VHL From a Newbies Perspective

[DankTurtle 54]

I’m not going to lie, when I first joined this league I was very intimidated. I’m used to the NHL game sim leagues and I’ve only been in one other that was somewhat similar to this one so after looking around on my first day, you can understand why I took a few days to digest everything and finally make a player. The first challenge I encountered was understanding what the discord actually was. There was not really any explanation as to how to make a player and what the sim engine actually is. Luckily, the newcomer help channel was very useful and the community was very helpful in explaining what the next few steps were. After I made a player, someone (discord user N0HBDY) from the recruitment staff reached out to me and walked me through joining a team in the minors. It was very appreciated. The GM of the team I joined was responsive and welcomed me with open arms, as did my new teammates. It’s taken a little bit of time to get used to and I’m not sure how much I’m actually going to be able to progress and how good I’ll be able to make my player, as I’m not much of a writer or graphic designer. I wish there was some other way for people like me to gain TPE but I understand it is all about cultivating an engaging and active community. Overall, this entire league is absolutely bonkers and I am excited to be a part of it!

Word Count: 256

[Gustav 6,421]

1 hour ago, DankTurtle said:

It’s taken a little bit of time to get used to and I’m not sure how much I’m actually going to be able to progress and how good I’ll be able to make my player, as I’m not much of a writer or graphic designer.

 

You'd be surprised--you just put down a few thoughts here (which I'm assuming didn't take forever) and you're already halfway to a media spot! It's easier to earn than most people think at the start; I'm notorious for cranking out giant articles every now and then and I claimed welfare my first two weeks because I thought that would be too much. Also, perhaps you see yourself as a podcaster, and most people who do graphics regularly started doing them knowing absolutely nothing about it.

 

Overall, though, find what you're happy with and earn that. It's true that earning as much as possible will get your player farther, faster, but it's by no means necessary to enjoy the league. If you'd like to get better, earn more, if you think you're pushing yourself too much, don't be afraid to earn less. I'm excited to see where you're able to take yourself and your player in the VHL, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

[Banackock 8,049]

Wooo

[JardyB10 4,865]

2 hours ago, DankTurtle said:

I’m not going to lie, when I first joined this league I was very intimidated.

You’re definitely not alone in feeling this way. I had a very similar experience when I first joined the league, and that was 13 years ago. As a community I feel like we do what we can to make it feel less overwhelming to new members, and the Discord is a big help in that, but it’s a unique hobby and I think the information overload and the “daunt” is unavoidable to some extent.

 

As Gus mentioned though, it can all click into place easy enough. As you continue to gain your bearings it becomes easier to spew out any kind of Point Task, and it can stoke some creativity too. I’m personally a big advocate of Podcasts, as it’s a lot easier than you’d think to word vomit about the league for 5-15 minutes. The “VHL related” requirement for podcasts are quite loose too, which gives you some leeway to get comfortable on the mic by just talking about how your day was for a couple of minutes if you wanted.

 

You’re off to a great start here by the looks of it, I hope to continue seeing you around!

[N0HBDY 1,119]

Np, welcome to the league!