Baseball Highlights: 2045 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Welcome to the World of Baseball Highlights 2045!
• Object of the Game
• Components
• Baseball Card Features
• Stadium Mat Features
• Running the Bases
• Game Setup
• Pre Mini-Game Setup
• Play Ball! Mini-Game Turn Summary
• Detailed Sequence of Play
• Pinch Hitting
• Continuing Mini-Game Play
• End of Mini-Game Play (Visitor Save)
• Winning the Mini-Game
• Extra Innings
• End of Mini-Game Sequence
• Buy Round
• Example of Play
• Game Modes
  • Beginner 2-Player: 45-60 minutes
  • Standard 2-Player: 30-45 minutes
  • Expert 2-Player: 45-60 minutes
  • 4-Player Tournament: 90-120 minutes
  • Solitaire Rules: 45 minutes
• Baseball Highlights 2045 Common Questions
• Card Errata
• Player Types
• Credits

Welcome to the World of Baseball Highlights 2045!

Object of the Game

Baseball Highlights 2045 is played as a series of 4 to 7 minute mini-games (see pages 12-14 for modes of play). In each mini-game, each player draws and plays a six-card lineup drawn from their 15-card roster of active players. At the end of the mini-game, a winner is determined, and new players are bought. A team must always be 15 players, so for each new player bought, one of the existing players is sent to the Minor Leagues. The player who wins the most mini-games in the World Series is the overall winner.

Components

• 1 Rule Book
• 1 Reference Booklet
• 1 Guided Play Guide
• 4 15-card Starting Decks:
  • Los Angeles
  • New York
  • San Francisco
  • Boston
• 1 60-card Free Agent Deck
• 4 Stadium Mats
• 60 Wooden Pawns (Batters/Base Runners) in 3 colors (White, Blue, Red)
• 4 Runs Scored Markers
• 4 Games Won Markers
• 4 Home/Visitor Pennant Markers

This is the revised rule book for all versions of the game, including the Baseball Highlights: 2045 base game and Baseball Highlights: 2045 - Spring Training introductory game.

The Spring Training edition includes only 2 Starter Teams (New York and Los Angeles), a 40-Card Free Agent Deck, and Stadium components for 2 players, including cardboard markers instead of wooden pawns for the Batters/Runners. The cards are the same high quality with linen finish as the original game, and so are completely compatible.

Baseball Card Features

• Player Pennant: Name, City & Team Color
• Cost to Purchase: In RED diamond
• Revenue Generated: In GREEN circle
• Player Type: Natural, Robot, or Cyborg
• Hit Boxes: Represent the number and type of Threatened Hits the player can generate. XM‑PL‑BOT for example generates 3 Threatened Hits: Single, Double, Triple.
• Immediate Action Box: This action is immediately resolved when the card is played. Box shading color and letter denote (D)efensive, (O)ffensive and (S)pecial Immediate Actions.
• Speed Icon: White (S) = Slow, Blue (A) = Average, Red (F) = Fast
• Pinch Hitter Icon
• Card Deck & Number

Stadium Mat Features

• Lineup: Place 15-card Team Deck here.
• Home / Visitor Pennant Marker
• Dugout: After a mini-game, all played cards are discarded here.
• In Play Box: Play cards from your hand here.
• Home Plate: Place Batters here based on your Threatened Hits.
  • Single to 1st
  • Double to 2nd
  • Triple to 3rd
  • Home Run — Score a run!
• On Deck Circle: You may place a card here at the start of a mini-game.
• Minor Leagues: Demoted players are placed here.
• Runs Scored Track
• Games Won Track

Pawns start on Home Plate and are known as Batters.

When resolving a Hit Box, the Batter Pawn is moved to the appropriate base.

A Pawn on a Base is known as Base Runner, it moves around the bases as shown by the Red Arrows in the diagram. Each Base Runner that returns to Home Plate scores 1 Run.

Running the Bases

When resolving Threatened Hits, Base Runners move according to the type of hit and their speed.

