The Guru’s Famous Baseball Card Game

The Guru’s Famous Baseball Board Game

Description

You are the manager and ANYTHING that can happen in real baseball can happen in the Guru’s game.

· The game comes with two past World Series teams, free. Additional player cards can be purchased and used to replay an entire MLB season or to draft new teams and leagues.

· Unique player salary on each card lets you know what the player was really worth. Ideal for drafting teams using salary caps.

· More accurate simulation, using the player's real stats and three dice instead of two.

· Clutch and Choke ratings for performance in pressure situations

· More strategy options than with other games.

· Use players from different eras at the same time (put Reggie Jackson and Lou Gehrig on the same team).

· Easy to play, less than 15 minutes for basic game.

· Rare special events such as the hidden ball trick, corked bats and bench clearing brawls add fun and realism.

How to Play

Setup: Assign your starting pitcher and the positions each batter will play in the field. Arrange the players in a batting order with the leadoff hitter on top of the stack. Usually the pitcher bats last so put him on the bottom.

To Play: Throw three dice producing a three-digit number (e.g. 124, 542, 663). To differentiate between the dice, use dice of different colors or sizes and always read them in the same order (e.g. Red die 1^st digit, white die 2^nd digit, small die 3^rd digit). If you only have white dice, try marking them with highlighter pens. You can also use the pre-made random dice rolls. Become familiar with the Batter’s and Pitcher’s Cards (see “Notes about the Player Cards” and “Notes about the Pitcher’s Cards”). Read the Batter’s card like a table. The pitcher grades are the column headings and the results are the row headings.

Basic Game

Roll the three dice. Find the result of the at bat by matching the pitcher's ratings with the columns on the batter's card. For example, let’s say a pitcher’s rating for Hits is ‘C’, for K (Strikeouts) is ‘D’ and for Walks is ‘B’. Check column ‘C’ on the batter’s card for Home Runs (HR), Triples (3B), Doubles (2b), Singles (1B) and Errors (E); check column ‘D’ for K (Strikeouts); and column ‘B’ for Walks (BB). If the roll does not fall into any row, the ball was hit into the field for an out. Imagine that you are following one crooked column down, where the grade versus hits is highlighted, then versus strikeouts, then versus walks. No matter what the pitchers grades are, there will never be two possible outcomes.

Check the movement of runners after an out. When the result is not a hit, error, Strikeout or walk and runners are on base, refer to the “Advancing Runners on an Out” chart.

Movement of the runners after a base hit: Runners advance one base on a single and two bases on a double. Advanced players may refer to the "Advancing Base Runners on a Hit" chart for “Running Aggressively” alternatives, such as attempting to move from first to third on a single.

Movement of the runners after an error: Runners advance one base if forced or there are two out. Advanced players may refer to the "Advancing Base Runners on a Hit" chart for “Running Aggressively” alternatives, such as attempting to move from first to third on the error, but should only do so if they have determined that the ball was fielded by an outfielder. If “Running Aggressively” and runners are not forced and there are less than two out, the runners would be attempting to advance one base not two.

See Advanced Game Enhancements for rules on pressure situations, defensive adjustments, invoking defensive and offensive strategies, special events and injuries.

Notes About the Player Cards

· Worth – in the top left corner indicates the amount of money in ($000’s) that he was worth that season. Obviously the salaries in Major League Baseball rise each year, but players in this game are treated equally across seasons, so the salary pay scale was held constant. Worth is based on a combination of every measurable aspect of the player’s performance. Those calculations are based on values, which are more detailed than the ratings on the card. For example, two pitchers could have identical cards but have different worth values. This would be because in real life, one of them may have had more innings pitched or a lower era even though they were grouped into the same ratings categories. Worth for non-pitchers who do not play in a strong majority of his team’s games is penalized based on playing time.

· Fielding – the cards have the position played in the top right, corner of the card. The position in large bold font is the primary position. The positions listed on the row underneath are secondary positions. The abbreviations are as follows: Starting Pitcher (SP), Relief pitcher (RP), Starter/Reliever Pitcher (SR), Reliever/Starter Pitcher (RS), Catcher(C), First base (1B), Second base (2B), Third base (3B), Shortstop (SS), Outfield (OF). No distinction between Right, Center and Left fields was made.

· Stealing and Base Running – ratings are in the bottom left corner of the player card. The values are from E to AAA, where E is slowest and AAA is fastest.

· Power – rating determines the depth of fly ball outs hit to the outfield.

