1. 6W - 2L - 5T

NWC East w/ Seeding Order

1. 
   o #2 Seoul Eaterz (skaven)
   o #15 Nehekhara Guardians (khemri)
   o #18 LMS
   o #31 Argentine Noldorins (helf)

With no pre-season training, the true-rookie Midnight Sons went 2-0-2 pre-season (w/ the 2 losses to teams that would go on to win their divisions!). The 'Sons then went 6W - 2L - 5T in their rookie regular season (plus another "loss" that was never played and literally decided by a coin toss), missing out on post-season by only 1 win/loss, and only another W/L out of winning the close-fought Division outright.

The Midnight Sons started the season at TV 1000, with...

1. 
   o 2 Ulfs
   o 2 Blitzers
   o 1 Runner
   o 1 Troll
   o 2 RR's

... and a laundry list of early casualties on the horizon, losing an Ulf and their Runner almost immediately, followed quickly by 2 (new) Ulfs -AV, and a host of linemen lost over the season (6 killed outright, plus 2 more gimped and retired - see "Butcher Bill").

The 'Sons end the season with a true TV of 1640*, 3 RR, 10 players (inc. one 2-skill, -AV Ulf and a -MA Strip Ball lineman), and still not having bought their 2nd 90k Runner (but with 110k in the bank).

1. (* Including one Loner, and before inter-season "Training Camp". Firing their -ma Strip Lino, they enter Training Camp with a true TV of 1620, including 2 Loners. Season IX Salary Cap = 1750 TV, + max 100k cash on top of that.)
   
   
   
   Note - as of Game 12, the team has crawled back from early disaster, and after surviving Game 13 appears(?!) to be not only on the mend but back in the hunt.
   
   But before then, in a very real sense, "I" happened to it, altho' at AV 7 Norse are never the most sturdy team. Never played Norse before - ever - and I, perhaps(!), have been a little careless with the unskilled players, and maybe(!) am marking a bit too much w/ AV 7, and too often do my best to win instead of just survive and build for my second season. As a result...
   
   (Starting Roster: 1 x Troll, 2 x Ulf, 2 x Blitzer, 1 x Runner, 5 x Lino, 0 cash.)
   
   

   
   

   1. Game 1: 10k Gate
      Game 2: 60k Gate, Lino RIP. Apo bought, 20k cash on hand.
      Game 3: 60k Gate, Runner RIP (& Ulf MNG)
      (...regular season starts...)
      Game 4: Lino -AV, retired (& 'Zerk & Lino MNG), hire Lino as replacement.
      > 0k in treasury.
      Game 5: 10k gate, 1 Ulf RIP, 2nd Ulf -AV (The Backbreaker)
      Game 6: 10k gate
      Game 7: 70k gate in a tie - almost enough for 2nd Ulf
      Game 8: 70k gate, Lino RIP
      
      > But... partially back on track, hiring an Ulf, plus exactly enough for an MVP Loner Lino, which will delay the next positional by at least a game - but spp are rare on this team at the moment.
      
      That leaves 0k in the Treasury, with the -AV Ulf to be replaced, plus a pair of Runners to be added, for 290k total, plus whatever other accidents happen on the road. Anything like a "full" roster is still a loooong way off...
      
      Game 9: New Ulf -AV. 80k Gate (= 80k total). That counts as an "accident", and we again move backwards, but I decline to hire (yet another!) Loner MVP Lino. Asshat.
      Game 10: 60k Gate. Apo saved RIP'd Kicker, DP will MNG. Ole!
      Game 11: 20k Gate. 3 spp Lino RIP, Strip Ball lino -MA, new DP MNG. 3 Loners next game. Khemri hurt.
      Game 12: 70k Gate = 140. Against all odds, came out unscathed v. massively larger C.Pact team.
      Game 13: 10k Gate, but survived mismatch vs. Dwarfs! (Kicker and Fend/DP out MNG, 3 journeymen for Game 14.)
      
      > Before the game, had already decided to (finally!) replace one of the 2 -AV Ulfs before Game 14, so the -MA is not only meaningless but we played both Ulfs disregarding that distinct possibility/probability.
      
      So, after Game 13, bought a new Ulf, and have 40k in the bank.
      
      Game 14: 40k Gate, no perms
      Game 15: 60k Gate, Fend+Dirty Player Tofi Thorverson RIP'd (no apo used - as a DP, he had too many skills anyway), and 2nd DP MNG. (Also Journeyman RIP'd, but that's what they're hired to do.)
      1. > 3rd RR purchased

   
   And the season's last 2 games are uneventful, reinforcing the 'Sons' recovery. Still, the lesson is that any "long range planning" for the future is clearly an illusion, or at best a tease.

   
   

   
   Summary, by Game

   1. 
      2: 14 Vidarr Bjornson Lineman 2 games, 2 spp: d
      3: 2 Svifti Brandrfut Runner 3 games, 3 spp: d
      4: 12 Egil Egilharson Lineman 5 games, 2 spp: -av
      ...regular season starts...
      5: 5 "Big Dawg" Bjornbofr Ulfwerener 4 games, 0 spp: m, d
      8: 11 Álfljotr Scofflaw Lineman 7 games, 0 spp: m, d
      11: 16 Hrokr Kolison Lineman 7 games, 3 spp: d
      13: 3 Bjarni Bjornbofrson Ulfwerener 4 games, 2 spp: -av, -ma
      15: 15 Tofi Thorverson Lineman 12 games, 18 spp (Dirty Player, Fend) m, m, m, d
      ...and, Journeymen...
      o 17 Xavier Palebrook Lineman 1 game: d
      o 17 William Coldstream Lineman 1 game: d
      
      ...post-season...
      o 14 Vidarr Bjornsonson Lineman 13 games, 10 spp (Strip Ball) -ma

   1. 
      
