Rosters Are Set!

I haven't been able to start Season 6 of my hockey league yet -- blame a lot of Games Workshop-related painting -- but at least now the rosters are finalized. Not sure when I'll get around to dropping the puck, but in the meantime, below are my way-too-early predictions for the regular season standings, along with each team's new faces.

1. Victorias

I'm calling it here, folks: The league's most successful franchise will rise all the way out of the cellar and regain their customary spot at the top of the standings.

Additions: Newsy Lalonde, RW (draft); Harvey Pulford, D (free agent)

2. Thistles

Despite no major changes to their lineup, the league's most balanced team should make the playoffs for a fourth straight season.

Additions: Angus Campbell, LW (draft)

3. Millionaires

The defending champs might suffer a bit of regression, but their high-octane offense is going to make them a lot of fun to watch -- especially with sparkplug winger Billy Gilmour now on the roster.

Additions: Herb Gardiner, D (draft); Billy Gilmour, RW (trade with Comets)

4. Comets

After a surprise postseason appearance, the Comets made a lot of moves, but will it be enough to crack the top three and snag another playoff spot?  

Additions: Dick Irvin, C (draft); Jack Gibson, D (free agent); Rusty Crawford, RW (trade with Millionaires)

5. Bulldogs

Goaltender Paddy Moran needs to rebound from a tough season, because the devastating top line of Gord Roberts, Bruce Stuart, and Tommy Dunderdale can't win games all by themselves. 

Additions: Frank Patrick, D (draft); Ernie Russell, RW (free agent)

The Hidden Vault

It's been a long and harrowing journey, but our intrepid heroes of the 41st millennium at last reached the inner sanctum of the mysterious Blackstone Fortress, a place called the Hidden Vault. Although our luck hasn't always been great -- due to an inauspicious draw from the Legacy deck, for instance, we'd been hounded by the leader of the villains since very early in the campaign -- the Emperor was truly with us when we entered the Vault, because out of four possible enemy groups, only two of them actually spawned. 

We knew that enemy reinforcements would arrive soon enough, so we spent our first turn hustling across the map to take up a defensive position around our objective, an ancient computer terminal that must be accessed three times on three different rounds; at that point, we would earn the right to open the game's sealed envelope and learn what happens next. 

It was incredibly fortunate that we were able to get to the computer and access it on the very first turn of the game. Below is a snapshot of the board at the end of that turn. The long pinkish line represents the deadly beam of a rotating laser turret that destroys anything it hits.

The second round was largely uneventful; we dealt with a handful of foes and waited for more to show up. We then accessed the computer a second time, leaving just one more activation to go.

Next round, we continued to hold our position as negavolt cultists and traitor guardsmen rushed in toward us. We cut down our enemies in droves, and only one lasgun-wielding trooper remained standing when the round came to a close. We accessed the computer for a third and final time, with Nathaniel's character Pious Vorne -- the flamer-wielding acolyte -- pressing the final button.

We were now allowed to open the sealed envelope that was included in the box and has been tantalizing us since we began our journey. Nathaniel, as the biggest 40k fan in our family, was given the honor of tearing into it.

And what was in the envelope? Sorry, no spoilers! I won't reveal anything specific, just that a double-sided card provided the game's concluding narrative as well as our reward for conquering the Hidden Vault.

And what about Pious Vorne, the hero who accessed the computer on the third turn? Well, she was sucked into the...oh, right, spoilers!

Anyway, we all agreed that the game's ending was a bit abrupt and anticlimactic from a narrative standpoint, but we thoroughly enjoyed the game and look forward to jumping into its spiritual successor, Cursed City.

Don't Forget!

It's Free RPG Day!

Free RPG Day 2021

Free RPG Day is coming up this Saturday, October 16!

Season 6 Draft

Season 6 officially gets underway with today's player entry draft. Each franchise selects one historical Hall of Famer to add to their roster, although they're allowed to trade picks for players. The teams select in reverse order of their Season 5 regular-season finish and can make trades to move up or down in that order.

