Should someone be banned from the boards?

I'm new to this site and am intrigued with how it works but it doesn't seem very active as a community. Is that the case, or am I looking at to small of a sample size? I don't want to spend money on something that's dead or in the process of dying. Sorry if this post isn't in the proper place but looking to get some feedback and don't know where to find it at this point.

I'm new to this site and am intrigued with how it works but it doesn't seem very active as a community. Is that the case, or am I looking at to small of a sample size? I don't want to spend money on something that's dead or in the process of dying. Sorry if this post isn't in the proper place but looking to get some feedback and don't know where to find it at this point.

Couple of things:
1. The game and the forums do not share equal participation. Plenty of people play the game but do not use the forums very much so don't judge the game by participation on the forums.

2. The game is cyclical in that it tends to flow with the actual baseball season. I only play 200x sets so I have a few keeper league teams that are winding down and then I won't have an active team until next March when the new set is released. I'm not the only player that fits into this pattern, so you are looking to get into this at a slower part of the year. But there are many who play all time greats year round and those sets are not dependent on the March realease date so you should be able to get into a league.

This game online game has been in existence since 2001 though so I don't think you need to worry about it dieing
Good luck and welcome.

2. The game is cyclical in that it tends to flow with the actual baseball season. I only play 200x sets so I have a few keeper league teams that are winding down and then I won't have an active team until next March when the new set is released. I'm not the only player that fits into this pattern, so you are looking to get into this at a slower part of the year. But there are many who play all time greats year round and those sets are not dependent on the March realease date so you should be able to get into a league.

Ok that's good to know. Is there a league you would recommend for a newbie then? Also do leagues sim at 1 a day then? How is it so tied into the regular season?

2. The game is cyclical in that it tends to flow with the actual baseball season. I only play 200x sets so I have a few keeper league teams that are winding down and then I won't have an active team until next March when the new set is released. I'm not the only player that fits into this pattern, so you are looking to get into this at a slower part of the year. But there are many who play all time greats year round and those sets are not dependent on the March realease date so you should be able to get into a league.

Ok that's good to know. Is there a league you would recommend for a newbie then? Also do leagues sim at 1 a day then? How is it so tied into the regular season?

I can't recommend a league as I have no idea if any are forming. The way the game works is you create your teM and are randomly assigned to a league with others doing the same thing.

I apologize about my explanation of Strat online being tied to MLB. I didn't mean the game engine itself. Only that our online players (myself included) seem to show more interest/participate more when there are real baseball games going on. Now that the season is over things slow down. I'm focused on Fantasy football right now and Strat baseball moves to the back burner. Until football season is over.

For Plan B, I know that the 60s, 70s, and 80s auto leagues are pretty regular year round. Three games are played a night in the league. To get started, I would recommend that you find a time frame your are interested in, draft a team, and join an auto league. Good Luck.

How is it so tied into the regular season?

As already pointed out not physically/directly tied. But for the 200x enthusiast goes something like this....
Cards for 2013 season release around March 2014. Everyone gets exited about the new cards and jump in to as many leagues as they can afford (some more than they can afford but addicts do that sort of thing ).

So now it is October. Joe Addict has participated dozens of leagues over the summer using the 2013 season cards. The "new" of it has worn off. He starts spending more time watching the real life playoffs which are in full swing right now. As they end he may try to salvage his fantasy football team that got started and neglected while the baseball season was wrapping up. The winter will be spent discussing/speculating what cards will be the best when the new cards come out next March. Joe Addict will likely spend the winter paying off his credit cards from having played too many teams last spring.

Eventually March 2015 will arrive and the new cards based on the 2014 season will come out and the excitement level will once again skyrocket. They cycle will begin again. There is still hope for you Plan B if you have not yet sampled too much of the strato drug. Run. Once you get hooked it will be too late.

There is still hope for you Plan B if you have not yet sampled too much of the strato drug. Run. Once you get hooked it will be too late.

I love it. How indepth can you get into the cards? Can you see patterns every year where players in real life under perform yet are much better in this game? Also I've asked a few places about keeper leagues and haven't gotten an answer yet. Once you find a good group can you make any league a keeper league if enough of the league wants to continue or does it already have to be set up and designated as a keeper league?

You just asked the golden question. The cards reveal many things and can be read many ways. As to the readings, some diehards actually count out and record all the possible outcomes on the cards, such as how many home run "hits" there are and the probabilities of "hitting" them. I'm not knocking those who do this, but it seems like a lot of excessive time spent not actually playing the game. I and others read the cards "Matrix" style, scanning the cards well and seeing what they actually represent. Once you get used to the patterns and preferable outcomes on the cards, this becomes easier and easier.

And yes, cards often under-perform or over-perform in comparison to the player's real-life stats. This is why it is important to not pick your players based on their statistical years. This frustrates some, particularly those who play games with more rigid simulations. However, SOM definitely privileges creative managing/general managing over rigid simulation. As you should find out, that makes it the challenging, enjoyable game it is.

Any league can become a keeper league, but that's rare. You might want to avoid private/keeper leagues for now, though. They will likely be full of veteran advanced players, and you--as a beginner--could have a tough time. Play in a few open 2013 leagues, instead, where there will be more beginners. Learn the cards, learn the game, and experiment with different strategies to see which works best for you. I saw someone suggest the Mystery Games to you on another thread, and that would be a bad idea. It demands a whole new way of playing that is even difficult for veteran players once they start it. It's best you get a handle on the general game first and enjoy doing it.

You just asked the golden question. The cards reveal many things and can be read many ways. As to the readings, some diehards actually count out and record all the possible outcomes on the cards, such as how many home run "hits" there are and the probabilities of "hitting" them.

SOM has a ratings book for sale (about $13) in excel format that counts the cards for you. I found it to be a very useful tool in team creation. It won't buy you a championship (I can vouch for that) but if nothing else it enhances your understanding of the game.

Good luck & have fun!

There are a few good reasons why you might want to try the ratings guide SLOTerp mentions:

1. It will speed things up for you and allow you to join leagues quicker. You could use the guide to help yourself quickly pick your players, then spend time learning how to read the cards, yourself, when you can.

2. It will give you an edge up on experienced players reading cards for themselves. While those players are trying and failing (in varying degrees) to interpret/analyze the card data to determine what statistical info it signifies, you will already know exactly what statistical info it signifies. This will also help you more accurately evaluate those player cards.

3. After using the ratings guide while practicing reading players cards on your own, you can decide how you would like to read cards in the future. If you find you particularly value quick team-building and maximum-end player-evaluation, you will probably want to keep using the guides. If you value and enjoy the art of reading and interpreting cards for yourself, you may end up abandoning the guide.

Either way, both modes are perfectly legal, and many managers on the site use and enjoy both. I'm sure you'll find and enjoy the method that best suits you.