sessionreport – Page 3 – The RallyByrd Baseball Board Game

Sample of Play: #Sacrifice (#RallyBird #Baseball #BoardGame)

This is the 2nd “sample of play” video in the series that pits Schiller against me. Schiller again uses controversial tactics. It joins us at the top of the 9th. All die rolls are real, one shot events determined by chance or fate. I like to think the RallyBird Baseball Board Game has an extra value of allowing you to test out these controversial tactics for yourself. In the case of the Sacrifice tactic in baseball, its official history shows an evolving evolution–how it impacts the batter’s statistic batting average or not. A Sacrifice Fly, earning a run, is defined differently than a general Sacrifice, which merely advances a runner–at the cost of a nearly certain Out. When is it worth it to you to use this tactic? I think it’s fun to wrestle with the decision point.

#RallyBird #Baseball #BoardGame Playtest pics: 2018 #Dodgers v #Giants

I have been play testing my add-on rules for applying the 2018 MLB season to the RallyBird Baseball Board Game. This requires the larger array of Glove tiles than the standard board game includes. They also come in different colors.

Generally, both 2018 teams have decent hitting and pitching but slightly less than average defense. The rules I’m testing give a slight edge to the Dodgers.

Dodgers scored 1 run in the top of the 7th. Then the Giants came back and small-balled in a couple runs. (You can see the damage in RallyBird terms, shaking the pitcher and defense in general, with the two missing tiles that the board’s printed Glove values must fulfill. You can also see part of each teams sky blue stack of Run tiles beside each dugout.)

Then, with runners at the corners, the next Giants bat let out a tremendous, musical CRACK. Kayakers in McCovey Cove saw it coming, and started paddling!

It’s going… It’s going… (Here’s a picture of the first of the two required die rolls make a Home Run in the RallyBird Baseball Board Game.)

Second die roll attempt below…Caught at the wall!

The kayakers were disappointed but not mad because it is a lovely day to be in the Bay, lovely to be floating in the shadow of their city’s great stadium, and hear the sounds of the team, winning 2-1 as the eighth inning begins. Will the Dodgers answer?

Here’s a link to the RallyBird Board Game Rules PDF.

The board game is currently for sale here.

Dynamic How to Play video below!

10th Inning, 1 Out, Need 1 Run to Tie…

Here are sample pictures of a tense game situation in a recent play session of RallyBird Baseball. I’m on the right, playing Home (blue). The situation as we join us is… It’s the 10th inning, with 1 Out. Score is Red 3, Blue 2.

Note: The RallyBird made an appearance earlier, which I squandered, so it flew away. I’m on my own now!

The pictures below are screen grabs from the video I took of the match–while failing to turn the microphone on, as I mentioned in my previous post.

rb1 — As blue offense, I made my At Bat decision and laid the card down. Red defense has started to place her defensive tiles, starting with the pitcher zone…

rb2 — Red completes placing the defensive tiles

rb3 — I reveal the At Bat card. It’s a hit that Drives Left. The sum of the relevant Glove zones is a 7. I roll the dice… a 9. Success!

rb4 — Since my Drive Left succeeded in moving a runner, Defense has to flip (if white numbered) or remove (if red numbered) one of the tested zones. She decides which one…

rb5 — I move the runner tokens according to the result on the card for beating the Gloves sum–it was a double.

rb6 — I take the Drive Left card back into my hand.

rb7 — Here’s the situation as I consider the tactic for my next batter. I have set up runners on base in a way that avoids the common double-play threat. My opponent is showing her array of Glove tile values as a courtesy.

rb8 — I select my next At Bat card and place it face down.

rb9 — Visitor puts down her defensive Glove tiles. (Defense made an error I didn’t catch–she should have removed the red numbered 4 Glove that failed in the previous Drive Left.)

rb10 — I reveal my At Bat card: Infield Left. The sum of the relevant Glove tiles is 7.

rb11 — I roll the dice, a 10, which beats 7. Success! However, the details on this particular card explain that runners on base only advance if forced, so there’s no score.

rb12 — Red (visitor) has to choose which Glove tile takes the impact. She flips the tile in the pitcher’s Glove zone. (Sorry that the screen capture includes the mute video play controls.)

