The Updated Stroke System, Fed Building & Maintenance Class

[The REAL Mr. Jimmyface]

My name is Mr. Jimmyface, and this is my Master Class...

Some years back, I introduced a booking and fed running system called The Stroke System. Recently on Facebook, I have been getting a lot of questions regarding the system, fed building, etc. Over this weekend, I'm going to work on making some video posts to share here. These are some fun things I do to run my COTG feds, and in recent years, there have been some changes and tweaks, and lots of new ideas. I'll share them all here. Keep watching, we're going to have some fun!

[The REAL Mr. Jimmyface]

So, let's start with the most important rule there is when it comes to booking, running and maintaining your fed.

HAVE FUN!!!

There are no official rules for running a fed, and that's a great thing. Lots of folks here (myself included) have a lot of rules, methods, ideas, spreadsheets, formulas, etc. that we have been using for our COTG, LOW, Indy and fan created feds. By all means, explore them all. So many folks have posted here over the years, and some of these ideas are brilliant. Utterly, truly, mind bending-ly brilliant!

You might find one or more to try to use for a fed of your own, and by all means, take those ideas and run with them. But if you're not having fun with it, work on making changes. And not having fun with the system someone came up with, and more importantly, that you came up with, is nothing to be upset over. It is just nature's way of telling you that there is a better way out there for you to use, whether it's discovered or created. Believe me, I've tried some things with feds that didn't work, and some things that improved over time. Most of the bad ideas were my own, and that's okay as well. If something is not working for you, don't be afraid to try something new. It's how you'll grow and develop in both the game and in life.

We're all different folks around here. I'm sure you discovered (or at least suspected) this by now. And that is fine. We are the floating magic ingredients in the cosmic stew started by Tom Filsinger some time ago. All of us. We all contribute to the fun, and we share said fun. And fun is the name of the game here. We're here to help you find, share and kindle the fun. Cause the truth is, we are all the players who ordered a fun wrestling game and made it part of our lives. We play because it brings fun, joy and a sense of community. And we're very glad to have you here.

[The REAL Mr. Jimmyface]

So, what is the Stroke System?

Basically, it's using a numerical system to indicate who is the top talent in a fed beyond just wins and losses. I call it the Stroke System for two reasons. First, I was measuring a wrestler's progress by making making those "1" and "5" check marks (or pen strokes) used for counting while adding the scores up. The second, and more likely reason, is that the whole method was inspired by Jeff Jarrett who kept talking about how much stroke he had in the locker room. That led me to wonder who had the stroke in my COTG fed? Outside of wins and losses, could there be a better way of determining that? So I came up with the Stroke System to see who had the most stroke.

The basis of my system is to give a base score to the wrestler. My preferred method is the Rahl Rating. You can look these up on the boards here, as well as the steps for calculating the rating. It was a clever mathematical formula developed by a legendary poster, Lord Rahl. This formula and resulting numbers you could derive was a game changer for me. I now had a numerical basis for which wrestler had more of a chance of winning than the other. A lot of the Filsinger Games cards have had their Rahl ratings listed on the board, and if you search for them, you'll find them. Helpful hint, start from the oldest post and move forward in time. You'll get to the good stuff quicker that way!

And that's all the number represents, a numerical basis for which wrestler had more of a chance of winning than the other. It's not who is a better wrestler, or which card has more worth. Think of a wrestlers Stroke rating as odds in Vegas. The higher the number, the more likely they will win. The lower the number, less likely. Doesn't take away from game play, choosing a card, or enjoying a card. Just a reference tool.

So I took the Rahl Rating as the base for a wrestler. For tag teams, I took the tag ratings of each wrestler, added them together, and divided by 2 (rounding up). A neat thing I discovered was some wrestlers with mediocre or even poor Rahl ratings as singles wrestlers were so much better in tag matches. That difference is an indicator of a wrestler being a tag team specialist. Helpful little tool when it was time to put together a new tag team in my fed. I then put my fed into three different sections on a piece of paper, or spreadsheet, or simulator, or whatever wonderful new technology the next generation is using...

