BFOL S05

	A
1	Backyard Football Online League Rules (Hint : feel free to use the /fun coinflip command in Discord for quick coin flipping) Make sure to have "Enable online competitive mods" checked in your Game Options in Scumm, or you're going to have a frustrating time drafting! Pre-Game Process / Rules Feel free to use the BFOL Game Setup Helper to help step through the pre-game process Before opponents log into the game, they’ll choose their players via the 🏈-draft thread (or DM) - using the below process: Single coin flip: -Winning coach chooses control over draft order (slot A or B) OR control over possession (which half they'll start with the ball) -Losing coach chooses control over what the winning coach didn't select Teams will be chosen in a snake format, so draft Slot A gets pick #’s 1/4/5/8/9/12/13, while Slot B gets pick #’s 2/3/6/7/10/11/14 Teams will be selected from a pool of available kids that changes each week - see the "Visual Stats : Current Week" tab or "Schedule" tab for each week's info Each roster must have one kid from every tier - but they can be drafted in any order that you'd like Since the actual game doesn’t do a snake draft, choose your players in the Discord 🏈-draft thread first, then log in to the game to draft them. Keep in mind the field and weather for your game (see below) before dialing in. The team receiving the opening kickoff sets the field and weather and dials to call their opponent in Toughy Town / Capitol Hill. Game Rules Weather, Field, and Eligible Kids are randomized each week - see the "Visual Stats : Current Week" tab or "Schedule" tab for each week's info All games are played in Toughy Town / Capitol Hill - the team that is receiving in the first half calls the visiting team from the Capitol Hill lobby (after setting the week’s field + weather) Two time outs per team per half Power-ups are not allowed during games - any field position/points gained from running a power up play do not count. Additionally, the committing coach must punt on their next offensive play, OR the opposing coach can call for a restart/reset to the prior down/distance/score/time [+10 added seconds if they wish]. All games must be played using a mouse Use of ScummVM's "Fast Mode" or "Really Fast Mode" (CTL+F / CTL+G) is prohibited You are not allowed to use the Icons for off screen passes. Also, screen scrolling is prohibited (manually using alt/shift + arrow key to pan your view) on any side of the ball - coaches need to work with the screen as it organically appears in the game. Penalty for screen scrolling/icon passes : any positive offensive effects from the play (e.g. scoring/yardage gain) are nullified, if defense benefitted (incompletion or any turnover from the play), defense can choose to play on with that advantage, OR defense can choose for offense to spend the next play taking the ball back to prior LOS and continuing from there (in turn, with a loss of down). (And this stands even if it's an accidental icon click, for example.) No offensive player may travel >25 yards behind the line of scrimmage (unless there was a loss of possession). Penalty for >25 yards behind LOS : Any offensive gain is nullified + if defense benefitted from the play, they can play on with that advantage, OR defense can elect any combo of : a) resetting the game with ten seconds added on to what the game clock was at the start of the offending play and/or (b) a loss of down (immediately throwing an incomplete pass out of bounds) Onside kicks are only allowed in the 2nd Half if the team attempting is losing. No onside kicks in OT. Hike delay 3 seconds - please be liberal/self-aware in how quickly you’re counting + accommodate if your opponent asks Intentionally jamming an offensive player with a defender is allowed FG and extra points are allowed (Hint : it's highly encouraged to build a custom playbook to stay competitive, instead of using the default in the game. Get creative with the play editor, and if you see someone else run a play that you like, incorporate it into your own strategy! And don't hesitate to ask questions in Discord!) Overtime Rules Both teams will have the opportunity to possess the ball one time in OT. After both teams have had the ball, if the score is the same, this process will repeat again until the score is different after both teams have had the opportunity to possess. No onside kicks allowed. No sudden death (except for a defensive score like a pick 6 / safety on the first possession). One timeout per quarter (does not roll over). Both teams are guaranteed a chance to possess the ball, but possession order won't change/alternate if there are multiple possessions. If a possession is interrupted by halftime in the game, reset the possession/field position/down + distance to where you were when the new half begins. Overtime Procedure Take a screenshot to document the tied score after regulation Disconnect (it'll be as if you're restarting a new game together) Do a new coin flip (only for possession choice) Coin flip winner chooses whether to have first or second possession in OT (check the league rules so you understand the pros/cons of each choice). Both teams are guaranteed a chance to possess the ball, but possession order won't change if there are multiple possessions. If a possession is interrupted by halftime, reset the possession/field position/down + distance to where you were when the new half begins. The coach who is receiving the ball in OT first will be the coach who calls in Capital Hill. Field, weather, and rosters remain the same. Handling Glitches Due to connection instability, desyncing, or other reasons, weird things happen in this game sometimes. If both coaches can reach an agreement on an equitable common sense way to proceed, they are welcome to do so. Always feel free to pull in an LO and we'll make a ruling ASAP. It's always encouraged to record your games so you can point to your footage as supporting evidence. Known glitches: - "Quantum field goal" - field goal attempt appears good to one user (with their score reflecting that), but appears missed to the