barnstorming

What is Barnstorming?

Barnstorming is a tabletop basketball simulation that lets you sign players and manage budgets while you find the best league for your team.

You will start with a newly founded team in 1919. Your goal is to get invited to the first major professional basketball league, the ABL, in 1925. You can do this through top-tier performances on the court or by earning a significant profit over the course of six seasons.

A New era commences!

It’s 1919. Last year, all basketball leagues were canceled due to the Spanish Flu pandemic. Before that, many teams lost their top players to World War I. Professional basketball has endured some chaotic and uncertain times, but now, the game we love is back, and a new era is approaching.

The rise of Barnstorming is about to commence. Some talented independent teams, or “barnstormers,” can make more money by organizing their own games outside of league play. They travel across the northeast and midwest playing a mix of amateur teams, professional teams, and even collegiate teams. These barnstorming teams play all willing participants.

The rewards of successful barnstorming teams are impossible to replicate in leagues. After all, the successful independent teams feature the best talent around, so people will gladly pay money to come to see them play. And unlike league play, where gate money typically goes to the away team to help cover their travel expenses, many barnstorming teams operate on a “winner take all” basis, giving even more incentive to field a roster of talented players.

Just like in real life, playing as an independent team in “Barnstorming” is a high-risk/high-reward venture. You can earn more money and prestige as a barnstorming team, but if you fail to win games, rewards will be hard to come by. Leagues are much safer, but they offer fewer rewards, as both prestige and money are accumulated at a slow but steady pace.

choose your team

The first step in forming your team in Barnstorming is choosing your location. You are given 4 options, each with varying degrees of difficulty:

Asbury Park Beachers (Easy)
Based in Asbury Park, NJ, the Beachers have the easiest path to success. Close proximity to both New York and Philadelphia gives the team ample choices when it comes to finding a professional league to compete in.

Bennington Benns (Hard)
From Bennington, VT, the Benns have a difficult road to success. Being located in Southwest Vermont means their only options for professional leagues are in upstate New York and Massachusetts. By the time the Benns enter their 5th season, they will be forced to play a barnstorming schedule as all professional leagues in those areas have ceased operation.

Derby Silk Skirts (Medium)
Based in Derby, CT, the Silk Skirts have the luxury of choosing between professional leagues in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. Their path to glory is not quite as easy as Asbury Park’s, but there’s always at least 1 professional league available to Derby each season.

Endicott Cobblers (Very Hard)
Hailing from Endicott, NY, the lack of league options in the area make this the most difficult challenge. You’ll have to choose between entering EBL, where accumulating wins and prestige may be a bit easier, or taking a significant number of losses in the NYSL or PSL. There’s a catch, though. If you want to join the EBL, you’ll have to sacrifice part of your budget to compensate for travel expenses. Is it better to build your revenue and play closer to home, or sacrifice your profits to win more games?

choose a home court

After selecting your team, you’ll be tasked with picking a venue to play your games. Your home court could be a hotel ballroom, an opera house, a casino, or one of many other unique options.

BUILD YOUR TEAM

Manage your finances to assemble the most talented roster around, but be careful: in this era, players can leave your team at a moment’s notice if another team offers to pay them more. Will you try to outbid your competitors to keep your team in tact, or will your tight budget force you to look for a replacement?

In Barnstorming, you’re tasked with building an early-era basketball dynasty from the ground up. Will your team be remembered for years to come, or will your club be another casualty of the era’s instability?