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BigCity · 03-28-2017, 01:09 PM

I'm not sure how many of you share this dilemma with me, but my biggest problem over the years of playing OOTP is keeping my interest in a league over the long haul.

I love coming up with an idea for a fictional league, love putting together all the details; love “setting things up”. Playing out the league is exciting at first, but the first warning sign to me that my interest is waning is not being able to share and discuss the events of the league with like minded followers.

Sure, I’ve sometimes tried to accumulate the details of the league and enter that information into the Dynasty Forum, but to be fair, all you folks have your own leagues and interests (and time or lack thereof) and, at best, read over the posts with little or no comment. I do the same.

Thus, over the progressive seasons, the excitement fades, and eventually I start thinking of my next creation.

I admire some of you; Eugene Church, NYY #23, Westheim, and many others; who put their head down and keep forging ahead no matter the response or lack thereof. You are truly the type of guys that I would like working with me if I had a do-or-die project to complete.

Alas; although I have some great ideas to present a league’s results (and wish I could express those "newspaper" ideas clearly to the OOTP owners), I’m not the “head down and charge” type of guy that can keep going even when no one is listening.

That said, it has taken me many years and many leagues to understand how I could possibly create a league that would have a better chance of surviving my “gradual diluted interest” as the seasons go on.

In my latest theory, I think the lack of “compatriots” to share the adventure is also linked to the fact that all these fictional leagues are, well, “not real”. In being “not real” the teams and the players have no connection to ME, the person that created them.

There’s an important step in becoming one with your creation – the teams and players have to mean something to you. One can create players that are friends and family, and that “connection” might keep interest. Or one can create team and locations that mean something in his/her life.

This is where a light bulb went off in my head a couple years ago.

In my now 70 years of life, I have lived a number of places. Fourteen (14) specific places in 6 different communities (I’m sure many of you have a much longer list). I wondered if I could create a team from those 14 locations that would tie me to the memories of living my life during that time.

At the same time, I needed to create these teams without giving away their locations (for the readers benefit) which meant not using community names (not that 6 teams was really enough for a long term league anyway)… so I decided to use street names that I either lived on or were in close proximity to where I lived. That would give me 14 teams I could eventually expand the league into, with the possibility of adding 2 more if I actually move again. In addition, each 10 years (or with each new team addition) I would rename a new player on each team to a name that reminded me of the time.

Example:
Start with the first 6 locations I lived. The names of the streets were (1) Fulton, (2) Elmwood, (3) Murray Hill, (4) Emery Park, (5) Lakeshore, and (6) Westpoint. In the case of #1, I named the team the Fulton City Angels (because I lived across the street from a church), and the first “home-spun” player on the team was “Rocco Valentino” (the church was named St. Rocco’s and my father’s middle name was Valentino). This would result in 6 teams with 6 “personalized” players.

The players chosen initially and/or as new players 10 years later would be a 4 or 5 star player to hopefully insure they wouldn’t be drop-outs. I would start the league in 1947 (year I was born) with an initial 6 teams, and expand over time to 14 teams – basing the expansions on when the MLB expanded (1961- 6 to 8 teams, 1962- 8 to 10 teams, 2 divisions, 1969- 10 to 12 teams, 1977- 12 to 14 teams). Anything beyond that would be determined if I got that far.

As it has turned out, I’ve played this league a lot slower than I thought I would. When I have a need to play OOTP a lot, I create a league and run off months or seasons – but when I play this league, I never play more than a week at a time. I read game results, I take notes, and I write short stories.

I’m currently in 1950 and enjoying the hell out of it

If there is a lesson to be learned in this, I would suggest it is to slow down your playing time and enjoy the details. Let your imagination fill in the gaps, and when something happens where you would normally blame a shortcoming of the game, intertwine it into your fictional story.

So far this is working for me; two years (3 seasons) and I'm still going strong...

