So rather than use OOTP's built-in league evolution, I wanted to do something a little different. It's still a bit work-in-progress but I'm going to use it starting with this offseason. Tweaks will be made and things added but here it is.
On a spreadsheet I've got a bunch of unique events. Most relate to the stat output of the league and player-creation modifiers but others relate to financials, bringing in a designated hitter, introducing the hall of fame, and more. If it's an option to change in OOTP then it's probably going to be in here as well.
(again, I've still got more stuff I'm going to add, especially with pitchers. I just wanted a little bit longer to think about it)
Each event has an associated dice roll with it. Some are simple: roll two sixes with two six-sided dice, while others are more unlikely such as rolling a triple with three 20-sided dice. The idea is, each season I'll get a spreadsheet to simulate all my dice rolls (currently 181!) and implement what the spreadsheet tells me to do. Most get implemented right away, some things getting gradually phased in over five seasons.
You can see the spreadsheet here. It will display the results of a random dice roll. If you refresh your browser window then it'll show you another random dice roll. the lines highlighted in green are what will be implemented.
Not everything highlighted will be implemented. Some of the items have conditions beyond the mere dice roll. Some have cooldown periods that'll require a certain amount of time to pass before they can be reactivated.
Some require a certain political party to be in control of Amelia's parliament which brings us to part two.
Amelia's government is composed of a unicameral house of representatives, elected with a proportional voting system. The party (or parties) that control the majority of seats run the government. The head of that party (or the head of the biggest party if a coalition is required) has the title of Speaker and is the head of government.
The people of Amelia don't quite realise it but the success of certain teams impacts who they vote for. If the Dustland Sharks win they might just find themselves more likely to vote for the Solidarity Party. If the Spice District Roosters win then that vote might just tend to go towards the Opportunity Party.
There's five parties in all:
Solidarity benefited by wins from the Dustland Sharks, Northlands Polar Bears, and Salt Quarter Penguins
Onward benefited by wins from the Hadestown Broncos and Unicorn Point Athletic Club
United benefited by wins from the Sugar Factory Elephants and Whiskeytown Ducks
Opportunity benefited by wins from the Amelia City Metros and Spice District Roosters
Prosperity benefited by wins from Crimson Forest Falcons, Port Magnolia Dolphins and Saffron Turtles.
As teams pick up wins in the COBRA Cup or players win MVP awards then the parties will pick up votes. The more recent results will have a greater weight but teams that won 10 years ago will still have a (small) impact on results. There is also a random element at work because not everything actually revolves around baseball.
If a party wins a majority of seats then they rule. If no team wins a majority, then they must form a coalition of parties until they do. The critical thing is if Solidarity or Prosperity is a part of government then that's when events like allowing international players into COBRA can begin to happen. The presence of Solidarity or Prosperity will also change the financial landscape of the league.
Solidarity will enact policies that will see players get a greater share of the revenue. They will also work to flatten the distribution of income in the league. Top players will still receive the most (and existing contracts won't be affected) but the jump from level to level will be smaller. Prosperity will do the opposite, they'll look to get more revenue into the hands of owners but increase the pay of the top level players at the expense of everyone else. If neither party is part of the government then the status quo will remain.
If a coalition is required, then parties will look to the party directly above or below it in the list above to do so. The fewer parties involved the better, and the bigger the majority the better.
The first election will happen after the 1924 season. Elections will happen every four years though there is a chance that a coalition can fall apart and require an early election.
Feel free to ask any questions you've got about anything in this post. Some of the stuff -- especially the stuff in the spreadsheet -- is likely not explained that well. I'll also be keen to hear any feedback on how some of the random events are being implemented or any ideas on additional random events to add.