diamond_ace

Honestly, I've spent a big portion of my life in casinos, and that particular conclusion didn't hit me until Sonnet told me (he's the one that made it), so it's not entirely surprising you didn't get there either.

this is the shade of green that is the felt used for table games

Graphics added, great work by @Zetterberg on them

Well now is definitely not happening, I have at least the first 2/3 of the upcoming season left. Havlova's not even retired. Just debating whether to go deadline and sign, deadline and sit, or not retire at all until the end of the season. Player name was in the OP, it's Tynan Sylvester. He's the guy who made Rimworld (which is why I tagged Muff, Ferk, and Boot).

Yeah I'm not sure entirely what I want to do this time. Generally enjoy defense the most, but Prague won't need defense at the time. Center will be the biggest need, although Havlova is currently a center so it's a bit too much the same back to back. Although should I even concern myself with making a guy to Prague needs when GM players are now just in the draft with everyone? Also I very much doubt I'll sign with a vhlm team until actually drafted, unless I just pick last place to give them another guy to bounce questions off of or so.

*NOTE: I don't need the TPE from this, so won't be claiming it, therefore it doesn't need to hit any sort of word requirement. It probably will anyway. Just want to get the hype train rolling for my next guy, since some of our members will definitely know the reference.* What do you do when you're a successful game developer, having worked with a team on several large and successful projects? If you're Tynan Sylvester, you quit and start your own game development company, and create your own game. When that game also does well, and becomes one of the best so-called "indie" games in recent memory, and you have nothing at all left to prove? You quit and start a hockey career, apparently. Sylvester has decided Ludeon Studios will do just fine with him at the helm in name only, while he steps away from the games and takes to the ice. There are a few things he has to decide, of course; what position to be, whether to sign for a VHLM team early or simply wait for the draft, and what type of skills to practice given he won't have time to work on all of them. Imagine Tynan the player as one of his characters: he has 0 in every skill, but double fire passion in everything. Whatever he puts the work into, that's where the development will occur. @.sniffuM @a_Ferk @dasboot

