Special play cards and wizards.

I have to say, I don't like the idea of including special play cards and wizards into the league, and had thought they weren't going to be included in the league at all.

They bring an even more random element into what can already be an extremely random game, and can counter good play with no skill whatsoever.

For this season, they really are too expensive for most players to take. You need 150K to buy a wizard for a game. Special play cards are a little cheaper, but they don't really break the game, it seems.

I'd like to include them, but if they become too unwieldy or unbalanced, then we can remove them.

I played with Death Zone for several seasons. There are entirely too many gotcha abilities in there. [e.g. You've moved within three squares of the board edge with the ball so I'll make you jump into the fans, or the ball carrier turns into a frog, and other such nonsense.]

I don't see them as being out of reach for long. I played a practice match with Kevin last week and had a $140,000 handicap.

Look at it like this:

If your opponent is down by $150,000 he's probably down by a few players or by many many skills. If he's spending those inducements on a Wizard or a random event, you're probably better served than if he buys Team Rerolls or Star Players.

We were worried by fouling, and that didn't turn out to be a horrible detriment to the game. I believe that these inducements may effect one or two games, but they won't turn the match, or fix a coach who is making mistakes.