Explanation – Page 5 – The RallyByrd Baseball Board Game

In Progress: A New “How To Play” Video for the RallyBird Baseball Board Game

I have a report from the Nest. Well as you can tell there’s a flurry of activity at the RallyBird headquarters! While I’m waiting for the prototypes of Mini RallyBird version 4 to arrive, I’m also waiting for the first prototype of the 2018 MLB Teams add-on kit. And while I wait, sometimes with the new season roaring the background, I’ve started working on a new How To Play video. I’ve never been satisfied with the first one I did in a hurry. The camera was a disappointment. I didn’t have time to do it right. So it goes. This new one in progress, I think, will be about 100 times better. Here’s a sample, a screen grab from the work in progress. Screen Shot 2019-03-29 at 10.05.18 PM.png

Stay tuned!

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.

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

Theory 4 video: Baseball “Sacrifice” At Bat Evaluation (RallyBird Baseball Board Game)

What is the shape of value of the “sacrifice” At Bat in baseball? In this intuitive approach, I try to offer this. I call it a shape because it’s more than just a yes/no thing, more than a simple risk/reward relationship, but highly situational. Even when you consider all batters equal, there are still a lot of factors to weigh. The answer may have to be your choice of will, not your confident calculation. Lines and shapes are ways to try to wrangle the forces that push on the outcome.

Df6O3sMUEAA-9dl.jpg-large.jpeg When you’re playing the RallyBird Baseball board game, you have the opportunity to make these evaluations for yourself based on your runners on base, how many outs you have, your inning, the number of runs you need, your opponent’s defensive style, and how many runs you want to score. What combination of risk and reward works best for you tactically and strategically?

This video explores the dimensions of risk and reward behind a decision to hit a ball in such a way to trade the batter’s Out to advance a runner already on base. To me its a fascinating risk/reward question with multiple, drifting variables. With all batters equal, when is it better or worse to hit a sacrifice rather than attempt a normal At Bat? This is one of the decisions you need to make when playing the RallyBird Baseball board game. As I say in the video, this need to make decisions provides the “good pain” in board games that I like.

For sale now (June, 2018) here: https://bit.ly/2rvmzBa .

Also see: RallyBirdBaseball.com . Thank you for watching.

Unintentional Revelations As My Next RallyBird Baseball Theory Video Is Almost Complete

I filmed the next RallyBird Baseball theory video yesterday and editing it today. I’m uploading it now. It should take about six years to upload, possibly quite less than that. Perhaps even later today. I filmed it via my laptop, because I think my camcorder’s audio quality may be irredeemable. That dictates the angle and make it hard not to show my face. (“Don’t look at me!) Here is a still pic of me with my baseball tie and one of my colorful graphs. Screen Shot 2018-06-21 at 2.48.15 PM

It is funny and disconcerting to view myself–full stop. For one thing, this video shows my eyes looking upward when I try to be precise about my spoken language.

I asked google about this posture, and it offered this:

So I suppose it’s disconcerting to see myself processing information in a way that isn’t entirely self-aware. I’m only self-aware from the inside viewpoint. (“Let me out!”) Sadly I don’t have a sidekick who walks around with a mirror for me, like that wonderful man in the band called “The Time”… you may recall the highly engaging and hilarious performance from the movie Purple Rain.

Back to my somewhat less hypnotic and groovy examination of the shape of value of baseball’s sacrifice At Bat… I take an intuitive approach to evaluation, and explain why, and how it reflects on the RallyBird Baseball Board Game.

Here is the RallyBird Baseball board game’s place in BoardGameGeek.com: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/252879/rallybird-baseball

And here’s where you can pick up a copy: https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/rallybird-baseball

PS. Where’s my Mirror Guy?

Preparations for the Next RallyBird Baseball Video. Topic: “Sacrifice” At Bats

With the assistance of graphs (see pic) I’m gathering my thoughts for my next RallyBird Baseball video to add to my previous five available on YouTube here.

SacFlyVideoPrepJune12,2018

While I can offer no computer graphics, I do offer my fuzzy, halting, semi-articulate, grainy human self. At least there are no PowerPoint slides, right?

Note to human self: turn on the microphone.