What kind've user character do you use?

[mtimmins]

So everyone, what kind've user character do you guys use? Do you use him as an Authority Figure? Main event wrestler? Announcer? Etc?

I find myself "cheating" when I play the smaller promotions, as I tend to make myself fairly talented in-ring, and have main event level overness for the level my promotion starts at. Usually I end up being the top-worker in my promotion.

Other times, especially if I'm a bigger promotion, I make myself a semi-decent announcer/colour commentator, and then use myself as part of a three-man team. I did this, and I found that after 2 months playing my national fed, my F popularity was at a C+, I guess people were talking about me on them internet forums after my national TV exposure? :cool:

"Man, you hear that new play-by-play guy they got? He's OK, but he's no Michael Cole!" :p

I'm going to also assume a lot of people don't even use their user character on-screen.

[LoganRodzen]

I often run a small promotion and a good (cheap) road agent is sometimes hard to come by. So I usually edit the user character to have the Road Agent stat at around C or C+... depends how I'm feeling. :p

[GruntMark]

I use to make myself an announcer. Especially is lower feds.

Now, always the Grand Avatar. So I dont ever appear on TV. Would make for an awful segment. :p

[Gigas]

Usually a referee around the C+ or B- range because all the refs in TEW2008 were little punks causing problems backstage.

I kinda make her like a non bitchy Farrah Hesketh, minus the psychology.

[FlameSnoopy]

I never use my user character on screen.

[Remianen]

My user character is often jacked. I use him onscreen as a backstage interviewer and jack of (most) trades. 82 psychology, 44 refereeing, high entertainment skills, usually little to no announcing though. Onscreen, he's the owner and appoints GMs but for the obvious reasons I can't use him in-ring (nor would I want to).

[The Bus]

I make my user character as some sort of resemblance to my real personality. I have skills for announcing table and refereeing, due to my real life "jobs". I can fill in for those roles if needed for the promotions sake. But I make my character to have solid, but unspectacular in-ring skills, and I end up being a low on the card putting over other talent and being a partner for some other young talent.

[Tempest Kane]

I never like the idea of the user character been in the game world as a physical player... but i cope with it.

That said i hate seeing someone in a 'personality' slot since i rarely use them for anything, so i tend to end up setting my user character to be a road agent of around B- ability, no other talents, no intention to ever have them on screen...

I ushaly use the Grand Avatar as my basis and re-name him Marlin Artis (Altho im pretty sure the Grand Avatar is actualy richard eisen anyway... just read richards bio and then avatars... makes sense to me that eisen's out their giving the industry a shot in the arm :P).

[ColtCabana]

If I'm not playing a serious name I make myself a wrestler but mostly I don't use my character. I guess I should use myself as a road agent at least as it would make sense and even Vince was part of the announce team.

[Sammartino]

I usually try to create an Avatar more or less similar to myself: no way to be a wrestler, I can be an announcer, back stage interwiewer, manager or at least Authority figure.... I mean I put some quite good skills in acting, mic skills, announcing, but never higher than 60% (i.e. mic skills 50%, announcing 45%, acting 60%..).

[Jennie Bomb]

I never like the idea of the user character been in the game world as a physical player... but i cope with it.

Why? I don't see how it's realistic for the player character to be completely disconnected from the rest of the game world, when the equivalent characters in every other company are capable of interacting with teh game world in a similar way to the Avatar.

Right now, I'm just testing out features and such, so I'm using Kate Avatar by default. When the full game is released, I'll probably adopt my TEW08 approach of creating and tweaking a variety of well-suited and vaguely realistic avatars that I can choose from to suit whatever game I'm running.

[Gnrfan]

I look at the promotion and see what they are lacking. I never make myself a wrestler so i'll usually choose between Road Agent, Announcer or Personality.

I do make myself really good mind.:D

[Candyman]

I've never had a wrestler as a user character. I'll give them decent entertainment skills in case I ever need somebody to make a one time appearance in a storyline(lawer, board representative, plant in the crowd), but that's it. In a smaller promotion they might fill in on commentary if I don't have anybody better.

[BurningHamster]

Nothing. I rarely do anything with a user character and usually just think of myself as a guy who hangs around backstage booking the basics but not getting too involved like a road agent.

I think having a super awesome user character kind of defeats the purpose. The few times I have had a user character do anything I've made him be a crappy worker who I push above more talented people just to see what it's like to be a selfish moron.

