Lords of Baseball
Baseball…it defines us. The game has both reflected and pushed American progress since the middle of the 1800’s, and Lords of Baseball takes you to that remarkable period in the early 20th Century when baseball became the national pastime.
The early 1900s saw a massive transformation of the sport of baseball—modern stadiums were erected, attendance boomed, and the popularity and influence of the game blossomed. Lords of Baseball brings this bygone era to life in a fast-paced game of skill and strategy.
The new century is upon us, and the 20th Century promises to be something great for the game of baseball. Across the eastern half of the United States the national pastime is taking shape. The leagues are settling into traditional formats that will remain unchanged for decades.
You are an owner of one of the charter franchises, a leader with the money and vision to grow the game into its modern form. Invest wisely – it is not only the team on the field that matters, but also the stadium, media, and fans that contribute to your success! This is not a baseball game simulation; this is a game about building a baseball dynasty. Your business savvy and skills are what it takes to win the day. Can you build a championship team while at the same time construct a historic shrine to baseball immortality that rivals or exceeds those of your fellow owners?
When the twilight sets on your ownership tenure, will you leave a legacy as one of the true Lords of Baseball?
Lords of Baseball is a card-driven strategy game for 1-4 players (expandable to 6 or 8 and can even be expanded to 16 with two base games and 4 expansions). It unfolds over multiple seasons as you can choose to play a short, medium, or long game with each season taking about 40 minutes to play.
Lords of Baseball is designed by Bob and Max Jamelli, with art from Nichole Balsley and brought to you by L4 Studios, Mr. B Games, and Laboratory H.
A game of Lords of Baseball is played out over a pre-determined number of seasons (three, five, or seven). Each owner has a team and stadium mat where they track the progress and development of their franchise.
During the phases of the season, owners make choices to alter their team’s makeup, develop their stadium, and gain competitive edges during series against their opponents.
A successful owner will find a balance among three primary metrics: winning games, earning money, and improving their stadiums. Be careful, as it is easy to focus too much on one facet of the business and therefore fail to perform as well as an owner that keeps all three objectives in play.
At the beginning of each baseball season hope springs enternal and that only seems natural as the season starts with Spring Training.
During Spring Training you build your team for the upcoming season while balancing those efforts with developing your fan base. Depending on your farm system quality and any media tokens spent, you will have from 3 to 5 Spring Training cards to work with.
During the season, each team will face off against every other team in the conference once, collectively contesting the 22-game series played over the season. Owners will have either seven or eight series cards, and one is played for each series. Eight teams always vie for the title. Game mechanics create challenging interaction with the non-player teams so their are no easy series, and the game is enjoyable even when playing solo.
All teams (including non-player teams) record their wins on the score track.
Non-player teams have a team quality and seasonal win total – no series is easy and non-player teams can win the division!
At the end of the season, if one of the owners’ teams has the most wins, a championship series is played. A championship win adds a victory point and serves as a tie-breaker.
When the season is over, finances are the focus – analyze your profit and manage your payroll. Choices you made during the season influence the income from your stadium and fan base and the cost of your team. Each owner has a reference card (think of it as your accountant/financial manager) to help with this phase.
All good things must come to an end. Stars, regulars, and management all may choose to walk away from the game, and you need to adapt and adjust accordingly.
Finally, in the cold winter months when fans gather around a hot stove listening to news of their team, front office moves and stadium innovation/construction take center field as you prepare for next year.
There are many paths to success as you navigate the seasons, but in the end there can be only one. L4 Studios, Laboratory H, and Mr. B Games invite you to see if you have what it takes to inscribe your name in the hallowed halls of baseball lore and become one of the legendary Lords of Baseball.
With this expansion the game accomodates up to six players (and with the other two-player expansion the game would accomodate up to eight players). When playing Lords of Baseball, players choose teams from only one of the leagues (a game is played with either Federal or Continental teams). In the main game there is a New York team in the Federal league. That team is different from the Continental league New York team available in the first two-player expansion. So if you can’t get enough of teams from the Big Apple (or Beantown), this expansion is for you.
MSRP $20/KS $15 (both expansions for $25)
The Washington and St. Louis (Federal League) franchises
The New York and Boston (Continental League) franchises
Two double-sided team tracker mats
Two double sided stadium mats
6 Discs (3x per player color)
30 Cubes (12 white and 9x per player color)
Two player aid cards
56 Stadium Tiles
With this expansion the game accomodates up to six players (and with the other two-player expansion the game would accomodate up to eight players).
MSRP $20/KS $15 (both expansions for $25)
The Detroit and Cleveland (Federal League) franchises
The Chicago and Philadelphia (Continental League) franchises
Two double-sided team tracker mats
Two double sided stadium mats
6 Discs (3x per player color)
30 Cubes (12 white and 9x per player color)
Two player aid cards
56 Stadium Tiles
Brian Dalrymple was working on Lords of Baseball when he passed away unexpectedly on March 17, 2021. He was universally loved in the boardgame community. It was a pleasure to work with him, and this game thematically touched upon two things he loved…baseball and old cigar boxes. In his memory we are happy to donate a portion of the profits and several copies of Lords of Baseball to his boardgame store and café. If you are ever in south Florida stop by The Adventure Game Store and Dragon’s Lair.
Preview from GameBoyGeek
Review from Undead Viking
Interview with the Designer and Publisher
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