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[TCM]

It has been the 78 years since the conclusion of The Great Calamity. Most of its veterans are dead, and the battlefields have been reclaimed by nature. Those who can wield the mysterious, quasi-divine power of Essence have been corralled and calm. Humanity rebuilds.
But it can't forget, no matter how hard it tries. The rationale mind of man will always be plagued with that primal chimpanzee bloodlust. More war would be nonsensical, but pacifism is agonizing. What must give? This impulse must be sated in a way that preserves society, no, strengthens it. An impossible task? Not in these modern times. We must make The League.

You must help build it lest we stumble into that abyss.

Premise:
In The League, you take the role of a Team Manager (TM) who is given the task of building, maintaining and leading a team of combatants to victory in a gladiatorial 3-VS-3 combat sport. In something like Blood Bowl, which has its participants fully engaged in the smallest details on the field, from every individual move and action. The League focuses on macro-strategies and the metagame; the actual matches are simulated, out of the hands of the TMs. TMs are responsible for nearly every other aspect besides the competition itself: the recruitment and appraisal of talent, establishing a relationship with all players and the team as a whole, hiring coaches, becoming the public 'face' of the team, and so forth. You might not be involved with the actual game-battle, but you will be seen as responsible for its outcome, whatever that may be.

*This game will start with a maximum of 6 active TMs. If after 4 or 5 in-game seasons everything is running smoothly, I may bump that number up to 8 or 9 TMs, but it's highly doubtful to get any larger than that. This game will have several Owners and Coaches, over a hundred Players, and then countless other miscellaneous NPCs that may appear, each of them with their own personality and goals. This game will be a large undertaking for me, but I fully intend to carry it out with the best of my ability. Even if the game is only feasible for 4 or 5 seasons, then I would like to think of it as a successful and educational venture for the TMs and myself alike.
If you would like to participate in this game without taking on the roles of a TMs, look down at the Chain of the Command and look at the selection for Fans, a special role for non-TM participants.

*On a similar note, the scale of this game means that it will not run quickly. If you were expecting daily or bi-daily matches, that will not be the case. This is not to say that most of the time nothing will happening, on the contrary. An aficionado of any sport or competitive activity will tell you that 80% of what matters happens before you get on the field or stage. It is off the field where your role and influence truly shines.

*I want to stress that this is intended to be a simulation instead of a more traditional game with a planned plot. I put all the players in place, but what happens to each of them is almost entirely dependent on the TMs. This to replicate the emergent storylines that appear in real sports, which would be quite boring if every match had 50/50 odds. Instead we get tales of long-standing dynasties facing off against battle-scarred underdogs, disrespected nobodies rising to great heights while simultaneously superstars tragically fall. This game will also be rife with all the drama and metagame that surrounds sports, from the heartwarming and humorous to the shocking and detestable. Even those who pay no attention to spectator sports can still remember the New England Patriots "Deflategate" Scandal or reports of widespread drug use among Russian Olympians. Similar newstories will inevitably appear in this game as well. It is not merely how often you win or lose, it is the legends to be built and immortalized.

*I would recommend skimming each of the spoilered sections instead of reading them one by one, to see if you enjoy what you see. There's a lot of text, some of it non-essential, especially in the first few seasons (years) of the League's existence. 

*Having Discord is essential to this game. Major developments like matches, newsletters and announcements will be posted here, but all the small but numerous personal interactions will be handled in Discord. If every interview, meeting and discussion was posted on here, even in the form of multiple threads, they would all get severely clogged.

Spoiler: Background Lore (click to show/hide)

Similar to RWBY, the world is in a state both ancient and futuristic, where temples and castles coexist with skyscrapers and flightcraft.  Over a century ago a distant black hole spontaneously collapsed, and the event coincided with sporadic reports of people harnessing so called 'magic'. This handful of people could utilize mental will to manipulate atomic structures, a phenomenon given many names in paper by quantum physicists. Colloquially it is referred as Essence. Essence takes on a seemingly endless number of forms: some use it to increase the magnitude of their physical strength, others use it to control the elements, or to alter the perception of other people, and much more. Oftentimes essence can manifest in the forms of weapons, armors and structures, which are just as varied. This results in one Essence Sensitive Individual (ESI) looking like a warrior of legends, while another might be a zoot-suit wearing unicyclist, and yet both could be equally capable.

Soon after the sudden appearance of ESIs, (a period now referred to as "The Black Shift") governments, supercorporations and private armies all took a great interest in these conduits as power, new super weapons that could put them firmly above their political and economic competition. The race of the powerful to acquire ESIs, whether through persuasion, bribery, coercion or kidnapping, was The Great Calamity. Some joined willingly, and became tools in the great war machines, assuming roles as sentient WMDs. Others ran or resisted, doing major damage to those that wished to attain them. In both cases the results were devastating: an estimated 80% of ESIs were killed while the entities that pursue them lost immense amounts of capital, infrastructure and manpower. After two decades of this glorified hunt, the League of Nations came together with ESI representative to institute international laws governing the rights of ESIs. With strict regulations imposed on how they could use their power, ESIs were allowed to become fully protected citizens.

In the decades that followed ESIs, became reingratied members of society. Some worked specialized jobs too dangerous for mundane people, others used their powers in harmless but spectacular displays of showmanship and art. Many never become open about their particularly status, blending in with the majority of people in an effort to live a normal and comfortable life.

Generations have passed since the Great Calamity. And even though the young know the tragedy of the Great Calamity, they can't help but feel like they missed out on a time of wonder and fantasy. And some of the ESIs long to put their prowess to real use, feeling as though the protocols that they live under make them caged animals. Combine these problems with the collapse of BlitzBall, once the most popular global sport, under charges of massive corruption and cheating.

Delpheria Antiom, a retired League of Nations representatives, thought up a comprehensive solution to this plan. Getting together of group of enthusiastic and wealthy investors and some prominent ESI figures, she announced her vision: The Essence Martial Arts League, E.M.A.L., or simply, The League.

Spoiler: Chain of Command (click to show/hide)

Chain of Command:

Commissioner
The Owner of the Owners, so to speak. Besides representing The League as a whole, the Commissioner oversees the largest matters like a Prime Minister. This includes the creation/dissolution/rebranding of teams, changing rules and protocols, and punishment of Owners when necessary.
At the moment the Commissioner is Delpheria Antiom, though she has agreed that every decade the Owners will vote to either keep the Commissioner, or to dismiss them and elect a new one.

Owners
These are the people who own the teams, and will function as your boss. Coming from a wide range of backgrounds, the one thing that Owners have in common is that they were influential and wealthy before purchasing the team, and they all intend to use their teams as way to bolster these traits further. Every Owner wants their team to win, but they also know that their team is a corporation, one that can make them a lot of money. Each of them wants their team to carry a certain identity and/or culture that will make it specific and memorable to attract fans, so they want specific TMs who they feel can accomplish this.
Owners are responsible for the team as a corporation, so they'll handle things like merchandising, advertisements and investments. They make a lot more money than you, but you don't have to sit through all the meetings concerning taxes and regulations like they do.
The Owners are subservient only to the Commissioner, and each year they all meet as a Council to discuss what they like and dislike about The League, and will vote on proposed changes. Owners own their teams until retirement or death, although egregious Owners can be voted out at the Council.

Tip: The Owner may know a lot about business, but it doesn't mean they know about Essence Martial Arts, that's why they hired you. At some point, it is highly likely that what your Owner wants for the team as a corporation and what you want for the team to be successful will be two different things. Be prepared to persuasive or deceptive.

Team Manager
This is where you and your colleagues come in. The Team Manager is responsible for making the Team to as victorious and cohesive as possible. Your duties involve acquisition of players (more on that in a section below), making sure the team culture stays healthy, establishing relationships with your players, hiring a Coach and giving them guidance and suggestions, making decisions regarding personnel, and all tasks not covered by the Owner and Coach, as well as interacting with the media and public. You will communicate with your Owner, Coach and Players as a team, in smaller more specific groups, or privately. The performance of the team as a whole will mostly be associated with you. You are both the team's heart and its mind.

Tip: There is no one right way to be a good TM. Will you do your best to help struggling players find their place, or will you let them go as soon as you can replace them with something better? Will you be open and transparent to foster a culture of trust, or will you stay in the shadows to prevent anyone from undermining your goals? Your style is up to you.

Tip: You have many different options when it comes to the method of speaking to other characters. Using a phone is quick and casual, while meeting in your office is more professional and direct, and for some people it might even be intimidating. What about going to their office or home? Or even somewhere neutral, like the park or a pizza place for lunch? Think about which person you're talking to and what sort of impression you want to make. Word of advice: if you want to talk to the Owner, let them decide where to meet.

Coaches
Your chief subordinate, coaches have the distinct duty of being right up close to the action. During matches, they will be the ones directing orders, advice and information directly to your players while you and the other big shots watch from the V.I.P. seats. Outside of matches, your coaches will be very involved with your players, guiding them through training, practice and tactics. Your coach should be skilled at what you expect of them, and be able to take charge of the Players as a cohesive unit; if you imagine yourself as a Chief General, your coach is your Field Commander, leading your troops (Players) into battle.
Coaches all come with unique styles, ideas and personalities. They all seek different roles in their relationship with their Players, some want to be seen as a boss or drill sergeants, other take on the role of a wise mentor or compassionate teacher. When it comes to hiring a Coach, look for the ones that would fit in best in your system.
Depending on your Owner, you may have fully power to hire whatever Coach you want, or your Owner may require that you discuss it with them beforehand. Coaches also have the right to refuse your offer.

Tip: You want your Coach to be seen as a strong leader by your Players, but not too strong! You are the one responsible for the success of your team, and you don't want your favorite Players siding with your Coach in the case that internal strife breaks out. It's fine to be friendly with your Coach, but be prepared to stand your ground if it comes to it.

