I've noticed that you don't have licensing from the MLB or MLBPA. How will this affect Roll Saga Baseball? Is there a possibility of the game being shut down?
By First Amendment right, Roll Saga Baseball can, as any other fantasy baseball league or game, use content such as player names, stats, and team names.
The US Supreme Court decided that player names and statistics are public domain and are readily accessible by the public: baseball has always been called the National Pastime, for example, and the court said that this information is "...all readily available in the public domain, and it would be strange law that a person would not have a First Amendment right to use information that is available to everyone."
In Roll Saga Baseball, we do not use MLB or MLBPA logos, nor do we use player pictures or any other trademarked, copyrighted or restricted asset. We take great effort in ensuring that all game components are legally sound.
Please see the following United States Court case in which this issue was decided:
http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/07/10/063357P.pdf
Also, check out this excellent article if you are interested in acquiring more information without the legalese:
No Ruling Means No Change for Fantasy Baseball Leagues (New York Times)
When will Roll Saga be released?
We'll be launching our Kickstarter campaign on July 11, 2015 via Kickstarter.
How much will it cost?
If you order and get it via Kickstarter, you'll only pay $60 for the Rivals Box Set and $70 for the Division Box Set. Once our Kickstarter campaign ends, the standard retail
price on our website will be $69.99 for the Rivals Box Set and $79.99 for the Division Box Set. Each Stadium Expansion Pack will be $5.
What seasons are available?
We will be starting out on Kickstarter with the 2014 season - including all players and teams. We will immediately begin to make available other seasons soon after our launch. Additionally, we'll be developing special historical sets and legendary seasons. We also have quite a few International Expansion Packs under development.
How do I get Roll Saga?
We will be starting to take all pre-orders on Kickstarter beginning July 11, 2015. If you'd like to be notified
of this date, just subscribe and we'll let you know as soon as it's time.
How many teams come with Roll Saga? Can I choose the teams?
Roll Saga comes with all teams and all players for the season that you're getting. There is no need to choose teams, because you get them all. However, you can choose different Box Sets - like the Rivals Box Set or the Division Box Set that will come with either 2 or 5 Stadium Expansion Packs. A Stadium Expansion Pack includes the stadium conversion kit, 12 token stands in that team's color, the authentic scoreboard to match the stadium, and the Team Folio containing a lot of data like depth charts, roster lists, and rotation schedules. Stadium Expansion Packs are not necessary, but greatly enhance your games.
Do I get to choose the Stadium Expansion Packs that come with the Rivals Box Set or the Division Box Set?
Yes. The names Rival Box Set and Division Box Set refer to the number of Stadium Expansion Packs that you get and not a pre-set combination. As there are 5 teams in a division in major league baseball, the name Division Box Set just means that you get 5 Stadium Expansion Packs - but you choose any 5 that you want. The same goes for the Rivals Box Set: you choose any 2 Stadium Expansion Packs that you want.
How do I expand my Roll Saga game box?
You can expand with Stadium Expansion Packs on a per-park basis for only five dollars: each Stadium Expansion comes with the warning track so that you can play on that team's ballpark, 12 token stands in that
team's color, the scoreboard native to the stadium, and a Team Folio replete with all the full roster, stats, depth chart, and other details.
You'll also be able to expand by
getting the Umpire Expansion which will include all 99 umpires and 4 token stands for their placement in the field.
Is there much chart flipping to get results?
Extremely little chart flipping for most plays. However, there is referencing the charts for things like determining a player’s injury or seeing the weather for the stadium. Most play takes place without chart references as the stats and abilities are right there on the field (on the tokens). All of the things that usually require chart flipping, we have taken great effort in resolving for the Roll Saga owner/manager.
How many rolls of dice does it take to resolve an at-bat?
2 rolls: One roll to see if it is a hit, if the batter swings, and what type of hit results. And the second roll determines where the ball is driven to and the distance.
Are the results accurate/realistic with reference to each player's actual stats?
Absolutely. All player abilities are based on their real stats and advanced metrics. There are specific mathematical formulas that we use to determine player’s abilities. Each player ability is a culmination of many different stats.
What about different years and seasons?
Each year, soon after the World Series ends, we'll make available all the players for that year. You won't have to
buy individual teams as the entire season will be made available at once.
The Game Mat is huge! Will it fit on my table?
We've designed the Game Mat to be as large as we can without being too large. It'll fit on the average size table or desk. We went
with this generous size because we want you to be immersed in the game - just like you were at the stadium. Plus, it's made of
durable and flexible material that is much better than a board.
How long does it take to play Roll Saga?
In Roll Saga, there are many ways to play: from advanced levels which involve deep strategy to faster games full of non-stop action.
Master Level: 2 Players. Pitch-by-pitch mode is used to really delve into deep baseball strategy by playing out each action and play. As manager, you will use the full power and prowess of your pitchers on the mound to outsmart and outplay your opponent. Playing at the Master Level with pitch-by-pitch mode takes as long as a real baseball game: approximately 2 to 2.5 hours.
Advanced Level: 1-2 Players. Still deep strategy, but without the pitch-by-pitch mode, the game moves a lot faster and focuses on resulting player actions instead of specific actions. Advanced Level of Play takes around 30 minutes for a game.
Simulation Levels: 1-2 Players. Use Simulation Levels to speed through parts of games or even whole seasons.
At-bat Simulation: less than 30 seconds.
Inning Simulation: approximately 2 minutes.
Game Simulation: around 10 minutes.
Series Simulation: about 15 minutes.
Season Simulation: 1-2 hours.
Mixed Level: But the best part about how Play Levels are used in Roll Saga is that any level can be mixed and matched with another. Play out one at-bat using Master Level and then switch to Advanced Level, or even a Simulation Level for the next at-bat. Play out a whole game and simulate another. There are no limits to the depth of strategy or speed of game play.
Using Mixed Levels of Play, the amount of time that a game can be played out is up to you!
