Dutchy
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G'day and welcome to the Firkin Fun Bar Rugby League!
Taking a look around this all might seem a bit daunting, but don't worry! This simple guide will walk you through the basics to get you started on managing your team to the top. We've all had to start at the same place, and before too long you'll be making trades and scoring victories.
1 - Registering
First of all, if you haven't already registered an account on this forum, go do that! We'll wait.
Done? Good.
Registering for the forum requires approval from a League Unlimited administrator - so don't panic if you can't post right away.
2 - Getting a Team
Depending on how you found this site, you may not have a team yet. If you don't, your first port of call should be The Waiting List - which you can find at the top of the forum.
If you're joining us during a season, you'll have to use one of the existing teams. Otherwise, you may be able to start a team from scratch (circumstantial) or relocate one of the free teams to a city of your choice.
3 - What's Next?
The rules for the FFBRL are all available in this thread. Remember, if you have any questions or need a hand don't hesitate to send me (Dutchy) or better yet, Chris (misanthrope) a private message or shoot Chris an e-mail. cwbush83@gmail.com
The Laws of the Game
Before we tackle the rules, you're going to need to look at a formguide. Whether you've been assigned a new team or not, you'll be able to find formguides in the same place. Just head to the FFB Fantasy League section of the forum (this one) and find the latest thread. In the first post, you'll find a .zip file to download. Grab it and open it up to see all of the formguides and matches from the previous round.
Now you're ready to look through the rules. They're all in this thread and they're in the order you need to read them in, so go explore!
Formguides - Making Sense
Upon joining the FFBRL and being allocated a team, you'll be able to find a formguide detailing the players you currently have. If you haven't done that yet, go back to the first thread in this forum and follow the instructions on how to find your formguide.
These can be a little confusing at first - so this post is here to clarify things for you.
Below is an example formguide.
Sunshine Coast Angels,13,7,1,481,380
Titans, 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0
7500000
Name,pos,pstn,att,def,kick,gkick,temp,health,Form, Games,ReserveGames,Tries,Goals,Attempts,Drop_Goals ,POM_Points,Salary,Player_Code
Julian Santarakista, 1 , 1 , 9 , 7 , 7 , 6 , 8 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 345000 , 29
Amos Roberts, 2 , 2 , 9 , 5 , 7 , 7 , 7 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 525000 , 71
Graeme Frame, 3 , 3 , 8 , 7 , 8 , 6 , 7 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 402500 , 679
Ben Kirchner, 4 , 3 , 8 , 5 , 8 , 8 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 387500 , 166
Luke MacDougall, 5 , 2 , 8 , 7 , 6 , 6 , 5 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 400000 , 1055
Shane Perry, 6 , 6 , 7 , 7 , 8 , 7 , 8 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 75000 , 1470
Grant Rovelli, 7 , 7 , 8 , 5 , 8 , 6 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 120000 , 700
John Skandalis, 8 , 8 , 7 , 8 , 1 , 1 , 8 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 400000 , 928
Eron Bates, 9 , 7 , 8 , 8 , 7 , 9 , 7 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 437500 , 604
Richard Villasanti, 10 , 8 , 7 , 7 , 6 , 3 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 200000 , 1358
David Solomona, 11 , 11 , 8 , 7 , 1 , 5 , 5 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 270000 , 513
Ned Catic, 12 , 11 , 7 , 8 , 4 , 3 , 7 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 150000 , 1249
Scott Magro, 13 , 13 , 9 , 7 , 6 , 10 , 7 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 600000 , 1440
James Stosic, 14 , 8 , 7 , 7 , 1 , 1 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 75000 , 461
Jerome Ropati, 15 , 99 , 8 , 6 , 8 , 5 , 7 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 170000 , 893
Louis Anderson, 16 , 99 , 8 , 7 , 4 , 5 , 4 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 250000 , 364
Milton Thaidy, 17 , 1 , 8 , 5 , 7 , 6 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 200000 , 460
Jermaine Ale, 18 , 3 , 7 , 5 , 6 , 6 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 200000 , 891
Adam Schubert, 19 , 11 , 7 , 7 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 120000 , 27
Shannon Stowers, 20 , 11 , 5 , 7 , 1 , 1 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 120000 , 1483
Danny Williams, 21 , 8 , 5 , 7 , 1 , 1 , 5 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 120000 , 453
Aidan Kirk, 22 , 1 , 7 , 5 , 6 , 5 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 120000 , 41
Shane Shackleton, 23 , 8 , 4 , 7 , 1 , 1 , 4 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 110000 , 1474
Sean Penkywicz, 24 , 9 , 7 , 6 , 8 , 6 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 75000 , 1456
Colin Best, 25 , 2 , 8 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 420000 , 347
At the top of the document you can see the team name (Sunshine Coast Angels, in this case) followed by a series of numbers. These numbers are wins, losses, draws, points scored, and points conceded. At the beginning of a season, these would all be set to 0.
