Random Online Dynasty Thoughts #3 - Sportsmanship

[Critical Kills]

I've run and participated in leagues since 2004. Here are some of my tips:

1. As stated, play with your age range. I'd have no bigger of a range than 10 years. Get PROOF of age if in doubt.

2. Get a phone number from new guys in case they disappear. This number won't be used by the commish unless no other way works when someone disappears.

3. Have an active and well organized forum. Here is an example of my forum: http://batl.proboards3.com/index.cgi?

4. Start out small. Grow if you like. Starting out big is a huge mistake. I'd say if it's your first time you should stick with 8 users or less.

5. Schedule and play each coach before he joins at least 3 times. Talk to him get a good feel for how you think he responds to different situations. Don't be afraid to beat up on him a little if you get a lead just to see how he takes it (make sure to tell him later what you were doing of course). Note I said SCHEDULE and play. Playing a guy you see online is cool but you also need to see how he is able to schedule in advance. This is a good place to put your forums to use.

6. Write a league mission and go over it with each user.

7. Think up of 10 to 12 very clear cut rules that are broad enough to cover situations but also be sure to explain that the bottom line for rules is that the commishes make a decision. This may sound trivial but when I first started a league I tried to document EVERY rule and let me tell you, that won't work, I ended up with a 38 page rulebook that required a law degree nearly to figure out. You can't document everything, the idea of rules is to try to capture the IDEA of what you want the league to adhere to, not the minute detail of how you expect people to play.

8. Require users to have headsets. Note I said have headsets, not wear them and use them. It's important each user have the ability to talk to one another to prevent misunderstandings however it's also true that many people like to concentrate on the game and NOT talk. So in my leagues we decided to require a headset and if something came up we could just type HS or something like that to get the other user to "pick up" and talk.

9. Talk to your coaches as much as possible, not just when disputes arise to get a feel for how things are going. Often times you can nip problems in the bud just by asking someone "how are things going?". Lack of communication is why people quit leagues.

10. Consider dispute decisions from all sides, try to be fair but once you've made a decision always stick to it. If you are wishy washy people won't respect you and they will abandon you.

[RynoAid]

Quote: Originally Posted by ODogg

I've run and participated in leagues since 2004. Here are some of my tips: 7. You can't document everything, the idea of rules is to try to capture the IDEA of what you want the league to adhere to, not the minute detail of how you expect people to play. 9. Talk to your coaches as much as possible, not just when disputes arise to get a feel for how things are going. Often times you can nip problems in the bud just by asking someone "how are things going?". Lack of communication is why people quit leagues.

I really like these two... i've always tried to run my leagues with minimal rules but maximum mindset. I can tell pretty quickly if a guy is Sim league and will fit in with our core members.

Diversity, Moderation and Respect are three fundementals i emphasize when it comes to playing your user v user games.

Diversity in gameplan, Moderation of tactics and Respect for your opponent.

And i also agree the commish needs to be a people person willing to put the time in to bring his owners together into a group that you can consider friends more than opponents. If the commish has the trust of everyone, it's much easier to settle disputes and get guys talking objectively about issues and realizing that everyone gets emotional from time to time.

Good post Odogg

[AuburnAlumni]

I'm gonna run Auburn's new no huddle spread attack. By Game 3 I'll be kicked out of my own league because "all AA does is stay in the shotgun all day and run no huddle".

What can I say? I'm a realism junkie.














....and yes I'm kidding. I won't be running no huddle the whole game. Just whenever my opponent wants to make a defensive change. [/sarcasm]

[Skyboxer]

Quote: Originally Posted by AuburnAlumni

I'm gonna run Auburn's new no huddle spread attack. By Game 3 I'll be kicked out of my own league because "all AA does is stay in the shotgun all day and run no huddle". What can I say? I'm a realism junkie. ....and yes I'm kidding. I won't be running no huddle the whole game. Just whenever my opponent wants to make a defensive change. [/sarcasm]

Just don't blitz on D....or else.....

[Village Idiot]

Quote: Originally Posted by AuburnAlumni

I'm gonna run Auburn's new no huddle spread attack. By Game 3 I'll be kicked out of my own league because "all AA does is stay in the shotgun all day and run no huddle".

In all seriousness, I've actually wondered about this. I have a pretty good idea of what "cheese" is, but at the same time, isn't it true to the form of sports to do anything it takes to win? So long as the guys you're playing against know beforehand that you (hypothetically, I mean) plan to play that way, so they can, in turn, gameplan around it with audibles and/or finding a set of two or three plays they feel comfortable with against a no-huddle attack, I don't think there's anything wrong with running an offense like that.

Just food for thought.

[AuburnAlumni]

Quote: Originally Posted by Undefeated

In all seriousness, I've actually wondered about this. I have a pretty good idea of what "cheese" is, but at the same time, isn't it true to the form of sports to do anything it takes to win? So long as the guys you're playing against know beforehand that you (hypothetically, I mean) plan to play that way, so they can, in turn, gameplan around it with audibles and/or finding a set of two or three plays they feel comfortable with against a no-huddle attack, I don't think there's anything wrong with running an offense like that. Just food for thought.

Nah....I'm not that big of a d***.

I toyed with the idea of maaaaaaybe doing it...but in the video game world...that's just too monterey jack for me.

[Village Idiot]

lol ... fair enough.

[Critical Kills]

Quote: Originally Posted by RynoAid

I really like these two... i've always tried to run my leagues with minimal rules but maximum mindset. I can tell pretty quickly if a guy is Sim league and will fit in with our core members. Diversity, Moderation and Respect are three fundementals i emphasize when it comes to playing your user v user games. Diversity in gameplan, Moderation of tactics and Respect for your opponent. And i also agree the commish needs to be a people person willing to put the time in to bring his owners together into a group that you can consider friends more than opponents. If the commish has the trust of everyone, it's much easier to settle disputes and get guys talking objectively about issues and realizing that everyone gets emotional from time to time. Good post Odogg

Thanks RynoAid! I've got a great core group of guys, some from here and some I've just found in random online games (yes you CAN find really cool people in randoms, it just takes a lot of randoms).

Also, not to be a Negative Nellie but one thing i learned is don't automatically trust someone from a website, such as OS here, that you know and see in the forums for years. I had a couple of guys from here and another site join my leagues that really weren't good participants.