• Slow Base Runners (White) advance a number of bases equal to the hit. For example: They advance 1 base on a Single, 2 bases on a Double, 3 bases on a Triple, and all the way around the bases and back to Home Plate for a Home Run (which scores a run!)
• Average Base Runners (Blue) advance a number of bases equal to the hit (same as Slow Runners). Exception: An Average Base Runner on 2nd base will advance 2 bases on a Single and therefore score.
• Fast Base Runners (Red) always advance 1 more base than the Hit (For example: They advance 2 bases on a Single, 3 bases on a Double)

Only 1 Base Runner can occupy a base at a time, and Base Runners cannot pass one another. Whenever Base Runners advance on a Hit, always begin with a Runner on 3rd Base, then one on 2nd, and finally one on 1st.

Base Runners may not be able to advance their full number of bases because of a slower Runner in front of them.

Game Setup

1. Decide which game mode you are going to play (see page 12). The rules that follow are for a beginner 2-player game.

2. Each player takes a Stadium Mat and chooses the front side (right-handed) or back side (left-handed) to use, placing it in front of them.

3. Each player selects a Starting Team Deck of 15 players, shuffles the deck and places it face down on the Lineup space of their Stadium Mat. Note: The Starter Teams are composed of 10 Rookies and 5 Veterans all with the same location. The card identifier in the bottom right starts with "ST-"

4. Each player takes a Runs Scored Marker and Games Won Marker, placing them on the "0" space of the corresponding tracks. These will be used to track Runs Scored and Games Won during the game.

5. Determine who will be the Visiting and Home Teams randomly. Each Player places their Pennant Markers to show Home or Visitor on the space provided on the player's Stadium Mat. As the Home team changes during the series, flip the Pennant Markers accordingly. The Visiting Team will play first.

6. Shuffle the 60-card Free Agent Deck and deal the top 6 cards face up in a 'Buy Row' to the side so that both players can easily see them. Note: The Free Agents are cards which start with "FA-" in the bottom right.

   When you play the game with any Free Agent expansions added in, I recommend increasing the size of the pool of available players in the Buy Row to 10.

7. Place the red, white, and blue Wooden Pawns within easy reach of each player.

Just wait till you rob a home run from your opponent to save a win.

NOW THAT'S BASEBALL 2045!

Pre Mini-Game Setup

Before a mini-game, each player does the following:

1. Draw the top 6 cards of your Lineup into your hand. These 6 cards represent your team for the entire mini-game. (Other cards may enter the game from Pinch Hitting, Visitor's Save, and Extra Innings.) If you ever need to draw a card and your Lineup is empty, reshuffle your Dugout to create a new Lineup. Note that you only ever reshuffle your Dugout when you need to draw a card and your Lineup is empty.

2. You may decide to put one card from your hand face down on the On Deck Circle of your Stadium Mat. If you do, draw the next card from your deck to replenish your hand to 6 cards. You may always look at your On Deck card. You may NOT peek at your Lineup.

   Learning how to use the On Deck Circle is a key factor in separating a seasoned manager from a rookie.

   Selecting the card to put On Deck is a very important part of the game. At first you will not know all the strategy that goes into this. Here are some tips to get you started:

   • Line up a Big Hitter to use in the current or next game.
   • Hide a key player you just bought so your opponent will not be sure whether it will be in the game.
   • Consider the impact on your revenue for the Buy Players Phase.
   • Set up for the Visitor Save.

Play Ball! Mini-Game Turn Summary

Beginning with the Visiting Team, players will take alternate turns. On your turn, you first play a card from your hand to your In Play Box. Then you perform the following 3 steps:

1. Resolve any Immediate Action on the played card.
2. Resolve all opponent's Threatened Hits on their last played card.
3. Place Batters to represent the Threatened Hits from your played card.

Each mini-game is an abstract representation of what happens during a full game of baseball. The actions you take during the game are the 'Highlights'.

Unlike a real game of baseball, any Batters and Base Runners stay on their bases at the end of each round of play (called an Inning).

Detailed Sequence of Play

The first thing you do in a turn is choose a card to play from your hand. Alternatively, you can use a Pinch Hitter (See Pinch Hitting, below). Play the chosen card face up to your In Play Box.

Step 1: Resolve the Immediate Action on the card.

• If the Immediate Action box is blank on the card, skip this step.
• If this is the Visiting Team's first card play of the mini-game, the Immediate Action will usually have no effect, as their opponent has not yet played a card. The exception to this is the Leadoff Immediate Action. All the Immediate Actions are explained in the Reference Booklet.

Step 2: Resolve opponent's Threatened Hits, if applicable.