other user (with their score reflecting that). This likely results in a desync/disconnect soon after. The field goal is GOOD for BFOL scoring purposes. Submitting Results When you finish a game, grab a screenshot of the final score, and post in the 🏈-results, along with who was on each team’s roster. (Feel free to type in the list, or just take a screenshot of the home + away stats screens showing the player names - we won't track stats) Disconnections Backyard Football tends to have less reliable online play compared to Backyard Baseball. To stack the deck for your stability, it's not required, but very highly encouraged for both coaches to use a wired/ethernet internet connections instead of using Wifi/Cellular. Also, there's evidence suggesting that coaches should not click on their play more than once when selecting it. If either player gets disconnected, it's up to the winning player to decide to restart completely or continue, If players are tied they may decide together. Grab a screenshot of the current score + clock + field position + down & distance. It's always encouraged to record your games so you can point to your footage as supporting evidence. If a game continues after a disconnect, each team must calculate the remaining time left, and remember the field position and down, and distance on the play at the time of the disconnect as well as the score. A screenshot can help to log this info. The teams may then restart their games and redraft and set the down and distance then play until the time remaining from the initial game is over. If a game is disconnected/frozen, coaches aren’t allowed to change their playbooks before reconnecting/finishing the game. (In a multi-game series like the playoffs, coaches can adjust playbooks between completed games). Season Format Games are due at the end of each week on Sunday at midnight PST. Each league’s seeding will be determined by wins, then head-to-head, then in-league record, then points differential. The top 6 in each league go to the playoffs, seeds 1 and 2 will have a first-round bye, and there will be re-seeding after each playoff round. Playoff Format : all rounds before the finals are best two out of three, and the Super Colossal Cereal Bowl is best three out of five. Each game's field and weather is chosen by the higher seed for games 1 + 3 + (5), and the lower seed for games 2 + (4). Coaches will declare the field + weather for a given game before proceeding with possession + draft slot elections. The list of banned players will change each playoff round, but the ban list will not change game-to-game within a round. Coaches will have a fresh player draft for each game in the series. Playoff series will feature one collective coin flip at the beginning of game 1. The coin flip winner chooses control of draft slots or possession for game 1. The loser of the coin flip chooses control over what the winner didn’t choose. Then, instead of flipping a single coin in each of the remaining games of that series, the “winner” of that single coin flip alternates each remaining game. In the final SCCB championship round, the tiebreaker order to determine home-field advantage is: Regular Season Wins, Head-To-Head record, In-League Record, Regular Season Strength of Victory, Points Differential, Coin Flip Promotion / Relegation Before the season, coaches will be sorted into two leagues based on prior season performance, and placement in a preseason gauntlet tournament. Your placement in this season will determine whether you are automatically promoted, demoted, or need to gauntlet for your league placement next season. At this current league size, top 6 in the Frontyard League auto-qualify for Frontyard League next season. FY7 & FY8 must gauntlet to stay in Frontyard for next season, and FY9 & FY10 are auto-demoted to Backyard League for next season. The two finalists in the Backyard League postseason are auto-promoted to Frontyard League next season, and everyone else is welcome to gauntlet to earn a promotion. In-season practice / scrimmages are allowed - it's preferred to go against someone not on your schedule or that you've already played in-season, but as long as they aren't your opponent this week, it's permitted. Game Schedule Notes No one is obligated to play early, but there’s never a penalty to play earlier than your scheduled week if both sides agree - just make sure to follow that week’s field/weather/roster. Make notes/have receipts of multiple attempts spanning several days to coordinate play with your opponent (DM’s, @’s, etc.). If it’s clear that one team is making the effort, and the other team is unresponsive, that proof can be privately shared with league admins to award a forfeit. If neither side has demonstrated ample effort, a double forfeit will be issued. During the regular season, to count as sufficient effort in coordinating with your opponent (to avoid a forfeit), you need to have @‘d and/or DM’d them once on or before day 3 (Wednesday), and once again on or after day 4 (Thursday). Those messages need to include the specific days/times that you can play (or replying / specifically countering what your opponent has already offered you). The LO isn’t responsible for chasing down results - if a game is overdue (without communicating with us), we’ll use this criteria to assign forfeit(s) and move on to the next week. If you’re expecting to need flexibility for a certain week, please let a league admin know proactively and we’d love to accommodate - life happens. We’ll be way quicker to accommodate a week in advance of the deadline instead of first hearing about a conflict at 11pm on Sunday night. If a coach misses a game deadline (and is not demonstrating effort / being proactive), a league admin will touch base. If they miss a second deadline the rest of the season (or can’t be originally reached by a LO within 48 hours), the LO reserves the right to remove them from the league and/or to have a substitute coach take their place. This is a roughly 3-4 month commitment (including playoffs). Please see your season through regardless of your record.

