History Maker Baseball Big League Baseball Game

from $57.00

Game contents include: Two-piece game board, spiral-bound game action booklet, Game Day and Game Day Extras reference boards, manager strategy cards, umpire and generic player cards, dice and marker tokens, complete rules and instructions, sample scoresheets, game box and four championship finalist pro teams, two each from from the classic 1955 and 1975 Pro Seasons, plus a PDF download link for the rest of pro baseball's teams from the '75 season. Full card sets based on other real-life pro and fictional seasons may be purchased separately, or with your copy of the game. FREE card sets available on our baseball “free stuff” page. Read MORE about the game below…

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Easy to learn, addictively fun to play, realistic and engaging, HISTORY MAKER BASEBALL brings you classic tabletop baseball realism, with a fresh, new approach.

We chose the name HISTORY MAKER BASEBALL because it captures what this game is all about. There are a number of award-winning table top baseball simulation games out there, many of them have had established followings for 30 years or more. It didn't make sense to try to "re-invent the wheel" when these games have loyal, satisfied devotees who have built large libraries of past season card sets. So instead, we focused on designing a game that offers a number of dimensions of big league baseball that other games don't attempt to capture, and a premise that is somewhat different than purely stat-driven baseball sims.

Every professional sports campaign contains an element of surprise. A baseball season always looks somewhat different in the rear-view mirror at World Series time than it did looking ahead on Opening Day. External factors and intangibles affect player and team performance in ways that are unforeseen, uncontrollable and often to a large degree, random. It's logical to assume that if you were somehow able to go back in time to Opening Day and play the same season with the same players and teams, you would necessarily get somewhat different results. Most players and teams would perform about the same in both seasons, but some would perform differently, either adversely or fortuitously affected by circumstance.

Where the great baseball board games of today look through the rear-view mirror, HISTORY MAKER BASEBALL is designed to give you the "Opening Day" perspective. HMB will allow for the collusion of intangibles which could potentially produce a result somewhat modified from what actually happened--or, WILL happen--in real-life, while still generating acceptably realistic, believable statistics. It does this through several unique twists on the traditional "baseball board game" methodology…

First, HISTORY MAKER BASEBALL Big League Baseball board game incorporates the intangibles of baseball--team chemistry, hot and cold streaks, player experience and so on. if a player is on a hot streak, or there's tension in the clubhouse, it's a palpable feeling with noticeable--though not precisely quantifiable--results. HMB reproduces that phenomena using a simple set of easy-to-implement qualities. The result is story-line drama that we think you'll find to be quite entertaining and captivating--but which doesn't bog down play, or require copious book-keeping!

Second, HISTORY MAKER BASEBALL expands the scope of the game to include events "outside the innings" which rightly affect what happens during the game. The pitching coach wants to talk "privately" to you about yesterday's starter. Here's the trainer with an injury report. Comments this morning from an outraged local sports talk host will have to be dealt with. The front office can be fickle--maybe they'll give you a "vote of confidence," or perhaps bungle a player negotiation, and you'll have to clean up the mess. All these are real factors in real baseball, and it's built-in to be a real part of HMB as well.

Third, this baseball board game offers a universe of managerial choices that includes classic baseball strategy and at the same time supersedes it, expanding into the realm of baseball psychology. Dugout chatter, coaching tips, walking to the mound to chat with the pitcher, arguing with the umpire--all have a place in real baseball, all have a place in HISTORY MAKER BASEBALL Big League Baseball simulation board game.

It should be duly noted here that these features are designed to COMPLEMENT the game, NOT overpower it. And they're all optional--you can use any, all, or none of them, to suit your own personal preferences. The game itself is designed first and foremost to be a faithful board game re-creation of big league baseball, complete with realistic stats. We completely understand--and agree--that a sports board game HAS to inspire confidence that the numbers will be realistic, or a huge sense of the "fun" is lost. The core engine of this game has been under play-test since 2002, and we think you'll be more than pleased with the realism. The league leaders, bottom-feeders, and everyone in between, pitchers, batters, fielders, all will by-and-large perform as you expect they will. Some guy who hit .255 with 10 home runs in real life won't suddenly blossom into the reincarnation of Hank Aaron and/or Rod Carew. But you might be able to bump him up to .275 and 15 home runs, if you manage adroitly.

Finally, there are several other interesting aspects to the game that sets it apart as a unique tabletop baseball experience. For example, umpires are rated with their own set of defining qualities. A controversial umpire call can have the same impact in YOUR baseball world as it does in real-life big league baseball. There's an extensive network of "highlight reel" results that will add "spice" and surprise to your campaign. And, the game's ratings framework is simple and straightforward enough that you'll be able to create any player, team or season you want to, quickly and easily. You can even play the game using ordinary baseball trading cards, rating the players as the game unfolds! HISTORY MAKER BASEBALL Big League Baseball board game is designed to be realistic, easy to understand, and--above all--FUN to play!

HISTORY MAKER BASEBALL Big League Baseball Game comes with four championship finalist pro teams, two each from from the classic 1955 and 1975 Pro Seasons, plus a PDF download link for the rest of pro baseball's teams from the '75 season. Numerous other real-life pro and fictional seasons are available for purchase with your game. Ready to PLAAY ball!? Order YOUR copy of HISTORY MAKER BASEBALL today!