For each of your opponent's Hit Boxes that has not been cancelled, your opponent executes each Hit Box in order, working from left to right by doing the following in this order:

i. Advance all Base Runners starting with the lead Runner as described in the Running the Bases section (page 3). For each Base Runner that reaches Home Plate, 1 run is scored. ii. Move the Batter from their Home Plate to the base corresponding to the Hit (1st base for a Single, 2nd base for a Double, 3rd base for a Triple. If the Hit is a Home Run, remove the Batter, and 1 run is scored.

Note: The speed of the Batter does not affect the initial base they are placed on. So, a Fast Runner is still placed on 1st Base if the Hit is a Single.

As noted, any Base Runner or Batter reaching Home Plate scores a run. Place the pawn back into the supply and advance the Runs Scored Marker 1 space. If this puts the team over 9 runs, flip the Marker over to the "+10" side and continue to track runs.

Step 3: Place 1 Batter pawn onto your Home Plate for each Hit Box on your played card.

The color of the pawn placed is indicated by the Speed Icon on the In Play card. These Batters represent Threatened Hits.

Note: Once you have drawn your initial hand of 6 cards at the start of a mini-game, you do not draw any other cards. The mini-game will consist of only the 6 cards you have in hand, with the exception of the Visitor save, Pinch Hitting, or if the game runs to Extra Innings.

It may seem odd that there will be both an Immediate Action and multiple Hits all played at the same time. This is because the Hits and Immediate Action of a card represent the potential ability of the player depicted on the card to affect the game. The Immediate Actions and Hits that "work" represent that player's "highlights" for the game.

After one mini-game the flow of the card play will become easy. Take your time at first to go step by step so you will not miss things until you have it down. This is a unique part of the game and will take a little time to get used to.

Pinch Hitting

At the beginning of your turn, instead of playing a card from your hand, you may discard a card from your hand that has the Pinch Hit icon to your Dugout. Doing this allows you to bring in a Pinch Hitter, who takes the place of the discarded player for that moment of the mini-game.

When you bring in a Pinch Hitter, choose either your On Deck card or the top card from your Lineup and place it face up on your In Play stack. Then, resolve this card as if you had played it from your hand.

You may not look at the top card of your Lineup before making this decision. However, you may always freely look at your On Deck card.

Note: The new card comes directly into play. If it also has the PH icon, it may not be discarded to reveal yet another card; it must be used as the new In Play card.

Note: If you choose to play the top card of your Lineup, and your Lineup is empty, shuffle the Dugout to create a new Lineup before discarding the PH card.

Continuing Mini-Game Play

Your opponent now becomes the active player and play continues as above until both players have played all 6 cards in their hand.

End of Mini-Game Play (Visitor Save)

After both players have played all 6 cards from their hand, the Visiting player may perform a Visitor Save. This is done after the Home Team has played their last card in the mini-game. The Visitor Save represents a last defensive effort to save the game and gives the Visiting Team the opportunity to respond to the Home Team's Threatened Hits on their last card play.

To perform a Visitor Save, The Visiting Team may choose to reveal their On Deck card (if they have one), or the top card of their Lineup. Resolve any Defensive Immediate Action (red background) on the card revealed. This card is then discarded to the Dugout without resolving any other effects on it.

Any remaining Threatened Hits on the Home Team's last card are then resolved as usual.

Note: The Visiting Team may always choose to use the Visitor Save even if it will have not have any effect. This allows the Visiting Team to cycle a card from their Lineup.

Winning the Mini-Game

The team with the most runs wins the mini-game. Advance the winning team's Games Won Marker 1 space on their Stadium mat.

If the teams are tied at the end of the 6 Innings, refer to the Extra Innings section on the next page.

Extra Innings

At the end of a mini-game, if the players are tied on Runs Scored, keep all Base Runners on their bases and proceed as follows:

1. Both players draw 3 cards from their Lineup.
2. Each player chooses one card and plays it face down on their In Play stack.
3. Players reveal their cards simultaneously.
4. Players place their Batter Pawns on their Home Plate to represent their Threatened Hits of the card just revealed.
5. These cards are now evaluated in order as follows:
6. Resolve the Immediate Action of the Home Team.
7. Resolve the Immediate Action of the Visiting Team.
8. Resolve both teams' Threatened Hits (the order does not matter).
9. At this point, if one player's team is now ahead on runs scored, the mini-game is over and that player wins. If, however, the teams are still tied, both players choose and play one of their remaining cards face down and repeat the same steps until a player has won or all three cards have been played.
10. If the score is still tied after all three cards have been played, draw 3 more cards and repeat the entire process. There are no ties in Baseball Highlights 2045!

