Recently I played my first few games of On Base Baseball. I was never much of a Strat-O-Matic guy. My preferred baseball game has always been Dynasty League Baseball (formerly known as Pursue The Pennant). What I like about On Base Baseball is that it is far less complicated while still having all of the realism of a real baseball game. Every game I’ve played has been completed in ~30 minutes.
By “less complicated” I mean this: Almost always the result of an at bat can be determined by one roll of the dice. Two 6-sided dice gives you the result, with an occasional assist from a 10-sided die. Very simple. I’m used to a game that uses three 10-sided dice, giving you literally 1,000 possible different results. That’s way too much. I also like that there are not 10-15 charts to navigate through. Instead, there are, basically, 2 or 3. This makes the proceedings much simpler and faster.
For instance, with one roll of the dice a home run can be hit. This is in comparison to the game I used to play where, if a HR is rolled, you have to roll to see if the ball is fair. Then you have to roll to see what part of the ballpark it’s hit to. Then you have to roll to see if the batter actually hit the ball far enough to clear the fence. Then you roll to see if the batter gets "robbed" by the outfielder. It’s a little much.
Another example: if you attempt a stolen base that result is decided with one roll of the dice and depends solely on the baserunner’s speed rating. He’s either out or safe in one roll. Very simple. In the game I used to play, to steal a base you had to first roll to see if you get picked off. Then roll to see if an error is made. Then you have to roll to see if your runner can even get the jump to go. If he does then finally you roll to see if the runner is thrown out or not. The whole time you have to check the charts at every roll. Just ridiculous.
One final example of why I like On Base Baseball is that if an error is made, that can, basically, be resolved in one roll. Other games you have to roll to see if the error is in the infield or outfield. Then you have to roll to see what position may have actually made the error or not. Then, finally, you roll to see if an error was made. Again, the whole time you are navigating through several different charts to get your result.
The benefit to a simpler game is that this is a perfect game to teach your kids or the young baseball fan in your house. Not only will it certainly keep their interest, but it will also give them a very healthy knowledge of the game of baseball. It's also valuable for learning who the great players are--past and present. I particularly like playing with teams from the 1970’s and 1980’s.
My only critique would be that I wish pitchers had a little more control of the game play, especially the really good ones. They should be more dominant than they seem to be. Same with the closers.
But with that small exception, I love the game. I will continue to play it, as well as recommend it to friends. Well done!
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