Below this is another name (Titans) and a series of 0's. Ignore this. It's nothing.
The number below that (7500000) is the team's salary cap. The salary cap is currently undefined for the upcoming seaason. This number indicates how much the club can spend in total, not how much it has spent.
Skipping the row of words, we now get a line like this:
Julian Santarakista, 1 , 1 , 9 , 7 , 7 , 6 , 8 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 345000 , 29
First we have the player's name.
The next number is where the player is currently playing. The FFBRL uses the same numbering system as the NRL, so a player's number would be
1: Fullback
2: Winger
3: Centre
4: Centre
5: Winger
6: Five Eighth/Stand Off
7: Halfback/Scrum Half
8: Prop
9: Hooker/Dummy Half
10: Prop
11: Second Row/Back Row
12: Second Row/Back Row
13: Lock/Loose Forward
14: Bench
15: Bench
16: Bench
17: Bench
18 through 29 are all simply unused, although players not named in your 17 are rested, and reduce their injury total by a week.
The second number is the player's preferred position. A one is a fullback, two is a winger, three is a centre, etc. A '99' is a utility player, a player who can play anywhere on the field to good effect.
The next number is attack, indicating a player's attacking capabilities. A higher number is better, particularly for backline players.
Defence comes next, with a high rating indicating a player who can be relied upon to make a number of tackles a game. This is particularly useful for forwards.
Next is field kicking, which is useful for five eighths, halfbacks, centres, wingers, fullbacks, and hookers. A high number increases the chance that a player will kick 40/20's and set up tries from kicks.
Next is goal kicking. Having a high goal-kicker is an ideal way to ensure your tries are converted and you're able to turn penalties into points. The sim automatically selects your best goal-kicker during games.
Temp is the final 'in game' stat, indicating a player's leadership abilities and self control. A player with a low temp will likely concede more penalties, whilst one with a high temp is an excellent candidate for the captaincy. A low temp also makes a goal-kicker less effective.
Judging from this, we see that Julian Santarakista is a good attacking player, a passable defender, and has average field and goal-kicking ratings. His temperament of eight makes him a good captaincy candidate.
-----
After these numbers there come more, the first of which is Health. A number in health indicates the number of weeks the player will need to be rested in order to play again. You can run a player with a niggling (one week) injury, but anything greater than that and the player cannot be used until the injury is healed. To heal an injury, you need to either name a player from 18-29 or use physio, as detailed in a later rules file.
The next number, usually two or three digits, is the player's form. It begins at 100 and can go as low as 1 and as high as 200. A low form indicates a player out of form - one who will make more errors, concede more penalties, and leak more tries. A high form, conversely, indicates a player who is playing excellent football. This can turn a lowly 7/5 player into a dangerous option.
The string of 0's following form are all game statistics such as games played, tries scored, and all that jazz. They serve no purpose other than recording statistics. Following these is the player's price tag. You'll need to add all of these up to see how much of your salary cap you've spent.
The final number is the player code, which is used by the sim to identify individual players. It serves no in game purpose.
And there you have it. The formguide and its mess of numbers should now be a little less intimidating. You're ready to move on to the more complicated stuff now.
Submitting Orders
Once you make sense of your formguide, you will need to submit orders for your side. This is done by emailing the sides to Chris by the time stated in the download thread. This may vary week to week, depending on the demands of the simmers, so be sure to pay attention to the deadline!
Basic Rules...NON-SUBMISSION
If you don't submit by the deadline, you may incur a penalty of 15% form, so be sure to get those sides in nice and early. Our simmers give very generously of their time and set the deadlines for a reason, so please respect them and, if you can't get your side in for any reason, simply enlist the help of a caretaker.