· Inj – Injury ratings are plus (+), normal (N) and minus (-).

Players may play in positions other than as indicated on the card with the restriction that DP, Arm and Range grades are minus, where appropriate. Position players used as pitchers are assigned the pitching grades F/F/F for Hits, Strikeouts, and Walks respectively. Since ‘F’ grades do not appear on the batter’s card, use column ‘E’ with the adjustments indicated in the Rare Pitching Grades section of the “Notes About the Pitcher Cards.”

Notes About the Pitcher Cards

Pitching assignments are found in the bottom right hand portion of the player cards. Pitching grades for Hits, Strikeouts (K), Walks (Walk) and Endurance (IP) are as follows:

· Hits (represented as ‘Hits’ on the pitcher’s card) – Grades are ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ and ‘E’, where ‘A’ is the highest, ‘E’ is the lowest. A quirky feature is that ‘D’ represents the league average, not ‘C’ as one might expect. This allows more variation in pitching grades for above average pitchers who typically pitch more often. For clarification about the Hits rating, a grade ‘E’ pitcher is only modestly below average. Many pitchers did not perform well enough to earn an ‘E’ rating. See notes about rare pitching ‘A+’ and ‘F’ grades below.

· Strikeouts (represented as ‘K’ on the pitcher’s card) – Grades are ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ and ‘E’, where ‘A’ is the highest, ‘E’ is the lowest and ‘C’ represents the league average. See notes about rare pitching ‘A+’ and ‘F’ grades below.

· Walks (represented as ‘Walk’ on the pitcher’s card) – Grades are ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ and ‘E’, where ‘A’ is the highest, ‘E’ is the lowest and ‘C’ represents the league average. See notes about rare pitching ‘A+’ and ‘F’ grades below.

· Rare Pitching Grades – With only five basic pitching grades it is impossible to simulate extreme cases. To correct this limitation, two special grades, ‘F’ (indicating a very poor performance) and ‘A+’ (indicating an exceptional performance) were created. Since these grades do not appear on the batter’s card, use column ‘E’ for grade ‘F’ and column ‘A’ for grade ‘A+’ with the following adjustments:

o Grade ‘F’ Hits – A roll of 631-636 is a double

o Grade ‘F’ Strikeouts – if there was a runner on base and the result was K, then it’s a strike, roll again.

o Grade ‘F’ Walks – a roll of 641-646 is a walk

o Grade ‘A+’ Hits – if the result was HR or 3B, then the batter fly’s out.

o Grade ‘A+’ Strikeouts – a roll of 651-656 is a Strikeout

o Grade ‘A+’ Walks – if there was a runner on base and the result was BB, then it’s a ball, roll again.

o Note: these adjustments supersede the batters card.

· Pitcher's Endurance is represented as ‘IP’ on the pitcher’s card to indicate the number of innings he can pitch before he fatigues. This feature prevents the over use of a team’s best pitchers. When a pitcher exceeds the number of innings the card indicates that he is allowed to pitch, his rating versus hits drops one grade. So a C/C/C pitcher becomes D/C/C. After that, each additional inning causes his rating versus strikeouts and walks to drop one grade. In this example, he drops to D/D/D. He continues to lose effectiveness in this alternating manner for the remainder of the game.

· Special note about endurance for SR and RS rated pitchers. The ‘IP’ rating on the pitcher’s card indicates the number of innings he can pitcher as a Starter before he fatigues. SR and RS rated pitchers are allowed two innings when used as a reliever with one exception. SR and RS rated pitchers with an IP special rating of ‘10’ are allowed three innings in relief and eight innings per start. RS rated pitchers should be removed when their endurance limit is reached rather allowing them to continue with diminishing effectiveness.

· SR Rated pitchers were Starting Pitchers more than half of the time. RS rated pitchers, conversely, were Relief Pitchers more than half of the time.

Advanced Game Enhancements

Recommended for those who have mastered the basic game. Use some or all of the added features below to add realism. The steps for each at bat are listed sequentially.

1) First, check to see if it’s a "pressure" situation.

2) Second, the defensive manager may invoke any strategies at his or her discretion. These strategies include: changing the pitcher, making a fielding substitution, calling for an "Intentional Walk", "Holding the Runner" to prevent stolen bases and "Infield In" to prevent a run from scoring on an infield ground ball. Refer to the Defensive Strategy Table.

