T he Pen and Paper Soccer Game

TOP
OF
THE
TABLE
SOCCER
A game for two players

1
By tim zee
Title f ont: Street Cred by Typodermic Fonts
Images: PD-BR, PD-DE
Rate this game on itch
ISBN: 978-1-7775803-1-5
CONTENTS
What you need 4
Creating your team 4
Playing a Match 5
Phase 1: The Battle for Possession 5
Phase 2: Scoring Chances 5
- Open Play 5
- Set-Pieces 6
- Corners 6
- Free Kicks 7
- Penalties 7
- Penalty Shoot-Outs 7
Bookings 8
Substitutions 9
Role-Playing 9
Example of play 9
Resources
- Team Sheet 10
- Score Sheet 11

The text of this work, not including what is identified as Product Identity, is offered under a CC BY SA 4.0
license. Product Identity for this product includes the terms: Top Of The Table Soccer, TOTTS, TOTTS Basic,
TOTTS Advanced and the TOTTS Logo. The CC BY SA 4.0 license is available at:

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
TOTTS
In these formations, the first number always
WHAT YOU NEED refers to the number of Defenders in the
formation. The second number always refers to
• TOTTS Team Sheet the number of Midfielders and the third number
always refers to the number of Forwards. All
• TOTTS Score Sheet formations have a single Goal Keeper.
• Pencil and eraser All formations include 11 players.
• A handful of six-sided dice
Step 3: Create your Players
NOTE: From this point on whenever the word 'player' is used, the
On your Team Sheet, under the section marked
text is referring to the fictitious players playing soccer within the Squad List, there are slots available for the 16
narrative of this game. The real world people playing this game
are referred to as Managers. individual players that make up your team.

After each number, create the name of a Player.

The number preceding that Player's name is the
CREATING YOUR Player's Squad Number.

TEAM Squad Numbers are used to denote where these

Players are in your Formation.

Step 1: Create your Team Name Step 4: Taking the Field

When you have a great name for your team, Before choosing which of your Players will start
enter it on your team sheet where it says Team
Name. the game, select your starting Formation. In the
Formations section of your Team Sheet, select
one of your ‘known formations’ and tick the box
Step 2: Choose your Formations
in the ‘current’ column.
Your team's formation is very important. It
determines how many players can be involved After you have chosen your ‘current formation’
in various situations within the game. Teams in you are ready to put your Players onto the field.
TOTTS know three different formations, which
they can switch between during Matches. On In the Field section of the Team Sheet, put Player
your Team Sheet, in the section marked Squad Numbers into the circles to represent
Formations, tick three boxes in the ‘known’ which of your Players are on the field and which
column to indicate the three formations you
positions they are playing in your Formation.
would like your team to be able use in a Match.

You can pick from the following formations: The Players on your Field must accurately
represent your ‘current formation’.
• 5-4-1
• 5-3-2 Mark the ‘on field’ boxes on the Squad List to
• 4-5-1 show which of your Players are on the Field.
• 4-4-2
• 4-3-3 At this stage, any Player who is not on the Field
• 4-2-4 is a Substitute. Tick the boxes in the column
• 3-6-1 marked ‘Substitute’ in your Squad List to
• 3-5-2 represent this.
• 3-4-3
When both Managers have completed this step,
• 3-3-4
they exchange Team Sheets.
• 2-3-5
After the Team Sheets have been examined they
are given back and then the game can begin.

4
 T he Pen and Paper Soccer Game
Phase 2: Scoring Chances
PLAYING A MATCH The Manager who won Phase 1 is known as the
A Standard Match of TOTTS is played over two Attacker during Phase 2. The other Manager is
Halves. Each Half has four Rounds. Each Round the Defender.
has two Phases; The Battle for Possession and
Scoring Chances. After one Half is completed it When Phase 2 begins the Attacker rolls a D6 to
is Half-Time. After two Halves are completed it is determine whether the Scoring Chance comes
Full-Time. At Full-Time, the Manager whose team from Open Play or a Set-Piece. On a roll of 1, 2
has scored the most goals is declared the winner. of 3 the Scoring Chance comes from Open Play.
If the score is tied at Full-Time, the Match ends in On a roll of 4, 5 or 6 the Scoring Chance comes
a Draw. from a Set-Piece.

