This poll will run until August 21, 2015. To learn more about Pine Tar Baseball go to the main site.
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This poll will run until August 21, 2015. To learn more about Pine Tar Baseball go to the main site.
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Sign up for a Newsletter for the 1973 season campaign updates and pre-launch info.
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The 1884 season was gone out to the printer and will be shipped to all the backers of that project in the next 2 to 3 weeks. Thanks again to all the supports of the 1884 season. That season won't be available to the general public until all shipments have gone out to backers.
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Please also check out our home page to see how the stats for Old Hoss Radbourn will appear for the Providence Grays. I'll try to get more updates posted in between working on the teams.
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Please click the link to see the campaign. Its running for 30 days and will end on May 20, 2015. Backing LISG on this project would help us bring the 1884 season to life with the same quality as our previously released 1889 set.
Support at any of the 4 levels would be greatly appreciated.
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My apologies for not getting the PDF version out earlier. I've had folks from the UK, Ireland and Finland add either the hard copy game or baseball seasons to their cart, but the shipping cost is often twice as much as the actual game when going overseas. The PDF format is delivered via email, so no shipping costs. Hopefully this makes the game more accessible.
You can get a free PDF copy of the actual Pine Tar game here Pine Tar Game Rules on PDF (for personal use only please)
The 2014 season is also available electronically. 2014 season PDF
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Discount applies to everything in the store. We carry 2 baseball sim games, game parts, and a few collectibles such as antiquarian books.
]]>The Pine Tar game now comes in an 1889 edition that contains the game itself and the complete 1889 season set as described above.
Both of these items are currently 20% off for a limited time. Probably 2 weeks.
The bundled edition that includes both Pine Tar and 'True to Life' baseball sims is now back in stock.
Bundled set of Pine Tar and TTL games
The 2014 season for Pine Tar and TTL are also available.
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Pine Tar score cards TTL score cards
Please check out my website for baseball sim offerings. Life is Sports Games home page
]]>This link is for a bundled offering for both games. Pine Tar & TTL Game Bundle
]]>See all the options here: Pine Tar offerings
Want to know more about the game before taking the plunge? The best way is to try it out by actually playing a few games. The pdf version of Pine is is available for free download here: Free pdf version of Pine Tar Baseball
]]>The H & R modifiers apply to both basic and advanced game versions. All the potential modifiers are listed below followed by the situations where they apply.
H & R modifier Applies on Explanation
+4 to BODR All at bats Modifier added to all batter rolls that reduces effectiveness of the hitter.
+40 to runners CTA Base hits Significantly increases the chance a base runner will advance an extra base on a hit.
-10 to runners SB value Strike Outs Reduces the runners chance to steal when the batter strikes out.
+40 modifier to GO rolls Ground outs Reduces the chance of hitting into a double play when the H & R is on.
+50 to chance of DP Line Outs Increases the chance of hitting into a line out double play.
+1 base advance on errors Errors Base runners get an extra base on all error plays when the H & R is put on.
BB result changed to foul ball Walks There are no walks when a H & R is on as the batter is being forced to protect the runner.
-20 to tag values Fly Outs Reduces the chance that a runner can tag on a fly out since he would be far off the base.
All these modifiers are intended to model the actual risk/rewards of putting a hit and run play on as accurately as possible. Together they reduce the hitters effectiveness by forcing him to swing regardless of pitch location. Hence the walks changed instead into a foul ball. The +4 BODR modifier will reduce the home run potential of the batter. The reduced stolen base modifier is because runners generally don't get as good a jump on a hit and run play as they would on a straight steal. Any time a batter strikes out when the hit and run is on, the play turns into an attempted steal play. Of course the rewards of the H & R are represented as well. Such as reducing the chance of grounding into a double play and increasing the chance of advancing the runner an extra base.
While initially it may seem like a lot to keep track of. Keep in mind that only 1 modifier applies to any given play type. When just learning the game, I might suggest simply using the 2 most key modifiers. Those would be the ones that apply to ground outs and base hits. You can always use the modifiers that apply on walks and strike outs after your more familiar with the game.
TTL Baseball was designed to have a lot of detail that models all aspects of game play. Hit and Runs is a little bit like Russian roulette in that it can break open an inning, but there is also a risk that it back fires. That is part of what makes baseball so interesting.
TTL Baseball is available here: TTLB
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I'm considering just putting the game up for free download because I have limited storage space for hard copies of the game. The nice thing is that the TTL season sets would be playable in this new title. The only thing needed would be to convert the base runners SBC into a grade value. I would include a table for this conversion in the new game.
TTL baseball is a detail oriented game that maximizes statistical realism. Game play with TTL takes 35-40 minutes. This new title halves game play time while featuring a shorter learning curve.
The new title will have its own player sets that will have slightly less data on them then the TTL sets have. This makes it easier to locate values quickly. While the TTL player set will work in the new game, the new game sets would not work 100% within the TTL game. That is due to them not having arm ratings for outfielders.
I already have a name in mind for the new game but holding off on announcing it until release. I Hope the pdf version of this new title will be available mid January. If there is enough interest I could send files out to be printed for a hard copy version. I believe this new game will be a great balance between simple game mechanics and realism.
]]>Sale ends on Midnight of Monday, December 15th, 2014
]]>in the code window during the checkout process. Free shipping is for U.S. customers only. Last day of this offer is tomorrow.
Check out the best dam tabletop baseball game of 2014!
]]>I am paddling as mad as a duck as work continues to complete the 2014 season. A pre order option
for this season should be available as soon as 2 weeks. In the mean time be sure to try out the free demo version
or order the full version of the game. Both of which are available here
]]>Please enter the code freeship in the code window at check out. If you use PayPal I will refund the shipping amount after checkout.
