Fantasy Marching Band - Season XI

[Hostrauser]

Fantasy Marching Band will be changing names due to new ownership/operations. It will now be known as Fantasy Fine Arts League.

More detail here:
http://z15.invisionfree.com/FMB_Forums/ ... owtopic=43

These forums are the new home for what was once Fantasy Marching Band. Updates on Season XI (as it approaches) will be posted there. Please visit the forums and stay up-to-date on things, and join up next year when Season XI sign-ups begin.

[FluteOfTheNewWorld]

Aw I'm sad about the name change but just happy that it will still be around for us to enjoy!! I think there could be some kind of partnetship between micro marching league and FMB... anyone else?

[Hostrauser]

It's an interesting idea. Head over to the forums and suggest it to Wayne.

[Hostrauser]

Attention directors,
As of now, we are almost done with the Regular Season portion of the FDL season, so if you have not even submitted once this season, please do so now or your chances in making the national rounds are slim at best. Also, there has been a tentative start date set up for the Marching Band/Drum Corps portion of FDL and that's set up for March of 2008. The FMAL is in desperate need of any and all ideas for the upcoming season as well as needing a serious increase in membership. If there are less than 50 directors signed up and committed to FMAL, then the season will only have one (single) class and it will be every band/corps for themselves.

Sincerely,
Wayne Wildt
FMAL Senior Administrator

If you're interested in joining FMAL (Fantasy Marching Band) next season, please join the forums this month.

http://z15.invisionfree.com/FMB_Forums/index.php

[FluteOfTheNewWorld]

Ok I joined.

[BGRtumpet]

How do you do fantasy marching?

pick the ge score of one band and the percussion form another?

[Hostrauser]

No. Think of it more like an online game. You create a band, create a show, hire instructors, choose how much/difficult music and drill, then turn in "practice logs" over the course of a season to raise your bands' "stats" in categories like Individual Music & Visual, Ensemble Music & Visual, General Effect, etc.

[BGRtumpet]

that makes more sense.

[Hostrauser]

Your first idea wasn't crazy, though. I believe Drum Corps Planet or some other site runs a "Fantasy Drum Corps" competition during the Summer that's exactly like what you detailed: you get the percussion score from one corps, brass from another, visual from another, etc.

[Jsaxm]

So, how do you come up with the music? Do you actually have to write out the music, or is it make believe music? What about the instructors and all that other stuff. Couldn't some one just pick all the best instructors in the world, pick all the hardest music, say they practice 1000 hours a week, etc. How exactly are all of these details carried out in the FMB? I signed up on their forum and I saw uniforms, etc. Do you really have to put this stuff together in realistic form or is it a lot like fantasy football and other sports programs?

[Hostrauser]

So, how do you come up with the music? Do you actually have to write out the music, or is it make believe music? What about the instructors and all that other stuff. Couldn't some one just pick all the best instructors in the world, pick all the hardest music, say they practice 1000 hours a week, etc. How exactly are all of these details carried out in the FMB? I signed up on their forum and I saw uniforms, etc. Do you really have to put this stuff together in realistic form or is it a lot like fantasy football and other sports programs?

It's as detailed as you want to make it.

First you choose between marching band and drum corps, choose whatever size you want, and set the instrumentation.

The meat-and-potatoes of the game as of last season (I expect it to be fairly similar) is pretty basic: you choose easy, medium, hard or very hard music (and drill), and each difficult has a different price per minute/page. For example, you can choose nine minutes of very hard music at $400 per minute ($3600) and, say, 50 pages of hard drill at $50 per page ($2500). Then you can hire assistant directors, percussion and guard caption heads, brass and visual techs, etc. Each of the instructional staff can be hired as Level 1, 2, 3 or three; the higher the level, the more/better they influence your ensemble, but the more expensive they are for that season. They aren't "real" people unless you want to pretend they are, and they don't have names unless you give them names.

Everyone has the same budget, and every one gets the same number of practice hours each week. But you're allowed to spend (time and money) however you please. If you want a 200 member drum corps with 125 brass and 50 percussion, go right ahead. If you want to spend all your rehearsal hours on music instead of visual, feel free (the results will be predictable).

That's all you HAVE to do. Some of us find uniform designs (a lucky few were able to get brand new designs from Brent W. Becker, professional uniform designer for Stanbury - here's his design for my main ensemble, Minstry of Silence); some of us come up with full program designs and musical samples. I go so far as to cut and paste a show concept out of MP3s I have; some people actually write original music.

But you can also just say "We're doing 'Phantom of the Opera'" and leave it at that.

I posted a bunch of "public domain" show concepts here:
http://worldofpageantry.com/forums/view ... c&start=60

[Jsaxm]

Ok, well that sounds a lot more clear now. I already signed up for the other borad, is that all I need to do to participate, or is there going to be somewhere else I have to go to for the actual sign-up process. All I found was a forum much like this one, no where that I could select any options.

I also had another question....do you sign up for shows electronically through your fantasy band home page, or is this also imaginary where you just tell someone on the forum you want to be in their show and then they randomly assign scores? I guess the thing I am really asking is how close to fantasy football and other fantasy sports is this fantasy marching band. Is there some sort of navigation screen you get like in fantasy sports where you can control and monitor every aspect of your band, or is it all done through a forum in message posts?

Thanks for the clarification on all of this.

[Hostrauser]

Ok, well that sounds a lot more clear now. I already signed up for the other borad, is that all I need to do to participate, or is there going to be somewhere else I have to go to for the actual sign-up process. All I found was a forum much like this one, no where that I could select any options.

I also had another question....do you sign up for shows electronically through your fantasy band home page, or is this also imaginary where you just tell someone on the forum you want to be in their show and then they randomly assign scores? I guess the thing I am really asking is how close to fantasy football and other fantasy sports is this fantasy marching band. Is there some sort of navigation screen you get like in fantasy sports where you can control and monitor every aspect of your band, or is it all done through a forum in message posts?

Last season there was a very interactive website. I'm not sure what Season XI will bring.

You won't be able to create your ensemble and sign up for shows until the Season warms up in February or March. The scores are based off of your ensembles ratings in each section, but how well those ratings progress through the season is a little random.

Right now the Fantasy Drum Line season is underway. Take a look at the Fantasy Drum Line website:
http://www.fantasyindoorcircuits.bravehost.com/

I would expect something similar to that for the next FMB season. All posted results and external discussion will occur in the forums, but creation and practice will occur on the website interface. Click on the "Practice Log" link from that page to get an idea.



Thanks for the clarification on all of this.[/quote]

[Jsaxm]

Thanks for the help. I went and checked out the stuff you told me about and then I continued exploring from there and it looks pretty cool. I think I will be competing in the new season coming up.

Thanks again!

[Hostrauser]

Good to know. Glad to have another member in the league.