Determining Shot Attempts in Solitaire Play (Advanced)

 I've spent the last several weeks perfecting an all encompassing rule to automatically determine, in most cases, what type of shot a player will attempt in my solitaire games. I really wanted to eliminate having to decide for myself the type of shot players will take in every situation, while still giving me the opportunity to make some of the shot type decisions during play. I also wanted to eliminate having to position players inside/outside on offense, as I like to eliminate as many tactical decisions in my solitaire games as possible. Like I always say, I don't like to try and coach against myself when playing the game solitaire (for some strange reason, I was never able outcoach myself when playing the game solitaire 😉). To that end, I have come up with the following rule, which I have found quite enjoyable to use in my games:

Determining Shot Attempts in Solitaire Play

Using these rules will necessitate rolling two extra dice, a 20-sided die and a colored six-sided die, in addition to the special black die and two white dice. Also, do not position players "inside" offensively (ignore rule 9.3 entirely).

Give each player a 3-pt. Frequency rating by multiplying the actual percent of the player's shot attempts that were three-point shots, by 20, and rounding to the nearest whole number (this information is available at https://www.basketball-reference.com). This will result in a rating between 0 - 20. Players who did not attempt a three-point shot attempt do not receive a 3-pt. Frequency Rating.

Whenever a player is going to attempt a shot (other than a steal shot), refer to the result on the 20-sided die, from the previous roll of the dice. If the number on the 20-sided die is less than or equal to the player's 3-pt. Frequency rating, then the player will attempt a three-point shot.

Players with a 0 3-pt. Frequency rating may only attempt a three-point shot in a switch situation or when receiving a pass from a "[Position] pass to any player..." reading from the Normal CONTROL section of the action card. Players without a 3-pt. Frequency rating may NEVER attempt a three-point shot.

If the number on the 20-sided die is greater than the player's 3-pt. Frequency rating, then refer to the result on the colored six-sided die. If the number on the colored six-sided die is less than or equal to the player's Shooting Tendency rating, then the player will attempt a penetration shot. If the number on the colored six-sided die is greater than the player's Shooting Tendency rating, AND the player is rated to shoot from both outside and inside, then you may have the player attempt either an outside or inside shot, at your discretion. If the player is not rated to shoot inside, he will attempt an outside shot, and if the player is not rated to shoot outside, then the player will attempt an inside shot.

Whenever a player has a shot in a switch situation, or receives a pass from a "[Position] pass to any player..." reading from the Normal CONTROL section of the action card, ignore the result of the 20-sided die and the colored six-sided die, as you may choose to have the player take ANY allowable shot (three-point, outside, penetration, or inside), regardless of the player's 3-pt. Frequency and Shooting Tendency ratings.

If a player has a shot from a reading of "Outside shot only..." / "Inside shot only..." from the Normal CONTROL section of the action card, determine the shot type as follows: if the player is not rated to shoot from inside, then the player will attempt an outside shot, if the player is not rated to shoot from outside, then the player will attempt an inside shot. If the player is rated to shoot from both outside and inside, then refer to the result of the colored, six-sided die. If the number on the colored, six-sided die is less than or equal to the player's Shooting Tendency rating, then the player will attempt an outside shot. If the number on the colored, six-sided die is greater than the player's Shooting Tendency rating, then the player will attempt an inside shot.

Forced Threes: if a team is trailing, with 2:00 or fewer minutes remaining in the game, you may have players "force" three-point shot attempts. In this situation, when the 20-sided die does not indicate a three-point shot attempt for the player, you can still have the player "force" a three-point shot attempt. When a player "forces" a three-point shot attempt, any result of D from the special black die is an automatic miss.

Now, at first read, this rule seems super-complex, coming in at eight paragraphs, and nearly 700 words in length! You're probably thinking "WTF? I don't want my Strat-O-Matic basketball games to turn into Advanced Squad Leader, for crying out loud!" BUT, in practice, once you've played a few possessions using this rule, it really becomes quite easy to master, and won't add any additional playing time to your games.

