available now at Amazon for $44.99 (paperback) and $19.99 (Kindle)

Features 589 full-color pages with 150+ baseball tabletop sims and 16 interviews with game designers!

This compendium celebrates 100 years of baseball tabletop simulation games. Our goal with this book is to memorialize as many of these simulation games as possible and document the richness of the hobby we love. Game descriptions are supplemented by articles, game designer interviews, and comments and ratings from over 250 individuals from the tabletop baseball community. The authors wish to encourage readers to explore these games, both past and present, create their own teams and leagues, and share those results with fellow baseball gaming and simulation enthusiasts!

Baseball games are almost as old as the game of baseball itself. What started out as mechanical devices to emulate the batted ball, evolved into tabletop games designed to simulate the entire baseball game experience. Eventually, randomizer mechanisms entered the fray in the form of dice and spinners. Most early games were generic in nature. However, in 1925 we saw what is arguably the first true baseball tabletop simulation with the introduction of National Pastime by Clifford Van Beek. More tabletop games followed, including Ethan Allen’s All Star Baseball Game in the 1940s, the APBA Major League Baseball Game in the 1950s, and Strat-O-Matic Baseball in the early 1960s. Other game designers followed with creations of their own, a trend that continues today.

Book Discussions / Promotional Appearances

Praise for Hardball Retro’s Compendium of Baseball Tabletop Simulations

“This is really a first class effort by the authors. Love the color photos! Derek Bain contacted me to do the interview for the book and you are going to learn many things you didn’t know about DYNASTY League Baseball Powered By Pursue the Pennant.” – Mike Cieslinski

“[Hardball Retro’s Compendium of Baseball Tabletop Simulations] is beyond wonderful! It is truly the encyclopedia of baseball gaming.” – Joe Shaw

“If you play Baseball tabletop sims, this book is a must-purchase. It is an incredible read and deeply educational. I purchased both paperback and Kindle versions. Post reading, it will remain a major reference for me.” – BB Edison, Amazon review

“A must-have for any baseball card and dice player’s library!” – Paul Gardner

“The book is an excellent contribution to keeping the history of tabletop baseball alive. The designer interviews give you interesting insight into the how and why of tabletop baseball creation.” – David Becker

“The book does a great job of quickly telling you what to expect from a game engine, the product’s components, and a brief history of the Sim… [Hardball Retro’s Compendium of Baseball Tabletop Simulations] is well-researched, and taps into the Baseball Sim community for their “takes” on the games, both positive and critical. A must have addition for any gamer’s bookshelf.” – M Pate, Amazon review

“These guys did an amazing job on giving a brief history of tabletop baseball gaming, and reviewed a lot of past and present games… The book is an instant classic!” – C Bauer, Amazon review

“Great book about the history and design of tabletop baseball simulation games, and includes comments from the designers themselves… a must have reference in this hobby.” – Robert Genova, Amazon review

“The Hardball Retro’s of Baseball Tabletop Simulations was everything I hoped for. Since retiring playing baseball sims is all I do. I have 38 baseball Sims and seeing every one of those in the book gives me an idea of how other people think of certain Sims. Authors did a fantastic job compiling the information. So if you enjoy the hobby or thinking of trying certain games out this is the book for you.” – Doug Wahl, Amazon review

“A vast treasure trove of baseball gaming history and fun! [Hardball Retro’s Compendium of Baseball Tabletop Simulations] will be the definitive reference source on all the tabletop baseball games we all grew up playing, as well as those we only knew through magazine ads, and many we never heard of at all!” – Roland Chapdelaine

“An excellent book about tabletop baseball games. Great history on the subject! Read it cover to cover right away!” – Russell D. Esperson – Amazon review

https://forms.gle/cFFJqoFngnnNxyue8

Please consider filling out this survey – we are looking for your feedback for any and all baseball tabletop games that you’ve played or owned.

Please scan the list of baseball tabletop games on the form and ONLY enter an overall rating for each game that you have played or owned on a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best) and optionally provide a comment for those titles. Several games have a single entry for the original title along with sequels. You may only enter one rating per game title. However you can utilize the Comments section to enter specific ratings for the different versions in those instances. Comments that are thought-provoking or detailed have a higher likelihood of making it into the book!

We are also seeking individuals who would be willing to contribute write-up(s) for specific games or provide images of your games (boxes, cards, manuals, charts, etc.)

Please DO NOT rate or comment on any games that you have never played! If we’ve inadvertently omitted a game from our list, there are text and rating fields at the end of the form to capture this information.

Be sure to click SUBMIT when you’re done!!

Completion of this form indicates permission and authorization for me to utilize your responses including name/nickname, ratings and comments in the book.

Steve Etzel created a brief video on his YouTube channel to explain the survey:

Thank you for participating! – Derek Bain, Steve Etzel, Andy Palomino, Kurt Bergland and Daniel Evensen