Steward-breds

[The Steward]

Okay so I've been under the impression for years that Steward-breds are THE WORST THING EVER and it is NOT FAIR and DRAMA X INFINITY.

Which way does the SIM actually skew?

[Doug Cuomo]

I enjoyed the 3 per owner limit, with a couple of big auctions. I would also keep the new smaller game point auction since it directly benefits the game.

[Nini Panini]

Regarding your regular number of foals bred, should 250 become a lot of work for you then I think a cutback from that number is well-justified if you plan to continue breeding and would still take a very significant amount of money out of the game. I think 25 a year is very exclusive and they would become a commodity that exist exclusively for the elite, which I feel could lead to more drama x infinity.

ETA: I also vouch for a return for a well-enforced 3 per owner per crop limit.

[Rochelle Bos]

I vote limit 3, cannot be owned by partnerships, have a few auctions, you only breed about 150. Maybe 3 auctions of 50? Beginning of the year, mid year, and end of the year?

Maybe a yearling auction at the start of the year, then foal auctions for mid and end of year?

[Cleo Patra]

I’m also for the 3 a year limit and keeping them. Much as I collect them like candy when I’m allowed unlimited numbers, I do think the 3 a year limit was good. The only downside of it is partnerships “cheating” the system (or the spirit of it anyway).

My solution is that you can only acquire 3 stewardbreds a year under the age of maybe 3 (or 4?) and partnerships can’t purchase at all. So you can buy off auctions or a pinhook off the sales page or get given a stewie and all of those will count toward your limit. As soon as you hit the buy button it drops 1 off your total of 3. If you want your partnership to have one then you need to transfer it from your account but that doesn’t give you the ability to buy one more.

I’m picturing the coding scenario as something similar to the 2 injury per year counter that’s available to us.

[Ma Springs]

Something between 25 and 250 (if the 250 take too much time)...
...and limit to 2 per owner per crop..?

[Dave Trainer]

I think the poll should have had another option, 3 horse per crop limit. From the posts here that might have won by a landslide.

I'm not against steward breds but I am against players owning unlimited numbers of them each crop.

[Tammy Stawicki]

Don't you know by now there is nothing you can do that wouldn't be Drama x infinity

I'll admit I was torn in the poll. In the end, I voted for them to remain but I can see arguments for both sides and I wouldn't be devastated if they left. I get a lot more joy out of mixers where there aren't stewardbreds than thoroughbreds. I really enjoy the breeding aspect and I just feel its easier for my homebreds to compete and to have a successful breeding operation when not competing against stewardbreds (admittedly odd of me saying when one of my homebreds is currently one of the top turf milers but he's the first thoroughbred steward's cup winner I've had since year 30). But at the same time I do enjoy owning stewardbreds and I also really enjoy not having to spend real money and getting all my game points off the exchange and I wonder how much market would remain there if stewardbreds went away. And my first real success in this game was with stewardbreds so I don't want to take that opportunity away from others.

In terms of numbers I voted for the 250 but I don't think it needs to be THAT high I just thought 25 would be to low and just create more drama. Something in the 100 range would be fine particularly if the limit was further reduced to 2/person.

Speaking of which I like almost everyone else that has responded am pro limits returning.

[Sara Julin]

Limited stewardbreds per crop per owner, I think.
I'd hate to see them go (because even if I have been in the game for ages) I have finally been able to buy 1 or 2 per year the last 3 seasons.
So I would hate to see them go when I am finally able to lay my hands on some of them xD

But maybe,
Like, you can't own more than 3 stewardbreds in the same age. You can't sell them or buy others, you can't give them away or receive others, they are simply locked on your account (or something similar).
3 is more than enough. You don't need more than 3 per crop xD

[Laura Ferguson]

My thoughts:

1. I've been preparing to live without steward-breds, so if they go away, I'm okay with that. I agree with the person who said, there's going to be complaints about any of these options, so with that as a given, the Steward should do what makes her life easiest.

2. The Steward is down to 117 mares as of this writing. Of those, 22 are 13 years or older. I don't see how, realistically, this is going to go back up to 250 quickly, because those 133 mares are going to have to come from somewhere, and people are more likely to lease mares than to sell mares (which means several years before that foal is old enough to join the broodmare band). I also think 250 pushes this back into the category of more work for the Steward than she has time for.

2A. If the Steward goes the route of rebuilding the broodmare band, are people going to complain when the person leasing the mare gets to run the foal during the interim? Will that foal count towards the 3 horse limit? If it does, it will make it harder for the Steward to rebuild the band, so to speak, as I'd rather fill that limit with horses I'm going to own, rather than horses I'm effectively leasing. Maybe AJ can breed the leased foal as a workaround?

3. If steward-breds do stay, I think it works to do something more like 100-150 foals per year, in either 2 or 3 auctions, with a 3 stewardbred limit on horses younger than 4. I don't care if partnerships can't own stewardbreds, or the stewardbreds also count towards the partners' totals, just as long as you can't go back to where a player can effectively own 6 between the individual account and the partnership account. If you are going to go down to 50 steward-breds, you might as well do away with them, because only the richest players will be able to buy them - so while you accomplish the suck $$ out of the game goal, you eliminate the ability of anyone else to be able to get one.

4. If steward-breds stay, the 2 or 3 auctions should have a sprinkling of all divisions in each. There are players who specialize in turf sprinters, dirt sprinters and turf milers, so to have an entire division in only one auction, combined with the player limit, makes it really hard to own more than one.

5. Finally, I had lobbed some ideas to take money out of the game that didn't involve taxes to the Steward at the start of this SIM year. I'm swamped with work, but I'll see if I can find the suggestions later today and post them, just to see what the SIM community thinks.

[Louise Bayou]

Steward breds were never the problem. It was the way people were allowed to openly break the rules about them with not one single thing happening to them. Then the rules got changed to allow them to keep doing it. I'm sorry but that soured Steward breds for a LOT of people. I voted to keep them but only if there is a limit and its enforced.

[Sara Julin]

Steward breds were never the problem. It was the way people were allowed to openly break the rules about them with not one single thing happening to them. Then the rules got changed to allow them to keep doing it. I'm sorry but that soured Steward breds for a LOT of people. I voted to keep them but only if there is a limit and its enforced.

I agree, Louise ^^''
And if players try to break the rules or "openly" walk around them, give them a a couple of weeks suspension and lock the account, so it messes up their horses schedule. (me evil).

[The Harlequins]

Is there a figure of how much needs to be taken out of the game??

[Kelly Haggerty]

I voted for the 250 because 25 seemed like too few; however, 250 seems like a lot. I am all about the limits and 3 is ok. Basically I am pretty much thinking Cleo is on the right track.

If they go away I don't see how any newbie is ever going to build up a decent breeding program except by pure luck. At least with them in the game there is the option of saving up to try to get 1 really nice horse.

[Carolyn Eaton]

I think the Steward-breds should stay; I like keeping the 2-3 foals/crop limit/ player and if owned by a partnership - that one counts in all members total foal count (so each member of the partnership could only have 2 other foals).

The Steward understands the strength of each mare in a much better way than any regular player. I have had success in home breds, but also have struck gold with SB's - and I love the mix and adding to my stable's blood lines.

In rebuilding - I'll lease a couple of my better mares to her next year (Tap on my Shoulder, Time Takes Time, Change of Venue)- she's welcome to let me know if any of my mares fit her plan.

But overall - she should only continue if she finds it fun and sees it contributing to the enjoyment of the game for most of her players.