Also will be adding in two graphics once they are made

Bootcast | Talents Behind The Trophies | Critiquing The Crests As the second round of the VHLM playoffs draws to a close, it seems things will be coming down to this season’s two biggest powerhouses in the finals. Upsets are fun, but don’t always happen, and in this particular season there’s been a definite lack of them. This is surely not ideal from the perspective of the casual viewer, but for the teams that put in the work to get to the top of the league, they’ll definitely be happy to find such work being rewarded. The second round involved one series between two teams that finished pretty closely in the standings, but ultimately the team that finished marginally better in the regular season seemed to be significantly better in the playoffs. The other series was the one team that pulled even a minor upset in the first round, and the top team bringing them back to reality. #2 Reapers vs #3 Marlins The series between the #2 seed Philadelphia Reapers and the #3 seed San Diego Marlins should have been close. This was a 106 point team vs. a 104 point team, both with 51 wins, and the only difference in the regular season was that the Reapers took two more of their losses to OT/SO than the Marlins did. Both teams swept their first round opponents to set this pairing up, and for that matter, the Marlins swept a much better team in the Marauders compared to the Rush, who were swept by the Reapers. Going into this series, both teams would have expected it to be closely fought and to go to 6 or 7 games. It was not. The Reapers opened the series with a statement of intent, a 5-2 win and a fantastic goaltending performance by Jacob Carson stopping 33 of 35 shots. Gustav Hjalmarsson and Addison McLaren each put up 3 points, and the Reapers were just too much for the Marlins. In the second game, the Marlins would try to get back into the series, and Nero Endrizzi’s hat trick made sure they did. A 4-2 win, right on the back of the opening 5-2 loss, and the Marlins would win here to push the series to 1-1. It would, however, be the final time they would win this season. Game 3 would be a close fight that actually saw the Marlins get out to a 2-0 lead and hold it for over half the game. Thomas King would cut the lead in half near the end of the second period, and a late game collapse by Michael Olson would give the Reapers their own two goal lead, at 4-2. With less than a minute left, the Marlins cut it to 4-3, but it would not be enough. In game 4, the Reapers would control the opening period with two goals from Robert Bouchard, but the second period was all Marlins, who would pull back to 2-2 and set up a decisive third period. With more goals scored in the third than in the other periods combined, it was a bit of a wild finish, but one that would see the Reapers come out on top 5-4 and pull a game away from closing the series out. In contrast to game 4, game 5 was either a poor effort by both offenses, or a stellar defensive and goaltending performance by both teams. Not a single goal was scored in regulation. The Marlins would head out for overtime with their backs against the wall, knowing that they were a goal away from elimination, but ultimately could not stop it from happening, as Pekko Viitanen ended the game and the series in favor of the Reapers. Coincidentally, the Marlins actually led in shots in 4 of the 5 games, so the argument could be made that Jacob Carson was one of the main catalysts for their success, but in any case it only took them 5 games to knock out a team that looked very much their equal. #1 Kings vs #5 Aces The other series was between the #1 seed Mexico City Kings and the #5 seed Las Vegas Aces. The Aces accomplished more than they’d have been expected to by even getting to this round, as the #5 seed is technically an underdog to the #4 seed (although often not by much, and in this season the difference was a 5 point deficit to the Saskatoon Wild). Compared to the other series, this one shouldn’t have been as close, it should have been a fairly straightforward series in favor of the Kings. Unlike the other series, this one very much stayed true to form, and was in fact a comfortable Kings win, although nothing is ever as easy in practice as it looks on paper. Game 1, much like game 1 of the other series, set the tone for how the series would go. For the first (but not only) time this round, the Kings would score often enough early to chase Thadius Sales and cause Aksu Maronen to come into the game. The first two goals were actually for the Aces, but ultimately the Kings overwhelmed them, putting five past Sales out of the first 20 shots en route to a 7-3 win. Game 2 looked a little better for the Aces, but it still wouldn’t be enough. After the first period they kept even, heading back to the locker room at 1-1. The second would not go their way, and the Kings took a 3-1 lead, which they would increase to 4-1 early in the third. The Aces would ultimately pull one back, but it wasn’t enough as it finished 4-2. Still, a closer result (and a higher shot total for the Aces in game 2 than the Kings) would give them confidence heading into game 3. Two goals in the first period would find the Aces on the front foot, and they’d carry that momentum throughout the game to a 4-1 win that was less than a period away from a shutout. They also figured out that the best way to prevent Sales getting chased is to limit the shots he faces, only allowing 13 (12 saves). Unfortunately, that would be the last time he’d see the end of a game. In Game 4, the first period would be even again at 1-1, but the second was all Kings. They’d go into the third up 4-1, ultimately winning the game 5-1and putting the Aces on the edge of elimination. The Kings would go into game 5 with two big goals in the first period, and an early one in the second to go up 3-0. The Aces would quickly nip one back, only to concede yet again toward the end of the second. This was enough to push Sales out for the third time this series, and put the Kings a single period away from the finals. Artair McCloud would come out of the gate and pull another goal back for the Aces, closing to 4-2, but it would be the last goal the Aces would score on the season, as the Kings simply put two more past Maronen and closed out the game and the series. This will pit the Reapers and Kings against each other in the finals, with the winner taking home a much deserved Founders Cup. Neither team has lost more than one game in any series coming into this, with the Kings beating the Halifax 21st in the first round in 5 games, followed by the Aces in the same, and the Reapers sweeping the Yukon Rush en route to their Marlins series. In the regular season, the Kings were the stronger team, but in the playoffs so far there hasn’t been much separating the two.

@JardyB10 @Squinty @Jericho @Sandro @atw2592 @Strummer @d3vilsfire @Koradek

At least Simon waited until the playoffs to not be kind to you. Jubis' preseason TPE thing had Prague in 3rd in the EU, we got 7th. Is what it is though - got us Acyd, so only looking forward, not back

