Something for the stats geek & baseball fan in you (oftentimes synonymous):
I received a copy of Strat-o-matic (SOM) baseball for Christmas this year. After playing through a few simulations, both solo & with my 8-year old daughter, I went in search of online play. Turns out you can do just that. I joined a free mini-season league and find it quite fun. I am thinking about creating a full-season league if there is enough interest. Between the current RBL ownership and others here, there may be enough for a 12-team league.
If you don't know what SOM is...
It's a baseball simulation game based on player's performances in the previous year (or any year a league chooses including old-timers). It's different from fantasy baseball in that you actually simulate games with line-ups, pitcher rotations, relievers, stolen bases attempts, etc... things you can control here but not in traditional fantasy. In the board game, often called the card & dice (C&D) version, you roll dice and look up outcomes on player cards. It can be as simple as that or much more complex if you wish to add fielding charts, ballpark effects, etc... The online game compacts three games into one night so while you lose some control (you can't say Bryce Harper will now attempt a SB but you can set Harper to 'aggressive' on the bases), you gain automation. The machine rolls all the dice and you can finish a 162-game season plus playoffs in about two months.
Teams are selected via live draft (or auto pick - yuck) subject to a salary cap. Each player has a designated salary and you have to fit all 25 players under the cap.
Full leagues are pricy ($20 each which you can recoup if you land in the top three) but new members are offered their first two leagues for $15. Doable for a trial run.
Here's the freebie league I'm in if you wish to check it out: Home of the Ashburn Cows. You can jump off from there to look at the SOM home.
By the way, my daughter loves games and I play many with her. We play Ticket to Ride, Dominion, Carcassone, Chess, and others.
p.s. I also play Wooden Ships & Iron Men (WSIM), an old Avalon Hill board game at You Play It. Look me up if you wish to play - same username.
I received a copy of Strat-o-matic (SOM) baseball for Christmas this year. After playing through a few simulations, both solo & with my 8-year old daughter, I went in search of online play. Turns out you can do just that. I joined a free mini-season league and find it quite fun. I am thinking about creating a full-season league if there is enough interest. Between the current RBL ownership and others here, there may be enough for a 12-team league.
If you don't know what SOM is...
It's a baseball simulation game based on player's performances in the previous year (or any year a league chooses including old-timers). It's different from fantasy baseball in that you actually simulate games with line-ups, pitcher rotations, relievers, stolen bases attempts, etc... things you can control here but not in traditional fantasy. In the board game, often called the card & dice (C&D) version, you roll dice and look up outcomes on player cards. It can be as simple as that or much more complex if you wish to add fielding charts, ballpark effects, etc... The online game compacts three games into one night so while you lose some control (you can't say Bryce Harper will now attempt a SB but you can set Harper to 'aggressive' on the bases), you gain automation. The machine rolls all the dice and you can finish a 162-game season plus playoffs in about two months.
Teams are selected via live draft (or auto pick - yuck) subject to a salary cap. Each player has a designated salary and you have to fit all 25 players under the cap.
Full leagues are pricy ($20 each which you can recoup if you land in the top three) but new members are offered their first two leagues for $15. Doable for a trial run.
Here's the freebie league I'm in if you wish to check it out: Home of the Ashburn Cows. You can jump off from there to look at the SOM home.
By the way, my daughter loves games and I play many with her. We play Ticket to Ride, Dominion, Carcassone, Chess, and others.
p.s. I also play Wooden Ships & Iron Men (WSIM), an old Avalon Hill board game at You Play It. Look me up if you wish to play - same username.
Last edited by SLOTerp on 07 Feb 2014, 7:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.