If you fail to submit a side three weeks in a row without good cause, you could lose your side to a waiting coach.
THE LAYOUT
Your orders should follow a basic layout, which makes it easier for both you and the simmers. The layout is as follows. I'll use my current side as an example.
Grapes of Nanking
Captain: THOMAS LEULUAI
Attack: SAME
Defense: SAME
Bench: SAME
1. BILLY SLATER
2. DANE GAGAI
3. ROBBIE ROCHOW
4. ETHAN LOWE
5. JAKE MAMO
6. TYRONE ROBERTS
7. JAMIE SOWARD
8. SAME
9. SAME (+12 FORM)
10. SAME (+8 FORM)
11. SAME (PHYSIO)
12. KADE SNOWDEN
13. THOMAS LEULUAI (6 FORM)
14. DANNY MCGUIRE (3 FORM)
15. SAME (6 FORM)
16. JOEL TOMKINS (4 FORM)
17. AARON GRAY (4 FORM)
REST:
TODD CARNEY, GERARD BEALE, BLAKE FERGUSON, SIOSAIA FEKI, SCOTT MOORE.
Notice the players who are listed as both full name and in bold. I do this to make it easier for the simmers to see who has changed from the previous week when they enter the side into the simulator. It's a simply courtesy, but it makes life easier on their end. Players who are staying in the same position as the previous week are simply listed by their last name or "SAME". To break it down, look at each section individually
Captain-Self explanatory. Pick the player with the highest temperament for best results.
Attacking Strategy-How the side will attack. You can choose from 7 easy strategies...
Balanced
Use Fullback
Use Three Quarters (Outside Backs)
Use Halves
Use Hooker
Use Forwards
Use Kicking
Pick the strategy that best suits your players and your form. If you have a 9 and a 10 in the halves, then perhaps that is the best option, for example. If you feel you have a strong side all round, then use balanced. It's totally up to you.
Attacking Style-This basically determines how your side will attack. You have three options here...
Tight-Safety first football. Good for sides with low form or a poor lineup
Conservative-Exactly that!
Balanced-Pretty normal, the mid range setting
Open-More ball movement, but higher risk of errors
Expansive-All out attack, risk taking footy.
Defensive Strategy-Choose who you target on the field. This can win or lose you a game if utilised correctly, but it can be a gamble.
Balanced-No particular target
Target Fullback
Target Three Quarters
Target Halves
Target Hooker
Target Forwards
Target Kicker
Defensive Style determines how you defend. Choose from...
Disciplined-Defenders hang back. You may give away fewer penalties, but aggressive attacking sides may run over you
Balanced-Again, the mid range.
Aggressive-In your face, up and in defence. Can be very effective in shutting a game down, but you risk giving away penalties.
Interchange determines how your bench works. If you have a strong bench you may want to use it more heavily than you would a weak bench. Team selection also plays a huge role here. You don't want to necessarily stack your side with 8s and 9s and leave nothing coming off the bench. The strategies are pretty much self explanatory
Conservative
Balanced
Aggressive
Resting players is one way of getting them over injuries. It is free of charge, you may rest up to 12 players every week, and they will lose one week of injury for each week rested.
Physio. Each club gets one free physio per week. You may rest AND physio a player to speed up his recovery.
Form. You may allocate form points to players you feel need it, as I will demonstrate below. You are allowed to allocate 50 points of form across the club every week free of charge, to a maximum of 120 points per player So in my side up there, if Billy Slater is on 123 form I may not purchase any more for him. You may allocate the form however you wish, there is no maximum of points for each individual player. Form should be listed as follows;
9. SAME (+12 FORM)
10. SAME (+8 FORM)
11. SAME (PHYSIO)
12. KADE SNOWDEN
13. THOMAS LEULUAI (6 FORM)
Remember, too, that you may only allocate form to players in the starting 17.
CONTRACTS, FINANCES, RATINGS, AND RESERVE GRADE DECISIONS FOR THE NEW SEASON WILL BE ADDED HERE SHORTLY!
FFBRL Rules
1. KNOCK-OUT CUPS AND COMPETITIONS
Cup competitions will have individual competition rules, which will be issued prior to the commencement of the competition.
