Some general observations:
1. Don't try to write a bunch of rules at the same sitting, trying to cover every situation. It can get discouraging. I got to the point where I was writing just one rule per day to preserve my sanity. My base set eventually consisted of 28 offensive and 28 defensive rules.
2. Remember that, with rules, the top rule takes precedent over all those under it. So, if you are going to have an "exception," make sure your "exception" is on top of your "general rule." For example, here are a couple offensive rules from one of my former teams:
As you can see, I wrote one rule to run 100 percent of the time inside my 10-yard line. But, if I was losing in the last 5 minutes, I wouldn't want to do that. So I wrote my "exception" for the last 5 minutes of the fourth quarter and put it above the "general" rule for inside my own 10 so that it would take precedent in a late-game scenario.
3. You will eventually want to make a spreadsheet like I did. It helps prevent your rules from conflicting as they accumulate.
4. I always put in my own yards to go, location on field, etc., rather than "short," "medium," etc. The reason you write rules is to gain a greater degree of control rather than letting the AI run your team.
5. For the location on the field and yards to go, always remember to include the 0 yard line and 0 yards to go. You will see this every now and again: "Smith completes a pass to Jones to the Minnesota 0." So, when the next play begins, the AI will be looking for your rule for plays from the 0-yard line.
6. I would first set up rules for specific important offensive situations: inside your own 10, inside opponent's 5, losing late (long pass), winning late (run). For defense, I would first set up rules for specific important defensive situations: winning late, third-and-long, vs. 104 and 014 formations, vs. 005 formation, etc.
7. I would then set up a rule for each down-and-distance situation. I give them titles by the situation, but I don't use MFN's definition of "long," "medium" and "short." For instance, I might have a first-and-long rule (7-30 yards), first-and-medium rule (4-6 yards), and first-and-short rule (1-3 yards). On defense, I do the same thing, but make one rule vs. run formations and one rule vs. pass formations for each situation.
8. Nos. 6 and 7 above become your default rules. As time goes along, you will want to add rules against certain formations or certain opponents based on their tendencies. The results of your scouting homework will determine whether you need to write a new rule. If your opponent is going to pass out of the 113 every time, you need to write a rule to play nickel/dime/quarter with pass key against 113. Then, if your next opponent always runs out of the 113, you just deactivate that rule for the next game and activate your "run vs. 113" rule.
9. The last piece of advice is that you will need to do a play audit before writing your rules. That is, you will need to go over the plays you are using, delete those that are not working, and either replace them or go with a smaller playbook. If 113 HB Strong Inside is only averaging 1.8 yards per play, either delete it or replace it with, say, 203 Shotgun Dive. If you do this after you have set up your rules, you will need to remember to change the frequency with which you utilize 113 personnel to smaller number and 203 personnel to a larger number.
I know this sounds like a lot. But, remember, this is a dynasty game. You didn't join MFN for immediate gratification. Build solid rules and, over time, you will notice dividends.
