Foul Assignment (Basic)

I haven't played the Basic game in ages, but I just started a project where I am playing the 2000 Lakers vs. the 1996 Bulls in three seven game series'; one series using the Basic game rules, one series using the Advanced game rules, and finally a series using my Super-Advanced+ rules.

I'm currently playing the Basic game series (tied at 2 games apiece at the moment), and I'm already seeing situations were Advanced or Super-Advanced game rules, with a little retooling, would work well in the Basic game.

The first thing that I found lacking in the Basic game is in the area of foul assignment. In the Basic game, all fouls are assigned to the primary defender, or in the case of a double-team, all fouls are assigned to the double-teaming player. Not very realistic, but easily fixed. Here is what I will use in my Basic game play going forward:

Basic Game Foul Assignment
Whenever a foul result occurs from a player's shooting column, roll a single white die and assign the foul as follows:

If the die roll is a 1 or 2, then assign the foul to the primary defender if the shooter was not being double-teamed, and to the double-teaming player is the shooter was being double-teamed. If the die roll is a 3-6, then roll the white die again and assign the foul as follows, according to the result of the second die roll: 

1 - Right Guard
2 - Left Guard
3 - Right Forward
4 - Left Forward
5 - Center
6 - Primary defender or double-teaming defender.

Using this rule will assign fouls, from a player's shooting column, to the primary defender/double-teaming player approximately 55% of the time, which is pretty close to the percentage from the Super-Advanced game's Foul Assignment Chart.

For the sake of brevity and clarity, I wrote the rule with an initial die roll, and then a second die roll if the foul isn't assigned from the first die roll. In practice though, what I will be doing is rolling both white dice together and reading the die that comes to rest on the left as the initial die roll, and reading the die that comes to rest on the right as the second die roll, if necessary; eliminating the need for a second, single, die roll.

Intentional Fouls (Advanced)

I was never a fan of the Intentional Foul rule as presented in the rules booklet. In my opinion, it just doesn't replicate all of the opportunities where an NBA team, looking to intentionally foul, would be able to do so. For instance, in the board game, if you miss a shot attempt that is rebounded by a defensive player, the rebounder will almost always be able to get the ball to another player before an intentional foul can be attempted. In addition, there is a 42-50% chance that an intentional foul attempt would automatically fail due to a pass result (42% if in a Normal offense and 50% if in a Fastbreak offense) after a defensive rebound or Stolen result.

So, to address what I believe are the inadequacies in the original intentional foul rules, I've come up with the following alternate rules, which I use in my games:

22.2 INTENTIONAL FOULS 

An Intentional Foul Defense may be called by a team that is behind in the last two minutes of a game. An intentional foul can be committed immediately after a rebound, Stolen result from the offensive player's Passing column, or when the offensive team inbounds the ball. You must inform your opponent (or determine for the trailing team, if playing solitaire) that your team is playing an Intentional Foul Defense. A team playing an  Intentional Foul Defense will automatically attempt to intentionally foul at every opportunity. An Intentional Foul Defense may be called, or taken off, during a stoppage of play or after a timeout.

22.21 If an intentional foul is committed after a rebound, the rebounder is fouled; roll the two white dice and refer to the INSIDE column of the Foul Assignment Chart to determine which player commits the foul. 

If an intentional foul is committed after a Stolen result, the player who stole the ball is fouled by the player who turned the ball over. 

If an intentional foul is attempted when the offensive team inbounds the ball, refer to the Press CONTROL section of the action deck. In the case of a FB Pass result, the intentional foul attempt fails and play continues as normal. If a single player reading occurs, roll the two white dice and refer to the OUTSIDE column of the Foul Assignment Chart to determine who is fouled, and which player commits the intentional foul. If the result is “Primary Defender,” (roll of 6, 7, or 8) then the offensive coach selects the player who is fouled; roll the white dice again to determine which player commits the foul. 

22.22 - ELIMINATED 

22.23 All intentional fouls are treated as F(1) fouls. 

22.24 If a team commits an intentional foul on an inbounds play, which does not put them in the penalty, do not re-use the control reading from the same action card for the intentional foul attempt on the next inbounds play. Instead, cut the discarded action deck and refer to the Press CONTROL section of that card to determine the result of the intentional foul attempt.

