How has the addition of personalities changed your booking?

[lazorbeak]

One of the biggest changes present in TEW 2008 in my opinion has been more developed personalities. In 2007, we pretty much just had free spirit's occasionally no-showing and some bad attitude types that would refuse to job to people without complaining. Now, in addition to those issues, we've got the whole backstage aspect and events following shows surrounding workers with bad attitudes. So my question is: how does that change your booking approach, if at all? Do you still push a guy with talent to the top, knowing he has a bad attitude? Would you reward a guy with limited skills because they have a good attitude? Does the promotion you're running change your answer? For me, personality has always affected the way I pushed certain workers. I still hold grudges against guys like Elmo Benson who were "free spirits" under the old system, which meant they sometimes didn't show up for work. I booked an SWF game recently where Akima Brave went from Shooting Star champion to perpetual jobber (when he wasn't suspended) because of behavioral issues. Of course, in the same game, I wasn't nearly as harsh on Remo, since he had recently signed an expensive extension and he was lined up to win the title as part of his new contract. I guess my usual style is to give the workers at the top a little more slack, just because they're the ones that are actually drawing money, but if a guy that isn't over or is otherwise replaceable comes in with a bad attitude, he ends up gone as surely as Teddy Hart or Kid Kash.

[Bigpapa42]

So far, I'm just really much more careful about giving a young guy a heavy push so I don't negatively affect their personality.

[Foxcutter]

Well, I'm not sure if this is personality-related, the increasing popularity of my fed, or most likely a combination of the two but two workers (Amber Allen and Tamara McFly) instead of negotiating the standard nine-month contract that all my other wrestlers opt for, have asked for full year extensions instead -- saying, essentially, that nine months was too short a time for a contract with my, now regional, organization. Of course, because of that, and knowing that they're going to be with me for the long haul, I push them more. The reason why I wonder about the personality aspect in these dealings is because other wrestlers, who are just as nice and loyal personality-wise, still only ask, and will only accept, the standard nine month contract. I had to let Melody Cuthill go because she felt AAA wasn't big enough for her anymore but yet Amber Allen and Tamara McFly, who are even more over than Cuthill was at the time of her departure, still want to deal with me and stay. *Shrugs* Not sure what's going on there but they both get a cookie. :) Foxcutter.

[1PWfan]

Speaking personally, it's more about talent and ratings. I don't push young talent, but that's mostly because I don't like putting them over established names much.

[Self]

My booking is largely the same. I book guys I like strongly, based largely on pictures, entertainment skills, and whether I can think of something for them to do. As for the consequences, inflated ego's, pushing flaky guys... I let the drama come. I encourage fights backstage, failed drug tests, key figures in this week's main event going AWOL. I like the drama. I like having fires to put out. If everything goes right, I get bored and sorta wander off.

[FINisher]

I really try to avoid signing arrogant and egoistic people. I try to keep the backstage atmosphere harmonous, but on the other side: When the atmosphere is bad, fights etc. are bound to happen. I've experienced that some workers may result being Loyal to you if you fire the troublemakers etc.. :)

[Derek B]

I generally sign whoever I want and only later realise that I've signed up a couple of locker-room cancers. I have to admit I've got lucky in my diary game though as I only checked after my second event to see what my locker room is like and only have a couple of guys who are negative, with them not really being an issue anyways. Yay for me! :)

[Phantom Stranger]

I'm setting up a (third) diary game, and because of the personality system I've deliberately signed a couple of skilled cancers just to see how things go.

[machinesxe]

I used to cut the guys who had problems.... Then I realized that some of them have talent and can go places. In my first APW run I booted Rick Stantz after 3 chances. Now as I am running a new game and after seeing what others do with him I have decided to run this like we are the Cowboys. We will hire anyone with any name recognition even if it is because they cause controversy. Also I will push you to the moon if your picture looks bad ass and you’re a talentless fool….Vaugh……Hell I am the Vince McMahon of Australia.

[Condors]

Is there a ref that doesn't cause problems that can work in the USA? I routinely hire guys that are bad and at some point start jobbing them when i know they will not resign with me. I also sign guys who are good locker room guys because they are good guys and will try to push them given a choice.

