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Testing MLB Team Rules for the RallyBird Baseball Board Game

I designed the RallyBird Baseball Board Game for a easy, 1-hour, thoughtful board game experience of the sport. This meant when I recently took on the task of adapting historic MLB team performance to Rally Bird, I did not try to drill down on the charismatic, individual statistical performance of players. Instead, these optional, add-on MLB rules I’m testing depend on team averages over the season. This is a necessary simplification to keep the RB board game quick and playable, yet with emphasis on decisions for offense and defense each At Bat.

Within these broad modifications, the decisions of the board game players and their dice determine the individuality of events. It’s fun for me to try to adapt MLB team performance to the characteristics of this board game. Does it succeed? I don’t know yet, but I’ve designed and ordered the components I need to test the playable asymmetry of the 2018 season. This includes a larger set of Glove defense tiles, and the print out of the adaption rules (1 page) and individual team ratings in RallyBird Board Game categories.

By the way, enjoy today! It’s opening day of the new MLB season! –PG

Prototype of the Mini RallyBird Board Game

Yesterday, the third prototype of the Mini RallyBird Board Game arrived…

I left the scissors in the photo to help you get a sense of the small, portable size.  The smaller size also means cost savings for the consumer, both for the game itself and cheaper postal fees. Gameplay is the same, but some of the components are a little different, and I’m adjusting the game board accordingly to help match, and for visibility.

I was able to make revisions and order a fourth prototype…. this is progress!

Here is a link to the rules PDF: RallyBird Rules, Guide, FAQ .

You can pick up your own copy of the regular sized RallyBird Board Game here.

 

 

Rules Here! Download the Rules to the RallyBird Baseball Boardgame

Here are the RallyBird boardgames rules in colorful PDF you can download and read!

The rules take up the first 3 of the 8 pages. The 4th page is a diagram illustrating the simple system, plus some some variants including the fun RallyBird rule. The 5th and 6th pages are a Beginner’s Guide that offers some help (for those who want help) with the cards and their tactics. The last section, the 7th and 8th pages, are Frequently Asked Questions by my play testers, and my replies. This pdf is 7.6 MB.

RallyBird Rules, Guide, FAQ

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You can purchase the RallyBird Baseball board game here.

A new *Mini* RallyBird #Baseball board game is in Development!

Here’s a pic of the Mini RallyBird Baseball box–set on top of the regular (or shall I now say, Deluxe?) RallyBird Baseball box. I’m still working on the components and trying to deliver a clear RB experience in a smaller format–and lower price. Maybe you’ll be able to carry it around in a cloth bag, included… we’ll see. I’m testing out various new wooden components with my eye on clarity and the bottom line for the consumer. With everything smaller, clarity becomes an issue. Do components block the line of sight? What if they do block the line of sight, but it’s impossible to live without them because they’re so cool? Also I’m not sure the final name of the small version will be “Mini” RallyBird… Meanwhile I’m keeping my eye on the price tag. It would be easy to let it rise up and up if I’m not ruthless with my choices, which I am! All this takes a great deal of time and fussy detail work (with graphics, for example), and waiting for the manufacture of various test versions, so it won’t be ready for awhile. I’ll keep you posted.IMG_6999.jpeg