3) Third, in turn, the offensive manager may invoke any strategies at his or her discretion. These strategies include: bringing in a pinch hitter and if there are runners on base, "Attempting to Steal", "Hit & Run", "Sacrifice", and "Squeeze Play." The manager must also specify whether he wants the base runners to "Run Aggressively." If the manager does not, "Running Conservatively" is assumed. Refer to the Offensive Strategy Table.

4) * See Basic Game above.

5) If the first roll was from 663-665, check the "Special Events" chart and on a roll of 666, check the "Injury" chart.

6) To determine who fielded the ball for score keeping purposes, refer to the bottom of the "Advancing Runners on an Out" chart and take note of the following exceptions for infielders. Exceptions: the chart requires some common sense interpretation with respect to the fly ball and ground ball designations for infielders. While the table is perfectly accurate with bases empty and with two out, it should not be used to overrule the "results" section. For example, if the table indicates that it was a fly ball hit to the second baseman and the result was F.C. or ADV, obviously it should be scored a ground ball. Likewise, if runners are not forced and the result was a DP, then it must have been a line drive, not a ground ball.

Pressure Situations

This optional feature is recommended for advanced players. A batter's “pressure” rating determines his tendency to drive in runs during pressure situations. A player rated "clutch" drives in more runs than a "steady" player, who drives in more runs than a "choke" player. Only a handful of players in a given season are awarded a "clutch" rating and typically leadoff batters are assigned a "choke" rating. To clarify, "choke" does not mean that the batter doesn't come through in clutch situations as the label might suggest. It simply means that leadoff batters are more likely to try harder to work out a walk in those situations, while a power hitter might try to drive in a run with a sacrifice fly. Special note about pitchers when batting: all pitchers are rated “choke” even though it is not printed on the card, unless the pitcher plays multiple positions in which case is rated “steady.”

A pitcher’s “pressure” rating refers to his pitching ability in pressure situations. A pitcher rated "Negates Clutch" turns the clutch situation off and is not subject to any adjustments normally caused by clutch rated hitters. Likewise, a pitcher rated "Negates Choke" prevents choke rated hitters from causing any adjustments. These pitcher ratings are normally reserved for Relief pitchers, but in rare cases a Starter can earn a Negates Clutch/Choke rating.

The “pressure” rating comes into effect during the following situations:

1) Runner on second or third base, while tied or losing by one or two runs.

2) Seventh inning or later and tied or losing by one run.

Adjustments made as the result of a pressure situation:

1) The pitcher's rating versus hits drops one grade against "clutch" hitters and increases one grade versus "choke" hitters.

2) The pitcher's rating versus strikeouts increases one grade versus "choke" hitters.

3) The pitcher's rating versus walks increases one grade against "clutch" hitters and drops one grade versus "choke" hitters.

Therefore, during pressure situations, C/C/C pitchers become D/C/B against "clutch" hitters and B/B/D against "choke" hitters. There is never any adjustment made against "steady" hitters.

Defensive Adjustments to Advanced Game

This optional feature is recommended for advanced players.

1) Infield Range adjustment. Notice that some players have a + or – after the position they play, such as 2B+. The range rating is only valid at the primary position with the following exception: A minus range player retains the minus range grade no matter what position he plays. Determine your team infield range rating by adding the plusses and minuses of your four infielders to get a total from –4 to +4. For example, if your four infielders are 1B-, 2B+, SS and 3B+, then the team infield range rating adds up to +1 (-1+1+0+1=1). Apply the following fielding adjustments:

1. Infield Range is +1; the last value of “Single” becomes an out for every batter.

2. Infield Range is +2; the last two values of “Single” become outs for every batter and so on up to +4.

3. Infield Range -1, the last value of “ADV” from the “Advancing Runners on an Out – Ball Hit to Infield” chart becomes a Single for every batter.

4. Infield Range -2, the last two values of “ADV” from the “Advancing Runners on an Out – Ball Hit to Infield” chart become Singles for every batter and so on up to -4.

2) Infield Double Play adjustment. Notice that some players have a DP+ or DP- next to the position they play. The rating is valid for 2B, 3B and SS, whether it is the primary or a secondary position he is playing. Determine you team DP rating by adding all of the pluses and minuses together. For example, if your team has two DP+ and one DP-, the team DP rating is +1. See the “Advancing Runners on a Out” chart to determine the impact of the double play rating.