[James Casey]

Chad Brent and Pee-Wee Germaine seem decent enough. Chad's pretty pricey, though - for a smaller company, anyway.

[The Masked Orange]

Do what I do, if they misbehave fire them, then you never have backstage problems. It hasn't worked, it's only pissed off the people they were respected by and friends with, but I can fire them too. And I can fire their friends, and their friends...

[ThriceP86]

I repeatedly got backstage incidents where Sister Beth caused fights with other random BSC girls. The first time: I gave the fatherly approach. The second time: I gave her a fine. The third time: I clicked to fire her, but it gave me a couple days to actually have contract negotiations to fire her. (This is new to me) So when it came time to fire her, I actually didn't. And now Lindsey Sugar is loyal to me. Sister Beth hasn't caused a scene in the next six months. :D I like to have a harminous locker room but I don't mind having to deal with the backstage drama. Like Self stated, I like to have that kind of challenge but I also don't necessarily feed off of it to enjoy the game more. Yeah, I don't know if that makes any sense but that's how I deal with the backstage stuff.

[Remianen]

[QUOTE=ThriceP86;507110]I repeatedly got backstage incidents where Sister Beth caused fights with other random BSC girls. The first time: I gave the fatherly approach. The second time: I gave her a fine. The third time: I clicked to fire her, but it gave me a couple days to actually have contract negotiations to fire her. (This is new to me) So when it came time to fire her, I actually didn't. And now Lindsey Sugar is loyal to me. Sister Beth hasn't caused a scene in the next six months. :D I like to have a harminous locker room but I don't mind having to deal with the backstage drama. Like Self stated, I like to have that kind of challenge but I also don't necessarily feed off of it to enjoy the game more. Yeah, I don't know if that makes any sense but that's how I deal with the backstage stuff.[/QUOTE] I'm very much the same way. Like, I have favorites (Lauren Easter and Fuyuko Higa and Yori Toyoshima could burn the arena down - literally! - and I wouldn't even call them on it. Ogiwara, Hike, Brazzle, and Christy Higgins as well) and with a few exceptions, I push them consistently. Mind you, that doesn't meant Jesus Push (Yori hasn't risen above midcarder in two years, and won't until her intended tag team partner and future nemesis is ready to be called up), it means they're consistently booked to be strong workers worthy of adulation and respect. Again, that doesn't mean title holder either since I believe a truly strong worker doesn't need a strap to validate them. Personalities have changed the way I look at certain workers (like Kristabel Plum is a main eventer for me - prior to Personality Plus, I wouldn't even consider hiring her "free spirit" ass). I was on the verge of giving the Randy Orton push to the child of a DAVE alumnus but scaled it back when I noticed her 'humble' slider was beginning to inch over into the wrong direction. I've been lucky enough to make the right choices in the "incident minigame" so that I've minimized the number of malcontents and even converted a few (Aria Moore, for example). I do think the loyalty mechanism has a bit of a loophole that might need closing (Thrice basically detailed it in the post above). Or perhaps I've just been really lucky/fortunate to have the same thing happen six times in nine occurrences. Overall, I find myself paying a lot more attention to pace. Pace of push, pace of development, pace of progression. There were times in 05 and 07 when a worker would go from Opener to Main Eventer in a year or less because I wanted them at the top of the card. They'd go from storyline to storyline, title to title, and just shoot up. Now, I have to temper that and make stops at each card level and throw some losses on workers (in-ring losses and storyline losses) to keep them level before moving them up. As a result, most of my storylines now have more of a "slow burn" feel to them rather than a "California Wildfire" one.

[titlebelt]

Does the game know if you have a tough attitude as Head Booker? Like, will suspending or firing someone send a message throughout the lockerroom that you are a disciplinarian or is it mainly a case-by-case basis?

[infinitywpi]

I've found quite a few jobbers who I can't believe find work... I mean, picking on another jobber is one thing, but raggin' on a champion? Or the road agent? Some things just get you fired...