Gustav

Jardy when he has to work on infrastructure in a place that actually has infrastructure:

1. @Patrik Tallinder F - Mac Atlas F - S.nubbed Analfist F - Henry Eagles D - Mark Calaway D - Moritz Stauffer G - Lachlan Summers 2. @CowboyinAmerica F - Daryl Dixon F - Wann Kerr F - Owen Lazaro D - Phil Strasmore D - Kronchy Kardashian G - Jesse Teno 3. @Knight F - John Jameson F - Larry Abass Jr F - Axle Gunner D - Liv Slater D - Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage G - Olober Syko 4. @Gustav (GM) F - Leonard Triller F - Randy Bobandy F - The Frenchman D - Jacob Stone D - YaBoi Oven G - Joel Castle 5. @LucyXpher F - Jimi Jaks F - Harry Callahan F - Left Alone D - Skor McFleury D - Leif Reingaard G - Fuukka Rask 6. @Hogan F - Yaroslav Trunov F - Vincent Laroche-Gagnier F - Diego Machado D - David Jokinen D - Reese McFleury G - WWWWWWWWWWWW WWWWWWWWWWWW

Mostly just this season/current situations. But feel free to answer however you'd like!

Hi all! I’m sure anyone who knows me well also knows a couple things about me as a hockey fan. I find it very hard to stay on top of my own team most of the season, and by the time I catch up with them, I’m really not caught up at all with the rest of the league. Currently, it’s past football season enough that I’m interested, and my team happens to be on fire and doing their best to get over the rest of the season and sneak into the playoffs. I’ve gone from very rarely watching to finding ways to totally legally stream today’s game that the league decided to slap on their own network (please get all your content absolutely legally as I do. I love having to buy five times the amount of subscriptions I used to for the exact same content and daring to watch it otherwise would certainly never be a fair response to the situation). So, I’d like to know what’s up over the rest of the season. It would be great if some of you could tell me: Who you think some of the top players are. I’m aware of McDavid and Matthews probably being top 2 (?) but I’m not sure who else I’d place in that elite top-5 tier right now. I definitely will have heard of everyone you mention, but don’t quite know exactly who’s all the way at the top. Which players I should know from your team. I can likely name one or two from most places but that’s it. Something fun about your team or the league in general! I’m always down for fun facts. Thanks nerds.

I can't say I miss having a draft spreadsheet that did this in a really roundabout way. Most of my scouting was just hours of data entry trying to make it work. It would be nice for sure. Probably not absolutely necessary but convenient.

Only the Board of Gustav gets access to the real secret ratios. It’s how we keep the league rigged.

Didn't you already fix the career tasks once

I think it all depends. Around the draft in most seasons , you'll see one person or another insisting that they'll never play for someone if they're not scouted. That much is enough to make me at least send out something generic. That usually pertains to the VHL level, though, and I'm not sure there's much of a point to asking the super generic stuff in the M. I think it doesn't make much of a difference in the development leagues for most people. I'm aware of a few people who I'd assume have a connection to playing for one VHLM team or another, but I don't think I know anyone who has an issue with not following that track to the extent that they'd refuse to play for someone. That said, I've been scouted by a few VHLM GMs myself this season and I really appreciate that they're doing their homework. I do question cases where I'm asked how I like the league "so far" and other things that clearly show that the questions weren't written with me as their target audience. In the M, I think it's mostly just a courtesy for older members and a "see how much thought goes into the answers" for newer ones (which is actually super helpful). Big questions with important answers apply more to the VHL (wouldn't you like to know if someone wanted to follow a career path that didn't line up with your management plans?) but certainly not all of the questions are worth asking.

The league tried this once when the member base dropped concerningly. It didn't work for a few reasons I'm not entirely familiar with, but one I can easily think of is just that when you give everyone two players, the average activity per player is cut in half and some teams just become dead. Imagine half your active teammates just preferring another server to yours. It's also probably pretty solid burnout fuel. I'm sure you or I could be active enough for two players, and maybe not even without an issue. But it's just expecting that much more out of people, some of which just don't have the time to keep up.