Players
All of these top roles are important, but at the end of the day it's always going to come down to the Players. The best TMs and Coaches in the world won't win if they don't have a team that is both skillful and committed. Players are your bread-and-butter, who you'll be concerned about: you'll be communicating with your own players, and keeping tabs on the players of rival teams, while also looking for players who would make good additions to your team.
You can't think of players as a just a jumble of machines who will produce X or Y result for you. Each of them is a person with their own ideas, goals, personalities, etc. Each is completely unique from their peers. Think wisely on what kind of team you want, so that you can get the players that fit that vision the best. Do you want a balanced team where each player's skill synthesizes with each other? Do you want players that are all good at the same thing, and use that advantage to overwhelm opponents? Do you want to produce order that dictates how a match is going to go every time? Or do you introduce so much chaos that the opposition can't possibly plan for you? The same is true for selecting players who will produce a certain team culture, which is just as important if not more. Is your lockeroom going to be full of fiery competitors or intimate friends?

Tip: No matter how excited you are for a potential player, remember that this is a team sport. What if this player who you think could be the future star of the team, has a personality that rips the whole team apart? This isn't to say that they have a 'bad' personality, but not every player is conducive to every team. Consider a team that has established a quieter locker room, where more introverted players can feel comfortable and productive. Now imagine tossing a screeching party animal into that locker room and what would happen.
(Note: I use "locker room" as a metonymy; it refers to the literal locker room, but also all social aspects of a team: the training room, the spa, the cafeteria, the lounge, etc.)

The Press
So these guys aren't technically part of The League, but at the same time they are instrumental to it. The Press acts the middleman between The League and the public, finding out all the most exciting stories and developments and relaying their findings to an eager public. The Press will make their own analyses, but also want to engage in interviews with Owners, TMs and Players. The Press can provide a source of information for TMs, especially since TMs can find themselves so busy with their own teams, that they fail to personally keep track of every other Team. The Press represent a double-edged sword: one week they could be making your team sound like the best destination for prospective players, and the next they could be spreading rumors (true or not!) about the private lives of your star player. Like the Teams, the Press is a corporation, and the more stories they sell, the more money they make. Think about how you wish to approach the Press, as an ally or a foe, and prepare to navigate the minefield of public image.
The Press is represented by The League Associated News Network (L.A.N.N.). The LANN will regularly post newsletters on the hottest stories and rumors around the league.

Tip: The LANN Newsletters comes with a section called "Inside the League", where Owners, TMs and Players can anonymously make comments and admissions without reprisal. A crafty TM can use this to spread disinformation and sow disorder in the court of their enemies. For example, spread false rumors that a certain player is an injury-prone weakling, and then snatch them up for cheap when everyone else has lost interest. On the flip side, realize that some of what you read is honest and useful information, and other things are just smoke and mirror. Use your best judgement.

The Fans
Can't have a League without these guys! This is who is going to buy tickets, watch the matches on TV, spend an endless amount of money on memorabilia. Fans passionately love their teams, sometimes too much. Your antics and decisions as a team will be the talk of water coolers and lunch rooms all over the world. Millions will insist that you be canonized as a saint, or call for your execution, maybe even both within the same season. Either way, this is who keeps the League afloat.
What exactly can Fans do? They aren't the ones making team decisions or playing on the field. Maybe in older times, Fans saw Players and TMs as distant Gods who they could only hope to watch in awe and reverence. With the proliferation of social media (and even regular media), teams are more accessible than ever before. A century ago it was the talk of the town to spot a Player out in the distance, nowadays Fans can communicate with their favorite teams on social media, and many players bask in this public glory, happy to respond and even do AMAs or play video games with their Fans. Fans have a surprising amount of power: they can provide a sense of reassurance to a troubled player, while providing scathing distraction to someone they hate. Fans can send gifts, they can make memes at a player's expense. Some players are more vulnerable to these acts than others, and the Fans know how to take advantage of this. The idea that Fans have no impact on how players perform is an outdated idea.
While the Press has the monopoly on big media, the Fans rival them in the sheer amount of fan sites, forums, and videos they can produce. The speed and mass that Fans can interact with each other is unmatched, and sometimes the Press itself has to sit back and concede. It can be entertaining to watch the Press even appropriate what the Fans create, as the LANN might just post an article saying "Look at this hilarious thread Fans have created!" If you as a Fan want to create a narrative, a story, or a rumor, you can launch it yourself. Remember, as a Fan you will have to face an enemy far more viscous and daring than any team, player or press, and that is your fellow Fans. But hey, Fandoms never hurt anyone, right?

Tip: As TM, pay attention to the relationship between your players and their fans. For some players, you might want to encourage them to seek out the fans if it could provide a well needed confidence boost. For others, you might have to restrict their social media privileges. Be careful, player don't appreciate it at all when their TM steps into their personal lives, decide if it's worth your player taking their anger out on you or the trolls.

Fan Tip: Fans have little to offer to a team besides their loyalty, so when you pick a team, really pick it! Show off all your fan paraphernalia, exaggerate your team's successes, provide endless excuses for their failures! Your team is the best, always take some time to mock rival teams! Be on the lookout for fans who have little loyalty, who opportunistically hop from team to team, riding on the coattails of the most successful teams and then bailing on them as soon as the success ends. These fans are the dreaded "bandwagoners" so boo them! Boo them I say!
(Note: This behavior only exists within the gameworld, where you plays fans as fictional characters, not as yourselves. Any attacks leveraged on real people is absolutely forbidden. It might be useful to acquire a fictional in-game nickname, to help establish "This is my character speaking, not me.")

Spoiler: League Structure (click to show/hide)

League Structure:

Team Structure:
A team has 9 Players at any given time. Before a match, the team must designate which players belong to which function. The 3 "Starting" players are the ones who will begin the match, and ideally finish it. Sometimes a Starting player must leave the match prematurely due to injury or disqualification. Because of this, 3 more players are designated as "Backup" players. Each Starting player has a corresponding Backup, ex., If Pyromancer is injured, his Backup is Screaming Lance. If all 3 Starting Players and all 3 Backup Players are injured before the match ends, their team forfeits the match, though the chances of 6 straight injuries or disqualifications on a team in a single match is quite rare. The remaining 3 players are part of the team but will not participate in the upcoming match.

The goal of a match is to either pin or submit the opposition until none remain. If a player pins (hold their target's entire body down) an opponent through any means, a referee will begin to count. If the referee counts to three and this pin is still maintained, the pinned player is removed from the field. A player can also submit for any reason: pain, exhaustion, unwillingness to continue, etc. This is signaled by a frantic waving of the open-hands (or any available appendages), and it is recommended to be combined with another gesture so the opposition clearly gets the message, such as getting down on the knees or yelling "No mas!" In the cases of a grapple, the grappled target may rapidly tap on their grappler to declare submission. After submitting, that player leaves the field.
Backups do not replaced pinned or submitted players, they only replace them in cases of injury or disqualification.
At any time, a team's coach can decide to throw a white towel into the field, instantly declaring his team's forfeiture. This is often because he fears for the safety of his team.

The Regular Season
In the context of The League, a 'season' refers to the yearly cycle wherein the League's year begins, ends and then restarts. It is called a Season rather than a year as not to confuse it with a calendar year, and also because the majority of matches take place in the Autumn season.
There are 6 teams, evenly split among 2 Conferences, Sol Conference and Luna Conference.

Sol: The Raeleigh Paladins, The Galroch Wyverns, The A’elefou Kataki
Luna: The Nobuchika Shadows, The Zeha Chrome, The Xantiopan Blood-Eagles

Each team will play the other two teams in its conference each twice a season, and all other teams once, for a total of 7 games in one season. A sample season may look like the following for the Galroch Wyverns:

Galroch Wyverns VS. Raeleigh Paladins
Nobuchika Shadows VS. Galroch Wyverns
Galroch Wyverns VS. Xantiopan Blood-Eagles
A'elefou Kataki VS. Galroch Wyverns
Galroch Wyverns VS. Zeha Chrome
Raeleigh Paladins VS. Galroch Wyverns
Galroch Wyverns VS. A'elefou Kataki

Why do the Wyverns keep switching back between first and second listed team in this schedule? Because in a schedule, the first team listed has the stadium where the second must travel to, i.e. Home Team VS. Away Team.

Playoffs
At the conclusion of the 7-match Regular Season, the Playoffs (the competition road to the Championship) commences. In each conference, the teams that finish first and second all proceed to the Semi-Finals, while the third place team does not proceed to the playoffs. The two teams in the Semi-Finals will compete, and the winner proceeds to the Championship, where they will face off against the winner of the other conference's Semi-Finals. The team that wins this Championship is declared the Champion Team of the Season. To illustrate an example Playoff scenario:

Placings at the end of the Regular Season:
Sol: #1 A'elefou Kataki, #2 Raeleigh Paladins, #3 Galroch Wyverns
Luna: #1 Zeha Chrome, #2 Xantiopan Blood-Eagles, #3 Nobuchika Shadows

The Wyverns and Shadows do not proceed to the Semi-Finals. As a consolation among the #3 teams, whichever of them has more victories gets to hold the Championship match in their stadium. In this case, lets randomly say that's the Wyverns.

Semi-Finals:
Sol: A'elefou Kataki defeats Raeleigh Paladins
Luna: Xantiopan Blood-Eagles defeats Zeha Chrome

CHAMPIONSHIP:
In a stunning upset, the Xantiopan Blood-Eagles defeat the A'elefou Katakis! The Blood-Eagles are your Champions!

