This is now our fourth online franchise for Madden, having done this for Madden 10, 11, and 12. Below you'll find the rules and how we play around here. Returning guys from previous years should read through them as well as some have change. If there any questions please feel free to contact me.
Basics
Information on how to join is laid somewhere within the rules. This is done to encourage actually reading them instead of joining only to be kicked out because you couldn't be bothered with reading.
Commissioner:
Temporary commissioner: Xkj1985X and/or Slyck
Twitter: @B9Madden
Settings:
Coaches Only - Legends Off
Salary Cap On
Skill - All-Madden
Quarter length - 7 minutes with minimum 20 seconds
Game Speed - Normal
Progression Frequency - Weekly
Coach Firing - Off
Game Play Tuning - On
Injury - On
Pre Existing Injury - Off
Trades - User only
Mobile Thread: http://mobile.theb9.com/topic.php?ID=889304&PHPSESSID=993b8552f558d7085228d36da33d8da9
Sidekick Thread: http://sidekick.theb9.com/view-topic/889304
When you join, you MUST make your own coach. DO NOT USE AN EXISTING COACH.
You can join the league at any time during the season, but if you join, please make sure you have the time to get in at least 2 games a week. Games, on average, take about 30-45 minutes to complete depending on how pass happy each person is. In addition, please try and be active in the thread. It's not a requirement, but it makes it nice for communication and to see who is still active and who is not. Rule of thumb is to check the thread once every 1-2 days.
Advancement Schedule
Games are given 3 days from the last advancement to be completed. I typically advance in the mornings, so, for example, if I advance on Monday morning, it would be advanced again on Thursday morning.
Preseason is on a 1 day advancement schedule.
If you are scheduled to play a CPU controlled team, you have 24 hours to get the game in, at which point if all the other user v. user games are in, I'm going to advance.
There is a 24 hour no-contact rule. Games MUST be attempted to be scheduled through PM's here on the B9 board, posting in the thread does not count. If 24 hours pass and you haven't heard anything back from your opponent, screen shot the PM and then send the link to me via PM. It's 2012, if you can't take a screen shot, google it.
If you have a scheduled time to play and the other guy doesn't show up, screen shot the PM to me that shows all the communication (you'll have to expand all the messages) so I can see you had a set time, then I'll boot the guy.
If someone gives poor responses to "when can you play" and ends up giving the run around, I'll just boot that person. Again, screen shot PM's. Same goes for guys that have 2 hour availabilities over the course of 3 days.
There is an auto-pilot feature built into the game this year, which is great if you're going on vacation, but If you're using this all the time and missing games, you will be removed.
If you play someone's CPU and a player is injured on either team, do not restart the game. Shit happens.
Gameplay Rules
Exploiting the game via rocket catches, nano blitzes, money plays, and the sort are not tolerated. Sometimes a blitz just works once or twice a game and that's fine, but more than that and it's going to be questionable. If you feel someone is doing this to you, make a video highlight in game, take a series of cellphone pictures/videos, do whatever you have to and then send it to me. Don't just come into the thread and start complaining without any proof.
Unrealistic player substitutions are not allowed. Safety's at Linebacker, Tight Ends as the #1 WR, things like that. HB's as FB's, MLB as ROLB, those are OK. If you're not sure, axe, don't assume.
If someone disconnects when you're playing them, you can count the game.
If the "your opponent has been kicked for excessive grieving" message pops up, take note of the score, time left in game, etc. It'll be on a case by case basis if the game should be replayed or the other person can play the CPU.
Autopilot - If you axe me to set you to autopilot because you're too lazy to do it, I'll boot you and you'll lose your coaching XP. It's on a case by case basis, but try not to be lazy. I'm not your personal assistant. I have shit to do and the last thing I want to do is turn my xbox on to click 2 buttons because you couldn't be bothered.
If you're running the same 5 plays over and over, check into Gameflow, it'll surely expand your horizons. Don't abuse the flats like a bitch either.
Going for it on 4th is typically frowned upon barring any situation where you're either 4th and 1/inches, too close to punt, too far to kick a field goal, or you're trailing. Think that if you probably wouldn't see it on any given Sunday, don't do it.
