What makes you follow a dynasty league?

[Eugene Church]

My Islandian Pro Alliance has been going for several years now and I plan to continue it. The wonderful Modders are making me new logos and jerseys and that has got me excited about continuing it for another 50 years.

I am also going to start a much smaller league... the State LIne League... which will begin in 1920 with the stats to follow MLB history, so they will go through the all the eras of baseball. I will have only 8 teams to cover... I will probably play out the last three innings of each game to be more immersed in it. And with the smaller league, I can give a daily report of games and cover the league much more thoroughly than I do in the IPA.

My IPA was inspired by the Laseron Baseball Association, which is my all-time favorite dynasty... and by DreamTeams' fine Metro League.

Here's my request:

Please post why you follow your favorite Dynasty? Name 2-3 elements that make it your favorite.

Please help me improve my Dynasties and make them more interesting.

[David Watts]

One thing I always enjoy is if the creator of the dynasty has a sense of humor. Especially if the person is willing to poke fun at himself. Westheim's Racoon's dynasty is a perfect example. There was a guy on here years ago that did a Chicago White Sox dynasty that may have been my all time favorite due to the writers humor. He had nicknames for everyone and things never seemed to end up in his favor. Loved it.

I also like the guys that like to blend in history be it real or fictional. Eugene, you do a great job of this. I think most of us feel like we've been to Ruthlandia at least a couple times. Oh and Dreamteams Metro Leagues are always fun to catch up on.

Also love everything that NY guy does(can't remember the exact name) but his worst to first is a great read and so is the Any Given Sunday. I think the thing I like about his dynasties the most is they are always unique. He has great visuals as well.

Ps. That NY guy is NY #23.

Oh and since I'm primarily a historical/random debut player myself, I love the historical replays. It amazes me that people can sim a season, but still find a way to bring that season to life as if they watched every game. Very cool.

[Eugene Church]

David Watts, thank you for taking the time to share in detail your preferences for a dynasty league.

I appreciate your observations, comments and suggestions.

[Griever20]

Some things that crossed my mind, especially after the fiasco of my semi-historic MLB ...

• A nice start(slow?) to the dynasty to get the readers into it. Especially for fictional dynasties, this is a concern because there are a lot of players and organisations that the readers aren't really familiar with. So, some storyline, nice introduction or clever dynasty idea(the afromentioned dynasties by NY #23 are good examples for that)
• The right level of detail for the writing style. I can read a complete post(usually long) about Westheim's furry creatures and won't be bored or exhausted because he presents it in a funny way.
  Exibit #2: A weekly report by illeracula and his Norfork Cavs is presented way different. He gives you the results and performers, and then some sharp analysis what happend the week and his thoughts about it, giving you the choice to look at the numbers, or to read his analysis, or both to know what has happened.
  Exibit #3: George_Bell's MLB replay presents a whole regular season in one post, mentioning what crosses his mind was interesting and worth mentioning while playing out the season, and presents a lot of the information via pictures and stats.
• Somehow correlates with point #1/2: When you get attached to certain guys you know(historic/real MLB) or that get introduced and made rememberable to the readers. That kinda depends on the detail level and presentation and it's incredible hard if you get hundreds of names thrown at you in a 16+ team league+minors. For example, I like the way how Sundance always mentiones the Key Players for the next season in his San Diego Padres Dynasty, this way its easy to follow despite him advancing rather fast though the year.

Hope that was helpful, I must say its hard to fully answer that question because there are rather different ways to make a dynasty interesting for me

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by Griever20

Some things that crossed my mind, especially after the fiasco of my semi-historic MLB ...

• A nice start(slow?) to the dynasty to get the readers into it. Especially for fictional dynasties, this is a concern because there are a lot of players and organisations that the readers aren't really familiar with. So, some storyline, nice introduction or clever dynasty idea(the afromentioned dynasties by NY #23 are good examples for that)
• The right level of detail for the writing style. I can read a complete post(usually long) about Westheim's furry creatures and won't be bored or exhausted because he presents it in a funny way.
  Exibit #2: A weekly report by illeracula and his Norfork Cavs is presented way different. He gives you the results and performers, and then some sharp analysis what happend the week and his thoughts about it, giving you the choice to look at the numbers, or to read his analysis, or both to know what has happened.
  Exibit #3: George_Bell's MLB replay presents a whole regular season in one post, mentioning what crosses his mind was interesting and worth mentioning while playing out the season, and presents a lot of the information via pictures and stats.
• Somehow correlates with point #1/2: When you get attached to certain guys you know(historic/real MLB) or that get introduced and made rememberable to the readers. That kinda depends on the detail level and presentation and it's incredible hard if you get hundreds of names thrown at you in a 16+ team league+minors. For example, I like the way how Sundance always mentiones the Key Players for the next season in his San Diego Padres Dynasty, this way its easy to follow despite him advancing rather fast though the year.