Man, what am I doing? I remember writing an article a while ago where I went over some rosters and proposed my idea of a realistic trade for every team. I think that was a pretty cool article, but what you don't know is that it took me absolutely FOREVER to finish. From all the background research to having to rewrite my first thousand words to coming up with logical arguments for everyone, it was quite the undertaking. I like to think that I can hit you with some good, high-quality content if I want to, but sometimes that has to mean I know what I'm talking about. Hopefully, that applies in this case here--because for reasons unknown to myself, I'm going to do that again. I have the time, I'm bored, and I'm going to try not to be by banging my head against the VHL wall. So, let's get going on my next piece of juicy VHL content, one that I almost accidentally completely invalidated by forgetting that drafts are a thing and writing this up right before this one. Thankfully, I had dinner plans, which hit just in time for me to not be far into my plans for this thing. I'm going to do my best to make logical arguments for every move here, focusing primarily on the first team but also trying to imagine scenarios where the second team is up for the deal. Let's talk about what every team could go for this season. CALGARY WRANGLERS The Situation: Complete with the derphorse logo as always, Calgary has been a very well-managed team in recent seasons, with a championship in S87 to show for it on the board and a whole lot of respect to show for it off of it. Leading off this draft class with an experienced member selected at the start of the 2nd in @Rhynex Entertainment's Miner vHLer, the Wranglers are very ready to compete with four players above 1000 TPA and some future picks in the bank. There's only one rostered player set to retire after this season, and with a little bit of space left to fill, this team could be ready to go for another serious run. The Trade: CHI receives: S94 CGY 2nd S95 CGY 2nd CGY receives: Legacy Gaming Calgary has $6 million in cap space to work with and eats up $3 million of that here with a deal that buys a solid second-line forward and leaves them with room to spare. They'll still have 5 forwards and 3 defensemen, but could fill one of those spots with another deal or by picking up a lower-level free agent. It would be interesting to see whether Chicago could be talked into this, as they have an ongoing rebuild that could mean Gaming is in a better place elsewhere, but Gaming also has enough time left to see the end of it. CHICAGO PHOENIX The Situation: Chicago has been one of the league's most boom-or-bust teams since its inception in S73, having seen some of the league's most exciting production and also blowing up as hard as anyone else to restructure. Both of those have happened twice in the team's history, and the Phoenix are starting to climb out of the hole of their rebuild yet again, building their way to being a competitive team. That won't happen this season, but the roster is full again and even the short-term future looks bright with the long-term future taking its shape in this draft with the selections of UghSike (@UghSike) at 5th overall and @eagle_3450's Jean-Pierre Devote at 20th. That said, they've got a few players on the roster who are just old enough to consider moving out. The Trade: TOR receives: Reinhard von Kongming S94 CHI 4th CHI receives: S95 TOR 2nd S95 TOR 4th In this case, liquidating von Kongming for S95 picks serves the purpose of giving Chicago room to work with in trade talks next season. They've got the prospect pool to make things work out with development, but there's enough to make things work much sooner than those players will develop if the right buying moves are made next season. As future buyers, Chicago will be able to use these picks to move around in the S94 draft if they wish, or to keep them around as future assets and trade those future assets to get a player of interest. The future isn't super defined here (unless Cole has some massive plan laid out already), but this deal would make whatever plan there is easier to reach. Additionally, it's important to consider that Toronto only has two defensemen on the roster--this deal as is would take them $500k over cap, but with no moves made until some time into the season, it could be done later with some salary retained by the Phoenix. DC DRAGONS The Situation: Second-rounder Herald Benson (@Benson) is an auto-12 from the SBA and could be an incredible answer to the Dragons' most pressing question--their impending loss of Henry Tucker, Jr. to retirement. Between The Frenchman and Mark Calaway, they've got one of the league's most respected scorers and one of its most respected defenders, and there's no reason to think that they won't be able to keep going with the right moves. However, there are more "right moves" to make here than there might be in other places. DC's most glaring issue, apart from in net, is up front, where three of their six forwards are from S86. This is fine for now, but will be an emergency if it's left unchecked next season. The Trade: MAL receives: Vincent Laroche-Gagnier Tom Dufour S95 DCD 2nd S94 DCD 4th DC receives: Ronald Johnson MacWallace III This may be a tough one to swing with VLG's recent inactivity, but DC needs to change their age range up front and can do so by switching out one reasonably competitive player for another. Malmo gets a player who's still pretty solid this season and at the very least usable (and also dump-able) next season, along with a welfare prospect and a 2nd that could be in a pretty solid spot depending on the direction DC intends to take next season. Here, DC would be getting a younger solid earner who would fit in very well with the roster this season and could potentially delay thoughts of an approaching collapse--but Malmo might want bigger pieces than this (as in high picks and more