Note: Pinch Hitters may be used in Extra Innings. This is done in Step 2 of the above sequence; instead of playing a card from your hand, discard a card from your hand with the PH icon, and place the On Deck card or the top card of your Lineup face down on your In Play stack.

Note: In the very rare case that you go through your whole deck and the game is still tied, reshuffle all of the played Extra Innings cards and continue. Note that your Revenue for the Buy Round can never exceed your entire team's combined Revenue.

End of Mini-Game Sequence

After the mini-game, perform these steps:

1. If either player still has an On Deck card, they must either choose to discard it to their Dugout with no effect, or place it back on top of their Lineup.
2. Reset the Runs Scored Markers for both teams back to 0.
3. Remove all pawns from each Stadium Mat.
4. If there were Extra Innings, both players discard any unplayed Extra Innings cards from their hand to their Dugout.
5. All played cards in the In Play Box are now used for purchasing new players in the Buy Round (see next page).

Cards put In Play during Extra Innings will add to your revenue for the Buy Round.

Fans love close fought matches!

However, when playing with 4 or more players, we recommend discarding played Extra Innings Cards directly to the Dugout. This will ensure that players who play extra innings will not receive an unfair advantage in revenue over other players.

Buy Round

After each mini-game, each player may buy new players to enhance their team.

Total the revenue (Green Circles) generated by each card in your In Play Box. The player with the lowest total revenue decides who will buy first. If tied, the loser of the mini-game decides who buys first.

When it is your turn to buy new cards, you may buy as many players as you can afford from the ones available in the Buy Row. Immediately upon a card being purchased, a new card from the Free Agent Deck is drawn to replace it so that you will always have 6 to choose from. Therefore, if you have enough money to afford more than one player, you buy one, reveal a new card, and then may buy the next one.

A newly purchased player is placed face down on top of your Lineup. It will be available for the next game.

Each team must always maintain a 15-card roster. So, for each new player that you buy, you must send one player to the Minor Leagues (out of play). The demoted player must come from the cards in your In Play Box. Place the demoted players face down under the Minor Leagues Box.

Any money not spent is lost; you may not carry over any money from one Buy Round to the next.

After both players have purchased new players, each player discards all remaining cards from their In Play Box to their Dugout face up.

You want your team to keep getting better, so remember to send a player to the Minors for every new player you add.

Example of Play

The text below describes a game between Ralph and Mike. Both players have decided to place one of their cards from their starting hand onto their On Deck circle and draw a replacement card. Ralph is the Visiting Team and takes the first turn in the game.

Ralph decides to play Turtlebot from his hand to his In Play Box.

Step 1: There is no Immediate Action on Turtlebot's card, so nothing happens in this step.

Note: Even if there were an Immediate Action in the top box (other than Leadoff), it would not apply, since this is the first card of the mini-game and there are no Threatened Hits or Base Runners on bases for the Immediate Action to apply to.

Step 2: This step is skipped because the Home Team has not yet played a card.

Step 3: Turtlebot has two Single Hit Boxes and so now is threatening two Singles. Ralph places two Average speed Batters (Blue) on his Home Plate.

It is now Mike's turn.

Mike chooses to play Mickey Maris from his hand to his In Play Box.

Step 1: The Immediate Action (Glove) is resolved, which allows Mike to cancel one of the Threatened Hits from Ralph's card. Mike cancels the first Single and Ralph removes one of the Batters from Home Plate.

Note: Normally all results in a Hit Box happen in order from left to right. With two Singles, it does not matter which one the Glove stops but in many situations, you most likely will want to cancel the Hit Box result that provides your opponent with the most advantage.

Step 2: Ralph now resolves his Threatened Hits from his last card played - Turtlebot. One Single was cancelled, so Ralph only has one Single remaining. He puts the one remaining Batter from his Home Plate on First Base.

Step 3: Mickey Maris now threatens to hit a Single followed by a Homerun. Mike places two blue Batters on his Home Plate.

It is now Ralph's turn.

