CFM Playbook policies

[DaBottom305]

In M16 we allowed custom playbooks but by season 3 a good amount of guys were running the same plays. I decided to do team specific playbooks for M17.

What are your league rules when it comes to playbooks?

[SyncereBlackout]

We allow custom and team playbooks. Custom was encouraged as each playbook could have up to 500 plays (assuming that if you can choose your favorite 500 plays you wouldn't want to run the same plays).

I find that team specific may be too restrictive because it wouldn't encourage personalization in development (if the team initially spends its time in shotgun (chargers) but the user decides in the futures to transition to a power run).

What sounds like the main issue is the frequency of the same plays being run by three guys last year. I don't think playbook rules can solve that problem. Especially if they tended to run the plays in question when the game was on the line or to convert a crucial 3rd down.

[Birdman18]

Quote: Originally Posted by DaBottom305

In M16 we allowed custom playbooks but by season 3 a good amount of guys were running the same plays. I decided to do team specific playbooks for M17. What are your league rules when it comes to playbooks?

We did the same thing in GFL.. We found last year as the season went on, teams would add the same plays and formations that they'd others use to success. It made most games feel like you were playing the same people over and over again. There was just no individualization as the seasons went on. So this year we are implementing a rule that makes teams use their teams playbook. So far it's been a success, even though we are still very early in the cycle.

The other thing I hated with customs is guys get too dependent on the mesh type of plays. They will go and add that play type from every single formation and then hide behind the excuse of "well it's a different formation so I'm mixing up plays" when in fact, it's the same thing just out of a different alignment. I've seen that happen over the years in the many different leagues that I've played


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[Jr.]

Quote: Originally Posted by DaBottom305

In M16 we allowed custom playbooks but by season 3 a good amount of guys were running the same plays. I decided to do team specific playbooks for M17. What are your league rules when it comes to playbooks?

We have pretty strict rules on our playbooks. You can't add any formations, and can only add 2 sets max. So it keeps the heart of the original playbook with a little added flexibility.

[Aestis]

We're allowing custom playbooks on defense only this year, for the first time. I'm optimistic.

We do not allow custom PBs on offense. Users have to use a stock PB but it doesn't have to be the one assigned to their team. If they want to use a different PB, they have to declare it before the regular season. They cannot change mid-season but can change any offseason. This way players can still pick a PB that fits their style/personnel, switch PBs (like switching coaches) if it's not working out... but without the greater risk of monotonous same playcalling for everyone. We've used this rule since the start of M15 and I don't think we've ever had more than ~3-4 players using the same PB.