On to the next round......boards

[eflfanatic]

The Rules Committee is working on two things right now. A "For Advanced Play" guide book, encyclopedia, or whatever you want to call it.

This is the Purpose and Mission of that project.

Purpose: To create an “Encyclopedia” of rules and terms used by current and past league and tournament organizers to play the game of “Miniature Football”

Mission: By examining and evaluating the various rules that are currently being used and have been used in the past by league and tournament organizers, we are attempting to compile an “encyclopedia” of terms, rules and game play formats, to give the serious coach of miniature football a guide to use in choosing a league or tournament format to challenge and further develop his skills and coaching abilities. This will also serve as a guide to coaches who wish to organize their own local or regional league or tournament for the purpose of attracting other coaches who may wish to play the game of miniature football in a more competitive environment.

This guide will also attempt to serve as a history of leagues and tournaments and as a historical account of the development of rules and equipment (game boards, figures, bases and other innovative developments) used by league and tournaments to play the game of miniature football.

We are also working on a set of "official" rules for MFCA sanctioned league and tournament play. Every league or tournament has to have rules. Any one who has ever worked on league or tournament rules knows what a difficult task this.

We are not trying to force standards on any one.

This series of discussions (and there will be more) is purely to find out what the majority of the MFCA membership wants so that we can create a set of rules that will govern the game play of MFCA league and tournament competetion that hopefully enough people will be satisfied with to want to participate in.

For those of you who think that this is trash and a waste of time. I humbly respect your opinion and you have a right to express that opinion. But you also have to repect the opinion and the right of those to express their opinion who do think that it is worth their time and effort.

Respectfully,
Chris LeMay
Chairman, MFCA Rules Committee.

[Shabby J]

Originally Posted by eflfanatic

We are also working on a set of "official" rules for MFCA sanctioned league and tournament play. Every league or tournament has to have rules. Any one who has ever worked on league or tournament rules knows what a difficult task this.


Respectfully,
Chris LeMay
Chairman, MFCA Rules Committee.

The MFCA is not a league nor should it be. It is an organization that brings coaches together to embrace and unify people in all styles of play.

Is the MFCA on TV, is the MFCA on local radio, is the MFCA in major sporting publications, is the MFCA ever going to hit 300 members, is the MFCA going to retain current members, is the MFCA offering DVDs, etc...

This is where I think the focus should be, not on weights and field standards that already exist.

Just my opinion Mr. Chairman and there will be more.

[eflfanatic]

This is where I think the focus should be, not on weights and field standards that already exist.

Shabby,

So if standards already exist, what are they and are they clearly defined?

The MFCA is not a league nor should it be. It is an organization that brings coaches together to embrace and unify people in all styles of play.

You are right about this and I quess we have to decide whether or not the MFCA as an organization should be trying to sanction or sponsor league and tournament competetions of their own.

[the french guy]

One thing that confirmed players have to realize : for a "real" beginner (people who never played electric football ), the MF world is dark and foggy


I explain : When I found the first information about MF on internet, my first thought was "it's original and unusual, how do we play that thing ? ". Then, I readed, and readed again, anything I found on the subject. And I didn't understand anything, until I found youtube videos.

Once I understood how the system was working, I suscribed on MFCA forum. ANd again, I was completly lost : what figs, what bases, differences between that brand and that brand, what board should I use, what ruleset, sticks, ttqb, tdq, etc...But I was motivated. When I've got something in mind, I dig, and dig again until I 'll understand everything, and in the better case, I 'll master it.

But I'm pretty sure a lot of guys will surrender facing all the difficulties, the dozens of ruleset, the tons of diferent equipements available.


If you want to bring new MF players, especially the youngest (who never played the game) or foreigners (as I said before, a lot of foreign countries already know football : canada, germany, italy, france, japan, holland, etc...), you'll have to make guides, standard or whatever you can call it.

When I was thinking about my first board, people had PM me infos about miggle boards, tudor boards, or even on how to create my own custom board. All that, via PM or on threads hided (I mean, not directly visible for the newcomer) on the forum. So that information and opinions, basically already exists. If anything more visible and clear existed , it would be easier.


If there is only ONE reason to make that type of guides or discuss, here it is : making the beginners a easier way to join us. It will not change veterans league or their hobby vision, it will just make the hobby more "readable" for non specialists.

[Coach Rip]

Dimitri,

this is What I have been saying for years, but one thing you must understand, many guys in the hobby don't really care about supporting newbies. We have come a long way, many guys have since stepped up to the plate, and the tide has turned but we still have a long way to go.

You described what I have classified as "Paralysis by analysis" the newbies get sooooo bogged down with the "so many ways/things" many walk away before they even get started.

[Shabby J]

Originally Posted by eflfanatic

Shabby,

So if standards already exist, what are they and are they clearly defined?



You are right about this and I quess we have to decide whether or not the MFCA as an organization should be trying to sanction or sponsor league and tournament competetions of their own.

We already play at 3.2/3.3 or 4.0 and a few play unlimited, for the most part that covers 99% of the games played and the leagues active, why do we need to re-invent the wheel here.

The boards in use are primarily 620 or larger, with a lot of guys going custom, why re-invent the wheel here.

Figures are for the most part within the same scale/size already, why
re-invent the wheel here.

We already have the basics in place, what are you establishing?

Bottom line is, this hobby is covered within these three groups, move on.

[WEIRDWOLF]

This is where I think the focus should be, not on weights and field standards that already exist.