Ralph decides it is time to bring in his Pinch Hitter; the card he played to his On Deck circle at the start of the game. He discards Bat 90 from his hand (which has the PH icon) to the Dugout and plays Satchel Seaver from his On Deck circle to his In Play Box.

Step 1: Satchel Seaver's Immediate Action is Fastball, which cancels all Threatened Hit Boxes vs. a Natural. Since Mickey Maris is a Natural, all Hits are cancelled, and Mike removes both Batters from his Home Plate.

Step 2: This step is skipped because Mike no longer has any Threatened Hits left to use.

Step 3: Satchel Seaver now threatens to hit a Single, so Ralph places one blue Batter on his Home Plate.

It is now Mike's turn.

Mike chooses to play Wiffle from his hand to his In Play Box.

Step 1: Wiffle has no Immediate Action, so this step is skipped.

Step 2: Ralph now resolves his Threatened Hits from Satchel Seaver - a Single. First, all Base Runners advance: The Average speed Runner on First Base advances to Second Base. Then, he moves the blue Batter on Home Plate to First Base (because the Hit was a Single).

Step 3: Wiffle threatens three Singles so 3 white Batters are placed on Mike's Home Plate.

It is now Ralph's turn.

Ralph plays Willie McGwire to his In Play Box.

Step 1: Willie McGwire's Immediate Action is Glove, which cancels one of the Threatened Hits from Wiffle. Since all Hits are Singles, it doesn't matter which is cancelled. One of Mikes Batters is removed from his Home Plate.

Step 2: The two remaining Singles from Wiffle are now resolved. For the first one, there are no Base Runners, so nothing advances, and then one Batter from Home Plate is placed on First Base (because it is a Single). Then, the second Single is resolved: The Runner on First advances to Second, and then the remaining Batter on Home Plate is moved to First Base.

Step 3: Willie McGwire threatens to hit a Single and then a Double, so Ralph places two red Batters on his Home Plate.

It is now Mike's turn.

Mike chooses to play Big Mo from his hand to his In Play Box.

Step 1: Big Mo's Quick Eye only has an effect if Ralph's last card played was a Cyborg. It is not, so the Immediate Action has no effect.

Step 2: Ralph now resolves his Threatened Hits from Willie McGwire - a Single and then a Double. For the first Hit (a Single), all Base Runners advance: The Average speed Runner on Second Base advances to Home Plate and scores a run! Remember, an Average Runner on Second Base scores on a Single. Then, the Average Runner on First Base moves to Second Base. And finally, one of the red Batters from Home Plate is placed on First Base. Remember, when placing a Batter onto a Base, the speed of the Runner is ignored, so the pawn is placed on First Base because it was a Single, irrespective of the fact that the Batter is Fast.

The second Hit (a Double) is then resolved. The Average Runner on Second Base scores a run, and then the Fast Runner on First Base advances 3 bases and also scores (because he is Fast, he advances one more Base than the value of the Hit). And finally, Ralph moves the remaining red Batter on Home Plate to Second Base (because the Hit is a Double).

Step 3: Big Mo threatens to hit three a Singles and then a Double, so 2 white Batters are placed on Ralph's Home Plate.

Ralph currently leads by 3 runs to 0!

Play continues in this fashion until both players have played all 6 cards in the mini-game.

Note that although Ralph has used his card on his On Deck circle, he can still Pinch Hit later in the game by bringing into play the top card from his Lineup.

Game Modes

Beginner 2-Player: 45-60 minutes

1. Each player selects a Starter Team Deck
2. Play a 3-game mini-season, including a Buy Round at the end of each mini-game.
   • Randomly determine the Home Team for the first mini-game and then alternate Home Team for the 2nd and 3rd mini-games.
   • The player winning the most games in this mini-season will begin as the Home Team in the World Series play. Be sure to play all 3 games even if someone wins the first two.
   • It is important to have 3 Buy Rounds before the World Series starts.
3. The World Series is played as the best-of-seven games in a 2-3-2 format.
   • The first 2 games, the winner of the mini-season is the Home Team.
   • The next 3 games, the other team will be the Home Team.
   • The last 2 games (if needed), the Home Team will return to the winner of the mini-season.

Example: If Mike won the mini-season, the first 2 games of the World Series are in Mike's stadium. The next 3 games are in Ralph's stadium. Then, any remaining games are back in Mike's stadium.

There is a Buy Round after every mini-game.

