Diary Preview Thread

[Self]

Frankly I don't think every GDS game needs its own separate Dynasty forum. One for the Wrasslin' Booking games. One for the MMA games. One for everything else. All neat and tidy like.

 

So, in summary, go nuts. You're a story guy, so it shouldn't make a difference.

[foolinc]

Frankly I don't think every GDS game needs its own separate Dynasty forum. One for the Wrasslin' Booking games. One for the MMA games. One for everything else. All neat and tidy like.

 

So, in summary, go nuts. You're a story guy, so it shouldn't make a difference.

 

You speak the truth.

[Bigpapa42]

Definitely not. When I read a person's diary I don't give a rats about the ratings of the segments. I like seeing and hearing wrestler skill development, but at the end of the day to me its about having an enjoyable, intriguing story. keefmoon wrote an unbelievable WWF diary ... without a sim at all. I was concerned that the randomness of the world TEW throws up would affect his story, but he made enough incidents to keep it very realistic. My diary is TEW05 because I find it easier to book off it, can't explain why, it just suits my style (or lack thereof?) better.

 

As Zoolander would say, do it. Do it!

 

 

Good to hear. And I think that last statement kind of sums it up - EWR feels like it fits better with the style I want to do with this.

 

Not for me, but just as a suggestion, consider running a couple of months of gametime as a non-WWE company before you commit to the diary.

 

I don't know if you've been playing EWR alongside TEW, but I can't imagine moving back (I can't imagine moving back to '05, for that matter). Although EWR had its plus points, I just don't think I could work within its limitations (not the least of which is the two brand limit).

 

That said, if you do go for it, then we want a clear delineation between Raw and Smackdown, cruiserweights, real tag divisions and a Jimmy Yang* megapush. Such, after all, is the way that all WWEWR diaries go...

 

* replace Jimmy Yang with 'underrated' roster member of your choice

 

I have played with EWR some, but not tons yet. I will definitely "mess around" more before I fully commit to this path, if its what I decide on.

 

I never played EWR before about two months ago. I only came into the wrestling-sim world with TEW07 at the very end, just before TEW2008 came out. Its funny - I couldn't go back to playing 07 after playing 08, and 2005 hasn't appealed to me either for that reason. And I know with other sim games - such as Football Manager - going backwards is almost impossible. Perhaps its because I didn't play through them in sequence like so many people, but they seem different enough for me that EWR doesn't feel like a more limited version of the same game so much as a different game that is simply more simple.

 

The version of EWR I am using (4.2???) has the option to use up to 4 brands. So it does fit all three. I do feel limited by things like no B shows, I can't figure out if it shows the champions of other promotions, etc. So yeah, it does feel limiting in some ways. But there is also a bit of a feeling of discovery, which I don't have with TEW08 anymore. There are definitely things that I miss from TEW08. But that's also a good thing.

 

With TEW08, I end up being more concerned with "gaming" than I want to be. With the SWF, every show was booked with careful attention to tested chemistries and the repeat match penalty. I think those things are also in EWR, but it seems to be to a lesser extent. It seems like the margin for error is smaller in TEW - in EWR, I booked a show that got a 66%, which would have been the equivilent of a C+ show in TEW, and my popularity still went up. So while I realize the limitations may be an issue to some extent, so is the comparative complexity of TEW08.

 

BTW, I think my Jimmy Wang Yang substitute is going to be Mike Knox. Or Jim Duggan. Or maybe Jamie Nobel. One of them, anyway....

 

Frankly I don't think every GDS game needs its own separate Dynasty forum. One for the Wrasslin' Booking games. One for the MMA games. One for everything else. All neat and tidy like.

 

So, in summary, go nuts. You're a story guy, so it shouldn't make a difference.

 

That was my thought. And I think using EWR let's me focus on that more, anyway. Thanks Self.

 

Haven't decided anything for sure, but its nice to know readers would still be cool with the idea. Thanks folks.

[Bigpapa42]

I'm still toying with this WWE idea. And I'm still wavering constantly between TEW and EWR. I had pretty much settled on using EWR, then fiddled with TEW again and remembered how much nicer the flexibility and detail is.

