I've always been fascinated with fictional baseball leagues, ever since my friends and I spent summer days making up teams and playing entire seasons with a wiffle ball and a plastic bat. I've tried several different times to create fictional universes in OOTP that I could use as the basis for dynasty stories, but it seems I've never hit on the right formula.
Sometimes I create leagues that are too big, and I bog down trying to write about them. This last time, I created one that was too small. A six-team league is easy to follow, but that format didn't allow for some of the features I've decided I really enjoy.
Each time I've tried to create and write about a fictional league, I've learned a few things about what works best for me, and what doesn't; what I enjoy writing about, and what I find tedious.
So, I've decided to try one more time. The Finger Lakes League has been re-created, new (and hopefully better) than before. Here's what it will be like:
- Eight teams, divided into two divisions. That way, there will be a championship series without wild cards (something I'm not crazy about) and the possibility of an All-Star Game (something I really like).
- Three levels of minor leagues. I've always enjoyed following prospects, and it's much more fun when they actually play games and generate stats. They seem more real that way to me.
- Two feeder leagues: a college league with eight teams and a high school league with 16 teams. The rookie draft pool will be filled with players from these leagues only. (I like being able to spot the future pros when they're on the way up.)
- Finances and free agency are off. (I don't like having to mess with the numbers to get away from the sight of guys playing in small New York towns making $12 million a year. I'd rather just not deal with it.)
- Coaching and scouting are off. (I might re-think this one).
- Injuries and trades set to "low."
- Strategies, etc. set to 1985. A good balance of power and speed.
- I'm starting the league in 1905. Yes, that means we'll see guys hitting 35 homers and closers with 40 saves at a period in baseball history when those things didn't occur. The league's not really real.
- I'm not automatically adjusting league strategy, league totals modifiers, or player creation modifiers. That way, we should be able to compare stars from different eras more easily. Again, that's not "realistic," but it's still baseball.
I enjoy stats, so we'll see some statistical reports. I also enjoy writing newspaper stories, letters, and interviews, so we'll see some of those, too. I'm planning to make some of the league's fans, coaches, owners, etc. part of the story, too. However, the main story will be centered between the lines.
If this works, this dynasty will be a long-running, thousand-post saga that will one day have 30,000 page views and bring all of us a lot of enjoyment. I hope to make the Finger Lakes League seem real enough that we'll all take rooting interests in the teams and their players, follow their careers, and remember them when they're retired and gone.
And with that, it's back to 1905, and a cluster of eight small cities in upstate New York...