The EWA Thread

Luchador Canadiense · September 16, 2013

I can't believe that no one started an EWA thread before now!

Well, here it is. I've decided to go "home" so to speak to the fed that made me fall in love with this game.

Lots of interesting decisions to make with EWA this time around.

My current dilemma is whether to jump right in to a Regional Battle with VWA and UEW the Mediterranean region, or to start putting on shows in Scandinavia and focus on building up my Pop in that region on my road to Cult.

My goal, besides hitting Cult, is to try to get a TV show on Continental Sports X1 (20 prestige, 35 pop) as quickly as possible. That being said, I can't see EWA, as a pop over perf fed, faring well against VWA and UEW in a Regional Battle. Thoughts?

CQI13 · September 16, 2013

Well, as long as you book to your strengths (menace, sex appeal) it may work out well.

Luchador Canadiense · September 17, 2013

I think I may go head-to-head and see how I fare. If it doesn't work out initially, I can always switch gears.

I like having the head start on the others this go-round. VWA has the hottest product in Europe at the start, but being one size higher than the rest of them should give me some breathing room in the short term.

Kingster · September 17, 2013

EWA is one of my favourite promotions even though (or precisely because) they are one of the tougher companies in the game.

What I've done is hold two shows a month - you can easily afford it - and take turns with the two regions you want to push. When I play as EWA, I hold my "main show" in Central Europe, usually with a main event featuring Byron and/or African Earthquake, and the "b-show" in the other region (I always go with the Mediterranean).

You can also extend your roster to hire better workers (you have the money to do so): Beast Bantom or Stig Svensson for example are both good in-ring workers and good entertainers.

The one thing I struggle the most with are storylines: It's very difficult to maintain the required heat for two storylines. It's probably best to not put Byron and Earthquake in the same storyline because you'll find it hard to have a second feud that's hot enough to accomplish your storyline requirements.

And by the way, you won't be in a regional battle with the other two companies as there is no region where all three companies have the required popularity level to be eligible for a battle, so don't worry about that.

Boltinho · September 17, 2013

Admittedly I've never really played an EWA game. Ive spent more time making logos for them. But how has no one mentioned Bam-Bam yet?

Luchador Canadiense · September 18, 2013

And by the way, you won't be in a regional battle with the other two companies as there is no region where all three companies have the required popularity level to be eligible for a battle, so don't worry about that.

Yeah. Realized that earlier today when I was brainstorming storylines. For some reason I was not thinking straight, and was working under the assumption VWA was in the Mediterranean, which it clearly is not.

And I was on the verge of mentioning Bam-Bam, Bolt. He and Kruge the Executioner are the only two workers on my Hot Prospect list (if I push Bam-Bam to midcard, of course). So obviously that's not good news. I may indeed have to bring in some new blood, and Bantom is definitely near the top of my list.

Thinking of giving Michael Gregory and Papa O'Keefe a go as well. Gregory to see if he has any potential (which I know he may have from my now-defunct 21CW game), and Papa O'Keefe because you can never have too many good people on the mic in a pop over perf fed.

consortium11 · September 23, 2013

I'm a big fan of Gregory; he needs some seasoning of course but he starts with brawling in the mid-60's (which is actually one of the highest you can get), star quality in the 80's and high enough charisma/entertainment that if you stick him with O'Keefe or another good mouthpiece he'll soon be able to carry the company. O'Keefe is also one of my go-to-guys in both Europe and the UK: you also have the advantage that there's little risk of 21CW stealing him from you.

Bantom's virtually a no-brainer. Decent enough worker and high menace. Menace is the easiest way to get storyline heat; even without any popularity he should be able to get ratings in the 60's and that only goes up as his popularity increases.

When he appears Mass Hulk is a guy you should eventually look to build the promotion around. Yes, he's woeful in the ring (not helped by a drink problem) but he has star quality in the 90's, menace in the 90's and a decent level of charisma. He's made for a pop-over-performance company even if it takes a few years to get his in-ring skills to a respectable level. If Mark Adonis can work in Europe (I think he can but I might be wrong) then that team should be at the heart of the company; use them as a team to build their popularity and help their skills increase then split them and you should have two ready made main-eventers.

