The Boardgame & Match Play

Two players (or four in 2v2 doubles). A pitcher-versus-batter psychological duel played over the structure of a baseball game: every play both sides commit face down, all four cards flip together, and the batter attempts to read what the pitcher is trying to disguise.

src/engine/match_engine.gd · src/engine/rules_config.gd · GDD-v7 §3 · GDD-v7-BOARDGAME.md

Physical Components & Economy

Component	Qty	Strategic Notes
Basic Pitch Cards	48	4 copies × 12 pitch types across 3 families.
Special Play Cards	48	13 distinct special cards (see the Card Catalogue).
Offensive Dice (Red d6)	5	HOMERUN ×1 · + ×1 · blank ×4.
Defensive Dice (Blue d6)	5	OUT ×1 · HALF-OUT ×1 · blank ×4.
Count Markers	2 / 2 / 1	Strikes, Outs, and Ball tempo markers per side.
Diamond Field Board	1	Centred on the table between the two commit mats.
Runner Meeples	4 / team	American Reds (🔴) vs 日本 de Blues (🔵).
Player Aids	4	Quadrant chart, interrupt priority ladder, and dice odds.

Match Setup & Drafting

1 · Determining Seats

Both sides roll 2d6. The higher sum chooses either team identity (🔴 American Reds / 🔵 日本 de Blues) or home/visitor seating. Home bats second each inning with the benefit of the final walk-off opportunity.

2 · Starter Deck Allocation (19 Cards per Player)

3 · 3-Round Tactical Draft

Shuffle the 58-card Reserve Deck. Each round, both players simultaneously:

1. Draw 4 cards from the Reserve Deck.
2. Keep 1, pass the remaining 3 across the table.
3. From the 3 received, keep 1, pass 2 back.
4. Keep 1 of the 2 received; the final card is kept by the opponent.

Each round adds +4 cards to your pool, resulting in 31 total cards in your bench pool before Inning 1 begins.

The Bench & Allocation Phase

Before each half-inning, players build only the deck for the specific role they are about to execute (Batting or Pitching):

Interrupt Priority Ladder

Step	Timing Window	Eligible Cards	Resolution Mechanism
1	Pre-Commitment	Pinch Hitter	Discard Pinch Hitter + hand to draw fresh replacement hand.
2	Steal Announcement	Steal!	Offence announces steal; defense may respond with matching answers.
3	Pre-Reveal Exiles	General Manager (Técnico)	Exile card to draw 2 from the public Reserve Bank.
4	Post-Reveal Swaps	Manager	Swap 1 played card with the Reserve Bank before scoring.
5	Post-Reveal Disruption	Rivals	Both players swap 2 cards from hand with the Reserve Bank.
6	Post-Reveal Response	Ball! (Batting)	Batter discards 1 Ball! to turn strike into a ball.

Deck Exhaustion Rules

• Batting Deck Exhaustion: If the batting side runs out of cards to draw, the half-inning ends immediately (hard deckout).
• Pitching Deck Exhaustion: If the pitching side runs out of cards, the batter is awarded a free Walk.

Next: The Roguelike Road Trip Rulebook →