[Ghoul]

well i ofton use wrestlers as my user character, i come from roleplaying games and just being (like) a npc and dont do that much is kinda boring to me. having a wrestler who can train younger and less talented workers or support others by being in a tag team with them is so much more fun. but hey everyone plays this game differently.

[Tempest Kane]

Why? *snip*

Why?...

*snip* I think having a super awesome user character kind of defeats the purpose. The few times I have had a user character do anything I've made him be a crappy worker who I push above more talented people just to see what it's like to be a selfish moron.


This.

It in my own mind unbalance's the 'natural' unfolding of the universe to super impose my own ego into the mix, thats why if i do anything its a backstage strictly off air and medioca at best road agent and not a worker or on screen talent of any kind... Thats just my play style, for reason's that suit me... in a thread asking what people personaly do and perhaps why... it dosnt make my way any more right than your way , just happens to be the way i do it and the reason behind it.

[Sensai of Mattitude]

I generally just rename The Grand Avatar to my own name and give him a picture which closer represents me, so I don't use the user character.

[Rayelek]

For the C-Verse, I tend to use the default characters (generally Jack or Kate depending on the promotion), and for real world databases, I usually create a few announcers and road agents so it isn't the same every time.

[justtxyank]

I usually make my character a ref and then never view him again.

[Greg2511]

I always do one of two things. I either make myself as an awesome jack of all trades, who can fill in any position needed, this includes excellent inring skills but zero popularity.

Or I choose a character, usually Phil Vibert, Nemesis, or on one occasion Big Smack Scott, delete them from the regular database and make them as the user character, with all stats the same. That way it just plays out as though that character is the head booker.

[Wade]

Either a ref, or completely unused.

[Tempest Kane]

*snip*
Or I choose a character, usually Phil Vibert, Nemesis, or on one occasion Big Smack Scott, delete them from the regular database and make them as the user character, with all stats the same. That way it just plays out as though that character is the head booker.

Now this i like. I had not done this myself but it makes more sense to me than adding an unknown entity into the game world.

[EricAdams]

Usually just an announcer/colour man.

[losttrem]

I always just use the Grand Avatar because I don't like having the user character involved in any way.

[Nedew]

Why?...




This.

It in my own mind unbalance's the 'natural' unfolding of the universe to super impose my own ego into the mix, thats why if i do anything its a backstage strictly off air and medioca at best road agent and not a worker or on screen talent of any kind... Thats just my play style, for reason's that suit me... in a thread asking what people personaly do and perhaps why... it dosnt make my way any more right than your way , just happens to be the way i do it and the reason behind it.

This (but with less bold and underlining aesthetics :p).

[Self]

Nowadays I make a mediocre worker to sit in the bottom end of the roster, for use in dark matches or squash matches when I need a cheap body.

[Karl_Kitsch]

I like to use the Masked Avatar as a trainer or a minor threat. I am fairly sure he has never won a match, but he keeps plugging away at it.

[TEWFan]

I usually use Grand Avatar since I don't like to be an on-screen character. That said, I use Charles Avatar with ZEN cause I came up with a whacky character for him and for some reason I like to use Jack Avatar when I play Canadian Golden Combat. I call him either, Jack DeColt, a fake DColt brother or Jacky Bryant after the Virtua Fighter character. I give him an MMA Bad Ass gimmick and push him as a tag teammate of Shooter Sean Deely.

[Antithesis]

Usually I'll bump up some of The Grand Avatar's skills and use him as a road agent. With my TCW diary I needed a babyface with great in ring skills that wouldn't mind jobbing, so I went with Jack Avatar to fill the spot.

[Stennick]

I just use Jack Avatar and treat him as a jobber to the lower card for the first few shows until I can set my roster and then I forget about him.

[FINisher]

I'm always a Roag Agent with very low stats and thus I'm usually pushed as Personality. I don't want to take that much part in that way 'cause I think it kinda takes away the fun if one creates that uber-user character. But, to each his/her's own etc..

[Astil]

I see no reason not to use a wrestler in the games I play. Gives it more life in my opinion. I almost always use Charles or Kate Avatar, but dust off Jack or Masky once in awhile too. Charles is great for creating that 'young, upstart' feel when I playing and really adds something trying to make sure I don't super push myself to the moon.

