Tabletop sports game appreciation

[Seadragon76]

5 hours ago, RichO said:

 

Was this the one? March Madness by Avalon Hill

 

I had this.

 

A good chunk of paper route money went to various Avalon Hill sports games. Statis Pro Baseball, Superstar Baseball, Statis Pro Basketball, and Bowl Bound.

 

That was the one.

[Discrim]

On 11/6/2017 at 10:36 AM, leopard88 said:

I spent many days playing Statis Pro Baseball back in the early 80s.

 

It always felt like an added bonus that it was a local Baltimore company.

I remember back in my younger days halfway wondering why their baseball games' box art always had at least one Orioles pic...and never made the connection until much later in my life   Oh well, there are far worse choices than the O's.

[Discrim]

About a year or so ago, I came across a site selling 12 sided dice...that are billed as a replacement for the classic 6 sided variety.  Having rolled many dice in my life, I gotta say they have a point: cubes don't roll all that well, though the versions with the round corners are somewhat better in this regard.  The d20 that is the only thing I still have from my days of buying MLB Showdown has always rolled pretty well, and I have a good amount of cardstock, and am myself, so I reasoned I could modify an existing d12 template to design some doublesixes of my own.  I sort of succeeded (and also printed a Bears-themed normal d12), except I made the dice too large.  I'll probably post some of my dice designs in the concepts section in the coming week, but this weekend has been the first time I rolled them in game action.

 

First, Friday afternoon saw me bring out Heroes & Rallies Football to pre-play tomorrow's Packers game vs Tampa Bay.  What followed was one of the sloppiest beginnings I've had the honor (or dishonor) of playing, and it never really got better for the Pack.  Suffice to say Jameis, Evans and Jackson killed the Packer secondary while if the Packers weren't fumbling, Hundley was probably ready to get sacked or picked off.

Buccaneers 7-10-7-3---27...Elite players: Jameis Winston (QB), Mike Evans (WR)

Packers------7-0--3-2---12...Elite players: Jordy Nelson (WR), Mason Crosby (K), Mike Daniels (DT)* (working on the assumptions that Clay won't play, and has fallen off anyway)

*for those wondering why anybody's elite...on certain color-coded results, elite players can make the difference between a loss/short gain and a huge pickup...or between giving up good yardage and huge stops.  An example being a roll that would've been a pass for about 15 or so yards, but it's highlighted in orange and the Packers are on defense.  On these results, if the defense has an elite DL, he sacks the QB for an 8 yard loss.  Another example would be a dark green result that would ordinarily be a 4 yard gain, but it's now 4th and 6.  An elite QB, however, turns this into a 20 yard gain.

 

Then, while the early CCGs were on, I decided to put an idea I'd had recently onto the field: a certain star's debut lineup vs the lineup from his final game.  The star in question was A-Rod...and let's just say this seemed like a better idea in my head than it ended up being, but I went through with it anyway.

The 2016 Yankees head back into time to play the 94 Mariners, with CC Sabathia taking the hill for the Bombers.  You'd expect Randy Johnson to be the opposite hurler, no?  Nope...some guy named Dave Fleming.  Matter of fact, while the Yankees had their starters in the game, that M's lineup was basically Junior surrounded by baby A-Rod and mostly backups.  Given that on one side was an A-Rod who wasn't great yet, and on the other, an A-Rod who was no longer great...yeah, honestly both were given a deficiency: Kid-Rod had no power, Old-Rod had lost his bat.  Mariner A-Rod went 0-4 with a K, while Yanks A-Rod was 2-5 with a double and an RBI.  I'd rolled a result on Old-Rod's last AB that would've given him a shot at a homer...except, his poor hitter rating kicked in, and he instead struck out.