The MFCA has 3 parts to its mission.
Educate, Support, Promote

Can we all agree that the hobby would benefit from a definitive guidebook for the new coach? Any body think a guidebook is a bad idea?
This would not only educate the new coach, but be a nice promotional piece as well. It would help support leagues that are looking for new members because they could hand them an easy to understand FAQ. The book can be written by 2 or 3 of us or we can all have a hand in it. The solution is very easy. If you can't stand reading these questions, stop reading them! This is a "forum"! Forums exist to discuss things just like this. Otherwise, there is not point to having a forum.

Yes they have all been discussed and cussed a hundred times before, but we have close to a hundred people on here who probably have never seen these discussions and honestly could learn something or benefit from them. At the very least, we are trying to get constructive input that will help us to create the promotional materials that we are supposed to be creating. Now unless you trust Ravenna Al, Chris and I to be the all knowing experts of miniature electric football, quit your whining, add some input valuable to a guidebook or stop reading these threads. I'm sure if the 3 of us came out with a guidebook, 99 guys would jump in and say, "who made you guys the experts." "Why wasn't I asked for my opinion?" "You left out this or that". We are trying to build something, but you guys can't get past the fact that you think we are trying to take something from you. We are not. Everybody can do what they want in their own area and league. NOTHING the MFCA does will effect it in any way. We can't regulate those who don't want to be regulated, BUT I have had at least 40 people ask why we don't have a MFCA League and why we don't have a set of basic rules. Some people want this! Allow those that do, to work on this. Those of you that don't want it, are not and will not be affected by it.

In regards to a MFCA League. We have one already that promotes play by any ruleset and in your own area and leagues. It is a very fair system that takes nothing away from anyone. Like it or not, having a ruleset that all MFCA members can understand and play by, that is universal to the MFCA DOES help promote the hobby and gives us validity for the outside individual looking in. It has to happen. These things need to be put in front of not only the oldsters in the hobby, but the up and comers. Right now the only people that will play by a MFCA Rule set or the ones in the championship game at the convention, but even they have the option of playing by rules that they are familiar with if both coaches agree. If they don't, then the MFCA has to have an option and the coaches need to know that option in time enough to prepare.

If you can't get on board with this idea then just leave it alone. If you feel that a brochure or a DVD is of more importance than get off your bum and start working on it...you are a MFCA Member! You signed on to be part of the mission. Don't wait on us who are wasting our time with these questions to get started. We have 200 members...it shouldn't be that hard to get a guidebook together, but it is!

I think the world of EVERYONE who is a member, but if you want something to happen then you have to be the spark that ignites it.

By the way a DVD IS in the works....the first part is finished and I have seen it. It should be out in the near future.

Everybody on here has a right to express there opinion and I read each of them over and over. Simply put, if you can't put in positive input to the discussion then move on to another post. Change the channel! I can understand disagreeing with the point made in a discussion but disagreeing that there should even be a discussion make NO sense to me.

[FrustratedFinFan]

I am sorry, but I can't help but thinking a group's ideas on standards leads more to exclusion than inclusion.

I know from experience on this and other forums and in playing the game that we have had folks arguing to keep innovations out of this hobby. Some don't like the custom figures and more weight....some don't like boat bases.....some don't want boiled bases....some want offense in dark and defense in white and others want entire squads in both colors.....some don't like Geno's QB and see it as a crutch.....and it goes on and on and on.

We already have standards. They might be local...but that is just the nature of the beast and easier to manage.

I think it would be great to put out a guide teaching newbies how to tweak, how to obtain bases and figures, advantages/disadvantages for each piece of equipment....etc. Make it easier for the newbie to get into the game at a high level as quickly as possible. Give them links to existing rule sets....they are all over the Internet. Trying to create a standardized set of rules and impose them on the hobby as a whole just doesn't sound that great to me.

I also don't think that telling people who can't get on board with one viewpoint to "leave it alone" is not very friendly and does little to further the cause. If an idea is good, then it will stand up under fire. Stifling dissent is not a good way to convince anyone that you value their opinions.

[WEIRDWOLF]

Originally Posted by FrustratedFinFan

I am sorry, but I can't help but thinking a group's ideas on standards leads more to exclusion than inclusion.

I know from experience on this and other forums and in playing the game that we have had folks arguing to keep innovations out of this hobby. Some don't like the custom figures and more weight....some don't like boat bases.....some don't want boiled bases....some want offense in dark and defense in white and others want entire squads in both colors.....some don't like Geno's QB and see it as a crutch.....and it goes on and on and on.

We already have standards. They might be local...but that is just the nature of the beast and easier to manage.

I think it would be great to put out a guide teaching newbies how to tweak, how to obtain bases and figures, advantages/disadvantages for each piece of equipment....etc. Make it easier for the newbie to get into the game at a high level as quickly as possible. Give them links to existing rule sets....they are all over the Internet. Trying to create a standardized set of rules and impose them on the hobby as a whole just doesn't sound that great to me.

I also don't think that telling people who can't get on board with one viewpoint to "leave it alone" is not very friendly and does little to further the cause. If an idea is good, then it will stand up under fire. Stifling dissent is not a good way to convince anyone that you value their opinions.

You missed the entire point of my post! Please reread it.

[NATIONAL]

here in Philly, but if this organized format would help a newbie.....I'm all for it.

And ultimately that's what it is all about. I work with a lot of guys from Ireland, some don't know football too much, and know even less about this game. So if I could give them a standards pamphlet for them to look over... that's great.
Everything the MFCA has touched so far has been golden, so I have no reason to doubt that this is going in the right direction and the intensions are good!!!

The Standards Program (TSP) gets the NATIONAL seal of approval from the

F . O . T . H .