Jukem Football

In Jukem, there are specialty cards that allow players to cause a fumble, intercept a pass or run back a kick return. When designing the game, one other scenario that I wished to include in Jukem was the ability to punt.

But when testing this Punt card out, it didn’t quite fit. Choosing to keep a Punt card in one's hand very seldom seemed like a good idea. It nearly always got in the way of other strategy.

However, occasionally situations would arise when a Punt was desired. In those cases, not being able to punt was equally as frustrating. Punting would allow the player to eliminate a less productive drive and clear the way for more yardage (the cards you were holding in your hand).

The solution?

I made Punting a “choice” rather than an actual “card.” This allows for the flexibility in the game to punt, but doesn’t force players to hold an unwanted card in their hand.

Here is an example of how this could work:

Let’s say your drive has advanced 30 yards, and then you draw a 75-yard Catch card to go along with the matching Pass card. You can’t add the 75-yard pass play to your drive because it would be against the rules to exceed 100 yards on a drive. Obviously, you would rather be 75 yards downfield instead of just 30 yards.

All you have to do now is tell your opponent you would like to “Punt.” Remove your current drive (place all the cards to the side) and then discard one card from your hand. Play continues with your opponent. However, on your next turn, replenish your hand back to five cards and begin your new drive.

In that case, you will be much further downfield and happy you made the choice to Punt.

When you think of football games, it’s usually in the context of one opponent vs. another.

Offense vs. Defense.

Us vs. Them.

One of the great things about Jukem Football is that our game is not limited to just two teams or two people. Let’s say you have three people in a room and they all want to play Jukem at once. No problem.

With Jukem, you can have a fun three-player experience. The goal is still the same: score the most points. Here, it’s three teams playing against one another. All the previous Jukem rules apply, with just a few subtle changes.

In the three-player version, everyone builds their own drives, so there often will be three drives on the table at once. Any player can throw a defensive card against any other player. When that happens, the offensive player loses their turn and the player to their left goes next. High score among the three players wins the game.

I have found the three-player Jukem to be one of the more enjoyable ways to experience the game. There is a little extra waiting between turns, but with three drives on the table, there is also more cards to pay attention to during the game.

I recommend using the Jukem Football deck or combine both decks together when playing the three-player version. You will notice a lot of momentum shifts during the game. Many times the two players who are trailing, suddenly start throwing all of their defensive cards at the player who is in the lead.

I once saw a 21-point lead evaporate in a two-deck version. That player who lost the big lead was me ¬– the inventor of Jukem Football.

I couldn’t hold off my opponent’s rally.

I spent the summer road-tripping across the country promoting Jukem Football at youth football camps and introducing the game to independent specialty toy stores at every chance that presented itself.

All told, at the end of the trek, I’ve visited easily at least 100 stores and I have developed an incredible sense of admiration and respect for these entrepreneurs along the way.

The fun of this adventure has been three-fold.

First, unlike the big box chains of the world, every single store is truly unique. While many share similar merchandising practices and inventory, each store clearly has its own personality.

You can tell the taste and preferences of each shopkeeper by the way the store is arranged, the emphasis on a certain type of toy or game category, and the way the store is decorated. I always find something in each store that I haven’t seen anywhere else. These people are passionate about their work and they truly care about providing experiences of value to children.

The second thing I noticed on my travels is that virtually every store I visited was humming with customers coming and going. Even in the smallest towns, I didn’t visit a single store that was without customers browsing.

In light of the rugged economy, I found this very encouraging and uplifting. People may be cutting back on luxuries, but they do not seem to be cutting back on items for their children. They’re still there, shopping and BUYING. While other salespeople may find it inconvenient and annoying to have to wait while a buyer waits on customers, I was delighted to step back and observe the buzzing business.

The third thing I noticed on this trip was the overwhelmingly positive response to our new game. I must say, a year ago, I did come across the occasional merchant who did not want to take time to listen to my pitch or who, for whatever reason, was grumpy and disinterested in my product. What has surprised me this Summer is that I have not encountered a single negative response to Jukem. Every interaction has been positive and the buyers and their employees love our game.

I hope that the results of this Summer’s efforts are an indicator of good things for Jukem Football, and good things for our economy as well. I believe that the hard work of entrepreneurs, innovators and small, individually owned, American business will play a key role in the economic recovery of our country.