A Tournament Match of TOTTS cannot end in a Open Play

Draw. If the Match is tied at Full-Time, Extra Time
is played. Extra Time consists of two more In an Open Play Scoring Chance the Attacker
Rounds. After Extra Time is completed, the first determines which Players will be Active in
Manager whose team has scored the most goals this situation. All of the Attacker's Forwards must
is declared the winner. If the Match is still tied be Active. The Attacker may then choose any
after Extra Time, there is a Penalty Shoot-Out to number of Midfielders and Defenders to also be
determine a winner. Rules for Penalty Shoot-Outs Active. Without the Defender seeing, the
are included within the section titled Scoring Attacker marks down on their Team Sheet which
Chances. Players are Active.

In both types of Matches Managers can change The Defender also determines which Players
their Formations and make Substitutions will be Active in this situation. The Defender's
between Rounds. Goal Keeper and all their Defenders must be
Active. They may also choose any number of
Midfielders and Forwards to be Active. Without
THE PHASES the Attacker seeing, the Defender marks down
on their Team Sheet which Players are Active.
Phase 1:The Battle for Possession
When both Attacker and Defender have marked
Every Round begins with The Battle for their Team Sheets they reveal how many Active
Possession. This phase is contested by Players they each have.
Midfielders and determines which team will
generate Scoring Chances in Phase 2.

To determine the winner of this phase, first

Managers must mark which of their Players are
Active. In the Battle for Possession, all
Midfielders are Active. To keep track of Active
players, Managers should use a pencil to place a
tick in the boxes on their Squad Lists within the
column labeled 'Active'.

After Managers have marked how

many Active players they have on
their Team Sheet, they reveal that
number to each other. Each Manager
then rolls a number of D6s equal to
their number of Active players.

Each Manager then adds

together the results of all their
rolled dice. The Manager with the
highest score has won this Phase.
If there is a tie, there is no Phase 2
and the match advances to the next
Round.

5
TOTTS
Both Attacker and Defender then roll a number Corners
of D6s equal to their number of Active Players. When the Set-Piece is a Corner, both Attacker
When all their dice have been rolled, they add and Defender must decide which of their
up their total score. If the Attacker has the
highest score their team has scored a goal and Players will be Active in this situation.
the Phase is over. After the Phase is over, the
Match progresses to the next Round. The Attacker must make all of their Forwards
Active. They must also make at least two of their
If the Defender has the highest score the Midfielders Active and at least two of their
Attacker has failed to score a goal. The Defenders Active. If they wish, the Attacker may
Defender then has an opportunity to Counter make more of their Players Active (including
Attack. their Goal Keeper).