The first player to win 4 mini-games in the World Series wins!

Standard 2-Player: 30-45 minutes

Similar to the Beginner 2-player game, but do not play the mini-games in the mini-season. However, the 3 Buy Rounds are still performed. For each Buy Round, each player draws the top 6 cards from their Lineup and totals the Revenue on them, using this to buy new players.

Note: Determine a Home Team player and change it for each Buy Round. If there is a tie for Revenue, the current Visitor decides who will buy first.

At the end of each of the 3 Buy Rounds, newly purchased players are placed on top of a player's Lineup, any players demoted from the teams are placed on the player's Minor Leagues box, and remaining cards used for revenue are then discarded to the Dugout as normal.

Then, play the best-of-seven mini-games for the World Series. Determine randomly which player starts at home.

Expert 2-Player: 45-60 minutes

Do not play any mini-games or perform any pre-series Buy Rounds. Instead, just play to the best-of-eleven mini-games with a Buy Round after each mini-game until there is a winner. Determine randomly which player starts as the Home team and then alternate the Home team after each game.

If you use the Coaches Expansion, wait to use them until after game 2.

4-Player Tournament: 90-120 minutes

1. Each player plays a set of 3 mini-games against each other opponent (9 mini-games total). You must play all 3 games in each pairing, performing a Buy Round after each game as usual. This ensures all players have equal Buy Round opportunities.
2. Each pair of players will have their own Buy Row from the Free Agent Deck.
3. For the first set of 3 mini-games, determine the starting Home Team randomly. For the next set, the Home Team is the player with the most wins so far (ties broken randomly). During a set of 3 mini-games, the Home Team changes after each mini-game.
4. After each player has played their 9 mini-games, rank the players by their number of wins. If two players are tied, the higher ranked player is the one who won the mini-games against the other tied player.
5. The player who is Rank 1 (most wins) will play the player who is Rank 4 (least wins). The Rank 2 and Rank 3 players also play each other. Play a 'Best of 3' Mini-Series with no Buy Rounds.
6. The winners of each Mini-series play the finals; another 'Best of 3' Mini-Series with no Buy Rounds. The first Home Team goes to the player with most total of wins so far (determine randomly if tied).
7. The winner of this final is the Tournament Champion!

Note: In Tournament play, players will need to reseat themselves so opponents for the new round are across from one another in head to head play. In addition, each player reshuffles their deck whenever they face a new opponent.

With multiple copies of the game, this tournament mode can be played with any number of players. We recommend playing with up to 16 players (4 tables of 4 players). This allows for an exceptional tournament format within a 2 to 3 hour time frame.

Variant Rule: After each player has played 9 mini-games and you have ranked the players (Step 4), the top 2 players go on to the finals, playing a best of 3, 5, or 7 series. If desired, the other two teams go head to head for third place.

In tournament format, I recommend you do not add the money from players used in extra innings to the Buy Round. It gives an unfair advantage to the teams who have extra innings.

Solitaire Rules: 45 minutes

Player Setup:

1. Pick one of the 4 starting teams for yourself.
2. Decide how many Buy Rounds you want to have before starting the World Series.
   • No Buy Rounds: Very tough to beat but let us know if you do!
   • 1-3 Buy Rounds: each one makes it a bit easier. I find 2 buy rounds is a good starting place for a real challenge.
   • 4 or more Buy Rounds: Now the solo game is starting to be in your favor if you are a good player.

AI Setup:

1. Shuffle the 60-card Free Agent Deck and deal 15 cards face down on the AI's player mat in its Lineup. This is its deck.
2. The AI is always the Home Team.

Game Play:

• Play a best-of-seven games series with a Buy Round for you after each game.
• The AI team never changes.
• You follow all the rules including On Deck placement and Visitor Save.
• The AI draws the top card of its Lineup for each play.
• The AI has no On Deck card and never uses a Pinch Hitter.
• When the AI deck runs out, shuffle its deck and keep drawing on the AI turns.
• Extra Innings: You draw 3 cards as normal, the AI draws 1 card as needed from the top of its deck.

You will find some interesting strategies to employ as you are up against it early in the series.

The AI players are much better than yours although the AI may not always play its cards at the right time. (However, it does amaze me how many times the AI will play the Double Play when I have two guys on base!)

You get to hone your skills on how to best sequence your card play in this game.