This is the type of thing I almost feel bad answering, because while 2020 is objectively a terrible year in terms of its effects nationally and globally, on a personal level I honestly don't think I can say it sucked. I'd almost go so far as to say I might be the "single one of us" you didn't think existed with your first statement - would not quite go that far, as I care what happens to other people, so despite a good year for myself I do feel some level of misery at what has happened to my friends and future-possible-friends around the world - but strictly on things that have occurred to me on an individual level, 2020 is arguably the second best year I've ever experienced (behind only 2018, wherein I got engaged). - Financially, this has been the year I've been able to stop going paycheck to paycheck permanently. I've generally been stable-ish, with a nice bumper period after the tax season, but close enough to the line that if I took a vacation, I'd need to be careful for a few weeks after I got back. With the fact that my job has not had any adverse effects from the virus (if anything we've been more relied upon than usual) paired with the first stimulus and a few months worth of student loan payments they sent back to me because payment was temporarily halted for the virus, I have a little bit saved up now that I haven't had to touch and it's only getting bigger. The effects of having to work a regular amount, but not having anywhere to spend it. Paying for the wedding between now and next November will have some effect, but I doubt I'll ever be back to pre-March finances until retirement, 30 plus years from now. - Speaking of my last line there (paying for the wedding) - 2020 has been good for the beginnings of the planning phase. 10 months and 8 days from now I officially get to spend the rest of my life with the smartest and toughest woman I've ever met (she looks pretty damn good as well but that's the least important thing by a mile). We found a venue that is very "us" and a caterer that has a nice variety including some of her favorites (taco stuff) as well as some of mine (pasta). - Job-wise: now working from home, and it was not as a direct result of the virus, rather it's a thing my job offers at a certain stage regardless (although they did rush people home for the virus who had not yet met the requirements, but I am not among that category, I had officially transitioned 9 days before the panic sending and am home for good even when people return). I got a direct call from the boss 2 levels up, and a written comment from the boss 3 levels up, about how much they've been able to rely on me in particular and a handful of department members even as things are increasingly chaotic. I only moved into this position last July and have now basically passed up all but a handful of even the old guard, enough that I suspect many of the people forget I'm not an old guard myself. (Little offhand comment as well from one of the bosses just above me - she is in a slight panic as both I and one other employee are off for PTO hours for a portion of this upcoming week, despite the fact that the evening shift in particular still has 7-8 other people on it, solely because we're 2 of maybe 3 on the whole shift that are sometimes doing multiple jobs at once. It will be fine barring an unexpected rush, but it's medical-ish, so there very well could be.) - Socially: I've always been a bit of a hermit, but on occasion get dragged out to do things, whether through trying to maintain friendships, feeling obligated to occasionally see the larger branch of my cousins every once in a while (with whom I have very little in common, although they're perfectly reasonable people, just enjoy different things than me), or just because my fiancee wants to go do a thing or try out a new restaurant or something. This year I've had a valid and inarguable excuse to not have to do barely anything at all. The entire social side of my life in terms of real people I know in the flesh (as in, not VHLers and online people who I also consider friends but do not physically see) has been a few hotel trips with just my fiancee and even then, not really doing anything but staying in. I have not had to do really anything. I've also discovered a few things that will lessen my trips even beyond the end of the virus (grocery delivery, for example, is fairly well set up here although I know it's not necessarily as well set up in other places). - Mental state wise: I've generally been pretty solid on this end of things in my adult life (not necessarily so much when I was a kid - I shared something with I believe it was @Sonnet once that I'd not particularly like to get into here, but I wasn't always the most stable kid - adult-wise have had no issues though and generally even strong enough to support some people who do have more concerns in that sense). This year, which has had such a negative effect on so many mentally, has brought about a few minor existential things (a lot of repetitiveness of the work-sleep-work-sleep life that can't really be everything that's out there, but so often feels like it is) but largely has not damaged me in particular, nor brought about much in terms of regression to my mental states in earlier life. To note: nothing has outwardly improved mentally, partially because there isn't really anywhere for it to go, but given the way this year has been to so many, I consider relative stability and a lack of change a positive thing in this sense. EDIT: Oh, and one more thing - and I know @Da Trifecta knows all about this - as a result of working from home and having regular grocery deliveries, I've begun to cook more. It's weird - you always hear this advice about "learn to cook because it'll be an attractive life skill when potential partners are looking for you" yet I'm with a chef, absolutely don't need cooking, and cook anyway. Easy and cheap work lunches though, plus I'm pretty good at it and it's usually better both in taste and in health than just getting something fast food or so.

Didn't expect to have to care about this, but will hopefully be able to gain percentages at least

Never an ounce of regret.

