American Strat Football League on Computer (formerly ABDFL) was formed to give experienced players of Strat-o-matic football on computer a place to play. The emphasis of ASFLC is on creating a realistic, competitive, and fun environment to own and manage a professional football team year after year. We are in this league for fun. If you believe that another member is in some way being dishonest or is intentionally not following the league rules, you should alert the commissioner.
ASFLC is meant for casual fun. However, the league requires commitment. Some members will put in a lot of time to help out with league operations, and though those levels are not expected from all members, each is expected to meet all deadlines, keep up with all league communications, and participate in the generalities of the league outside and above that of playing the games.
By joining ASFLC, you are making a commitment to be here for the long term. (Please note that if owners drop out during the season, they will not be asked back the following season!)
1. This is a 24 team keeper league. Each year we will keep a core amount of players and draft new rookies and free agents to complete our roster. We are keeping 36 players and holding a 18 round draft to complete our 54 man roster.
2. There will be two conferences of three divisions consisting of 24 teams. The commissioner will attempt to place teams into divisions based on geographical location.
3. A season will consist of a 16 game (8 home and 8 road) regular season schedule with a 4 round playoff to follow.
4. The 16 game schedule includes…
* 2 games against each divisional opponent (3 home and 3 road).
* 6 games within the conference.
* 4 games versus teams from opposing conference.
5. The playoffs will include the 6 division winners plus three wildcard teams per conference. The commissioner will post the playoff schedules at the end of the season.
6. Also, please note that the best teams make the playoffs. Teams make the playoffs, not necessarily teams with owners. For example, if a playoff contending team’s owner quits at week 12 and that team finishes with a record that is elgible for the playoffs, the team still goes to the playoffs. In essence, teams make playoffs not coaches.
1. League Dues
Each member will be required to pay a non-refundable fee each year. The fee is $15.00. The money covers league expenses, and post-season awards.
2. Owning the Game, Internet Access, and an Email address
Each member must own the most recent version of the computer football game; have internet access; and have an email address.
**Roster Sizes**
Team rosters must consist of 54 slots. Teams must also conform to individual position and positional group minimum and maximum requirements. These requirements must be met after the conclusion of the Draft, and be adhered to throughout the season until completion of the championship game.
Off season trading in excess of positional limitations is allowed.
However, to conduct an off-season trade requires payment of the next season's league fees and administrative review to complete the trade.
Positional Requirements are as follows:
Position Minimum Maximum
Offense
QB 2 3
FB 1 3
HB 2 4
WR 4 6
TE 2 3
OC 2 4
OG 4 5
OT 4 5
Defense – 3-4
DE 4 6
NT 2 4
ILB 4 6
OLB 4 6
CB 4 6
S 4 6
Defense – 4-3
DE 4 6
DT 4 6
MLB 2 4
OLB 4 6
CB 4 6
S 4 6
Special Teams
LK * 1
KR * 2
LP * 1
PR * 2
P 1 1
K 1 1
Spec/Pen Card 1 1
Non-rated players do not count for, or against, the minimum or maximum positional requirements, but do count against your 54 player team limit. All teams must conform to the minimum and maximum requirements of rated players by position.
Players may be counted against minimum/maximum requirements at any of the positions for which they are rated. The following conditions modify how players are rated for certain minimum/maximum requirements: BB (Blocking Backs) are considered a FB or TE. SE (Split Ends), FL (Flankers), and SE/FL (Split End/Flankers), are all considered WR. See the League Rules on Wide Receivers to see how these players are positioned for you by the league.
LB (Linebackers) are considered a MLB or OLB.
DB (Defensive Backs) are considered a CB or S.
Players rated at any Special Teams position count against both the Special Teams position and the player's non-Special Teams position.
Understanding Special Teams Positional Modifications
Understanding the requirements of the LK, LP, KR and PR is extremely important. A player rated as a SE/PR for example, counts against both your minimum and maximum WR and PR requirements. The same is true of players rated as KR.
*Each team must carry at least one kick returner and one punt returner on their roster. If carrying only one, the returner must be a LONE returner on the strat card.
If a requirement is exceeded, the offending team must adjust their roster immediately via trade or cut. Trades, involving players in excess of positional requirements, negotiated after the condition of excess are void. K (Kickers), P (Punters), LK (Lone Kick Returners), LP (Lone Punt Returners), KR (Kick Returners), or PR (Punt Returners), selected during the Draft may require an immediate release of a similarly positioned players to accommodate the draft pick.
1. Each team must cut its roster to 36 players/cards in August.
2. No team may keep more than the maximum allowed at any one position according to the new roster limit chart (see below). They may keep fewer than the minimum allowed.
3. In addition, each team must cut the following position to meet maximum attempts allowed on their roster.
· QBs 650 or fewer attempts
· RBs 600 or fewer attempts (includes receptions)
· WRs & TEs 300 or fewer attempts
4. The draft will consist of 18 rounds. Our draft will take place in September of each year. We will draft one round per day over a three week period.
