How to Play APBA Baseball

APBA (American Professional Baseball Association) Baseball is a simulation baseball game that lets you play out a full nine-inning baseball game using cards, chart, dice and your imagination. The game was originated in the 1930s, and according to the APBA it has now been played by millions of players. The game allows you to use players from today or from any era of baseball for your own simulation pleasures. If you have ever dreamed of being a baseball manager, APBA gives you the chance to imagine yourself in that role.

Instructions

    • 1

      Create your starting lineup using the player cards. Pull out a card for each position player and one pitcher to be your starter. Write their names down on the scorecard. Decide whether you are the home or the away team as the home team will be in the field first and bat second and vice versa for the opposite.

    • 2

      Roll the dice for your pitcher. The number on your red die will count as the first number in the sequence and the number on the white die counts as your second. For example, if you roll a four with the red and a 2 with the right, you will look on your pitcher card at the number next to "42." Reference your base situation board for nobody on base to see what has happened as a result of the pitch. The pitch can lead to an error, a hit batsman, a walk, an out or a hit. Update your scorecard for the result.

    • 3

      Continue to play out the inning. If any players get on base, you will look at a different base situation board as there are boards for every base situation. For example, you will have to look at a different board if the bases are loaded than you will if there are no players on base. The inning ends when three outs have occurred. Update the scorecard.

    • 4

      Roll the dice for your first batter. The system is the same for batters with the red die as the first number and the white die as the second. For cards with one column of numbers (like the pitcher cards) check the base situation board to see what the result of a pitch was. For cards with two columns, check the number of the first column unless the number is 0. In that case, re-roll the dice and use the numbers in the second column. Continue to play the inning until three of your batters are out. Update your scorecard.

    • 5

      Add any special rules you wish at the beginning of the game. There are managerial rules you can include like playing your infield in to throw to home, sacrifice bunts and pitchers improving or getting worse throughout a game. Each player can create his own home rules that occur in specific situations and on certain dice rolls. Make sure to set those rules in place at the start of the game and to keep them consistent throughout.

    • 6

      Continue playing the game until nine innings have elapsed and one team is the winner. If the teams are tied at the end of nine innings, keep playing until a team is winning by the end of an inning.