12)
I remember that I wrote some media pieces months ago in response to the announcement of new expansion teams. They eventually would become the New York Silverbacks and my current team, the Berlin Fire Salamanders. Of the dozens of suggestions I made, the 2 that have stuck with me are the Billings Bighorns and the Gold Coast Breakers. The Bighorns would be playing out of Billings, Montana, the most populous city in the state. I thought that this would make a fantastic team concept, mostly because the existence of the NFL's LA Rams sells it for me. Ram horn helmets are a classic look in professional football, and on top of that, putting a team in Montana would bring in a region that only has the Colorado Yeti to root for. I imagined the team's color being silver, lime green, and a deep blue. Sure, that might wind up looking similar to a Seahawks jersey, but so what. Sue me. It's a color combination that shouldn't work as well as it does. And throw the ram horns on top; now that's a good-lookin' team.
But the want or even need for another team in the continental United States seemed at an all-time low. So I looked internationally and came up with Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Traditionally known as a surfing destination, Gold Coast is actually a pretty sizeable city, with more than 5 times the population of Billings (for example). And up until the rebranding and relocation of the Buccaneers to Bondi Beach in Sydney, the Breakers seemed to be a solid proposal, at least in my mind. I imagined them as having a cresting wave for a logo (as the name implies), with their main color scheme being a turquoise or aquamarine blue, sunflower yellow with electric yellow accents, and a russet brown. I think that the vibrancy of the uniforms would reflect the city's reputation and would therefore be a decent representation of the country. I think that this ship has sailed, unfortunately. The other major portion of this question revolves around who I believe is ready to GM a team. Now that is a loaded question. First, no I do not think I am capable or honestly willing to GM a team. I serve in the war room in Berlin, but I don't think I'd want more responsibility than that. Having said that, I am sure that other members of the Berlin war room would certainly be capable of running a successful team and franchise, if they were willing. I look forward to any new expansion announcements in the hopes that maybe one of them gets a chance to sprout their wings and make a name for themselves as a GM. Obviously this will be after the Fire Salamanders win an Ultimus.
18)
Perhaps surprisingly, the only sim league I play in is the ISFL. That being said, I think that an excellent sim league could be built around my sport of choice: rugby union. Rugby is a fast-paced and exciting sport, and is similar to football in its gameplay. Also like football, rugby requires players of different shapes and sizes in order to build a successful team. Positions require specific skills and follow different disciplines. However, I think that rugby could be more exciting as a simulation sport, or at least differentiate itself from the football-centric ISFL, because there is no stoppage. In football, every time the ball stops new players can come in, strategies can shift, and therefore advantages can be gained based on coaching decisions. Rugby is very different. All the players play both offense and defense, and substitutions can only be made in certain circumstances. Plus, the differing phases of play, whether they be line-outs, scums, or traditional rucks, gives the game more dimensions and complication. Players need to be able to think on their feet. Granted, set plays can be designed, but their execution is often difficult due to the stress of constant play. The variability of the gameplay requires dynamic player builds and I think it could become a huge success.
28)
With the introduction of a new sim comes many changes. But I am excited! I'm not much of a sim tester, but I understand the game well enough to understand what attributes help out the most. But, with the archetype changes and introduction of Competitiveness and Traits, I think that the new sim will be a fantastic improvement. My player, Berlin TE Clark Boyd, has had moderate success throughout his career. But, between the team improving at an incredible rate, plus the introduction of a new sim that hopefully won't screw us over as much as the last, Clark is looking to make a splash. He was a Pro-Bowler once and he is looking to repeat in the upcoming seasons. I think having the opportunity to review his build will help me optimize his ability, and with the new Traits available to his build, hopefully he'll make some big improvements statistically. But boy, do I think the interface is a downgrade. From what I've seen, I think the 2016 sim has a better gameplay look, even if the ball doesn't have an animation. I did really like having the fielded player's stats available on screen during their time on field, as well as the overall layout of the watch game feature. I hope that the 2021 edition has some customizable options to improve upon the viewing experience. I did grow to really like the current setup, and would hate to see it get stripped down in the way that it seems to have been.