 

The downside is that I think its going to end up playing out much like my SWF game. Not so much in the roster bloat (hopefully), but with a lot of really over workers, thereby making really good grades relatively easy. Even with an intentional effort not to protect a group of main event stars like I did with the SWF, I still think I'll end up with a lot of main eventers at A* overness like my SWF diary game. Just playing through the first month, I've seen a number of upper midcard-level talent jump up quite a bit in a short time. Good, but it makes the game quite easy. If I do use TEW, I might do away with segment and match grades for the reports....

 

I don't expect anyone to have an "answer" for this rant, just felt like expressing it regardless.

[foolinc]

I'm still toying with this WWE idea. And I'm still wavering constantly between TEW and EWR. I had pretty much settled on using EWR, then fiddled with TEW again and remembered how much nicer the flexibility and detail is.

 

The downside is that I think its going to end up playing out much like my SWF game. Not so much in the roster bloat (hopefully), but with a lot of really over workers, thereby making really good grades relatively easy. Even with an intentional effort not to protect a group of main event stars like I did with the SWF, I still think I'll end up with a lot of main eventers at A* overness like my SWF diary game. Just playing through the first month, I've seen a number of upper midcard-level talent jump up quite a bit in a short time. Good, but it makes the game quite easy. If I do use TEW, I might do away with segment and match grades for the reports....

 

I don't expect anyone to have an "answer" for this rant, just felt like expressing it regardless.

 

EWR has that problem too BTW. You just haven't played it enough recently to remember.

[Bigpapa42]

EWR has that problem too BTW. You just haven't played it enough recently to remember.

 

Yeah, I've read that its pretty easy to get talented workers over. With good skills, and especially if they have good charisma, just put them in matches against other good workers and you will see them climb due to good matches. I think the difference is that having it happen in EWR doesn't feel just like my SWF game, where doing it in TEW probably would. Eh, I'm way over-thinking this. Should just delight the readers and keep going with the SWF...

[The Mystery]

Well I had experience with EWR almost years ago before switching to TEW. Actually I thought it was awesome and for my thought, the stats are just that awesome and ya could actually get easy grades there. Plus I loved the charities and the finances and all that stuff especially the merchandise sales in what percent of who could make the produce more money with merchandise etc. etc. And with the scouting notes, medical and overview, yeah those were great. Good ol' times.

 

I find quite amazing playing the game and finding good stories to it.

 

I really think, like Self does, that there should be one diary/dynasty section for everything GDS or even EWR related.

[The Mystery]

On other cases, I'm a WWF (Not E' but somehow possilbe) bound fan and I've been playing with the 1996 RW mod and I've been playing around with the WWF (obviously) and my how amazing it was seeing WWF not fall just like what I am doing with my diary. Bad grades I suppose and I was thinking of switching. Crazy thing I know but what the heck. Suppose I could pull it off but it'll be a sacrifice however.

[James Casey]

My problem with EWR was that any RW stats update seemed to have overpowered stats to a greater or lesser degree. It was certainly possible to go through and fix them, but I never really bothered.

 

It was interesting to get a copy of another player's savegame that had been running for 2 or 3 years on a relatively ancient DB, and see how low certain workers' stats (Kidman haveing a low 70s for Aerial comes to mind) were in comparison to what they would have been in a later update once people have argued the case for them to be that much better.

 

I tried a game once with a Cult fed and it was perfectly plausible to bump up any worker's popularity by 15-20% per month, and probably more, just based on one well-booked feud, if you knew how to exploit the feud mechanics *Potential cheat whited out*(13 points, with one or more point in all four categories for both sides, if memory serves).

[Bigpapa42]

My problem with EWR was that any RW stats update seemed to have overpowered stats to a greater or lesser degree. It was certainly possible to go through and fix them, but I never really bothered.

 

It was interesting to get a copy of another player's savegame that had been running for 2 or 3 years on a relatively ancient DB, and see how low certain workers' stats (Kidman haveing a low 70s for Aerial comes to mind) were in comparison to what they would have been in a later update once people have argued the case for them to be that much better.

 

I tried a game once with a Cult fed and it was perfectly plausible to bump up any worker's popularity by 15-20% per month, and probably more, just based on one well-booked feud, if you knew how to exploit the feud mechanics *Potential cheat whited out*(13 points, with one or more point in all four categories for both sides, if memory serves).

 

Yeah, the subjectivity of skill ratings is one of the problems I've always had with any real world mod. I have no idea what it always bothers me so much, but I can almost never download a RW mod and just begin playing. I end up having to spend time editing things so they fit my perception, even though it probably isn't necessary.