2. TRIAL MATCHES
All sides may opt to participate in THREE trial games prior to the season. These trials will not effect form or health. You are responsible for organising your own trials.
3. REPRESENTATIVE FIXTURES
Representative fixtures may be played from time to time on the order and/or approval of the Chris Walker-Bush.
Clubs will be expected to release their players if selected for such fixtures.
Fitness and form ratings will be affected by participation in such fixtures, however there is currently no compensation system in place if a player is injured in one of these fixtures regardless of the length of injury. Representative coaches may also 'physio' players injured in their club games, to enable inclusion in the rep side.
4. COMPETITION POINTS
AWARDING OF POINTS
- Two points shall be awarded for a win
- One point shall be awarded for a draw
TEAMS LEVEL ON POINTS
In the event that teams are level on points, the following criteria shall apply:
- Points Difference
- Points Scored
- Head to head record
In the event that the above fails to determine the better placed side, then there will be a match played between the two sides, this will only apply to determine the positions where qualification for the play-offs is affected. The home side in this clash will be decided by a drawing of lots.
5. RETENTION FROM SQUADS
The FFBRL will employ a unique and revolutionary contract system. For details on how it will work, check the Contracts section of this sub-forum.
6. NEW COACHES
In addition to the above, it is against FFBRL rules to attack, insult, or otherwise chastise a coach in his or her first month in the FFBRL. There's enough for coaches to wrap their heads around without adding to it with flaming.
In addition, all trades made by a new coach within their first month must be approved by the board. This is to protect new coaches from being exploited, as has happened in the past.
Finally, new coaches can release up to three contracted players from their squad at no cost. This is a measure to give coaches some control over their side.
7. PLAYER RATINGS
Players will be re-rated at the conclusion of each season by a board of experienced coaches. These new ratings will be made public prior to contract bidding.
During the season, each side will have three (3) challenges to use. To post a challenge, make a post with your club name and the player name in the Ratings Requests thread. State your case and the rating you'd like the player to be. There are instructions in the forum. The board's decision is final.
*Challenges are only considered used if the attempt is a failure.
Taking a look around this all might seem a bit daunting, but don't worry! This simple guide will walk you through the basics to get you started on managing your team to the top. We've all had to start at the same place, and before too long you'll be making trades and scoring victories.
1 - Registering
First of all, if you haven't already registered an account on this forum, go do that! We'll wait.
Done? Good.
Registering for the forum requires approval from a League Unlimited administrator - so don't panic if you can't post right away.
2 - Getting a Team
Depending on how you found this site, you may not have a team yet. If you don't, your first port of call should be The Waiting List - which you can find at the top of the forum.
If you're joining us during a season, you'll have to use one of the existing teams. Otherwise, you may be able to start a team from scratch (circumstantial) or relocate one of the free teams to a city of your choice.
3 - What's Next?
The rules for the FFBRL are all available in this thread. Remember, if you have any questions or need a hand don't hesitate to send me (Dutchy) or better yet, Chris (misanthrope) a private message or shoot Chris an e-mail. cwbush83@gmail.com
The Laws of the Game
Before we tackle the rules, you're going to need to look at a formguide. Whether you've been assigned a new team or not, you'll be able to find formguides in the same place. Just head to the FFB Fantasy League section of the forum (this one) and find the latest thread. In the first post, you'll find a .zip file to download. Grab it and open it up to see all of the formguides and matches from the previous round.
Now you're ready to look through the rules. They're all in this thread and they're in the order you need to read them in, so go explore!
Formguides - Making Sense
Upon joining the FFBRL and being allocated a team, you'll be able to find a formguide detailing the players you currently have. If you haven't done that yet, go back to the first thread in this forum and follow the instructions on how to find your formguide.
These can be a little confusing at first - so this post is here to clarify things for you.
Below is an example formguide.
