I Started Something I Couldn't Finish | eFootball | My League | Watford | Episode 7

Call me naive, but I had no idea that a new version of eFootball would do to my made-up Master League what the new verison of eFootball did to my made-up Master League.

Is it the end?

I feel no great appetite to continue (or start again, as would be required).

It's not too bad... I had 'only' got to Matchday 31 or so, not much over halfway of Season 1. And the big reset left my squad intact, just as it was. I still have the same players that I had before, at the same stage of development. I could pretend that I was starting Season 2... It might actually be better to do that, as Season 1 was mostly a bust.

But looking over the wall at the neighbour's garden, FC 25 releases this very week. I want to try that.

I'm parking this pretend Master League for a rainy day.

Possibly not too far into the future.

******* House Rules *******

1:
The general feel of a Master League campaign must be preserved as closely as possible.

2:
No transfers outside the bespoke transfer windows.

3:
The transfer windows are:
-- Pre-season (before Matchday 1).
-- Mid-season (between Matchday 15 and Matchday 18).

4:
SEASON 1: Maximum of 1 new player can be acquired pre-season.
SEASON 1: Maximum of 2 new players can be acquired mid-season.
Then:
from SEASON 2: Maximum of 2 new players can be acquired pre-season.
from SEASON 2: Maximum of 3 new players can be acquired mid-season.

This is slightly generous from Season 2, as I want to see how the whole experiment scales to eFootball's specific gameplay. I will want to challenge for promotion in Season 2.

Subject to review, depending on how this balances out over the course of a few seasons. It should soon become apparent whether this rule is too generous or too restrictive.

5:
New players' ratings and skills must make sense in Master League terms.
They must be consistent with the current level of the club.
Aged superstars are possible, as in regular Master League.

6:
Maximum squad size of 23 players at all times. First XI and substitutes only.
When a new player arrives, an existing squad member must be picked to go into the Reserves, where they will remain forever.

7:
No use of Special Items to boost player attributes, either on a per-match basis, or permanently.
The only player progression allowed is the 'natural' one of Progression Points gained per matches played, and then applied manually.

8:
Managers can only be changed once per season, in pre-season.
As with player transfers, the new manager's level must be consistent with the level of the club.
I could bring Guardiola to Watford right now if I wanted. I have enough in-game currency to do just that. But these House Rules forbid it.

9:
if my final league position is in the bottom 3 of any league at the end of any season, it is a Game Over condition. (I might introduce "Can Get The Sack" rules for mid-season too. Not just yet, though.)

10:
Because eFootball and My League is terra incognita for me, these House Rules can be modified at any time, or new ones introduced, so long as they do not grossly conflict with Rule #1.