure the hand. You may only perform one of these actions, and you can refrain from performing any action altogether.

Speed pile: The number of cards in your speed pile determines your speed and thus which maneuvers you can make. The cards should be placed face down. You may look at the cards in your speed pile whenever you want to. There are no maneuvers that require higher speed than 3, but you may have more than 3 cards in your speed pile.

Speed requirement: All maneuvers have a speed requirement. To be able to play a maneuver, your current speed must be equal to or higher than the speed requirement. If your speed is lower, you can't play that maneuver.

Stress: If you draw a card with the Stress symbol, the attack ends and your opponent wins the attack with his last maneuver.

Tackle: Tackle is a defense maneuver. If you win an attack with a Tackle, you get to draw 2 cards and put them on top of your speed pile in any order. Your opponent keeps possession of the ball and is the attacker once again during the next attack.

Turn: On your turn you may do the following in the stated order: (1) draw a card, (2) adjust your speed and (3) make a maneuver. However, it's possible that you get to take two turns in a row if you took the last turn of an attack and then get to take the first turn of the next attack.

Questions and Answers

General Questions

Q: If I'm the defender and play a combo card with a Shot and a Tackle, can I choose to make the Shot? A: No, when you're the defender, you can only make defense maneuvers, and when you're the attacker you can only make attack maneuvers. In this case you can make the Tackle but not the Shot.

Q: If my current speed is 2, can I play a maneuver with speed requirement 1? A: Yes, you can always play maneuvers with speed requirements that are equal to or lower than your current speed. However, you can't play maneuvers with speed requirements that are higher than your current speed. In this case you can play maneuvers with speed requirement 1 and 2 but not 3.

Q: Is it possible to sometimes take two turns in a row? A: You may never take two turns in a row during one and the same attack. However, it's possible that you get to take two turns in a row if you took the last turn of an attack and then get to take the first turn of the next attack.

Q: Does the period end when I draw the last card? A: No, the period doesn't end until someone is about to draw a card but can't because there are no cards left in the draw pile.

Q: If I make a Shot, and then my opponent can't draw a card on his turn because the cards in the draw pile are out, do I score? A: No, you don't score until it's your opponent's turn to make a maneuver but he can't or won't. If there aren't enough cards in the draw pile when your opponent is about to draw cards prior to that, the period ends before the ball reaches the goal.

Questions About Increasing the Force

Q: If I increase the force of a maneuver with force 4 using 2 cards from my speed pile and 1 card from my hand, what will the total force be? A: That depends on the speed requirements of the cards. For example, assume that the cards from your speed pile have speed requirements 1 and 2 respectively, and the card from your hand has speed requirement 3. Then the total force of the maneuver will be 4+1+2+3=10.

Q: If I increase the force of a maneuver from 4 to 6, and my opponent responds by playing a maneuver with force 3 and increasing it to 6, which force must my next maneuver have? A: You must respond with a maneuver that has at least force 6 since the force of your opponent's last maneuver was 6.

Q: Can I increase the force of a maneuver on my opponent's turn? A: No, you can only increase the force of a maneuver when you play the maneuver. Once your turn is finished, you can't increase the force further.

Q: If I have 3 cards in my speed pile and play a maneuver with speed requirement 3, can I take cards from the speed pile to increase the force of the maneuver despite the fact that this makes my speed lower than 3? A: Yes, you only have to bother about the speed requirement the moment you play the maneuver from your hand. Once the maneuver is in your maneuver pile, you can take as many cards as you like from the speed pile to increase the force.

Q: If I play a Shot, can I increase the force of the Shot with all the cards in my speed pile and in my hand? A: You can increase the force with all the cards in your speed pile. The cards you take from your hand, though, must be of the same maneuver type as the maneuver you play. In this case all the cards you take from the hand must be Shots.

Q: If I play a Shot using a combo card with a Shot and a Tackle, can I increase the force of the Shot with both Shots and Tackles from my hand? A: No, when you increase the force with cards from the hand, you must use cards of the same maneuver type as the one you say that you play. In this case you can only increase the force of the Shot with other Shots from your hand.

Questions About Lucky Shot and Goalie

Q: Do I play a Lucky shot or Goalie card at the same time as I make the maneuver that I want to change? A: No, you play the Lucky shot or Goalie card on your opponent's turn when he has stated that he won't respond to your maneuver and that you've won the attack.

Q: If I win an attack with a Dribble because my opponent fouled and his maneuver was deemed illegal, can I play a Lucky shot card and score? A: Yes, you can always play a Lucky shot card if you win an attack with a Dribble or Pass.