      1. 
         It's not all bad news... at least, not bad for the 'Sons. Game 15 aside, the Sons haven't lived up to their potential yet (nor "evened the score" in some cases) - but they're keeping track, and both are coming...
         
         Not counting the MNG's...
         
         Game 3: Frog Blitzer RIP
         Game 4: Vamp Thrall RIP
         Game 5: Rat Lino RIP, & a semi-meaningless Rat Ogre -Ag
         Game 14: rookie Marauder RIP, & 1-skill Dark Elf Renegade -AV
         Game 15: rookie Lino RIP, 2nd rookie Lino RIP, 3rd rookie Lino Niggled, and rookie Thrower -Ag.
         Game 17: HElf rookie lino RIP (apo'd to -AV)
         

Those who can boast of the death of at least one enemy earn the favour of the Valkyries and a seat in Valhalla, where past warriors feast and practice fighting until called to fight on the side of the gods in the Ragnarok...

Game 3: vs. Slann Frogcisco 49ers, Egil Egilharson single-handedly killed a MB slann blitzer. (Retired -AV.)

Game 4: vs. Essen Exsanguinators, starting prone, Fenrir "Ice Man" Komedh blitzed Vamp thrall Andreas "The Nomad" Steiger to the ground to go menace the ball carrier. The Nomad never wandered again.

Game 5: vs. Seoul Eaterz, "Wolf Man" Helson, in a Turn 16 bid for spp, got a Both-Down that killed a rookie skaven lineman but also gave himself -AV.

Game 8: vs. Surrey Serpents, Turn 6 of 2nd half Hrolf Hardcat shrugged off the blitz of a a skink, and the Both-Down resulted in the skink's death, but was apo'd back. That counts!

Game 14: vs. B.Aires Tangueros, -MA gimp Vidarr Bjornsonson broke the 6-game hiatus on the last Block of Turn 16 by killing a rookie C.Pact marauder to free the ballcarrier to score the winning TD.

Game 15: vs. Appalachian Welfare Warriors, a double-header (that, incidentally, also saw 2 'Sons RIP'd!): Before either team really got moving, Tofi Thorverson blitzed a human lino (before later dying in same game), and later Berserker Hrolf Hardcat blitzed and then piled on another rookie lineman for his second kill.

Game 17: vs. Argentine Noldorins, the season's last game, Hrolf Hardcat gets his third kill by RIP'ing a HElf lino (Apo'd to -AV).

Game 18: a between-season "friendly" vs. Nurgle team Vancouver Rot-nucks, both Fenrir "Ice Man" Komedh and Hrolf Hardcat killed rotters [i](one [url=https://fumbbl.com/p/player?player_id=9527254]a promising kicker) - half credit each, due to rotting status.

Game 22: vs. C. Pact team Joplin Disasters, pre-season game #2 - a long wait, but worth it, as it was a RIP hat-trick! To start the game, fresh hire Vigo Jorikson killed the C. Pact rookie Mino Turn 1 ''(apo'd to niggle, but declined!), then to start the 2nd half Snow Troll Fenrir Komedh popped his cherry (finally!) by killing the journeyman who had tied the half (and who justly stole the C. Pact MVP), and the hat-trick quickly followed as ulf'er Rannulfrson likewise got his first, killing the DElf wrodger Turn 10. Good work, guys!

Game 23: vs. R'lyeh Regulars, pre-season game #3, Snow Troll Fenrir Komedh killed a Beastman Turn 2.

(Game 27: Someone "killed" a Flesh Golem in narrow win over Shard Warriors, who regen'ed. Half credit tbd.)

Game 29: vs. Surrey Serpents, in his 11th game, away from and unrelated to the Turn 8 score, Þorbiornson killed a blodge Skink.

(...?...)

Game 38: In a 7-cas bash fest vs. High Elfs, Rannulfrson RIP'd a Brestle (Wrock?) Elf.

Altho' dying in battle is good, to die without proving yourself in battle... not so good. You are doomed to wait for the Ragnarok in a cold, dark, wet hell... Nuffleheim!

1. 
   Game 2: Original 'Son, Lineman Vidarr Bjornson, 2 games.
   Game 3: Original 'Son, Runner Svifti Brandrfut, 3 games.
   Game 5: Original 'Son, Ulfwerener "Big Dawg" Bjornbofr, 4 games, by the crowd.
   Game 8: Original 'Son, Lineman Álfljotr Scofflaw, 7 games.
   Game 11: Lineman Hrokr Kolison, 7 games.
   
   Game 21: Lineman Knutr Knutrson, 20 games.
   
   ...& Journeymen...
   1. 
      o Xavier Palebrook (Game 8)
      o William Coldstream (Game 15)
      o Harold Grotty Lightning, MVP stealer (Game 22).
      o
      
      
   (Note that Tofi Thorverson, tho' passed from this existence, is Valhalla bound!)
   

1. 1. 
      1,750k = -10k
      1,900k = -20k
      2,050k = -30k
      (+150k / -10k)