Over the Line — Rugby Union Season Simulator
8 April 2026
One Rulebook. Unlimited Seasons.
Over the Line is a tabletop rugby union season simulator for one or two players. Roll dice, resolve phases, and play out a full league campaign in an evening.
Each match runs across 26 phases of attacking and defending. Attack rolls against defence — d20 versus d20, modified by team ratings. The difference between the two totals tells you what happened: a runaway try, a hard-fought try, a penalty, a scrum reset, or a turnover. Kick for goal is a separate step. Bonus points reward attacking rugby. The home team gets +1 ATK. It plays like rugby feels.
How It Works
Every team has three ratings: ATK (attack), DEF (defence), and KICK (conversion and penalty kick ability). Ratings run from 3 to 9.
Each phase, the attacking team rolls d20 + ATK. The defending team rolls d20 + DEF. The difference maps to an outcome:
| Diff | Outcome | |------|---------| | 12 or more | Runaway Try | | 8 – 11 | Hard-Fought Try | | 6 – 7 | Penalty | | 4 – 5 | Scrum Reset | | 3 or less | Turnover |
Score a try and your kicker rolls for the conversion. Win a penalty and your kicker rolls for the three points. Three consecutive scrum resets trigger a scrum penalty — a kicking team's best friend.
Run 26 phases. Add up the score. Apply bonus points. Update the table. Move to the next match.
What's Included
Three ready-to-play competitions:
- Six Nations 2026 — calibrated against the real final standings. France and Ireland on top, Wales at the bottom, Italy's kicker (KICK 8) as the tournament wildcard.
- Rugby Championship 2025 — South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina. Home and away, six rounds.
- World League of Rugby — a fictional 10-team city league spanning England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Italy, France, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. The Johannesburg Jackals are the team to beat.
Build your own teams using the stats-based rating system — TF/game gives you ATK, TA/game gives you DEF, kick points per game gives you KICK. Any season, any competition, any era. Five minutes from standings table to playable ratings.
House rules for groups who want more penalties, longer matches, or a different bonus point structure — with simulation data showing exactly what each variant produces.
France vs England — Opening Match, Paris
France (ATK 8, DEF 7, KICK 7) hosting England (ATK 6, DEF 5, KICK 7) at the Stade de France. France get +1 ATK at home.
England strike first. Phase 5 — d20: 19, England total 25 vs France 14. Hard try. Conversion made. 0–7.
France respond immediately. Phase 6 — d20: 19, France total 27 vs England 10. Runaway try. Conversion made. 7–7.
France edge ahead at half-time through a hard-fought try. England level it up in the second half. Then, Phase 25 — France win possession, ATK total 16 vs England's 6. Hard try. Conversion made on exactly the threshold roll needed.
Final: France 21–14 England.
Two dice rolls and there's already a story.
The Digital Companion
A free browser-based simulator accompanies the rulebook — animated dice, full outcome tables, automatic league tracking, manual and auto-simulate modes. Six Nations, Rugby Championship, World League of Rugby, or build a custom league with your own teams.
No download. No account. Runs in any browser.
Play the Over the Line Simulator →
Get the Rulebook
The full rules PDF (18 pages) and printable scoresheet are available now on Payhip.
Includes the complete rule set, all three team sets with pre-built ratings, the stats-based rating system with worked examples and judgement notes, house rules, and flavour text tables for every phase outcome.