active players) that might make it difficult to pull off. HC DAVOS DYNAMO The Situation: Oh boy, if you thought the Davos roster was gutted in my days as GM, don't open the team's page now. I don't mean to be dramatic--it could be a lot worse--but #1 overall selection (and hopeful future face of the franchise in @CowboyinAmerica) Antonia Bucatini isn't much worse off now than most players on the roster. Davos has taken the first steps to greatness, though, picking up three first-rounders and quite a few other-rounders to go with a good amount of assets held in future seasons. Competition isn't going to happen now, but it's going to hit hard and fast at some point. The Trade: CGY receives: Antonia Bucatini DAV receives: S94 CGY 1st S95 CGY 1st S94 CGY 2nd S94 CGY 3rd S94 CGY 4th No, I'm not serious about this (although it would be a fun article to propose some absolutely insane trades and try to justify them both ways, assuming you don't think I'm doing that already). Let me give you something a bit more boring. CGY receives: Mason Rice DAV receives: S95 CGY 4th This is a less expensive version of the Gaming trade I mentioned above, and it's actually sort of a reverse cap dump. Rice is inactive, but comes in with a little over 500 TPE and could fill roster space to take away bot time on a good team--exactly what Calgary needs and worth a 4th to go out and get. Even if 4ths don't usually lead to much on the GM end, I was always a big fan of asking for an extra 4th in my trade talks because I found that you never know where it can lead you--some people can be buttered up by being offered just that little bit more. This is outright useful for Calgary at the moment for basically no expense, and Alex can poke someone with the pick at some point--or even get a massive steal if he's lucky enough. HELSINKI TITANS The Situation: Realistically, I think Helsinki could buy or sell this season and I wouldn't fault them for it. They've got a legitimate top-end player at every position, and a huge young talent is already on the roster in Adi Dassler. This season's draft featured @Nyx's Tyler Lawson in the first round, a good future fit at center, and a pretty standard set of draft picks in future seasons means the Titans aren't completely screwed out of having assets. That said, two of their top talents are from S86, and we've seen lots of teams already who could benefit from not having to deal with aging issues. Helsinki has the cap space to accommodate any player they want right now, and could make at least two good seasons out of it before having to rebuild. It's all a matter of what's out there. The Trade: LDN receives: S94 HSK 1st S95 HSK 2nd S94 HSK 3rd HSK receives: Leonard Triller Wow, a straight buy of a 1300-TPA player! Like I mentioned earlier, this is a team with over $6 million in cap space just sitting around waiting to be spent. Conveniently, they also have a spot for a forward on the roster. This would be an absolute blockbuster of a deal, but it would rocket this team to status as a prime contender for this season and next. London, as a team in a similar situation, would need to be talked into it--but should they decide to sell, the Titans could be a very willing buyer if they're willing to accept a hard rebuild potentially on the way. LONDON UNITED The Situation: As per my last email, London could buy or sell. I do think the most logical move would be to sell, but I also think that there's a need to properly see off the career of Teno (and a devotion to players in general) that's present and outweighs whatever logic there may be in moving around players like pieces of property. Outside of any sentimental reasons--after all, I'm honestly just AGM of this team in name only--this roster has just enough left in it to squeeze out one more season of competition should that be the wish. The Trade: CGY receives: Jack Jeckler S95 LDN 3rd LDN receives: Phil Strasmore Logically, London can achieve a couple things by pulling this one off. Jeckler can be put on a competitive team that has room for someone on defense (and a need for that beyond this season), and they can upgrade for the time being by adding Strasmore, who will naturally retire after this season anyway (and is cheaper for that reason). I think there's a 99% chance Calgary wouldn't even consider this move, but there does happen to be some logic behind it. They don't have a direct replacement lined up for Strasmore next season, and Jeckler will be around longer. Plus, he's cheaper, and would leave cap room for higher-end forwards to be bought as the Wranglers search for options. LOS ANGELES STARS The Situation: I certainly shouldn't have made a big deal out of the Davos roster being empty, because holy Art Vandelay, Batman. Speaking from personal experience, I can say that the Stars did exactly what I just said I think London may be trying to do--and we're now seeing what happens when one does that. This team is going to be bad for a while, and I'm very grateful that @InstantRockstar gave us the chances he did at that cost. Most notably, LA picked up @Fire Tortorella's WWumbo in the draft, and with really no one to sell and no reason to buy, the rebuild starts now. The Trade: VAN receives: Factor Lee LA receives: Ben Dover McLean Hoover II Nick Sansoe Zyn Westwood Mikko Borisyuk Jens Lekman S94 DCD 3rd No, I'm not kidding. Vancouver has the league's most overcrowded roster, with just enough higher-end players that they shouldn't have the league's most overcrowded roster. LA currently runs a 1-1-1 lineup--that's right, one forward and one defenseman. The Wolves run an 11-5-1. This deal sends an inactive prospect to LA--making the deal done entirely for free--and also for free, brings Vancouver down to the more typical 6-4-1 (also freeing up cap!) and gives the Stars a 6-2-1. Sure, the players are at most welfare earners and some aren't active, but if you were one of the two skaters on the roster, wouldn't you