Sunshine Coast Angels,13,7,1,481,380
Titans, 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0
7500000
Name,pos,pstn,att,def,kick,gkick,temp,health,Form, Games,ReserveGames,Tries,Goals,Attempts,Drop_Goals ,POM_Points,Salary,Player_Code
Julian Santarakista, 1 , 1 , 9 , 7 , 7 , 6 , 8 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 345000 , 29
Amos Roberts, 2 , 2 , 9 , 5 , 7 , 7 , 7 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 525000 , 71
Graeme Frame, 3 , 3 , 8 , 7 , 8 , 6 , 7 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 402500 , 679
Ben Kirchner, 4 , 3 , 8 , 5 , 8 , 8 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 387500 , 166
Luke MacDougall, 5 , 2 , 8 , 7 , 6 , 6 , 5 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 400000 , 1055
Shane Perry, 6 , 6 , 7 , 7 , 8 , 7 , 8 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 75000 , 1470
Grant Rovelli, 7 , 7 , 8 , 5 , 8 , 6 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 120000 , 700
John Skandalis, 8 , 8 , 7 , 8 , 1 , 1 , 8 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 400000 , 928
Eron Bates, 9 , 7 , 8 , 8 , 7 , 9 , 7 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 437500 , 604
Richard Villasanti, 10 , 8 , 7 , 7 , 6 , 3 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 200000 , 1358
David Solomona, 11 , 11 , 8 , 7 , 1 , 5 , 5 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 270000 , 513
Ned Catic, 12 , 11 , 7 , 8 , 4 , 3 , 7 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 150000 , 1249
Scott Magro, 13 , 13 , 9 , 7 , 6 , 10 , 7 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 600000 , 1440
James Stosic, 14 , 8 , 7 , 7 , 1 , 1 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 75000 , 461
Jerome Ropati, 15 , 99 , 8 , 6 , 8 , 5 , 7 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 170000 , 893
Louis Anderson, 16 , 99 , 8 , 7 , 4 , 5 , 4 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 250000 , 364
Milton Thaidy, 17 , 1 , 8 , 5 , 7 , 6 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 200000 , 460
Jermaine Ale, 18 , 3 , 7 , 5 , 6 , 6 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 200000 , 891
Adam Schubert, 19 , 11 , 7 , 7 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 120000 , 27
Shannon Stowers, 20 , 11 , 5 , 7 , 1 , 1 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 120000 , 1483
Danny Williams, 21 , 8 , 5 , 7 , 1 , 1 , 5 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 120000 , 453
Aidan Kirk, 22 , 1 , 7 , 5 , 6 , 5 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 120000 , 41
Shane Shackleton, 23 , 8 , 4 , 7 , 1 , 1 , 4 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 110000 , 1474
Sean Penkywicz, 24 , 9 , 7 , 6 , 8 , 6 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 75000 , 1456
Colin Best, 25 , 2 , 8 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 6 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 420000 , 347
At the top of the document you can see the team name (Sunshine Coast Angels, in this case) followed by a series of numbers. These numbers are wins, losses, draws, points scored, and points conceded. At the beginning of a season, these would all be set to 0.
Below this is another name (Titans) and a series of 0's. Ignore this. It's nothing.
The number below that (7500000) is the team's salary cap. The salary cap is currently undefined for the upcoming seaason. This number indicates how much the club can spend in total, not how much it has spent.
Skipping the row of words, we now get a line like this:
Julian Santarakista, 1 , 1 , 9 , 7 , 7 , 6 , 8 , 0 , 100 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 345000 , 29
First we have the player's name.
The next number is where the player is currently playing. The FFBRL uses the same numbering system as the NRL, so a player's number would be
1: Fullback
2: Winger
3: Centre
4: Centre
5: Winger
6: Five Eighth/Stand Off
7: Halfback/Scrum Half
8: Prop
9: Hooker/Dummy Half
10: Prop
11: Second Row/Back Row
12: Second Row/Back Row
13: Lock/Loose Forward
14: Bench
15: Bench
16: Bench
17: Bench
18 through 29 are all simply unused, although players not named in your 17 are rested, and reduce their injury total by a week.
The second number is the player's preferred position. A one is a fullback, two is a winger, three is a centre, etc. A '99' is a utility player, a player who can play anywhere on the field to good effect.
The next number is attack, indicating a player's attacking capabilities. A higher number is better, particularly for backline players.
Defence comes next, with a high rating indicating a player who can be relied upon to make a number of tackles a game. This is particularly useful for forwards.