 

That's a beautiful thing about the CornellVerse. It is not subjective. You cannot really argue the skills. The CV God (Adam) decreed that it should be thus, and so it is.

 

The fewer stat is one of the things I like about EWR. Less subjectivity. In theory. Though as I think about it now, fewer stats means that the effect of those stats being "off' is greater.

 

I've spent some more time playing the cobbled-together, Frankstein RW mod. It plays quite nicely, but I'm now worried some of the adjustments I made might have been overboard. I tried to model things after the CV in terms of wh at a major SE promotion would expect for Performance skills. The match ratings are okay so far but not outstandingly amazing. I'm putting on B and B+ shows, which is what's required to maintain the E's size, so maybe they are accurate. Overness gains have been notable, though. Legacy, MVP, and a couple of others have jumped pretty quickly. It think its from angles and storylines more than anything, and they are involved with. I'm playing through September currently and have kept things true to what happened so far, in terms of shows and feuds.

[Bigpapa42]

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WWE/Media/TheMark.jpg

 

The Mark

Volume 1

September 2009

 

They say it was epic.

 

They say it was an all-timer.

 

Of course, "they" say a lot of things.

 

It never has been and never likely will be confirmed. But there is simply something too deliciously fun about the image of the first-family of professional wrestling having an all-out brawl like a pure white trash brood. Of course, the simple fact that it is so amusing makes it unlikely to be true. It is most likely the delirious invention of some keyboard warrior... like myself...

 

I have been a fan of professional wrestling for more than 30 years now. I have not followed consistently through that entire period, as there have been stretches where I barely followed. And I was honestly little more than an inattentive kid in those early years. Like so many others, I can thank my father for breeding a love of wrestling into me. I can thank him for that, much as I can thank him for my receding hairline.

 

The one constant through all those years was the WWF/WWE. I have watched plenty of other promotions, but the E was always there as my first choice. As young as I was, I remember when Backlund lost the belt to The Iron Sheik. I was a Hulkamaniac. When I left and came back, it was always coming back to the vision of Vince McMahon. When other promotions, big or small, caught my eye and drew my attention, it was always just a temporary thing.

 

Through the first half of 2009, I found my attention waning again. The product just appealed to me less and less. The PG era, so maligned by Internet fans, was the cause. It was not the lack of naughty language nor the taming of the Divas. It was the short title reigns, the lack of blood, the simplification of characters and storylines. Simply put, the WWE product was no longer aimed at me. They were worried about hooking the 8 year old kid that lives down the block, not me. I put up with it for awhile, but it started to wear on me. I gradually realized I was spending more effort complaining over what I disliked about the product instead of enjoying any of it.

 

By mid-year, I would have bet that this mark would no longer be watching the WWE by the end of 2009. Whether it was another temporary absence or the end of an era in my life, it seemed unavoidable. Then something happened... The heel turn of CM Punk.

 

The turn itself was the dream of every mark – this Mark included. It was more than Punk turning heel – it was him doing so in a very well-booked turn. Not a Hogan-level epic heel turn, but the kind of good and drawn-out booking that I ceased to expect from the WWE anymore.

 

That was not the only “good” thing happening in all of the three brands at that point, but it stuck out. There was also the tag team division getting some attention, with Chris Jericho and Big Show as champions. The return of D-X did little for me, but they put on a really good match with Legacy at SummerSlam, with Triple H and Michaels making Rhodes and DiBiase look really good. At Breaking Point, Legacy actually went over the veterans. What was going on?

 

I liked where things were going again. Not that everything was suddenly perfect – Raw still felt like a mess, with the guest host thing annoying me endlessly. At least I was doing more enjoying and less complaining.

 

So what does all of this have to do with a likely-fictional argument of the McMahon family?

 

Well, the rumor about the fight said it was everyone – Shane, Stephanie, Linda, Paul, and even Shane's wife – against Vince. The topic was simple – the degree of control that Vince still maintained over everything in World Wrestling Entertainment. They all wanted him to cede some control. Especially on the creative side. The beneficiaries of that would be Stephanie and Paul – aka Triple H And possibly the fans...?

 

That is the worst nightmare of most marks – Triple H with more power.

 

Did the fight really happen? Is the upturn related to Stephanie and Triple H having more creative power? The rumor popped up at the start of the summer, so the timing would actually coincide with things making a turn for the better, too.