Now is a great time to give the gift of baseball to your friends. Check out all of our latest offerings at TTL Baseball
]]>taken off before you purchase. Please note that this code does not work through PayPal. If you choose to use PayPal I
will have to apply the 30% discount after you pay. I recommend using the main cart and just enter 30OFF, its easier and secure.
This sale combines Thanksgiving, black Friday and Cyber Monday into one. Sale goes until December 3rd.
Don't forget, in addition to the True to Life Baseball dice game, we also carry vintage Pentax lenses and antiquarian books. Currently there is a nice set of 1st Edition Grant Members offered.
A few items are actually below cost at 30% off!
]]>I've decided when I get the walk through back up it will be a separate page that will have a link on the home page. I think this makes the home page less cluttered. I'd welcome any suggestions on site design. At any rate, the home page is restored now and was only down about 30 minutes. The link is here:
]]>Other than the dice, the game comes complete with two teams from the 2014 season. The teams are the Giants and Royals. Replay the World Series and see if you could have managed better.
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Please subscribe to the TTL Baseball newsletter if you want to be the first to be notified about new offerings. I don't spam. You will only get about 1 email a month from TTLB. To subscribe, go the the bottom right of my home page. TTL home page
Clicking the RRS feed logo below allows you the opportunity to sign up to this news feed as well.
]]>Work on the 2014 season sets will begin after these other objectives are finished. Then I plan to develop a new baseball tabletop game based off the TTL intro game. That may be further off into next year.
The TTL baseball game is available here: TTLB game For future updates check out the TTL delphi forum here: TTL on Delphi
]]>Here is the link
]]>The second tutorial covers basic base runner advancement. Base Running Tutorial In the next day or so, a video giving an overview of the advanced pitching system will be posted. Feel free to make suggestions for future tutorial topics.
]]>The basic and advanced games are very similar with the one big difference being how pitchers are used. In the basic game, a die modifier that is based off of the pitchers grade is applied to the batter roll. The advanced game actually uses a 2nd die roll that refers to the pitchers stat column and will either confirm or alter the batter's original result.
The pitching system used in the advanced game is what I would refer to as a 100/37 system. In other words, 100% of the time the batter's result is used, then on even die results for 75% of the plays, the batter result is cross referenced with the pitchers stats. 75% x 50% is where the 37% value comes from.
The season set for 2013 will be available on approximately November 7th. Then the 2014 season set will become available in the spring of 2015. An exact date will be posted once the set nears completion.
The 'Old Timers' version of TTL baseball is available here: TTL Baseball
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True to Life Baseball' was developed beginning on June 10th, 2012. I had always enjoyed baseball dice/board games, but found that the most popular ones available were not statistically accurate enough for my liking. In playing an entire season, the average runs would be off by as much as 12%. While this will happen in shorter trials, after 100+ games, 12% is a rather high error factor. It was from this experience that I set a goal of having the runs stay within 5% of the actual average for any given season. I wanted to be able to get this accuracy with a game that could still be completed in 45 minutes on average.
As it happens average runs per game varies from season to season. This is why the 'formula' to create pitching cards is not identical for every season, but varies to make certain the average runs, hits, and ERA's all are reflective of that specific seasons stats. In the last 60 game test run before release, runs and hits were all within 3% of actual game stats for the season tested. Individual ERA's had a greater fluctuation given that no pitcher had more than 12 starts or about 90 innings pitched. Just like in real life, 1 or 2 bad outings can balloon a pitchers ERA, so for individual ERA's, a starting pitcher would need his full 200 innings pitched in order to realize true to life results. Relievers ERA's are never quite as accurate because they typically only pitch 70-85 innings. The probability is correct, its just that the sample size is smaller so the actual results have more variance. Similar to the probability of flipping a coin and getting heads. Everyone knows there is a 50% chance of getting heads, yet if you flip a coin 10 times, you may get heads 7 times. It isn't until the sample size is large enough that you begin to see the actual probability of 50%.
I have always been fascinated with probability and statistics. As such, the advanced game is as much a simulation as it is a game. What I think makes it fun is its accuracy, combined with how much detail and choices there are in playing the game. As the player/manager, TTL baseball gives you the power to impact your scoring chances by the decisions you make. If your up against a Cy Young type pitcher, you may be more aggressive on the base paths knowing runs will be at a premium.
My initial inspiration for working on a dice/board came when my laptop computer bit the dust. I really wanted to create something that was hands on and didn't require a computer. Ironically, I spent most of my time on a computer in either Excel or Word when I was creating this game. Since I immensely enjoy playing this game myself, I made sure it has a very high solitaire suitability.
As far as my business background, I operated an Ebay business since 2005. My store name there is RareBookHaven. It was reasonably successful until mid 2009. Just after the housing market tanked my sales went down dramatically. To the point where I was selling my inventory and only breaking even after paying Ebay, Paypal fees, and taxes. Still it was a good experience and I am happy to say that I never had a single negative feedback on Ebay.
I also have an inventory of vintage Pentax camera lenses and collectibles that I may list on the TTL website from time to time under a separate category.
Sincerely,
James Formo
]]>It does however have the ability to use the entire rule set for TTL Baseball with the exception of the optional pitch guess card rule. Its intended for veterans of this genre who keep track of the game entirely via the scorecard. It also has the added bonus of costing roughly 30% less in shipping because the shipping weight is reduced. Be sure to check out the link for more information.
]]>Its likely that I will release the 2013 set and then release the extra players 3 weeks later. This season the extra players may be printed on white card stock instead of ivory. Still looking at an early November release date.
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