Editor's Note: This article was originally published in June 2010. We are bringing it back in archive form for your convenience.

It happens every year around this time. Another intrepid individual dares to become the architect of his own fantasy league. Whether the idea was his or hers alone, perhaps as a result of years of frustration of playing under someone else's rules, or if it was planted there by somebody else and grew like a virus until there was no choice but to take a leap of faith that everything would work out in the end, there is one vital thing that needs to be learned by any potential fantasy commissioner: have a constitution.

A written set of rules is essential to the success of even the most casual of fantasy leagues. It heads off the vast majority of disputes and cuts down on most of the grief, making the whole experience far more fun for both the commissioner and owners alike. A constitution keeps the league from entering a limbo from which there is no escape. So what is it that stops most people from crafting a constitution? Fear and insecurity.

Many people incorrectly believe they have to produce a document that would make the founding fathers proud or that they must produce page upon page of cleverly worded rules to cover every single possible situation that might arise during a fantasy season. Not so. All you need to do for your first season of play is answer a few simple questions.

Your league's constitution doesn't need to be as involved as the U.S. Constitution, although maybe a good one could be in a museum one day. AP Photo/Ron Edmonds

Question 1: Why are you playing?

Is the primary purpose of this league to have fun? Is it to keep in touch with some college buddies? Is it to give you and your coworkers something to talk about away from the office? Is it to try to win a lot of money? Why did you start this league? Give your league a name and a brief mission statement.

For example: "This is the constitution of The Insert Name Here Fantasy Football League. This league exists in order to add an extra element of fun to the daily drudgery of working for Really Lousy Company Inc."

Congratulations. You've just written the first section of your league constitution. Do your best to stick to the spirit of this opening salvo.

Question 2: Who will be playing with you?

If you're thinking about starting a league, you probably have a few folks in mind to play with you. How many? Who are they? That will give you an idea of how many teams you will have in your league. Remember, there's no need to go hunting around for warm bodies just to fulfill some preconceived quota. It's far better to start small with an intimate group of owners who are gung-ho about the idea of playing all season long rather than loading up your league with people who will drop out just as soon as you ease up on the arm-twisting.

"The Insert Name Here FFL consists of 12 owners. For the 2010 season, these owners are Cobb, Arthur, Ariadne, Eames, Saito, Yusuf, et al."

Question 3: What makes up a roster of players?

How many players will each team draft? Will your league be made of players from the entire NFL? You can certainly limit your player pool to "guys from the SEC who were drafted in odd-numbered rounds" if you like, but remember, the more owners you have, the bigger the player pool you'll need to stock rosters. Finding an appropriate balance between each owner having a never-ending supply of Pro Bowlers to choose from and needing to know the names of practice squad kickers in order to compete successfully can be accomplished with a simple sentence:

"Each team of The Insert Name Here FFL will have 17 players on its roster, coming from any team in the NFL."