 

Maybe Triple H running World Wrestling Entertainment wouldn't be the worst thing...?

[Astil]

*thumbs up*

[Zeel1]

Definately gonna be following you when and if you go with that, BP. But just a tad slice of advice - feel free to have fun with Superstars. I haven't gone very far with WWE in my TEW games, but I swear, that is my favorite show to book. I make it out to be a kind of "dream match" show, focusing almost entirely on cross brand matches. Not all of them are huge matches, just interesting match-ups, that you wouldn't otherwise see. And the lack of needed story involvement makes the booking all the more free. I thought I could have some fun with making it a bigger show, but I never realized just how much potential it could have if made into a bigger part of the programming.

[Imarevenant]

Who Needs Class?

The Redemption of Shane Sneer

Chapter I: Rock Bottom

 

July 2009

 

He woke up to that familiar feeling, the contents of his stomach sloshing back and forth like a boat lost in an oceanic storm. Tasting that first hint of iron in his saliva he cursed the recent rut he let himself get into. He strained to open one eye, letting himself adjust to the sliver of sunlight peeking in through the small space where the window curtains failed to overlap.

 

Head cloudy, his joints creaked and ached as he sat up, a movement that immediately sent the room spinning. An expert at navigating the clothes and other debris strewn about the once spotless room, the spinning only momentarily slowed the man on his way to the bathroom.

 

Upon entering the small featureless room the man threw himself down on the ground resting his head on the cool seat of the toilet. An act that not too long ago would have made him cringe was fast becoming a morning ritual. He spat into the bowl his mouth full of saliva he knew the moment was finally upon him. His stomach tightened into a solid ball and his body wretched as he forced the thick yellow liquid from the bowels of his stomach. He shook his head at the site of the bile he had strewn up, once again he had failed to drink enough water or eat any food whatsoever.

 

As he stood he grabbed a tissue and wiped the spit from his lips. It was at this point that Shane Sneer caught his first glimpse of himself in the mirror. Once a very distinguished looking older man, Sneer now sported a thick graying beard and the dark circles and drooping baggy eyes gave him the appearance of a man 10 years his senior.

 

The last year had definitely taken its toll. Once considered a cult icon within the pro wrestling community, Sneer had embarked on a series of events that would leave not only his professional career but his entire life in shambles. Painted as a villain and used as a scapegoat, Sneer watched his career go down in flames. The conventional thinking was that wrestling was all Sneer had ever known and his subsequent “blackballing” from the industry sent him into a tailspin of depression.

 

The truth however, was that Shane Sneer was an incredibly egotistical and prideful man. Starting over in a new industry or beginning anew in the wrestling community never caused any trepidation for the man. No his suffering came from the fact that he'd allowed himself to be vulnerable and the person he'd grown to trust used that vulnerability to stab him in the back. The fact that he had let anyone get over on him the way “she” had was something Sneer could never move past. He had never let anyone get that close to him before and the feelings of failure, anger, and betrayal that ate at him as a result of those events, led him down the dark and lonely path where he now found himself.

 

His head still aching, Sneer ambled his way over to the desk and the slightly out of date computer. Never one to embrace technology he had found that in order to stay on top of the wrestling industry it paid to have access to luxuries such as standard e-mail. As he waded through the usual spam offering penis enlargement, easy women, and hidden viruses which had become the norm for him, one piece of mail caught his eye.

 

The subject heading simply read “Southern Class Championship Wrestling.”

 

Shane immediately felt the lump in his throat upon seeing the SCCW name; knowing that this was no longer his company. The rights having been sold shortly after his exile from the industry, the profits from the sale had sustained him during his recent unemployment. The reminder that he'd have to give up his pet project still didn't sit right with Shane, even if he never truly had plans for the company.

 

Now, more than a bit curious, Shane clicked on the message.

 

Shane Sneer,

 

First I would like to say it was a pleasure doing business with you last year. The purchase of Southern Class Championship Wrestling was made an efficient and painless process by both you and your lawyer. I would also like to ensure to you that the SCCW name is being treated with the respect and sense of history it so rightfully deserves.

 

My reason for contacting you at this time is because our company Southern Championship Wrestling will be paying respect to it's predecessor SCCW with the unveiling of both the SCCW Championship title and the Southern Class Cup this weekend at the Huntsville Arena. We would be thrilled and honored if you were to attend this event as your name is synonymous with the South East wrestling tradition. We here at SCW understand your current standing within the industry and thus want to ensure to you that every precaution will be made to ensure your comfort and that we will not ask you to appear in ring or on camera at any point.