I remember that I wrote some media pieces months ago in response to the announcement of new expansion teams. They eventually would become the New York Silverbacks and my current team, the Berlin Fire Salamanders. Of the dozens of suggestions I made, the 2 that have stuck with me are the Billings Bighorns and the Gold Coast Breakers. The Bighorns would be playing out of Billings, Montana, the most populous city in the state. I thought that this would make a fantastic team concept, mostly because the existence of the NFL's LA Rams sells it for me. Ram horn helmets are a classic look in professional football, and on top of that, putting a team in Montana would bring in a region that only has the Colorado Yeti to root for. I imagined the team's color being silver, lime green, and a deep blue. Sure, that might wind up looking similar to a Seahawks jersey, but so what. Sue me. It's a color combination that shouldn't work as well as it does. And throw the ram horns on top; now that's a good-lookin' team.
But the want or even need for another team in the continental United States seemed at an all-time low. So I looked internationally and came up with Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Traditionally known as a surfing destination, Gold Coast is actually a pretty sizeable city, with more than 5 times the population of Billings (for example). And up until the rebranding and relocation of the Buccaneers to Bondi Beach in Sydney, the Breakers seemed to be a solid proposal, at least in my mind. I imagined them as having a cresting wave for a logo (as the name implies), with their main color scheme being a turquoise or aquamarine blue, sunflower yellow with electric yellow accents, and a russet brown. I think that the vibrancy of the uniforms would reflect the city's reputation and would therefore be a decent representation of the country. I think that this ship has sailed, unfortunately. The other major portion of this question revolves around who I believe is ready to GM a team. Now that is a loaded question. First, no I do not think I am capable or honestly willing to GM a team. I serve in the war room in Berlin, but I don't think I'd want more responsibility than that. Having said that, I am sure that other members of the Berlin war room would certainly be capable of running a successful team and franchise, if they were willing. I look forward to any new expansion announcements in the hopes that maybe one of them gets a chance to sprout their wings and make a name for themselves as a GM. Obviously this will be after the Fire Salamanders win an Ultimus.
18)
Perhaps surprisingly, the only sim league I play in is the ISFL. That being said, I think that an excellent sim league could be built around my sport of choice: rugby union. Rugby is a fast-paced and exciting sport, and is similar to football in its gameplay. Also like football, rugby requires players of different shapes and sizes in order to build a successful team. Positions require specific skills and follow different disciplines. However, I think that rugby could be more exciting as a simulation sport, or at least differentiate itself from the football-centric ISFL, because there is no stoppage. In football, every time the ball stops new players can come in, strategies can shift, and therefore advantages can be gained based on coaching decisions. Rugby is very different. All the players play both offense and defense, and substitutions can only be made in certain circumstances. Plus, the differing phases of play, whether they be line-outs, scums, or traditional rucks, gives the game more dimensions and complication. Players need to be able to think on their feet. Granted, set plays can be designed, but their execution is often difficult due to the stress of constant play. The variability of the gameplay requires dynamic player builds and I think it could become a huge success.
28)
With the introduction of a new sim comes many changes. But I am excited! I'm not much of a sim tester, but I understand the game well enough to understand what attributes help out the most. But, with the archetype changes and introduction of Competitiveness and Traits, I think that the new sim will be a fantastic improvement. My player, Berlin TE Clark Boyd, has had moderate success throughout his career. But, between the team improving at an incredible rate, plus the introduction of a new sim that hopefully won't screw us over as much as the last, Clark is looking to make a splash. He was a Pro-Bowler once and he is looking to repeat in the upcoming seasons. I think having the opportunity to review his build will help me optimize his ability, and with the new Traits available to his build, hopefully he'll make some big improvements statistically. But boy, do I think the interface is a downgrade. From what I've seen, I think the 2016 sim has a better gameplay look, even if the ball doesn't have an animation. I did really like having the fielded player's stats available on screen during their time on field, as well as the overall layout of the watch game feature. I hope that the 2021 edition has some customizable options to improve upon the viewing experience. I did grow to really like the current setup, and would hate to see it get stripped down in the way that it seems to have been.
![[Image: 62653_s.gif]](https://signavatar.com/62653_s.gif)
