Tabletop SportCast

In this episode of the Tabletop SportCast, James sits down with Roy Paeth for a Father’s Day conversation about games, family, community, and finding time for ourselves. Roy shares his journey from Strat-O-Matic Football and Statis-Pro Baseball to rediscovering tabletop sports games during COVID, eventually finding his way to live gaming conventions and a welcoming community of fellow hobbyists. The conversation also explores fatherhood, gaming with adult children, unplugging from everyday distractions, and Roy’s daily walking and hiking routine as a way to clear his mind and stay active. It’s a reflective episode about the role games can play in our lives — not just as a solo escape, but as a way to connect, reset, and create lasting memories around the table.

This week on the Tabletop SportCast, James sits down with Ian Brooke, designer of On Deck Baseball, for a conversation about creating a baseball game that captures more than just stats on a card. Ian shares the game’s origins, the importance of fictional leagues, player artwork, fatigue, confrontation rolls, and the design choices that help each game tell its own story. Along the way, they discuss how On Deck Baseball balances flow, strategy, realism, and pace while giving players the feeling that baseball is unfolding one pitch, one roll, and one decision at a time.

On-Deck Baseball Website: https://www.on-deckbaseballgame.com/#/

On-Deck Baseball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/On-Deck-Baseball-113393317125269

Email Ian Brooke: on_deckbaseball@yahoo.com

This episode explores how to categorize tabletop sports projects into five tiers based on size and commitment, helping gamers plan and execute their projects more effectively. The host shares personal insights and frameworks to tailor project scope to individual preferences.

On this episode of the Tabletop SportCast, James explores the art of managing baseball teams in tabletop sports games. He discusses the balance between historical accuracy and personal strategy, from replaying seasons with realistic usage patterns to creating your own managerial style within historical guardrails. In Around the Table, he shares updates from around the hobby, and highlights from his ongoing baseball projects. He closes by introducing the idea of “manager cards” as a future enhancement for tabletop baseball gaming.

In Episode 254 of the Tabletop SportCast, James Cast recaps his experience at Digital to DiceCon 2026 and explores what happens after the convention ends. From new games and community connections to project ideas and post-convention motivation, this episode focuses on how tabletop gamers can turn convention energy into meaningful action at the home table. James also shares thoughts on avoiding the “convention hangover,” reconnecting with forgotten projects, and finding the one idea worth bringing back to your table.