Regular on-side kicks sometimes make sense, but most of the time they don't. If you're doing it all the time before the 4th quarter and you're down only a score, then you're playing like a turd and you'll be kicked out. Once or twice every few games, a surprise onside is alright, but you're no Sean Payton, so try to keep it down.
Banned plays
None yet
Sportsmanship and Running Up the Score
Don't play like an asshole. It's really that simple, or it should be anyways. We don't allow running up the score when you could easily kneel it to kill the clock. This is a common sense thing. If you have the game won in the 4th quarter, let off the gas. This is a case by case thing. If you don't think you should be doing it, then don't. On the other hand, if you're on the losing end and after the two minute warning you're calling time outs, the game is not over. The goal for the person with possession should still be to get the first down and kneel the ball. It is not a go ahead to come out passing 5 wide, but if you break off on a short field for a TD, then it's not going to be a big deal. At any point if you can kill the clock by kneeling, do that.
If you quit out at any point, you will be booted and lose your coaching XP and will not be invited back until the after the advance so that the CPU spends your saved player XP. If you feel cheated or scummed by someone then let me know after the game.
Don't come into the thread and say "oh, you won because x, y, and z." Be a man and either congratulate or keep your mouth shut. If you come into the thread to start something, you better have proof of it.
With the new XP system, I'm sure it's going to be very tempting to run up the score and spam players to get them more points. If you're clearly doing that, I'll take whatever action I see fit. Don't play like an asshole.
Non-Game Play Rules
I reserve the right to remove anyone from the franchise that's a constant disruption. Trash talking is expected within reason, but if you start going on and on and on and on about someone, then I'll remove you. Posting pictures from Facebook, Myspace, match.com, or any of that is unacceptable. There's enough assholes in our day to day lives, I doubt we need more in our video game football league.
If you leave the league and don't rejoin by week 13, then you have to sit out the draft. If you leave you can only rejoin as the team you previously held, unless they're now taken. If I sim a lot of your games, I'll remove you.
I can not reiterate enough, if you come into the thread and start trouble for the sake of it, stomp your feet, and cause a shit storm because you're unhappy, I'll boot you from the league.
Trades
The Adam Rule
If you are trading with Adam, you will be punished for bad trades. It doesn't matter if he came to you first, you will still be punished because you know better and after 3 Madden cycles, it's pretty clear he does not.
Trade deadline is week 8. Dropping guys into free agency and then signing them to another team is a no no after the deadline.
Trades must be talked about in the thread, not in PM's, not over text, not over a candlelight dinner. When the trade is finalized, you need to post it AND pm it to both Wardcity and xbrokendownx for approval so that it reads like this:
Team X trades Ice Cold Guy (QB) - A potential - 70 Overall - 25 years old to Team Y for JaMarcus (QB) - B potential - 90 overall - 29 years.
Once you send them trades you can not alter it and send an updated one to them, you also can not be shopping around those players while you wait. Once it's in their hands, that's it. If they approve it but you were shopping around and got a better deal, too bad. If you don't take the trade, you can't trade.
I can no longer reverse trades in this league, but I can boot you.
Salary Cap
We are using a salary cap this year. This might be new to some guys. I highly recommend playing around with it in an offline connected career and simulate a few seasons to understand how it works. If you find yourself in cap hell, that's on you. Don't cry about it.
Free Agency
Free agency is different from previous Maddens. There is free agent bidding in the off-season and during the season there is no cap on free agents, HOWEVER there is a salary cap and you should be very cautious of not spending like a moron.
Draft
After each season there's a rookie draft. The roster total shoots up during this time, but you'll be forced to make cuts to 53 players, so it's best to keep your team around that immediately following the draft.
Misc.
There is no reward for winning the Super Bowl. If you require a reward, then you're playing for the wrong reasons. We're adults here.
To j o i n the lea.gue you must PM me. I typed the first sentence like an Cornell graduate in case someone just wanted to do a keyword search on how to j-sizzle and avoid reading the rules.
The biggest thing I can stress is to act like an adult and if you have any questions, just axe. This is a video game football league. Read that out loud if you have to. We are here to have fun, not deal with bullshit. I will not hesitate to remove anyone causing a problem.
Rick TaLife taking the Jags to the superbowl