[Dragonmack]

For most games I will use the Grand Avatar and just play with the people on the roster, but for my diary games, I have an established user character, David Mack, that used the Jack Avatar character and talents.

[Jennie Bomb]

Why?...




This.

It in my own mind unbalance's the 'natural' unfolding of the universe to super impose my own ego into the mix, thats why if i do anything its a backstage strictly off air and medioca at best road agent and not a worker or on screen talent of any kind... Thats just my play style, for reason's that suit me... in a thread asking what people personaly do and perhaps why... it dosnt make my way any more right than your way , just happens to be the way i do it and the reason behind it.

The fact that you are booking alone unbalances the natural unfolding of the universe. Moreso if you're some entity that could not otherwise exist within it. Plus... the user character does not have to be good at anything, or even mediocre. You could easily add more challenge to your promotion by creating a poor user character, who would take up a spot on your roster that couldn't be taken by a more talented worker, for example. I mean, I find the user character the perfect candidate for the stuff Heidenreich Challenge, for example - and it makes the challenge harder when you can't use developmental to develop the guy's skills.

I also absolutely endorse any practice that would allow people to play as actual Cornellverse characters, though. I'm fairly sure I've suggested it before, and if they put that it, I'd pretty much just play as, like, Agent 69 all the time or something.

[Linsolv]

For all of you who are complaining about using user characters as workers: What's your thought on Jushin "Thunder" Liger?

It's my understanding he's been booking NJPW for years and years, and is quite over. And thanks to that overness, he's established incredible prestige for himself and the Jr. title, and so can now put over the younger kids more easily without having to deal with trying to convince some other worker to do it.

Though... then there's Kevin Nash...

[SGRaaize]

I mike myself the Booker as SGRaaize and myself as a wrestler as my real name

On my "SGRaaize" character, I suck at everything, and my personality is just like my real personality

On my "(Name here)" character, I suck at everything, and my personality is just like my real personality, but my potential is filled to the maximum, and I am 18 years old, so I will become awesome

[Phantom Stranger]

Depends on the game. I like to integrate into the universe, but I don't much like being someone who was already there - I'd feel like I was playing them 'wrong'.

It's close to unheard of in my experience for the big bookerman to be someone with no experience as a performer of one sort or another - hell, it used to be effectively mandatory and WWE still hasn't hired a Head writer who hasn't taken onscreen roles - and most promotions use their owners and bookers either regularly or on rare occasions.

So I play someone who either can take an onscreen role (Horatio Dangerous, Terry Roberts for those who remember him) or who had, int he past, and is capable but doesn't (none of those games yet diarised.)

I doubt I'll come back to Horatio after this one - so I'm kinda curious to see who I end up creating next...

[Infernalmiko]

I'm one of the people who was so disappointed when an earlier TEW removed user characters. I simply enjoy the game more if I have some personal connection to it.

For many games that simply meant being a faceless interviewer who's job was to nod and hold the mic while wrestlers ranted. In my MOSC game she was a Cornette type spoiled brat manager who could never quite beat the Highland Warrior and his friends. In my recent 5SSW diary, my user character was Ichigo, a masked rookie who was out there to get beat up and give other rookies someone they could beat.

Pretty much all those games I had alot more fun being able to use a user character, even if it was cheating:)

If I ever do the Fuyuko Higa/BSC game, the user character will be Higa, since that's the whole point of the storyline. Her in BSC. I'd just give her 0 or 1 point in leadership to represent the negative effect she has on the lockerroom. ^_^

[paulskln]

i dont think i have ever used my character as an on screen role.most real life booker's dont usually appear on screen.i think booking is hard enough job to do without having to do wrestling announcing etc as well...it just seems more realistic to me this way.

[Infernalmiko]

i dont think i have ever used my character as an on screen role.most real life booker's dont usually appear on screen.i think booking is hard enough job to do without having to do wrestling announcing etc as well...it just seems more realistic to me this way.

Is that now it is now? Interesting. In the older days the booker would inevitably be a wrestler or former wrestler and usually had an on screen roll. In the current Japanese promotions pretty much all the bookers are also wrestlers.

[Phantom Stranger]

Is that now it is now? Interesting. In the older days the booker would inevitably be a wrestler or former wrestler and usually had an on screen roll. In the current Japanese promotions pretty much all the bookers are also wrestlers.