* Singles Wrestlers
* Tag Team Wrestlers
* Women's Wrestlers

Now that I had a base, it was time to find out how to reward a wrestler for winning. To that end, I adopted the points system from the 2101-2102 MegaTournament:

* If you lose a match by any means, zero points earned
* If you win a match by any means, one point earned
* If you win a specialty match (cosmic cage, falls count anywhere, etc.), a match against your rival, or a tertiary title (Cruiserweight, Hardcore, etc), two points earned
* If you win a secondary title (intergalactic, United States, tag team, Women's), three points are earned
* If you win a match where there are more than four opponents (battle royal, rumble, etc), four points are earned
* If you win the main title (world heavyweight), five points are earned
* If you win a Torture Chamber match, six points are earned

So by combining a Rahl Rating base with points earned for victories, I had a system where a wrestler or tag team could accumulate points, or Stroke. I would use this information to not only determine who were the top performers in my fed, but also who should be given the shots for the main title in my fed.

Going to take a break here, I threw a lot of numbers and concepts at you. Take the time to digest and analyze, and take some time for you. Have a drink or a meal, go outside for a walk, and unwind. When we go back into the rabbit hole, we will discuss how I lay out a card, how Stroke system comes into play... and how the Stroke system can backfire in a fed, and how to remedy it.

Lunch break!

[The REAL Mr. Jimmyface]

Okay, welcome back. Before we go on, let me show you what a typical card in my fed looks like. I typed this out as opposed to making you read my handwriting, but this is the same format I use for all my feds and all my cards. This is the card for my first GWFC show in Centra circa 2110...


Card 471

Jan 2110



56 GWFC: Genocide              vs. Pegasus 54                  110

44 CENTRA: Archon              vs. Spike 43                       87

50 Thunder                          vs. Wolf 49                         99

40 Wraith                             vs. Painmaster 40               80

48 Paragon                          vs. Manslaughter 46            94

45 Max Shield                     vs. Terminus 39                   84

36 Draconian Sheik              vs. Rising Sun 34                70

46 Vengeance                     vs. Enigma 46                      92

47 Blazing Skull                  vs. Mandrill 46                      93

43 Euritar                          vs. Mayhem 43                      86

42 Bloodline                      vs. Dark Justice 39                  81

38 Prodigy                          vs. Anarchy 33                      71

31 Blade                              vs. Corporal Aegis 30            61

29 Lance At-Las                  vs. Skinhead 29                     58

27 Taechon                          vs. Mutant 24                       51

19 Tortured Soul                  vs. Grovel 12                        31

11 Meteor                          vs. Soulwatcher 11                 22

0 Dreadnaught                     vs. Sir Ender 0                      0





52 TT: Twin Blood                  vs. Titan Attack 51              103

51 Malice & Overkill               vs. Desolation Factor 47      98

47 Rebel Empire                    vs. Theater of Pain 38         87

38 Ninja Assassins                 vs. Disorder X 39                77

34 SWAT Team                      vs. Cyngus Strikeforce 34      68

33 The Clones                       vs. Lethal Lottery 32             55

30 3rd Planet                        vs. Transevolver 26              56

                          Ani-Men Invasion – 8





40 W: Sniper     vs. Supernova 43     vs. Amazonia 40        143

40 Hunger                          vs. Thrash 40                          80

28 Anaxis                           vs. Serpentine 21                    59

20 Ms. Liberty                     vs. Maxine Babe 5                   25

                                Nora Pelf – 3

The top section is my men's division, the middle section is the tag division, and the bottom section is my women's division. GWFC is the designation for my Heavyweight Champion. That is a fixed spot on the format that never moves. CENTRA, TT, and W are designations for my Secondary Title, Tag Team, and Women's Champions respectively. These too are fixed spots in the format that never move. If I were to have a tertiary title (H for Heavy Metal, C for Cruiserweight, etc), the letter designation would appear before that wrestler's name, but it would not be in a fixed place. The reason for that is because for titles of that nature, not everyone that wrestler will face will be in that division. It's also why winning that title gets less points that a Secondary or Heavyweight title, because it is not defended as often, and it often has a smaller pool of opposition than others. 

Now, here is why I use Stroke System, and why I suggest you should use this or a similar point system as well. If you look at the card, next to each listing is a number before or after someone's name. For this example, we're using a Rahl Rating, rounded up to zero (0) for those with a negative rating. Whatever source you use it up to you, but here's where it comes into play. 

