Games about the Game: A History of Tabletop Baseball

Abstract

Today, at least in part due to the COVID- 19 pandemic, interest in tabletop games is surging. Baseball is particularly well- represented, with dozens of options ranging from big names like Strat- O- Matic and APBA to more recent offerings like PLAAY's History Maker Baseball, W. M. Akers' Deadball, or SSI's Payoff Pitch Baseball. Payoff Pitch uses dice or FACs to determine whether a pitched ball is put in play or even thrown in the hitter's wheelhouse;History Maker provides players with attributes like Ace or HR King to avoid a lot 138 NINE Vol. 29.1--2 of the math required in other games;and Deadball utilizes a simple system (based on rolling a few four- to twenty- sided dice) and encourages players to create their own J. Henry Waugh- esque universe. For board game fans unconcerned about accuracy, there are also several options. Baseball Highlights 2045 pits human, cyborg, and robot baseball players against one another in a short three- inning card- drafting battle;Bottom of the Ninth isolates the last frame of a tie game to see whether you can roll your team to a game- winning run.