I'm trying to think of an example of a promotion where the head booker (if they have more than one) doesn't appear at least occasionally, and I'll be honest - I'm coming up solely with Adam Pearce in ROH at the moment. And he has in the past, as has Vince Russo...

[Comradebot]

Nowadays (since 2008) I almost exclusively use a Grand Avatar like character, though I will frequently edit him to NOT be "The Grand Avatar".

Point is, I typically don't like to make the challenge of using any one promotion easier.

There have been, however, exceptions to this. Most notably would be Spiros the Mighty II in my EWA game from 2008. Can't remember why I did that to begin with, but then again, I also don't regret it in the least. He hold solid entertainment skills and was an average at best wrestler... so... wasn't too gamebreakiing.

Heck, I may have to bring him back someday.

[bigcat]

In the territory days many owners / bookers were the star of the territory and the best wrestler. I recently watched the history of the AWA and it was founded by Verne Gagne with Wally Karbo. It was founded to showcase Verne, who was in some ways the Hulk Hogan with better wrestling skills of his day, because Lou Thesz wouldn't give him the NWA title. He and Nick Bockwinkel did the prime face / heel feud for oh say two decades. Von Erik did the same in his territory. So the idea of an owner/booker not being an active talent is actually against most of wrestling history up to the days of Vince v Eric in the Monday Night Wars. Japan has an even bigger tradition in that regard. For smaller feds having a well paid booker who did nothing else would be futile. I think that forcing the player to be paid inline with his popularity / skill would make a better game, since then taking Jack to ZEN would have some possible problems when he's making 5k a month on a written contract because he is the best wrestler to ever work down under.

[d_w_w]

I pretty much always use the Grand Avatar, unless I'm playing multiplayer and someone steals him >.<

[EricAdams]

I'm trying to think of an example of a promotion where the head booker (if they have more than one) doesn't appear at least occasionally, and I'll be honest - I'm coming up solely with Adam Pearce in ROH at the moment. And he has in the past, as has Vince Russo...

You gotta give Pearce a lot of credit though, the only times he's been used are pretty much comedy matches or getting squashed by Bobby Dempsey or when weather screws stuff up, a mystery partner, but he always loses. You have to have some negative-sum ego to use yourself like that and not like Russo.

[Sudo_Nym]

I like to use him as a Jack Avatar or Kate Avatar style wrestler when I'm doing a 0/0/0 or a low level promotion, but I use Grand Avatar when using a more established promotion.

[Casper]

I've always been a fan of having a "hands off" Avatar. I sometimes make my character a mediocre Colour Commentator, but that's the extent of it really.

Although I accept that many people will think the contrary, I would consider having a highly skilled wrestling Avatar, somewhat unbalancing. Although, the thought of playing as an existing CV figure would be fun.

[The Shape]

Agree with above, being able to "become" your Eisens/Cornell's/Halloween Knight's instead of the usual user stuff would be interesting. I invariably use TGA, really don't see the appeal in the others. I think it's the surname xD

[jesterx7769]

I usually be a color commentator or a good wrestler I use to bring up/improve others. The way I see it you can either be A) A big business man coming in behind the scenes to help out a company B) A figure in brough in from the wrestling world to help out i.e. Bischoff/Russo who were on tv or C) A figure in wrestling brought in to help out who was a wrestler i.e. Jarrett/The Comedian esque

[gingarob]

I generally just use The Masked Avatar, I never really want "me" to be an active character in the game world.

[Von Dozier]

I usually just keep my ratings low key except for reffing and announcing, which I usually put myself in charge of if the current ref or announcer is making too much money or can be cut back.

Otherwise I don't really use myself at all.

[The Aussie]

I either go as a manager or a midcarder. Not anyone that'll steal the show but a decent hand for openers and such.

[MrCanada]

usually I pick The Grand Avatar. If I'm in a small promotion I make myself a decent road agent. But most of the time I dont use my character at all.

[Ben_91]

I use my user character as me. Same age, 18, just with decent stats, excellent potential and no popularity to begin with whatsoever. I run with SWF, so the idea is to play for about 10 years, make me a legendary figure (winning 5 world titles), make SWF as good as I possibly can and then quit; make a new promotion and try and take out SWF. I'd also like to have my user character play in Japan during the same game before I make my promotion, but I don't know if that's possible.

