Universal Rule for Board Games - Players Decide Ambiguity: If players ever arrive at a situation not covered in the rulebook, and the rules offer no definitive answer, then players should feel free to decide what happens.

General

Q: Do I need the full-play History Maker Baseball game to use this Express version? 

A: No, you do not. The game uses the same player and umpire cards as the full-play game, but none of the charts from the full-play game are required.

Q: If I haven't played the full-play game, will I have trouble understanding the Express version?

A: It's likely, yes. History Maker Baseball (HMB) is a unique entry in the baseball simulation game market in that it uses qualities, not ratings, to generate game action. There are also concepts like team chemistry that show up in the Express game. This FAQ should get you over any confusing results, but it is HIGHLY recommended that you invest in the full game and enjoy all that HMB has to offer.

Q: What stats can I track with this game?

A: For pitchers, you can track wins and losses. For batters you can track RBI and HR's.

Q: I do not own the full-play game, why do some player qualities have a dot (bullet / •) after or before them?

A: These are referred to as "SEMI" qualities. When the game asks if a player has a quality, and the player has a bullet next to the quality name, roll a decider die to see if the quality is activated this at bat. If you do not have a decider die, you can roll a six-sided die and consider odd results a bullet and even results a blank. If you roll a bullet on the decider die, the batter has the indicated quality this at bat.

Q: I do not own the full-play game, how do I know if a starting pitcher is FRESH or not?

A: For modern teams, a starting pitcher is FRESH for 3 innings (innings 1-3) and SEMI FRESH for another 3 innings (innings 4-6). If a starting pitcher carries a shutout into the seventh inning, he retains his SEMI-FRESH quality into the 7th and 8th innings, until he gives up a run. If he's still pitching a shutout into the ninth inning, roll the decider die at the start of the inning to determine if he's SEMI-FRESH for that inning as well.

The full HMB rule book contains the complete "FRESHness by era" breakdown. 

Q: Is the same decider die roll used throughout a single at-bat if it’s needed more than once?

A: No. Once the decider die is “used,” it must be re-rolled if it’s needed again. It might need to be rolled multiple times during a single AB depending on the sequence of quality checks. 

Q: When playing Express, how many pitchers should be in the Starting Pitcher stack? The Relief Pitcher stack?

A: This is totally up to the gamer. Typically, the Starting Pitcher stack will be 4, 5 or 6 pitchers deep. Same for the bullpen. Completely a personal preference.

Going to the Bullpen

Q: Does a Relief Pitcher card get the "quality bonus" even if the call to the bullpen is made at the start of an inning?

A: Yes, whenever you "Go to the Bullpen" you get the quality boost for that one time only. Per the designer, "It's usually smarter to do it mid-inning when there ARE men on base. But if you really want to go to the bullpen to start an inning, you still get the bonus."

Q: I brought in a relief pitcher with men on base. I rolled on the main chart for the next batter and the result was a "solo HR".  Is it a solo HR for only 1-run, or do the runners on base also score. 

A: The runners on base also score. While the main chart result reads "solo HR", it is possible for 2, 3, or 4 runs to score if there were men on base to start the AB.

Q: I brought in a relief pitcher with men on base. I rolled on the main chart for the next batter and the result was "RBI?".  Do I also need to account for the men on base when I resolve the RBI?

A: No. Follow the "RBI?" rules as written (Decider Die Dot = 1 run, Decider Die Dot + Black Die "6" = 2 runs) and ignore the men on base.

Q: If the starter is pulled for bullpen in the middle of an inning with men on base, and the subsequent RP roll on the main chart is a MOB result, but the modified black die is less than one, do the runners that were on base from the starter still score, or does the modified black die result cancel the runs too?

A: In this scenario, no runs score as a result of the second MOB result.

Q: On MOB results 13 & 45, the Otherwise text reads "... (RP) then EOI**". The ** note explains that there is an OPTION to leave the starter in and roll again, but I still don't understand this result. Can you explain?

A: "(RP) then EOI" is a game mechanic that forces a team to bring in their relief pitcher no matter the game situation.  If the RP is already in the game, this part of the result can be ignored.  The ** option exists to allow the gamer to "override" this result, and keep the starter in the game. In this case, the inning DOES NOT END. Rotate to the next batter and roll again on the MOB chart.

Q: Do STRUGGLER rules apply to the Relief Pitcher?

A: No, the relief pitcher cannot earn the situational STRUGGLER quality (based on runs allowed), as it is assumed that another pitcher would have been brought in if that were to happen.

Q: Is it possible to manage the bullpen in the traditional way rather than using the "Going to the Bullpen" mechanic?

A: Yes, this will work although it will lengthen the time needed to play the game.

Gameplay

Q: Do you have the link to the article Keith published about giving SEMI ACE pitchers a boost in HMBX?

A: Yes, here is that blog post: https://plaay.com/blog/semi-ace-boost-for-hmb-express

Q: The first sentence in "How to Play" in the rulebook asks me to set the game day team mood per the normal game rules, but I do not own the full-play game. What should I do?

A: If you do not own the full-play game, you can consider both teams to be neutral (having neither HARMONY or DISSONANCE). Feel free to experiment with other methods of assigning chemistry.

Q: Let's say you own the full game and thus have the game day charts. Are you supposed to use the whole chart, or just do the Harmony/Dissonance roll and nothing else?

A: This is totally up to the gamer. If you are using the game to supplement a project with the full-play game, then it may make sense to use the whole chart. If you are only playing a project with Express, then the harmony/dissonance roll may be enough.

Q: Can you explain when I am supposed rotate the batter in the batting order?

A: When you resolve any of the 4 possible "normal" results from the main chart, you will rotate the active batting deck to the next batter. These results are 1) no runs, 2) no runs (solo HR?), 3) RBI?, and 4) MOB. If you get a "special" result (EXPERIENCE, BALLPARK, UMPIRE, or INJURY), continue with the same batter until you resolve the special result, and then rotate to the next batter once the special result is resolved.

Q: Do I rotate the top batter in the fielding team's batting stack to the bottom if they are involved in a fielding check?

A: Yes.

Q: I had an IRON Fielder? check come up, but the top card on the opponents deck was the DH. What should I do?

A: Rotate the DH to the bottom of the opponents deck, then proceed with the fielding check as normal. Following the check, rotate the fielder to the bottom of the deck.

Q: If a home run happens on MOB chart, does the next batter roll on the MOB chart or main chart (since there are technically no runners on base)?

A: The next batter rolls on the MOB chart even though there are no men on base.

Q: On MOB result 36 … what does RA2 stand for?

A: This stands for "Runners Advance 2 bases"

Q: If you are using the No Runs narrative chart under Advanced Options and your pitcher is DB FLASH do you double the amount of strikeouts?  

A: This hasn't been tested and is not an official rule, but it seems reasonable to apply the DB FLASH quality in this manner. For a red die "1" result, you can assume the pitcher struck out the side (3 K's).

Q: On the CONTACT mini chart, does a SEMI CHAMPION pass the CHAMPION or HERO check?

A: Yes.