Offseason:
When the championship concludes, the Offseason begins. The Offseason is a time for teams to regroup, reevaluate, and see what they want to do to prepare for the next season. This the time for most players to be dropped, added, or traded to team rosters. Players can be acquired through The Draft, Free Agency, and Trading. Read more about Player Acquisitions in the section below.

[TCM]

Spoiler: Player Acquisitions (click to show/hide)

Player Acquisitions
Much of your duty will be spent figuring out which players to get on your team, and which ones to remove from it. Most of this will happen during the Offseason; acquisitions still occur during the Regular Season, but usually during that time TMs are more focused on preparing for matches, and don't want to make many alterations to their well-thought out teams rosters. Player Acquisitions occur through The Draft, Free Agency, and Trading.

Pre-Draft/The Combine
A huge event in every offseason is The Draft. The Draft is an opportunity for every Team to add new and exciting players to their team. The League looks at several thousands of ESIs who sign up to become players, and after putting them through rigorous physical and mental testing, decides on the handful of lucky ones who will become part of The Draft. During the Draft, each TM will the opportunity to select any of these new inductees and add them to their team through an ordered system. So you might ask how does that all work? Isn't the Draft easy, just pick the best players prospect available to make my team better? That's the idea, but you must evaluate who these best prospective players are. It's like being someone at an office looking at all the applicants, each of them is going to say they are the best, while you must determine which of them is telling the truth.

As soon as the Offseason begins, the League will begin approving new inductees to attend the Draft, and this is when you will first start hearing about these new prospects. You will be provided with a rough overview of each of these inductees, and some will instantly sound more appealing than others, though a short report is never the whole story.
In this first part of the Offseason, you will receive 20 Scouting Points to use as you see fit. Each time you use a Scouting Point on a player, you learn an interesting detail that the initial overview did not cover. Perhaps "Berrmen Rock-Giant" is incredibly physically gifted, but after spending a Scouting Point on him you learn that he recuperates very slowly after a fight. Then you spend a Point on "Lena the Mystic", and find out that despite her small stature, she once took out a whole squad of armed gunman who had taken over a bank, pretty impressive stuff. You can choose how to use your Scouting Point, whether you want to spread them out among prospects to learn a little about each, or focus on two or three you want to know a lot about, or any other way you can think of.

The Combine
The Combine is an event that occurs shortly before The Draft, where prospects can show off their skills to TMs, and also give the TMs their first opportunity to directly interact and meet them.

The first part of the Combine is almost like a freestyle performance, the Showcase, where each of the Prospects will show off their talents how they see fit. It could be a display of strength or agility, maybe they can shoot a thimble in the air that's 500 meters away, or take a sledgehammer right to the face without flinching. All TMs will be given general notes on the most interesting (both good and bad) performances, though you should note which prospects you want to pay special attention to. Remember: some of these performances will impress or disappoint, but this is a fighting league not a circus. What someone can do here doesn't directly translate to the field of battle. Treat this more like a preview than full insight.

Even more vital than the Showcase are the Interviews. After the Showcase is complete, TMs are allowed to privately interview 5 prospects of their choosing. In each interview, the TM is can ask 10 questions, whatever questions he wants to ask. This is a great time to get personal and real with any prospect you want, and gain intelligence on who they really are. Ask questions of intelligence and wit to see if they can think during a battle. Ask them questions about leadership and see if they are a bona-fide leader or just spouting bullshit. See if you can determine what kind of team they want to be on, and what their ultimate goal is. Do they want to win championships? To be the best player of all time? To make lots of money? Ask whatever questions you feel are important.
After all Interviews are complete, the Combine officially comes to an end. Each TM has a little time to review what they have learned about these prospects before the Draft begins.

The Draft
A Draft normally consists of two rounds, a single round consisting of each TM in the League selecting an inductee to join their team. The order of a round is determined by the performance of the teams in the previous Season. To promote fairness and parity, the team that did the worst the previous season, is given the first pick in each round. This to give the worst teams the opportunity to (theoretically) build their roster up with the best new talents. Let's take the example Season in the previous section, and use it to determine what an example Draft would look like in the subsequent offseason:

Round 1:
Pick #1 - Nobuchika Shadows (Performed the worst in the last Season.)
Pick #2 - Galroch Wyverns (Performed the second worst.)
Pick #3 - Raeleigh Paladins (Even though they made it as far as the Zeha Chrome, in this experiment we will assume that they had less wins in the Regular Season than the Zeha Chrome, giving them a higher draft pick.)
Pick #4 - Xeha Chrome
Pick #5 - A'elefou Katakis (Lost Championship Match.)
Pick #6 - Xantiopan Blood-Eagles (Won Championship Match.)

Round 2: (Identical order to the first round.)
Pick #1 - Nobuchika Shadows
Pick #2 - Galroch Wyverns
Pick #3 - Raeleigh Paladins
Pick #4 - Xena Chrome
Pick #5 - A'elefou Katakis
Pick #6 - Xantiopan Blood-Eagles

After this the Draft comes to a close. Draft picks can be moved around during the Offseason, usually as a result of Penalties or Trades, but more on that later.

When a player is drafted, they automatically have a four-year mandatory contract with the Team that drafted them. They can not leave the team of their own choosing during this four-year period, although the Team may decide to drop or trade them.

A team must always have 9 players, so oftentimes adjustments must be made after the Draft. Say you draft 2 new players as usual, but you have a full 9-person roster. Before your newly drafted players can officially join the team, two members of your team must be dropped. This is a pain to deal with, so teams often drop excess players from their roster before the Draft to prevent this from being an issue.

All prospect players that do not get drafted become Free Agents.

Training Camp
After the Draft, there is a respite period for everyone to go on vacation and relax. There won't be much news outside of some antics and media speculation, so this period will be a couple months in-game but very short in terms of the RP, just a single update. A month before the Regular Season begins, Training Camp will commence. All players on a team, newly drafted rookies and experienced veterans, will head to their team facilities to resharpen their skills, build rapport and get informed of their teams plans and objectives for the following year. This period will not last that long in-RP either, but it will provide some opportunities for the TMs to see how their players and coach are doing, and if any special needs or concerns are to be addressed before the Regular Season begins.

League Launch Draft
The very first draft in this League will be special, because all teams will be starting with 0 players, and only having 2 rounds is not enough to build up entire rosters. This draft will be an entire 6 rounds, and since all teams obviously have no prior record to build a draft order on, it will the order will be randomized serpentine. What this means is that the teams will be placed in random order for the first round, and after every round, the team that picked first will pick last, and the team that was behind them will pick first, and this will allow every team to have the first pick at least once. An example of what this might look like:

Round 1
#1 - Chrome
#2 - Blood-Eagles
#3 - Wyverns
#4 - Shadows
#5 - Paladins
#6 - Katakis

Round 2
#1 - Blood-Eagles
#2 - Wyverns
#3 - Shadows
#4 - Paladins
#5 - Katakis
#6 - Chrome

...And so on. This first draft will be a special case. Most drafts will be a standard 2 rounds long, weighted based on the performance of each team during the Season.

Free Agent
Any player who is active in the League but not currently part of any team is a Free Agent. Free Agents included undrafted prospects, and players who have been dropped by a team and not yet picked up by a new one. Free Agents get a bad rap as the "unwanted" players who have been tossed out, but is really a major source of talent beyond the Draft and trading. Just because a player did not work out on one team or two, does not mean they can't succeed in any team. Perhaps it is a change of culture and teammates they need, though as with the Draft or any other player acquisitions, judgement must be made. Does this Free Agent have hope, a diamond in the rough? Or is there a reason no teams want to touch him? If a Free Agent had history on a previous team(s), it can be useful to consult that for clues.

Free Agents will oftentimes appeal to a certain team to take them, or for any team at all to give them a chance (this latter move is seen as more desperate). Oftentimes these Free Agents are undrafted prospects who believe they were overlooked, or aging players who believe they still have something left in the tank.
Free Agents, unlike drafted players who must join the drafting team, have a right to accept or refuse any offer a team gives them. A highly-sought after Free Agent will oftentimes use this as leverage when multiple teams pursue them, seeing which team is willing to give them in an unofficial bidding war.

Tip: Sometimes players or coaches actually know certain Free Agents. Maybe they knew each other before they came in the League, maybe at one point in their careers they were working together on another team. You can encourage that player or coach to help recruit them! Going to a place where they know someone can be a big deal to a lot of Free Agents. After all, if you had a choice of where to work, wouldn't you rather go somewhere you had a friend?

Trading
If you want to flex your diplomacy skills anywhere, Trading is the place to do it. Sometimes you see a player who slipped through your hands and wound up on another team. Damn, guess that's the way it has to be, right? Actually, at any time, you can contact the TM of another team and propose a trade. You can offer any player for any other player, in fact you can offer (or request) multiple players for a single player! The other TM is free to negotiate, and accept or reject your offer, or even make a counter-offer. This can end with a resolution, or one party can state that they need more time to think.

In addition to using players for trading you can also trade future draft picks. Say you want to trade one of your players for a player on another team, but the other party wants more. Resubmit a new offer, that they not only get your player, but they also get your first round draft pick in next offseason's draft! Perhaps then they'll have to consider your offer a lot harder, if it means getting a player now and as well an additional player in the future. If they were to accept, that means during the following year's draft, in the second round, say you had the third pick and they had the fifth. After this trade, they would get to select a new player in both the third and fifth pick spot, while you would not have pick in that round.

Tip: It might seem that in a Trade, you always have to deceive the other TM so that their side of the deal is much worse than yours. This is not the case though, and often trades can be mutually beneficial! Say you really like your team this year, you just need a little extra leadership. Another team has a faded star, and they want to focus building up a new team through Player Acquisitions. You could offer your next second round pick (second round picks picks aren't that important if you really like your team already and are trying to win a championship right now!) for that aging star, and use him as a leader and veteran to give your team that little push it needs to contend for the championship. Meanwhile, the other team can use their additional draft pick to get even more talent next year, and make their team stronger in the long term.