Backyard Football Online League Rules

(Hint : feel free to use the /fun coinflip command in Discord for quick coin flipping)

Make sure to have "Enable online competitive mods" checked in your Game Options in Scumm, or you're going to have a frustrating time drafting!

Pre-Game Process / Rules
Feel free to use the BFOL Game Setup Helper to help step through the pre-game process
Before opponents log into the game, they’ll choose their players via the 🏈-draft thread (or DM) - using the below process:
Single coin flip:
-Winning coach chooses control over draft order (slot A or B) OR control over possession (which half they'll start with the ball)
-Losing coach chooses control over what the winning coach didn't select
Teams will be chosen in a snake format, so draft Slot A gets pick #’s 1/4/5/8/9/12/13, while Slot B gets pick #’s 2/3/6/7/10/11/14
Teams will be selected from a pool of available kids that changes each week - see the "Visual Stats : Current Week" tab or "Schedule" tab for each week's info
Each roster must have one kid from every tier - but they can be drafted in any order that you'd like
Since the actual game doesn’t do a snake draft, choose your players in the Discord 🏈-draft thread first, then log in to the game to draft them.
Keep in mind the field and weather for your game (see below) before dialing in. The team receiving the opening kickoff sets the field and weather and dials to call their opponent in Toughy Town / Capitol Hill.