Can confirm you tried. Not letting him go that easy though

Not familiar with most of this, but Passion Pit

Cow at this stage just offer

No, Duncan Idaho is actually a good name

Words

@DMaximus @Dil @rjfryman @Hylands @Rayzor_7 @InstantRockstar @Ricer13 @ColeMrtz @DoktorFunk @MexicanCow123 @Doomsday @Spartan

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Under 250: The VHLM Report. In this series, we will be taking a look at the trends and topics from the past week in the VHLM. What twists and turns will our minor league hold? Stay tuned to find out! Talents Behind The Trophies | Minor Adjustments | VHLM Power Rankings | Around the VHL The Review This season is officially a strange one. It seems as though with approximately 12 games to go (give or take a few depending on team) the playoff picture is all but secure. The Mississauga Hounds, Minnesota Storm, and Ottawa Lynx are all definitely out, and the only real sense of tension at all at the bottom of the playoff picture is whether the Houston Bulls can close the gap on either of the 60-pointers: the Yukon Rush and Halifax 21st. (NOTE: The standings show Halifax as having clinched, because STHS still thinks we’re going by conference and they only have to finish above Minnesota/Ottawa. This is not the case, and they have not clinched.) We can say with a fair degree of confidence that the Philadelphia Reapers, Mexico City Kings, San Diego Marlins, and Saskatoon Wild will be this year’s home seeds, and that the Las Vegas Aces and Miami Marauders will also make the playoffs. The question is whether Houston can make the climb to steal a spot, or are Halifax and Yukon safe? The Race Let’s look into the rosters of each of the three teams in question and see where they should have finished, had it not been for STHS’ inherent randomness, and determine where the race might go from here. Halifax: Halifax is running a particularly thin roster, with only six forwards and four defenders on the team. This is particularly small compared to the other two - the VHLM typically runs much nearer capacity than what Halifax currently has. Admittedly, this is partially the result of recent events, as Kate Upton was traded to San Diego, a team much closer to the top of the standings, and Nolan Fowler is now a free agent after having not updated beyond base TPE. It will be interesting to see just how much of their place in the standings was driven by Upton, who was one of the better players on their roster. As it stands at the moment (and in the VHLM, volatility is the name of the game, so the roster may look different as early as tomorrow) the six Halifax forwards are Dolant Fertitta, Theodore James St.Louis, Empty, Ramarod Ramirez, Edward Kenway, and Matthew Willis. Of these, Fertitta, St.Louis, and Empty are all strong VHLM players, at or near the cap. Ramirez is adequate - he has, however, announced his retirement, so depending on how long it takes to finish out the season, he may get inactive ruled. The inactive rule may apply to Willis as well, since he has not applied beyond his base TPE, but he has joined more recently than Fowler did and is still in the wait time. This leaves us with Kenway, who is as of right now a decent left winger, but adding at such a rate that he’s likely a prospect for next season. Defensively, they have Clinton Giftopoulos, Javad Kamkar, Bahram Kamkar, and Videl Valor. Giftopoulos is a top VHLM player, although perhaps the most interesting player of note on this defense is Javad Kamkar. Not yet to Giftopoulos’ level, Javad Kamkar has been developing far faster and will prove an intriguing prospect for the upcoming season’s drafts. It’s only a matter of time before he passes Giftopoulos. Bahram Kamkar has been a little slower than Javad, and is a little newer to join the league, but still looks pretty promising moving forward. Videl Valor, like Matthew Willis, looks to be on his way to being inactive ruled - although he has added beyond base TPE and bought a little more time. In goal, Mike Sterling is a solid piece and is approaching the cap, and Loic Trepanier is a decent backup. Yukon: Yukon is a significantly deeper team, which also means they’re carrying around some guys that aren’t incredibly developed like Nathan Askarov, but overall this appears to be a stronger team than Halifax. They still only have four players on defense, but that’s a symptom of a league wide issue at this time. Their forwards are led off by Vick Fairchild, who is nearly capped already and will almost certainly be there by the playoffs. In fact, he might even be there by the time this article goes out. Daddy Derek and Michael Schmidt could reach the cap by playoffs as well with some luck, and Jim Allen doesn’t appear to be far behind. This is a solid crew of guys and arguably ought to be higher in the standings than they are, which might be a sign of a future surprise in the playoffs. Jonny Pacheco, The Great, and Gaspar Zakrevsky would all arguably have a higher role on Halifax than they do on Yukon, all are already pretty good and are developing at a rate that’ll likely make them two season guys for Yukon. Rounding out the forwards are the waiver signings, Guy Lambert, Ethan Kahn, and Nathan Askarov who are