5. Final roster size will be 54 slots, including special teams/penalty card.
6. Draft order will go by best records.
In the case of two teams having the same record, the tiebreaker will be broken first by which team went further in the playoffs and secondly by point differential. The championship teams will always close out the order with the runner-up being 23rd, and the champion going last.
7. Only players with cards or ratings are eligible for drafting.
There are two sets of defense cards; run and pass. Each set is divided into five card types: Excellent, Good, Average, Poor, and Very Poor. Teams "qualify" for a particular type of card based on the combined numeric defense rating of their defensive players. Deciding which Run Card set type to use is based on the ratings of defensive lineman and linebackers. Pass Card set types are based on the ratings of defensive backs and linebackers.
At the start of the season each team must declare their intention to use either a 3-4 or 4-3 defense (See Declarations). This declaration determines which players will be used all season for defense card type qualification. The following formulas are used to determine the run and pass ratings for a team:
4-3 Run Defense = Total the ratings of the four defensive linemen and add ½ the combined total of the three linebackers.
4-3 Pass Defense = Total the ratings of the four defensive backs and add ½ the combined total of the three linebackers.
3-4 Run Defense = Total the ratings of the three defensive linemen and add ¾ the combined total of the two inside linebackers and ½ the combined total of the two outside linebackers.
3-4 Pass Defense = Total the ratings of the four defensive backs and add ¼ the combined total of the two inside linebackers and ½ the combined total of the two outside linebackers. Each of the different card types has a different value or threshold to achieve:
Excellent is a combined rating value of 30 or better. (>=30)
Good is a combined rating value of 27 or better but less than 30. (>=27)
Average is a combined rating value of 21 or better but less than 27. (>=21)
Poor is a combined rating value of 18 or better but less than 21. (>=18)
Very Poor is a combined rating value of less than 18. (<18)
These values are the same for run and pass card thresholds.
There is no rounding; all decimal values are truncated. For example, if you have a 20.75 run rating, that's a 20, not a 21.
1. What You can Trade
Currently owned players and draft picks (restrictions apply) can be traded
2. Trade Deadline
Teams can make trades during the off-season until the draft cutdown date. No trades are permitted between the cutdown date and the end of the draft. Trading resumes a week after the draft and continues until December 1st.
3. Trading Restrictions
The following restrictions apply to all trading
a. You may only trade a draft pick during the off-season (once league dues are paid for the next season) for the upcoming draft.
b. "Loaning" of players or "players to be named later" are not allowed.
c. Teams may trade any number of players and/or draft picks in a single trade.
d. No more than two teams may be involved in a single trade.
e. Teams must meet roster requirements upon the completion of the trade.
f. Teams must retain at least two picks in the first four rounds of any draft.
4. Completing a Trade
All trades must consist of the following steps
a. Two league members agree on the terms of a trade.
b. Both league members involved should email the terms of the trade to the league commissioners and post the trade on our league blog. The name of the teams, the players (including their position and NFL team), and the draft picks involved must be clearly listed for both teams.
c. Upon receiving the trade proposal, the league commissioners will check to see if the terms of the trade violate any league rules. If they do not, then the trade is approved.
d. Upon a trade being approved, the roster (and possible draft pick) changes are reflected immediately during the off-season. Trades competed during the regular season will take effect in the week following the trade.
5. Releasing Players to Accommodate a Trade
If a manager needs to release one or more players in order to be able to make a trade, he may indicate which players he wishes to release as part of the trade proposal (or immediately there after).
1. All games are expected to be netplayed. This is a netplay league!
2. Home teams are expected to host those games, but away teams can also host if the home team is unable for one reason or another.
3. A team should contact their opponent by email using their email address found on the directory page of our website.
4. If a team cannot netplay, the owner can select an alternate coach for his team. The opponent and the commissioner must be notified.
5. If two teams are willing to netplay, but scheduling conflicts do not allow:
A-- A surrogate coach or two can be used. All fill-in coaches must come from within our ASFLC league or be approved by the commissioner upon special request.
6. There will be absolutely no exceptions to these rules. If computer problems arise in the middle of the season that do not allow an owner to play their games, the commissioners will find a surrogate coach or have their games autoplayed. The season cannot be held up by 1 team!
Pre-Game files will be mailed to each owner each week. Each team should save their pre-game file into the strat folder. The file must be placed in the Receive folder located in the root directory of Strat-O-Matic Football game.
Once the Pre-Game file and any coach files are placed in each coach's Receive folder, the game can begin. The Home Team coach should always "Host" the game, and the Visiting Team coach should always "Join" the game. The Visiting team can host, but the preferred method is Home Team hosts.
It's absolutely necessary that the Host and Join player be the same each time a game is restarted in order to maintain statistical integrity for final game results. In other words, the original Host player should remain the host; likewise for the Join player.
Launching The Game As The Host.
