League format: WDYT?

[mattgslater]

I've been tinkering with it for awhile. How's this sound?

In addition to the "basic" league where the main competition happens, there's a "champions" league, where the best of the best continue on, and a "developmental" league, where new coaches get their feet wet, veterans try new teams before buying them, and junkies get in some extra games. So the master database will have At-Large, Basic, Champions and Developmental folders (or rather, it already does).

You can play two teams in the Basic league, one from any of the three lists: Agile, Bashy and Combo. Agile and Bashy teams form the bases for the two "conferences," with Combo teams split so as to keep the conferences even.

Agile List:Amazon, Dark Elf, Elf, Goblin, Halfling, High Elf, Skaven, Wood Elf.
Bashy List: Chaos, Chaos Dwarf, Chaos Pact, Dwarf, Khemri, Nurgle, Orc, Undead
Combo List: Human, Lizardman, Necromantic, Norse, Ogre, Slann, Underworld Pact, Vampire.

You can play all the Champions teams you can earn and all the Developmental teams you want, but you can only have one team of any given race in the Basic or Champions leagues, and one team of any given race in the Developmental league.

For Champions and Developmental teams, who you can play and how is pretty simple. Champions teams can play two games a month, against different teams run by different coaches. One of them has to be a Champions team, and the other one has to be Division III or higher (see below), unless there are no such teams in the Basic league. Developmental teams get six games per season, against any six different teams, no more than two games per opposing coach.

Basic teams have a different sort of schedule. The first four months, Basic teams each get two "matches" per month, one each against an Agile team and a Bashy team, on a random schedule. If these games aren't played, they may be made up later. If one coach quits or dodges the other coach, then the other gets a "free challenge." Basic teams also get six "challenges" per season, like Developmental teams, except that Basic teams must play two challenges against other Basic teams in the same conference. You can't challenge a team you have an unplayed match scheduled against, or until the month after you played the team last. Once a team reaches Division III (see below), it may play Champions teams in challenges, but may no longer play Developmental teams.

Basic teams (only) are ranked in "Divisions," by "Victory Points." Victory points are awarded for playing and winning matches, as follows:
Concede match: 0 VP
Lose match, in regulation: 4 VP
Lose in OT or tie: 5 VP
Win: 7 VP

Division is VP/25, rounded down, plus one. So 0-24 points is Div I, 25-49 is Div II, 50-74 is Div III, etc. Division only matters in the tournament, or when trying to play Champions or Developmental teams. 25 points, in addition to being easy to remember, is three wins and a loss, or just over six losses, like one tie and five losses. That number is not arbitrary. Also, you have to play eight games to make it to Division III, and you're guaranteed to make Div III by the end of the season if you play almost all your games.

The final month of the season opens on the tournament. You may enter one Basic team in the tournament; if you do not enter a team in two seasons, it is disbanded and you must reset. Rank in the tournament is very important, as ties in the early "ladder" games go to the higher-ranked teams. Later, in the "final four," overtime is mandatory.

Tiebreakers for rank are:
1) Division
2) Head-to-head VP
3) Total VP, unless within (Division) points.
4) Total wins of all teams beaten, per time beaten ("strength of victory")
5) TV + Treasury (players don't miss tournament games)
6) Coin-toss