Eleven: Football Manager Board Game (2022) Board Game

Eleven: Football Manager Board Game was released in 2022 by Portal Games. Designed by Thomas Jansen, this game combines the elements of football management with board game mechanics. With stunning artwork by Mateusz Kopacz and Hanna Kuik, Eleven brings the excitement of football management to your tabletop.

Game Components of Eleven: Football Manager Board Game

Player Boards: 12 player boards, including 4 Match Boards, 4 Stadium Boards, and 4 Club Boards.

Cards: 274 cards comprising player, tactic, objective, director, staff, sponsor, board meeting, and opponent cards.

Markers and Tokens: 129 wooden markers, 196 tokens, and various resource, strength, weakness, injury, and suspension tokens.

Dice: 7 six-sided dice and 1 twelve-sided die.

League Table Board: For tracking league standings.

Solo Scenarios: 6 solo scenarios with different starting situations.

How To Setup Eleven: Football Manager Board Game

To set up the game, each player starts by receiving four Director cards, from which they keep three and return one to the box. Each Director has different priorities, influencing the player’s development strategy. The center of the table is designated as the Transfer Area, where player decks (Youngsters and Regular players), Staff and Sponsor decks, and facedown decks of Board Meeting cards, Tactics, Objectives, and Opponent cards are placed. Each player also sets up their three personal boards: the Stadium Board, Club Board, and Match Board.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Mechanics

Economic Strategy: Manage resources, hire staff, and attract sponsors.

Action Selection: Players take one main action per day (Tuesday through Thursday), with potential bonus actions from cards and resources.

Open Drafting: Players draft Director cards and other resources.

Card Abilities: Use tactic cards and player abilities to influence matches.

Game Objective

The objective is to manage and grow your soccer club over six weeks to dominate the league.

Points are scored based on league position, trained youngsters, staff composition, and stadium improvements.

Player Experience

Playing *Eleven* is a deep dive into the business side of soccer, with each day filled with various tasks such as transfers, staff hiring, stadium modernization, and match preparations. The game is particularly enjoyable for solo players and works well with two players, but it can become too long and fiddly with three or four players. The match resolution mechanics, while unique, can feel a bit wonky, especially with the need to align players in specific zones against an opponent card.

Pros

Thematic Delivery: Excellent at simulating the business of sports.

Fun Action Selection: Engaging action selection system.

No Football Knowledge Required: Enjoyable even for non-football fans.

Training Players: Training youngsters is a highlights of the game.

High-Quality Components: Components are of high quality.

Cons

Long at Higher Player Counts: Game length becomes excessive with three or four players.

Fiddly Match Day Mechanics: Match day can be confusing and fiddly.

Subpar Production Decisions: Some production choices, like opponent card colors, can be confusing.

Table Space: Requires a significant amount of table space.

Personal Thoughts on Eleven: Football Manager Board Game

*Eleven: Football Manager Board Game* is ideal for fans of business management games and soccer enthusiasts. It excels as a solo or two-player game, offering a rich and varied experience. However, it may not be the best fit for groups of three or four players due to its length and complexity. If you enjoy strategic planning, resource management, and a deep dive into the world of soccer club management, this game is a great choice. Despite some minor production issues, the game’s thematic delivery and engaging mechanics make it a standout in its category.

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