03-28-2017, 01:09 PM	#1
BigCity All Star Starter Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: South Shore, Great Lakes Posts: 1,386	Thoughts on League Creation I'm not sure how many of you share this dilemma with me, but my biggest problem over the years of playing OOTP is keeping my interest in a league over the long haul. I love coming up with an idea for a fictional league, love putting together all the details; love “setting things up”. Playing out the league is exciting at first, but the first warning sign to me that my interest is waning is not being able to share and discuss the events of the league with like minded followers. Sure, I’ve sometimes tried to accumulate the details of the league and enter that information into the Dynasty Forum, but to be fair, all you folks have your own leagues and interests (and time or lack thereof) and, at best, read over the posts with little or no comment. I do the same. Thus, over the progressive seasons, the excitement fades, and eventually I start thinking of my next creation. I admire some of you; Eugene Church, NYY #23, Westheim, and many others; who put their head down and keep forging ahead no matter the response or lack thereof. You are truly the type of guys that I would like working with me if I had a do-or-die project to complete. Alas; although I have some great ideas to present a league’s results (and wish I could express those "newspaper" ideas clearly to the OOTP owners), I’m not the “head down and charge” type of guy that can keep going even when no one is listening. That said, it has taken me many years and many leagues to understand how I could possibly create a league that would have a better chance of surviving my “gradual diluted interest” as the seasons go on. In my latest theory, I think the lack of “compatriots” to share the adventure is also linked to the fact that all these fictional leagues are, well, “not real”. In being “not real” the teams and the players have no connection to ME, the person that created them. There’s an important step in becoming one with your creation – the teams and players have to mean something to you. One can create players that are friends and family, and that “connection” might keep interest. Or one can create team and locations that mean something in his/her life. This is where a light bulb went off in my head a couple years ago. In my now 70 years of life, I have lived a number of places. Fourteen (14) specific places in 6 different communities (I’m sure many of you have a much longer list). I wondered if I could create a team from those 14 locations that would tie me to the memories of living my life during that time. At the same time, I needed to create these teams without giving away their locations (for the readers benefit) which meant not using community names (not that 6 teams was really enough for a long term league anyway)… so I decided to use street names that I either lived on or were in close proximity to where I lived. That would give me 14 teams I could eventually expand the league into, with the possibility of adding 2 more if I actually move again. In addition, each 10 years (or with each new team addition) I would rename a new player on each team to a name that reminded me of the time. Example: Start with the first 6 locations I lived. The names of the streets were (1) Fulton, (2) Elmwood, (3) Murray Hill, (4) Emery Park, (5) Lakeshore, and (6) Westpoint. In the case of #1, I named the team the Fulton City Angels (because I lived across the street from a church), and the first “home-spun” player on the team was “Rocco Valentino” (the church was named St. Rocco’s and my father’s middle name was Valentino). This would result in 6 teams with 6 “personalized” players. The players chosen initially and/or as new players 10 years later would be a 4 or 5 star player to hopefully insure they wouldn’t be drop-outs. I would start the league in 1947 (year I was born) with an initial 6 teams, and expand over time to 14 teams – basing the expansions on when the MLB expanded (1961- 6 to 8 teams, 1962- 8 to 10 teams, 2 divisions, 1969- 10 to 12 teams, 1977- 12 to 14 teams). Anything beyond that would be determined if I got that far. As it has turned out, I’ve played this league a lot slower than I thought I would. When I have a need to play OOTP a lot, I create a league and run off months or seasons – but when I play this league, I never play more than a week at a time. I read game results, I take notes, and I write short stories. I’m currently in 1950 and enjoying the hell out of it If there is a lesson to be learned in this, I would suggest it is to slow down your playing time and enjoy the details. Let your imagination fill in the gaps, and when something happens where you would normally blame a shortcoming of the game, intertwine it into your fictional story. So far this is working for me; two years (3 seasons) and I'm still going strong...