If you look to the right of each line, there is a number that is higher than the other ones listed. This is the combined rating of the participants involved. I kind of use that as an index for what match has the most heat. The higher the number, the more anticipated/intense/impressive that match is going to be. You get that number by adding up the number of the two (or more) participants in that match. It is also the number I use in my men's division to see who gets the shot at the Heavyweight Title. So after the Genocide vs. Pegasus match, who would face the winner? Well, by looking at the numbers on the right, the largest number there is 99, for Thunder vs. Wolf. Therefore, the winner of that match will face the Heavyweight Champion on the next card. If there is more than one highest number, then we are going to have a Triple Threat with the winners of each match. Or a Fatal Four Way. I use this method so that the heavyweight title is defended against the most worthy challengers available. This keeps the heavyweight title strong, and makes it the showcase of your fed.

Now, for how to run the card itself, be sure to leave room on your table or playing surface for your discards. There will be three piles, left to right...

WINNER PILE        DRAW PILE        LOSER PILE

When you run the card, start from the bottom and work your way up. If you have an odd number of competitors in your division or roster, put that card face up on the Winner pile (trust me, this will make sense shortly). Everyone else, put their cards face up in their respective piles. In case of a draw, make sure the higher rated wrestler or tag team goes on top of the person they drew with. After you have run through your amazing card, go to your winner pile and pull out your number one contender(s) for the heavyweight championship. Do not mix the order of the cards in doing so.


The first card on your Winner pile is your Heavyweight champion. Take that card and put it face down in front of you. Now, take your number one contender(s), and put them face down on top of the champions card. Now take the entire Winner pile, and without shuffling or changing the cards, put them face down on top of those two cards. Now, do the same thing with the Draw Pile, and then again with the Loser pile. You now have your card for next week. Easy peasy!

I like this method because it makes putting together a card very easy and less time consuming. It also gets contenders for your secondary titles who have done well in recent cards, and deserve to be rewarded with a title shot. And the odd bottom of the card now winds up in the middle of your card, where they have a chance to try again for success. 

Again, this is just a way of doing things. There's no right or wrong, so long as you have fun.

Coming next, how this system can stall... or possibly ruin your fed. It's a great system, but I discovered flaws to it over the years. We'll discuss that in our next entry, How to Break (and then Fix) Your Fed...

["Dr Death" Ric Anderson]

This is great info. Thanks for doing this!

[The REAL Mr. Jimmyface]

Thanks Double D!

Okay, now that I've shown you how it works, let me show you where it can fail. As much as I love the system, it has failings. I want to point them out so that you think about your own feds and how to run them as best as you can. A lot of methods are available to explore on the boards, and I recommend you check out as many as you can. Lots of methods, information, formulas... all or some of which might make you have more fun with your playing experience. And that's what is important here. Having fun with this game that has given so much fun to us over the years.

Here are the limitations and failings of The Stroke System:

1) Dreadnaught and Omega

For those of you unfamiliar with GWF storyline history...

Dreadnaught is a lizard-like cosmic terrorist who used a device called The Transevolver to prolong and improve his career. Much like taking steroids or performance enhancing drugs. And like steroids and performance enhancing drugs, his long term use (rather, overuse) created health problems that impacted his performance, and eventually cost him his life.

Omega is one of the co-founders of the GWF, and the father of the legendary Star Warrior, Alpha Force, and Supernova. He was also one of the best wrestlers ever in his prime, even though by the time 2087 came around and GWF was primed for major success, his physical abilities were limited, as age had taken him from his prime.

Both men continued to wrestle at older ages with limited abilities. Nothing unusual with that, happens all the time in professional wrestling. However, when you design a scoring system that rewarded victories with points, over the length of a career, a lot of points are earned, which gives higher value to veterans over younger wrestlers. While this does not impede younger wrestlers from winning title shots for secondary titles, a lot of the heavyweight (main title) shots were being decided by wrestlers who were no longer in their prime. This resulted in a lot of worthy contenders for the heavyweight title being passed over, and a lot of those who did get the title shots to be less worthy. In essence, either an older and weaker veteran would get the main event spot, or a midcarder (or even lower midcarder!) got a shot for beating an older wrestler no longer in their prime.