want some linemates? It's a more fair shake in terms of ice time all around, and it's the one deal here that I'd actually advocate for these teams to make on behalf of the players. I've thrown in a 3rd going to LA here out of courtesy, but I've had to give up more myself for similar-scale dumps to happen. MALMO NIGHTHAWKS The Situation: We'll see what happens in Malmo this season. Currently, cap prevents the Nighthawks from signing Henry Eagles for a final season--which is far less from ideal for a team that lacks top-end talent. Don't get me wrong, they've got good players, but other teams simply have superstars who are more so superstars. I've talked about getting some variance in the age distribution among skaters for teams like DC, but there's arguably a necessary variance in the TPE distribution that's needed in Malmo. It will be interesting to see what happens here and whether this team can free up the space to bring back Eagles or to make a purchase in his place. I'm a big fan of moves like drafting @Pifferfish's Jorgen Lovstrom as an eventual replacement for Ash Sparks, but the present may need some work. The Trade: RIG receives: Yaroslav Bogatyrev S94 MAL 3rd MAL receives: Eno Velvson Yes, selling while intending to compete is doable. Bogatyrev, now inactive, formerly was one of the league's best and still stands at over 700 TPE, a fine addition to a team's forward line for this season but likely just a filler later on. In return, Malmo gets a welfare player from an established agency who will be around a good deal longer and could grow into a solid second-liner with practice. There isn't that much incentive for Riga to take this offer, but they should be a little bit more competitive this season with it and have a more disposable asset next season as the roster grows and the need to clean house presents itself. MOSCOW MENACE The Situation: After a rebuild, this team looks like they've done it again. They're built fairly similarly to Malmo in terms of TPE between players, but have over 8 million (!) in cap to play with and a huge amount of picks. There's probably a hill to climb before they're elite again on paper, but the assets to make the right moves are there and there's so much to like overall. I'm strongly considering writing up a deal that swings around those assets and that cap space, but I already suggested that Helsinki buy Triller (picture the same deal here), so I'll write something that makes a bit more sense. The Trade: WAR receives: Celise Pereira S94 MOS 2nd MOS receives: Rex Wolffe Gregor S94 WAR 4th If there's a weak point on the roster, it's that defense isn't as developed. Pereira moving out for Gregor gives Moscow a TPE boost while also making room on the roster in a couple seasons for @Schnee and this draft's first-rounder Benjamin Abenduct. Along with accounting for Gregor aging out on Moscow's end, that concern is removed for Warsaw, who may take a step back in the immediate future but who would also have a player with 3 more seasons of playing left to do than they had previously. NEW YORK AMERICANS The Situation: New York hasn't won a Cup since before I was a VHL member, but they're trying hard to flip that script. With the forward lines anchored by two players above 1100 TPE, and many other parts of the roster catching up quickly, it's going to be really weird, really quickly, when we start seeing this team on top of the standings (unless the curse is real). The biggest need that sticks out to me is a few aging forwards--two S85 and one S86--but I'm a big fan of @Crstats23 and Chris Reynolds Jr as the team's newest addition and a great first step to answering that question. That's not to mention Wayne Gretzky, one of the more intriguing prospects in a while. The Trade: LDN receives: Keon Jeannot S95 NYA 2nd NYA receives: Sjin Sjin is a very interesting case as a player who should continue developing through this season without depreciating, having been a victim of the VHLM eligibility fallout (if you're reading this, I hope you can understand my "sorry not sorry," though your response was fair and I appreciate that). Interestingly, Jeannot is such a case as well, although I can't speak on the circumstances of that one. Should London decide to sell, this is realistic--New York changes nothing about the seasons their forwards are in, but their replacement plan was pretty solid anyway, and they upgrade a little with some limited cap and end up with a player who should be pretty darn good next season. PRAGUE PHANTOMS The Situation: Headlined by goaltending prospect Ondrej Vencko (@Mutti), Prague's S93 draft class is nothing to complain about. They're reasonably well built, but when your top three players are all from S85, there's going to be a step back next season. With everyone in their last season, it's going to be difficult to pull off a trade for any massive returns, so going all in for a shot at the Cup is a very real possibility if GM Tetricide is ready for a very hard road ahead. Still, selling a player or two remains a real possibility. The Trade: MAL receives: S94 PRG 3rd PRG receives: Rights to Henry Eagles Let's say Malmo isn't able to work out a cap-saving deal for Eagles, or that they are but have a different answer in mind. In either of these situations, Eagles goes right to free agency, and the Nighthawks get nothing. Prague is a team with cap space and 5 forwards on the roster, and swinging a rights deal to try to make everyone's last season (including Eagles') a special one could be the answer. If it works, it's also buying a forward without completely tanking future stock--something current rostered players like Spanish Moon Moth would really appreciate as the team will need to remain an appealing place to play when contracts are up. RIGA REIGN The Situation: Known for almost never fully rebuilding, Riga finally threw in the towel and decided to tear down and build up a few seasons ago. It's perhaps been a slower