Playball Card Game

Playball - Baseball card game

This is the time of year that my mother-in-law likes to visit and watch the Cubs practice during spring training. A person that has always been hard to buy for, we were happy this year to find a set of wind chimes that play Take Me Out to the Ballgame for her birthday. If you have never checked out Woodstock Chimes, and are interested in wind chimes, I would recommend you browse through their online store. The owner/designer created these professionally tuned chimes after the Cubs won the World Series in 2016. And yes, when you swirl the chimes they clearly play Take Me Out to the Ballgame. As a matter of fact, I learned about Woodstock Chimes when blogging about their chimes sets that I use in therapy, which have been a big hit with the kids. I will put links to those posts below.

So back to the the Playball Card Game, which used to be called Little League Baseball Card Game. If you love baseball like my mother-in-law, or just want to learn how to play, this game will help teach you. The rules for this game follow the actual rules for baseball. 

Included in the game are these 40 cards:

• 9 innings cards
• 20 field cards
• 3 strike cards
• 4 ball cards
• 3 out cards
• 1 trophy card

A cardboard spinner will determine your play on each turn (Sorry, it's a card game and nobody will ever know how good you really are.) Three blue baseball helmets, three red baseball helmets and two bats, all cut out of card stock, will separate the teams and help you keep score.

The inside of the box is used to keep score. There is a separate column for each team with the numbers 1-10 and a slit over each number. When the batter makes their first run, place the baseball bat in the slit over the number 1. Move the bat up one number at a time as additional runs are made. If you make over 10 runs you will have to start back and 1, but remember to add 10 to that at the end of the game. I'll have to say here that the bats are thin and the slits are tight, so keeping score on a piece of paper might be easier.

Far left: The box set up with baseball bats for scoring. Middle: The four cards that make up the baseball diamond with spinner and helmets on bases. Right: Various cards.

To read about other summer themed games I have blogged about, click here.

Here are the Links for the chimes I referred to earlier in this post (nothing to do with baseball):
Woodstock Percussion Chimalong
Mini Chimalong


Object:
Have the most (home) runs after 9 innings.

Set up:

• Arrange the four cards that form the baseball diamond in the middle of the players.
• Give each player three helmets and one baseball bat.
• Separate and stack the innings, ball, strike and out cards and place them nearby.
• Arrange the innings stack so that the cards are in order from 1-9.
• Shuffle the field cards and place them in a face-down stack.

Play:
Decide will go first. This player will be up to bat first and will play until they have three outs, then the second player will do the same. This will count as one inning. The player that is not up to bat will always play defense.

For the purpose of this example, let's say that the blue player will go first. Turn over the top inning card so that the 1 shows. The red player will turn over the cards to keep track of the game as the blue player spins and moves his pieces around the bases. The blue player places one of their helmets on the home plate and spins the spinner. The play will be whatever the spinner indicates:

• Ball or strike - For each ball or strike, the red player will turn over the appropriate card to keep track of what is happening. Each time the word "ball" comes up on the spinner, the red player will put out 1 ball card. After four ball cards have been turned (for one batter), the blue player can move his baseball helmet from home plate to first base. Place another blue player on home plate and go again. If "strike" comes up on the spinner, the blue player removes his helmet from home base and the red player puts up 1 strike card. After three strike cards have been turned, the blue player will be out and the red player will be up to bat.
• Foul out or pop out - The blue player hits a ball that is caught and is out. Take the helmet off home plate and the red player turns up an "out" card.
• Home run - The blue player has scored a home run. If he has any blue helmets on any bases, they all move to home plate. The helmet that was on home plate when the turn started moves around the bases and returns to home plate. Score one run for each helmet that returns to home plate. Mark the home runs using the baseball bat in the game box.
• Single, double or triple - The blue player moves their helmet off home base and one base forward for a single, two bases for a double and three for a triple. If the player has any other helmets already on the bases, they will move those forward as many spaces. Any helmets that pass home base are scored as a run. Keep track of any runs in the game box.

The player who is not up to bat (the red player in this example) is playing defense. When the batter hits a single, double or triple, they will move to the appropriate base. Once there, the red player will turn over one field card and read it. If it says "safe", the helmet stays on base. If it says "out", the helmet is removed from the base and a "strike" card is played on the batter. 

Play until the blue player has three outs. His turn is over. Then the red player is up to bat and plays until he gets three outs. After each side has had a turn at bat, that is one inning. Turn over the inning card number 2 and go again. Keep going until all 9 innings have been played. The player with the most runs after 9 innings is the winner and is awarded the trophy card.

It's a long game, just like the real thing. But if you can't get to Mesa to watch the Cubs in spring training, maybe it can be second best until the season officially opens (March 26 for 2020).

If you are interested in purchasing this game or just want more information, click on the image below.