 

However, we would very much like to meet with you to discuss and gain your insights concerning the current wrestling landscape and to inquire about any current or future plans you may have within the industry.

 

I thank you for your time Mr. Sneer and we hope to see you in Huntsville this Saturday at 7:00PM.

 

Jack Avatar

 

Southern Championship Wrestling

 

Shane closed the email and smirked to himself. He had wondered who had bought SCCW, in truth his lawyer handled all the proceedings, Shane had only been involved when he was told it was time to sign his name to the papers. He had heard a small bit about Southern Championship Wrestling but they were only a very small regional promotion at the time he was forced out of the industry.

 

Shane pushed himself away from the computer; one thought in particular sticking in his mind. "Any current or future plans you may have within the industry;" Shane's quick temper taking over for a second he thought this was just another veiled dig at his status in the industry but more and more the tone of the message suggested that those thoughts were unfounded. Still after more than a year in exile, there was no chance a door could be opening up to him of all people--could there?

 

He stood and made his way to the kitchen, that one phrase still flooding his mind. He grabbed the bottle of bourbon and began to pour a drink. Finally he laughed out loud to himself, "Don't be stupid Shane, there's no way in hell someone would give you another shot". Raising his glass, he sighed:

 

"Another day at the office."

 

 

 

 

 

So, is this too "Wall of Text"? Is it too long winded and would it discourage readers from sticking with it at all? There would be two much shorter entries before I get straight down to booking shows, roster movement, and all that jazz. Would greatly appreciate any opinions you all may have about it.

[James Casey]

So, in the line of putting some ideas out there for people which I personally will never (probably) use:

 

-- Dixie Carter fires Vince Russo for some contrived/perfectly logical reason. Possibly he's been sleeping with Kurt Angle's cousin once removed by adoption or something. His replacement is someone who knows nothing about TNA but knows a bit about wrestling in general. Cue several weeks of confusion as the new booker tries to work out what Cody Deaner is for, who Raisha Saeed is (with help from Cheerleader Melissa) and so on. The shows then settle down to become somewhat coherent, but like a persistent virus, Russo keeps finding a way back...

 

-- Jim Cornette is hired by WWE to (storyline) oversee the Women's division, leading to the unification of the Diva and Women's titles at WM. I'd like to see this just because I think Jim would make a great figurehead who could play it absolutely down the centre (and on all three brands).

 

-- A totally kayfabe diary, taken to the extent of dealing with the off-screen repercussions of on-screen actions (How do wrestlers cope with the beatings they take each night? Why do mortal enemies wait until they're in the ring to sort out their difference?) from the point of view of the GM/equivalent.

[Self]

-- A totally kayfabe diary, taken to the extent of dealing with the off-screen repercussions of on-screen actions (How do wrestlers cope with the beatings they take each night? Why do mortal enemies wait until they're in the ring to sort out their difference?) from the point of view of the GM/equivalent.

 

Love it. Something I've wanted to explore with my work, the "realities" of wrestling life, but I tend to get bogged down in "Ugh, two more promos to write by tomorrow. WHERE'S MY BOOK OF WRESTLING CLICHE'S???"

 

What Rules? Kayfabe Rules!

[Bigpapa42]

Definately gonna be following you when and if you go with that, BP. But just a tad slice of advice - feel free to have fun with Superstars. I haven't gone very far with WWE in my TEW games, but I swear, that is my favorite show to book. I make it out to be a kind of "dream match" show, focusing almost entirely on cross brand matches. Not all of them are huge matches, just interesting match-ups, that you wouldn't otherwise see. And the lack of needed story involvement makes the booking all the more free. I thought I could have some fun with making it a bigger show, but I never realized just how much potential it could have if made into a bigger part of the programming.

 

This is how I ended up using the B show in my SWF game - a bunch of midcard matches, a few tag matches, and a then fun cross-brand main event. Its how I would end up getting a B+ grade on the show every so often. But I tried to be careful, because I didn't want to throw two guys into a match on there just for kicks, then have one switch brands and have them feuding, creating myself a repetitive booking problem.

 

I don't want to go too overboard with it, because I do consider it a B show. And if I'm putting a bunch of top-caliber matches on there and getting great grades, its not helping at all. If you switch it back to an A show, you lose the benefit of having a B show...

