From biglenr:
I get a free team if my theme league fills? Ever since the sim changed the reward for theme league creation from $5 to $12.95, many new people have gotten into the game of building theme leagues. Some of these themes are great new ideas. Others are repetitive junk. How do you make your theme league stick out?
This is just one mans opinion. I've created, filled, and ran at least 50-60 theme leagues. By no means am I the most prolific creator, but I think I know what I'm talking about.
I have two pieces of advice to start with:
1) - If the only reason you're creating a theme is to get a free team, stop here. It's a lot of work to do this right, and unless you feel you really need to see a certain idea come to light, you're probably wasting your time. Theme leagues are hard to fill for most users. With the amount of time you will spend trying to fill it, you'd make more money working at a McDonalds. In China.
2) - This is a HORRIBLE time to start creating new theme leagues. The forums are over-cluttered with half-built themes struggling to fill. Unless you have a compelling new idea, it is likely that your theme will struggle too.<DIV class=post-body>
Ok, so if that didn't turn you off, read on....
So, you still want to create a theme league?
Well, here's the minimum you should decide and publish in your first post describing the theme league.
1) The most important factor is the idea. What are you trying to accomplish? A Franchise theme? A tribute to Jackie Robinison? An all Red Sox theme? A Left-handed power hitter theme? Whatever it is, let people know the purpose of the league. Sell them on the idea, and try not to do the same thing that is already active. (ie: If there's already an all Reds theme, you don't need to start a new one). Sometimes, something simple like an open league at a different cap works, but you have to be at the right time and the right place for YOUR league to be filled like that. When describing the league, try to be funny, or at least interesting. You're selling your concept here.
2) - The salary cap - What is it? $40m? $160m? You decide, and let everyone know up front. Each cap has it's own afficiandos and haters.
3) - DH - Let people know up front whether or not there is a DH. Some owners love it, others hate it, some (incredibly) are neutral.
4) - AAA - WIll there be AAA players? How many sets of hitters? Of pitchers? Of what quality (random, below average, average, above average). When deciding about AAA, think about the impact on the league. If you put below average AAA in a $120m league, you have little impact. On the other hand, if you're putting above average in a $40m league, you just made half the leader board AAA players.
5) - WW - Will the waiver wire be active or not? Having it active allows people to adjust their rosters, but enforcing special rules can be VERY difficult.
6) - Trading - Will you allow trading? Any exclusions to trading (ie: trading of AAA only, no trading of franchise players, etc)?
7) - SLL - Some people hate SLL, others love it. Let people know what to expect right up front.
8) - Stadium restrictions? Ban Coors or Safeco? Allow only modern stadiums? Unique stadiums?
9) - Realignment - Will the league be randomly aligned? Done by owner ranking? Done Geographically? Some other way? Tell everyone NOW, don't wait.
===============
Now that you have the basics, think about the special requirements of your league, and write the rules CLEARLY. Please specify what happens for violations of the rules. Also, think carefully about loopholes.
When building the rules, think three things:
1) - How will I monitor this rule to ensure it is complied with?
2) - Can I use the theme league wizard to enforce this rule? Maybe, for simple ones. Don't let this be a deciding factor, but if you can use the wizard, you might as well use it. Calibrate your rules to match the settings of the wizard. (ie: if all pitchers must have a minimum HR/9 rate, and the wizard is calibrated in .25 increments, select .75 instead of .80 for the minimum)
3) - What penalty will be imposed for violating this rule?
If you have any exclusives players or franchises, how will they be selected? First come, first served? By lowest owner ranking? By random order? By the way, it is EXCEPTIONALLY bad form to take the first pick as the league founder. I've seen too many league founders declare "Greatest team league, I'll take the '27 Yankees" or similar choices. Wait until half the owners (at least) have picked.
Consider NOT spamming people you don't know with your league. I've never once considered joining a league where I've received an invitation from someone who hasn't been in several leagues with me. In fact, it turns me off enough that when I search through the forums for leagues that interest me, I purposely pass on any created by people who I remember spamming me.
Some general suggestions:
1) - As the founder, you're the party host. It's your job to make sure that everything runs smoothly, and that everyone has fun. Remember, owners have a choice of what leagues they want to play in, you should thank them for choosing yours.
2) - Unless you have some truly outstanding original, and interesting ideas (very rare, I can only think of 2 guys this might fit), you probably should wait until you have played 20-30 leagues before you start your own theme. By that time, you'll have built a reputation among owners who play in similar leagues, and they might welcome a sitemail from you inviting them into your league. I can't stress the importance of your rep enough. Someone like Schwarze or Pennquaker can fill a league in a day, most newbies can't fill a theme at all.
3) - Especially at first, limit your efforts to one theme at a time. Some creators have 7-8 themes filling at a time. It might work for them, but other owners may resent them monopolizing the forums.
4) - NEVER advertise your theme in the main Sim league forum. It's really bad form, and it clutters the area. Think about what the forum would be like if every theme had a thread there...
5) - Consider whether or not to make your league private. If it is private, you fill it up in the forums, if not, it fills partly in the forums and partly via the theme league list. Each has drawbacks and advantages, but you'll probably need to try each to find out which works best for you.
6) - One other thing, don't be wishy-washy. If you made your choices for a good reason, don't change them just because one owner wishes them changed. Don't leave important things like the salary cap or AAA up to a vote. Make your decisions up front, and unless you have a good reason to change them, stick with them.
Ok, I've typed enough for now.
Remember, this is just one man's opinion, but I've been getting tired of seeing theme leagues without anywhere near enough information for me to decide if they are interesting or not.
Good luck.