process than some would have expected, and the roster hasn't come into its full form yet. But the Reign aren't dealing with any aging issues, and the 3rd-overall selection of Lucy Leitner (@LucyXpher, one of the more promising first-gens in a while) is a huge addition from the team that once took a chance on first-gen Hall of Fame defenseman Lincoln Tate at 1OA. With another season or two of building, Riga could be in the running for a while. The Trade: CGY receives: Eric White Jr S94 RIG 3rd RIG receives: S95 CGY 1st I think a S94 pick would benefit Calgary more, but with the S94 class absolutely packed on defense, Calgary is probably excited to use its probably-late 1st on a player with higher value to fill one of their positional needs. So, Riga gets a pick that they'll probably try to move around later for a faster rebuild, while White finds a competitive home immediately. It could make sense to keep White as well--he's not old and earns solidly--but three of Riga's forwards are S90, I've already projected a different deal for one of them, and this affords the opportunity for some balance to be found before it becomes an issue. SEATTLE BEARS The Situation: Even if the fallout from last season's backup situation were more severe, Seattle still likely would have won this season's draft. New additions Gianfranco Del Rocco, Nathan Ecker, and Marek Nowaczyk (@Victor, @Nathan_8, and @Chillybro, respectively) are all great to have around and will leave the forward lines with nothing to worry about in good time. For now, it's up to Gustav Mattias and company to give the Bears all the scoring they can, and it will be a minute before this team is ready to compete. The Trade: MAL receives: Sadie St-Louis SEA receives: S95 MAL 2nd S94 MAL 3rd St-Louis is a S86 player who may or may not see an OK Seattle team next season if she's lucky. Some assets may be better off in other places, though, and Seattle picking up a 2nd that they can use or trade is probably more valuable for them (and solves the issue of where to put one other forward for next season when everyone starts coming up). This is a cheap deal for Malmo as well, and one that makes sense if Eagles walks--they have 5 forwards and $3.5 million in cap space left, and St-Louis carries a cap hit of exactly that much. TORONTO LEGION The Situation: Toronto is another example of a team that shows us how much the times they are a-changin', as a team that spent forever in the low-mid ranges of the standings but now poses a serious threat to the rest of the league. With four 1000-plus-TPA players on the roster and cap mostly spent, plans seem very set for this season. They're a bit thin on defense, with only two on the roster, but the selection of @MSouthworth's Gul Dukat this season should help with that in the future. We'll likely see whether two on defense is enough to go all the way this season. The Trade: MOS receives: Jimi Jaks TOR receives: Grimgor Ironhide Nils Andersson I'm not exactly sure where the balance in value lies with this deal, or where picks would need to be spent on either side, but Moscow gets the piece that lets them compete now rather than later. This is workable for the Menace, who can afford to go to 3 defensemen (but also have the resources to spend on a fourth if they want). That said, it's going to hurt to give up Ironhide, a distinguished VHLer with future first-line talent. If Toronto can make this work, it works with cap and I think the ultimate outcome is logical either way. VANCOUVER WOLVES The Situation: We've already seen GM Frank snap this team out of a rebuild much quicker than expected, and it looks like he's going turbo speed again. The current roster is a super confusing mix of high- and low-TPE players that's very much between having been lacking in some respects and ready to break out. 4th overall selection Annie Oaks (@Noodle Enjoyer) makes the future look bright, but there's work to be done to turn the corner. The Trade: WAR receives: Larry Abass Jr VAN receives: S94 NYA 2nd Warsaw has money to spend, and as far as I know, an intent to compete as well. Some steps will need to be taken to get there, and the retiring Abass would be the top forward in Warsaw. I'm not convinced that Vancouver has what it takes to go the distance this season, and the prospect pool is a little bit thin. So, giving up what's likely a later 2nd for one season of a solid player isn't a bad idea for Warsaw--and the Wolves will appreciate another chance to reshuffle the deck. WARSAW PREDATORS The Situation: Warsaw's management has come under fire in recent seasons, but I'm a big fan of their prospect pool, both S93 and earlier alike. There are big names on the roster (including a new face in Lachlan Summers!) and this is a team that can realistically compete if those playing for them believe hard enough. That's not to say there aren't issues--they've very much constrained themselves with some aging players and depleted draft stock--but if the goal is to try, then they can't be faulted. The Trade: HSK receives: S95 WAR 2nd S94 DAV 3rd WAR receives: Tommy Sleeves I'm not sure how much sense this makes for Helsinki--and a lot of it depends on the direction they want to take things--but they can afford to lose someone on defense in the immediate future and these assets can go wherever they'd like to put them. In Sleeves, Warsaw sees the return of the dasboot agency and spends some of their extensive cap room on a desperate positional need. And this certainly is spending draft capital, something they don't necessarily want to do, but resources are a little tight and a move should be made in some direction. Overall, I hope my suggestions make some sense! It's going to be interesting to see which teams move in the directions I think they will, and how the rest of the season works. This isn't one of those seasons when no one has cap space, so it could be exciting--let's keep an eye on trade news. 4,296 words

