Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I admit that I passed over this game a few times initially without a care, but having played it now, I couldn't have been more wrong. This is a great baseball game that is played with cards, not spinners, dice or pinballs. Most baseball games utilize either a dice or spinner system to determine a play, but this game is a little different in that you play your hand of cards against your opponents hand to determine a play. So for example, if it's my turn at bat and the 3 cards that I hold in my hand are (strikeout, single, and a triple) and my opponent, who is pitching, has (strikeout, error, ground out), I want to try to play my offense cards (ie, the single and triple) to score before my opponent, or even myself, play the 3 outs to retire the side. It's not realistic in the sense that you already know part of the outcome based on the cards in your hand, but it does give you a little bit of managerial play calling. For example, can I put an extra runner on base prior to playing a home run card or will the pitcher retire the side before I get that far? Then on the flipside, when you take to the mound, you're always trying to come up with those 3 outs without any damage done.
The game has a lot of plays that you might not normally find in a casual baseball game, such as a balk, hit batter, passed ball. It also has a pinch hitter/relief pitcher feature where you take a card from the draw deck and place it face down until you decide to use it. And since it can go either way, whether you're hitting or pitching, it could be, say, a strikeout or a home run.
My only gripe, and it's somewhat minor is the fact that a runner cannot go from first to third or score from second on a triple. But a variation on gameplay could easily be introduced with a dice roll to determine those situations (ie, 1-3 is a success, 4-6 is a failed attempt) if desired.
The game isn't terribly complex nor is it meant to be like Strat-o-matic or APBA Baseball, but the simple back-and-forth play of cards doesn't fail to create a great sense of tension, relief, and excitement. There's a lot of whooping, laughing and groaning that happens, which is great for a game that is meant to be played in 20 minutes.
The game is faithfully recreated based on the original game. It's basically a small box of cards and the original instructions. But even cooler is the fact that OOTB Games created a retro-like tin to house the original game, as well as include a scoreboard dial system that actually improves on the original scorekeeping. So you can play the game like the original or more conveniently with the scoreboard. A very thoughtful reproduction and improvement to the game. The picture of the tin looks like it's the size of one of those retro tin lunchboxes, but it's actually much smaller, which is a good thing as it doesn't take up much room.
This game is pretty much a 2-player game. Although the original instructions has a method for playing with more people, it's basically sharing and taking turns, which isn't all that great, IMO.
If you like baseball, particularly something that harks back to the Golden Era of the 50's & 60's, this is a keeper of a game for those casual and quick moments of gameplay. I plan on buying a couple more for friends as gifts.
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Harry's Grand Slam Baseball GameIn Harry's Grand Slam Baseball Game, each player manages a team and plays cards to simulate actual baseball plays.This easy to learn baseball game can be completed in under 20 minutes.Introduced in 1962, this game has been a real hit with players and baseball enthusiasts alike, and this faithful reproduction includes the rules from the original game.For 2 players ages 8 and up. Includes 54 game cards, baseball diamond, scoreboard, card reference, updated rules, and game history. For 2 players ages 8 and up.
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