Building a Playbook - Okay, the first thing you'll need is a good playbook. I have sections broken down for running plays and passing plays , but here we will look at more general rules. First of all when you are playing the computer any playbook will be sufficient to destroy them, but when you are playing a human you need to use a little bit of trickery to outwit them. Unless you know a team's playbook is really good, you are going to want to alter it before you begin a game against a human opponent.

There are 16,777,216 different playbooks you can create, but you should focus on using ones that utilize only one or two different formations. This way your opponent won't be able to get a feel for what you are doing before the play even begins. If the other guy knows you are going to run up, or do a roll-out then you might as well just not even play the down, because you will probably lose yards anyway. So don't give him any clues: don't run plays that are the only one in that formation unless you know that your opponent is so bad that he can't stop it even if he knows it's coming.

Roll-Outs - Do NOT use these against teams with players like LT or Derrick Thomas, or you are in for a world of pain...and there's nothing worse than having a play (or perhaps two) that you know you can't run during a game. Essentially if a team has a quick enough defensive player, once they realize a roll-out is being run they will get a sack before you have a chance to even really control the QB. If used in combination with a run in the opposite direction that begins being run exactly the same way (eg T Power Sweep R and Pro T Waggle L) then you can sometimes pull these plays off well, often with men wide open. Just know your opponent, and set these plays up by using that other run quite often.

Flea-Flickers - Football purists don't like them, and you shouldn't either. These plays are slow-developing and, like flea-flickers, can leave you open to huge losses, and in this case fumbles. Against any intelligent opponent, when they see a flea-flicker coming they will hit your QB before the ball gets pitched to him, and a fumble will result. This is NOT GOOD. If you are daring enough to use one of these types of plays, make sure it is set up well. The best, I think, is T Flea Flicker, since you can use the run (T Cross Run L) and reverse (Reverse Pitch L) that go with it. You can confuse the defense into chasing everyone except the QB with this play, and have guys wide open downfield. But even when well set-up, this play is dangerous against quick defensive players.

Reverses - I personally like reverses, but I don't use them a lot. They can be good if you have a really fast WR. You should have a run that matches it, so that your opponent tries to cover the run in one direction, and then has to run all the way across the field to get to the receiver with the ball once he realizes what is going on. Again, a quick defenseman can often get to the second handoff before you can do anything about it, so know your opponent. If you're looking for a play that can really throw a slow opponent off, though, these can be used for that end.

Play Action - I personally love these. If you have a good running team, you can just keep pounding the ball at the defense, and then throw one of these in once you've baited the opponent into thinking you're going to just stick with the ground game. He'll try to predict where the runner is headed, then he'll have to adjust once he realizes the runner doesn't have the ball. This will, hopefully, leave some guys open downfield...it definitely will if you have lured your opponent into picking a run play to defend. Again, player like LT can throw a monkey wrench in the works, as they can often get to the fake-handoff before you have a chance to do anything, so beware.

Motion - There is really no point to motion plays. All they do is reduce the possibilities of the play that you are running to your opponent. On top of this is you accidently choose any of the plays Washington runs as part of your playbook, you may have motion (or more accurately formation rearrangement) in a play and not even know it. The only thing I like is you can have two plays which are complete opposites (like Slot Z Drive and Slot Offtackle). If you run one a lot, sometimes you can really convince your opponent that you're going to be running it and have him bite on it when you run the other. The problem is, unless this play is being run effectively on a consistent basis, this is tough to pull off and can really limit your options if it's not working.

Bread and Butter Plays - Something I like to do is pick a few plays that I really like running, or that I know will be effective with a particular team, and then build the rest of the playbook accordingly to ensure I only use one or two formations. It's always good to have a play (like Pro T Flare D) that you can keep going back to, and sometimes get off even if they pick your play. If you have one or two plays that work consistently it makes a world of difference in your gameplay.

Scrambling - One thing you should do on pass plays, particularly long ones, it rollout on your own before you pass. You can create the threat of scrambling, and force you opponent to stay on-screen to prevent you from running (especially with teams like Philly). If you successfully spread the field with your receivers you leave your opponent in a situation where he has to decide to cover deep or stay around to contain. Doing this regularly will force the opponent to pick pass defenses, which should then bolster your running game. Either way, there is really no harm in rolling out (on your own), and should be done whenever appropriate.

The Unused Play - One system which can be really effective is to have one reserve play that you pretty much never run. Your opponent will eventually stop picking it altogether...usually. Then when you get into a jam, pow you run it, knowing full well your opponent hasn't picked your play. This often works well with reverses, and sometimes flea-flickers, too.

The Bomb - It's usually good to incorporate a bomb into your playbook. Know in advance you won't be able to use it if you're losing at the end of the game. In that situation your opponent will usually repeatedly call it, to make a sort of prevent defense. This will allow you to run any of your other pass plays. Beware, this can backfire. Your opponent can often fool you into thinking that he will just keep picking that play, and then go to your next longest pass play to call. This can really screw you, so be careful.

One Defenseman - Always remember you are really only playing against one defenseman, your opponent. The rest of the players are drones, and you can predict exactly how they will act. What you need to do is manipulate how your opponent acts by your play-calling. Once you get him doing what you want him to do then the game should be cake. Play to the fact that they only have one smart guy, and spread the field whenever possible.

Picked Plays - One of the most interesting aspects of Tecmo is the 'picked play', when the defense guesses what play you are running and become superhuman. You should try to avoid having this happen whenever possible, as your play will usually be doomed for a loss. Picking opponents' plays becomes a very important part of Tecmo. On third down you can end a drive, before third you can limit your opponent's options. Although often it's not obvious, the number of picked plays by players can be the difference in a lot of games.

Try to get a feel for what your opponent's favorite play is, and call it often, but not always. Some people like to pick one play all game, but I say this is wrong. Of your opponent knows what play he can't run, then he knows he has seven other plays he can safely run. If you pick his favorite play and he runs it, you can scare him out of running it, but you should still pick others so that you can still get some picked plays, while your opponent will hopefully continue to be scared to run his number one play. Some people say always call pass plays, and this is good because you will always have guys in coverage, but sometimes against a powerful rushing game this is not a legitimate strategy. It usually just takes getting used to, it's hard to pick a run defense once you've been smoked on a long pass when picking one earlier in the game, so just be cautious, and only call running plays when you are pretty sure that's what your opponent has to, or at least really wants to go to in a certain situation.

The picked play dynamic of the game is great. It adds a lot of strategy and mind games to Tecmo. If you picked his play, is he going to run it again right away because he doesn't think you'll pick it again since it was unsuccessful. What if you pick it twice in a row? He wouldn't run it again, would he? Well he's thinking the same thing about you. It's great! Sometimes you just get into a rythm, always one step ahead of the defense, passing on their run defenses, running on their pass defenses. Play picking is one of the greatest and most important aspects of Tecmo, and its strategy should always be beared in mind when playing. Know what implications the play you pick has for the current play, and for what your opponent will call on future plays.