all maintaining activity and are decent for being newer entrants to the league. Defensively, again there are only four. Kristof Welch, the best of the bunch, is similar to Kamkar of Halifax in that he’s a highly promising draftee and while he’s only a waiver signing for Yukon, he may end up skipping out on being VHLM drafted entirely if he’s at the cap by the start of the season, instead immediately reporting to his VHL team (a lot of this will depend on which VHL team it is, and how long the offseason goes for). Olof Samuelsson is a little slower in development, but is already a good player at the VHLM level and has certainly performed admirably for Yukon thus far. Germano Henchoz is a newer guy who has developed well so far, perhaps not quite as noticeably as Welch, but will certainly be a guy some team will be incredibly happy to have next season, and Roger Jone has been around the VHLM for a bit now but is a reliable, if slow earning, depth guy who puts in a quality shift. Goalie wise, Kloxified is essentially capped. He can’t really add anything more while in the VHLM, and is one of the better goalies in the league. Andrew Bowman, much like Loic Trepanier of Halifax, is a decent backup. He’s active, has added to his guy, but at the same time isn’t really about to threaten Kloxified’s spot for this season. Houston: Houston is the deepest of the three, and so perhaps it is surprising they find themselves out of the race at the moment, but then again they arguably have the least top end talent. It’s a weird thing that STHS does to give such a preference to having 1-2 really strong guys over 4-5 fairly solid ones, but with Halifax being as thin as they are and further selling off what they do have, maybe Houston pulls it off. It certainly seems the “fairest” result would be for Houston/Yukon to take the two spots, but at the same time that would be an unfortunate result for the actives Halifax does have, such as the Kamkars. Forwards-wise, Jon Webber, Paul Webber, and Vladimir Mlinski are the top tier forwards for Houston, and none of them are locks to reach the cap by the end of the season, although they all could. The Webbers are a little better earners, but Mlinski is a recreate and more familiar with the site, and all three are guys who’ll likely be up at least next season. Eddie Dams and Bradley Senjo are possibly in the sweet spot, good players already but earning at a pace where they might be back, and Napoleon Bonaparte is developing quickly and could be a strong asset to a team in the bigs when the time comes. Craig Martin and Kid Frost were both late VHLM draftees who’ve kept active, and Houston’s been strong on the waiver wire to add Joan de Arc, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Alexander the Great, and Genghis Khan (also seemingly a recurring theme of historical people/places). However, the last six guys look to be more promising next season than this season. Defensively, Houston is the only one of the teams listed here with six players. Jared Carter and Not A Player are the top of the bunch, and both are near enough to cap that they’ll be competitive against the players who get there, although they’ll probably both not quite manage it. Zachary Sirois is the next best but is also on the verge of getting inactive ruled, so that could be a hit to their chances as well. Jackson Richard is a prime example of the type of player that’s always so valuable to the VHLM, as he’ll be around again next season almost certainly, and William of Orange is a new addition who’s done well to get up to where he is. Usilov Valentinovich has missed a couple weeks and may also get inactive ruled, although he’s got a week longer than Sirois. Largely, this defense will depend on Houston’s ability to find Sirois and Valentinovich, although that would just bring them down to four where the other teams are. Trent Gibson in goal is a solid starter, and while Jurgis Kalvelis Blazevicius behind him isn’t breathing down his neck, he’s competent when he needs to be called upon, like the backups for the other two teams. The Assessment As it stands, Halifax has the thinnest roster, but arguably a stronger average among the players they do have, while Houston has the deepest roster with a larger number of new players filling out depth. Yukon has a strong combination of both, and potentially could be dangerous in the playoffs should they get there. Depending on how the rosters look over the final stretch, it does seem a little undeserved that Houston has a gap to make up on the other two, but it might already be just a bit too far. They’re 7 points back of Yukon and 9 of Halifax, while giving games in hand up on both current playoff teams. It’s not out of reach but it’ll be a difficult task if they want to get there, and it’s more likely that the two current teams will remain in the final playoff spots.

Except the orcs. They think the pre-battle speech is just right. Keeps the army distracted so they never see the sword in the back.

Went to Columbus a few years ago actually, was a pretty nice place (and only 3 hours away, decent trip if I don't want to spend much time in a car)

get ready to play some cricket

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