“Counteeer!”

The sport of handball is characterized by quick moves and a lot of goals. KONTER ("Counter") has been inspired by this; with its specific game course, it creates a similar feel of play. With this project, we want to bring the excitement of the original sport to your game table at home.

An overview of the course of the game

• On his turn, the active player rolls two dice at the same time – for himself and for his opponent (passive player), who lies in wait for his chance to counter.
• Now the active player chooses one die for the passive player and puts it on the "Referee ball."
• If he uses his Tactics cards, the active player may change the number rolled on his die.
• After that, he immediately carries out an action; e.g., he can substitute a playing figure with a "3" and strengthen his own defense, or he can try to start an offense to get a chance of throwing a goal.
• Then, with his die, the passive player has a consequent reaction, e.g., guarding opposing offense spaces with a "1," or fine-tuning his own tactics.
• Both players try to use their "all-rounder" (a playing figure with special abilities) tactically and cleverly; there are different kinds of throws, fouls with 2-minute penalties, yellow cards and just one "Super Glove"; for reinforcement, the "Team Spirit" comes into play…

You can find the quick game rules for one player (incl. all action possibilities and kinds of throws) here:
www.juhu-spiele.de/downloads/konter-quick_rules_EN.pdf

Simple rules for beginners make it easier to become familiar with the dice-handball game; and rules for advanced players spark off "storms of enthusiasm" and provide long-lasting replayability appeal. The short playing time of around 30 minutes stimulates players to engage in follow-up matches or a big tournament.

There are only very few really good sport simulations. One of the best and most successful is Tischkicker – however, this is more of a game device. KONTER is a board game where handball fans, like their "great idols," can conjure up perfect throws off the cuff. We would achieve our best goal if, after a gripping game, players said: "Let's do it again!"

Object of the game; variants; playing fun

• The player who has "thrown" the most goals by the end of the game wins. And who else does? Of course, the player with the best tactics, the fastest pace, and with the Team Spirit as the eighth player on his side.
• In the basic game, players can choose from several game variants ("Training," "Single Game" or "Tournament"). The accompanying booklet (see "Stands" reward) contains further appealing variants.
• It makes for interactive playing fun that some of the actions are announced loudly: When the active player rolls a "4", for example, the passive player quickly calls out "Counteeer!" and, with this, seizes the ball. This guarantees a great atmosphere in the arena.

This is for all those who love games for 2, are tournament enthusiasts, and want to become dice-handball champions. As in the sport, this dice-handball game comes not only with varied and quite challenging playing options, but also contains a certain amount of luck.

In KONTER, both players are constantly involved in the game. This generates the special dynamics of the board game. Each game turn is followed by a direct reaction from the opponent. This is what the active player has to take into account when choosing his die and his action, since this prepares the ground for the opponent's next game turn, when he will be the active player.

The die is the handball

• When Peter Höfer (the author of the game) presented the prototype of his Tischhandball in December 2014, his simple game idea fascinated me promptly.
• Since then, there have been various minor modifications regarding the basic rules, the gameboard, and the number of figures. "How closely should the game stick to the original handball rules?" And: "What new rules can we invent for the adaptation as a board game?" These were questions that we had to solve for the further development and designing of the game.
• Besides many common features (terminology) with the original, the board game also has fine differences. For example, each player starts with only 4 figures (plus the goalkeeper) on the playing field; during the course of the game, he can reach the maximum number (7 players, as is usual in handball) by substitution. After each goal throw, figures have to go to the substitute's bench. A decrease of the number of figures on the playing field through an offensive way of playing is immediately rewarded with a substitution wave, though, as soon as there are 3 figures "sitting" on the bench. This way, this board game is not a simplified sport simulation but can let its special features (with Super Glove and Team Spirit) fully unfold. "Applaaause!" ;-)
• For the handball connoisseur, the game additionally provides pivot players and backcourt players, the Kempa trick and also the "fast-break" – carried out with dice!

You'll find the complete game instructions and a print-and-play version in the blog. If you like what you can see and try out so far, please call the attention of other handball fans and board game enthusiasts to this project, too. We would appreciate any kind of support very much. And we would also like to thank all those who have already supported this project in its test phase with their valuable feedback and thus were instrumental in making this possible!

First, the final graphics and the illustrations for the cover, the gameboard and the accompanying booklet will be completed. After that, 1,000 boxes (20 x 20 x 3 cm) will go into production – handy and jam-packed with high-quality game components and plenty of playing fun. KONTER – made in Germany.

The components of the basic game

• 1 gameboard (38 x 19 cm, double-sided)
• 2 dice-handballs (showing 2x "1"; 1x "2"; 2x "3"; 1x "4")
• 8 Tactics cards (4 each in blue or red)
• 2 time markers (in blue/red)
• 1 Referee ball (storage area for the passive die)
• 10 handball players (5 playing figures each in blue or red)
• 2 all-rounders (1 playing figure each in blue or red)
• 2 goalkeepers (1 playing piece each in blue or red)
• 1 Super Glove (playing piece in gray)
• 1 Team Spirit (playing figure in white)
• 10 goal counters (5 each in blue or red, double-sided)
• 3 seven-meter penalty tiles (for both players)
• 6 yellow cards (for both players)
• 2 sets of quick rules (in blue/red, German/English)
• 1 set of game instructions (German/English)

If the financial goal is exceeded, even more game materials are possible (which would be included for all supporters). After reaching the funding goal, the first stretch goal (beyond 9,000 €) would be a writable tournament pad (25 sheets for 2 to 4 players). The second stretch goal (beyond 10,000 €) would be exclusively for supporters: the "Turner" expansion for more goals (3 cards per player). Further "stretch goooals" will follow as an update.