Everything else is boring.......

[DOUGGRAY]

Im back playing 80s more and more. Notice Im in almost all the leagues lately :D

I have little time for SOM overall but one thing I have looked forward too is managing my 80s team during the regular season. I always have had 40+ teams going in 200x and ATG but so what!!! There isnt much you can do in season.

I think without the 80s format I might have just shutdown my SOM habit for the year.

[Jablowmi]

I agree, Penn. I've played my last ATG season. I had two the finished in the past month and, even though they were around .500, I didn't even pay attention to them after the midpoint of the season. For the same reason, I won't try '69.

Anyway - we're in one that auto-drafts tonight. Hope you didn't take any of my players...........

[tgmfp]

I like 80's best too. The theme leagues have been fun also. Instead of 1969 they should have made back to the 70's and included the late 60's early 80's like they did for Back to the 80's leauge.

I think the mystery card thing keeps you guessing and interested to figure out what card your playing with. I like the % droping for the transactions also. obivously needed for the mystery card system.

[nycalderon]

I agree... I think tsn will notice the membership in other formats will wane as the 80's continues to grow in popularity... even a few years later.

[PillPop]

I like 80's best too, but I think you guys are tripping. Who actually plays this game? It seems like the same ten or twenty people, the same small cult. 2005 just seems way way more popular. Anyone have stats on this? What's the chance they'd do another mystery card format game? I think we got our answer when they rolled out 1969 instead of Back to the 60's.

[BC Manager]

Penn, you might as well put your OKL2 2005 team on cruise control. (We're facing each other in the final, in case you hadn't noticed).

Agree with you about the 80s game. I've played more 80s leagues since 2005 came out, than I have 2005 games.

[BRIANCHIVIS]

I totally agree. Each morning I wake up and see what my team did. I record all injuries, make necessary adjustments and changes. When I get home from work, I work on the lefty righty stats, and figure out who will be pitching against the upcoming opponent. In the 05 game, you build a team and watch it run. I was never so bored as when I played 05, and I won the league.

Trying to figure out what card you have is just trying to predict what someone will do in the future, but it adds an element of mystery to how your guys will perform. Should you trade an underperforming player who might have a monster year? Should you trade for a guy who has solid numbers only to find out you got a dog year, as he goes into the tank. Should you drop or stay with a pitcher just a little longer, and then watch him get shelled yet again.

That is the challenge of the 80's game. Its not about your favorite player. its about building a team who can beat everyone else and stay above water financially, all the while you don't know what your players are going to do. Even if you have a god year, the player may not live up to his billing. I have yet to see Dale Murphy have a good year. That is what the mystery card is all about.

[Ducky]

Without the mystery card, the other leagues are all about who you get in the draft. I've played 2005 and 2003 because my son is interested in the players of today. Talk about boring. There is almost no interaction among the managers. No trades, no drops. Whoever wins the draft, wins the league.

I am all for 70's or 60's version of the 80's game. I think it would be fun to get some fresh players to work with. After awhile, even playing the 80's game gets a bit boring. It be nice to have 2 or 3 mystery card seasons as options.

Mike

[PillPop]

Are there any insiders reading this? What's the chance that another msytery card game will be released?

[CHADGUMM]

I love this thread!!!! I'm glad to see that I'm not alone in my feelings for the '80's game. I echo all the comments above. Right now I have active teams in most of the SOM formats (2005, ATG II, 1969, 2003, and of course the '80's). The teams I check first, and am most anxious about, are my '80's teams. I also spend by far the most time on my '80's teams than any of my other teams combined!!!

I don't know how popular the game is compared to the others (my guess is its not), but it does seem that the interest in the game here among the core isn't fading as much as it does in all the other SOM games. I think only the first ATG game was around longer (as the primary game in its genre) than the '80's game without changing and I think that's a testiment on how much more fun this game is compared to the other SOM games.

Unfortunately others don't get it when it comes to the '80's game (or they are too stubborn to give it a chance). Regardless, the mystery card is simply the best variation ever implemented to the SOM game.

I really really hope that TSN introduces another mystery card game in the future. It will be very disappointing if they don't.