Luchador Canadiense · September 23, 2013

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="consortium11" data-cite="consortium11" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="36718" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I'm a big fan of Gregory; he needs some seasoning of course but he starts with brawling in the mid-60's (which is actually one of the highest you can get), star quality in the 80's and high enough charisma/entertainment that if you stick him with O'Keefe or another good mouthpiece he'll soon be able to carry the company. O'Keefe is also one of my go-to-guys in both Europe and the UK: you also have the advantage that there's little risk of 21CW stealing him from you. Bantom's virtually a no-brainer. Decent enough worker and high menace. Menace is the easiest way to get storyline heat; even without any popularity he should be able to get ratings in the 60's and that only goes up as his popularity increases. When he appears Mass Hulk is a guy you should eventually look to build the promotion around. Yes, he's woeful in the ring (not helped by a drink problem) but he has star quality in the 90's, menace in the 90's and a decent level of charisma. He's made for a pop-over-performance company even if it takes a few years to get his in-ring skills to a respectable level. If Mark Adonis can work in Europe (I think he can but I might be wrong) then that team should be at the heart of the company; use them as a team to build their popularity and help their skills increase then split them and you should have two ready made main-eventers.</div></blockquote> Adonis can, and intrigues me even more because of his degree of mic skills, which can be hard to come by in Europe.

Luchador Canadiense · January 6, 2014

So having started more than a few new EWA games since TEW2013 was released, I'm finding a few common problems early in my saves and thought I'd share some of my advice and wisdom.

If anyone knows me and how I play, I tend to be a purist with product and roster. And with EWA, I'll never tamper with the product. But when it comes to the roster...

Out of the gate, I see a few problems.

#1 - African Earthquake - I love him to pieces, he's your #1 heel, a Show Stopper and a Ring General, and he is magic on the mic (for a European worker, that is).

What he is not, however, is a suitable main eventer. Even if you manage to keep him off the Time Decline list, his stamina sucks. Eight minute matches leave him breathing hard.

So what I try to do with him is build him up with angles, put him in a tag team where someone can learn from his experience, and most importantly, build him up to feed to your #2 Face. Who is that, you ask? We'll get to that in a minute.

#2 - Bam Bam Johansson - A veritable cult figure on this board, Bam Bam is the man... except when he is not. Which is most of the time. Much like African Earthquake, Bam Bam sucks a lot of wind. The good news is that you can eventually build up his stamina. The bad news is, much like AE, unless you want serious penalties in 1-on-1 main event matches, he isn't really suited for main eventing yet either. So... MENACE! Build him up nice and good, then feed him to your #2 Face. Who is that, you ask? Patience, grasshopper.

#3 - Hercules Johansson - Hallelujah! A big menacing dude with star quality who can pull off a main event match without sucking wind too badly. Sure, you'll get a minor stamina penalty, but not the big warning AE or Bam Bam will give you. It is for this reason that, when I start my games, Byron vs. Hercules is usually my main event feud.

#4 - Your #2 Face -To be blunt, in all likelihood, you don't have one. I say this because Byron doesn't want any competition as the lead face. Don't believe me? There are 6 males faces on the current roster. Byron, Double Dutch, X-Force and Bulldog Jack. And Byron tends to have a thing against cruiserweights and spot monkeys. In my current game, I'm going to lose both Double Dutch and X-Force within the first 9 months of my game unless I decide to break and owner goal or two. And I'm not, primarily since I need to build up some good grace with Byron as I'm doubtful I am ever going to make my critical goal of Cult in two years. But this isn't a one-time problem for me. I have gotten one or the other of these goals in every single game I have started. When you get the double whammy, it hurts... especially since both teams have been the core of the EWA tag division forever.

So for your #2 Face, you need options. My advice -- steal. If you want to gamble with a possible Time Decline, I recommend Stig Svensson. He will at least buy you time to build up someone who isn't quite at main event level. If that isn't your cup of tea, Sebastian Koller is young and has enough popularity to auto-push into your main event. He's probably the better choice anyway.

So why not Beast Bantom? Isn't he perfect for EWA? The answer is yes. But he is also one of the possible solutions to my next problem. Your #2 Heel. Remember, it isn't likely going to be AE or Bam Bam. I'd be shocked if they were in good enough shape to take on Byron by the time you wrap up your Hercules feud. You need someone you can build up fast. I've used Haiti Voodude in a pinch, but seriously... you aren't likely going to be able to build up anyone else in Europe as quickly as you are Beast Bantom. That, and he auto-pushes Main Event out of the gate anyway. I still save him for my second feud with Byron anyway, to build him up more. You'll need better main events later than you will sooner.