  The first inning was pretty eventful, as Didi Gregorius robbed Brian Turang of a hit to start the game...and then Aaron Hicks dropped a routine fly ball, enabling Felix Fermin to reach third.  Not to be left out of the error party, Brett Gardner had his own botching of a routine fly off Junior's bat, and he reached second while Fermin scored.  CC mostly settled down after that, though his outfielders' letdowns would contribute to his early exit via fatigue, as he left after 4 1/3, having allowed 6 runs, 4 of them unearned...and the two earned runs reaching on a home run the Yanks' first reliever, Adam Warren, gave up to Mike Blowers.

Fleming, meanwhile, couldn't keep the Yanks off the scoreboard for long, giving up single runs in the third and fourth, the latter off a Texiera solo shot.  Entering the 6th, the M's led 7-3....and then had an epic meltdown, as Fleming exited after giving up a pair of singles, giving way to aging Goose Gossage, who had the inning from hell: the first five batters he faced all reached via either singles or walks...and then after consecutive strikeouts made it look like he'd settled down, Brian McCann smacked a grand slam into the stands.  A Didi gregorius triple later, and Goose was taking an early shower, relieved by Tim Davis.  Davis would shut the door, but while Mariners would score one further run off of Warren, but would get no closer, and the Yankees won 11-8.

WP: Warren; LP: Gossage; SV: Betances

[Graham_Clayton]

"Up There Cazaly", Australian rules football board game, circa 1980.

 

[Discrim]

Last week, I finally got around to playing Techno Bowl, with Phil Manly leading the Bighorns onto Discrim Tabletop against Joey Mean's Put Bulls.  Since it was my first game, I did make a few mistakes, though I wound up with a close game.

The Pits had the ball first, but surrendered a safety on the second play.  Already with a 2-0 lead, Manly was able to connect with his TE two plays later to put the Horns ahead 9-0. 

Little did I know how huge the next play would wind up being, though...needing to at least get close enough to score with just two plays left in the half, the Pits were able to launch a pass down field, and it looked like a sure TD, but the Bighorns' own speedster was able to catch up, and not only make a touchdown saving tackle, but he also jarred the ball loose, another Bighorn recovering.

The second half saw the Put Bulls finally get on the board with a safety of their own, and their offense quickly tied things up at 9 all.  The next play, however, saw the Bighorns' strike again to go up 16-9.

Needing to score to force OT but having both time outs, the Pits were able to reach midfield, but their last gasp ended with the OL being blown up, and a game-ending sack.

On the whole, I think it took about an hour to play, though I didn't really keep track.  Might go a bit faster head to head (I played solo, picking all offensive plays and randomizing the defensive call, except for a "wild card" player, an idea a BGG poster had).  I'm really looking forward to putting my "real" and custom teams in action after that.  That and seeing if my idea for interchangeable midfields and end zones will even work.

[MilSox]

On 12/5/2015 at 6:39 PM, neo_prankster said:

Did that basketball game you describe look something like this?

Fun fact.  This is based on an arcade game manufactured by Service Games (Sega) in the 1960s.
 

 

[MilSox]

Found this at my local Five Below.  Couldn't resist picking it up.



There's better quality pinball-style baseball games if you're willing to spend some money on one, but this is incredibly good for $5.  The swing mechanic is even better than some of the more expensive versions I've played. 

[Discrim]

I figure I'd show off some custom Techno Bowl stuff I've been working on...problem is, BGG's down for maintenance so you guys'll have to do.  These guys are my first custom team, the Eggbreakers, shown in both home brown and traveling cream jerseys, the guys up front being resident strongman Pete Freezema (#30) and speedy wideout Shay Mars (#7...explanation time: 60s and 70s are better when it comes to speed and dexterity, while 30s and 40s are better when it comes to tackling and blocking).  I have replica pixel block sheets saved, but wanted to try standees, hence these self-standing players (and you can tell some of these guys aren't in regular season shape, lol).  On my first attempt at a printed field, which I intend to redo at some point.

Big Freeze making a pancake during practice...some of you may recognize the logo on the knocked down player's base from my old Zeeland Chix concepts.

