M17: Custom Playbook Rules - (Season 3 Test run)

After much debate on the subject of custom playbooks (CPBs) over the past couple years, we have decided to give CPBs a trial run next season so that we can make an informed decision on them as a league going forward.

We will be going with a conservative and restricted approach for the CPBs in order to ensure they don't have too much of an effect next season while we try them out. If you don't want to use a CPB, that is fine. You can continue using any team playbook you want next season.

If you want to try a CPB out next season, please adhere to the following rules:
- Only offensive playbooks can be customized. Custom defense playbooks will not be allowed initially.
- The base playbook must be a Team Playbook. Scheme playbooks like 'Pistol' or 'Air Raid' are not allowed.
- Members may add 1 Formation plus 1 additional Set OR just 2 Sets to their offensive playbook. For example, if your playbook doesn't have Pistol and Strong formations you can only add one of them. If you have for example Pistol formation you can add the set "Pistol Trips" too.
- Offensive Playbooks must all have between 5-7 Formations not including Goalline and Hail-Mary. There are 9 customizable Formations in Madden: full-house, I-form, Near, Pistol, Shotgun, Singleback, strong, weak and wildcat. Goalline and Hail-Mary are on top and cannot be eliminated. If your base team playbook has more than 7 formations you must delete some to get down to 7.
- Each Formation needs at least 10 Plays (except Goalline, Wildcat, Full-House, Near and Hailmary)
- Plays, Custom Audibles and Play Tendencies can be changed at any time
- Custom Playbooks can be changed once during the season but must be submitted for review and cannot be used until after approval

Process for Creation and Approval of Playbooks:
1. Create your PB in Madden

2. Release your CPB in the dedicated CPB Thread in the forum (CPB Thread will be posted later)
- 2a. Name your Base Playbook
- 2b. List all Formations
- 2c. List added Formations and Sets
- 2d. List deleted Formations and Sets

3. Upload your Custom Playbook in Madden-Community on PS4
- Naming Convention : SMLE_CityAbbreviation (Only 10 characters allowed)
- Example: 1) SMLE_MIN
- Playbook Description: Please include your PSNID and the base Playbook Name in your CPB description (Description allows over 40 characters) - Example: SMLE_brza37_Eagles_CPB

4. Updates to sets and/or formations must be posted in the CPB thread then uploaded to the community on PS4 and approved before use.

Control Process:
1. Through the CPO (Custom-Playbook-Officer) – @MeisterEder69
- 1a. Downloads CPB
- 1b. Compares with the information in the forum
- 1c. Controls whether playbook allows sim/rule-based play (ie. not just the same 10 plays/concepts in 6 different formations)
- 1d. If everything is ok then it will be approved in the forum

2. Random checks - Random checks of streams will be made to ensure no changes were made to the CPB after approval

3. Notifying the admins about rule violations ( Brza/Warrior/LTown/Bish )
- Immediate 1 game suspension upon first violation
- CPB ban after multiple violations

Obligations of CPB-Users:
- Must get the playbook approved before using
-  Must be in-line with sim play and all other rules of the league
- ALL games must be streamed if you are using a CPB (not just home and CPU games)

CPB-Timeline:
1. Playbooks should be submitted for approval by the end of the regular season so that there is enough time to review all playbooks before next season

2. Approved CPBs will be allowed for season 3
- Late entries will be approved on a first come first serve basis and may not be approved before season 3

3. After week 12 of season 3 a poll will be posted to vote on the future of CPBs.
- If an overwhelming majority liked the allowance of offensive custom playbooks we will continue with them for season 4. If so, another vote will take place in Week 14 of next season to decide whether the majority also wants to allow defensive CPBs in season 4.

CPB Tutorial
MeisterEder prepared the following tutorial on how to create custom playbooks to help guide anyone who isn't already familiar with the process:


Also, a special thanks to Eder for offering ideas on how we can test out CPBs as well as volunteering to taking on complete responsibility for the approval and control process. His CPB will be controlled/approved by the admins.

I am sorry to say but I never saw custom playbook what is not full with the cheesy plays.I think it is a very bad decision. Higway for cheesy plays and make the gap even bigger between teams.

Read it again,  you can only add 2 more sets.

How I understand it the initial deadline would be next Sunday? would be good idea to get the thread started

Has anyone else had the problem that Madden just renames formations in costum playbooks? 
For example, the Singleback Ace in my base PB got renamed to Singleback Big without me changing anything in that formation. The plays are still all the same, just with a different name of the set.

Yes most formation names get changed kook, no way around it.

Whilst we are introducing this new idea can we reinforce the rule of people showing playbooks before starting a game?

It is getting more and more uncommon for people to show playbooks.

Bigjimmyaston wrote:Whilst we are introducing this new idea can we reinforce the rule of people showing playbooks before starting a game?

It is getting more and more uncommon for people to show playbooks.

Why do you start the game before your opponent shows his PB?

Because I can sit there for ages!

Send your opponent a message. I've done that. A matter of a minute.

It's a matter of principle and should be done without the need for a PM.

Xipie wrote:How I understand it the initial deadline would be next Sunday? would be good idea to get the thread started

Sorry the wording in my post isnt right. Each team should start their own Thread under this Category like Eternal did for Dallas. That makes it easier to lookup and keep track of. 
Sorry for the confusion.

No worries, thanks

I need to check

I'm sure we covered part of this before but I'd like to clarify if possible (as obviously the thread cant be access to re-read  )

Firstly I'm sure its possible but my knowledge is too limited I believe (even with Meister's video) but I'm sure you all said it was possible to "download" the other custom playbooks uploaded to the SML right? 

If that is so then in reference to the rule "Must get the playbook approved before using" I assume wont apply as its not my playbook and it would have already been approved by the commissioners meaning it can be used? That's if I choose to use one though haha

I was meant to ask this last week but it completely slipped my mind, if that isn't allowed I would have sat over the weekend trying to figure that out but seen as the top post says before end of regular season I guess I'm f**ked now anyway 

Bartell wrote:I was meant to ask this last week but it completely slipped my mind, if that isn't allowed I would have sat over the weekend trying to figure that out but seen as the top post says before end of regular season I guess I'm f**ked now anyway 

You can still create a playbook. It just needed to be posted before the end of the regular season to guarantee it would be reviewed before the start of next season. Based on the limited number of CPBs posted its still quite possible that you can get your playbook reviewed/approved in time. The deadline was just to ensure that 30 CPBs weren't uploaded for approval a day before the regular season and people get upset with @MeisterEder69 for not reviewing them all in time.
If you haven't submitted a CPB yet you can still do that at anytime. There's just no guarantee about when it will be reviewed/approved now.

Thanks Brza

What about the questions on my other post? lol

Yes Bartell you can use ET'S   custom book

Well that's not cool is it 

Am I getting this right that people with no custom playbook, can freely choose any valid book inc. all approved custom books and people with a custom playbook can only use their own custom one?

Err, no, that can't be right. If we've alluded to that we need to re-evaluate. Can't happen.

If we could have some clarity on the CPB situation like Xipie and I have described that will be good 

Is it;

A) anyone can you any of the CPB available in league. 
B) if you have a custom play book you can only use your own
C) if you don't have a CPB then you can only select stock PB from the available teams 

Sorry I'd just rather be clear on this. I need to know if I need to suddenly develop a CPB and submit quickly haha

I thought it's all costum playbooks all available to everyone, plus the team specific PBs

I'm looking back through my notes and threads I saved before everything was deleted at the old forum. Will post an answer by this evening.

Can I download a play book from Madden under custom play books? If not, I won't be ashamed to use someone's who has already created it!