In each of the last two years, Kosmos has produced a high-quality two-player strategy game (Die Siedler Kartenspiel, Caesar and Cleopatra). With Finale, they not only continue this trend, but have released the best of the group so far. Packed in the same size box as the others, with cards of Die Siedler Kartenspiel size, Finale is an intriguing soccer simulation game which requires sound planning, lots of decisions, and a little bit of luck to win.
You and your opponent each control a team of thirty players, from which you can choose fifteen for the match. Each player has a value based on his relative worth, and your total team of eleven active and four reserves cannot exceed a total value of fifty. Right away this creates one of the most crucial set of decisions in the game, as tradeoffs must be made as to the number of players at each position and as to the best mix of players considering strength, conditioning, and probability of staying in the game. Each team must have a mix of each of the four positions (strikers, midfielders, defensemen, and goalies), with the only restriction being that each team must have at least two goalies (one active and one reserve).
Each player card consists of two identification features: the player name, and a “photo-gooed” picture. There is a lot of strategic information on each card. The “player value” is used as described above and for only that reason. The position information is shown by a symbol in the card corners, and by the color. Color is the more meaningful identifier since the color correlates directly to the tactics cards. Strength and conditioning are shown by soccer balls on the each edge of the cards: more balls, more strength. The cards are rotated during play, so each player has four levels of strength. Well conditioned players have lower variability of their strength across all four sides, making them more consistently useful. Lastly, corners on the player picture can contain symbols which represent being injured, receiving a yellow flag (foul), or a red flag (tossed out). The total symbols and the type of symbols determines the probability of the player surviving to the end of the match.
Each team also has a set of tactics cards which determines the formations used for attack sequences. Each card has a strength value, and then a “setup” and “scoring” format. Each format on the card identifies the player positions used to execute the play for both the attacker and the defender. For example, with the “Open Exchange” card, the setup will pitch the goalie, one midfielder, and one defenseman from the attacker against a striker, a midfielder, and a defensemen from the defender. Each player chooses 11 tactics cards from a total of 30, in order to best match his chosen teams skills. This is made easier by the color coding of the cards. For example, the yellow-colored tactics cards naturally favor a team with strong defensemen, who are identified by the color yellow.
Play begins after each player has chosen their team, their starters, and the tactics cards they will use in the match. The game consists of six regulation periods, and can extend into overtime and shootouts like a real match. Score and current period are tallied on a small field board which is kept between the opponents. Again like Die Sielder Kartenspiel, the layout of the game takes a lot of room and it is best for opponents to sit across from each other so that they can lay out their team in rows by position and have space to rotate the cards. Play is ready to go when the tactics cards are shuffled, the Schlusskarte placed at the bottom of the deck, and three are drawn from the deck.
Each period begins with the players laying their choice of tactics card for the period face down and revealed simultaneously. The higher value card determines the attacker; the other becomes the defender for that period. The attacker gets as many attacks as the difference between the two numbers. The attacker then identifies the specific players to execute the setup (remember the positions are determined by the tactics card). The defender then responds with his picks (again positions determined by the tactics card), and the total strength (top of card soccer balls) is compared. First, though, each player throws a die which can add 0, 1, 2, or 3 points to the strength which can make the outcome uncertain. If the attacker wins the setup (by beating or tying the defender), he can proceed to the scoring portion of the card which is played the same way. He must win this contest by an absolute score (ties lose) in order to score a goal. In this attack, though, players used in the setup are unavailable for use unless the card specifically designates to do so. If the attacker gets more than one attack in the period, he starts again with a new tactics card (after having refreshed his hand to three). If the attacker loses the setup, the defender can launch a counter attack using the tactics card he had played, but only once per period. Pretty simple so far, but now you get to the fluid nature of the game which is why all the planning and strategy is necessary.
After each execution (setup or scoring format), two things happen. First, any players with a yellow card, red card, or injury icon in the upper right corner must determine if the action takes effect. The die is rolled for each, and the roll which activates the icon is noted on the game board for convenience. If the red card is activated (by rolling a 3), the player is ejected and is not replaced by a reserve. If the yellow card is activated, a marker is placed on the card. Two markers, and he’s outta there! If the injury icon is activated, your player is lost to injury but can be replaced by one of your reserves. Next, the players used in the contest which survive the card/injury check are rotated 90 degrees which changes their strength for the next play they’re involved in. On to the next attack or next period, as the case may be. At the beginning of each period, but to a maximum of four times per game, you can substitute a starter for a reserve player, but once substituted the starter never returns to the match.
This system results in a an excellent balance between strategy and good fortune, as no player can field a team which is going to be strong in every play. You’re stuck with the team and tactics cards you choose at the outset, so choose carefully! You can’t choose the exact card you want to start each period, but you do have your choice of three (until you’re down to one, that is.) Losing key players early to injury or fouls will likely cost you the game, but a sound player selection strategy for each execution helps you balance the risk of losing a player with his value in the attack. Tactics card revealed to start the period determine whether you will be attacker or defender, and how many attacks you can make or must defend. If you burn through tactics cards early by winning multiple attacks per turn, you need to score often since you’ll likely be stuck using the weak Schlusskarte in the end.
The more you play Finale, the richer the game becomes. It is fun to experiment with different teams and tactics card mixes, yet even a after many games I’ve not settled on the player/tactics card mix which I feel give me an edge in any contest. A little like Magic, your team’s effectiveness is in part a function of the team you’re playing against. It is necessary to think of the many decisions in context of the entire contest. You need to “look ahead” at player combinations which could be available by the correct usage (thus rotation) of cards, and try to set these optimal situations up when it’s to your benefit. Like a real sporting contest, though, the best laid plans can run amok by the random injury, foul, or just bad play (modeled by the variability in the dice roll with each execution). Like the real game, most contests do not produce a lot of scoring (although more than world class professional soccer), but are rich in strategic play and momentum shifts.
The game is very nicely produced, and even includes trophies which can be used for tournament play. A very nice feature is the easy identification of a well balanced, 15-player team which meets the 50 point hurdle. It takes several games before you’ll be comfortable branching out into the other players, but once you do you start to create some interesting teams and make other tactics cards come alive. My single production complaint is easily fixed: the markers used to identify the players used in each execution are hard to pick up off the cards. Do what others have suggested and use wood cubes instead. You’ll be glad you did.
I can’t accurately judge Finale as a good soccer simulation; my guess is that its decent. An abstract model of any physical game can effectively produce strategic situations similar to the real thing, but is never the same game. As much as I enjoy Um Reifenbreite and Breaking Away, I never pretend to think they’re the same as riding a bike! But, as a strategic and fun battle for two players which requires thinking, planning, logical execution and just the right mix of luck, Finale is World Cup class.