Sunday, July 21, 2002
5 Questions with Strat-O-Matic founder Hal Richman
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Strat-O-Matic, the baseball board game that combined dice and players' statistics and was the forerunner to fantasy leagues. Six days before the start of the first-ever Strat-O-Matic Convention, July 26-28 in Jamaica, N.Y., founder Hal Richman answered five questions from Enquirer reporter Gary Estwick.
Q. Where did the idea for Strat-O-Matic originate?
A. At 11 years old, I decided to create games because there were no toys out there that I liked. And I was a big Yankees fan. And a very average athlete. I needed something to make me think I was a Mickey Mantle. And that was a way to do it.
Q. How has Strat-O-Matic changed over the years?
A. It's been going up by degrees, but if you look back at all the changes, you could say there's been a lot. We've added the dice. Adding lefty and righty matchups was a big move for us. If you want to play with the basic rules, you can. More experienced players want more, and they play with the advanced rules. And others play with the super-advanced rules. It's all in the same box. You don't have to buy three boxes.
Q. How does the game compare to today's baseball video games?
A. The board game is still very strong. There are a lot of things that are superior to a computer game. When you play someone else, the board game is a better game to play. And the use of dice — there's something about throwing dice, letting it roll out of your hand. There's a great deal of excitement. A player's card visually describes the ability of players.
Q. Tell me about some of your loyal customers over the years.
A. Strat-O-Matic has a segment of its base that have played the game for more than 30 years. They know the game very well. They have a lot of respect for the game. And they love the fact that the game combines play value and realism to make a very fine product for a baseball game.
Q. What do baseball's labor relations, steroid allegations and other problems mean to your product?
A. It has an effect that people aren't as satisfied with baseball. So the entire industry around baseball feels the impact. I'm sure they'll straighten it out because too much is at stake.
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5 Questions with Strat-O-Matic founder Hal Richman
