Keep track of the innings, score, outs, and base runners. Use markers to track all your exciting Major League Baseball game action. Use bingo markers, dimes, or cut out your own markers about the size of a dime as your markers, you will need 7 total (3 for base runners, 1 for outs, 1 for the current inning, and 1 for the current score of the visitor and home teams).
Simple to follow playing instructions to play Baseball Classics Baseball Game with 3 playing levels for ages 8 to adult hardcore MLB fans. Virtually anything that can happen in a MLB game can happen in Baseball Classics with fast, easy, and statistically accurate game play modeled after true MLB realism.
Baseball Classics Field Manager’s Rulebook – Revision 14 – Player Cards
One of the key reasons Baseball Classics Baseball Game is fast to play is because we designed our game with an efficient game Game Play Chart. The Game Play Chart is used to look up the result of:
The Play Action Simulator is optional, though when used, your play will include virtually anything that can happen in a Major League Baseball game!
Baseball fans love the game for many reasons. They have favorite players, teams, and even seasons filled with thrilling Pennant races wire-to-wire. All major sports have these 3 favorite reasons; they also have a strategy to winning. Strategy is the next level fans are entrenched watching their favorite sport. The best part about strategy in sports in my view, are the decisions made and carried out in real-time.
When managing against the Real-Time Decision Manager it’s all about strategy used based on the players ability to execute and game situation.
Baseball has many factors to be considered throughout a game as listed in the last article 21 Factors Impacting Baseball Board Game Play. Each factor impacts which strategy to use depending upon the game situation in real-time. When playing your baseball board game solitaire you take on the role as Manager for both teams. Calling all the shots depending upon the strategies you see fit then and there.
Baseball Classics has added an innovative approach to your solitaire play so you don’t have to do all the managing from the first pitch to the final out. The Real-Time Decision Manager can manage 1 or both of your Baseball Classics MLB teams, calling all the shots, making the calls in real-time.
Consider the Real-Time Decision Manager as the equivalent of having a Football Head Coach on the sidelines with a playbook.
The Real-Time Decision Manager can make decisions before, during, and after at bat, hence in real-time. There are 16 pages that provide the choices made, divided by the current inning played, current score, number of outs, runner(s) on base, and each batters OPS (On base average plus slugging average – listed on each Baseball Classics player position card in the Player Stats column). These form an intersection that reveals the decision(s) for that game situation.
For example, when the Real-Time Decision Manager is managing the team on offense, an intersection may consist of calling for a steal attempt, sending the base runner(s) as extra base, bringing in a pinch hitter, etc. When on defense, examples are pickoff attempts, pitchouts, bringing the infield in, changing pitchers, etc.
Some of the decisions are dynamic, such as stealing a base. A dice roll is used to determine if the Real-Time Decision Manager wants the runner to steal or not. Other decisions such as sending the base runner an extra base on a hit or intentionally walking a batter are straight up calls.
Once you choose the teams to play, make the lineups, and select the starting pitchers, the game then turns over to the Real-Time Decision Manager handling any game situation. It’s built to handle your managerial challenge and will keep you guessing from the top step of the dugout move after move.
The Real-Time Decision Manager is seamlessly integrated into your Baseball Classics baseball game play adding the challenge of someone else making the calls to counter your moves.
Let’s walk through a game situation to see how the Real-Time Decision Manager is processing what to do when on offense. It’s the bottom of the 9th inning, the team is behind 3-2, 2 outs, runner on 1st, and the batter at the plate has an OPS of .832.
This would take you to the page in the Real-Time Decision Manager for that game situation. The Real-Time Decision Manager has pages organized first by managing on offense or defense and the inning, then it’s based on the score, outs, runner(s) on base, and batter OPS. Note the grouping in the illustration above that reveals the intersection highlighted by the red rectangle.
The icon symbols represent the decisions made by the Real-Time Decision Manager based on this game situation. The first symbol in the green, calls to send a green Run rating base runner from 1st to 3rd on a single, 2nd to Home on a single, or 1st to Home on a double.
The next symbol is calling for a pinch runner to come in for the current runner on 1st if the following condition is met with an available player on the bench: He has a higher Run rating than the current runner. If so, then choose an available player from the bench with the highest Run rating when in the 9th inning or extra innings or second highest Run rating when in the 7th or 8th inning.
Every game situation is covered from the top of the 1st to the bottom of the 9th or through extra innings. Even threatening weather conditions. And just like watching a Major League Baseball game, you may disagree with the manager’s decisions now and then. There may be times when you second-guess the Real-Time Decision Manager too; it comes with the territory.
Now you don’t have to play your solitaire games alone, you can always have the perfect companion to play your games against. Think you can out wit, out play, and out manage the Baseball Classics Real-Time Decision Manager?
Avid tabletop baseball board game players seem to always come up with very smart, intuitive enhancements to the baseball games they play. Here are 5 tips to help you no matter which baseball board games you play. Enjoy!