Hope that was helpful, I must say its hard to fully answer that question because there are rather different ways to make a dynasty interesting for me

I just want to try to incorporate things in my dynasties that the viewers are interested in... though I'm limited in my skills and talents.

I would like to make my Islandian Pro Alliance more that a stats dump.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions.

[NYY #23]

The three things that I would say would be -

1) Topic - Something has to grab me that makes me want to keep following along. For example, I started reading illeracula's DELMARVA League because I live close by, or Peace in the Middle East? because it just sounded intriguing, or George Bell's Replay. A good topic and a good intro are going to make me want to continue to follow. It's always harder for me to get in to a dynasty for a team that I don't care about.

2) Thread starter - If someone wrote a dynasty that I read and enjoyed in the past I'm probably going to read their next dynasty. I started reading St Lee's Fallout Dynasty and really enjoyed it, so when he starts a new one I'll read it. Same with you Eugene, or Orcin, Big Six, and several others.

3) Dedication to dynasty - I'm not sure if that is the best way to put it, but it's obvious when someone cares about a league, team, or topic, posts regularly, gets invested in what they are doing, and is having fun doing it. They take the time to do things right, and it shows. I'll use chucksabr as an example. Initially I could care less about The English Baseball League, but once you go in you can see the time and effort he puts in, and you start caring, and wanting to see what happens next.

I always hate to name names, because I know I've left some out, but that's my three thoughts.

And thanks to David Watts and Griever for mentioning me. It's also interesting to me that they both mention Westheim and the Portland Raccoons, and I've seen a lot of positives comments about that dynasty too. I have to admit I've never read it, so to flip your question around about why don't I read a dynasty - sometimes when a dynasty grows large it's hard to find a place to jump in for me, except at the beginning, and it's hard to find the time to start from the beginning rather than stay up to date on dynasties. But one day I do have to read all about the Raccoons.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by NYY #23

It's also interesting to me that they both mention Westheim and the Portland Raccoons, and I've seen a lot of positives comments about that dynasty too. I have to admit I've never read it, so to flip your question around about why don't I read a dynasty - sometimes when a dynasty grows large it's hard to find a place to jump in for me, except at the beginning, and it's hard to find the time to start from the beginning rather than stay up to date on dynasties. But one day I do have to read all about the Raccoons.

It's really good. I follow it post-by-post. I nominate it for 2014 Dynasty of the Year. :-)

/Orcin returns to dynasty lurker status

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by Orcin

It's really good. I follow it post-by-post. I nominate it for 2014 Dynasty of the Year. :-)

/Orcin returns to dynasty lurker status

Three things - 1) I keep hearing good things about it, so I need to find the time to start it. 2) That reminds me, I did do Hall of Fame dynasty voting last year, and was going to do it again, but never did because of the holidays, and getting what seemed like the never ending flu. I wonder if it's too late now? 3) When is Orcin going to change his status to dynasty writer again? It seems like it's about time.

[StLee]

My basic criteria for dynasties I want to read more of:

1) Fictional - I love to see the gods of creation at work. The real Atlanta Braves break my heart every year. I don't want to see them double lose
However, seeing the Atlanta Knuckleheads lose 103 games in a year where the Philadelphia Cheese Steaks and New York Hey-yos tied for the pennant at 92-70 is preferable.

2) Great prose - Well, it doesn't have to be GREAT, per se, but it does have to be manageable and interesting. Sentences need to be basically grammatically correct (I'm an English professor, so sue me!). Also, there needs to be some variety in sentences. Other prose aspects can make a difference, but I can accept just writing about the games, like newspaper stories or short summaries, and be content.

3) Visuals - Not the most important of aspects because I have read a few dynasties without any visuals and enjoyed them. However, in a fictional world, I want to at least see the teams' uniforms so that I can form pictures in my head based on what's there. Old-time dynasty with the poofy pants and funny caps, show me what those guys look like!

[Trebro]

Perfect timing, since I'm looking again at a world-based dynasty. I'm taking notes, trust me.

