Hello HO! On behalf of @Leppish and I's moment of brilliance, I present to you - the new and improved All-Star Week! Not that we truly have one to speak off... Well! Now would be the perfect time to rectify that, right? Since we're keen on league growth overall with the sim engine change, why not use it to our advantage in order to integrate the newcomers into the sim league's live broadcasts?

The idea stemmed from a discussion we had about maybe making All-Star Week an "actual" thing, instead of just having the All-Star Committee pick the teams. What I'm currently suggesting would extend the season by a week, yes, but it would also allow us to spread the amount of TPE earned in a week. Instead of the humongous jump we see in players once the off-season is declared started, and the Championship Week claim comes in at the same time as the season is starting, which means Season Training/Equipment can now be purchased... that's a 42 TPE jump in and of itself for a decent earner in this league.

What the All-Star Week would do is smooth that tendency - allocating 6 TPE, in the middle of the season, for 2 written / graphics tasks of their choice (2 of each), allows us to withdraw said TPE from the CW - and also, the tremendous amount of tasks associated with Championship Week in and of itself. The off-season jump would still be a sizeable 38 TPE, but not as daunting to everyone involved in the updating process, from the Players to the Updaters, File Workers and Simmers.

Of course, we're still aiming to have fun and integrate the community into the event! We have a robust sim engine now, which I believe is capable of handling All-Star games in and of itself - not that we wish that, of course not! From Monday, once the All-Star Team is posted on the forums, to Friday at 11:59PM, you would have the opportunity to vote for the captain of each Conference's All-Star Team via the All-Star Week written / graphics tasks, and explain the rationale for why this player you are nominating is above and beyond everyone else in their field, or why you look up to them as a captain and he's an amazing representative for your team - any way you want it, it's your PT! And of course, for the additional two TPE for the week, you can place your TPE bets on which Conference wins the ASG, and who's the MVP of the game - as chosen by your All-Star Committee themselves, live! Let's be honest - this is a great way of celebrating the league's elite players, but we also would like to see representation from each and every 16 teams in the league. I think the Barracuda showed us all today that there's no easy prey in the SHL..!

But KlusteR, you're gonna tell me, aren't we keeping our younger players behind..? That's where we come in. Introducing - the Sophomore Showdown. An All-Star Game dedicated to the SHL's eilte youth. Only eligible to 2nd year players and rookies, this game also bids each Conference's best prospects one against the other - what better way to showcase them!? Of course, that would mean the SHL PT would also include a possibility of voting for captaincy for both Sophomore Showdown teams and explain their rationale for their picks, as well as vote for the outcome of the game in the "TPE bets" section - giving each vote 0.5 TPE! I mean, it basically writes itself at that point.

KLUSTER! YOU'RE FORGETTING THE SMJHL!

Why would I ever!? They also have their All-Star Committee, which already provides them with their teams - and from what I've seen, a lot of representation throughout that league as well! Well, they may need to include the two new teams in there - wouldn't want Nevada or Québec City to be left stranded, now, wouldn't we? Again - this is meant as a fun event, where players can simply shoot the shit, in the middle of the regular season, to see which Conference is better than the other. To me, I feel like this is harmless banter, and would help solidify the bonds between teammates, and the friendly rivalries that will blossom from the SMJHL expansion. The SMJHL chat is already quite lively for live broadcasts, and I'd personally love to see it in action in an All-Star Game. Imagine a world where the Kraken, Berserkers, Falcons and Scarecrows have to coexist (yeesh)... and not only that, but also support the Timber and Citadelles players in there. It could be pretty interesting, if you ask me!

Again, the PT tasks would hover around the selection of captains for the game, as well as the result of the game. I know the CW is a bit lower on the SMJHL side, which is why I personally wouldn't do a Rookie version of the ASG... but that does seem like a waste, doesn't it? It's right there for the taking! So what I'm suggesting is excluding the results of the Rookie game from the "TPE bid" section for the SMJHL's ASG. It's a quick and simple fix, and that would mean 4 TPE in the middle of the season for rookies, and still a whopping 8 (instead of 12) at the end of the season.

So... SHL HO, SMJHL HO... what says you?

(946 words, to be graded. kekW)