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

“This book is fantastic! I cannot stop reading it – every gamer should get this book!” – Anthony Giacobbe Jr.

Here’s a rundown of the requirements:

• Out of the Park Baseball 24 – Game

Out of the Park Baseball was developed by Markus Heinsohn. The first edition was published for the IBM PC personal computer in 1999.

I divided the tutorial into two sections: the Draft (copying the All-Time Greats league, releasing players into the free agent pool, conducting the draft), Simulate Season (review manager profiles for each team, simulate an entire season, reviewing the final standings, league leaders and team-by-team rundown).

View the tutorial videos here:

Part 1 – Draft

Part 2 – Lineups & Pitching Staffs, Simulate Season, Final Standings, League Leaders

Season Disk Downloads:

coming soon

References:

available now at Amazon for $29.99 (paperback) and $9.99 (Kindle)

Celebrating 50 years of our pixelated National Pastime, this compendium documents the pertinent details for baseball video games and electronic handheld games released in the last half-century and follows the evolution of the genre. Game ratings and reviews for hundreds of baseball games are included along with interviews of designers, programmers and pioneers of the computer, video and handheld gaming industry – Don Daglow, Eddie Dombrower, Lance Haffner, Mark Lesser, Tom Tippett and Glen Wolfram. The authors wish to encourage readers to explore these games, both past and present, create your own teams and leagues, and share those results with fellow baseball gaming and simulation enthusiasts!

400 pages, full-color

Book Discussions / Promotional Appearances

SABR’s Emil Rothe Chicago Chapter – John Racanelli and Derek Bain present “A Brief History of Baseball Video Games and Electronic Handhelds” – April 29, 2026

Hittin’ Season: A Philadelphia Phillies podcast (WHYY) – Derek Bain and John Racanelli drop by to discuss their book, “Hardball Retro’s Compendium of Baseball Video Games and Electronic Handhelds,” with Justin Klugh of Baseball Prospectus. – June 20, 2025

Romantic About Baseball podcast – Jason Wood and Bruce Sarte interview Derek Bain – June 11, 2025

Sports Sim Magazine – “A Sports Sim Roundtable Examines the Charm and Torment of All-Time Greats Gaming Sets” – by Dan Verdun – May 2025 (Issue 20)

Beatles Eternally – “A Saturday Night Baseball Chinwag with Authors Derek Bain and John Racanelli” – March 22, 2025

SABR Games and Simulations – John Racanelli and Derek Bain discuss their book, “Hardball Retro’s Compendium of Baseball Video Games and Electronic Handheld. – January 8, 2025

Praise for Hardball Retro’s Compendium of Baseball Video Games & Electronic Handhelds

“Hardball Retro’s Compendium is a nostalgic treasure trove for baseball video game enthusiasts. (Authors) Bain and Racanelli take readers on a journey through baseball’s digital evolution… Packed with updated insights, interviews with legendary game designers, and reflections from players, this book is both a time capsule and a celebration of baseball’s virtual past. A must-read for fans of baseball and gaming history alike!” – Jamie Marshall, Sports Games Journal