If Carlsberg did board games, they might just have created Superclub. Cleverly combining the wonderful world of football with arguably the greatest hobby of board gaming.
Overview:
The game takes place over multiple rounds consisting of an off-season and season with players competing to be crowned the Superclub Champion. There are two roads to glory, achieving 100 Victory Points in a single season or winning 3 seasons as well as defeating your Supercup opponent. So without further ado, the turnstiles are open, the teams are out warming up, it’s time to review Superclub.
Components:
Out of the box there are a plethora of high quality components that bring this game to life. First and foremost is the game board, this is where you will track your teams progress throughout each season in your goal to become a superclub. This board also gives you a snapshot of what actions you take during off-season and season, a place to store the bank’s money as well as the developed players, investment cards and game changer cards.
There is also a draft/scouting board which is double sided. This is where you select your drafted players at the start of the game before flipping it over to scout players across the globe. This section is also home to the key staff cards and supercup cards.
You will also be provided with everything you need to make it as a top flight manager. Each team is given a manager folder, club pad, a set of dice, a squad token and a points marker all of which showcasing your team’s colours.
Gameplay:
Before we get started, players partake in the draft. This is where you turnover 16 players and pick in player order the players you want to build your team with. You repeat this process to the number of the players playing so each manager should have 16 players starting in their folder as well as a given goalkeeper.
Once the draft is complete, the first off-season begins. Off-season is a 5 step process starting with finance. Each manager starts the game with 120 million pounds which can be reduced or increased for a slower or quicker game. After the first season this stage also includes, placement rewards, this is essentially your prize money for your league finish in the previous season. This doubles up as your captain boosts which introduces a really clever handicap rule into the game in that the player that came first gets +1 for their captain however the players in positions below them will get an additional 1 star to their captain depending on their position for example second place gets +2 and third place +3 and so on.
You also take your stadium income from the bank, this changes with the level of investment in your ground as well as the position you finish the league. The better your team does essentially the more tickets you sell to get bums on seats.
With anything in life you can’t make money without spending it, after the first season, every season thereafter you have to pay your players wages, this is 1m for each developed star in your squad.
There is also an optional rule to buy unhappy players from other teams, their satisfaction level depends on the success they experience in the league.
Second step in the off-season is training, depending on the level of training you are able to offer you can train players by rolling dice to the number of stars you want to improve them too. Players with empty stars on their card can be trained up, if your roll is successful you can find them in the developed player cards.
After you’ve trained your team, scouting begins. Here you turn the player draft board over revealing the world map, place the remaining player cards at random around the world. During scouting, depending on the level of your scout depicted on your club pad you can scout players and pay the cheaper scouting price on their card.
Once you have scouted, it is now time to invest in your beloved club. The champion goes first, with each manager having up to two investments, this can be your training facilities, scouting department or stadium. You can also hire key staff as one of your investments.
Finally, with any off-season we have a deadline day. Here players bid for a player chosen randomly from the world of football board and the starting bid being in the bottom left corner.
The lines have been painted, the tv cameras are rolling in, the start of the season is upon us. The season is a much simpler affair compared to the off-season.
To begin with, count the total number of stars in your squad. This determines your starting position. Before each match you are able to choose your starting 11 in a number of different formations. The manager folders help ensure you have the minimum requirement of players for each type of position. The game board prompts the order in which games are played depending on the number of players. There are two types of matches, a match and a simulated match.
During a standard match, managers field their best starting 11 and starting with the home team depicted on the board start with a midfield battle. Your total score for each position is the total number of stars as well as the number in which you roll from your two dice. The winner of the midfield battle then goes on the offensive with their attacking players going up against the other team’s defence. If it is 1-1 after that, the player who lost the midfield battle goes on the offensive against the opposing team’s defence. If at any point during a standard match players roll a double, they either receive an injury or a game changer card.
In simulated matches, players roll to determine a loss, draw or a win. The number in which they need to roll is depicted on the board depending on their position in the league.
Players receive 6 points for a win, 2 for a draw and 0 for a loss. There are 5 matches in each season with a total of 30 points to be won.
After the first season, the winner receives a supercup card which they are not allowed to look at. All players repeat the process for the off-season baring in mind the order of play is determined based on where each player finished the previous season.
Replayability:
This game has a huge replayability value; there are 237 player cards when playing with the top six expansion and with players only allowed 23 per squad there is plenty of players to discover each time you play, with different formations, adding to this the element of player potential where you can train certain players up the possibility of different squad players and formations are endless.
Added to this, with each player choosing different investments, the game changes for each player and the added element of rolling the dice to bolster your squad makes every match whether simulated or not have an element of chance.
Pros:
Superclub perfectly encapsulates the highs and lows of managing your own football club. Each game day brings with the excitement of claiming points over your opponents eagerly hoping not to drop any as you climb the table.
The game also introduces a neat handicap for players who didn’t do so well in previous seasons by giving them additional stars through their captaincy to bolster up their squad.
The components are really high quality, the quality of the cards, and the managers folder. You really get a lot of value for your money.
Cons:
The game setup we found to take up alot of time, the draft is great that it gives every player an even playing field but prevented us from getting stuck in.
Final verdict:
We love Superclub, and hoping to find the perfect combination of football fans and board gamers who we can play it with.