2) Legends of Wrestling and Independent Sets

When I designed the system, I based it off of a game production system where there was a new set introduced that furthered the storyline and continuity that was previously presented. New talent is introduced, current talent develops (either by improving or losing their abilities), and older talent retires. With LOW and Indy sets, there is no storyline outside of that wrestlers history. Also, there is not a system of talent evolution into the card sets being released. Those cards are not released in a set timeline. They are released as talent signs aboard, so the cards are not released in a set chronological order. When you get the playing card for A.J. Styles, you are not getting a rookie A.J. Styles card, a developed A.J. Styles, or a veteran A.J. Styles. You are getting the best A.J. Styles. And while I love a game that delivers it's best to you, not having a set timeline or storyline made it extremely difficult for me to run a show with any kind of continuity, and I was not enjoying the feds I was creating.

So, here are some solutions I added to help counter these flaws I found, and maybe these solutions can help you with problems you've discovered in your feds.

1) A Cutoff Point for Heavyweight Title shots

If you look at my previous post, you'll see that cards are put into three different piles, Winner, Draw, and Loser. What I started doing was to literally draw a line on my fed sheet underneath where last two winning wrestlers are matched up. If a winning wrestler at the bottom of the Winner pile had no opponent, you move up to the last two winning wrestlers who are matched up on that card. I would put that line under their names originally, though I now put the line in the margins to keep excess ink off the paper. The reason I do this is to cut off the point where a match on that card would lead to a heavyweight title shot. All wrestlers above that line are eligible to heavyweight title consideration. All wrestlers below that line are not. This eliminated a lot of problems I had with wrestlers with much higher Stroke ratings, yet far less ability, taking the heavyweight title opportunities. 

Look back at my sample card in the earlier post. Towards the top, where the champions are listed, think of that as main event status. Towards the bottom, where losing talent dwells, that's the jobber status. That cutoff line would appear just above the middle of the card. or higher if there were draws the week before, which would be mid-card status. Having a set cut off for a heavyweight title shot helps reduce fluky and odd title shots being given to talent who might not deserve it. It not only rewards a wrestler for their winning ways, but does so in a more realistic means. If you get a title shot after losing or beating someone who used to be a draw, it can be disappointing. But, if you get a title shot by being a winning wrestler and defeating another winning wrestler, now you have a hotter contender. And by proxy, a stronger heavyweight champion.

2) This Season, on Lucha Underground...

Lucha Underground was one of my favorite wrestling programs ever produced. And one of the elements that made me love it was they openly referred to having seasons for their episodes. So, if it worked for a show I liked, why not do it with a Legends/Indy fed? I tried it, and it was a great success. I set up a "season" of 13 cards or "episodes", and another with 24 cards/episodes. It really helped with the continuity problems and made my fed more goal oriented, with everyone trying to earn a spot in the big season ending card, the grand finale if you will. At the end of said season, I looked at the Stroke totals. If you were in the top half (or held a title), you would return for the next season. If you were in the bottom half, you would not. Those departing would be replaced by new selections from the Legends or Indy sets, which are constantly being updated.

When the next season started, everyone would return to a base score. Depending on your rating system, it would either be zero, their Rahl Rating, or whatever method you choose to use. This helped me create a continuity flow, improved story telling, and a better method for allowing me to introduce new talent into my fed. Like a lot of what's been discussed on this thread, the numbering system can be up to you. You choose the base scores, how points are earned, how long your season is, and what would be the cutoff point for keeping/releasing wrestlers. Once tailored to your liking, you would have a new means of running a fed that could be a lot of fun, open ended, and goal oriented.

3) Don't Add The Stroke Points... or rather, Don't Add Them Here!

Recently, I played out the CPC years of 2105-2109, and this gave me an opportunity to try new things. One was to use the Stroke System in a different manner. Instead of adding the Stroke points to the wrestlers base score on the card, I kept them on a separate Excel spreadsheet, a new one for each year. For example, Bloodline has a ranking of 42. On my card sheet (see above), the 42 would remain constant. His number would not change, rather, I would add his totals in a different place.

The reason for doing this was I wanted to present the CPC as a place where young talent could be rewarded faster than in the GWF. The GWF was based on veterans, tradition, and the prestige of their lineage. The CPC was going to be the hottest talent, right here and now, to hell with tradition. And it worked out great for me. It proved a theory I had, which is that the original Stroke System is great for building a long term fed with an established history or storyline. But by keeping the earned points outside of the wrestler's base number, talent is rewarded a lot faster.