First, I'll say this right now: I'd never touch doing a team-level dynasty with a ten foot pole because I can't imagine trying to top Westheim. He's so good at making it a tragi-comedy, and (sorry pal), it's actually more fun to read when he's not winning.

For my part, here's what makes me read:

1) There's some form of commentary. I don't want to just read a wall of screen shots or game summaries. If the person in the writer's chair isn't talking about the world they've created, it's hard for me to get engaged. The better this commentary is, whether it's discussing how the teams rise and fall, a creation of league issues, or just reporting on the race to be the all-time HR leader, the more engaged I get.

2) It's either fictional or a historical fiction. I say this as a person who had fun writing a "Fixing the Pirates" mini-dynasty, too. Dynasties that are just jump-off points from reality don't do a lot for me. Doesn't mean they aren't awesome for the writer, and I'm glad they enjoy them. Just not something I read.

3) Be a little different. I love NYY's Worst to First Dynasty, and I'd like to try it myself. But I wouldn't write one just like it for the site. (See my thing about the Raccoons, above.)

4) Be more about a league, or a series of leagues. I'm really digging the New Zealand/Australia dynasty right now, because it's a league-wide dynasty, with notes on the top players, recurring names (I'll get to that), and more.

5) Find players and keep an eye on them for as long as they deserve it. One of the things I really like about Izz's work is that once per season, he checks back on the prior award winners from the year before, and all through, he's updating on what top players are doing. I get to watch them rise and fall. It's not just about posting the league leaders all the time, though I like to see that, too, for comparison.

My biggest problem is because I don't like to see copying, I'm not sure I can really do something that's unique enough. I'm working on a grand world for North American Baseball, but I'm worried the scope is too large. I am thinking about whether I could just focus on one league within the larger world, or if i could find a way for the larger world to work.

It's hard to get a dynasty right, and I admit I'm envious of those of you who do!

[Eugene Church]

I appreciate all of you taking the time to help me.

The Islandian Pro Alliance is just too large for me to cover it in detail. When I realized that 64 teams were just too many to cover, I was hooked on the league and couldn't let it go. I planned to play 50 seasons and then retire it, but love it so much, I plan to continue it to 100 seasons... but I will do a more general summary each season than I have done in the past.

There are several things that have been mentioned that I can incorporate such as posting the current season stats of last year's award winners... more graphics... I hope to have new logos and jerseys done this year and will work them into the game... but it's a slow process... 64 teams is a lot of work for the wonderful Modders of our community.

My new State Line League will only have 8 teams and I plan to get totally immersed in that league and cover each game played... perhaps I will play out the last three innings of each game. It will be nice to speak of winning and losing streaks, both teams and players... hitting streaks and slumps... who's having a good year, a comeback year, a bad year... being able to talk about single-game records broken or tied in games.

Keep your comments and preferences coming. I'm really learning a lot about how to do an interesting dynasty... however, putting your suggestions into practice will be tough as my skills are limited in writing good prose, dialogue and humor, which if done well, would greatly improve my Islandian Pro Alliance or any dynasty.

[Izz]

Nice thread idea, Eugene Church There's some really great thoughts in here! *frantically takes notes*

Thanks for the mention, Trebro!

Like StLee & Trebro, i prefer reading fictional (though i'll read any dynasty if it pulls me in), and both the writing and world have to be engaging. That's about all my criteria

[Sundance]

I'm sure some of what I'll say has already been said, so forgive any overlap For me personally, I'm not sure if there is any specific element that attracts me to a dynasty. I suppose if I had to pick something, I'd say that I'm attracted to passion. If someone is enjoying what they're writing about, then chances are that I'm going to enjoy reading it. For me, it doesn't really matter if they're starting with a fictional world, a current team, a historical year, or a random debut...If they're having a good time, then I am as well.

I feel like I have some of the same issues/concerns that you do. There's more that I'd like to do with my dynasty, but I'm just not sure if I'd have the skill or time to do it. That's been the hardest part for me...Trying to find the right balance of detail. I want to write enough about the league to let my audience know what the hell is going on in this little world of mine, but I want to keep it brief enough so that I can get updates out in a timely fashion and not get burned out in the process.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by Sundance

I'm sure some of what I'll say has already been said, so forgive any overlap For me personally, I'm not sure if there is any specific element that attracts me to a dynasty. I suppose if I had to pick something, I'd say that I'm attracted to passion. If someone is enjoying what they're writing about, then chances are that I'm going to enjoy reading it. For me, it doesn't really matter if they're starting with a fictional world, a current team, a historical year, or a random debut...If they're having a good time, then I am as well.

