- BGG rank
- BGG #7,049
- BGG rating
- 7.2
APBA Pro Baseball
- 1–2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
- 1951
- BGG rank
- BGG #15,052
- BGG rating
- 6.4
APBA Pro Football
1958
Rules assistance for APBA Pro Football
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–2 players
- 120 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.2/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for APBA Pro Football
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
APBA Pro Football is a board game released in 1958 for 1–2 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Dick Seitz and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Simultaneous Action Selection, and Simulation.
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About the game
APBA Football, launched in 1958 by APBA Games founder Richard Seitz, is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, statistics-based play-by-play football board games. The game features individual season sets for the NFL from 1957 to the present, as well as a special 1949 AAFC set and an out-of-print 1955 NFL set. APBA also produces numerous NCAA football sets. How it works: The game features individual player cards you assemble into starting offensive and defensive rosters like their real-life counterparts. In its out-of-the-box form, offense of Team A is compared to the defense of Team B to determine the offense's index for results: A (best), B (standard), C (worst). Players are rated from 5 (most) to 1 (least) points, and their statistical performance is then reflected by dice results in multifunction R, P and K columns that refer gamers to separate charts for play outcomes. APBA Football has endured into the 21st century with the same mechanics as the original but evolving with numerous offensive and defensive updates to emulate the various eras of American professional football. The game has been the focus of annual football tournaments by the APBA company since 2016 at its headquarters in Alpharetta, Georgia, and by the APBA Football Club (2013, 2023-present) at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. [Watch a quick demo of a vintage 1974 game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0Y4LUyKnS4]
Designers
Publishers
- APBA International
Questions and answers
APBA Pro Football supports 1–2 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for APBA Pro Football is 120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists APBA Pro Football for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
APBA Pro Football has a complexity rating of 2.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
APBA Pro Football belongs to these categories: Dice and Sports. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Simultaneous Action Selection, and Simulation. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of APBA Pro Football are: Dick Seitz. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists APBA Pro Football as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.