So at the start of any game, I propose address your #2 Face and #2 Heel situations quickly, so that when your first round of feuds end, you have a ready-made solution. And if Byron doesn't reject your cruiserweights or spot monkeys, by all means consider them... just remember that the greatest strength that both X-Force and Double Dutch have going for them are their tag experience.

In the first few months, you can expect a few roster losses. I've never had Petey Barnes last more than a month with me. And if Christopher Lister doesn't leave me because of some ridiculous Owner Goal, then usually UEW targets him for a bidding war. I hate to lose him, but I also don't like overbidding for a midcard tag teamer. I really hate losing both of these guys though. Petey is probably one of our best workers that you can get a 15 minute match out of the gate with. (In fact, in my current save, I got a 53 with Petey vs. Byron in the main event of my first show with no build up). The other reason I hate to lose them is because it usually means I'm left with their tag partners. I usually dump Eric Future if he isn't cracking my Hot Prospects list, because he is a cruiserweight with low star quality and not likely to ever crack the main event, and also because his greatest asset was his tag experience. Ditto Jase Cole, though Jase tends to be a bit better of a worker, and has better star quality, and is a EWA stalwart. It's 50-50 whether I keep him around.

I also tend to dump Bulldog Jack after I've ravaged his popularity. Age, a drinking problem, and not much to work with here.

My favourite signings to refill my midcard:

Kashmir Singh - No popularity to speak of. But that Consistency! In terms of skills, by European standards, he is Shawn Michaels. A great investment as someone to build up and train others along the way... provided he doesn't hit Time Decline too soon. Plus, he can play a decent Face, which there is a shortage of when you first start an EWA game.

Papa O'Keefe - Amazing mic skills. Shove him in as a colour commentator, build his Pop, then make him a manager and use him to train others up on the mic.

Michael Gregory - Again, no Pop. Performance skills could use some work. But as mentioned above, great Star Quality and one of the higher rated Brawl skills in the game. Oh, and again... a decent Face performance. (Even if his default gimmick screams Heel.)

Greg Guage - He's the only Keith who can work in Europe. You'll lose him before too long, but sign him early to help improve your other workers. And again... a serviceable Face. But again, no Pop.

Herchel the Hammer - Yes, he sucks in the ring due to his brutally low consistency. And yes, there is that whole "steroids" thing. But... he can go on the mic, has half decent menace, and his style is such that Byron is unlikely to put up some dubious Owner Goal just to annoy you and prevent you from re-signing him. Use him to build up popularity in angles, then dump it on someone else. And let him train up your workers on the mic.

Roberto Milano - A great signing. Nice Star Quality. Decent in-ring skills. Pretty decent on the mic. Just be warned, he is easy to fall in love with... and Byron is likely to crush your soul with an Owner Goal against Technicians. It happens a lot with Byron. You will learn to hate him. Then you will try to put the title on someone else, and you will learn the meaning of the word loathe.

Next time, I'll have some advice for initial feuds (one I have already hinted at) and building storyline heat out of the gate. (Yes, you can do it with the default roster and easily hit the mark with three feuds, if you do it right. And it doesn't have to feel like you are "gaming" the system.)

Boltinho · January 6, 2014

Good post LC. I've been wanting to play as EWA for ages but I've always got another game I'd rather be playing.

Where's Sergei Kalashnov though? That chap rules

Luchador Canadiense · January 7, 2014

Sergei Kalashnov is the Toby Keith of Europe, in that he ain't as good as he once was...

In the ring, he is way more inconsistent than ever before. He's on Herschel the Hammer levels of consistency, which is to say if you want to take a gamble on him, odds are he is going to be in a bad way in 75% of his matches.

But in-ring work was not exactly his bread and butter in the past anyway. The Fresh Prince of Belarus was all about the mic skills. Sadly, in 2013, those mic skills are a faded memory. Even worse, Sergei has gone all Ford Gumble and packed on the pounds, which has put a serious dent in his Star Quality.

Finally, his personality has taken a turn for the worse. He's no Byron or Bam Bam yet, but they at least bring something to the table that makes it worth it to keep them around. (Well, maybe not Byron, but you can't fire him because he owns the promotion.) Sergei is a shell of the talent he used to be.

At this point, the best use I can think of for Sergei is to bring him in and job him out to harvest some of that popularity for other workers. He'll push Main Event as soon as you sign him, but he is far from a Main Event worker any more. I've tried twice now to rehab him, but he is on the wrong side of 30. I hoped I might get his mic skills back in shape, but with only a handful of other good mic workers in Europe, it can be tough. The other thing is, I thought perhaps getting him to either lose the weight or bulk up might help to boost his Star Quality, but both of those attempts proved futile.