 

-- Jim Cornette is hired by WWE to (storyline) oversee the Women's division, leading to the unification of the Diva and Women's titles at WM. I'd like to see this just because I think Jim would make a great figurehead who could play it absolutely down the centre (and on all three brands).

 

I'm thinking about doing something like this for the Divas if I do go forward with the WWE diary. I hadn't really considered Cornette, as he was still under TNA employ when I first started plannning. But that certainly makes for an interesting idea...

[jwt13]

http://www.greydogsoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?p=709553#post709553

Hey this is my new diary. I know I've done alot of them and have not kept them going but I would like you all to give me another chance I've taken a month to plan this out and have the first five months booked out. I also have a new match write up format that I need to know what everyone thinks.

 

Thank you

JWT13

[falling_star]

What if there were some 'short term' or 'pass the torch' style diaries that deal exclusively with tournaments? (I'm going to use C'Verse only in my examples, but this could easily apply to real world as well).

 

For example, someone would start a thread called 'PGHW: The Elite Series' or 'The Rip Chord Invitational'. There would be some time to build-up the acutal tournament itself, and time to explain any pre-tournament stories that might factor in (did someone get screwed out of a spot by another competitor in the Invitational? Is someone hoping to get a title shot by winning the Elite series?)

 

A writer would only post the tournament, however long or short-winded they like, and once the winner has been declared someone else will step in and run their tournament. These could be run specifically for the diary, or be taken from a personal game (I'm sure people will love to see who is in, and who wins, tournaments in the future).

 

Anyone interested?

[Self]

I think Short Term diaries are a great idea. Wrestling is traditionally such a continuous thing that diaries try to be long-running, but inevitably they all eventually die, mostly due to burn-out or boredom, often leaving storylines unfinished and character arcs incomplete. I'm sure on some level it makes the writer feel like a failure, and that's not cool.

 

If, however, a writer was just going to do a single tournament, with a definite end point, I feel diaries would be more satisfying to read and would give writers a genuine feeling of accomplishment. Successfully completing a task. Victory.

 

I'm not sure about the "passing the torch" idea, but if I were ever to do another diary after the Frontier Combat Kingdom dies, it would probably be a tournament or Short-Term-League.

[Bigpapa42]

I think Short Term diaries are a great idea. Wrestling is traditionally such a continuous thing that diaries try to be long-running, but inevitably they all eventually die, mostly due to burn-out or boredom, often leaving storylines unfinished and character arcs incomplete. I'm sure on some level it makes the writer feel like a failure, and that's not cool.

 

If, however, a writer was just going to do a single tournament, with a definite end point, I feel diaries would be more satisfying to read and would give writers a genuine feeling of accomplishment. Successfully completing a task. Victory.

 

I'm not sure about the "passing the torch" idea, but if I were ever to do another diary after the Frontier Combat Kingdom dies, it would probably be a tournament or Short-Term-League.

 

I would have to agree. The short-term diary is under-explored idea. Even if is just doing one particularly feud in a given promotion, I think it could be worthwhile and interesting if done well.

[Slim Jim]

*ring*

 

…

 

*ring*

 

…

 

*ring*

 

“Alright. Alright, I’m coming.” I muttered as a hobbled over to the phone.

 

*ri--* “Yes?” Not the friendliest greeting I’ve ever used but then at 3AM on a Tuesday morning I’m not generally in the best mood. I quickly woke up when I heard the voice on the other end of the line. “Richard… what can I do for you? … You did what? Christ, yeah, I’ll be there. … I don’t care, you can tell me later. Have you seen the time? … No, I don’t want a nightcap. See you in twelve hours, Rich.”

 

Richard Eisen, long-time insomniac and late night scotch drinker, had just fired Peter Michaels as SWF’s head booker less than twenty-four hours before a live show and less than three weeks before the Nothing To Lose PPV. And now he wanted to see me. Fantastic…

 

I had long been the guy to handle Richard’s long-winded rants about the problems with the wrestling industry, and the people that were out to harm his company. He came to me when John and Tommy nearly got us shut down overnight. He came to me when Jillefski kicked up a ****storm over his contract. And he came to me when he was worried Queen Emily would go public about their affair when she left in 2006. Yes, I have long been Richard Eisen’s go to guy, in the ring and out of it.