1- Highlight our league and the game you are about to play, then select launch new game server
2- Chose Internet Play. Give the server a name such as your opponent's name.
3- Type in your name in the next box
4- Let your opponent know you are ready, and wait for him to join.
5- Make sure you have "autosave after each play" selected under options and make sure e-z play is not checked.
6- If the game crashes during play, relaunch the game by selecting "launch saved game server"
7- At the end of the game, send the commissioner the post-game file, which will be found in your send subfolder.
Launching The Game As The Visitor
1- Select "Join Server"
2- Select Internet play.
3- Type In Your Opponent's IP Address
4-. Select whatever name your opponent gave to the server. Type in Your Name. The game should start. Make sure the e-z play option is not checked. 5- If the game crashes during play, simply relaunch using the above procedure.
Post-Game Files (Located in the SEND Folder)
After a game is finished, a Post-Game file is created automatically and placed in a coach's Send folder (which is located in the root directory of his Strat-O-Matic Football game). A Post-Game file contains the final score and statistics of that game. All Post-Game files must be sent by the HOST team to the League Commissioner for processing.
A Post-Game file is also generated for the Visiting Team (the Join player) as well, but it should NOT be sent to the Commissioner, as it is not necessary and might only cause confusion. The Visiting Team file does not always contain accurate information. If the game being played has been restarted from a saved game file, then the Visiting Team's Post-Game file will not be accurate. Only the Home Team Post-Game file contains the full and accurate set of end game data.
Assuming you are using WINDOWS XP:
1- Open the Control Panel
2- Click on Network and Internet Connections
3- Select Network Connections
4- Highlight or click on the appropriate internet connection
5- The IP address will appear in the lower left hand corner
Host teams must be directly connected to the internet (no networks).
All firewalls must be turned off or adjusted to allow the game to be played.
All regular game rules as defined in the Strat-O-Matic game rules with exceptions noted below.
The rules can be found at: http://www.strat-o matic.com/sphere/fbrules.htm.
ASFLC uses the following SOM Game Rules:
Quarterback End Run Limits
Running Back Fatigue
Linebacker Run Containment
Dump-off Rule
Updated Sack Rule
Emphasize 6-rated Linebackers
Looser Substitution Restrictions
Empty Flat Pass = Guessed Wrong
Single Game Injuries
Individualized Fumble Ratings
Great Player Impact Rule.
ASFLC will not be using the following SOM Game Rules:
Quarterback Overusage
Running back / Wide Receiver Overusage
Do Not Allow Exceeding Longest Run
Do Not Allow Exceeding Longest Reception
Home Field Advantage
-Please familiarize yourself with how overusage works in our league!!
We have chosen to take overusage off and there will be no monitoring overusage during the season. But, we will be monitoring it at the end of the season. Here is how it will work:
No overusage during the season…after the season, we check final statistics from the ASFLC season:
All QB’s with 200 or more passing attempts in ASFLC will be checked for overusage
All RB’s with 100 or more rushing attempts ASFLC will be checked for overusage
All WR’s/TE’s/RB’s with 50 or more receptions in ASFLC will be checked for overusage
The purpose of overusage is to keep average players in the NFL from becoming stars in our league. So, we limit how many touches those players can have.
In summary, if a player's final statistics in the ASFLC season is less than the numbers above, he will not be checked for overusage. We do not consider a qb only throwing 199 passes, or a running back running the ball less than 100 times, or a reciever catching less than 50 overusing a player.
This would equal out to:
1) A QB throwing less than 12 times a game
2) A RB carrying the ball about 6 times a game
3) A WR/TE catching about 3 passes a game
But once a QB hits 200 attempts, a RB hits 100 attempts, or a WR/TE/RB hits 50 receptions, we then check for overusage by taking his real NFL stats and multiplying it by 1.25.
If a player is overused, the penalties are as follows:
Overusage Penalties: 126%-149% overusage – lose the player and 12th round draft pick!
150%-199% overusage – lose the player and 6th round draft pick!
200%+ overusage – lose the player and 3rd round draft pick!
All Strat-O-Matic Game Rules are defined in each pre-game file and may not be changed by individual coaches. Consult the Strat-O-Matic Game Rules for details on how each rule works.
Certain Game Option variables need to be set to play the game optimally. Perform the following steps to ensure proper configuration:
You Must Play Strat-O-Matic Game Version 6.01a
Choose Game from the Menu
Choose Options
The following options are mandatory and must be checked:
Auto Save After Each Play
Do Not Allow Play Animation Replay
Do Not Allow CM Subs for Human Players
No Play Animation
The following options are strongly recommended:
Brief Play by Play
Show Board Game Details
Show “Other Highlites” On Boxscore
2. Coaches should include a brief synopsis of the game with their email.
3. Games not received by the deadline will be autoplayed.
***A special thank you is in order to our former commissioner Bob Monek who founded this league. Much of this material was put together originally by him and he made this available to us. Thanks again, Bob!
