Soccer 54 Premier – Entry #9398

As Presented in May 2025

Designer(s) | Greg Pool

Playing soccer with playing cards!

Game Length

Teach:
15 min

Test:
30 min

Talk:
15 min

Player Count

Min Player:
2

Max Player:
2

Game Details

Sizzle Video

How to Play Video

Soccer 54 is back! But early success in the lower leagues, I've been promoted to the next level. Soccer 54 Premier is a more tactical version of Soccer 54, a fast-paced, back-and-forth style game of "proper football" that allows for dribbling, 50-50 challenges, crosses from the wings, and thrilling action inside the 18-yard box. After playtesting Soccer 54 at the January 2025 Protospiel, I added action cards to reduce the luck, remove some snowballing effects, and add more agency. The result is a version that extends the game time but satisfies the gamer's itch to control the flow of play. It's also a finalist in the Spring 2025 Deck Hand Games design contest!

Two players playing their cards for possession of the soccer ball.

Two players move a soccer ball up and down a pitch to set up a shot on goal!

Publication Path

Publishing Method(s)

Times Designer Plans to Attend

NOTE: Playtests at Protospiel are not scheduled in advance. Times listed here are estimated windows when you'll be more likely to catch this designer around the Discord server.

If you have a registered badge for the current convention session, read the LFG Instructions section of #convention-guide in Discord to learn how our Looking for a Game system works. Check the LFG Posting FAQ for the finer points.

All times are in US Eastern.

Fri 12pm-6pm, Fri 6pm-12am, Sat 6pm-12am, Sun 12pm-6pm, Sun 6pm-12am

Designer Time Zone

US Pacific Time

www.worldtimebuddy.com is a helpful tool for quickly translating your time zone.

Mechanics

Formats

Designer Experiences

Parts

Designer Identifies as:

he/him

Game Website

https://haoleboygames.itch.io/soccer-54

Get Updates

https://bsky.app/profile/haoleboygames.com

« (Not So) Cozy Kitchen – Entry #9397 | Following Leaves – Entry #9399 »

Intended Audience

Casual:
This game expects players to focus more on social interaction than strategy and/or takes under 45 minutes to play in full, including the rules teach.

Medium:
This game involves some strategy and takes 45-90 minutes to play, with no more than 15-20 minutes of that time spent on the rules teach.

Heavy:
This game focuses on strategy and takes 90 minutes or more to play, with 20 minutes or more of that time spent on the rules teach.

Development Status

New:
This is more of an idea to workshop than a game.

Middling:
You have playtested the prototype before, but you expect it to still have bugs.

Nearing Completion:
You know the game works but are trying minor adjustments.

Final Testing:
This will feel pretty close to playing a published game, but you’re still taking feedback.

Publication Path

Self Publishing
The game creator(s) will handle marketing, sales, distribution, and all other logistics of bringing the game to market.

Looking for a Publisher
The game creator(s) are looking for someone to partner with them to handle some or all of the process of bringing the game to market.

Under Contract with a Publisher
The game creator(s) have found a company or individual who will partner with them to handle some or all of the process of bringing the game to market. The publisher and designer might be the same person, but, beyond the self publishing option, a game that is “with a publisher” will publish under a brand that publishes for a variety of designers.

No Plans to Publish
The game creator(s) will not make this game available for sale to the public. The fun of creating and playing the game is all the reward they need.

Publication Method

Crowdfunding
The publisher will produce the game after a large group of people have paid in advance. Crowdfunding platforms include Kickstarter, Crowd Sales through The Game Crafter, Gamefound, Indiegogo, etc.

Retail Distribution
The publisher will distribute the game to retailers such as friendly local games stores (FLGS), Target, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Cool Stuff Inc., etc.

Print on Demand
Also known as POD. The manufacturer can print one copy at a time so that the seller doesn’t need to carry inventory. Popular POD services include The Game Crafter, Drive Thru Cards/RPG, and Board Games Maker.

Another Publishing Method
Other methods may include handmade games, print and play or monthly subscription games, creating a seller account on an online marketplace like Amazon or Etsy, and/or selling from your own website — or anything else the publisher can dream up!

Crowdfunding Status

Planning Stage
The campaign is not yet open for backer pledges. Interested players may be able to follow the project on social media and/or via email updates.

Late Stage
The campaign is either open for backer pledges or has recently finished funding. The publisher is making final tweaks to the product before sending final files to the manufacturer.

Rework Stage
A crowdfunding campaign launched in the past did not meet its funding goal or was cancelled before the campaign ended. The publisher plans to launch a new campaign using lessons learned from past campaign(s).

None
There is no plan for a crowdfunding campaign at this time.

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