Since you are at this site, you have already found a wealth of information and potential assistants for all of your fantasy needs. If you are rewriting and refining an existing set of rules here are some important points to consider.

Peer Overview.
Before you mail out fifty copies of your rules to the members of chat board, do a little prep work first. The first task is to identify where the most ambiguity occurred last year. If there have been official rulings that amended the document, be sure to have them written on a separate page. Have some volunteers read the original rules document and ask for their opinion on situations that arose. Did the answers from your test subjects match the decisions delivered by the group leadership? Did some of their suggestions solve problems that later arose? Are the suggestions better or worse than what was actually done?

Previous Rulings.
Sometimes getting timely volunteer advice maybe difficult and you skip the Peer Overview step. In that case, the next step is the incorporation of previous rulings and decrees into the main rules set document. All actions in the course of the previous season should be written into the main rules set if the actions solved the problems. Do not leave anything decided by "unanimous decree" or by the "Commish" out of the next year's edition of rules or you will be arguing over the same points once again.

Peer Review.
When you are too close to a subject, you may think you know clearly and precisely what you are saying. The real test is when a set of "fresh eyes" goes through the document looking for that loophole or incomplete description that will cause a feud in the 8th week of the season. Once you have rewritten the rules set with one or both steps above, now you need to get an objective criticism of the strength of the document. Remember that constructive criticism is good for the soul and even better for a rules set.

Limits of Change.
Usually there is at least one maverick in all groups that wants to add and change drastically the type of league (non-keeper to keeper) or scoring system (TDs only to TDs, performance and penalties). Great care should be taken when considering this type of change. The continuation of the league should be the primary concern and vastly different rules sets may alienate some people if they are not consulted. Get everyone's input before making dramatic changes. Small changes, like adding an additional roster spot for each team, should not upset the group. The more information and participation that you can get from all members will help insure acceptance of any changes proposed. In all cases consider the impact on the draft order of players and how owners will react to the changes.

How can the new and evolving rules set reflect the intent of the league? Occasionally you may have to rewrite a complete section of the rules to clarify the way they should be interpreted. Again, ask a friend or fantasy outsider to read and review each section for clarity.

IMHO (here is the orifice part) keeper leagues should not be made out of yearly league. Keeper leagues should always start with a completely new set of rules and empty rosters. Also, in the case of keeper leagues, never ever change the scoring systems or rules on retaining players. If the rules are flawed in these areas, then restart the league.

Startup A New League:

The rules for a new league can be as varied as the paint on an artist canvas. As a general rule I recommend that if you have never run a league before, keep the rules and scoring system relatively simple. The more complexity you add, the greater the potential for "loop-hole lawyers" to give you a tremendous rash of grief. If you have played for a number of years and feel confident or have actually run a league for a couple of seasons, then go for the wild side of fantasy sports. An example is adding bonus points for defensive tackles that spike the football over the crossbar following a touchdown (letting my orifice show again).

There are magazines and web sites that post rule sets you can download or copy. I believe these are good starting points for the discussion to begin. You and your league mates need to take ownership of the rules set by rewriting it to reflect your intent of the league (more on intent later). A good rules set will create a competitive environment. It will define in clear language the important areas of:

• Money = Who pays how much and when? How and when are prizes distributed?
• Roster = Do you have separate tight ends or a general Receiver position. How many player slots are in the starting lineup and the total team?
• Scoring = How much does performance points count? Do QBs score 3,4 or 6 points per passing TD? Are there bonuses for certain type of plays (i.e. long distance FG)?
• Standings = Do you have divisions or just take the top group of all teams into the playoffs? What is the tie-breaking order?
• Player Acquisition = Is it a draft or an auction league? What are the rules on trades and free agents? When is the trade deadline? Are limits placed on the number of trades and free agents?
• Conflict Resolution = How are disputes handled? How do you handle collusion between teams? Is there a "Bad Commissioner" breaking system to overrule him/her in extreme cases? Are there established punishments for flagrant rules violations? What happens if the league blows up?
• Rules Maintenance = Are there established systems to handle events not directly described in the rules? Are there any safeguards to prevent radical changes in rules (especially scoring) once the league forms just before the draft?

I am sure with just a few minutes you can come up with many other questions that easily fit under these titles. Answering these questions in a clear and concise manner will eliminate most questionable situations before they develop into league wide arguments.

League Design:

I would like to rap up with just a couple of points in rule design and how they impact your fantasy league.

First is the area of exotics. Exotics are any scoring systems outside of the standard (missionary position?) use of offensive scorers (QB/RB/WR/TE/PK). As an example I want to touch on Defensive/Special Teams. If you allow these in your league, do you also allow the individual players (Example: Jermaine Lewis, Ravens) to score as well or do they lose those points to the special team holders? This decision has caused many an argument over pizza and beer (not an endorsement for alcohol, I am speaking to adults here). It also will drop some player's evaluations down a number of rounds in the draft so it is important that this distinction be fully explained before the draft begins. That means the rules must clearly state who scores what when and how much.

