Proposed rules for next MiniHULA

[pistolero]

We've had a few problems this season with missing players and scheduling, so I've ammended the rules a bit to try to catch some of these problems ahead of time. Since I volunteered to run the next MiniHULA league, I'd like to run this by you now so we'll have plenty of time to work out any bugs before the season starts. I'm sure there will be plenty of, "Why did you make it this way?" questions, so let them fly.

Here is a preview of the some of the added features:
- If you've paid full price, you never have to sit out
- A system of alternates which fairly handles missed games/players
- Team lieutenants who act as backup captains
- Stricter roster, match, and results posting deadlines with late penalties
- Bonus: a tiebreaker for playoff eligibility

Proposed MiniHULA Rules

Teams
There will be 6 teams of 1 captain, 4 regular starters, and up to 3 alternates each. After the draft, one of the 4 regular starters must be named team lieutenant who will fill in for the captain (in all capacities) if he needs to sit out or goes MIA. The method upon which a lieutenant is selected is up to the captain/team.

Draft
Once the pool of captains and entrants has been determined, captains are randomly assigned team numbers. Each captain then drafts 4 starting players followed by up to 3 alternates according to the draft schedule below. The number of alternates depends on the size of the entrant pool and each team will have the same number of alternates. Entrants may designate themselves as alternate-only before the draft and are thereby unqualified to be drafted as a starter.

Draft Order:
Round 1: 123456 (Starter)
Round 2: 654321 (Starter)
Round 3: 465213 (Starter)
Round 4: 312564 (Starter)
Round 5: 231645 (Alternate)
Round 6: 546132 (Alternate)
Round 7: 523461 (Alternate)

Stakes
Each player must pay $200 to enter the tournament. $100 of the entry fee is a deposit and will be returned to the player at the end of the season provided he did not miss any of his scheduled games. If a player misses a scheduled game, his deposit is added to the prize pool instead of being returned. The commissioner has the option of overturning this rule on a case by case basis as he sees fit.

Because starting players have the opportunity to play every week, the remaining $100 of their entry fee is added to the prize pool. However, alternates will probably not see as much action, so part of their remaining $100 will be returned to them based on how many matches they got to play. For example, AnotherBob is an alternate and he gets called in to play in weeks 1 and 4. At the end of the season, his $100 deposit is returned for not missing any games as well as $60 for the weeks he didn't play; the remaining $40 is added to the prize pool. Likewise, he is only eligible for 40% of the regular payout if his team wins (see below).

Season
Teams will play each other in a 5 week round robin schedule (posted below) followed by a week of playoff matches for a total of 6 weeks.

Matches
Visiting team captains are responsible for submitting their rosters at least one day before the week starts to the opposing home team captains. The home team captain will determine the matchups and must post them no later than the first day of the HULA week. Starting players must be put on the roster if they are available and the two captains must play each other. If a starter must sit out, an alternate may be used to fill in. Alternates are also used to make up any games missed by a player who goes MIA.

If a player knows he is not going to be able to play, he must let his captain and lieutenant know so that the roster and week matchups can be put together correctly.

Each match will feature 5 games and each game will consist of a 30BB freeze-out. If a game hasn't ended in 1 hour, each player quits and buys back in for half of their current stack size (effectively doubling the stakes). The team that wins at least 3 out of 5 games will be declared the winner of the match. Even if a team clinches a match win in the first 3 games, the remaining 2 games may make a difference at the end of the season (see Playoffs). Game results must be posted no later than the first day of the following HULA week to be counted.

Missed Games
If a game is not played during the HULA week in which it was scheduled, the players must post or PM the commissioner with an explanation. If it is determined that both players made a good faith effort to play but were unable to find a common time to play, the game may be made up the following week without penalty. If it is determined that a player was unresponsive during the week, the missing player forfeits his deposit and the other player makes the game up against an alternate as chosen by the alternate's captain. The make up game must be completed during the next HULA week, even if that means a player has two games to play in a week. If both players were unresponsive during the week, both players forfeit their deposit and the team captains each select an alternate to play in a make up game.

Playoffs
The two teams with the best record at the end of the season will compete in a championship match. If more than 2 teams have the same best record, the game-by-game win percentage during the season will be used to break the tie. If there is still a tie, a steel cage match will be arranged.

Each team must use starters in the final if they are available and if alternates must be used, the alternate who played the most regular season games will be used. Team captains decide how to break the tie if multiple alternates are qualified to play in the final. Alternates who didn't play in any regular season matches are disqualified from playing in the final.

Payouts
The winner of the championship match gets 75% of the prize pool; the losing team splits the remaining 25%. The formula for player payouts depends on the type of player (captain, lieutenant, starter, or alternate). Starting players are awarded X, captains get 120% X, and alternates get Y% X where Y% is the percentage of matches they competed in during the regular season. Lieutenants receive the same payout as a starting player if they are never called to action. If a lieutenant needs to temporarily step in for the captain, he receives 110% X and the captain's payout is reduced to 110% X. If the lieutenant has to step in permanently or the captain goes MIA, he receives 120% X and the captain's payout is reduced to X.

Example:
$2800 prize pool, so the winning team, Team Bob, gets $2100.
CaptainBob: $450 (did his job correctly)
LieutenantBob: $375 (was never called to action)
MacroBob: $375 (starter)
EuchreBob: $375 (starter)
IdleBob: $375 (starter)
AnotherBob: $150 (alternate who played in 2 of the 5 regular season matches)

Player Resignation
A player may resign from the league at any time and forfeit half of his deposit and any payout money won by his team; half of his deposit will be returned to him at the conclusion of the season. A players who misses more than 1 game is summarily fired by the commissioner (to be considered on a player-by-player basis) and forfeits his deposit and any payout money won by his team. Thus if you know you will be AFK for more than a week, it may be better to resign than be fired.

If enough players leave a team (for any reason) so that is has fewer than 6 players, the season will be put on hold while a special draft is set up. 6 (or 12, etc.) entrants will be gathered and a random draft order determined. The 6 entrants will then be drafted by the team captains as alternates. This contingency plan prevents teams from picking up ringers midseason.

Penalties
In order to keep the league running smoothly, every player must understand that signing up is an obligation to your teammates. If you're not sure you can play the whole season, designate yourself as an alternate before the draft. Players who miss a scheduled game forfeit their $100 deposit. Captains who neglect their duties forfeit either 10% or 20% of the regular player payout to their lieutenant as well as their $100 deposit if they miss a scheduled game.

Captains and their teams may also be penalized for submitting rosters, matchups, and game results late. If one of the aforementioned items is posted 1 day late by the team captain or lieutenant, there is no penalty. However, after 1 day the team will receive a regular season loss that will affect the playoff tiebreaker calculation.

Season Schedule
Week 1
Team 1 @ Team 2
Team 3 @ Team 4
Team 6 @ Team 5

Week 2
Team 3 @ Team 1
Team 2 @ Team 5
Team 4 @ Team 6

Week 3
Team 1 @ Team 4
Team 2 @ Team 6
Team 5 @ Team 3

Week 4
Team 5 @ Team 1
Team 4 @ Team 2
Team 6 @ Team 3

Week 5
Team 1 @ Team 6
Team 2 @ Team 3
Team 4 @ Team 5