You will improve your team building skills to solve certain problems you will have facing the AI team. These problems will be different with every game.

Baseball Highlights 2045 Common Questions

When do you shuffle your Dugout to create a new Lineup?

You do not shuffle your deck between any mini-games.

You only shuffle your Dugout (discards) to create a new deck when you need to draw a new card and your Lineup is empty.

This could be at the start of the mini-game when you draw 6 cards or when you place an On Deck card and need to draw back to 6 cards. It could also be anytime you Pinch Hit and want to draw a card from the top of your deck. In this case, shuffle the Dugout and create the new Lineup before you discard. It could also be in Extra Innings when you need to draw 3 cards.

What is the difference between how a Batter moves and how a Base Runner moves when a Threatened Hit is resolved?

Batters only move the number of bases indicated by the Hit no matter their speed. All Batters will go to 1st base on a Single, 2nd base on a Double, 3rd base on a Triple, and home for a Home Run.

Base Runners have different abilities based on their speed:

• Slow Base Runners only advance based on the Hit.
• Average Base Runners work the same way as Slow Base Runners with the exception that an Average Base Runner on 2nd base will advance 2 bases on a Single (and score).
• Fast Base Runners advance 1 more base than the value of the Hit.

Base Running Rules

Only 1 Base Runner may be on each base at any one time.

Base Runners may not pass other Base Runners ahead of them.

Slower Base Runners may impede the advance of faster Base Runners.

Example: A Slow Base Runner is on 2nd and a Fast Base Runner is on 1st. A Single is executed. The Slow Base Runner advances one base to 3rd. The Fast Base Runner advances only to 2nd; they are not allowed to advance the extra base as 3rd Base is occupied.

Can I look through my opponent's Dugout?

Yes, all cards in both players Dugouts can be looked through by all players.

If there are no Hit Boxes on a card, what does the Speed Icon mean?

Some cards from the expansion sets can add Hit Boxes to a player's card, so it needs to have a speed factored in.

Can an Immediate Action cancel hits generated from the opponent's Immediate Action (including during Extra Innings)?

No. You can only cancel "Threatened" Hits from the Hit Box, never from the Immediate Action. Those will happen if conditions are met.

Card Errata

CARD #CP-178 MORDECAI MARICHAL (Cyborg Pitchers Expansion - Early printings only)

• ADD Pinch Hitter

Player Types

The Naturals:

Naturals are humans who are so good they can compete with the Robots and Cyborgs. In general, their special skill is fielding. Naturals typically have Immediate Actions like Glove and Double Play. They are weaker hitters than the Robots but can still generate good offense. The fans love them so they tend to provide good money for buying Free Agents.

The Cyborgs:

Cyborgs are humans with bionic arms, which enable them to pitch better. In general, these players have had their arms engineered to throw certain kinds of pitches from Fastballs to Knuckleballs and Curves to Spitballs. They are capable of cancelling all Hit Boxes vs. certain types of players and picking off Base Runners.

The Robots:

The Robots are hitting machines - literally. In general, they have bats for arms and can keep up with the pitches thrown by the Cyborgs putting up big offensive numbers. They are great on offense but are sorely lacking in defense. Someday they may make a Robot that can field but that is probably far, far in the future. For the most part, fans do not trust them completely so they don't provide a lot of revenue for buying new players. But they will add runs to your team!

Go Wiffle Bot!

Credits

Playtesters: Tom Lehmann, Ralph H. Anderson, Larry Chong, Helaine Eisler, Matt "On Deck" Eisler, Alan Stern, Chad Mekash, Ed Bartz, Jim Vroom, Joe Casadonte, John Perkins, Jonathan Clarke, Keith Avallone, Ken Futamura, Mark Delano, Mike Selinker, Nick Watkins, Ray Pfieffer, Rob Mitchell, Tom Scull

Eagle-Gryphon Games FRED Distribution, Inc. 801 Commerce Drive, Building 5 Leitchfield, KY 42754 www.eagle-gryphon.com

Primary Illustrator: Bill Bricker Additional Illustrations: Jacob Walker Cover and Robot Expansion Illustrations: Franz Vohwinkel Graphic Design: James M. Davis Project and Art Direction: Ralph H. Anderson Rules Development, editing, and layout: Paul Grogan Additional Proofreading: Vincent, Giovanni, Dan