Spoiler: Players and You! (click to show/hide)

Players and You!
Much of your time in this game is going to be spent thinking about players, interacting with players, forming plans about players, etc. It's important to know what players go through during their careers in the league.

Player Salaries
You thought the Owner was the one that handled all the finances, huh? Well he handles all the corporate finances, players are your domain. Players want to get paid, and they want to get paid right now. The League is a dangerous place, and they are well aware that tomorrow a single accident might result in a sudden retirement. Well that's okay, the Owner of the team is filthy rich, surely they can afford it right? Well, the Commissioner realized this. This was a lesson she learned from the failing BlitzBall League, where teams with rich owners could simply horde every talented player by offering them obscene amounts of money to join them. This left poorer teams with no good players, and reduced the league to a competition of who was richer, not who could manage teams the best. Thus, she decided that each team could only spend a certain amount of money on its players, regardless of how rich the team was. This limit is the salary cap.

Currently, the salary cap is $50 ($1 = one unit of one million dollars) for each team to spend on all of its players. This will not be an issue for the first few seasons, when all players are new and demands are relatively low. But as some players realize that they are irreplaceable superstars, they are going to start to demand a lot, especially when those draft contracts are expired. When a player's current contract is up, they will propose a new one, a certain amount of dollars to be paid for over the course of a certain amount of years. So a $20/5 year deal would mean they get paid $4 per year, in return for staying with the team for 5 years. If you can't (or don't want to) pay the player, you can negotiate with them for a more reasonable contract. If no satisfying conclusion can be made, the player will then leave the team and become a Free Agent. There are ways to help a TM negotiate a contract, such as bonuses and incentives, but these can be brought up later, since money will not be a big issue for the first few seasons.
At each annual Council meeting between the Commissioner and Owners, the salary cap will be discussed, if it should be raised, and if so, by how much.

When a player is drafted, the player and team automatically agree to these pre-set contracts:
1st Round Drafted Player - $20/5 yr ($4 per year)
2nd Round Drafted Player - $17.5/5 yr ($3.5 per year)

There is a minimum amount that a player must be paid per year in a proposed contract. The calculation is $0.5 X (Years in the League). So a new player can be offered a deal for $.5 per year, while a 10-year veteran must be offered at least $5 per year. Note that this is the absolute minimum, many players who see themselves as valuable will ask for a lot more, although a desperate free agent might just have to take you up on it.

Tip: You have to pay a team of 9 people, so consider your options! Yes, you love your superstar, but he wants half of the team's funds going just to him, is that going to be viable? It might be time to realize that this relationship isn't going to work and let him loose into Free Agency. Funnily enough, if he keeps clamoring for this extremely high pay and no other TMs take him seriously, he could just end up crawling back to you with a much more humble proposal...

Age
The League is a place for young people if we're being honest. Flying debris, massive trauma, devastating psychological impairments, these are not the type of things that older folk are going to deal with well. ESIs are tougher than your normal people, but they still age like the rest of us, and as we age our physicality grows more and more frail. As players get older, you see them slow down, their attacks just not packing as much punch, their magic getting more and more dull. Most tellingly, older players get injured more often, and those injuries start to last for longer durations. The average age of retirement in the league is between 28-32, which would be absurd for most jobs, but in most jobs you wouldn't be getting sprayed by a geyser of acid while getting bodyslammed by a ghost every week. This age is also skewed because of a lot of premature retirements due to either severe injuries or undrafted Free Agents realizing that they don't really have a shot in the League and wanting to do something else besides spending years begging teams to have them. In any case, players in their mid-30's are seen as elders, often a point of teasing by the younger players, while anyone still playing in their forties is thought to either be immortal or completely insane with a death wish.

For legal reasons, you have to be at least 18 to enter the league. This is as young as you're going to get, if you want to maximize career length. The downside is that these younger players, those in the 18-20 range, face special difficulties. They may not have becoming accustomed to their abilities yet, and look raw and undisciplined. They haven't reached their peak, so you may not be getting the "full package" of their skillset during these early years. They also are far more likely to let their emotions get the better of them, and to engage in behavior that's either embarassing or even dangerous. Some experts argue it's better to wait to get players who are 21-23, who have less years left in the League but are better equipped to use those years effectively, being more mature in body, mind and spirit.
Keep age in mind, especially as you watch your team age before you. One of the main reasons the Draft exists to ensure that young talent filters into the league since its inevitable that age takes all players at some point.

Health/Injury
Getting hurt is a reality in the League. It might take place in a stadium that is set up with a forcefield that prevents extreme usage of essence that could kill many people (another lesson learned from the Great Calamity), and there are extensive medical teams standing by at all times to assist wounded players. Yet, these are not preventative measures, they are responses. ESIs are tough, but not so tough that continuous fireballs, explosions and plasma beams aren't going to sometimes do them great harm.
Not all injuries are the same, a bruised thumb is not like a dislocated hip; some people might even play through the former. Designations are made to signal different types of injuries:

Superficial - Cuts, minor bruises. If a player even complains about these, expect them to receive ridicule by peers and the public alike.
Minor - Bruising, lacerations, burns. Tougher players will play through these, while others will leave for a few minutes to get quick medical attention before jumping back in.
Moderate - Sprains, small fractures. Players might have time to rejoin match if it goes on for long enough.
Severe - Major bone breakage, unconsciousness, organ damage. Players leave match, often miss future matches. Sometimes these injuries result in a player retiring. Even if they recover, these injuries often effect a player for the rest of their career in some way.

The examples of injuries listed above are only estimates as to what a certain injury means for a player. After all, very severe burns could be worse than even bone breakage. When an injury carries over beyond a game, there is some medical lingo used to determine how much that injury will effect the player in the future:
Fine - Player will participate in next match.
Probable - 75% chance or greater the player will participate in next match.
Questionable - ~50% the player will participate in the next match.
Doubtful - ~25% the player will participate in the next match.
Out - The player will not participate in the next match.
Injured Reserve - The player will not participate during the season.

Sickness and non-sport related injuries can similarly do damage and have an impact on a player. TMs would do well to make sure the risk of these ailments is minimized and also to know which of their players is most at risk.

Rules & Penalties
Players must follow a series of rules and regulations to ensure that the game is fair, fun and as safe as possible. Violation of these rules results in penalties. Major rules include:

*Players may not bring equipment or substances into the field of play that are not originating from their Essence.
*Players must not intentionally deal permanent harm to an opponent.
*Players must not attack a defeated or surrendered opponent.
*Players who have been defeated or surrendered must not reengage in combat.
*Players are permitted to wear whatever (non-combat altering) clothing they want onto the field, although it must be in the color's of their team.
*Players must not enter the battlefield when it is not appropriate, ex., a backup entering the field while there are still 3 active players on her side. This rule also applies to Coaches.
*Players must follow the rules and commands of the referees of all time.

These are a few of the most important rules for Players to follow. If they are breached, the League can enforce penalties relative in severity to the penalties incurred. Penalties include: Warnings, Fines, Disqualification, Suspensions, and Expulsion from the League.

Tip: These are just the rules that the League as a body enforces. Different teams can have different rules and means of enforcing them that are more specific. Owners, TMs and Coaches all must follow relevant rules as well.

Spoiler: Team Descriptions (click to show/hide)

Team Descriptions:

Sol

The Raeleigh Paladins
Team Colors: Yellow & White
Emblem: A steel shield emblazoned with a burning yellow sun.
Country: England
City: Raeleigh prides itself on being one of the oldest surviving cities in the world, having been founded over a millennium and a half ago. On its outskirts you can find relics of the empires of the ancient world, while the inner metropolis is a mixture of industrial age splendor and modern sleekness. In one day you can visit the Queen's Palace, marvel at the Thetford Chapel, shop at Dunnel Plaza and take a ferry down the picturesque Frith Sound to watch the sunset. Raeleighians are a diverse group, ranging from ancient clans to new immigrants seeking opportunity. Nearly every ethnicity from around the world is represented somewhere in Raeleigh.
Owner: Greg Amos, age 64. Greg Amos is the son of General Charlie Amos, who became a household name during the Great Calamity. Gen. Charlie was considered to be a mastermind tactician not beholden to a single country, assisting ESI-hunters and ESI-coalitions at different points in the war, earning him respect and infamy from all different people. Greg studied his father's tactics, employing them as a coach for different university martial arts teams and eventually becoming a top-ranked coach for various professional martial artists. Using his abundant fight money, Amos created the Paladins in honor of his father and the city. He wants TM that is going to create a legendary dynasty, one who believes that they can win a Championship year after year and cement a legacy. He wants someone who is focused on winning and has no time for sentimentalists, someone who can cut a player at the drop of a hat if that is what will help the team win.
Stadium: King's Court - Originally one of the ancient collossiums, King's Court has undergone renovations in order to become modern and comfortable while keeping that ancient world flair. The battlefield is a flat plain, where the grass dances and the colorful flower clumps sing.

