07-29-2020, 10:58 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-29-2020, 11:11 PM by thevoicelesscreator.)
5) Write 800 words or more on something that interests you. It could be related to statistics, to a league issue you take seriously, or a niche part of history that doesn’t fit neatly into either of the above categories. This must be directly related to the league, so don’t wax 800 words about your team’s Werewolf server. Be warned that freedom comes with risk, and this category will be judged especially stringently for anyone trying to spew complete nonsense.
Something that has always intrigued me was the rate of GM burnout. Every season we see it – the massive wave of GM step downs and retirements. Now, this could be due to a few reasons. I’ve seen it because vets want to give the young up and comers a chance, and I’ve seen it because of life commitments, but more often than not, I’ve seen it because of league burnout. Too much time spent grinding away has eroded their love for the league and made them forget what made them want to GM in the first place.
Before I became a GM, I always wondered why. Always asked myself what makes the job so volatile. Having interacted with a number of GMs, it ruled out the conclusion of it being people. Not all GMs were bad people, just some of them. To be honest, the burnout levels were so bad, that I actually considered not being a GM until at least my second player. But the opportunity came up, and I really just could not help myself. So I said yes, and immediately found out why so many GMs burnout so quick.
There is so god damn much to do. Let me break it down for you – and we’ll start at Week 1 because the offseason is a different beast. Your DC’s is due the night before Week 1 plays, 8PM EST. If you care in the slightest, you have 1 day to sim test for your team to figure out what sort of wacky combination of DC and strategies will work. 1 day because the preseason file doesn’t actually release to the public until after the DSFL Preseason Sim show. Yeah, the one with all your new drafted players (we’ll get to drafting), so yeah – while not impossible to test before the file comes out at the ISFL level (using a save state from the last season), teams have changed so much that its such a stretch call your results even semi accurate. So yeah, you really have to wait.
If you’re lucky, you’ll have another simmer who can help you out on your team. If you don’t? Well good luck until you figure it out around W3 or W4. While this is going on, you also have to try and drive activity in your locker room. Because no one wants a dead LR, and no one wants to be in a dead LR. Player retention is key in both DSFL and ISFL, and the key to player retention is building a relationship with your players. Finding ways to engage with your players is absolutely the best way to bolster player retention, but not everyone is engaged the same way. Some players are chatters, and that’s fun. Other players is straight business, they want to know how to build, where to spend money, and how to earn best. And because you’re the GM, you need to have the answers.
There is also the behind the scenes work that goes on. The parleying with the Sim Team (to ensure your DC’s are correct for the game the next day), the jousting with Head Office, the communication with other GMs in GM Chat, and of course dealing with other team’s and their agendas (Don’t act like your team doesn’t have one, we all do). If your free time, you’ll want to be updating any sort of information sheets you may have that will make your life so much easier. If you don’t have them? Well have fun setting those up because with the way the league has grown, organization is absolutely essential.
Something that has always intrigued me was the rate of GM burnout. Every season we see it – the massive wave of GM step downs and retirements. Now, this could be due to a few reasons. I’ve seen it because vets want to give the young up and comers a chance, and I’ve seen it because of life commitments, but more often than not, I’ve seen it because of league burnout. Too much time spent grinding away has eroded their love for the league and made them forget what made them want to GM in the first place.
Before I became a GM, I always wondered why. Always asked myself what makes the job so volatile. Having interacted with a number of GMs, it ruled out the conclusion of it being people. Not all GMs were bad people, just some of them. To be honest, the burnout levels were so bad, that I actually considered not being a GM until at least my second player. But the opportunity came up, and I really just could not help myself. So I said yes, and immediately found out why so many GMs burnout so quick.
There is so god damn much to do. Let me break it down for you – and we’ll start at Week 1 because the offseason is a different beast. Your DC’s is due the night before Week 1 plays, 8PM EST. If you care in the slightest, you have 1 day to sim test for your team to figure out what sort of wacky combination of DC and strategies will work. 1 day because the preseason file doesn’t actually release to the public until after the DSFL Preseason Sim show. Yeah, the one with all your new drafted players (we’ll get to drafting), so yeah – while not impossible to test before the file comes out at the ISFL level (using a save state from the last season), teams have changed so much that its such a stretch call your results even semi accurate. So yeah, you really have to wait.
If you’re lucky, you’ll have another simmer who can help you out on your team. If you don’t? Well good luck until you figure it out around W3 or W4. While this is going on, you also have to try and drive activity in your locker room. Because no one wants a dead LR, and no one wants to be in a dead LR. Player retention is key in both DSFL and ISFL, and the key to player retention is building a relationship with your players. Finding ways to engage with your players is absolutely the best way to bolster player retention, but not everyone is engaged the same way. Some players are chatters, and that’s fun. Other players is straight business, they want to know how to build, where to spend money, and how to earn best. And because you’re the GM, you need to have the answers.
There is also the behind the scenes work that goes on. The parleying with the Sim Team (to ensure your DC’s are correct for the game the next day), the jousting with Head Office, the communication with other GMs in GM Chat, and of course dealing with other team’s and their agendas (Don’t act like your team doesn’t have one, we all do). If your free time, you’ll want to be updating any sort of information sheets you may have that will make your life so much easier. If you don’t have them? Well have fun setting those up because with the way the league has grown, organization is absolutely essential.