IMHO (warning/warning) exotics introduce lots of random chance into your game. Whether that is good or bad depends mainly on the makeup of your league ownership and the intent of the league. The more experienced and stable the members of the group are, the greater the success for introduction of exotics.

Second is the timing of events. Look through the rules and see if they describe the order of events. In all weekly meeting or player access areas, there should be a clearly defined set of events that are followed every time. An example of timing is the issue of free agent acquisition. Does a team cut a player before gaining access to the free agents or, once a free agent is claimed do you then cut someone from the roster to make room. It is a subtle point but without a clearly defined timeline in areas like this, you will be expending more energy resolving arguments than picking out your starting lineup.

One of the nastiest arguments I was personally involved in occurred when a member was out of town for work reasons on the Wednesday night league meeting. Between the hours of 6 to 7 PM a meeting is held and everyone has the right to cut and pick up two free agents. The member called in at 7 PM and caught the Commish after everyone else had adjourned. The absent member took one free agent action. Since this was not explicitly allowed in the rules (implied that the owner should be present for free agent access), a nasty feud erupted which ultimately resulted in the disgruntled owner leaving the league.

Third is the intent of the league. Very little is ever mentioned about this subject but I read dozens of post every year about players who feel "ripped off" or "mislead" by the actions of a group they joined. The misinterpretation of intent will be the seed of many disputes this coming season. Let me explain. Some leagues are "beer and cracker" types (see no endorsement statement above) for fun and friendship. They are comprised by at least a core (70%) of friends; family and co-workers that have a vested interest in fun fair spirited competition. These leagues usually have low (less than $50) or no entry fees. They are played more in experimentation or for the love of the game than for financial gain. Other leagues fall into the high priced competitive cutthroat category. Many are honest affairs with a healthy stake (up to and beyond $1000) for people who believe they have "graduated" from the previous group into the serious leagues. Unfortunately (just my thoughts...), some are also designed in the rules area allowing two or more teams to coalesce into one super team to beat the rest and split the sizable pot between themselves.

The majority of fantasy leagues fall into the "beer and crackers" area. Even so, you should always examine any rules set you write for clarity in procedure and intent. Examples of intent are:

Stable Group.
Rules are clearly defined and encourage players to comeback year after year to test their skills against their "evil nemesis" for the championship. The opening statements should welcome back last year's players. Keeper leagues fall into this category.

Variable Group.
Usually populates the Internet in e-mail leagues where the majority of the members change from year to year. Note: a small core group usually is in charge of this league and their intentions may be for "established loop-holes" to allow one of the regular group to win.

Low Stress.
No fees and simple scoring rules. Championships are more status than substance. Easy timelines for events like roster lineups and trade deadlines. Few or no exotic rules are used. Many times the job of commissioner is shared.

Major Domo.
Where one or a small group of core members make the rules and run the league. Many are honest affairs but check the rules for free agent and trading restrictions (or the lack of which is a warning). Usually charging a small or medium fee ($20-$100) to play, these can be the best and the worst of the local fantasy leagues. The rules set should identify the Major Domo and how to contact him/her at any time.

Experimental.
If you want to change the rules from year to year to add "spice" to your fantasy game, then make the statements in the rules to allow group suggestion for rules enhancement during the off season. No players should be retained (keepers) in this type since the scoring systems are always being tweaked. Extra rules should also be defined for conflict resolutions since the parameters of the league will be changing every year.

Shark.
Competition and money are the motivation in these leagues. The rules set should read like a legal document. Examples maybe provided in the text for illumination of difficult points in the better versions. In the carnivore versions, the rules are sparse and understood loopholes exist to trap the unwary newcomers who have already served their purpose of fattening the pot.

Within the spectrum of the above listed leagues, there are different intentions displayed within the rules. Is the intent to encourage an environment for a group to bond and compete? Is it a platform with wildly changing parameters from year to year so that the players can experience the challenges of different scoring systems every year? Is it a cutthroat environment where two or more teams quickly coalesce into one super team in effort to win the championship? Do you want to run a hardball league with good prizes and focus on team play? Before joining or creating a league, always examine the rules to discern the intent. When you write a set of rules be sure to express that intent clearly.

If you can successfully follow these guidelines, you will sidestep over half the problems of rules generation and interpretation. Fantasy football should be a fun experience for all, including the harried individuals serving as commissioner. A good clear rules set will be your league's best asset. Now in winning next year's championship....

:: comments to dan sez