The original intentional foul rules allow WAY too many failed intentional foul attempts, in my opinion. I found that the above rule adjustments make intentional fouling more in-line with what you would see in an actual NBA game, when a team wants to extend the game.

As always, I encourage you to post in the Comments section with your thoughts on my rule, or with  your own variations on the Intentional Foul rule.

Playing Safe (Advanced)

The Playing Safe rule allows a player in foul trouble to avoid F(2) foul results from an offensive player's shooting column, turning those results into made baskets, instead of a foul being committed, while also downgrading that player's defensive effectiveness. Great stuff if you're playing head-to-head; another strategy option for player's to consider.

I don't like using this rule though, especially when playing solitaire, as it reduces an already low number of fouls and free throw attempts in the Advanced game. Also, if you're using the Basic game rest rules, as I do in my replays, then using the Playing Safe rule will expand upon the already generous amount of playing time available for star players. In my replays, I've found that having to sit players due to early foul trouble not only gives a more realistic feel to my games, but also results in more accurate playing time when using the Basic game rest rules.

Having said all that, if I were inclined to use the Playing Safe rule, I would adjust the rule so that Playing Safe could only be used in the fourth quarter or overtime. That seems like a more realistic application to me; in the NBA when a starter gets into foul trouble in the first three quarters, the coach takes him out of the game, making sure that the player will be available in the fourth quarter. When a starter is in foul trouble in the fourth quarter, THAT is when you see a player "playing safe," in order to remain in the game.

22.1 PLAYING SAFE 

If a player is in foul trouble in the fourth quarter or overtime, you may have him "play safe" to cut down on his chances of fouling out.

Using this adjustment to the Playing Safe rule will force you to sit starters when they get into early foul trouble, adding a touch of realism to your games.

Offensive/Defensive Fouls Adjustment (Advanced)

If you've played the Advanced game for any amount of time, you probably found a lot of offensive fouls occurring in your games. You probably also noticed that the Advanced games does not produce enough team fouls and free throw attempts. In order to reduce offensive fouls, and increase free throw attempts in the game, I use the following rule in my solitaire games:

Offensive/Defensive Fouls Adjustment 

Whenever an Offensive Foul reading occurs from the team defense card, roll a six-sided die. If the result is an odd number then accept the offensive foul reading. If the result is an even number then treat the reading as an F(2) result instead.

This rule has worked very well for decreasing offensive fouls, while increasing free throw attempts to a more realistic level, in my solitaire games. The other thing that I like about this rule is that it also replicates the bang-bang nature of the charging/blocking foul call in the NBA; it can go either way.

If you decide to use this rule in your solitaire play, don't feel bound to use the six-sided die roll to determine the call; even I don't. I created the wording of the rule with the assumption that the player is only rolling the special black die and two white dice. I roll two additional dice in my games; a twenty-sided die for my Determining Three-Point Shot Attempts rule, and an extra colored six-sided die for my Determining the Fastbreak Offense rule. When an Offensive Foul reading occurs from the team defense card, I use the result on the twenty-sided die to determine whether or not an offensive foul or F(2) occurs. I could also use the result on the colored six-sided die if I preferred. If you wanted, you could even use the passing number from the next to last discarded action card deck to get your odd/even number for this rule.

Now, I use the Normal team defense throughout the entire game in my solitaire play; if you change team defensive cards based on the opposing lineup in your solitaire play, or are playing head-to-head, you might also want to consider this variation on the rule:

Offensive/Defensive Fouls Adjustment (Variation) 

When playing a Normal team defense, whenever a Offensive Foul reading occurs on a Penetration or Inside shot attempt, roll a six-sided die. If the result is an odd number then accept the offensive foul reading. If the result is an even number then treat the reading as an F(2) result instead. 

When playing a Close team defense, whenever a Offensive Foul reading occurs on a Penetration or Inside shot attempt, treat ALL readings of Offensive Foul from the team defense card as an F(2) result instead. 

