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national pastime. The fielders actually run to retrieve the ball while the runners are rounding the bases. This is all done through the roll of dice. There is plenty of strategy for fans like myself who want to see how well we can manage a team and yet the game is so simple that it can be played just for the fun of it. The statistics from the game are amazingly close to real baseball. You will hear the roar of the crowd and smell the hot dogs when you play
Diceball. There should be a warning on the box that the game is addictive. My game club can`t stop playing it and we already have a media league set up in the New York area. Because of its originality and great playability I give Diceball the highest rating as the best baseball game on the market today.
388:, a non-profit agency, that publishes a toy report yearly included Diceball in its 1994 report. The game received a three-star rating, the highest score. According to the Montreal Gazette, the game was shipped off to 300 test families in the Ottawa-Hull area for evaluation. Response was excellent across the board, especially from players who liked baseball. Diceball has won the council's highest accolade, a three-star rating.
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Although the luck of the dice plays a major role in this baseball board game, players can make plenty of decisions that affect the outcome. For instance, the dice may tell you that you've just hit a liner to center, but it's up to you to decide whether to try stretching it to a double and whether the
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The more dice rolled on a hit ball, the greater the probability of getting a base hit. With one die, the average is .167; with 2 it is .278; with 3, .287; with 4 dice, it is .356; with 5 dice .351; with 6 dice, the average climbs to .472. The overall average when the ball is hit in play is .319, not
439:. After the tournament, Boucher said, "you will find in Diceball! all the things that happen in real baseball." He added that playing the game is a great way to spend time with friends. By winning the Diceball! tournament, Boucher was given a $ 250 cheque that he gave to the Sun Youth Organization.
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In the basic version of
Diceball, pawns are used as defensive players and are also used as runners by the opponent. A white pawn is used as a ball. The offense use dice to hit the ball in different spots on the game board and the offensive players try to move the players toward home plate as the
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If you like baseball and games you have to try
Diceball. Up till now the only baseball board games available have been either the statistical kind with individual player cards and lots of charts or some totally juvenile kind of game with spinners. Diceball is a truly original simulation of our
198:. Girard brought his game to his high school, where he organized tournaments with other students. Given the popularity of the game in his school, Girard also brought his game to university where it also became popular. The interest created by the game was noticed by entrepreneur
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and that the batter will have to try to reach a base before the defense throws to that base. If the ball is hit to a star-shaped zone, the runner starts to run around the bases while the defence recovers the ball on the star. If the stars are from 27 to 36 it is a
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Strategy plays a role. The ability to decide when to run around the bases or to stop will create momentum or result in outs. Players have the power to try to steal a base, to order a bunt to try to send a runner to second to avoid a
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Every batter who runs around the bases and reaches home plate before three outs scores a run. As soon as three outs are recorded, stranded runners are removed from the bases. The teams trade places: the defense becomes the offense.
170:. Both players use the dice to throw the baseball from the mound to the plate and field the ball on defense. Diceball! was designed to mirror the statistical reality of baseball. A regular game of Diceball! without
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rolls the die until either the batter is struck out, the batter is walked, or the ball is hit. If the ball is hit, the offensive team rolls a die to determine the number of dice to be used to hit the ball.
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Diceball! got positive press reviews partly because of its statistical similarities to the game of baseball. In
Diceball! the batter puts the ball in play 66% of the time compared to 76% in
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is .349 compared to .340 in real baseball. Even the odds of getting an out are realistic. 33.6% of ground balls in
Diceball! (34.8% in baseball) 11.7% are flyballs or liners to the
470:, the offensive average in Diceball! is almost the same as baseball. .251 versus .254. Since there are more walks and errors in Diceball! than in real baseball, the players
289:. A player can also try to advance or score on a sacrifice fly. All these extra plays are subjected to the laws of probability like the rest of the rules of Diceball.
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end up in walks compared to 9% in baseball. The ball is hit a few less times in
Diceball! However, the game is balanced out by the greater probability of getting a
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The first harbinger of success came at Dorval airport, where a suspicious U.S. customs agent examined one of the games closely and then tried to buy it on the spot.
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runner on second should risk going wee wee wee all the way home. For a more challenging game, use the advanced rules for basestealing, hit-and-run plays, etc.
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A Diceball! set, consisting of a board, two sets of 4 pawns, 1 ball-piece, two sets of 6 dice, two dice cups, one rule book and one pad of scoresheets.
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When I first heard about it, I asked myself what the hell
Canadians knew about baseball. Then I played it. Now I take Diceball with me when I travel.
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Praised for its statistical accuracy, Diceball! was used in schools in the US to teach youngsters the virtues of understanding statistics.
