NUTMEG! A Nostalgic Deckbuilding Football Manager · published
Like football itself, NUTMEG! truly is a game of two halves. There are two ways to play out a season - either one game at a time in Hardcore Mode, or going all out on one key match every month and delegating the rest to your assistant manager in Broadcast Mode.
You’ll start in the Fourth Division, unlocking teams season by season via the KIT you receive until you reach the big time in Division One. In this dossier, we’ll lay out the match-to-match flow where you’ll make the decisions, as well as the differences between the two modes.
Regardless of which mode you pick, each season of NUTMEG! features a 50-game season over the span of 10 months, split into 46 regular games and four friendlies.
At the start of each season, you’ll get a season-long target - such as having not getting relegated - alongside a challenge where you'll gain extra kit. Each team will also have culture perks - more on them in a future blog. In addition, you’ll also have a series of Tasks to complete during the season that will reward you with more Boost Cards.
NUTMEG’s Broadcast mode gets you to focus on just 10 league games in each season, and by doing so creates a casual game mode in which a season can be completed in around 90 minutes. You'll pick just one game to play each month, allowing you to impact the game’s outcome via the card-based match engine. If you win, you’ll get an additional bonus: either doubling your gate receipts at home, or doubling how much fan sentiment you gain on an away win. The rest of the fixtures will be delegated, with the result determined based on your chosen formation, intensity, and squad’s ability. Your best starting XI is selected automatically for these fixtures.
Another perk that you can unlock down the line, Petty, will allow you to choose choose to play two ‘grudge matches’ each season. These matches will be an extra broadcasted match, allowing you to once again play your hand - literally. Whether there is a local rivalry you want to ensure victory over, or a particular team that you want to crush, these two matches can be picked at any time (and do not have to be the same team!)
After every month, you’ll receive a report on any injuries, suspensions, and scouting reports alongside a pack of Boost Cards for each week - with the cards themselves determined by the training programme you set up the month before. This is a great time to take stock and prepare for the following set of fixtures. However, certain parts of your job, such as transfers, securing sponsorships, and organising stadium developments, can be done at any time during the month. Some smaller development work, such as new buildings, can be completed in a month while larger upgrades to the stadium itself will occur after a full season.
Hardcore Mode acts very similarly to Broadcast Mode with 50 games over 10 months. Challenges, Perks, and Tasks will also be prevalent, and the ultimate goal is still to win trophies. However, unlike Broadcast Mode, you are given the option to either play each game using the card match engine or delegate it.
This mode gives you more control over which games to play, but can lead to significantly longer seasons if you decide to play every match using the card match engine. Stamina also becomes more of a factor in Hardcore Mode - both for you as a gaffer and your players.
Whether you want a more relaxed season mixed with playing and delegating, or want to get stuck in and fight tooth and nail for every point, NUTMEG! has a game mode for you. Both Broadcast Mode and Hardcore Mode give exciting and balanced options for you to rise to the top of the English football pyramid in the 1980s and 1990s. How you get there is up to you.
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