What were your goals when you started designing Triple Threat Baseball?
For me personally, it was to realize a childhood dream of inventing something that would bring enjoyment to other people. It was a challenge for me to try to go from ground zero to actually having something on a shelf that people (who don't know me) would buy! I also wanted to make something that was different, out of the ordinary, and of high quality. I felt there were too many non-enduring products out there.
What was the most difficult part of the design process?
Four things come to mind:
1. "Sticking to it" was a huge challenge. I must have spent thousands of hours on this project and most of it was arranged around my family time. That means getting up super early or working on it late at night after everyone was in bed. However, I also found that there was motivation out there if I kept my eyes open. Like the time I saw a beautiful new Louisville Slugger bat in a display case at a store. That inspired me to burn/brand my logo into the lid of the game's wood box container. And, like the time I toured The National Baseball Hall of Fame in New York. It is such a class act! That inspired me to keep with my "quality" approach to the game pieces and overall packaging.
2. Another difficult part was selecting a name for the game. Our first name was rejected by the Trademark Office and that was an emotional setback. Even though our research indicated that the name was available, someone applied for it as we waited to prepare our submission.
3. Deciding when to stop adding new elements to the game was hard. However, we eventually realized we would never finish it unless we could finally say, "OK, that's the game."
4. Finding money to finance the project was very scary. Going to the bank for our first production run funding transcended this "fun hobby" to the real thing, real quick!
Did you ever change the design based on playtesting?
Yes, I made constant changes. Several examples:
- A friend's son, Robbie, asked why he couldn't bunt to get on base. I added the Bunt Base Hit because of Robbie.
- At first the game did not have a playing field with players. My "visual" business partner said he needed to see players running around the field. I added a field photo as a playing board and included wood players for him. He was happy. I also decided to translate much of the playing instructions to the look of traditional baseball cards with full color action photos. He liked that too.
- My neighbor's sister invented a simple card game that came packaged in a very nice fabric covered wood container resembling a hat box. My neighbor told me that , even though her game was simple and fun, the expensive hat box added no value to the playing of the game. However, it did add to the cost quite a bit, resulting in minimal sales. From his advice, I decided to make sure the box container of Triple Threat Baseball! had more function than just looking nice. I integrated the field game board onto the removable lid and also designed a wood score board that inserted into the lid. The body of the box would keep everything else nice and tidy.
What sort of response have you had to Triple Threat Baseball?
We've placed the game in only a few selected specialty stores. The main emphases of our first year were to gain exposure, solicit consumer reaction, conduct direct sales, and get our web site functional. We have showcased the game at several gift show type events and have done a number of demos at our retailers.
So far, we have been able to identify our market more accurately which tends to be adults who are looking for the perfect gift for someone they know who is a sports fan. Also, for many adults, Triple Threat Baseball reminds them of an earlier time in their lives. They buy it in order to share with their family the love of baseball.
Another surprising thing we noticed is that kids really enjoy playing Triple Threat Baseball. In our classroom playtesting experience, kids (even non-athletic types) find that they catch on to it and crave it. This tells me that even though it's not an electronic computer-based, war-type game, kids love the interaction and tension it provides. As such, it is a perfect parent-child interaction game.
Some of our more recognizable retailers are the Seattle Mariners and The National Baseball Hall of Fame in New York. Sales via our web site are happening on a weekly basis. To date, we have sold close to half of our initial "limited edition" production run. This has come with moderate effort -- I still have a day job!
Did any of the reactions surprise you?
Two reactions have surprised me.
First, my cover photographer worked hard to convince me that that game cover should communicate a feeling that something very good is inside. The consumer should be intrigued enough to want to pick it up a check it out. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that he was right on the mark! Consumers and retailers have been very impressed with the shelf appeal of Triple Threat Baseball!
Second, I was very surprised with a recently posted critique by a long time "stat-based/real player" baseball boardgamer. This person was quick to point out that Triple Threat Baseball was not based on real players and real stats. It was a major disappointment for this person. Although we consciously decided not to compete with stat-based games, evidently there are a lot of serious baseball board gamers who expect, and assume, that real stats should be in any baseball board game.
Our goal was not to make another stat-based game. There are many good stat-based games currently on the market. Our goal was to make a strategically fun game that kids and adults would enjoy. And, of course, it was based on my original design from 1962 -- believe me, it was fun then and it's even more fun now.
At first glance, Triple Threat Baseball appears fairly simple. It is, at the Rookie League level. However, for those who play at the Big League level, they soon discover that Triple Threat Baseball can be extremely challenging and strategic as it depends so much on the managers' decision-making skills. Yes, it can be a disappointing game to play, but that's only if you lose!