Next is field kicking, which is useful for five eighths, halfbacks, centres, wingers, fullbacks, and hookers. A high number increases the chance that a player will kick 40/20's and set up tries from kicks.
Next is goal kicking. Having a high goal-kicker is an ideal way to ensure your tries are converted and you're able to turn penalties into points. The sim automatically selects your best goal-kicker during games.
Temp is the final 'in game' stat, indicating a player's leadership abilities and self control. A player with a low temp will likely concede more penalties, whilst one with a high temp is an excellent candidate for the captaincy. A low temp also makes a goal-kicker less effective.
Judging from this, we see that Julian Santarakista is a good attacking player, a passable defender, and has average field and goal-kicking ratings. His temperament of eight makes him a good captaincy candidate.
-----
After these numbers there come more, the first of which is Health. A number in health indicates the number of weeks the player will need to be rested in order to play again. You can run a player with a niggling (one week) injury, but anything greater than that and the player cannot be used until the injury is healed. To heal an injury, you need to either name a player from 18-29 or use physio, as detailed in a later rules file.
The next number, usually two or three digits, is the player's form. It begins at 100 and can go as low as 1 and as high as 200. A low form indicates a player out of form - one who will make more errors, concede more penalties, and leak more tries. A high form, conversely, indicates a player who is playing excellent football. This can turn a lowly 7/5 player into a dangerous option.
The string of 0's following form are all game statistics such as games played, tries scored, and all that jazz. They serve no purpose other than recording statistics. Following these is the player's price tag. You'll need to add all of these up to see how much of your salary cap you've spent.
The final number is the player code, which is used by the sim to identify individual players. It serves no in game purpose.
And there you have it. The formguide and its mess of numbers should now be a little less intimidating. You're ready to move on to the more complicated stuff now.
Submitting Orders
Once you make sense of your formguide, you will need to submit orders for your side. This is done by emailing the sides to Chris by the time stated in the download thread. This may vary week to week, depending on the demands of the simmers, so be sure to pay attention to the deadline!
Basic Rules...NON-SUBMISSION
If you don't submit by the deadline, you may incur a penalty of 15% form, so be sure to get those sides in nice and early. Our simmers give very generously of their time and set the deadlines for a reason, so please respect them and, if you can't get your side in for any reason, simply enlist the help of a caretaker.
If you fail to submit a side three weeks in a row without good cause, you could lose your side to a waiting coach.
THE LAYOUT
Your orders should follow a basic layout, which makes it easier for both you and the simmers. The layout is as follows. I'll use my current side as an example.
Grapes of Nanking
Captain: THOMAS LEULUAI
Attack: SAME
Defense: SAME
Bench: SAME
1. BILLY SLATER
2. DANE GAGAI
3. ROBBIE ROCHOW
4. ETHAN LOWE
5. JAKE MAMO
6. TYRONE ROBERTS
7. JAMIE SOWARD
8. SAME
9. SAME (+12 FORM)
10. SAME (+8 FORM)
11. SAME (PHYSIO)
12. KADE SNOWDEN
13. THOMAS LEULUAI (6 FORM)
14. DANNY MCGUIRE (3 FORM)
15. SAME (6 FORM)
16. JOEL TOMKINS (4 FORM)
17. AARON GRAY (4 FORM)
REST:
TODD CARNEY, GERARD BEALE, BLAKE FERGUSON, SIOSAIA FEKI, SCOTT MOORE.
Notice the players who are listed as both full name and in bold. I do this to make it easier for the simmers to see who has changed from the previous week when they enter the side into the simulator. It's a simply courtesy, but it makes life easier on their end. Players who are staying in the same position as the previous week are simply listed by their last name or "SAME". To break it down, look at each section individually
Captain-Self explanatory. Pick the player with the highest temperament for best results.
Attacking Strategy-How the side will attack. You can choose from 7 easy strategies...
Balanced
Use Fullback
Use Three Quarters (Outside Backs)
Use Halves
Use Hooker
Use Forwards
Use Kicking
Pick the strategy that best suits your players and your form. If you have a 9 and a 10 in the halves, then perhaps that is the best option, for example. If you feel you have a strong side all round, then use balanced. It's totally up to you.
Attacking Style-This basically determines how your side will attack. You have three options here...
Tight-Safety first football. Good for sides with low form or a poor lineup
Conservative-Exactly that!
