Strat-o-Matic Baseball and APBA Soccer fan Paul Dylan who is the blogger over at One for Five took the plunge and tried out the APBA Baseball game. Not only that he documented it with a full-fledged review of the game.
It’s a pretty even-handed review. While Paul points out the enjoyable aspects of the game, he doesn’t hesitate to make legitimate critiques where sees shortcomings. Especially helpful for those new to APBA is the “un-boxing” where he describes exactly what is included with the set.
In his summary, I think Paul found it an enjoyable game:
“Though because of my loyalty to another game I’d been reluctant to give APBA Pro Baseball a try, when I finally did I found the APBA game to be an incredibly fun, smooth-playing, easy to learn basic baseball simulation. I’d recommend it especially to those who don’t want or need all the complicated managerial decisions an advanced simulation might provide. If you think you’ll want to play more than just the 1953 World Series (Dodgers vs. Yankees), you’ll need to buy more cards, however, as those two teams are all that come in the box. Despite my marriage to a competitor’s game, I see a few trysts with APBA in my future.”
Personally, I found it quite interesting to see APBA Baseball through the eyes of someone new to the game yet familiar with the concept of tabletop baseball.
As an avid APBA fan, as I read Paul’s review I found one thing incredibly shocking when I read the APBA set-up… “The teams that come with the basic game are the 1953 World Series participants, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees.”
Now I’m not sure I’ve EVER criticized the APBA company. However, all I could think of what “WHAT??!!” I started playing APBA when I was roughly 10 and my copy of the game came with 4 teams from 94? 96? Either way, I LOVED the fact that I could play with the larger than life figures I was collecting baseball cards of and watching on TV.
I think most are in agreement that the only way for this company to survive in the long term is the company needs to replaced an aging fan base. I’m sorry, but you’re not going to do that by stocking the game with teams that many 10 year olds parent’s weren’t even alive to see. I just think if APBA is looking for somewhere to start, dumping the super historical teams for those starting out has to be it.
Joseph,
that’s a very interesting point. Again, it was good to see it from a new person’s eyes. Most of us hard core fans have forgotten what WAS included in the original box.
While many of us yearn for the olden days, the younger crown are going to say “Duke who?”. I think Herson’s “pre-play” concept is starting to address that. If he does that for baseball (like maybe a pre-play of the World Series teams… hint-hint), that might give people a free taste of what APBA baseball is like with a current flair.
We’ll see if that comes about. If the pattern continues, I’ll bet we’ll see something like that.
When I first bought the Master Game, the teams included were the 1951 Giants and Dodgers. The Bobby Thomson year.
1) Seems to me that a replay would find the Dodgers finishing 15 games ahead of the Giants.
2) How about Bobby Thomson for Hall of Fame? Applying the “Bill Mazeroski Standard.” But I’m rambling now.
My choice for two teams to include would have been the 1975 World Series teams. Red Sox-Reds. IMO: The most exciting World Series of my lifetime.
Maybe those teams would also be less than current to younger APBA players.
DonS.
New games should come with two teams from the most recent available season (preferably two of the glamour teams) or from one of the two immediately prior. I do not see a reason to do otherwise.
I think the general consensus is that last year’s (2011 Cardinals vs. Rangers) World Series was one of the all-time greats. If only two teams are going to be included in the box, I can’t see how you could go wrong with those two.
I hate to be the guy that brings up the comparison again, but Strat-O-Matic’s similarly priced basic game (the “Selector Set”) comes with 5 teams from the current season of your choice. If I were a kid and couldn’t decide between one game or the other, having my choice of teams (and more of them) would be the deciding factor for me.
The APBA game needs to have the most recent World Series teams to attract a modern audience. Teams of the past are for the die hards; OK for historians but dads and kids of today want the modern stars they watch on TV in their living room. Go APBA!