When playing a Sag team defense, whenever a Offensive Foul reading occurs on a Penetration or Inside shot attempt, accept the Offensive Foul result from the team defense card. 

No matter which team defensive card you are using, whenever an Offensive Foul reading occurs from the Fastbreak column, on a Fastbreak shot attempt, roll a six-sided die. If the result is an even number then treat the reading as an F(2) result instead.

 This variation gives good strategy options for the players involved; play Close to shutdown the three, but commit more shooting fouls on Penetration and Inside shot attempts? Play a Sag defense against a lineup with good Penetration or Inside shooters to induce more offensive fouls, but increasing your opponent's shooting percentage on three-point shot attempts?

Default Solitaire Defensive Strategies (Advanced Game)

When playing the advanced game solitaire, there are several defensive strategy decisions that I default to for both teams. The reason for doing so is to eliminate as many coaching decisions as possible in my solitaire play; as I've mentioned in previous posts, you can't "out-coach" yourself when playing solitaire, so I don't try.

Here are the defensive decisions that I default to, for both teams, in my solitaire games:

Selecting the Inside Block Man 

Always select the player on the floor who has the highest Block rating, as the inside block man for each team.

Selecting the Team Defense Card 

Always use the Normal team defense card for both teams, for the entire duration of the game.

Double-Teaming 

Do not use the Double-Teaming rule when playing solitaire.

Using the above defensive defaults in my solitaire games has also given me much more realistic statistical results as well. If you have your own defensive defaults, please share in the Comments section. My defaults are quite vanilla; no thinking required. BUT, you could also come up with defaults based on preset criteria, so, in effect, you're still not trying to out-coach yourself; if the preset criteria you set in advance exists, then the defaults for those criteria would be in effect.

Blast from the Past!

I came across this gem while perusing the STRAT-O-MUSEUM section of the Strat-O-Matic website the other day; the 1980s Basketball Game Brochure. This was the first brochure produced introducing the new version of the game, circa 1982, and I must say that it was extremely well done! It gave a very thorough overview of the game, while at the same time making a point of highlighting all of the decisions that you, as coach, can make while playing the game, and the affect those decisions might have in the game.

My favorite part of reading through the brochure though was seeing all of the players used in the examples; it really brought back memories. Great stuff!

Offensive Player Positioning (Advanced Game)

9.0 SETUP 

9.3 To set up offensively, both coaches must position their players "outside" or "inside." A maximum of two players may be positioned inside, or close to the basket.

This is one of those rules that makes perfect sense when playing head-to-head, as it adds coaching decisions to the game for the two players. Offensively, you get to  make decisions to try and maximize the offensive efficiency of the unit on the floor, by determining player positioning. Defensively, you get to make decisions on which tactics to employ to best combat your opponent's current offensive alignment (deciding whether or not to use a double-team, change defensive assignments, or play a Close, Normal, or Sag team defense). All great stuff when playing against a human opponent!

When playing the game solitaire though, I find that this is all unnecessary. You can't really "out-coach" yourself when playing solitaire, so why bother with all of the tactical decisions that go along with offensive player positioning? That being the case, I disregard rule 9.3 entirely in my solitaire games. Instead of positioning O/I rated players inside or outside offensively, I simply decide on a possession by possession basis whether or not I will have an O/I rated player attempt an Outside, Penetration, or Inside shot.

I find that, besides eliminating burdensome coaching decisions during play, disregarding rule 9.3 also lends a more realistic offensive flow to the game. For instance, when watching an NBA game, Kawhi Leonard might post-up his defender inside on one possession, and on his next possession he might shoot a three; all in the span of one or two minutes. Using rule 9.3 though, if you decided to position Kawhi inside, say at the start of a quarter, he would post-up his defender on EVERY offensive possession, until a stoppage of play occurred (or a timeout was called, if using optional rule 22.4), and you decided to change his positioning. So, when using rule 9.3 in solitaire play, O/I rated players will either be stuck playing outside or inside offensively for unrealistic periods of game time, OR you will spend an inordinate amount of time switching the positioning of O/I rated players at every stoppage of play; neither of which seems realistic, nor fun, in my opinion.