Game Rules
Weather, Field, and Eligible Kids are randomized each week - see the "Visual Stats : Current Week" tab or "Schedule" tab for each week's info
All games are played in Toughy Town / Capitol Hill - the team that is receiving in the first half calls the visiting team from the Capitol Hill lobby (after setting the week’s field + weather)
Two time outs per team per half
Power-ups are not allowed during games - any field position/points gained from running a power up play do not count. Additionally, the committing coach must punt on their next offensive play, OR the opposing coach can call for a restart/reset to the prior down/distance/score/time [+10 added seconds if they wish].
All games must be played using a mouse
Use of ScummVM's "Fast Mode" or "Really Fast Mode" (CTL+F / CTL+G) is prohibited
You are not allowed to use the Icons for off screen passes. Also, screen scrolling is prohibited (manually using alt/shift + arrow key to pan your view) on any side of the ball - coaches need to work with the screen as it organically appears in the game. Penalty for screen scrolling/icon passes : any positive offensive effects from the play (e.g. scoring/yardage gain) are nullified, if defense benefitted (incompletion or any turnover from the play), defense can choose to play on with that advantage, OR defense can choose for offense to spend the next play taking the ball back to prior LOS and continuing from there (in turn, with a loss of down). (And this stands even if it's an accidental icon click, for example.)
No offensive player may travel >25 yards behind the line of scrimmage (unless there was a loss of possession). Penalty for >25 yards behind LOS : Any offensive gain is nullified + if defense benefitted from the play, they can play on with that advantage, OR defense can elect any combo of : a) resetting the game with ten seconds added on to what the game clock was at the start of the offending play and/or (b) a loss of down (immediately throwing an incomplete pass out of bounds)
Onside kicks are only allowed in the 2nd Half if the team attempting is losing. No onside kicks in OT.
Hike delay 3 seconds - please be liberal/self-aware in how quickly you’re counting + accommodate if your opponent asks
Intentionally jamming an offensive player with a defender is allowed
FG and extra points are allowed
(Hint : it's highly encouraged to build a custom playbook to stay competitive, instead of using the default in the game. Get creative with the play editor, and if you see someone else run a play that you like, incorporate it into your own strategy! And don't hesitate to ask questions in Discord!)

Overtime Rules
Both teams will have the opportunity to possess the ball one time in OT. After both teams have had the ball, if the score is the same, this process will repeat again until the score is different after both teams have had the opportunity to possess. No onside kicks allowed. No sudden death (except for a defensive score like a pick 6 / safety on the first possession). One timeout per quarter (does not roll over). Both teams are guaranteed a chance to possess the ball, but possession order won't change/alternate if there are multiple possessions. If a possession is interrupted by halftime in the game, reset the possession/field position/down + distance to where you were when the new half begins.
Overtime Procedure
Take a screenshot to document the tied score after regulation
Disconnect (it'll be as if you're restarting a new game together)
Do a new coin flip (only for possession choice)
Coin flip winner chooses whether to have first or second possession in OT (check the league rules so you understand the pros/cons of each choice). Both teams are guaranteed a chance to possess the ball, but possession order won't change if there are multiple possessions. If a possession is interrupted by halftime, reset the possession/field position/down + distance to where you were when the new half begins.
The coach who is receiving the ball in OT first will be the coach who calls in Capital Hill. Field, weather, and rosters remain the same.

Handling Glitches
Due to connection instability, desyncing, or other reasons, weird things happen in this game sometimes. If both coaches can reach an agreement on an equitable common sense way to proceed, they are welcome to do so. Always feel free to pull in an LO and we'll make a ruling ASAP. It's always encouraged to record your games so you can point to your footage as supporting evidence.
Known glitches:
- "Quantum field goal" - field goal attempt appears good to one user (with their score reflecting that), but appears missed to the other user (with their score reflecting that). This likely results in a desync/disconnect soon after. The field goal is GOOD for BFOL scoring purposes.

Submitting Results
When you finish a game, grab a screenshot of the final score, and post in the 🏈-results, along with who was on each team’s roster. (Feel free to type in the list, or just take a screenshot of the home + away stats screens showing the player names - we won't track stats)

Disconnections
Backyard Football tends to have less reliable online play compared to Backyard Baseball. To stack the deck for your stability, it's not required, but very highly encouraged for both coaches to use a wired/ethernet internet connections instead of using Wifi/Cellular. Also, there's evidence suggesting that coaches should not click on their play more than once when selecting it.
If either player gets disconnected, it's up to the winning player to decide to restart completely or continue, If players are tied they may decide together. Grab a screenshot of the current score + clock + field position + down & distance. It's always encouraged to record your games so you can point to your footage as supporting evidence.
If a game continues after a disconnect, each team must calculate the remaining time left, and remember the field position and down, and distance on the play at the time of the disconnect as well as the score. A screenshot can help to log this info.
The teams may then restart their games and redraft and set the down and distance then play until the time remaining from the initial game is over.
If a game is disconnected/frozen, coaches aren’t allowed to change their playbooks before reconnecting/finishing the game. (In a multi-game series like the playoffs, coaches can adjust playbooks between completed games).