Luchador Canadiense · January 7, 2014

So earlier on in this thread, Kingster expressed concern with finding it hard to generate enough heat to get two storylines over the 41 heat mark. My first couple of go-rounds, I found it hard too. But then I realized I wasn't using all of the tools at my disposal.

Now as I alluded to earlier, my first feud in any EWA game is Byron vs. Hercules. I usually put a introduce a stip that Hercules can't touch Byron until their "big match." Then I build up their momentum with side matches, and build their storyline heat with a classic intimidation angle, where Byron is rated on Overness, and Hercules is rated on Menace. No successes, nor defeats, because Hercules can't touch him. But he can try to intimidate him without touching him with his massive presence. I don't care about the successes or defeats because that will come from the matches. For now, I just want to build storyline heat in an organic storytelling fashion, not in one that feels like I am just doing it to game the system.

So that's one feud over 41 heat. But I can do two more easily. Here's how...

There is a myth around these boards that EWA is all about the Menace. And I'm here to tell you that is only half true... the other half is Sex Appeal. There is a reason that the second and third most popular stars in EWA are Anna Ki and Elle.

So with Anna, I usually team her up with Steffi Chee and Laura McKenna in a classic "Divas of Doom" type storyline, where Laura McKenna declares war on the pretty little models who prance around in bikinis and then try to pass themselves off as wrestlers. So Steffi and Anna aren't allies per say. In fact, they are continually competing in bikini contests and what-not. Sex Appeal equals storyline heat. I generally build the momentum around Anna, so Steffi takes most of the defeats... including dropping the title to Laura. Then I build toward Laura and Anna, with Anna eventually taking the title off of Laura to prove that pretty girls can wrestle too. The interesting thing about this particular combination of workers is that in addition to all three having decent Sex Appeal, they also happen to be three of the top four workers in the company, so if you can pump up their Overness and get the feud really hot, you can actually pull off some of the best matches possible with EWA.

So that's two feuds over 41. But I'm never happy with that. Mainly because I am always worried that one of my storyline angles might backfire some show, and then I am going to be stuck with that "not enough good storylines" note that I dread. I need a third hot feud. So how am I going to get it?

I got the idea from Kingster's post of using African Earthquake in a feud other than a potential rematch with Byron. I was getting up and down results pairing him with Henrick Van Bon and Frank Van Heer, primarily because neither of those guys are going to give you strong angle ratings. So I combed the roster trying to figure out where I was going to find the overness needed to produce those kinds of angles. Then it hit me. My feud isn't about African Earthquake vs. Double Dutch... my feud is about African Earthquake and Elle.

So I decided to have AE fall in love. To bring Elle flowers after matches where he could use his Entertainment skills. (And hers, incidentally. I debated using her Sex Appeal, but felt cheap doing it because I didn't feel it was right for those angles and made me feel like I was gaming the system. Still, even rating Elle on entertainment was pulling me in decent angle heat.) Then I have her reject him. Then I program in the classic Jack DeColt-Gargantuan-Hot Stuff Marie Overness-Menace-Sex Appeal rated hero saves maiden from monster angle (usually using Henrick Van Bon, not just because he has half-decent Overness, but also because he has the better Star Quality of the two Double Dutch members and I want to build as much overness as I can out of this). Anyway, suddenly I've got a hot feud. The blow-off match can be tricky, given that AE has barely any stamina. But try and find an ally for him, someone he has good tag chemistry with, and make it a tag match with both members of Double Dutch, and you can actually produce a decent blow-off to the feud.

So there it is... advice on three potential feuds you can create out of the gate to generate storyline heat. And I didn't even use Bam Bam in one of them. (Sacrilege, I know. But Bam Bam to me is more of a popularity generator, and less of someone I want wrestling in my main events.)

Spud1305 · January 7, 2014

Great advice <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />.

I've only tried EWA once or twice but gave up. After reading your tips I might start a side game as them.

Luchador Canadiense · January 8, 2014

It's funny how reading peoples' posts can turn you on to new promotions. I first became excited about EWA after reading about Comradebots love for the company.

Now I'm not exactly crazy about the company for the same reasons he is (i'd rather load Bam Bam onto a raft with Byron, set it out to sea and then ignite it with a flaming arrow), but just one person's enthusiasm for EWA rubbed off on me, I gave it a try, and now it is my favourite.

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