Q: If I win an attack with a Block because my opponent drew a Stress card, can I play a Goalie card and take possession of the ball? A: Yes, you can always play a Goalie card if you win an attack with a Block or Tackle.

Questions About Foul

Q: Can I change an attack maneuver into a defense maneuver by fouling? A: Yes, you can change the maneuver type of a card into any other maneuver type by fouling. However, you must still be able to make the maneuver type that you say you're playing, so if you're the attacker you can only make attack maneuvers, and if you're the defender you can only make defense maneuvers.

Q: If I play a Shot, can I increase the force with a Pass from the hand by fouling and saying that the Pass is a Shot? A: No, you can only change the maneuver type of the card you play as a maneuver. In this case you should first play the Pass and say that it's a Shot, and then increase the force with the Shot.

Q: When I foul, can I wait to increase the force of my maneuver until I know that the maneuver is deemed legal? A: No, you must play the maneuver as well as all the cards that you want to use to increase the force before your opponent finds out if the referee saw the foul.

Questions About Stress

Q: If I transform my speed into maneuvers by discarding the top card in my speed pile and drawing 2 new cards, and the second card is a Stress card, do I have to draw the Stress card and lose the attack? A: No, you can draw the first card and then choose to stop drawing. The only situation in which you have to draw a card is when you don't have any cards left in your hand at the beginning of your turn.

Q: If I restructure my hand by discarding 4 cards from my hand, drawing 4 new, and the second card is a Stress card, do I get to draw all 4 cards? A: No, your turn immediately ends when you draw the Stress card. In this case you won't get to draw more than 2 cards before your turn ends and you lose the attack. Of course, you can refrain from drawing the Stress card and only draw 1 card.

Questions About Raised Stakes

Q: Can I request raised stakes before I play a maneuver? A: Yes, you can request raised stakes whenever you like on your turn, even at the same time as you make a maneuver. For example, you could play a maneuver, increase the force of the maneuver with one card and then request raised stakes before continuing to increase the force. However, you can't request raised stakes on your opponent's turn.

Q: If I request raised stakes when I'm the defender and my opponent doesn't accept, do I get points? A: Yes, you can request raised stakes both as the attacker and the defender, and if your opponent doesn't accept, you get as many points as a goal is currently worth.

Q: If I request raised stakes after having played a Pass, and my opponent doesn't accept the doubling, may I then draw 3 cards as a reward for winning with a Pass as well as increase my score with as many points as a goal is currently worth? A: No, the attack is interrupted before you win with the Pass. You get as many points as a goal is currently worth but nothing else.

Quick Reference

Game Overview

Setup:

1. Deal each player 7 cards.
2. Place the deck in the center of the table with the cards face up.
3. Decide who starts the period as the attacker with a face-off.

A turn:

1. Draw a card.
2. Adjust your speed if you want to:
   • Increase the speed.
   • Decrease the speed.
   • Restructure the speed.
   • Transform the speed into maneuvers.
   • Restructure your hand.
3. Make a maneuver: a) Play a maneuver. Foul if you want to. b) Increase the force with cards from your speed pile and your hand if you want to.

At any time on your turn: request raised stakes if you want to.

When you draw a Stress card: your turn ends and you lose the attack.

When you win an attack: play a Lucky shot or Goalie card if you want to.

• Shot: You score.
• Interception: You take possession of the ball and become the attacker.
• Pass: You may draw 3 cards to your hand.
• Block: You may draw 3 cards to your hand.
• Dribble: You may draw 2 cards and put them on top of your speed pile.
• Tackle: You may draw 2 cards and put them on top of your speed pile.

End of the attack: when you can't or won't make a maneuver.

End of the period: when you can't draw a card.

End of the game: when the third period ends.

Overview of a Forceball Card

1. Force: To be able to play a maneuver, the force of the maneuver must be equal to or higher than the force of your opponent's last maneuver. You can increase the force in various ways. When you play the maneuver, you place the card with the blue force value toward the attacker and the red force value toward the defender.
2. Speed requirement: To be able to play a maneuver, your speed must be equal to or higher than the speed requirement for the maneuver. The speed requirement states the number of cards that you must have in your speed pile.
3. Maneuver: This is the name of the maneuver.
4. Maneuver type: There are six different types of maneuvers, three types of attack maneuvers (Shot, Pass and Dribble) and three types of defense maneuvers (Interception, Block and Tackle). The type of maneuver decides the outcome of a won attack.
5. Special effects: If you can use a card in some other way than to make a maneuver, this is stated here. There are four types of special effects: Referee, Lucky shot, Goalie and Stress.