A player has a position shot. You compare the 20-sided die to the player's 3-pt. Frequency rating. If a three attempt is not indicated, you look at the colored 6-sided die. If a penetration shot isn't indicated, you determine for yourself what type of allowable shot the player will take (outside, and/or inside).

If an "Outside shot only..." / "Inside shot only..." from the Normal CONTROL section of the action card occurs, again you compare the 20-sided die to the player's 3-pt. Frequency rating. If a three attempt is not indicated, you look at the the colored 6-sided die to determine if the player takes an outside or inside shot.

Finally, if a "[Position] pass to any player..." reading occurs from the Normal CONTROL section of the action card, or a Switch reading occurs, you ignore all the extra dice, and you determine for yourself  what type of shot the player attempts.

Just like in today's NBA, when using this rule, players will first look for the three, then look to penetrate, and finally take an outside or inside shot, depending on their Shooting Tendency rating (or "work" their man in a switch).

Yeah, clear as mud; I know. So, I have decided that it is time for me to start creating some videos, demonstrating this rule, along with my other solitaire play rules, so you can see how these rules work in actual gameplay.

 If a picture is worth a thousand words, then videos must be worth even more! Stay tuned for upcoming video explanations of my various game play options.

How to Eliminate Extra Dice or Extra Die Rolls in Your Games

 I know that a lot of solitaire players either roll extra six-sided dice, or make extra die rolls, in order to determine things during play. A good example would be the Super-Advanced "Determining Outside / Penetration Shots" rule. The rule suggests that you "roll 1 die" and compare the result to the number of shooting stars in the shooters' Shooting Tendency rating, to determine if the player will shoot from outside or penetrate. Now, why in the world would I want to add an additional 220 die rolls to a game where you're already rolling the dice almost 250 times per game? I know I wouldn't.

So, the first thing that I, and probably others have done, have been to simply add an extra, different colored, die to your rolls, and use the result from that die, from the previous roll of the dice. Problem solved! No extra die rolls, and you're only rolling one extra die, four instead of three. But, what if you're one of those players that prefer not to roll an extra die during play? Maybe you have small hands, or are a purist, who resists adding an additional die to the special black die and two white dice, to your play. What is one to do? 

Well, I've found a little trick, that I've added to my solitaire game play, to eliminate extra die rolls, or adding an extra die to my play, when using rules or play options that require an extra die roll to determine an outcome. What I do, for what I like to call a "decision die," is to simply refer to the white die from the previous dice roll, that came to rest farthest to my left, to determine whatever result I'm trying to get. For example, if I'm using the afore mentioned "Determining Outside / Penetration Shots" rule, I just look at the white die that is left of the other white die to get the needed number, to compare to the shooter's Shooting Tendency rating. Or let's say you're using a rule to determine which 1+ rated shooter gets the pass from "Pass to any 1+ shooter for shot, using a die six result to make the determination (say 1-3 it goes to the 1+ shooter on your left, and 4-6 goes to the 1+ rated shooter that is placed right of the other 1+ rated shooter on the floor), in conjunction with the "Determining Outside / Penetration Shots" rule in conjunction with a rule. Now you need two die six results. No problem! Use the previous result of the white die that that came to rest on your left to determine which 1+ rated shooter gets the pass, and use the previous result of the white die that came to rest on the right to determine if the player will shoot from outside or penetrate.

No extra die rolls, and no extra dice added to your game, while still having the necessary die results to determine whatever action will occur in relation to whatever rules or game play options you happen to be using! Now, you're probably thinking, what to do in those rare circumstances where both white dice land directly above each other? Easy! Use the result from the top white die first, and if necessary, use the result on the bottom die for the second needed number.

Stop making extra die rolls. or rolling extra dice; let the dice you've already rolled do the work for you!