 

Largely because I don't feel like buying more ink right now, I got some construction paper and a chalk marker.  With those plus the dimensions I've devised for Arena and Canadian variant fields, I set about making an Arena board.  Here is half of it while it was a WIP.

After completing the other half, I brought out the Eggbreakers to run a play on it (5 on 5).  Not pictured: the QB who managed to get rid of it while cornered in the end zone.  Also not pictured: the fact that 56 initially bobbled it before making the catch.  And then Big Freeze got to him.

 

[Discrim]

More Techno Bowl Fun with 'Scrim!

Redid the field, made self-standing NFC MFC North teams, and decided instead of making a deck for every team, I instead made a universal deck that I could use regardless of the teams involved.  Naturally, it was time to put a couple teams on the field: the Packers Greenbacks and Lions Kittens.  Not gonna lie, I'm not completely happy with the field or the deck...in the case of the latter, I picked a rather small size to print the cards in.

The captains meet at midfield for the coin toss.  Greenbacks won the toss and deferred, so it was Kittens ball to start the game.

 

The first half was largely the Barry Sanders Harry Danders show, as he took the opening snap all the way for the first score; conversely, Roger Dodgers couldn't have anticipated a worse beginning, as Danders hit him with a stiff arm on the way to said touchdown, and then the Motor City's top kitty picked him off...and dealt another stiff arm en route to his second TD in as many plays.  Two plays later, Ed Lazy was able to get loose after the catch to put the 'Backs on the board...

 

...but the half wasn't over just yet.  Wanting to get another TD before halftime, the Kittens used both of their timeouts on this drive...after being bottled up on first down, the Kittens took to the air on second down, but were denied, as Dodgers was able to catch up...and was tackling someone other than Danders this time.

 

On 3rd down, despite their best efforts, the Greenbacks couldn't keep Danders from waltzing in for his third TD of the game, and their last play of the half was stopped at midfield.  The score at the half: Kittens 21, Greenbacks 7. 

[neo_prankster]

@Discrimihater

 

How are those home made Arena and CFL boards coming along?

[Discrim]

I didn't exactly hit the mark I was aiming for.  I tried both a white paint marker and a chalk marker on green construction paper... problem is, neither showed up well unless the light hit it just right.  At times, I couldn't see exactly where I was drawing the yard lines.  So for now I've put that on the back burner.

[neo_prankster]

9 minutes ago, Discrimihater said:

I didn't exactly hit the mark I was aiming for.  I tried both a white paint marker and a chalk marker on green construction paper... problem is, neither showed up well unless the light hit it just right.  At times, I couldn't see exactly where I was drawing the yard lines.  So for now I've put that on the back burner.

 

I would try...

 

- Putting a layer or two of green acrylic paint on some heavy Bristol board.

- Sketch out the yard lines, hash marks, etc, with a pencil and a ruler or T-square.

- Use a layer or two of white acrylic paint to do the yard lines. Maybe use something rectangular or artists' tape around the yard lines to keep the lines straight.

- Maybe a stencil for the numbers and directional arrows.

- After the field and basic markings are dried, maybe draw whatever logos you want, albeit backwards, on a sheet of tracing paper.

- Take said sheet of tracing paper, scribble over the reverse side to transfer your logos on the board.

- The rest is up to you!

[Discrim]

Thanks, I think I'll give that a try.

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

 

 

Found this bad boy at Goodwill for $10. Needed a little TLC (the wooden piece that keeps the launcher thing in place was broken) but it was an easy fix.

 

Also missing the little ramp in the middle that leads to the home run hole. Anyone know of anywhere to get replacement parts for things like this?

[Discrim]

Looking around Target about two weeks ago, I came across a new game with a familiar name: NFL Showdown.  Last week, I went and bought a box.