Woo S93 VHLM draft hype

Some notes from last game and a cool new stat update: MEDIUM CHANGES: Dead chat, moving forward, will only be usable during Night phases. This is to reflect the real game's mechanics more accurately and to prevent multiple exchanges of info between dead chat and the game thread during the same Day phase. I hope this will also cut down on some metagaming. Speaking of which, I'm going to start disallowing non-game-related modes of confirming a Medium. Any game-related info is 100% OK to use, but personal info (i.e. "Eagles knows what my middle name is; if you can tell me my middle name from Eagles in dead chat I'll believe you're Medium") is not--it is simply beyond the spirit of the game and outside the role's intent. I am not sure yet what I'll do to enforce this, but please just make that part easy on me by not participating in that. GENERAL CHANGES: This was also Medium-related in the last game, but it applies to any role. Please don't directly copy-paste Discord messages. If you'd like to copy the words of a message...I don't like it, but I don't really care. This crosses the line, though, if the copy-paste contains names and time stamps (and this is especially so if everything is still in Discord rich text formatting). At the very least, I will delete your post for this (even if you're taking the time to fake it), and I reserve the right to modkill over this if it's game-swaying enough. On the cooler side, I updated the role sheet! It now has a cool overview tab at the start that will make asking (and answering) some trivia questions a lot more convenient--and is also just cool to look at in my opinion. Did you know that Jailors have recorded over double the number of kills to any other Town Killing role, but have a lower winning percentage than two of the other three? I didn't before today. Also, if you're assigned a Mafia role, your chance of winning is slightly higher than with a Coven role (so far). Plus, Guardian Angel is the only role that's still active that has never lost. The more you know! Have fun with this update, and I'll see you in Game 30!

This is just me playing 4D chess having done it the other way around. Vandelay created immediately before hybrid attributes and dipped right before the nerf...though I guess that doesn't mean I accomplished anything.

I do see why it's in the offseason--there's nothing else going on in the offseason--but I see where you're coming from. Generating interest in the World Cup is very adjacent to a thread that's open in BoG right now, so it's a very good time to come up with ideas on the matter. I'd be happy to repost any serious suggestions there for visibility.

Honestly, there isn't much of a problem but that's because of the actual problem--most people don't care enough about our international tournaments. If those things had more meaning behind them, as they should, then we wouldn't be wondering why it matters if people try to make a joke out of it. IMO we should be treating it as if it's taken seriously, because that's what we have the most direct control of. Step 2 is putting in the work to get the community on that page as well.

Perhaps I didn't explain well enough that this is in the context of people trying to cheese things like WJC/WC. I think it would be really stupid if some team won because people decided before the tournament that they'd like to go make a supergroup somewhere when that wasn't something that existed previously.

This was allowed for first-gens prior to their first WJC back in S66 and talked about as if it were still a thing (although I'm unaware of other cases) later on. It still could be a thing that just hasn't come up as an issue in its specific WJC-related context. I'm for this in cases where there's an actual reason, like the previous "international teams are too crowded and new players aren't getting chances" example or something real-world popping up that makes someone's chosen nation strongly conflict with their values. I agree with this needing to be finalized before the start of international play for that player in all but the most extreme cases of the latter (which I'd imagine would be best solved in private with a message to the blues anyway). I'm not necessarily a fan of it "just because" and I can see some stupid Greenland-type shenanigans coming out of this. Imagine a VHLM GM telling their players that it would be really fun to get on the same team or something.