5. Put Your Play Charts In Your Phone
No need to bring your play charts with you, simply take pictures of your charts and such then access them from your phone when you need them. With the ability to zoom in and scan from top to bottom, side to side on any pictures it’s a convenient way to forgo the need to have those game parts with you when you have a tight squeeze for playing space or are on the go. A perfect way to make your game parts a travel companion when on flights or road trips (when someone else is driving!). I have the Baseball Classics Play Chart and Fielding Grid on my iPhone in an Album. It is easy to do, easy to access, easy to read, and another benefit is you can save them to disk. This way they are accessible from other devices if you store them in the Cloud or copy them over and backed up.
4. Use Scotch Tape to Protect Your Player Cards
A clever, inexpensive way to protect your player cards is using Scotch tape, in other words laminating them. Use it for your favorite player cards to protect them and if you are up for laminating beyond those, then do it for those special teams you want to ensure aren’t ruined from an occasional drip from a beverage.
Try it on the front only or if you want full protection wrap each strip around one row at a time. Either way, measure how much tape it will take to wrap around your player card and add 1/8” of an inch, then cut that length of tape.
With your player card face up gently place one end of the strip of Scotch tape just past the edge of your player card. Use scissors to trim the remaining edges of tape.
3. Use a Calculator Instead of Dice
Dice rolls are all about generating random numbers. Many calculators, including those on your phone today include a Rand key that generates a random number. I love this tip, it’s one I’ve used since I was a kid playing baseball board games and still works like a charm today. It’s quick, quiet, and portable.
Here’s how to use it for Baseball Classics, but you can apply the same method for any other type of baseball board games. Check out this table, you can use it to play Baseball Classics.
Press the Rand button and say .001 through .500 is a roll on the pitcher card; otherwise it’s a roll on the batter card.
Press the Rand button again and use this table to determine the Roll based on the Rand number that comes up. Notice the first Rand number in the table is .0046, the next is .0185, and so forth all the way to 1.000.
Here’s how to use this dice roll probability table; it’s simple. Starting at the top row, any Rand result between .0001 up to .0046 is a roll of 3. Looking ahead a Rand result between .5001 up to .6250 is a roll of 11. Using this kind of table and a calculator with a Rand button you can really speed up the play of your baseball board games.
Here’s an example: A Rand result of .7122 equates to the dice roll of 12. That’s because a Roll of 12 on the table is any Rand result between .6251 up to .7407.
Check out this link, you can create a table that suits your baseball board game and the number of six-sided dice it uses. http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~leif/FRP/probability.html
2. Keep Score on 4” X 6” Index Cards
When I want to keep track of my games, especially including the stats I get a stack of 4” X 6” index cards. It’s a perfect vehicle for writing the lineup on one side and flipping it over to put the other team’s lineup on. It leaves plenty of room to keep track of your pitchers too after the lineup, including adding columns to enter the IP, H, BB, SO, R, and ER of each pitcher.
I place the game number in the upper right hand corner and using the technique I shared in Blog post How to Play Your Baseball Board Games Faster (section – Keeping Score Faster) it’s an easy and fast way to play your game faster while having it on these handy sized cards.
1. Make Your Game Transportable
When you have the urge to play away from home, I find it best practice to pack up a “travel” version of your baseball board game. Just like packing a suitcase for travel, I use the same principle here. First decide what parts of your baseball game are essential to bring and then figure out what type of “suitcase” to protect it.
Naturally bringing your individual team player cards or team sheets is a must. If your baseball game uses team sheets, consider making a photocopy of them to bring instead of the original. Consider making photocopies of your charts, etc. too. Typically when traveling with your game since you’re out of your usual playing element things happen like drinks spilling, food splatters, etc. and you don’t want to take that chance if you don’t have to.
The next best thing is to pick a “suitcase” for your game. And like an actual suitcase something that is light, yet protective, and just the right size. I’ve used anything from a quart size zip-lock bag for Baseball Classics (folding a copy of the Game Play Chart, Fielding Grid, dice, and holds a good number of teams), a tidy plastic container, a small box, and worst case a pocket in my brief case, suitcase, or travel bag.
Of course there’s re-creating your baseball game parts so they can then be accessed by your phone, tablet, or iPad. This is the inspiration behind the Baseball Classics Scorefield Web App, so you have access to them anytime you have internet access. A reminder, you can go to www.playbaseballclassics.com/mobile to play Baseball Classics anytime you have your player cards and an internet connection.
Share your favorite baseball board game tips below for all to see and even Tweet. Don’t be shy, no tip is too small, they all add up!
BASEBALL CLASSICS CLOUD – GAME PARTS
Baseball Classics® Scorefield game board is a beautiful, full color combination of baseball field and scoreboard for you to track the score, innings, outs, and baserunners.
For this download version, use bingo markers, dimes, or cut out your own markers about the size of a dime as your markers to track your game (3 for baserunners, 1 for outs, 1 for the current inning, and 1 for the visitor and home team’s current score).
Consider purchasing our Baseball Classics Magnetic Scorefield to play just about anywhere while keeping track of the score, runners, outs, and innings! Our magnetic markers stay in place and slide smoothly to keep up with your game play action.
Also, when the Baseball Classics Boxed Game Parts are purchased, the Scorefield and 7 chip markers are included.