I never played the game that originally bore the name (though I did play MLB Showdown), but there are two games I'm reminded of when I've played: in all essence, Showdown is a simplified version of Fliip Football, as the main mechanic is each side picking a play card, putting them facedown at the LOS, then flipping them over at the same time to see the results.  The reason I call it simplified is that while the defense cards in Fliip have 6 possible gains/losses each for runs and passes, Showdown cards have just 3 total.  In this regard, I was also reminded of Tecmo Bowl, as here, each defense is geared to stop a particular offensive play, may or may not give up some yardage against a second play, and is weak against a third play.

Play cards are divided into rookie, shotgun and power run personnel, though unlike Fliip, whichever set the offense picks, the defense must use as well.

The NFL teams are represented by 2 "big play" cards that can be used to extend an offensive gain or get a stop on defense (though most of them aren't sure things, as there are three distance dice, all of which have one zero face), and each can only be used once per half.  Speaking of which, games are a possession per quarter for each team.

Something I could do without is this flick kicker they included for field goals, I've adjusted to it, but I'm afraid of breaking the damn thing.

No real guidelines included for solo play, so I simply grabbed a regular die I have laying around, played as the offense, laid the defense plays facedown and rolled the die to determine which play to use.  

Played Falcons-Eagles just before the real game, and the first three quarters were scoreless, mostly due to interceptions.  Both teams scored in the 4th, however, and Atlanta won in OT.

[SealsFan]

I had Tudor Electric Football as a kid circa 1971, trying to remember the two teams it came with -- Cardinals in red and Redskins maybe in white? 

 

Funny thing is that one of the Cardinals was actually a KC Chiefs player by mistake!

 

Later I bought the Jets in green and Rams in white (my two favorite teams at the time).

 

The game promised a lot more than it delivered.  Looked so cool but that generic quarterback that passed and kicked a felt football was ridiculous.  Not to mention the players going round in circles or out of bounds!

[SealsFan]

Had Munro Bobby Hull Hockey rod hockey game, 1971 edition with Toronto and Montreal

 

I eventually bought all the teams (they came in only one color, no choice of dark or light unis).  This was right at the 1972 expansion and they included an extra Redwings and Rangers team to represent the new Flames and Islanders!

 

The players didn't have actual team logos on their uniforms, just a generic "Boston", "Montreal" etc. across the front.  I actually drew the logos for all the teams in colored pencil and cut them out and taped them onto the players!!!!  I also drew a few masks and taped them onto the goalies since none of them had masks.  I also painted "Seals" at center ice.

 

All of the teams were in dark uniforms except for Detroit and Chicago.  Boston was in a very outdated yellow uniform.  The Seals were in their green/blue/white Oakland colors, not the Finley era green/gold/white.

 

This game delivered everything it promised.  Had countless hours of fun with friends then later in life I took it out when my nephew was old enough and he couldn't get enough of it.

[SealsFan]

As far as cards-and-dice games, I started with all the Stratomatic games in 1970.

 

Nowadays there are many more games on the market and my favorites are:

 

Baseball:  History Maker Baseball, Payoff Pitch, Pine Tar Baseball

Hockey:  Inside the Crease, Hockey Blast, Shootout Hockey

 

I always have one project going with at least one of these games.  I post a lot on the many sports gaming forums over at Delphi Forums.

[Discrim]

I've lurked there every now and then, mainly due to HMB catching my interest.  I used to find old games at my local Value Village all the time, not so much now...and like you, I tried electric football and it was lacking, though I've seen that a good amount of folks have found ways to make it actually playable (mainly, there's an easier way to pass).

Far as the games you mentioned, @SealsFan, which is the one you find yourself breaking out most often for both hockey and baseball, and which would you recommend for someone who's never played any tabletop hockey?

[Discrim]

On 6/6/2018 at 1:49 AM, NicDB said:

Found this at my local Five Below.  Couldn't resist picking it up.



There's better quality pinball-style baseball games if you're willing to spend some money on one, but this is incredibly good for $5.  The swing mechanic is even better than some of the more expensive versions I've played. 

Went to Five Below for the hell of it, and lo and behold, the one here had this on their shelf.  More addicting than it has any right to be.