The Galroch Wyverns
Team Colors: Green & Tan
Emblem: A roaring green Wyvern in flight.
Country: Wales
City: Galroch is the smallest and most isolated of League cities. That's not to say it's small, the last census puts its population at roughly half-a-million, it's just small relative to the multi-million metropolises. Not everyone can live in Galroch, something that the locals are proud of. The environment is rough and mountainous, with ranges that stretch out to the horizon. You have to trek up a steep incline to reach Galroch. The hardy environment has made a hardy people who build hardy buildings, stocky people who construct stocky stone homes and businesses. The taverns are full every night, where the blue collar class come to brag about their abilities and tell bawdy jokes. A fight spills out into the street, someone shoots off a firecracker. The Galrochs are a small and tough people, but earn their respect and you'll be a hero forever.
Owner - Juilo Woolery, age 59. The Woolery family struck oil in the desert many generations ago, and have been one of the wealthiest families in the world since. Julio's not even as rich as his uncle who is the CEO of Woolery Inc., or his brother Marquez who is next in line to inherit the Woolery throne. Yet, even one of the poorer Woolerys still has enough money to found a new sports team, something that Julio surely sees as a way to bolster his income. It's an odd mix for an oil baron to come out to the highlands, but Julio has been doing his best to fit in, trading in his white cowboy suit/ten-gallon hat combination for a tan version. His love of drinking and rancor does not hurt his relationships with the locals either. Julio wants a TM who is going to put Galroch on the world stage, to expand the fanbase beyond the local area. Galroch is small, but some of the bigger cities in the surrounding region look particularly lucrative, such as the more urban Lanark and Kingross. He wants a team that doesn't just win, but leaves an impression.
Stadium: The Banff - An older stadium where traditional Galroch  sports are played to this day, The Banff is built directly into a mountain, carved out of its side like a gaping wound. The ground is rocky and uneven, and the center of the field even features a small hill for anyone to claim. The altitude is by far the highest among all the stadiums, so projectiles fly farther than usual and those who are unprepared for the conditions will find themselves quickly out of breath.

The A’elefou Kataki
Team Colors: Teal & Orange
Emblem: A bright teal shark bearing its massive teeth, its body covered in intricate orange tattoos.
Country: Hawaii, U.S.A.
City: A'elefou is an island that has produced explorers and warriors for centuries. It is thought now that the first A'elefouans came from a faraway continent, from tribes who built vessels that could travel thousands of kilometers. A'elefou culture was a violent but stable one, with a formulaic cycle of war to achieve honor and glory, and then years of peace to recover. That all changed with arrival of colonialists who held onto the island for over a century. Now the population of A'elefou is diverse, with descendants of natives, colonists and immigrants all intermingling. The sun is warm, the surf is high, the smell of shellfish and goat waft in from the seafront restaurants. Let an A'elefou shaman explain the history of his people as you sit around a bonfire on the beach under a blanket of stars.
Owner - Cordell Loutzenheiser, Age 52. Founder of Leaco Electronics, originally a small start-up that exploded to become one of the leading brands of electronics in the global marketplace. Cordell is known for being enthusiastic and eccentric, constantly working out, eating snacks and making outlandish statements. A smart and savvy leader, Cordell is nonetheless associated with his belief in various conspiracies and elaborate research done onto the proof of UFOs. At one corporate board meeting, Cordell smashed his head into a prototype smartboard, in order to prove that it was an inferior product. This is not Cordell's first venture into sports, as he was previously an owner of the Green Tide BlitzBall team. With the fall of BlitzBall, Cordell sold the team and jumped on what he sees as the future of sports. He wants a TM that is going to share his enthusiasm, who is going to make a team that love to play as much as he loves to watch. He wants a tight locker room of friends.
Stadium: Sasuuna Lagoon - Sasuuna was built out on the ocean, and can be reached by boat or underwater subway. The stadium is decidedly modern, and also functions as an aquarium, research facility and resort, making it feel more like a high-end resort than a stadium. The field itself is on a glittering white sandbar. Around the edges of the field is a ring of ankle-high water, and depending on the weather this ring can expand or retract.

Luna

The Nobuchika Shadow
Team Colors: Purple & Black
Emblem: A purple-hilted Katana crossing over a new moon.
Country: Japan
City: Nobuchika was once one of the most advanced nations in the world until its prominent role in the Great Calamity nearly wiped it out. Now a more traditional, some would say highly conservative, culture has taken over. People dress in tunics and robes, travelling from their simple wooden homes to market squares overlooked by fortresses. The most popular forms of transportation are horseback and bicycle, while popular entertainment takes the form of theater, board games and poetry. It's not that modern technology is hated, tourists are allowed to keep their tech and many families own a computer and some sort of machine, but minimalism and naturalism are the values of the day. You might assume that some ESIs with high-tech abilities, whether they take the form of robotics or superconductors, would not be welcome in Nobuchika. But ESIs present a loophole in the culture, because Essence is seen to be a natural manifestation of the spirit, so in fact all forms of Essence are celebrated. Because privacy and simplicity are so important in Nobuchika society, many ESIs have immigrated there.
Owner - Montie Konenzcy, Age 61. Montie is the second generation air of the Konenczy Brewery Inc., a global company especially associated with brandy; if you're in a bar and want some typical brandy, you might as well ask the bartender to "Pour me a glass of Konenczy", and he'll know exactly what you're talking about. Konenzcy was not born in Nobuchika, but has lived there for the past fourteen years and adapted to the culture, becoming one of the most prominent businessmen in the city, and moving the headquarters of the Brewery to Nobuchika. Konenzcy understands what the Nobuchikans want, and more than anything he wants to build a team that exemplifies honor. While he would still like to win, Konenzcy has gone onto record saying that he would be satisfied if "The Shadows have a losing season every year, but are always the most honorable team, then we would always be champions." This quote was met with mostly positive reception in the city. An honorable team be dedicated, tenacious, loyal, disciplined, and gracious both in victory and defeat. Antics have no place here.
Stadium: Tsumaki Forest - This stadium is housed in a massive tea-house complex spanning several kilometers and covering various lakes, gardens and cherry blossom orchards. The stadium itself sits on a floating platform in the middle of the largest lake, accessible by four bridges. The field is a thick wood containing a maze of massive trees. Vision can get especially low during nighttime matches.

The Zeha Chrome
Team Colors: Anything Chrome
Emblem: Zeha-chan, the chibi anthropomorphization of futurism.
Country: Zimbabwe
City: When the colonists came, not only did Zeha modernize, it did so at a rate that the colonists themselves could not keep up with. The feudal society took these new technologies and studied them incessantly, incorporating them and improving them whenever possible. Zeha scholars travelled to the land of the colonists to study, and oftentimes overtook them. Now Zeha is considered to be the technological and scientific capital of the world, with visitors often remarking that a trip to Zeha is a trip to the future. Lose yourself in virtual reality and then go to a restaurant where the entire staff is robots. Zehans always want to build, to discover, to improve, to the point that other people might consider them arrogant and pushy. The Zehans don't mind, they are too busy taking the next step to be bothered with complaints. This whole paragraph was written by a Zeha A.I., crazy huh?
Owner: Alatti O'Guunyo, Age 36. Alatti was born in Zeha, and she embodies the Zehan spirit. Her shrewd and ruthless investment practices made her the youngest Zehan self-made billionaire at 24, and the seventh richest person in the city by 30. Now she has the distinction of being the youngest Owner and the first woman as well, titles she relishes. Her next goal is to be the first Owner to win a Championship match. Zeha wants a TM that is going to make a team that sets a lot of records, and she wants those records all held. She wants "First", "Most" and "Top" to be qualifiers that are associated more with the Chrome than any other team. She wants the encyclopedia and almanac to keep listing Chrome at the beginning of all of their sports teams lists. The Chrome will be the apex team.
Stadium: Mercado-Bein Stadium - Always one to make a deal, Guunyo convinced the Mercado-Bein automobile corporation to build the stadium, and in exchange they would be able to advertise as much as they wanted within it. The inside of the stadium is sleek and chrome, and Mercado-Bein has incorporated their brand as part of the attraction. You want car simulators, car holograms, want to win a free car just by going to a sports game? This is the place to go. The surface of the field is pure and shiny chrome, the most stable and neutral of all environments, making this the "purest" arena. It's also indoors, so external weather never plays a factor. For some reason it has been given the nickname "Final Destination".

The Xantiopan Blood-Eagles
Team Colors: Red & Green & Yellow
Emblem: A screeching red blood-eagle carrying a snake in its beak.
Country: Mexico
City: It is reported that some of our oldest ancestors were alive in ancient Xantiopan, maybe even the original first humans. It was the greatest society of the ancient world until it collapsed one day with no explanation, leaving behind vast ruins of pyramids and temples that only give us clues. The Xantiopan are a mystical people who communicate with their ancestors frequently, who give sacrifices and ceremonies in honor of the gods, who engage in ritual old a time itself. Okay, maybe not that old, but that's not what they'll tell you. It's not as if the Xantiopans literally believe in all these ancient legends and practices, but it's their way of forming a unique culture, of keeping part of that ancient world alive. Take a tour to the pyramids and intoxicate yourself in the city, be part of something that feels removed from history itself.
Owner - Don "Bonecrusher" Veiga, age 58. Veiga made his mark as one of the top billed ESI fighters under the moniker Bonecrusher. In ESI martial arts, he's personally responsible for some of the most iconic matches of all time, like Bonecrusher VS. Sugarmann, Bonecrusher VS. Subzero Viper, and Bonecrusher VS. Jupiter. After retiring from fighting at 41, Veiga only increased his legend in the sport as a coach, manager and even the owner of his own league for a number of years. "Bonecrusher Brawls" folded three years ago, and so the fiery and theatrical Veiga looks to make his return in the League. Bonecrusher calls for a TM who can step up and make the most badass, fearsome team in the league, deserving of the name Blood-Eagles. He wants them to "make bitches" of the opposition in every match, and ensure that the rest of the League knows they don't want to make friends with anyone else. If you have the audacity to come to the home of the Blood-Eagles, you "enter into an inferno that will sear your nuts off. Your fucking nuts man! Fuck you!"

