Block Exchange (BLX) is a weekly league of 24 teams, with one team of each race. Coaches choose their team during a live IRC auction, where each coach's bid reflects the number of assistant coaches and cheerleaders he will keep on the roster at all times. The league should tend toward balancing itself through strategic bidding by the coaches involved, with the strongest teams carrying the highest amount of TV bloat in the form of coaches and cheerleaders.

THE LEAGUE:

Teams will be broken up into four Divisions of 6 teams each. Play will consist of a round-robin Fiscal Year (season), divided into four Quarters. Each team will play all other teams during a Fiscal Year of 23 weeks. Awards will be given for Quarterly performance, within and across Divisions, and a Block Exchange Fiscal Champion will be determined at the end of each full Fiscal Year season.

Coaches are expected to commit to playing an entire season. Coaches who fail to complete at least one 5/6 game Quarter will not be allowed to return to the league. Acceptance into the league may be based on a coach's previous experience; veteran coaches may be given preference based on a proven track record as a reliable league coach.

The Divisions are:


NWSE - New World Slaver's Exchange (New York)
NETR - Nippon Eastern Trade Route (Tokyo)

LMG - Lyonesse Merchant's Guild (London)
EMP - Empire Market Papierbörse (Frankfurt)

THE AUCTION:

Teams will be selected by a moderated live auction process using IRC. Coaches will take turns, in an order selected by the commissioner, nominating teams to bid on. All coaches (who have not already won a team through bidding) then have the chance to bid, in real time, on the nominated team. Bids reflect the number of Assistant Coaches or Cheerleaders (or combination thereof) that the winning coach must keep on his roster at all times. The minimum opening bid will be 10K. When two coaches place the same bid on a team, the first of equal bids takes precedent. Bids must be made in whole units of 10K, though there is no limit to how many 10K increments a coach may raise the bid.

Auction example:

(Coaches A, B, C, and Moderator.)

Moderator: Coach A, you're up. Nominate a team and give an opening bid.
A: I nominate Wood Elves. Opening bid is zero.
B: 10K
C: 20K
B: 50K
A: 80K
B: 100K
C: 100K
Moderator: 100K going once...
Moderator: 100K going twice...
C: Drat! Anything over 100K just seems too high for me. They're all yours, guys.
Moderator: SOLD to B for 100K!
A: Haha suckers! Wood Elves are for noobs!

In the above illustration, Coach B has won the Wood Elf team, and must create his team with no fewer than 100K spent on Assistant Coaches and/or Cheerleaders. These additional staff MUST REMAIN on his roster, and cannot be fired to reduce TV. Now Coach B will have to prove that those Wood Elves are worth his investment!