3) Outfield Range adjustment. Determine your team outfield range rating in the same manner. The outfield range rating is only valid when playing outfield. Apply the following fielding adjustments:

1. Outfield Range is +1; the last value of “Double” becomes an out for every batter.

2. Outfield Range is +2, the last two values of “Double” become outs for every batter and so on for +3.

3. Outfield Range -1, the last value of “Hold” from the “Advancing Runners on an Out – Ball Hit to Outfield” chart becomes a double for every batter.

4. Outfield Range –2, the last two values of “Hold” from the “Advancing Runners on an Out – Ball Hit to Outfield” chart become doubles for every batter and so on for -3.

4) Arm Adjustments. Catchers and Outfielders can earn “Arm+” or “Arm-” ratings. The Arm rating is associated with the player’s primary position and does not carryover to any secondary positions.

Fielding grades clarification. The fielding grades are strictly based on assists and double plays relative to time played. Since the grades are based purely on the numbers and not on any subjectivity, it is possible for a great fielder to not get great fielding grades. This simulation makes its best attempt to recreate the numbers.

Invoking Defensive Strategies

The defensive team must declare it’s strategy before the batter swings. These strategies are only used with runners on base or in the ninth inning or extra innings.

1. Attempt pickoff – Use this chart to try to prevent a stolen base.

2. Infield In – Use this chart to throw the ball home instead of to first base on a ball hit to the infield to prevent the runner on third from scoring.

3. Outfield In – Use this chart to prevent a run from scoring on a single. Many “would be” outs become doubles.

4. Outfield Deep / Guard the Lines – Use this chart to prevent a double. Many “would be” out become hits.

Invoking Offensive Strategies

Offensive strategies are easy to use, just roll on the chart for the strategy desired.

1. Hit and Run – Use with less than two outs and runners on first or first and third. Runner on first gains two grades to his running rating. It is assumed that runners are “Running Aggressively.” See the Hit & Run chart for more details.

2. Sacrifice – Use this chart when you want the batter to bunt. The strategy is to let the batter make an out to try to advance the runners one base. This can be an effective strategy when there are no outs and a weak hitter is batting and one run could make a big difference in the outcome of the game.

3. Squeeze Play – Use this chart when you want to do a special kind of sacrifice, where you try to score the runner from third base. It’s risky because if the batter fails to bunt the runner is generally forced to try to steal home.

4. Base Stealing – Use this chart only after the defense has declared whether or not it is attempting to pickoff the lead runner. Roll on the chart corresponding to the catcher’s Arm rating.

Special Events and Injuries

This optional feature overrides the results on the batter’s card. It is intended to add the feel of real baseball to the game.

· Special Events - If the first roll was from 663-665, check the "Special Events" chart. Follow the directions on the chart.

· If the first roll was 666, check the "Injury" chart. Roll first to determine the injured player. The batter’s card has a value in the bottom right cord labeled “Inj” and has a value of minus (-), normal (N) or plus (+). Roll again on the Injury chart to determine the duration of the injury using his “Inj” rating as a guide.

Suggestions for Assembling a League of Your Own

Any drafting procedure is acceptable as long as the owners agree to a methodology before the draft. The Guru provided a draft worksheet to assist in this process, which is especially useful if you are keeping track of salaries. The following are some recommended draft formats.

1) Guru’s favorite drafting method: Each owner drafts one player at a time. The last owner to pick in the first round will pick first in the second round. It continues in this alternating fashion, until each owner completes his or her roster.

2) Lazy method: Teams may be assembled by blindly picking cards at each position, one at a time using the same drafting procedure.

3) Teams may be assembled by paying salaries to the players. The least amount of money a player will sign for is the value his card indicates he is worth. The salaries are listed in $1000's. Each owner starts with the same amount of money before the player draft. It's up to the group of owners to decide the beginning wallet sizes, the number of players per team and which players will be included in the draft.

4) Salary version II: Owners may agree to bid on each player drafted. This way, when an owner drafts a player, he bids the salary indicated on the card. If another owner wants that player, he may offer to pay more than the salary indicated. The player goes to the highest bidder. An optional penalty to owners over spending their budgets is to be forced to sell one or more players back to the draft at the player's worth (rather than at the price paid) until enough money is available to complete the roster.

5) Use teams as they were in real life. This is useful for replaying a World Series, setting up a tournament or replaying an entire season. For tournament style play, play at least the best two of three games, before allowing a team to move to the next round. Playing the best three of five or best four of seven games series is better. This adds validity to the winner.

At the conclusion of any draft, all remaining players are free agents. Trades for free agents and trades between owners for players (and extra money) may occur after the draft. The length of the season is entirely at the discretion of the owners.