 

Recently he had become more and more unstable and insecure about his product, with TCW and USPW catching on in the States and the Stones and DeColts north of the border, not to mention the Japanese surge. Sam Keith had been sacrificed after the abysmal “SWF Election” and now, for whatever reason, Peter Michaels had followed him out the door just a few months later.

 

I suspected now was going to be the moment he handed the book over to Jerry, and what a disaster that would be. He’s a good kid but he has no idea how to run the company yet.

 

I took a seat in the restaurant booth that had become known as his table and waited. On the dot of 3PM he marched through the door, pausing briefly to let people admire his frame with the sunlight beaming past either side to give him an almost majestic glow. There was no doubting that whatever “it” was, Richard had it. We shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, as the waiter took our drink orders, and then quickly got down to business.

 

“When are you coming back?”

 

“Five… four months at best. To be honest, if I could have lon--”

 

“Too long. I need you back tonight.”

 

“Richard, I can barely walk, there’s no way I can get in the ri--”

 

“I don’t need you in the ring, Christian. I need you on the committee. I need someone I can trust in there, and Jerry sure as hell isn’t ready. You saw when Garcia turned face a couple of weeks ago? That was his mastery, and it went down like a lead balloon…” I drifted out of the conversation, sensing a long-winded rant, and starting pondering how Jerry could ever have thought turning one of the most entertaining and successful heel characters face would be a success… and it didn’t help that he’d given him Jack Bruce’s gimmick from six years ago. Not only that but he turned DuBois face on the same show and killed his momentum… still, I was surprised Richard was being so frank about his son’s inadequacies as a booker. “And another thing, you know he leads the booking of the tag division? Well, have you seen the Biggz Boys at all since Freezes Over? What the hell is he thinking?”

 

“It’s ridiculous, Rich. He’s a smart kid but I just don’t think he gets this business.”

 

“Exactly. He has his mother’s brain, not that she can spare it.” He guffawed at his own joke, and I let out a wry smile. The Eisens had a combustible marriage to put it lightly, and Rich rarely missed a chance to crack a joke at the old lady’s expense.

 

“Let him stick with the ad campaigns and the website. Get some new heads round the table.”

 

“That’s why we’re here, Christian. I want you to be the new head booker. I should never have let Keith go. The man knew wrestling but someone’s head had to roll. Michaels, he’s just a two-bit dime-a-dozen announcer, what was I thinking?” That wasn’t true and I’m sure he knew it but when you have Duane Fry, no one else will measure up convincingly anyway, “I need the old-guard around me. You, Roberts, ‘Nygma, Eagles, Deacon…”

 

“John.”

 

“No. I’ve told you how I feel about him.”

 

“You can’t deny he’s got a great mind for the business.”

 

“Oh yes, and how are DAVE doing?” A cheapshot but Nemesis’ failure was something he privately revelled in. I sometimes wonder if there wasn’t more to the story than he lets on… maybe Nem tried it on with a young Eric Eisen. “Now do you want the job or not?”

 

And there it was. The million-dollar question.

 

As I walked into the booking meeting, Richard pulled me aside. “Look, Christian, I know the ink isn’t even dry on your new contract but I’ve decided to let Jerry handle the next two shows and the pay-per-view. Deacon will be on hand all the way, and as usual I’ll be hands-on with the pay-per-view. The first show after Nothing To Lose is all yours. Get thinking.”

 

He turned and marched off towards the head of the table. I quickly shook hands with the rest of the team and gratefully accepted the chorus of “welcome back” that gradually emanated from each seat around the table. Sinking into my chair, I listened to the plans they had in place for the next two weeks.

 

I was going to have a lot of work to do after Nothing To Lose. What a mess.

 

A quick triple-tap on the door was followed by the arrival of Tom “Angry” Gilmore, looking in good shape; his return from injury was due any day now. “Hey, guys, not interrupting, am I?”

 

“No, no, come on in,” Jerry said, beckoning him forward with one hand without looking up.

 

“Just a few additional ideas,” he said, as he threw forward a file of papers, “Oh, hey, Christian. When’d you get back? I need to talk to you about something in that file when you have a minute.”

 

“Thank you for that, now if you don’t mind we still need to iron out some kinks.” Richard snapped, before shuffling Tom through the door rather dismissively.

 

As I listened to the plans for Tuesday, I realised this was going to be a long two weeks.

