How to Play: Baseball Highlights: 2045

Hi! This is Ambie from Board Game Blitz, and today I’m gonna show you how to play Baseball Highlights: 2045.

The goal of the game is to win the most mini-games in a futuristic World Series of baseball. Each mini-game, you and your opponent will alternate playing a total of 6 cards each, and you can buy new players into your team between mini-games.

At the start of each mini-game, draw the top 6 cards from your Lineup deck into your hand. These are the cards you’ll be playing in the mini game. If you ever need to draw a card from the Lineup and there are no cards there, reshuffle your Dugout into the Lineup.

After you draw 6 cards, you decide whether you want to put one of your cards on the On Deck circle, face down. If you do, draw a new card to replace it.

The Visiting player goes first. On each turn, play a card from your hand to the In Play box. Then you resolve any immediate action, resolve your opponent’s Threatened Hits from their previous turn, and place your own Threatened Hits.

If there is text in the immediate action box, then perform the action, if applicable. For example, this action lets me cancel one hit, so I would remove one of my opponent’s Threatened Hits.

If your opponent has any uncanceled hits left, then they are resolved from left to right. For each hit, advance all current base runners corresponding to the hit, then move the batter. To advance the base runners, start with the furthest forward runner. Singles are 1 base, doubles are 2, triples are 3, and Home Runs score everyone. The base runners advance differently depending on what speed, or color, they are. Slow runners advance the number of bases equal to the hit. Average runners are the same, except if an average runner starts on 2nd base, then it will advance 2 bases on a Single. For example, when this single hit is resolved, this base runner advances and scores. Fast runners always advance one more base than the hit. Only one runner can be on a base at a time, and they cannot pass each other. When you move the batter, ignore the speed of the batter for the hit. For example, if this fast runner hits a single with a slow runner on second base and a fast runner on first, the slow runner will move one base, then the fast runner will try to move 2 bases, but it has to stop since the slow runner is in front. Then the batter goes to first base.

For any batters that got to home base, advance the Runs Scored Marker.

After your opponent’s Threatened Hits are resolved, you place your own. For each hit box on your played card, place a batter pawn corresponding to the color of the runner. These are your Threatened Hits that are in effect for the opponent’s next turn.

After you place your threatened hits, the other player goes, playing a card and resolving the Immediate Action, resolving your Threatened Hits, and placing their own Threatened Hits. Play alternates until each player has played all 6 cards in their hands, and whoever has the most runs scored wins the mini-game.

Instead of playing a card from your hand on your turn, you can discard a card to your Dugout if it has the Pinch Hit icon. Then you can bring in a Pinch Hitter, which is your choice of your On Deck card or the top card from your Lineup. Your Pinch Hitter then goes into play as the card you played that turn. You can’t look at your Lineup, but you can look at your On Deck card whenever you want.

After the Home player plays their last card in the mini game, the Visitor can do a Visitor Save to defend against the last threatened hit. To do a Visitor Save, either reveal your On Deck card if you have one, or flip the top card from your Lineup over. Resolve any Defensive Immediate Action text on the card, and then discard it to the Dugout without doing any other effects. Then the remaining threatened hits are resolved and the mini game ends.

If both players are tied at the end of the mini game, the game goes into Extra Innings. Keep all the Base Runners where they are. Then both players draw 3 cards from their Lineup, and each player secretly chooses one card to put in their In Play area. You can also use a Pinch Hitter if you want. Then you reveal the cards simultaneously and place any pawns for threatened hits. The cards are resolved in the following order - first, the Home Team’s Immediate Action, then the Visiting Team’s Immediate Action, and then both players’ Threatened Hits are resolved at the same time. If one player is now ahead, then that player wins the mini game. Otherwise, both players play one of their remaining cards and do the same steps until someone has won. If it’s still tied after you play all 3 cards, then keep repeating by drawing 3 more cards. You keep doing this until someone wins the mini game.

After each mini-game, if you have an On Deck card, either discard it or place it back on your Lineup. Reset the Runs Scored marker, remove all pawns, and discard any unplayed cards to the Dugout.