Season Format
Games are due at the end of each week on Sunday at midnight PST.
Each league’s seeding will be determined by wins, then head-to-head, then in-league record, then points differential. The top 6 in each league go to the playoffs, seeds 1 and 2 will have a first-round bye, and there will be re-seeding after each playoff round.
Playoff Format : all rounds before the finals are best two out of three, and the Super Colossal Cereal Bowl is best three out of five. Each game's field and weather is chosen by the higher seed for games 1 + 3 + (5), and the lower seed for games 2 + (4). Coaches will declare the field + weather for a given game before proceeding with possession + draft slot elections.
The list of banned players will change each playoff round, but the ban list will not change game-to-game within a round. Coaches will have a fresh player draft for each game in the series.
Playoff series will feature one collective coin flip at the beginning of game 1. The coin flip winner chooses control of draft slots or possession for game 1. The loser of the coin flip chooses control over what the winner didn’t choose. Then, instead of flipping a single coin in each of the remaining games of that series, the “winner” of that single coin flip alternates each remaining game.
In the final SCCB championship round, the tiebreaker order to determine home-field advantage is: Regular Season Wins, Head-To-Head record, In-League Record, Regular Season Strength of Victory, Points Differential, Coin Flip

Promotion / Relegation
Before the season, coaches will be sorted into two leagues based on prior season performance, and placement in a preseason gauntlet tournament.
Your placement in this season will determine whether you are automatically promoted, demoted, or need to gauntlet for your league placement next season.
At this current league size, top 6 in the Frontyard League auto-qualify for Frontyard League next season. FY7 & FY8 must gauntlet to stay in Frontyard for next season, and FY9 & FY10 are auto-demoted to Backyard League for next season.
The two finalists in the Backyard League postseason are auto-promoted to Frontyard League next season, and everyone else is welcome to gauntlet to earn a promotion.

In-season practice / scrimmages are allowed - it's preferred to go against someone not on your schedule or that you've already played in-season, but as long as they aren't your opponent this week, it's permitted.

Game Schedule Notes
No one is obligated to play early, but there’s never a penalty to play earlier than your scheduled week if both sides agree - just make sure to follow that week’s field/weather/roster.

Make notes/have receipts of multiple attempts spanning several days to coordinate play with your opponent (DM’s, @’s, etc.). If it’s clear that one team is making the effort, and the other team is unresponsive, that proof can be privately shared with league admins to award a forfeit. If neither side has demonstrated ample effort, a double forfeit will be issued.
During the regular season, to count as sufficient effort in coordinating with your opponent (to avoid a forfeit), you need to have @‘d and/or DM’d them once on or before day 3 (Wednesday), and once again on or after day 4 (Thursday). Those messages need to include the specific days/times that you can play (or replying / specifically countering what your opponent has already offered you). The LO isn’t responsible for chasing down results - if a game is overdue (without communicating with us), we’ll use this criteria to assign forfeit(s) and move on to the next week.
If you’re expecting to need flexibility for a certain week, please let a league admin know proactively and we’d love to accommodate - life happens. We’ll be way quicker to accommodate a week in advance of the deadline instead of first hearing about a conflict at 11pm on Sunday night.
If a coach misses a game deadline (and is not demonstrating effort / being proactive), a league admin will touch base. If they miss a second deadline the rest of the season (or can’t be originally reached by a LO within 48 hours), the LO reserves the right to remove them from the league and/or to have a substitute coach take their place.

This is a roughly 3-4 month commitment (including playoffs). Please see your season through regardless of your record.