Balanced-Pretty normal, the mid range setting
Open-More ball movement, but higher risk of errors
Expansive-All out attack, risk taking footy.
Defensive Strategy-Choose who you target on the field. This can win or lose you a game if utilised correctly, but it can be a gamble.
Balanced-No particular target
Target Fullback
Target Three Quarters
Target Halves
Target Hooker
Target Forwards
Target Kicker
Defensive Style determines how you defend. Choose from...
Disciplined-Defenders hang back. You may give away fewer penalties, but aggressive attacking sides may run over you
Balanced-Again, the mid range.
Aggressive-In your face, up and in defence. Can be very effective in shutting a game down, but you risk giving away penalties.
Interchange determines how your bench works. If you have a strong bench you may want to use it more heavily than you would a weak bench. Team selection also plays a huge role here. You don't want to necessarily stack your side with 8s and 9s and leave nothing coming off the bench. The strategies are pretty much self explanatory
Conservative
Balanced
Aggressive
Resting players is one way of getting them over injuries. It is free of charge, you may rest up to 12 players every week, and they will lose one week of injury for each week rested.
Physio. Each club gets one free physio per week. You may rest AND physio a player to speed up his recovery.
Form. You may allocate form points to players you feel need it, as I will demonstrate below. You are allowed to allocate 50 points of form across the club every week free of charge, to a maximum of 120 points per player So in my side up there, if Billy Slater is on 123 form I may not purchase any more for him. You may allocate the form however you wish, there is no maximum of points for each individual player. Form should be listed as follows;
9. SAME (+12 FORM)
10. SAME (+8 FORM)
11. SAME (PHYSIO)
12. KADE SNOWDEN
13. THOMAS LEULUAI (6 FORM)
Remember, too, that you may only allocate form to players in the starting 17.
CONTRACTS, FINANCES, RATINGS, AND RESERVE GRADE DECISIONS FOR THE NEW SEASON WILL BE ADDED HERE SHORTLY!
FFBRL Rules
1. KNOCK-OUT CUPS AND COMPETITIONS
Cup competitions will have individual competition rules, which will be issued prior to the commencement of the competition.
2. TRIAL MATCHES
All sides may opt to participate in THREE trial games prior to the season. These trials will not effect form or health. You are responsible for organising your own trials.
3. REPRESENTATIVE FIXTURES
Representative fixtures may be played from time to time on the order and/or approval of the Chris Walker-Bush.
Clubs will be expected to release their players if selected for such fixtures.
Fitness and form ratings will be affected by participation in such fixtures, however there is currently no compensation system in place if a player is injured in one of these fixtures regardless of the length of injury. Representative coaches may also 'physio' players injured in their club games, to enable inclusion in the rep side.
4. COMPETITION POINTS
AWARDING OF POINTS
- Two points shall be awarded for a win
- One point shall be awarded for a draw
TEAMS LEVEL ON POINTS
In the event that teams are level on points, the following criteria shall apply:
- Points Difference
- Points Scored
- Head to head record
In the event that the above fails to determine the better placed side, then there will be a match played between the two sides, this will only apply to determine the positions where qualification for the play-offs is affected. The home side in this clash will be decided by a drawing of lots.
5. RETENTION FROM SQUADS
The FFBRL will employ a unique and revolutionary contract system. For details on how it will work, check the Contracts section of this sub-forum.
6. NEW COACHES
In addition to the above, it is against FFBRL rules to attack, insult, or otherwise chastise a coach in his or her first month in the FFBRL. There's enough for coaches to wrap their heads around without adding to it with flaming.
In addition, all trades made by a new coach within their first month must be approved by the board. This is to protect new coaches from being exploited, as has happened in the past.
Finally, new coaches can release up to three contracted players from their squad at no cost. This is a measure to give coaches some control over their side.
7. PLAYER RATINGS
Players will be re-rated at the conclusion of each season by a board of experienced coaches. These new ratings will be made public prior to contract bidding.
During the season, each side will have three (3) challenges to use. To post a challenge, make a post with your club name and the player name in the Ratings Requests thread. State your case and the rating you'd like the player to be. There are instructions in the forum. The board's decision is final.
*Challenges are only considered used if the attempt is a failure.
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