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6/8/01
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Dan
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» Game Design Dictionary |
Series One focused your attention on how players are rotated in
and out of league rosters. Redraft
or retention, you should now have a
handle on what type of league this is. You are working on notes,
rules, definitions and considering whom to recruit to form the core
of the league.
Series Two will focus on how to translate those wonderful highlights
and powerfully grinding performances into statistical fireworks.
Along the way, we must consider the limitations of the talent pool
and how it impacts our starting rosters. By manipulating the scoring
system and the starting roster structure, you can reduce or increase
league reliance on the fantasy stud players. These hidden traps,
some reinforced with an almost "Holy Grail" type reverence, have
created the infamous run on the Running Back position we see every
season in just about every league. I will call this the RB Rage
syndrome through the rest of the design series.
As free agents, trades and draft rules set up the flow of players,
the starting roster and the scoring system can be tuned to prevent
or to create severe talent shortages by position. Your design can
create the need to secure a blue chip running back to win consistently.
Every year the net is laced with nuggets of wisdom to always pick
two starting running backs within the first three picks of the draft.
Your design choices can not only follow this philosophy, but it
can punish those who do not see the hidden imbalance (between positions)
in the design. But once you become aware of such latent game imbalances,
shouldn't YOU be the one deciding if that is going to be
an element of your game design? The choices made in starting roster
and scoring systems can make ANY position critical given
a little creativity, even the oft-ignored kicker.
How can we balance the fact that only half of the teams in the NFL
will give you a solid fantasy running back? It all comes down the
fact that the game design dictates the needs of the league. How
many starters should fill what positions? Most designers never consider
their starting roster requirements against the limited talent pool
nor adjust these defaults due to league size. These variables can
and should be adjusted to fit game concepts. Here are the 3 tools
you can use to combat RB Rage. These are not mutually exclusive.
Combating RB Rage
- You can run an Unbalanced Scoring System. I will quickly review
a system that will demonstrate the lengths that can be imposed
for scoring variations. It is exaggerated for teaching purposes
and not necessarily one I would recommend.
This is an example of a concept. A QB will score 7 pts for throwing
a touchdown, 5 pts for running in a touchdown, 3 pts for receiving
a touchdown, 2 pts for throwing a 2 pt conversion, or 1 pt for
receiving a 2 pts conversion. A RB will score 7 pts for running
in a score, 5 pts for receiving a touchdown, 3 pts for throwing
a touchdown, 2 pts for running in a 2 pt conversion or 1 pt
for throwing or receiving a 2 pt conversion. A receiver will
score 7 pts for catching a touchdown pass, 5 pts for a running
touchdown, 3 pts for a passing touchdown, 2 pts for receiving
a 2 pt conversion, and 1 pt for running or passing a 2 pt conversion.
- A distance bonus system incrementally rewards the players
who score from longer range. This gives much greater value to
the players who consistently strike from beyond the twenty-yard
line over the three-yard and cloud of dust goal line specialist.
This helps elevate receivers, and to some extent quarterbacks,
very favorably to running backs.
- You could try open formations to reduce the pressure to have
2 solid running back starters. Conversely if you have requirements
for 2 running backs and only 2 wide outs, you have created a
must have situation in the limited RB category.
The first option is a preview of the realm of exotics. Series Two
caters toward basic game mechanic issues and gives you something
to think about for future designs as your experience in fantasy
football increases. I will cover the open
formation and distance scoring system
more in this section and save the unbalanced system for a later
discussion. Your first game designs should be relatively simple.
Once you get a good feeling for the design, then try some of the
more exotic elements and see how they radically change the valuation
of fantasy players and the way the Assembly interacts.
Join me as we touch on setting up a draft, review season schedules,
play with scoring systems, and I will add a few more tips on saving
time and reducing confusion in writing rules. Remember simple tricks
like using a dictionary or cross-referencing helps focus the document.
Have you come up with other ways of improving your rule sets?
» Draft
Mix
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