Years of development have created a game with simple and elegant rules but unlimited depth and strategy. By focusing on one key play in each scoring drive, you play an entire football game in under 20 minutes.

Each player starts the game with 3 offensive player cards, 3 defensive player cards, and 4 playbook cards. To mount a scoring drive, you match a playbook card to an offensive player with the appropriate skills (such as "passing" or "run blocking") and lay them down on the table, announcing the player rating that your opponent must beat in order to stop you from scoring. Along the way, you enjoy all the aspects of a real football game, from goal-line stands and two-point conversions to game-changing interceptions and last-minute field goals.

As with traditional card games like poker, you go head-to-head against your opponent, taking calculated risks, and using one move to set up the next one. There is no “play guessing” mechanic to make you feel like you are playing rock-paper-scissors.

Masters of the Gridiron also puts you in the role of Offensive Coordinator and General Manager. You choose your starting players and combine them with a playbook of 24 or more cards, following three simple deck-building rules.

Sports Mogul has launched a kickstarter campaign to fund the development of Masters of the Gridiron and is looking for $18,000.

“Despite this level of abstraction, we have worked tirelessly to make the game feel like football” said Clay Dreslough, President at Sports Mogul Inc. “Every player on your team, from your star quarterback to your right tackle, has their own player card, and has the ability to impact the outcome of every game.”

Sports Mogul Inc. is well known for their award-winning "Baseball Mogul" and "Football Mogul" computer games, capable of simulating entire seasons in just a few minutes. The company used this technology as the basis for Masters of the Gridiron — to create realistic player ratings for over 680 current players, and to create realistic playbooks for all 32 teams.

The playbook cards themselves are used to track your score. So the only thing you need to play are two decks (one per team) and a few minutes of time. However, we have found the game so addicting that a “quick 15-minute game” can easily turn into an extended grudge match.