Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still the best "fantasy baseball", March 27, 2004
Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars
Years before "fantasy baseball" became a fad, Strat-O-Matic was giving youngsters the opportunity to manage their favorite major league baseball players. Only those who are baseball fans can appreciate how much fun it is to play a tabletop dice game that accurately re-creates major leaguers' performance so well on so many levels.
The original version of Strat-O-Matic Baseball, which is still around as the game's "basic" version, is pretty simplistic. But beginning in 1972, when the "advanced" version was born, the company has continually added rules and made improvements that make the game more challenging and realistic. The game today also has a "super advanced" version, which re-creates just about every variable that means anything in a baseball game.
You can still play the basic game if you want. But those who grew up with the game, or left it and returned, will find the super-advanced version a fun challenge. Alas, the "fantasy baseball" mentality has robbed the game of some of its innocence; many SOM draft leagues and their general managers take this game a wee bit too seriously.
All teams come with 27 players plus perhaps one to three optional "mixed players" who didn't finish the season with the team. (All 30 major league teams and the mixed players come with the game sold here.) In the bad old days, teams came with only 20 players each, or 24, if one bought the optional "additional players." And if a key player was traded from his original team to the other league, he may not have gotten a card at all. Fortunately, that's no longer the case; in the 2003-season set, for example, Ugueth Urbina has two cards, one each for the Texas Rangers and Florida Marlins.
Gripes about the game are minor. The perforated player cards come on giant sheets that you have to break apart yourself, and this is a real chore. The six-sided dice are small and cheap, and the super-advanced fielding charts are on flimsy, decidedly nondurable paper. (Cardboard charts are available from Strat-O-Matic.)
Despite these complaints, the game is well worth the money. This is all the more reason for baseball fans of virtually any age to give SOM a try.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
When It Was A Game, April 28, 2005
I've been a "Strat Fan" for many years, and this game is unparalleled in its level of fun and enjoyment. I usually play full 162 game schedules with a hall of fame team vs other teams. Granted, the hall of famers usually spank the competition, but its still loads of fun to roll the dice and check the cards.
Each player card is double sided, with one side for the basic game and the other side for the advanced game. I recommend the basic side for new players, while experienced players will probably enjoy the more realistic advanced side. Unfortunately, the hall of famers (i.e. Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, et. al.) can only be played in the basic mode. Additional eras and teams can be purchased for minimal cost.
One full season's worth of cards is included with the game, and you can re-create your own exciting season. Helpful charts and cards are included to help with rules questions and dice rolls.
Strat-O-Matic baseball has provided me hours of fun for many years, and the game continues to get better and better. Pick up a copy of this fine game and experience baseball when it was a game.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Baseball Game Ever, October 3, 2003
Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars
I've been playing this game since 1970 and have every team that has been issued since. You can't call yourself a true baseball fan without playing it. You get to be a big league manager, make out your lineups, choose your strategies: sacrifice, squeeze, hit and run, steal, position your infielders, hit the cutoff man, its all in there and more. Every player rated and simulated. Play any fantasy lineup you choose. Set up any matchup in history. Its all in there.
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