I have been glad to see a resurgence in solitaire play and discussion on these boards. It's interesting to me to see how Reg, The Rookie, dogwood30, RavennaAl, etc., have gone about creating their leagues and doing different things in terms of teams, styles, schedules, etc.
I enjoy having a solitaire league (two, actually, with more to come), for a variety of different reasons:
1) It helps me make use of all the teams, bases, etc., that I have accumulated over the years. My 14-team ECFA season all came from teams I had lying around, or ones that I painted up. Didn't spend a time buying teams or bases for the league. Same is true for the EPFA, as all four teams are squads I had previously used in leagues and/or tournaments.
2) I like being the commissioner. I like deciding on the schedule, the rules, the uniforms teams will be painted in, etc. If I want to change something on the fly, I can.
3) I may play long games, but I rarely play them all in one sitting. I like being able to play for X amount of time, and then move on and do something else.
4) I like sharing the results and discussing my two leagues on the web site. I like seeing people's reactions when Team A loses to Team B for whatever reason, or when a player goes off for a big game.
5) I like sitting down and mapping out the future of my leagues, in terms of what expansion teams will be added, how many will be added, and what other features of the game I want to eventually add (stadium, lights, video, scoreboard, bigger board, etc.).
6) Playing solitaire allows me to introduce various components from different styles of play into my league without having to convince anyone else in a league to do it, too. I've never played in a league that used The Box, yet I use a form of it for my solitaire leagues. I only played two seasons in the NHFL, yet I use defensive formations requiring the D-Line, linebackers, and safeties to be specific distances apart when lining up. I might add the CBSMF scramble rule for the next week of play, haven't decided on that yet. I don't have a weight limit, and while I don't add weight to any figures, any and all figures are welcome. If I own them, they will be used.
7) Hopefully someone sees the fun I'm having with it and decides to start a solo league of their own, and then posts about it here. That's a victory.
Ed
