A list (under construction) of the many kinds of themes that are popular throughout the Strat-O-Matic Baseball Online community. Note that few, if any, are formally supported by the SOM Online game website; details and rules of each league are usually worked out via message board discussion on the SOM Online forums.
Note: If you'd like to add a theme that qualifies under more than one category, place it under the most relevant category.
Goal-based Themes[]
Franchise-based Themes[]
2 team theme - A 2 round live draft of teams. Each manager ends up with 2 seperate team rosters to choose from to form his/her team only using players from those teams. Must use one of the stadiums of the two teams. This theme works best in the single year games (20XX, 1986, 1969, etc)
Anti-two team. Same rules as 2-team, except the 11 other managers picks the 2nd team for each pairing. Straight draft in each round, not serpentine.
Franchise Across The Years (FATY) - 2 team theme league where you keep the same two franchises for 1969, 1986, 70's, 80's, and 200x leagues. Any combination can be used based on the scope of the league.
Player-type Themes[]
i.e. LH pitching only, $3M and under players only, etc.
One Player from each team. Recently tried in the 2007 season. 31 round live draft. 30 players and a unique stadium. you must select only one player from each team.
- Blacklisted - The league's managers each select a predetermined number of hitters and pitchers that are NOT allowed (e.g., 15 hitters, 8 pitchers), which then often eliminates the most popular, highest priced, and best value players from the player pool. Then there can be either a live or auto draft from the remaining pool.
For Mystery Card games - Decade (or Double Decade) league - Using the first card year of the 5 possible cards as the player's "rookie" year and the last carded year as his last year before retirement. Starting in 1971 (or 1981 for the 80's game) and using all players who have a first card of 1971 or before. You keep your players from year to year losing players as they "retire". Before each new season you hold a rookie draft of new players who's first card is for the upcoming season usually done in reverse order of finish for the just finished season.
- Alphabet Theme -
Basics are as such, you go in order of the alphabet and pick a player whose last name starts with that letter. Say if player 1 starts with A, he must pick a player whose last name starts with an A. Then Player 2 has to pick a player whose last name starts with B, etc etc. When you get to Z you go back to A. Of course some letter have no players, or very few. There are also 2 types of passes in this theme, letter pass and free pass. You get unlimited letter passes but only 2 free passes. You can only use one of any type of pass per turn, i.e. one letter and one free, not 2 letter. Letter pass is passing on a letter you have already drafted. For instance take Player 1, say in round 4 A comes back to him. Since he already drafted an A he can letter pass up to B. Free pass is just that, a pass to use anytime to skip to the next letter. You have to be careful not to go over the cap, especially if you get stuck on a letter with few choices. Adds and drops after the draft can only be done letter for letter, i.e. A for A, no A for B. This applies to trades as well.
- Wildcard Draft -
12 round draft using staggered draft order. Every round one of each position must be chosen: C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, LF, CF, RF, DH, SP, RP, WC (wildcard). Each person only has 1 wildcard choice for the draft and once used cannot be used again (12 rounds, 12 players, so 12 WC one each). You can however choose any other position multiple times. You can choose any player that plays the position you pick, it does not have to be their main position.
Salary cap / Roster Management Themes[]
- Keeper Leagues
- Progressive salary cap