How to play Draft Party

What is Draft Party?

You run one team. The rookies are fictional and generated at random each game; you pick them by abilities, potential and records. After they sign, everyone watches several seasons of stats, standings and head-to-head results together. A game takes about 15–30 minutes. In random match, CPU teams join if there aren't enough players, so it starts quickly. In a friends room you can also play “Choice mode”, where the host prepares the options in advance (for example, everyone in your class). In Scout mode, each participant first raises their own player through three years of high school (6 training choices). Form and luck change the results, and training the same stat repeatedly can unlock a special skill. The raised players join everyone else's and the CPU's in the draft, and if your own player is still undrafted in the final round, you can draft it yourself.

1st Round: simultaneous bids and the lottery

In Round 1, every team secretly bids on a player at the same time, and the bids are revealed together once everyone is in or time runs out. If teams chose the same player, there's a lottery: the tied teams take turns drawing a face-down slip, and everyone opens them together. Only the server knows which slip wins, so everyone's odds are equal regardless of draw order or slip. The winner gets the negotiation rights; the losers bid again on another player. If they tie again, there's another lottery, until every team has its rights.

Round 2 and later: waiver order

From Round 2, teams pick one at a time. In Scout mode the team with the lowest previous-year rank goes first; in Choice mode the order drawn at random in Round 1 is used. Round 3 reverses it, Round 4 goes back, and so on. A player (option) that has already been picked can't be used again. In a friends room you can choose 15, 30, or 60 seconds per pick, or unlimited time.

What does "Pass" mean?

Pressing "Pass" means your team makes no more picks. Running out of time counts as a pass too. The draft moves on to the contract talks once every team has passed or the final round is over.

Contract talk results (signed or refused)

After the last round, each pick goes through “Negotiating…” and then the result is announced. In Fun mode 90% sign and 10% refuse; in Realistic mode 99% sign and 1% refuse; with No-refusal everyone signs. The server decides, so nobody can tamper with it. A refusal gets a red stamp. In Scout mode, some players are “Major-bound”: they tend to be top-rated but refuse more often (40% in Fun mode, 10% in Realistic), so even winning the lottery doesn't guarantee a signing. For players raised by participants, the owner decides whether to sign or refuse (no answer means they sign). When signing, you also choose a plan: “play now” means lots of games from year 1; “develop slowly” means few games in the first 2 years but bigger growth later. The thinner that team's group at his position, the more he plays.

Scout mode and the season review

In Scout mode you pick fictional rookies by their abilities, potential and records. The abilities are the scouts' estimates and can differ from reality; high-schoolers tend to have more potential, while university and corporate players are closer to ready. Players who sign grow over several years while every team plays the same number of games against every other team. You get yearly standings, head-to-head records against every team, titles such as batting champion and wins leader, Rookie of the Year, each player's hit-or-miss verdict and draft grades. Everyone watches the results together and reacts with stamps and quick phrases. There's also a mode where the host registers the players. The season review starts with a “predict the champion” round and ends with a comment from the owner. It moves on when everyone presses OK or when time runs out. From Round 2, the pick order is the reverse of last year's standings (weakest team first), just like the real draft.

Themes, icons, room codes and reactions

In a friends room the host can set a theme, or everyone can vote for one (for example, “Favorite food”). Each team gets an original emblem at random, and you can pick another. You can also use your own image in any room (it's shrunk on your device and isn't kept on the server). Rooms can be entered with a 6-character room code, too. During the game you can react with stamps, quick phrases and chat. Only if you switch on “Share this player with the world” after training, the player's name, stats and achievements are kept for 30 days (up to the latest 1,000) and appear in other people's drafts as a “world player”. Your team name and device info are not stored, and inappropriate ones are removed by reports. You can see how often your shared players were drafted on the top page.

Friends rooms and random match

A friends room is entered with a room code (6 characters) or a link. It never starts until the host presses Start, and the host sets the mode, number of teams, rounds, time limit and whether players can refuse. Once your friends are in, the host can make the room public so strangers can join. Random match uses Scout mode, groups players who use the same language, and after 20 seconds CPU teams join so the game always starts. “Any room” joins whichever open room is available, and “Browse open rooms” lets you see each room's rules before you join. Chat is available in every room during the game (picking, lottery, contract talks, season review).

Reporting and safety

Because words typed by other players — team names, chat — are shown, inappropriate words are filtered automatically, and chat messages and images have a Report button. When you report one it turns into *** on your screen, and when two people in the room report it, it's hidden for everyone. Reports are deleted together with the room's data after the game. Your own image (icon) can be used in any room, but an inappropriate image can be reported with “⚑” and is hidden for everyone after two reports. In random match and public rooms, an emblem is shown instead on the lobby and results screens, which carry ads. When a host registers players' names, abilities or options — including real people — that content is the host's responsibility.

FAQ

Q. Is it free? Do I need an account?

A. It's free and needs no account. Just open it in your browser. Ads may be shown.

Q. I can't hear any sound on my phone.

A. In silent mode, sound effects and reading aloud may not play. Music is off by default. You can change it with the speaker button at the top right.

Q. What if my connection drops?

A. Open the game again on the same device and browser to rejoin as the same team. The game keeps going even if the host leaves.

Q. Can I pick real people's names?

A. Words that hurt others aren't allowed. Scout-mode players are fictional, but in a friends room where the host registers players you can enter real names (that content is the host's responsibility). This game has no connection to any real league, team, or person.

Q. What if the game stalls in unlimited mode?

A. The host sees a "Skip this team" button. Also, a team that stays disconnected for 60 seconds automatically passes.

Q. Can I chat with strangers in random match?

A. Yes, during the game. Words that aren't allowed are blocked automatically, and you can report unpleasant messages with “⚑”. When two people report one, it's hidden for everyone. Chat isn't shown in the lobby or the results screen.

Q. Are the Scout-mode players and stats real?

A. No. Players are randomly generated each time, and the stats are a simulation based on their abilities. They have no connection to real players, teams or results. Players raised by participants are fictional characters too, just named by their owners.