What's up dude! I'll never forget an old signing of mine I remember draft profiles and I'd certainly welcome some promo for the best of the leagues this website has to offer. I've had my own level of success with writing a series as well and I'm wishing you the best should you decide to pick that back up. Scouting is always a wonderful go-to for articles, and so is anything that lets you look at every team briefly and say something about them. Best player on every team, best trade idea for every team, every team's hottest prospect, whatever you'd like. I'm also a huge fan of league history--there's an endless supply of stuff on our forum that most people here weren't here to experience. Way back in the day @Matt_O was super dedicated to his Rewind series with VSN and it was great. You don't really need ideas to write articles, though. I used to do a graphic when I couldn't think of anything; these days I fall back on a series installment most of the time and cover individual topics when they're of interest. Glad to see you back!

It's a seasonal occurrence that @Spartan and I have to hire someone new. As much as as we love our new GMs, the job is demanding, activity naturally shifts over time over circumstances that often aren't foreseen, and the VHLM is always hurt by the perception that VHL jobs are "better" or more desirable. That almost forces us to love our new GMs, because watching some of our best leave us every couple months leaves us with the need to go out and get some more of the best. One might think that, because that sweet VHL job is more desirable, there's more to take care of. That's not the case at all. Of course, there are things that mean that a VHL GM needs to have been around the league for long enough to understand very well how it works. Trade talks are more involved, long-term strategy is actually a thing, and there is a bit of an unfortunate perceived need to be among the league's elite that can sway players to want to play for one GM or another. But VHLM GMing carries challenges of its own. There's a need to be online a lot to keep up with new players, the same questions need to be answered over and over, it's a lot more risky in that some new people aren't mature enough to stick around without blowing up or are just here to spam your server, and it's very frustrating for a GM that's invested in their players' success when someone new and promising decides they'd rather not be the latter. It might even take different sorts of people to do well in different places. I'm much more "interpersonal and caring" than I am "logical and calculated", and let's just say I was a very good VHLM GM and leave it at that. Since there's a lot of work, but not in the most obvious ways, there are lots of things I would say to someone GMing for the first time, and there are also lots of things I would say to someone who hasn't yet gotten the chance. Let's talk about both. If you're new to GMing (hi @JCarson, @Dadam30, @LucyXpher, and @Nathan_8! I can't believe it's the first time for all of you): SCOUT THE INCOMING DRAFT CLASSES. People today like to complain about not feeling properly valued if they're not scouted. Respectfully, they can pound sand as far as most of this point goes. You should scout recreates as well, for sure, but scouting first-gens is great for getting them involved and it can also tell you so much about the type of player you're getting and whose company you'll get to enjoy (rather than "have to tolerate") while they play for you. You should ask just a few questions that are relevant to the player experience (I'm still not over getting a 3-page Google Form when I was in the PBE with questions including, and I quote, "Favorite Cheez-It?"). Question lists are acceptable when sent to first-timers, but outright disrespectful to some experienced members who you should know already--go ahead and write up a list for someone who's never been here, but I think it's better in either case to just reach out and try to have a conversation. Nice answers that require thought and are written in complete sentences are a HUGE green flag and can get you massive steals if others haven't put in the same work. Make friends with other GMs. VHLM GM chat can be a very cool place and you want to be right at the front of someone's mind if they're searching for a solid trade partner. They'll also want you to like them for those same reasons and will act accordingly. You will meet people you don't like. You may not get along with every GM, and you certainly won't love every single player that comes into your server. Treat those who aren't outright problems with respect, and feel free to speak up to us if you've got any that are. Every season will feel the same and that's OK. Something I wasn't expecting, and something I started to be dissatisfied with by the time my fourth season rolled around, was that the same exact things always had to be explained to people and the roster mostly reset from one season to another. It might not feel like you're getting anywhere after a while, and this might suck a little bit. But every time you answer one of those same questions for someone, you're helping one more person get where they need to be. Don't lose sight of how special some of your interactions in this first season will be, and realize that you get to do exactly that every time. Your players are going to think you're really cool. VHLM GMs are rewarded like no other role in terms of how they're viewed by new members. Your players will worship the ground you walk on, sometimes even after you move up. This is normal, you should take it as a compliment, and you should live up to that image with every chance you get. And if you're trying to get in? Show us that you're active enough by being active enough. We often have candidates who just simply haven't done enough to convince us that they're capable. I don't doubt that we've had candidates who would have made good GMs had we noticed. Getting active and staying there for at least a season is certainly a good way to notice, and you should be doing more than just earning. Post interesting stuff on the forums and be on Discord enough that it's reasonably possible that I'll run into you at some point. Also, just be a nice person. We aren't in the business of hiring people that could cause issues. Keep trying. I know it's discouraging to put your name in for something and watch others get hired. Lots of the time, we'll hire something like 2 people when we have 3 or 4 that we think are good enough. That's wonderful and gives us names to keep in mind for next time if you keep trying. Having these first two points in mind will absolutely get you a job if you keep at it long enough. Be a GM for other league tournaments. Running a team for World Juniors or World Cup or even one of the others that isn't officially run by the league is a great way to teach yourself how STHS works, run your own locker room, and have something to mention in your GM applications. It's a great test of whether you'll end up liking the real thing and it might be something we notice you being involved with. Be an AGM. This one is fairly self-explanatory. I don't personally care about anything you do as an AGM, but presumably you'll learn things from your GM that will be transferable skills to a GM job of your own. It also just shows that same willingness to get involved that's present in the last point. Ask questions. My inbox is open, for one. I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that. But aside from anything I may or may not have to offer, try learning from those who are already in the positions you want. A lot of that comes with things like being an AGM, but it can also just come from staying connected to GMs by being part of the league. Which mostly just relates to the first point again. Be active and be cool. The VHLM is an incredible place and I hope all of you have had positive experiences being a part of it. It's with that in mind that I hope you want to have more of that while also creating it for others--and as someone who runs it, let's work together to make it even better.