If there is a tie, the highest score is awarded to The Defender must make their Goal Keeper and
the Manager who rolled the most 6s on that roll. all of their Defenders Active. They may also
If both Managers have rolled the same number make any number of Midfielders and Forwards
of 6s there is a tiebreaker roll. In a tiebreaker Active.
roll each Manager rolls a D6 and adds it to their
score. This continues until one Manager has the Both Managers mark which of their Players are
highest score. Active on their Team Sheet without the other
Manager seeing.
In a Counter Attack both the Defender and
Attacker roll a number of D6s equal to the Managers then reveal how many of their Players
number of Players who were not Active in the are Active. Managers then roll a number of D6s
previous situation. Both players then add equal to their number of Active Players. If the
together the results of their rolled dice. If the Attacker has the highest score, their team has
Defender has the highest score their team has scored a goal.
scored a goal. If the Attacker has the highest
score, no goal has been scored. If the Defender has the highest score, no goal
has been scored and they have an opportunity
If there is a tie, the highest score is awarded to to Counter Attack.
the Manager who rolled the most 6s on that roll.
If both Managers have rolled the same number If there is a tie, the highest score is awarded to
of 6s there is a tiebreaker roll. In a tiebreaker the Manager who rolled the most 6s on that roll.
roll each Manager rolls a D6 and adds it to their If both Managers have rolled the same number
score. This continues until one Manager has the of 6s there is a tiebreaker roll. In a tiebreaker
highest score. roll each Manager rolls a D6 and adds it to their
score. This continues until one Manager has the
After it has been determined whether a goal has highest score.
been scored from the Counter Attack, the Phase
is over and the Match progresses to the next Like with Open Play, during a Counter Attack
Round. both Players roll a number of D6s equal to the
number of Players who were not Active in the
Set-Pieces previous situation. Both Managers then add
In a Set-Piece together the results of their rolled dice.
Set-Piece Table
Scoring If the Defender has the highest score their team
Chance the 1: Cor ner has scored a goal. If the Attacker has the highest
Attacker first score, no goal has been scored.
2: Cor ner
determines If there is a tie, the highest score is awarded to
what type of 3: Free Kick the Manager who rolled the most 6s on that roll.
Set-Piece will If both Managers have rolled the same number
4: Free Kick of 6s there is a tiebreaker roll. In a tiebreaker
be carried out.
roll each Manager rolls a D6 and adds it to their
To do this they 5: Free Kick or score. This continues until one Manager has the
roll a D6 and Cor ner highest score.
then consult
6: Penalty After a Corner, and any Counter Attack, has
the Set-Piece
been resolved the Phase is over and the Match
Table. progresses to the next Round.

6
 T he Pen and Paper Soccer Game
Free Kicks If the Defender rolls the highest number no goal
has been scored.
If the Set-Piece is determined to be a Free Kick,
the Defender must roll to determine if there is a If the roll is tied, the Attacker’s team has scored
Booking. Bookings are described in a later a goal. There are no Counter Attacks during
section. Penalties. A Substitution cannot be used after a
Penalty has been awarded. Once a Penalty has
After any Bookings have been resolved the been resolved the Phase is over and the Match
Attacker rolls to determine whether the Free progresses to the next Round.
Kick is Direct or Indirect. They do this by rolling
a D6. A roll of 1, 2 or 3 means the Free Kick is Penalty Shoot-Outs
Direct. A roll of 4, 5 or 6 means the Free Kick is
Indirect. In Tournament Matches the Penalty Shoot-Out
is used to determine a winner after a Match
Indirect Free Kicks are conducted exactly the remains tied after Extra Time.
same as Corners with identical Counter Attack
rules. In a Penalty Shoot-Out Managers take penalties,
alternating between being the Attacker and
Direct Free Kicks involve both Attacker and Defender. The first thing Managers do is roll a
Defender rolling a D6. D6 to determine who will play the role of
Attacker first in the shoot-out. For this roll one
If the Attacker rolls the highest number their Manager chooses 'odd or even'. If they choose
team has scored a goal. odd they win the roll if the result shown on the
die is an odd number. If they choose even, they
win if the result shown on the die is an even
If the Defender rolls the highest number no goal number.
has been scored.
The Manager who wins this roll decides which
If the roll is tied, no goal has been scored. There Manager is the Attacker for the first penalty in
are no Counter Attacks after Direct Free Kicks. the Penalty Shoot-Out.
After a Free Kick, and any resulting Counter In a Penalty Shoot-Out penalties are conducted
Attack, has been resolved the Phase is over and just like they are described in the above section
the Match progresses to the next Round. titled Penalties. After each Manager has taken
five penalties, the Manager whose team has
Penalties scored the most goals wins the Match.