rb13 — Here’s the field situation as I contemplate my next At Bat. 10th Inning! Bases loaded!!! One out. Score is still 3-2. I’m one run behind…

rb14 — I made my decision and placed my At Bat card face down… Note that I’m looking down so my opponent cannot read my face, which she did earlier in the game.

rb15 — Defense has placed her Glove tiles… Not that the course of the inning has lead her to have at this moment a lot of stronger Glove values, except for that 2. If I could hit at that weakness, it would help! I turn my face down to the table in nervousness…

rb16 — Nope, I hit against her strength. I chose a Drive Right. Her relevant defense Glove zones add up to a value of 9.

rb17 — My die roll result is a 6, quite less than a 9. Is that right? Is 6<9 or maybe 6>9 today? Should I challenge and have the HQ in New York check the video…. Oh no… It’s my second Out! Defense holds!

Here’s the situation… 10th inning, 2 outs, bases loaded, down by 1 run. And due to limitations with the video source, here I have to leave you hanging. Folks, it’s a mystery what happened next. Yep, I guess we’ll never know if I hit in another run or perhaps even two for a Walk-Off. No, we’ll never know.

Okay seriously my next At Bat was another Out… I left ducks on a pond stranded… What a finish! Visitors 3 – Home 2 was the final score. Congrats to my worthy opponent M. who persevered in this tense game session of RallyBird Baseball.

If I can recover pictures of the remaining (tragic) play I’ll come back and add them.

Forgot to Turn the Mic On

Well, a friend graciously agreed to let me video my explanation of the rules to her. In fact, we went on to play a full, thrilling game of RallyBird Baseball on video.

M. is a fan of baseball and also boardgames. She’s a perfect candidate for someone who would enjoy RallyBird Baseball.

There were bases loaded, steals, walks and mind-games. There was sass talk, theory talk, and defenses that bent without breaking. There was guessing, double-guessing, guessing right and blindsiding surprises. It was tie score in the 10th inning. She managed to sacrifice in a run. So then bottom of the 10th, I had the RallyBird on my side. And it was not enough! Victory went to M. I congratulate her! The score was Visitor 3, Home 2.

Afterward I found out that did not have the microphone settings on. Here I walk away stoically to my metaphorical dugout. I did not break a metaphorical bat over my knee.

Sometime, as soon as I can, I’ll try again–both a video of my explanation to another person who can ask questions and clarifications, and a video of a gameplay session.

I may be able to offer still pictures of part of that match.

Game Glimpse! RallyBirdBaseball Board Game Action… Walk-Off Home Run: A Short Time-Lapse Video

Here is a very short time-lapse video of a play tester’s Walk-Off Home Run when playing the RallyBird Baseball board game… the player token rounds the bases… teammates rush out of the dugout and leap around him at home plate. (I recommend you set play speed to 0.5 if you can.. click the control to the lower right beneath the image.)

The video also shows a typical Defensive array of Glove tiles on the board. The red-numbered Glove tiles reflect previous Offensive success moving a runner against them. In this situation, after the successful Home Run, Defense will have to remove the red tile in the upper left (left field of the board). This was a walk-off home run.

But if it hadn’t been the end of the game, it would make Defense’s work more difficult as she has only 5 Glove tiles left that half-inning. She wouldn’t have had enough Glove tiles to cover all the 6 zones on the board. That means she’d have to leave one Zone empty, using the lower value printed on the board. Offense would have to guess which one as Offense selects his tactics first and place the At Bat card face-down, then Defense sets up the Zones.

Screen Shot 2018-04-11 at 11.28.25 AM — Note the 6 Glove Tiles on the board. Some have red numbers, some have white. The Red numbers reflect previous Offensive success against them. They’re usually higher numbers now, but vulnerable to removal. Removal means Defense would have to work with fewer than a full set of Glove tiles, and use the lower numbers for those Zones printed on the board.

This was sad for Red, defending above. Fortunately, she enjoyed delicious revenge in a following game. After trailing in score in the 7th and 8th inning, she successfully used the (optional) RallyBird power in the 9th. The RallyBird gives the underdog in the 9th inning the choice to re-roll when on Offense, but the RallyBird flies away as soon as you miss one of those re-rolls. Red put runners on the bases then pushed them forward with small ball infield hits again and again (thanks RallyBird). She came back 4 runs in the 9th inning to win. Now Red was cackling and proclaiming RallyBird love, and Blue was cursing that bird. So there!