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Before and while it was launched, Diceball! was the center of many tournaments, in schools, colleges and workplaces. Former Expos pitcher
230:. If the ball is hit on a circle, the ball was hit in the air and an out is recorded. If the ball is hit on a number in a cloud, it is a
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The number of dice indicated are rolled and added up. Numbers from 1 to 36 show the location where the ball is
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and eventually runner) in the batter's box, to get the pitcher's throws. The die replaces the ball. The
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counting infield hits. Adding infield hits, the overall average when the ball is hit is .339.
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Ladouceur, Pierre (September 21, 1993). "Boucher lance... les dés pour
Jeunesse au Soleil".
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DiManno, Rosie (January 2, 1994). "Fun doodle leads to hit baseball board game".
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in New York and Girard, the
Diceball inventor, said in an interview to the
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from each team in a
Diceball! game than in a Major League Baseball game.
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Roseman, Ellen (December 20, 1993). "As you pass Go, put up $ 100,000".
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An expert section in the rule book includes more baseball features like
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Lamey, Mary (June 20, 1994). "Diceball eyes board-game big leagues".
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Arcand, Denis (October 28, 1992). "Un jeu de baseball sur table!".
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is struck out 23% of the time, against 15% in baseball. 11% of the
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defense try to stop the offense by forwarding the ball around.
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and received press coverage in Canada's national newspaper,
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Lapointe, Josée (February 16, 1996). "Baseball dé-joué".
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won a Diceball! tournament involving sports reporters in
482:(20.1% in baseball). On average one more runner gets on
375:) described it as the best baseball game on the market:
415:. In Canada, Diceball! garnered television coverage on
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To start the game, the visiting team puts a pawn (as a
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Diceball! got positive reviews upon its launch in the
478:(14.7% in baseball) and 20.8% are fly balls in the
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675:MLB statistics used in the text were taken from:
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347:In January 1994, Diceball was presented in the
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335:editor said in an interview he gave to the
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463:when the ball is hit (.339 vs. .304).
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202:, who launched the game with Girard.
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407:. It was also featured in Quebec in
186:by a 16-year old Daniel Girard from
182:The game was designed in 1979 on a
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677:Zminda, Don; Dewan, John (1989).
421:Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
194:were chasing the pennant in the
679:Stats Baseball Score Board 1989
349:American International Toy Fair
721:Board games introduced in 1991
642:Mike Fitzgerald (April 1993).
391:The game was also reviewed in
226:and the ball is placed on the
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681:. New York: Ballantine Books.
386:Canadian Toy Testing Council
644:Country Gold Saturday Night
309:named it as one of the top
162:game, one representing the
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427:Social and tournament play
154:in which two players roll
701:Diceball on Boardgamegeek
609:(118): 65. December 1993.
285:and/or put a player in a
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174:lasts about 45 minutes.
319:in 1991, 1992 and 1993.
239:and all runners score.
648:Unistar Radio Networks
417:CTV Television Network
413:Le Journal de Montréal
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365:Unistar Radio Networks
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466:Taking into accounts
449:Major League Baseball
741:Baseball board games
443:Statistical accuracy
554:(in French): C1–C2.
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716:Sports board games
532:The Globe and Mail
472:on-base percentage
405:The Ottawa Citizen
397:The Globe and Mail
206:Gameplay and rules
166:and the other the
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584:"Diceball Rules"
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401:The Toronto Star
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287:scoring position
200:Louis Desjardins
54:Intellijeux INC.
40:Louis Desjardins
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110:Playing time
60:Years active
731:Board games
331:, a senior
283:double play
232:ground ball
138:probability
710:Categories
631:: F3, F15.
502:References
468:strikeouts
228:game board
152:board game
113:45 minutes
102:Setup time
72:Board game
50:Publishers
663:La Presse
570:La Presse
552:Le Soleil
409:La Presse
393:USA Today
312:Games 100
293:Reception
184:pizza box
168:home team
147:Diceball!
86:Languages
80:Dice game
35:Designers
480:outfield
461:base hit
437:Montreal
371:(lately
369:New York
276:Strategy
237:home run
160:baseball
134:Strategy
125:rolling)
17:Diceball
476:infield
457:at-bats
315:in the
216:pitcher
178:History
94:Players
453:batter
451:. The
303:Canada
212:batter
130:Skills
121:High (
118:Chance
68:Genres
150:is a
484:base
419:and
411:and
403:and
384:The
363:The
301:and
268:and
156:dice
123:dice
367:of
224:hit
712::
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615:^
607:17
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560:^
540:^
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272:.
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97:2
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