How often do you overhaul the roster?

[hulkamaniac]

So another year has gone by in game time. It's the first year that I've not gone up in size during the year. This is only because I made Global last year and swept all the year end awards. My shows are highly rated (B- to A consistently), but my TV ratings suck (WWE is somehow beating me by 3 points in the ratings with their B- and C+ shows) and both WCW and WWE are killing me in PPV buy rates (I'm pulling 4's they're pulling 8 and 10's). I'm the second largest fed in North America (WCW is more prestigious) so I've got something to build on.

Anyway I'm getting ready to re-do my brand split and trim down the roster for more workers from talent raids. I know I have several guys who are just hangers on (what fed doesn't) that I can get rid of and I want to shift some guys around to see if I can get some more interesting feuds. Just curious how often you guys re-draft your rosters. Do you do it yourself or do you let the computer do it for you?

[James Casey]

Rarely, actually. My first brand split was to set up three shows a month, each with its own roster. That meant one women-only brand, and two men-only brands that I tried to balance as evenly as possible. That didn't work out quite how I hoped, so I did shuffle a bit over the first few months.

When that ended, my split was between the weekly (now thrice-weekly) cheap workers, on 850 or less per appearance, and the main eventers who appear only in my home territory once a month, and cost anything up to 2500 a time.

With a true split, such as WWE has, I might move two or three workers a year around, but not too much. I don't generally even do cross-promotional matches, either. Workers who move are generally in need of a new persona/turn.

[infinitywpi]

Rosters should be constantly tweaked, not occasionally overhaulled.

[juggaloninjalee]

I try to bring in a new guy every month or so. It is hard for me not to bring in a bunch of new guys at once. I have a hard to letting people go though. So my roster usually gets crowded.

[Phantom Stranger]

Virtually never. I tend to just let the guys I've given up on coast with a few matches until their contracts run out and I bring talent in, generally, in ones and twos (though when I offered a contract to a Japanese wrestler I liked I ended up offering contracts to three or four others to ensure they wouldn't have language issues.)

[Michael Wayne]

I try to let people go, and then sign new faces every so often to keep things fresh. Otherwise I end up using the same folks for several years. Although recently I let about 6-8 people go and don't you know it.. I hit International and fell back because I didn't have enough people. So I had to hire some before I could go back to International. Has me wishing I hadn't fired anyone... And it'll be 6 months before I can rehire them..

I also try to do random drafts once in a while to create fresh matchups on my brands. The champions are the only ones who stay. And of course I still have to go through and make sure I have an even amount of road agents, refs, and announcers for each brand. Sometimes the CPU likes to send like 3 to one brand, and 1 to another. So I have to send that extra person over.

[takertitan]

I don't run brand slits, but i tend to do a massive hire/fire session when i start. From there i job people with overness who i don't want(played the fall of wwe and jobbed khali/tista to undercard slowly so i had people who could work at my main event). Then i fire them and bring in the needed replacements. I tend to keep this string going for my games. Job who has become behind the curb out and bring in new good talent as needed.

[Mtm2k6]

I kind of do the same thing as takertitan, but as one of my owner goals is not to hire anyone who works for someone else ( ), I just tend to gradually job them and let their contract run out. It's a very gradual process for me.

[Lita Maivia]

I run a lot of interpromotional angles. The Women's Title is always being feuded between all three brands (and on all PPV events). The Cruiser title is also being used between ECW and Smackdown, while RAW and ECW are sharing the same tag titles.

Other than that, I do change 15 or so people every year after my WrestleMania stories play out with five workers from each brand getting drafted elsewhere.

[hulkamaniac]

I run the brand split simply for a couple of reasons. First of all, it's easier for me to feature all the guys I want to feature. Also, it lets me run a developmental brand of just young guys who work house shows. It also (and this is my favorite reason) generates more house show revenue. Instead of having one house show that generates $15-20k a day I have three generating that.

[djthefunkchris]

Well, was hoping the night phase would be over now. Have a good day for those that are awake. I go into work and get out relatively early today. However, I still have some last minute things to do later tonight, but should be around between 2pm - 4pm eastern, maybe earlier.

[Antithesis]

Dj has mafia on the brain!

[NordVolf]

I don't overhaul my roster. Hell, I can't! *chuckles*

It's like this:

First, I'm only playing my second game of TEW so far. I haven't run a game long enough to have to do an overhaul, let alone do anything with brand splits or the like. Don't even know how. So I'm still getting my feet wet, as it were. Learning the ropes of what I can and can't do, and having a blast finding things out. Sometimes the hard way...


Second, I have this thing for appealing people and good characters. I went through the 'women of the world' search thing very early on, second or third 'day' of my current game:

"Ooooo, I like her!..."
"Oh, this one's got a fabulous look..."
"Oh, now this one would be a keeper, if only she met up with my Owner goal of a B- minimum Basics..."
"Wow, this woman's got real tallent, may have to hire her right off..."
"Oh, I LOVE this girl's look!..."

And on and on it goes. I have what feels like 3/4 of the world's women wrestlers shortlisted.

So negotiation requests went out, deals were made... Hell, I'd even made a few custom workers in the DataBase before I started the game and of course either installed them on contract in the DB or put out for hires right away. And my roster got large quickly. Well, ok. Fine. My roster bloated quickly.


Lastly... I can't let anyone go. Too much heart, I guess.

"Hmmm, this one has yet to turn out a good match no matter who I pair her with, time to go... But I love her look, and she's got personality...!"
"Hmmm, this one's got rotten chemistry with everyone... but I can't see her out on the street looking for work..."
"Uh oh. This girl's got no wrestling talent to speak of, and she's lousy on the mike... Hmmm. Maybe I can build her into something, rather than fire her..."
"Now this Free Spirit will be trouble, I just know it... but I'm sort of a free spirit too, and I know how much it sucks to loose your job..."
"This one's got zero popularity, no momentum, and every match and angle she's been in went belly up so out the door she... well, you got to start somewhere, and someone's got to give her a chance..."

Guess I'm well on my way to blowing out my second game in bankruptcy and 'Workers Unhappy with the Number of Shows They Haven't Been Used On...'