 

The three opening posts for an SWF diary that hasn't come to fruition yet. Trying to set up a starting point where things are a little difficult for the head booker to step into [and since it was going be called "You Gotta Have Faith", there are no prizes for guessing who "Christian" is]. Unstable backstage, unstable onscreen storylines, and a couple of other difficult situations that would have thrown themselves forward as Faith slowly realised what he'd agreed to, and tried to deal with them. I was planning on deliberately doing some "bad" booking as some of Faith's ideas [and some that would be forced upon him] flopped along the way, while obviously mostly focusing on booking stories I hope would have been entertaining. In the game, there's just one person to decide what happens but in reality, or in fantasy as the case may be, there are other factors that might lead to poor decisions and I wanted to reflect that with some questionable booking from time to time.

 

Might still run it at some point, if I find the time to be able to dedicate myself to it without it dying out after three or four shows.

[foolinc]

I think Short Term diaries are a great idea. Wrestling is traditionally such a continuous thing that diaries try to be long-running, but inevitably they all eventually die, mostly due to burn-out or boredom, often leaving storylines unfinished and character arcs incomplete. I'm sure on some level it makes the writer feel like a failure, and that's not cool.

 

If, however, a writer was just going to do a single tournament, with a definite end point, I feel diaries would be more satisfying to read and would give writers a genuine feeling of accomplishment. Successfully completing a task. Victory.

 

I'm not sure about the "passing the torch" idea, but if I were ever to do another diary after the Frontier Combat Kingdom dies, it would probably be a tournament or Short-Term-League.

 

I am toying around with something very similar to this. I got the original idea from this based on J Silver's original diary where he did a much of mini-diaries of various promotion because he didn't actually own the game at the time.

 

However, the diary wouldn't be limited to a scenario/mod and instead of a set month I would be trying to showcase an idea, a size, or a mechanic. So I might start out with a 0/0/0 game (very much like my old NEO dairy) and when I hit Small, I would switch companies and/or mods to give the reader something a different stage of the game from a creative or mechanical (ie size or product) perspective.

 

An example of the diary after a couple of completed "chapters" might look like this:

 

1. 0/0/0 Local Promotion to Small (Budget management and character creation)

3. Regional Promotion to National TV deal (Expansion outside of home region and juggling storylines due scheduling problems)

4. Cult Promotion (Survival on a financial and talent basis)

5. National+ Promotion (Interweaving storylines & happiness with a massive roster)

6. DOTT mod (Realistically changing the past; tweaking past storylines)

7. World of Immortals mods (Interaction between different ages of wrestlers/Dream matches)

8. GDS Verse (because we made it)

9. Over-9000 verse (because I can)

 

Anybody like this idea or am I nuts?

[Liamo]

I've been looking forward to someone starting a GDS-Verse diary, personally. I've always had an itch to do one, but I know I'd lose interest fairly quickly.

[crayon]

However, the diary wouldn't be limited to a scenario/mod and instead of a set month I would be trying to showcase an idea, a size, or a mechanic. So I might start out with a 0/0/0 game (very much like my old NEO dairy) and when I hit Small, I would switch companies and/or mods to give the reader something a different stage of the game from a creative or mechanical (ie size or product) perspective.

 

An example of the diary after a couple of completed "chapters" might look like this:

 

1. 0/0/0 Local Promotion to Small (Budget management and character creation)

3. Regional Promotion to National TV deal (Expansion outside of home region and juggling storylines due scheduling problems)

4. Cult Promotion (Survival on a financial and talent basis)

5. National+ Promotion (Interweaving storylines & happiness with a massive roster)

6. DOTT mod (Realistically changing the past; tweaking past storylines)

7. World of Immortals mods (Interaction between different ages of wrestlers/Dream matches)

8. GDS Verse (because we made it)

9. Over-9000 verse (because I can)

 

Anybody like this idea or am I nuts?

 

Quite a cool idea that. I think I'd mark even more if there was some kind of thread which managed to connect one chapter to the next (or all chapters to each other, even). Even if it was just your user-character remaining the same person and acknowledging where he had previously come from, it'd be more compelling than starting with a completely blank slate each time.

 

Of course this kind of project could run the risk of turning away those who are only interested in this or that kind of mod. You could probably hold everyone's attention if you cycled chapters frequently enough.. but then that's not exactly giving you time to showcase a particular mechanic or creative idea.. hrmmm, toughie