[TCM]

Spoiler: Sample Player Descriptions (click to show/hide)

Here's a handful of what a player description will look like in the beginning of the Offseason. This includes their name, gender, age, essence description, background and when it is predicted that they will be picked in the draft. "Top-3" means it is predicted that they will be one of the first three players selected overall, "Top-5" working the same way but just being a bit more liberal with the estimation. "First Round" means they are predicted to be picked in the first round of the draft, "Second Round" means they are predicted to be picked in the second. "Undrafted" means they are predicted to not be drafted at all. Remember, these are just predictions made up of a general consensus of experts, including the Press, professional draft analysts, former players and TMs, etc. This does not necessarily reflect the actual skill of a prospective player.
 In addition to the normal overview, I'll also provide a Scouting Report for each of them; the Scouting Report is an example of what type of information you get for scouting a player. Each individual point in the Scouting Report represents the intel that spending one Scouting Point on a player would get you.
Timothy "Trumpet Tim" Iverson
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Essence: Timothy can manipulate the sound emanating from his trumpet in order to pierce his enemy's ears or create a wall of distracting noise.
Background: Timothy took up trumpeting for a school band class at the age of twelve. All of his peers and teachers declared that Timothy was the worst musician they had ever heard, and at one point half the school left with illness after he performed at a talent show. This wasn't just a result of poor playing, Timothy discovered that he was able to make shrill and precise noise with his trumpet that it could incapacitated even the strongest people. He has been honing this nuisance skill ever since.
Draft Projection: 2nd Round

Scouting Report:
*You might think that Timothy's trumpet is the only annoying thing about him, but no, he's an annoying kid in general. Not bad, not dangerous, just really damn annoying. How's that gonna' work out in the locker room?
*This "music" Timothy puts out will make you drop to your knees which would be very useful in a fight, but he runs out of breath a few minutes into a solo. He needs to work on this, otherwise he's only useful if a fight is over quick.
*Timothy's trumpeting will terrorize your teeth, but I've heard him play the jazz guitar and he's really good. In fact, his jazz guitar could put you to sleep...is this a hidden aspect of his essence?
Susanna "Molerat" Belforr
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Essence: Molerat can dig through just about any surface save for some things like pure adamantium and diamonds. She can quickly burrow through the ground and burst from another spot. Also, she can create black orbs that function like fragmentation grenades.
Background: Molerat has been aware of her Essence since she was a child, but had a largely mundane childhood. At 16 she went looking for some summer work, and joined a mining company. Her Essence immediately made her a valuable asset, and many employees half-jokingly referred to her as the most powerful mining tool they had at their disposal.
Draft Projection: Top 3

Scouting Report:
*Molerat is the real deal. She can use her Essence to create a network of holes in an area, and each of those holes can spew out a grenade at any time. She can turn a battlefield into her own personal minefield.
*Molerat spends three hours every day honing her Essence, except for Sunday which is her day off. She clearly wants to be a great player.
*Molerat has privately insisted that she would only be comfortable on a team that was majority female.
Jalen "Time Lord" Fabin
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Essence: Time Lord covers his entire right forearm in gold watches which he can use to slow down time.
Background: Time Lord was always into fashion, but one day discovered that he could cover his whole right forearm in gold watches whenever he desired. He was content with his ability, until he realized that while he activated his Essence, he could also slow down time according to his will.
Draft Projection: Top-5

Scouting Report:
*This guy is confident in his abilities, it's unlikely that he will be fazed by negative attention.
*His essence is only active for five seconds, and then he has to recharge for a minute. Not a good sign.
*Also the effect of his time slowing is only in a ten foot radius.
*He really likes to parade around in nothing but his watches and a pair of white briefs. He insists that this will be his outfit for all matches he is in.
Sam "Jumpman" Darrold
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Essence: Jumpman can leap thirty feet in a single bound once every thirty seconds.
Background: Jumpman was a standout track-and-field athlete his whole life. While he did well in racing and shotput, he would always win the long jump event every time without exception. At the college level, Jumpman was scrutinized and tested for steroids. It was discovered he was not a drug user, but actually an ESI. Due to this, he is no longer allowed to participate in mundane long-jump events, so he has turned to the League.
Draft Projection: Undrafted

Scouting Report:
*His essence is underwhelming compared to all the crazy stuff we regularly see, but the kid is super committed, his whole life is built around training for the League.
*He's shown off excellent leadership quality as well; he was the track-and-field team captain for most of his high school and college career.
*Even though his long jump is his Essence, he's a phenomenal athlete everywhere else as well, whether it's in strength or stamina. This kid might be getting overlooked due to his low-level Essence, he could really be a boon to the locker room and could even do well as a Back Up player. If I were a TM, I would think about snatching him in the second round of the Draft...

Spoiler: Example Match (click to show/hide)

This a simplified version of what a match could look like in the future. This is not how quite how matches will look in the game; various flourishes and details have been omitted to focus on the core gameplay and provide an overview of the in-game match experience.
For demonstrative purpose, I will put information in brackets, [like this], to show off the various factors that will effect a matchup besides the raw skill of the combatants. This will not be included in the actual game, only here for demonstrative purposes.

Week 5 Matchup:
Raeleigh Paladins (Home)
Joeseph "Savior" Reagan
Marcellus "Deadeye" Williams
Samus "Hat Trick" Gaddan

VS.

Galroch Wyverns (Visiting)
Darius "Soldier Boy" Arnold
Mary "Ghostrider" Fergeson
Connor "Hitman" McGreggor


Savior, a heavily armored medieval tank, starts the battle for the paladins by moving forward with his shield raised up, while Deadeye and Hat Trick, archer and mage respectively, retreat towards the edges of the battlefield.

[This is a tactic that the Paladins have been working on, a classic tried-and-true strategy. The tank moves forward to soak up damage and aggression so that his ranged teammates can fight without putting themselves in harms way.]

Hitman, a skilled brawler, rushes forward to meet Savior while Soldier Boy, a jack-of-all-trades shooter, jogs behind him. Ghostrider materializes her motorcycle and starts to drive around the circular edge of the battlefield. Savior frantically looks back and forth between Hitman and Soldier boy, but stands firmly in place.

[The Wyverns are trying on a new tactic this week, because in every previous match this season it was the more armored Soldier Boy that would lead the charge while Hitman would support him as a flank. Now they've switched tactics forcing the Paladins to readjust.]

Hitman leaps onto the defensively postured Savior and start's wracking the knight's massive steel shield with a flurry of elbow and knee strikes that bash right into the metal. Savior is unable to respond to this flurry without opening himself up to damage, so he digs his heels in and waits for Hitman to either retreat or tire himself out. Soldier Boy equips his sniper rifle and puts Savior in his sights while the tank is occupied by the brawler. However, Hitman is dancing all around Savior, getting directly in Soldier Boy's line of sight!

[During the week leading up to this fight, Hitman treated himself to a night of all-out partying and drinking. He attended the next day's strategical team meeting with a massive hangover, and while he was present, he didn't really digest the information. Because of this, he is unaware of Soldier Boy's plan.]

Soldier Boy yells at Hitman to get out of the way. The distracted Hitman turns his head back, and in that moment of distraction, one of Deadeye's arrows strikes him right in the side! He yelps in pain, and seizing the opportunity, Savior takes his shield and bashes it right into Hitman's head, knocking him to the ground. Soldier Boy rushes forward to help out his fallen ally, but Hat Trick launches a fireball right in front of him, setting the ground ablaze and creating a wall of fire between him and Hitman/Savior.

[Deadeye and Hat Trick have developed a close relationship over years of being on the same team, so their attacks are almost synchronized to deal massive disruption.]

At this point, Ghostrider is gaining on Dead Eye/Hat Trick's position, and is aiming to strike them with a sudden blow while they are occupied. About fifty feet away from them, Ghostrider gets too eager with pulling out her sawed-off shotgun, that she rams her motorcycle into the side of edge of the arena, sending both her and her bike skidding across the ground! Ghostrider loses her grip on the gun and goes tumbling away.

[This is Ghostrider's first year in the League, and even though she was touted as a top drafted prospect with high natural talent (the Wyverns drafted her as the second overall pick!), she lacks experience as shown here.]

Hat Trick watches as Ghostrider fumbles, and seizes her chance to conjure up an ice spell to freeze Ghostrider's limbs to the floor. As she begins to cast the spell, she suddenly stops and takes a step back.

[Hat Trick's ice magic has been routinely criticized for being underwhelming and ineffective this season, a story that is widely circulate through the Press and by the Fans. This has caused Hat Trick to doubt in her abilities, leading to tangible results during a match.]

As Hat Trick flinches, Ghostrider grabs her shotgun and rolls onto her stomach, aiming it at the immobilized Hat Trick. As she fires, Deadeye leaps in the way of the blast and catches the full blast in the chest! It propels him to the side and he slams into the edge of the arena. Deadeye gasps and signals frantically for a referee to come over. Ghostrider nearly shoots him again before she realizes that he has submitted to her, and thus ended his time in the match.

Savior lifts his longsword in the air, preparing to bring it down onto Hitman. During his downwards swing, Soldier Boy leaps forward and tackles him from the side! Savior and Soldier Boy grapple on the ground, rolling around and neither gaining an advantage.

[A player isn't simply limited to whatever their Essence entails, just because you're a wizard doesn't mean you couldn't throw a punch or shoot a gun, for example. However, it clearly shows when you aren't skilled at something. Savior and Soldier Boy are both skilled fighters, but neither is more skilled at grappling than your average person.]

