I don't look at this as a good thing, but we've decided to take Gibson, one of the original, post-beta testing public worlds private.  Just too many problems in the last few seasons pertaining to keeping teams competitive and the stats/results as realistic as possible.

Anyway, I'd appreciate any of the private world commish's/serious owners' thoughts and suggestions on rules that have been implemented that make HBD better and as realistic as possible.  Also, any tips for screening potential owners would be appreciated.  I'm just gathering information, so any serious comments will be appreciated.  Thanks.

Also, I'm sure we'll have a few openings at rollover in a few weeks...if you'd like to be considered for an opening, just post your interest here and we'll contact you if it looks like something that will work for us (and you).  Gibson has historically been one of the most realistic (if not the most) in all of HBD...we've slipped just a little in recent seasons but are looking to this move as a way to get back to that realism.  So please, only consider joining us if you are serious about making HBD a realistic baseball simulation experience.  If you want 80HR, 200 RBI guys...that's not for us.

Minimum win rules.   There isn't a one size fits all but I use 55/125/195/280 over 4 consecutive seasons in my worlds.   There are several variations.

As for screening, figure out what type of owner you want and stick to it.    I avoid owners with horrible records and a history of one and done(or two and done).    The best way to build a good world is to secure good, long-term owners.   And it's not easy when half the world starts yelling "WHEN ARE WE GONNA ROLL????  I'M LEAVING IN A WEEK IF WE HAVEN'T ROLLED BY THEN!!!!"   Screw that guy.  You don't need him.

Ya, screw that guy.

When screening potential owners, don't just go solely by their records, though that's a great place to start.  See what worlds they've been in, see if you "know" (in an internet sort of way) some other owners who have played in worlds with them.  Ask them what their thoughts are about the owner, is he a good owner, a good member of the world, or is he an idiot?  If you don't really know anybody in those worlds, send a sitemail to the commissioner and ask the same kind of questions ("Is there any reason that you can think of why I wouldn't want owner so-and-so in my world?")  I've always found that people will give quick and honest feedback.