During the Buy Round after each mini-game, you buy new players for your team. Your revenue is calculated from all of the cards that were used in the game - the ones in the In Play Box. Sum up the green circle numbers. The player with the lowest revenue, or the loser of the mini-game if tied, decides who buys first. On your turn to buy, you can buy as many cards as you can afford from the Buy Row. Money does not carry over to the next round. When you purchase a card, a new card is drawn to replace it, so there are always 6 to choose from. For example, I have 9 revenue at the end of the mini game, so I could buy this player for 5, and then also this one for 4. Place new players face down on your Lineup, so you will draw it next game. For each player you buy, send one card from your In Play Box face down to the Minor Leagues, so your deck will always have 15 cards.

After the Buy Round, discard all the rest of the cards from your In Play Box to your Dugout. Then you start a new mini-game without shuffling.

You continue alternating mini-games and Buy Rounds until one player has won the best of however mini games you’re playing. The number of mini-games played and whoever is the Home team each game depends on what game mode you are playing, but mini-games work the same in all game modes.

And that’s how you play Baseball Highlights: 2045. Click the link for setup, immediate actions, and game modes. Check out our website for more videos, podcasts, and blogs. Thanks for watching Board Game Blitz!

Determine which game mode you are playing. Setup and gameplay vary slightly depending on the game mode, explained later.

Each player gets a Stadium Mat, a Starting Team Deck with their corresponding Pennant Marker, a Runs Scored Marker, and a Games Won Marker. Place the Stadium Mat either side up, whichever layout is more convenient for you. Shuffle the Starting Deck and place it face down on the Lineup space of the mat. Place the Runs Scored and Games Won markers on the 0 spaces of their corresponding tracks.

Determine who is the Home Team randomly. That player places their Pennant with ‘Home’ showing, and the other player has ‘Visitor’ showing. The Visitor plays first.

Shuffle the Free Agent deck and deal 6 cards face up in a Buy Row.

Place the red, white, and blue pawns in the middle of the table and begin the game.

After each mini-game, if either player has an On Deck card, they must either discard it with no effect or place it back on their Lineup. Then reset the Runs Scored Markers back to 0, and remove the pawns from both Stadium Mats. If there were Extra Innings in the mini-game, both players discard any unplayed cards from their hand to the Dugout. Then all cards in the In Play Box are used to purchase new players in the Buy Round.

These actions allow you to get the hits listed in the Immediate Action Box immediately instead of just future Threatened Hits. Immediate hits will go on base during your turn and become Base Runners, and existing Base Runners will advance as normal.

Leadoff [1:19] - If this is the first card you played in a mini-game, immediately execute the hits listed.

Clutch [1:24] - If you have a base runner on 2nd or 3rd, immediately get the hit listed, and advance all your existing Base Runners one more base than the hit, as if they were fast runners.

Quick Eye[1:33] - If the opponent’s card is a Cyborg, immediately execute the hits listed.

Stolen Base [1:38] - This isn’t a hit, but lets you immediately advance all Fast or Average Base Runners by 1 base, following the normal advancement rules.

These actions cancel your opponent’s Threatened Hits. When a hit is canceled, remove the corresponding pawn from your opponent’s Home Plate.

Curve[1:53] - If the opponent’s card is a Robot, cancel all their Threatened Hits.

Fastball [1:57] - If the opponent’s card is a Natural, cancel all their Threatened Hits.

Spit Ball [2:01] - If the opponent’s card is a Cyborg, cancel all their Threatened Hits.

Glove: [2:04] - Cancel one Threatened Hit of your choice.

These actions let you remove Base Runners from your opponent’s mat. You cannot remove Threatened Hits from Home Plate.

Double Play [2:13] - Remove up to 2 Slow or Average Base Runners. 

Pick Off [2:17] - Remove the indicated number of Base Runners.

Knuckleball [2:20] - This lets you reduce the value of all your opponent’s hits by 1. For example, this double would become a single, and this single would be canceled.

Walk [2:29] - This action changes all Threatened Hits to Walks. During a Walk, the Batter moves to 1st base, and Base Runners only advance if they are pushed. For example, here the batter would go to first, this runner would go to 2nd, and this runner would not move.