I feel like I have some of the same issues/concerns that you do. There's more that I'd like to do with my dynasty, but I'm just not sure if I'd have the skill or time to do it. That's been the hardest part for me...Trying to find the right balance of detail. I want to write enough about the league to let my audience know what the hell is going on in this little world of mine, but I want to keep it brief enough so that I can get updates out in a timely fashion and not get burned out in the process.

I'm glad you said that passion is important... that is probably why the IPA has been received well... I can't write or entertain as well as the many fine talents we have here on the Dynasty Forum, but I can be passionate and regular in my postings.

Burnout has been a problem for me with the IPA... it would take me 32 hours to do a midseason wrap and a season wrap... add another 30 hours for the league awards and playoff coverage... each season probably took 100 hours... I would advise dynasty writers to keep the league small... 16 teams or less, so you can cover it more easily.

My new State Line League will only be 8 teams so I can thoroughly be immersed in the coverage... I'm really excited about it... I should know every player on every team by the end of the year... when I was a kid, I knew the starting lineups and pitching rotations of all 16 MLB teams and the 8 Southern Association teams (I grew up watching the Mobile Bears and the New Orleans Pelicans} during the Golden Age of Baseball.

I just finished setting up the State Line League today, complete with beautiful league logo, team logos and jerseys.
I ran about 30 years of test leagues to get the stats right, although it wasn't really necessary as it turned out... the game does a great job when you pick a starting year and just let it mimic the Major Leagues... the batting, pitching and fielding stats are very close to the stats of the year you are playing... really remarkable... Markus is something else.

[Trebro]

Originally Posted by Sundance

I feel like I have some of the same issues/concerns that you do. There's more that I'd like to do with my dynasty, but I'm just not sure if I'd have the skill or time to do it. That's been the hardest part for me...Trying to find the right balance of detail. I want to write enough about the league to let my audience know what the hell is going on in this little world of mine, but I want to keep it brief enough so that I can get updates out in a timely fashion and not get burned out in the process.

I think that's a real danger, and where you draw that line is so hard. Like I know I'd never be able to do that thing where people edit their world data and create New Trebek or whatever. So I feel like I'm more limited to real-world stuff, and so many other folks are doing real-world stuff (fictional or otherwise), I'm not sure I'm going to add anything.

[Izz]

Originally Posted by Trebro

I think that's a real danger, and where you draw that line is so hard. Like I know I'd never be able to do that thing where people edit their world data and create New Trebek or whatever. So I feel like I'm more limited to real-world stuff, and so many other folks are doing real-world stuff (fictional or otherwise), I'm not sure I'm going to add anything.

Not that my advice is worth the ethers it's posted on, but i think the most important thing is that you personally enjoy whatever setup you're playing. If you are, and you enjoy writing stuff up about it, then why not share it? It doesn't matter if it's similar to others; we all place our individual stamps on things anyway.

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by Izz

Not that my advice is worth the ethers it's posted on, but i think the most important thing is that you personally enjoy whatever setup you're playing. If you are, and you enjoy writing stuff up about it, then why not share it? It doesn't matter if it's similar to others; we all place our individual stamps on things anyway.

I second that. I'm sure you'll find a way to add something unique once you get started, and also encourage you to share it.

[darnoff]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

I would advise dynasty writers to keep the league small... 16 teams or less, so you can cover it more easily.

Agreed. There needs to be a good balance between the amount of detail and the pace of the league. Too much or too little of either is not good. I'm always struggling with that myself.

[Eugene Church]

You know, I'm embarrassed to say that I don't often check out the dynasties on this forum, so I decided to closely check each one of them out and find the secrets of the dynasty writers.

StLee was the first one I looked at... and it is amazingly well done... it makes my IPA look like Class D baseball in the 30s in comparison.

He has a device "DYK" that is excellent... it means "Did You Know"... and offers tidbits about the players in his leagues.

His newspaper is The Baseball Brag and is very well done.

The dynasty is called Tournament of Champions.

Question: Is it OK to steal ideas and devices and use them in one's own dynasty?

[darkcloud4579]

Here's an oldie but goodie full of stuff that will help present and future dynasty writers from those of us from the olden days of dynasty writing.

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...nofficial.html