Wide World of Sports
Fast-Action Games publishes table games that simulate a variety of sports, using real teams and real statistics. The Major League Baseball game, for example, includes teams from the National Association, 1871-1875; the American Association, 1882-1891; the National League, 1876-present; the American League, 1901-present; the Union Association, 1884; the Players League, 1890; the Federal League, 1914-1915; and selected Negro Leagues.Other games available include Pro Football, College Football, Horse Racing, Pro Basketball (men's and women's), College Basketball (men's and women's), Olympics Basketball and World Cup Soccer.
Despite the variety of teams available, the games are a study in relative simplicity. All you need is a pair of dice and something to write on. Once you get the hang of playing, everything moves quickly.
Patrick M. Premo, the 57-year-old owner of Fast-Action Games, recently took some time to answer a few questions about his company and the future of sports board and table games.
When did you first become interested in board games?
When I was a young boy I remember receiving board games for my birthday and/or Christmas -- my Aunt Edith got me hooked!
What were some of your first favorite board games?
Pony Express. (And I still have it -- over 40 years later!) It was fairly simple, but a lot of fun, especially for a bunch of kids -- or adults.
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"I've always enjoyed sports, and I became intrigued with the concept of playing the all-time greats against one another."
--Patrick M. Premo |
I like Pachisi (again, simple but a lot of fun) for a family board game -- although Yahtzee is a ball, too. For sports games, I like Avalon Hill's Decathlon, Paydirt, Bowl Game and that ilk.
Where did you attend college?
I attended Ithaca College and majored in Accounting.
When did you first think about designing board games?
When I was drafted and sent to Germany, my friends and I played a lot of sports board games (mostly baseball) and I liked pro basketball, so I designed a board game that we all played. (I don't know what happened to that game -- after I got out of the Army, I went back to my job as an accountant and work, family, etc. took me away from designing games.)
What was your first published board game?
They're Off!, a horse racing game featuring real thoroughbreds, harness horses and quarter horses which was published by the old Gamecraft Co. This company published a lot of sports simulation games.
Tell me about the process of designing your sports games.
They're Off! was a strategy game, but all my other games are of the instant results variety (hence the name, Fast-Action Games). For They're Off!, I wanted a realistic game where you could decide when to "make your move" with your horses. But all the other sports simulation games have players rated, so I thought it would be fun to have a game that played quickly and realistically. So I decided to "team" rate my games. (I also came up with a fast-action horse racing game to be consistent with my other games.)
When did you decide to design sports games?
I've always enjoyed sports, and I became intrigued with the concept of playing the all-time greats against one another. Some sports simulation games had that and some didn't -- so I thought it would be fun to have games that were realistic, quick, and fun.
How long did it take you to develop the first version of a sports game?
The pro basketball game that I developed while in the Army was only one season, but had stats for all the players for all the teams. Probably took me a couple of months to gather stats and convert them to game ratings.
Why did you decide to start with pro basketball and horse racing?
Pro basketball because there weren't any we could get in the Army. Horse racing because I loved horse racing and there were no simulation games out there that I knew of. Two others came out at about the same time as mine did (25 years ago). They are both gone -- mine is still available!
How long did it take before you had a finished version ready?
They're Off! was the first game that became a finished version -- probably took me almost two years.
What was the most difficult part about the design process?
Rating horses that would realistically follow how they ran on the track -- front runners versus come-from-behind versus middle-of-the-pack runners. Each horse was rated on its own card.
What did you enjoy most?
I enjoyed gathering the stats and converting them to game ratings -- probably enjoyed that more than actually playing the games!
What did you enjoy least?
Probably the tedious task of hand preparing all the individual cards (no computers in those days!)
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"I wanted a realistic game where you could decide when to 'make your move' with your horses."
--Patrick M. Premo |
Mostly my friends and my kids!
How important was the play testing process for They're Off!?
Very important, to make sure the horses behaved realistically.
When did you start to sell They're Off!?
Gamecraft produced, marketed, and sold the game during the mid 1970s.
How successful would you say your games have been in general?
I have a loyal base of customers, but I have generally been disappointed with sales. With the speed of computers now, even fast-action games (precursor to fast computer games!) don't have the same appeal. Most gamers want individual player stats.
What kind of feedback have you received from game players?
My loyal customers love the game, offer advice, and keep coming back to buy annual updates.
What are your plans for the future of the games?
As games sell out, I will not reprint them -- the market is just not there. Having said that, I am working on two supplements to my games:
Canadian Football supplement to Pro Football -- will have all leagues going back to 1883.
Small College Men's Basketball supplement to my College Basketball game.
Do you plan to design any other (sports or non-sports) board games?
I was thinking about Track and Field, but have abandoned the idea. I don't feel there's a market for this sport to make the time and effort worthwhile.
From your perspective, what's the status of board games (and table games in general) today?
I'm afraid that board games (especially sports board games) are on the decline -- the glitz of video games has drawn people -- especially the younger generation -- away from the board games. Too many will never know that exhilirating feeling of rolling the dice!
How can people purchase your games?
Through the Web site (http://members.spree.com/sports/patrick94/). Brochures are available free from:
Fast-Action Games
1250 Chipmonk Road
Allegany, NY 14706
Many thanks to Patrick for taking the time to share his thoughts. If you would like to contact him, send email to patrickp@eznet.net.
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