Inside Pitch: Advanced Baseball

Inside Pitch Advanced (IPA) is a re-imagined version of the original Inside Pitch ball game that was created in 2007. In the years since its introduction, I have kept notes of the feedback I have received from players like you. Some suggested additions to be made to the game engine, while others wished that some of the existing components played differently. So, after producing IP card sets for all years from 1956 to the present day, I set out to develop a new version of the game. The re-design effort had two main goals: add new features to the game and, at the same time, streamline game play. While I think you’ll appreciate the efficiencies gained in this new version, I realize that IPA will not be for everyone, nor will it ever be a “one roll and move on”-type of game. However, fans of the original Inside Pitch will find much of the new game familiar. In fact, if you are a player of the original game, you should be up and running with IPA in a very short amount of time. Let’s take a closer look at Inside Pitch Advanced. The DIPS system has been retained as the basis for the new game, just like IP. One of the first things you’ll notice about IPA is the expansion of the grid from 36 cells to 64. This has given me the opportunity to add depth and detail to the cards that just wasn’t possible before. For example, I can now include pitcher grid results that occur at much lower frequencies than the 36-cell grid previously allowed. Additionally, I have streamlined game play by utilizing “original” rolls of the dice as much as possible. An example of this is the new range play mechanic: High strikeout and walk pitchers don't allow as many balls in play so they shouldn't be as reliant on the defense behind them. By utilizing the original 1d20 on the pitcher’s card we can mimic this trait without the need for additional re-rolls. Pick-off attempts were folded into the regular pitcher’s grid as well so they can happen at any time. Doubles allowed by pitchers were documented in my notes over the years and is implemented in an unobtrusive way by using a process that was already in the game. Tired pitchers have a higher percentage of result changes and are punished to a higher degree with automatic outs now becoming automatic hits and the potential for a K when not tired becoming a HR when fatigued. Optionally, pitchers can also adjust the HR rate of batters depending on whether there are runners on base or the bases are empty. Expanding the batter’s grid enabled me to include results like hitting with runners in scoring position (RISP) compared to non-RISP situations, hitting behind runners in hit and run situations and infield singles. A larger grid also expands the diversity of the individual results, allowing the card to better replicate a player’s actual hit location and hit type. Batters now have individualized H&R and SH ranges for the strategy rolls on their card, making it easier to implement. Ballparks now have outs that can turn into hits if the fielder is playing in. The ballpark grids still show how each park affects different types of hits, but now they go a step further by breaking it down based on how left- and right-handed batters perform in those parks. Home field advantage has been added where range plays are more successful for the HOME team. Optionally, you can play the game with the chance for outfielders to rob home runs hit to the wall. Nobody is climbing the Green Monster in LF at Fenway but RF is a different story. All park effects are now based on a 3-year average to provide more year-to-year consistency. Over the years, the most frequent feedback I received about the game centered on the perceived complexity of baserunner advancement. I personally appreciated the original system because it accounted for many factors that influence a runner’s chances. Inside Pitch Advanced now offers a simplified approach that still captures those key elements—while also incorporating more data, like the outfielder’s assist rate. This new system is more straight forward, but with greater diversity of results occurring proportionally as they do in real life. The double play grounder procedure has also changed making it easier and faster to resolve. Errors have been streamlined to make them easier to determine while making the frequency of error types more realistic. Finally, for the solo gamer, I’ve added a chart to simplify how a play is resolved when the infield is playing in based on actual PBP data. This chart is more realistic and offloads the gamer from micro-managing fielding decisions in those situations.