unclerowser wrote:What is the Shifting Sands theme?
That's a league where each participant picks a rule/ theme when they sign up for the league, and everyone's roster has to be in compliance. The potential themes are virtually limitless- they can relate to baseball history (examples- every team must have a member of the 1962 Mets, start a Rookie of the Year, have at least 2 Washington Senators), they can relate to stats or strat ratings (for example, no players with more than 50 homers, all outfield arms 0 or worse, must start a 4-rated SS), or generalized miscellaneous details (for example, each team needs a World War I veteran, a father/son combo, batting orders in alphabetical order).
A lot of the fun comes in planning the draft card, to identify players who satisfy multiple tough-to-fill categories. Also, because the themes apply cumulatively, sometimes a player who looks like a great fit after the first few categories is eliminated by a subsequent category. For instance, the first player might declare that each team needs at least 2 lefty starters, but Josh Gibson could be taken out of commission if, for example, the tenth player declares that all catchers have to be lefty hitters.
It's generally understood that one rule can't completely eliminate another rule. If player 3 says everyone has to play in Fenway, another player can't require everyone to play in a Negro League park.