1. Victorias: Newsy Lalonde, C/RW

Lalonde, the most exciting player in this draft class, is a generational talent brimming with offensive potential. It's a match made in heaven for the Vics, who are in dire need of help after scoring a league-worst 2.44 goals per game last year. Lalonde gives them another weapon to support the legendary Cyclone Taylor, who either scored or assisted on an astounding 77% of the Vics' goals in Season 5. 

2. Bulldogs: Frank Patrick, D

The Dogs continued their long tradition of drafting defensemen, and Patrick may be the best one they've ever nabbed. He's a two-way defender in the style of Mike Grant or Hod Stuart, and he should give the Bulldogs what they thought they were getting when Jack Laviolette's strong rookie campaign in Season 4 turned out to be a mirage.

3. Comets: Dick Irvin, C

It's rare for playoff teams to get an impact player in the draft, but this draft is so deep that Irvin fell to the Comets with the #3 pick. In other seasons, the multitalented Irvin might have gone first overall. Irvin profiles as a number-one center, and his arrival should push superstar Frank McGee from center to left wing, where his defensive deficiencies and faceoff ineptitude will no longer hurt his team. I love this pick for the Comets, but they still need to find a way to address their league-worst penalty kill.

4. Millionaires: Herb Gardiner, D

The defending champions scored a league-leading 3.13 goals per game in Season 5, with defensemen Graham Drinkwater and Art Farrell quarterbacking this potent attack. What the Millies really needed was a good stay-at-home defenseman who doesn't take quite as many penalties as Joe Hall, and their wish came true when they picked up the steady, level-headed Gardiner. 

5. Thistles: Angus Campbell, LW

The first-place Thistles get stuck with Campbell, a player they'll likely cut after giving him a two- or three-game tryout. Campbell might find a home with next year's expansion team, but at the moment he profiles as the worst forward in the league.

With these new players in place, the teams can now sign free agents and make further trades. Ultimately, they will trim their rosters down to this season's maximum (12 players, 10 of whom can dress for a game). Once those rosters are set, I'll begin the season!

Cursed City

We made a cross-country drive last week for less-than-great reasons, but one upshot of this journey was that the boys and I got to spend a pleasant hour perusing the amply laden shelves of Millennium Games. We all came away with new goodies, but I'm especially pleased to have landed a copy of the hard-to-find Cursed City, a spiritual successor to Blackstone Fortress (in that it uses the same game engine) but taking place in the setting of Warhammer Age of Sigmar.

I cannot wait to dig into this beast of a box! The boys and I are nearing completion of Blackstone, so it will be awesome to have a similar game to jump into once we're finished.

Hockey Time!

I'm now gearing up for Season 6 of my pre-NHL historical Strat-O-Matic hockey league. Last season, the Millionaires captured their first Creighton Cup title by upsetting the favored Thistles. As for the other teams, the Victorias and Bulldogs both cratered after meeting in the finals the year before, while the Comets surged to a playoff spot despite being in the cellar for most of the season. 

Some key storylines for Season 6:

• Deep draft: This year's draft is the deepest we've ever seen, with three star-to-franchise-level players, one solid regular, and one -- ahem -- organizational player. The Vics own the first pick and will likely select Newsy Lalonde, a dominant offensive force. 
• Wheeling and dealing: Given the strength of the new talent entering the league, it's not out of the question that teams might make big trades to acquire additional picks. I've been mulling scenarios in which the Vics might trade a star like Cyclone Taylor or Bowse Hutton under the right circumstances. Would they, for example, take the third overall pick (most likely to get potential first-line center Dick Irvin) plus star blueliner Mike Grant in exchange for Taylor?
• Expansion looms: We introduced the Millionaires as our first expansion team back in Season 4. The next expansion team (which I haven't named yet) will arrive in Season 7. As such, the existing teams will need to plan for an expansion draft at the end of this season. All teams will lose two players to the new franchise. There are quite a few surplus forwards out there, but capable defensemen will be worth their weight in gold as teams decide which players to protect or expose.
• Desperation time: After falling to the Millies in the finals, the Thistles are now the only team that has not yet won a Creighton Cup. They were a rather dysfunctional franchise over their first couple of seasons, but now have made the playoffs for three years in a row. Can they finally seal the deal, or will rebuilding teams like the Comets and Vics overtake them?

Next up, the player entry draft...and any trades that might accompany it...