Hitman stands, remove the arrow from his side. He runs over to the grapple and launches a sliding kick, which ends up directly hitting Soldier Boy in the face, stunning him. "My bad!" Yells Hitman as Soldier Boy reaches up for to his face. Savior takes his shield and starts to bash Soldier Boy's face in. After a few hits, Soldier Boy waves his hands frantically, yelling no "No mas! No mas!" It's too late, as the momentum behind Savior's latest attack causes him to bash the surrendering Soldier Boy in the face one more time. The sound of multiple referee whistles fills the air and the combat pauses. All the fighters look around while Soldier Boy rolls around in agony. A pair of medics rush towards him, placing him on a stretcher, while a referee enters the battlefield and tosses a red flag at Savior, signaling his disqualification. Savior throws his hands up in disbelief and the crowd boos. With his head hanging low, Savior walks off the battlefield.

[Attacking a surrendered player is a quick way to get disqualified. A skilled fighter is powerful and adept, but also disciplined, and as soon as Savior sensed that Soldier's Boys hands were going up and that he was yelling for a ceasefire, he should have stopped attacking him. Savior's recklessness has cost his team dearly as he is forced to exit.]

With Soldier Boy being carted off, Len "Beast Tamer" Kinosawa enters in his place. Beast Tamer  stands in the last spot that Soldier Boy was in. With everyone back in the same positions they were previous to the pause in combat, the referee whistles and the combat resumes. With the threat of Savior removed, Hitman and Beast Tamer can begin to march over to Ghost Rider and assist her with Hat Trick.

Ghost Rider is going to need that help, because despite how you would think a melee fight between a motorcycle thug and a mage to go, the latter has the upper hand. Ghost Rider had pulled out her combat knife and lunged at Hat Trick, but the mage kicked the knife out of Rider's hand. Now Hat Trick is kicking Ghostrider around the ribs, and she can only put her hands up to defend herself.

[As a player progresses and grows, sometimes they can find themselves being skilled in ways that they had no prior knowledge of. This could either be their Essence growing in some way, or simply having a proficiency in another skill unrelated to their original skillset.]

Hat Trick has Ghostrider on the ground, and mage sandals are just slamming into that leather jacket. Ghostrider looks as though she could submit at any second, but in the neck of time Beast Master throws a net over Hat Trick, ensnaring her. Hitman runs up to the ensnared mage and wraps his arms around her and throws her to the ground. Hat Trick struggles, but between the weight of the net and Hitman's grip, there's no way she can get up. A nearby referee starts the pin count: "1...2...3!" The ref waves her arms frantically and Hitman rolls off of Hat Trick. Hitman high-fives his teammates as a dejected Hat Trick throws the net off of her and slinks outside of the stadium.

Galroch Wyverns win!

[While the Wyverns win this match, both teams are going to be heavily criticized in the post-match discussion. For the Paladins, most of the criticism will be levied on Savior for being reckless, and some will go as far to say that his mistake cost the team its victory. Some will be critical of Deadeye's quick submission, and there will be speculation for him being too vulnerable to pain. Hat Trick will get a lot of praise though for doing as much as she could and holding out for as long as she did in a hopeless situation where she had to fight 3-on-1.
On the Wyvern side, Soldier Boy and Hitman's follies as teammates is going to be talked about a lot. Either they are going to have to strategize better for next week, or their roles will have to change again. They got a lucky break this time due to Savior's disqualification, but what happens when they fight a much more disciplined opponent?]

Spoiler: Example of a TM's Weekly Agenda (click to show/hide)

This is a theoretical list of tasks a TM might have for themselves in a given week. You can organize your tasks however you see fit; this imaginary TM lays it out like a journal:

*I'm worried that after that easy victory last week, our players have softened up. Next week we face the second best team in the league. I'll have to make a team meeting and address this behavior.
*Lionheart and Mystery Man are acting weird around each other, they refuse to talk or look each other in the eye. What could've happened? Maybe I should talk to them, or I could talk to Tether first, she always seems to know all the locker room gossip.
*I just got a message from Rodie (my boss), saying to come up to her office whenever I get the chance. Shit, I hope I didn't fuck up...
*I think Tether and Plague could work together on the battlefield in a way that would really take opponent's by surprise. I'll talk to Cameron (my coach), and see what he thinks of this plan.
*Cameron's birthday is next week, what do I get him? He likes boats, maybe a book on boats or something? One of those little bottle boats? Maybe a gift card to Al's Boating Supplies.
*Emerald is trying to convince me that she should move up and be a Back Up. I'll talk with her and see if she has a point.
*Then again, I know that there are other teams out there that want someone with Emerald's skillset, and it's not like she's an important piece on this team. Maybe I should make some calls to some other TMs and see if they're interested in her...
*I think that SteamRoller boy on the Shadows would be way happier and better here than he is over there. I should call them up, maybe they would want Emerald, or perhaps my next second round pick...
*Mystery Man is complaining about the lack of gluten-free options in the cafeteria.

Getting Hired:
Submit an application as listed below and the Owners will be sure to give your file a look. If they like what they see, you can expect a meeting, either an interview to determine if they really like you, or maybe even a job on the spot! I want to stress that I am not selecting prospective TMs based on the quality of your sheet. That's up to the Owners. Really, I am basing the acceptance of any given sheet not on how much I personally like it, but whether a given individual Owner would like it. You might have the best sheet of all, but it might not be what any of the given Owners want at this time. If you don't get in, or want to join in after the game has already begun, I will have a list of "Free Agent TMs" available. After all, some TMs may decide to move on from their positions at some point, and some Owners might decide that their initial TM was not the right decision in their opinion and would like to look for a replacement.

TM Application:
Name:
Gender:
Age:
Appearance:
Background/Previous Experience:
Why would you be a great TM?:

Fan Sign-up (Just about always accepted at any time):
Name:
Gender:
Age:
Online Avatar:
Background:
Most Frequent Website(s):
Favorite Team: (You don't have to fill this out until the end of the first season, can't expect to be a diehard fan of a team that hasn't even played yet. But if you want to have a favorite team before the League even gets underway, go ahead.)

Active TMs (0/6):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Free Agent TMs:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Fans:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Discord Link

[TamerVirus]

I'll PTW

[BlitzDungeoneer]

This does actually seem really interesting.

I’ll watch for now too.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Name: Uilliam Ricardo Daman.

Gender: Male.

Age: 37, born on the 15th of October.

Appearance: [A photo is enclosed with the application, similar to the ones you’d see on a passport or an ID. It shows a heavyset man, all broad shoulders and, even with just this photo, the clear build of somebody who exercises often. His skin is somewhat tanned, with medium-length wavy brown hair and green eyes. In the photo, he wears a red-and-white checkered, button-up shirt; the kind of thing you’d usually see at, say, family gatherings.]

Background/Previous Experience
-Worked for a year in a pub after finishing high school down in the South (The Long Road).
-Graduated from University with a Bachelor’s Degree in both Sports Science and ESI Physiology.
-Spent a year in ESI Boxing before eventually quitting, under the name ‘Numbers’. My Essence involved changing my own perception; I can see everything as, well, numbers, whether it’s to calc the square root of 3.57 x 10^24(1.889444363x10^12, if you’re wondering), or the angle needed to hit dead-on with a punch. Unfortunately, injuries were pretty commonplace and by the time I’d recovered, there wasn’t really much to go back to.
-I spent five years as the coach for my local soccer club (Connemara, specifically) as well, working with both the underage teams and the ‘main’ team that even people outside the county would recognise. We won the the under-14s All-Ireland for the three years I spent as their coach, and one All-Ireland out of the two we were in when I was the adult team’s coach. It was a good run.
-I did end up spending a year as the overall manager for the Connemara club as well. Mostly spent handling finances with some public statements to give here and there, and I ended up leaving of my own accord.
-Went back to get my Master’s in ESI Physiology and Sports Science both.

Why would you be a great TM?
I already have plenty of experience with handling teams, and some as manager overall. I also feel my particular set of skills could be even more useful in managing a team of ESIs than for teams of people without Essence.

More importantly, though, this idea of the League makes me genuinely passionate. I want to work with a team, to see them succeed. To take a group of individuals and then forge trust and teamwork between them - that’s something I absolutely want to do.

[Kashyyk]

Agreed. A very interesting concept. If I have enough time for a regular discord presence, I might join.

[TCM]

Finally pumped out that monster of an OP, this game is officially online.

In addition to writing everything up, I've set up a Discord server. Besides all the in-game stuff for TMs, that's where you'll find the OOC, a Fandom channel for Fans to interact with the League and each other, and a Player Suggestions channel if you ever have an idea for a new player you want to see in the game.

[SOLDIER First]

ptwww

[TopHat]

This certainly looks very interesting; I don't know if I'll have the time to play though.

[TCM]

This certainly looks very interesting; I don't know if I'll have the time to play though.

Thank you for expressing your interest either way. I'd like to remind you, and anyone else in a similar situation (interested in the game but possibly not able to committ to the role of TM) but still would like to participate can always take on the role of a Fan. Fan interactions and narratives will have a definite impact on the teams. Fans also have no obligation to stay active, they can post whenever they feel like it. After all, it's not like being a fan of a game/show/movie depends on you constantly posting about it all the time, although that is one way people express their fandom.

[The Ensorceler]

I'm interested too, but intimidated by the apparent volume of writing involved in both sides of the game. I'm pretty able to stay active on Discord, but is it expected that TMs stay in character for all/most interactions, or is it fine to use a mix of in character and more bland descriptions of managerial actions?

[TCM]

I'm interested too, but intimidated by the apparent volume of writing involved in both sides of the game. I'm pretty able to stay active on Discord, but is it expected that TMs stay in character for all/most interactions, or is it fine to use a mix of in character and more bland descriptions of managerial actions?

Admittedly, a lot of the writing is present to cover most of what could happen during the game, not which is essential to totally know. Think of it more like a rulebook; you don't need to know the whole rulebook to play D&D, it's just nice to know there's a resource that explains any given situation, like how fast an invisible kobold can swim.

