[Michigan Joe]

Vince,
Your feedback as someone coming in new is very interesting and as you can imagine this topic has been discussed and attempted. My recommendation to you is to follow the MFCA and you will see unity. Unity doesn't mean the same set of rules, but it does mean a common goal. Don't get caught up about getting one team for all occasions, it would be great but there are many real factors out there that won't make that happen, at least in the near term future. Some people don't like custom figures for game play, some people play multi-stop, some people like 4.0 weighted, some people like traditional Tudor factory weight, there are so many different flavors. I thought the best analogy I saw was when Ravenna AL compared it to the multiple styles of playing poker, they all are great. The MFCA has tried to create a platform for knowledge on various rule sets to simplify things for newbies but there is clearly much work to do (and volunteers needed to do it). The point of being in the hobby is to have fun for yourself, so if you plan to play solitaire YOU make all the rules. If you play with others then you need to find common ground. There is no almighty ruler in the world of MF so any kind of commonization is almost impossible. Find the people you want to play with and sync up with them on rules, etc. That is my recommendation for you to enjoy the hobby the most. And YES, go to a tournament to meet more people and that will be a great experience.
Joe