[TakerNGN74]

I usually end up using the Grand Avatar except if I am doing a dynasty which I would make my own Character I.E. Chris Kaladaro for my NOTBPW 08 Dynasty. Not sure who I will make for a character this year but it will be good.

TakerNGN74

[Kamchatka]

I normally create my own worker and add them to the user character list in the database. They generally have above average to good entertainment skills, with low overness, and work as the authority figure, allowing me to effectively use them as an extension of myself into the reality.

Christian Wolfe is my current man especially now thanks to Sebs' inclusion of iNY into the GDS-verse and therefore subsequent amazing rendering of Mr Wolfe.

[James Casey]

Me.

Well, not really.

Me if I were twenty years older, previously involved in the wrestling business, but now retired. Usually with poor leg condition, as I never remember to edit that from the first time I made 'me'.

As for how I use myself, generally as an announcer and road agent, with okayish stats (although I tend to go for very good Psych. If I'd been a wrestler, I'd have been a ring general :p)

[King Chono]

I mostly play D.o.t.T., and I usually make my user character a wrestler who's already in game, like Genichiro Tenryu or Riki Choshu, or some other person who changes promotions frequently.

[Nightshadeex]

I like to make myself. Over the course of TEW 2004 to TEW 2010, my character has evolved naturally with the game world. When 04 came out, my user character was garbage, with no popularity. But with all the diary games I've played, the stats have increased over time, like they would in the game world.



When I was doing a jumper diary, my user character leapt into the body of Alex DeColt, so I set the real Alex to deceased and copied him over to the user character slot as well.

[QFresh]

I have a roster of characters I like to use, and all of them are usually are actual staff members, rather then wrestlers. Given my background in broadcasting, I tend to go that route far more often then say a Road Agent, of a Ref. They are all colorful characters, each with their own destinct personality who usually replace the default avatars in the game.

[vicaddict]

Usually I make myself a Vince-McMahon-kind-of character with decent backstage skills, so I can work as a road agent or as colour commentator next to Sara Silver and Honey G. I don't want to miss the opportunity to book my avatar to become champion as well, so I am a sleazy kind of Jack of all trades, who runs Babes of Sin City. :D

[Vladamire Dracos]

Road Agent, Announcer and Personality (interviewer), usually all at once. I tend to play small promotions. Sometimes I up Masked Avatar's Reputation and open a MAW like promotion.

[Ping von Erich]

For the real world? No stats watcher user character. But for C-verse I always super edit one of the default avatars and make them a real part of the game. Edit a new background, pop a few relationships in there. Make them a real character. Makes for a more fun experience.

[praguepride]

I've done a variety.

For CCW diary I created a mediocre announcer because the '05 and '07 DB's were limited when it came to low-level support.

For RIPW I created a young, no-name with super psychology because RIPW was lacking anybody with decent psychology and the nature of the promotion and diary meant that hiring someone like Steve Flash was out of the question. He was pushed as a comedy jobber though. His tag partner was Keith Vegas to keep things balanced :p

For most games in 2010 though, I'm sticking with the Grand Avatar. The database is robust enough that I feel that if I take up a position (announcer, road agent, jobber, whatever) that I'm "stealing" a job from the numerous unemployed, awesome characters out there. So, I just sit it out and let them figure it out.

[atomzero]

...the equivalent characters in every other company are capable of interacting with teh game world in a similar way to the Avatar.


This is a good point. I never looked at it this way before, and I believe you just changed my mind.

[Oregano Jensen]

A non-wrestler... a member of the crew, almost always an announcer.

The simple reason: most road agents add something to the story and the flavor of the promotion. So do most color commentators, even though "something" usually turns into "an unconvincing Bobby Heenan impression". That's still something! I can't think offhand of any announcers who I can bring myself to care about.

(Ultimately, the same is true of refs, but who wants to play as a ref? Anyway, some of those ref pictures are awesome. I like Dwight Kumas, I like Dewey Libertine. If you're 0/0/0, how can you pass up Alan Grey and his fantastic hat collection? Well, maybe for Xander Summer.)

Anyway! As for skill, I will usually put myself around 10% better than the guy I'm replacing. Is it a little cheesy? Sure. But there it is.

[randomfreeze]

If not the Grand Avatar, I import Preston Holt over to the avatar section and use him. Don't think I've ever used anyone else for a Cornellverse game.

Real world...just whatever is there...and set him to a personality and never look at him again.