For Beginner 2-Player, begin the game with a 3-game mini-season, including a Buy Round at the end of each mini-game. The Home Team alternates players each game in this mini-season. After the mini-season, begin the World Series, which is a best of 7 mini-games format, with a Buy Round after each mini-game. The player who won the most games in the mini-season begins as the Home Team. In the first 2 games of the World Series, that player is the Home Team. In the next 3 games, the other player is the Home Team. For the last 2, the Home Team switches back to the first player. You play until someone wins 4 mini-games out of the World Series, and that player wins.

For Standard 2-Player, begin the game with 3 Buy Rounds instead of any mini-games. For each Buy Round, each player draws the top 6 cards from their Lineup and uses that Revenue to buy new players. The Home Team player alternates each Buy Round, and if there’s a tie for Revenue, the Visitor decides who buys first.

After the Buy Rounds, put the purchased players on top of the Lineup, put the demoted cards in the Minor League, and discard the rest of the used cards to the Dugout. Then, determine a Home Player randomly and play the best of 7 mini-games for the World Series like in the Beginner 2-Player mode.

For Expert 2-Player, play a best of 11 mini-games with a Buy Round after each mini game until there is a winner. Alternate who the Home Team is after each mini-game.

In 4-Player Tournament, players will alternate who they play against. Reshuffle your deck whenever you face a new opponent. Each player plays a set of 3 mini-games against each other opponent, for 9 mini-games total. For each set, do a Buy Round after each mini game, and alternate whoever is the Home Team. At the beginning of each set, the starting Home Team is the player with the most wins, with ties broken randomly. After all the mini-games, rank the players by number of wins, with ties broken by whoever won the most against the other tied player.

Then Rank 1 plays against Rank 4, and Rank 2 plays against Rank 3, in a Best of 3 Mini-Series with no Buy Rounds between each mini-game.

The winners of each Mini-Series play in the Finals, which is another Best of 3 Mini-Series with no Buy Rounds. For both Mini-Series, the first Home Team is the player with the most total wins, and Home Team alternates each mini-game. Whoever wins the Finals wins the Tournament.

In the Variant, after you rank the players then Rank 1 and Rank 2 go straight to the finals, playing a best of 3, 5, or 7.

In the solo game, you get one of the starting teams, and you get to decide how many Buy Rounds you want before starting the World Series - between 0 and 4 depending on what difficulty you want.

For the AI, shuffle and deal 15 cards from the Free Agent Deck face down on the AI’s Lineup. The AI is always the Home Team.

The game is a best of 7 game series with a Buy Round for you after each game, but the AI team never changes. The rules for you are the same as normal, but the AI just draws the top card of its Lineup for each play, and it never has an On Deck card or a Pinch Hitter. When the AI deck runs out, shuffle it and keep drawing.

For Extra Innings, you draw 3 cards as normal, and the AI will draw 1 card as needed from the top of its deck.

In 3-Player Hot Pepper, you’ll be playing 3 player mini-games.

Randomly determine player order, and give players markers to designate the order. Sit in clockwise order, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Player 1 gets the Hot Pepper Bat, and turns always start with that player.

Each round of card play the order will change direction, so the odd rounds are clockwise, and the evens are counter-clockwise, but Player 1 always goes first. Play is the same as normal, with the previous player acting as your opponent, and you acting as the opponent for the next player. At the end of the 6th round, only Player 1 gets to do a Visiting Save to defend against Player 2’s last card. There are no Extra Innings in this mode.

During the Buy Round, you cannot pass. The lowest revenue buys first, then the 2nd lowest, and most revenue buys last, with ties broken randomly.

After each mini-game, compare each player’s score against each other player’s score one at a time. You get 2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and nothing for a loss. Keep track of the total scores. For the next mini-game, the player with the most points overall is Player 1, the player with the least points is Player 2, and the player in the middle is Player 3, with ties broken randomly. Make sure the order of the first round in the next mini-game will be 1, then 2, then 3, and remember to alternate order each round.

You can either start with 3 exhibition mini-games with a Buy Round after each one, or do 3 Buy Rounds like the Standard 2-Player game. Then play a 6 mini-games season with a Buy Round after each one. After the final Buy Round, rank each player by their total points. The 2nd and 1st rank play a 2 out of 3 match with no Buy Rounds, and the winner of that wins the game.

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