If the Set-Piece is determined to be a Penalty, If there is a tie after five penalties, the shoot-out
the Defender must roll to determine if there is a becomes a Sudden Death Penalty Shoot-Out.
Booking. Bookings are described in a later
section.
In a Sudden Death Penalty Shoot-Out Managers
After any Bookings have been resolved, both retain the turn order from the previous Penalty
Attacker and Defender roll a D6. Shoot-Out. From this point on penalties are
conducted until there is a Match winner. The
If the Attacker rolls the highest number their Match winner is the Manager whose team
team has scored a goal. scores a goal either before or after the other
Manager’s team has failed to score a goal.
There are no Substitutions allowed during any
kind of Penalty Shoot-Out.

7
TOTTS
BOOKINGS
After it is determined that an Attacker has won a
Free Kick or a Penalty, the Defender must roll to FREE KICK
determine whether any of their Players have BOOKING TABLE
received a Booking.
1: Red card
To do this they roll a D6 and consult either the 2: Yellow card
Free Kick Booking Table or Penalty Booking
Table. 3: Yellow card

If the Defender's roll on either of the above 4: No booking

tables results in a Card, they must then assign
5: No booking
that Card to one of their Players. To do this they
roll a D6 and consult the Player Booking Table. 6: No booking
After it is determined the Position of the Player
who must receive a Card, the Defender chooses
which Player in that Position receives that Card.

A Manager assigns a Card by marking their PENALTY

Team Sheet, in the column labeled either Yellow BOOKING TABLE
Cards or Red Cards.
1: Red card
When the Defender has to assign a Yellow Card 2: Yellow card
to a Player in a position where there already is a
Player who has been assigned a Yellow Card, 3: Yellow card
the Defender must determine whether or not a
Player is to be assigned their second Yellow 4: Yellow card
Card.
5: No booking
To do this the Defender rolls a D6. If that roll
results in a 1, they must assign a second Yellow 6: No booking
Card to one of their Players who has already
received a Yellow Card.

Once a Player receives two Yellow Cards, they

immediately receive a Red Card. Any Player
who receives a Red Card is Sent Off and can no PLAYER
longer participate in the Match. For the BOOKING TABLE
Manager, this means they will have one fewer
1: Goalkeeper
Players for the remainder of the Match.
2: Defender
To represent that a player has been Sent Off,
Managers must put an (X) across the circle that 3: Defender
includes that player’s Squad Number on the
Field section of their Team Sheet. This player 4: Midfielder
can no longer be Active in any remaining stage
of the Match, but their squad number (and the 5: Midfielder
(X) above it) can be used to indicate which
current formation a team is using. 6: Forward

A Defender may change their Formation

immediately after a Player has received a
Booking.

8
 T he Pen and Paper Soccer Game

SUBSTITUTIONS EXAMPLE OF PLAY

Each Manager can make five Substitutions in a
Match.
Aparna's Toronto Thunderers vs. Diego's Atletico San Juan

Aparna: First half, round 1. I’m starting with 4-3-3, so I’m rolling 3 D6.
A Manager can declare they are using a How about you?

Substitution after any roll, with the exception of Diego: I’m going 4-2-4. So I’m rolling 2 D6.

rolls taken during any kind of penalty situation. Aparna scores 11. Diego scores 10.

Diego: Close one.You win the first Battle for Possession.

Using a Substitute allows a Manager to re-roll a Aparna rolls to determine the type of scoring chance.

single die. The Manager must keep the result of Aparna: I get a 3. So this chance is from Open Play.

the re-rolled die. A Manager can use multiple Aparna and Diego set their active players and then reveal them to
each other.
Substitutes in the same Phase. When a Manager
Diego: I’m just using one extra midfielder here. So with them, my goal
Substitutes a Player they must immediately keeper and all my defenders I have 6 active players.

mark this on their Team Sheet. The incoming Aparna: It’s pretty early in the game, so I’m going conservative with
just 4 active players: my 3 forwards and 1 extra midfielder.
Player must be represented on the Field section Aparna scores 17. Diego scores 19.
of their Manager’s Team Sheet and they must be Aparna: Yeah, my attack was a weak one there. Let’s say I was able to
whip a cross into the box, but my forward’s header was easily saved
marked as Active. and held by your keeper.