There will be a mix of Roleplaying and more "Strategy Game" style moves. Any detailed personal interaction between PCs and NPCs or PCs and PCs (such as meetings) will be all roleplay, though decisions can be more direct, (eg. I instruct Player X to do this thing.) There will be a relationship between these two elements though, like if in "Strategy Mode" you demote Player X from Starter to a Back Up position, you can expect they'll want to talk to you.

[TCM]

Newsletter #1
"Bringing the League right to You!"

Welcome!

This is marks the exciting first edition of The League Associated New Network's regular Newsletter, the only newsletter that gets you all of The League's hottest stories as soon as they break! Our team of expert reporters and analysts will get You the news you want, with special details and fresh rumors that you won't find anywhere else! Enjoy, and remember to stay sharp!
Small Towns, Big Opportunities

The League's official opening is more than just a new sport, for lesser known cities it is a chance to attract visitors and fame. Galroch, a mountainous rural town, has been designated as the home of the Wyverns. At a festival celebrating their new team, one local expressed his excitement at seeing the newfound exposure of his town. "I've lived here me' whole life, and when I traveled, no one had ever heard of Galroch. Now we're going to be known around the whole world thanks to the Wyverns, and those lads are going to show everyone what we're about! Look what I got already!" The fan proudly displayed his collection of Wyvern merchandise, from a one-piece tunic to an appropriately colored mug displaying a ferocious flying beast, the symbol of this team. Quite a haul for a team that doesn't even have players yet.

Over in the ancient city of Nobuchika, Chief Minister Tise holds a firm pride in the new Shadows. "There is a tendency for foreigners to think of Nobuchika as a backwards place....a loser in a war it fought long ago. The Shadows will restore our honor, this noble team will show the world that just because we do things differently, we are still an important city that is part of the global community."
The Prospects Arrive

Thousands of expectant prospective players arrived in Point Hill yesterday, the site of The League's headquarters. Many of these prospects spent a good deal of their monthly income just to come here and have the opportunity to apply. Out of all of them, less than 5% will be approved. "I know it's a long shot," said one prospect standing in a massive line outside The League's Central Office, "but it would be a dream come true to get in. When I was a kid, there was absolutely nothing like this, especially not for ESIs. There were the fighting leagues, but for your average fighter you earn less than an officer worker and it's hard to get respect. I know people who have fought, and that's what they all say. This League is completely different."

Others signing up were much more confident, including Maker "Houston" Bayfield, a name which is already turning heads within the nascent League. Houston, a champion in several regional fighting leagues across the United States, is not only confident that he'll be selected, but also that he'll be one of the first five players drafted. "I can throw a heat-seeking, armor-piercing rocket at 90 miles per hour and I can jet-boost away from anything you can throw at me. Anyone who passes me in the Draft is going to regret it." According to Houston, his excellent combat abilities were not his greatest asset, "What's really good about me is that I'm a leader, I get everyone in the locker room going. A lot of guys here could be good players, but what makes me special is that I'll make the whole team good, and that's really valuable."

When Valerie "Sparky" Malindez was asked about what team she would most like to be a part of, the prospect was at a loss. "Oh wow...the Paladins would be really nice, but so would the Wyverns...I'd love to be part of Kataki, unless Chrome wanted me which would be great. Also, the Blood-Eagles would be an amazing organization. So one of those."
The League: A Discriminatory Corporation?

Not everyone is happy with the League's inception. Just beyond the line leading into the League's Central Office, a crowd of protesters have assembled, separated from the prospects by a police barricade. The Delineated Institute of Concerned Kinship is a political organization "Dedicated to protecting the rights of mundane citizens." Founded in the aftermath of The Great Calamity, the Institute claims to be guardians that ensure another "grievous assault on mundane civilization" does not occur at the hand of ESIs.

One protestor vocalized his criticism of The League's supposed discrimination, "How is it that any ESI off the street can apply to become a player, but a mundane that works their whole life isn't even given a tryout? How is that not the most prejudiced thing you have ever heard of? This whole sport is a disgrace to the millions of innocent mundanes that died in the Great Calamity. Any self-respecting mundane should boycott this sham."

We spoke to Delpheria Antiom, Commissioner of The League, who could see the protesters from her office window. "First off, there is much more to the application process than being an ESI. There are background checks, medical tests and recommendations among other requirements that must be presented before the application itself. As for mundanes, there is no way that mundanes would be able to compete in this League. I am a mundane itself, an even at my physical peak as a military officer, an ESI pre-teen could easily kill me even if I were armed. If a mundane wants to join a sports league, there are hundreds of them across the world."
The Latest BlitzBall Debacle

Yet another blooper for BlitzBall as the World Finale Series Championship has concluded after 30.5 hours of game time to a resounding 0-0 tie between the Aqualoni Macaronis and the عزبة بدوي أفندي Jellybeans. "Are you kidding me? Are you [expletive] kidding me!?" One fan commented. "I paid $800 bucks for these seats, $800! My kid missed school for this! Jimmy, you awake Jimbo? Looks like he fell asleep a while back. I don't blame him. Sarah? Sarah are you reading this? I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. You were right about this all along. I'll take care of the dishes for the next month honeybun."

Desperate BlitzBall officials are brainstorming ways to preserve their dying sport. These ideas have included raising the price of concession food to make it "more special", additional mascots and using social media to "spread BlitzBall mee-mees that will delight young and old alike."

[The Ensorceler]

All done!

Spoiler: Subject Line: League Team Manager Job Application (click to show/hide)

Name: Valery Espina Rasgado

Gender: Female

Age: 31

Appearance: See attachments.

Background/Previous Experience:
-Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, University of Mexico
-Graduate of Zeha's astronaut training program
-Former astronaut Flight Engineer, one sub-orbital mission and one orbital mission
-Former astronaut Commander, two orbital missions

I was kind of famous as an astronaut back in the day, did some TV interviews, a cereal box cover, etc. On my final mission, my rocket, the Albatross, experienced an engine failure that sent it spinning out of control. Under my command the rest of the crew and I were able to jettison fuel to shut off the engine and safely escape in the landing craft. You probably heard of THAT, even if you don't remember my name. Forensically though... the engine failed due to operator error. I didputed the finding, then tried to take sole responsibility for the disaster because if my crew wasn't good enough we never would have made it out alive. I was pressured to resign, and had to drop out of the public eye... I think its been long enough, now.

Why would you be a great TM?: My experience as Commander of the Albatross wasn't just in space. Most of it, really, was on the ground getting and keeping my crews ready to brave one of the few environments as inhospitable as a fight between six ESIs. Managing a team in The League won't be easy by any stretch of the imagination, but I've been there before, and I'd like to go back.

I'm also still in excellent shape, and I'd be a good role model to my team. I'd like fans to look up to me and to my team as aspirational figures. I know The League is a combat sport, but I want my team to be seen as people doing their best, not doing their worst.

[Appearance.img]: A tall, thin picture, taken on a smartphone. A Mexican woman, presumably Valery Espina Rasgado herself, is standing in front of a mural with her thumbs in her pockets and a determined expression on her face. She is maybe a little over five feet tall and extremely fit, with brown eyes and darker brown hair gathered behind her ears. Except for her running shoes her clothing is typical Zehan street wear, but she wears almost no jewelery, only a small gold badge of the kind awarded to Zimbabwean astronauts.

[TCM]

All done!

Spoiler: Subject Line: League Team Manager Job Application (click to show/hide)

Name: Valery Espina Rasgado

Gender: Female

Age: 31

Appearance: See attachments.

Background/Previous Experience:
-Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, University of Mexico
-Graduate of Zeha's astronaut training program
-Former astronaut Flight Engineer, one sub-orbital mission and one orbital mission
-Former astronaut Commander, two orbital missions

I was kind of famous as an astronaut back in the day, did some TV interviews, a cereal box cover, etc. On my final mission, my rocket, the Albatross, experienced an engine failure that sent it spinning out of control. Under my command the rest of the crew and I were able to jettison fuel to shut off the engine and safely escape in the landing craft. You probably heard of THAT, even if you don't remember my name. Forensically though... the engine failed due to operator error. I didputed the finding, then tried to take sole responsibility for the disaster because if my crew wasn't good enough we never would have made it out alive. I was pressured to resign, and had to drop out of the public eye... I think its been long enough, now.

Why would you be a great TM?: My experience as Commander of the Albatross wasn't just in space. Most of it, really, was on the ground getting and keeping my crews ready to brave one of the few environments as inhospitable as a fight between six ESIs. Managing a team in The League won't be easy by any stretch of the imagination, but I've been there before, and I'd like to go back.

I'm also still in excellent shape, and I'd be a good role model to my team. I'd like fans to look up to me and to my team as aspirational figures. I know The League is a combat sport, but I want my team to be seen as people doing their best, not doing their worst.

[Appearance.img]: A tall, thin picture, taken on a smartphone. A Mexican woman, presumably Valery Espina Rasgado herself, is standing in front of a mural with her thumbs in her pockets and a determined expression on her face. She is maybe a little over five feet tall and extremely fit, with brown eyes and darker brown hair gathered behind her ears. Except for her running shoes her clothing is typical Zehan street wear, but she wears almost no jewelery, only a small gold badge of the kind awarded to Zimbabwean astronauts.

Application approved. Best of luck, Ms. Rasgado.
OP Changes:
- Added the countries for each team in Team Descriptions. Canonically, the game takes place in a slightly altered history where all countries are the same, although their specific cities have differed.
- Added a section on the vacation and Training Camp periods under Player Acquisitions. Both of these periods are very short, mostly allowing teams to rest but they do have the potential to produce interesting news and developments.