I hate you because I know that either: You've submitted this already, or; If the right people see this, it will be a question regardless

Try as they might, the VHL will never be able to keep us from hiring good people. Really excited to work with this season’s overhauled VHLM! It’s going to be a great look into what some of you are capable of.

And Week 4

Yeah, let's get this over with. Gustav has a good time talking to some very uncommitted people who have probably not changed their minds one bit. Inspiring the next generation of Gustavs is somewhat difficult. But, in other news, Salem has gathered today to take care of @Adrest245. Votes were needed, votes were received, and the chair is kicked out from under yet another resident. Whose fangs promptly fall out of his mouth. One VAMPIRE after another has made Salem's life difficult. @Berocka has smelled like garlic since his first gig as VAMPIRE HUNTER back in S71, and it's finally paid off. None are left. That also means that no one is left who opposes Town--its PIRATE, @jacobaa19, rides off with a VHL-record 4 kills. Only three townies remain, but that's enough. CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS, THE TOWN AND THE PIRATE! To address some things mentioned earlier--I'll have things related to the MEDIUM role added to the official rule set soon. Those being the following: Players may not use things known personally between them and someone in dead chat to confirm a Medium claim. I am not picking on Doom for having tried this in this thread, because it's been done many times before--but in the spirit of the game, confirming a Medium should be done with info that is strictly related to the game. I hope I can trust you guys not to do that moving forward and to not participate in it if it's brought up. This applies to any role--please don't directly copy-paste messages from Discord. I don't really care if you copy the text of an individual message, but copy-pasting names and time stamps along with it, especially if they're formatted, is too far. Dead chat has been changed in this game to reflect the actual role's mechanics (can talk only at night). It was my fault that I didn't specify this. In any case, thank you for playing this game as always, with an added thank you for putting up with some confusion caused by the Medium business and me being gone late last night. Here is the game's spreadsheet, which I will probably have to update more extensively when I have time. @Adrest245 - BODYGUARD/VAMPIRE @Advantage - VIGILANTE @Alex - BODYGUARD @Berocka - VAMPIRE HUNTER @Cartripp14 - MAFIOSO @Dadam30 - SHERIFF @Da Trifecta - DISGUISER @Doomsday - INVESTIGATOR @eaglesfan036 - LOOKOUT @GoodLeftUndone - ESCORT/VAMPIRE @Grape - GODFATHER @jacobaa19 - PIRATE @jhatty8 - VAMPIRE @Lemorse7 - ARSONIST @NSG - FORGER @omgitshim - EXECUTIONER @Ptyrell - LOOKOUT @Ricer13 - CONSORT @rory - JAILOR @woog - MEDIUM

Gustav will have to move fast this morning, and probably also tonight. No formatting for you. @GoodLeftUndone was staked by a VAMPIRE HUNTER--you guessed it, he was a VAMPIRE. @Advantage, as Salem knows by this point, was a VIGILANTE who took himself out last night. Last will: Gustav hopes to be reasonably on time tonight but cannot guarantee it. List of living players (5) @Adrest245 @Alex @Berocka @jacobaa19 @rory