Diego: Sounds good. And he’s going to throw it out quickly to launch
the counter attack. I get to roll 5 D6 here.
The outgoing Player must be removed from the
Aparna: Because I only attacked with 4 players, I have 7 ready to
Manager's Field section and they must have defend.

their Active status removed. Players who have Diego scores 16. Aparna scores 31.

been substituted out of a Match cannot be Diego: Yeah, you were able to re-organize and probably catch me
offside or something. Onto round 2.
substituted back into the same Match. Diego wins the next BFP with a score of 7 versus 3.

Aparna: Wow I rolled all 1s. My midfield is having a nightmare. They

turned the ball over and set you up for a good scoring chance.

Diego rolls and determines the scoring chance will be a direct free

ROLE-PLAYING kick.

Aparna: Oh dear, I think one of those midfielders who played so badly

in the last phase probably did a silly foul on the edge of the box.
TOTTS has ample opportunities for role-
Aparna rolls to see if there are any bookings. She ends up assigning a
playing. Any time a goal is scored Managers yellow card to a midfielder.

could describe how that goal came about. The Diego: Ok, so this is one-on-one. Ready? Let’s roll.

disparity, or lack thereof, between the results on Diego scores 4. Aparna scores 2.

the Managers’ dice rolls could influence this Diego: Goal! Number 9, Erika Perez, takes the free kick and curves it
over the wall and into the top left corner. 1-0 to Atletico.
role-playing. Aparna: I’m tearing into that midfielder now for giving away that free
kick.

In round 3 Aparna and Diego are tied for the BFP so the game
For example, if a Manager scores a goal from advances to round 4. Aparna wins the next BFP with a score of 12
versus 4. She determines that this scoring chance is from a corner.
Open Play and their roll is much higher than the
Aparna: I’m going to try and nick a goal at the end of the half here. I’m
defending Manager, this situation could be sending two defenders and all three midfielders to join the three
forwards. So I’m rolling 8 D6.
described as a fantastic sweeping move from Diego: I thought you might to do that, so I loaded up back there. I’m
the attacking team, utilizing a breakdown in the just leaving the one forward up-field. So I’ll have 10 D6 to roll here.

defence and being capped off by some clever Aparna and Diego both score 30 and each have rolled two 6s. Aparna
wins the first tie-breaker roll with a 5 versus Diego’s 2.
touches and a well placed shot inside the six- Aparna: 1-1! We’ve tied it up.Wow, that was close. That corner must
have been chaos. The ball was sent to the near post, my forward
yard box. headed it on and then...

Diego: Maybe my goalie got his fingers to it, tipped it into the middle
of the box and then it goes back and forth like pinball.
Role-playing such as this can be employed Aparna: Yeah, and then one of my midfielders, let’s say the one I
outside of goals, too. Battles for Possession, yelled at earlier, number 7 (Mehul Natt), is the one who got a toe on it
and poked it home. OK, half-time, my team talk is going to be way
different now.
Bookings and Penalty Shoot-Outs are all fitting
Diego: So is mine.
situations for role-playing. Also, consider role-
playing your team talk at Half Time.

9
TOTTS
TOTTS TEAM SHEET

HEADING
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TOTTS
HOME TEAM
T he Pen and Paper Soccer Game
TOTAL GOALS
SCORE SHEET
TOTAL GOALS AWAY TEAM

VS
MANAGER MANAGER

FIRST HALF

ROUND 1
ROUND 1

ROUND 2
ROUND 2

ROUND 3
ROUND 3

ROUND 4
ROUND 4

SECOND HALF
SECOND HALF

ROUND 1
ROUND 1

ROUND 2
ROUND 2

ROUND 3
ROUND 3

ROUND 4
ROUND 4

FULL TIME
FULL-TIME
EXTRA TIME
ROUND 1
ROUND 1

ROUND 2
ROUND 2

ENDOF
END OF EXTRA
EXTRA TIME
TIME

PENALTY
SHOOT OUT

11