Plus, keeping the Stroke points separately gave me something I never had before. A more realistic way of seeing who had the best performance during a card year. This not only helped me in giving out awards for best performances, it also added a new match/goal for the year end show, Countdown to Extinction. Countdown to Extinction is my take on The Elimination Chamber - six competitors, one cage, winner takes all. Only the top performers with the highest Stroke would get invited to participate in the match. And that led to some amazing matchups, and provided a better exclamation point to the end of that card year. To have a main event where the participant list reads like a Who's Who made for exciting game play and storylines, and an end of year event that truly felt like a big deal.

4) House Party Rules!

I also have a fed that's not a fed at all. When I have get togethers with friends who play, we just wing it. Which sometimes can be the best method of all. Just wing it.

Yeah, the guy who's written so much detailing rules just said wing it. But hear me out...

See, some of my friends who play only like COTG. Some of my friends who play only like Legends. Some only like the Indy cards. So, instead of storylines and continuity, just pick cards and play out whatever match ups you want. And by you, I mean anyone and everyone who wanted to play can propose a match. Nothing was off limits. You want Randy Savage vs. A.J. Styles? You got it! Hawk & Animal vs. Brute & Massacre in a Steel Cage Match? Booked! Dalton Castle & Killer Queen 2136 vs. Godsend & Sherri Martel? Done! The only rule to House Party Rules is that in the case of a question or dispute, whoever was hosting the party was the arbitrator. Asides from that, just go with it. No points, no storylines, just play. Though I do encourage you to write down the results of those matches. It's fun to see what you've come up with!

So, those are the limitations of the Stroke system, and some proposed solutions to counter the limitations. Feel free to adopt some or all of these methods to your fed. Again, whatever system or systems you use to run your fed need to fulfill one purpose. You and your friends having fun. We have a great game here, with literally hundreds of game cards to choose from. Wrestling and gaming fans have been enjoying this for decades, and I want you to enjoy it as much as I have. And if this discussion has got you more amped for playing the game, mission accomplished. Let's make some dice dizzy over here.

I will now open up the floor for questions. Yes, you with the nifty hat...

["Dr Death" Ric Anderson]

How do you book feud matches, or do you just not have feuds?

[The REAL Mr. Jimmyface]

May 30, 2021 17:47:42 GMT -5 "Dr Death" Ric Anderson said:

How do you book feud matches, or do you just not have feuds?

Excellent question! Short answer is, I don't. The system I use automatically sets up week to week/month to month matchups. I like the randomness of how the system pits wrestlers based on their wins and losses. And to be honest, I don't believe in babyface vs. heel (pro wrestling) as much as I believe in opponent vs. opponent (MMA, football, etc.). However, there are three ways I can incorporate feuds into the system.

1) If the matchup involves people feuding in the booklet, turn a matchup into a specialty match. If I have a matchup on my card where the two participants are listed as being in a feud, I can make that match into a specialty match (steel cage, falls count anywhere, etc.) to reflect that this matchup has higher stakes than usual.

2) If I have an event where two participants in matchup wind up in a draw, and they wind up facing each other the following week, I can either turn it into a new feud and/or have a specialty match. I can treat this as either a successful rematch for two opponents, or the fuel for a new feud. Depends on who is involved and how the match up feels.

3) Mid Season and End of Year Cards are often freely booked, no formulas involved. The way I run my fed is, starting in January (or whatever start date you wish to use), I run six cards (representing a card a month). Then, I have a mid-year or mid-season super show, which usually involves a Gauntlet Match (my take on The Royal Rumble). Then, six more cards, and an end of year super show where I freely book matches. The majority of the cards I have are to further the storylines and continuity of the fed. The middle and end shows are where I can book feud matches to make those events have more impact than usual. Middle shows are general one on one (to balance out The Gauntlet Match, which is my take on the Royal Rumble), but end of year, I can expand them into tag team, six person, elimination, etc. Year end show has no set format, and it's usually whatever I feel is going to end the year or season off with the biggest bang. The end of year shows, to me, should be where you flex your imagination and creativity. Throw in everything and the kitchen sink, make this show an event of epic proportions.

[The REAL Mr. Jimmyface]

Follow up discussion- the reason I don't always believe in babyface vs. heel is because it's not always that way in real life. I don't know about you, but when I show up in public, I am not greeted with cheers or boos, and I don't enter from a specific locker room. I believe that each person has a personality, and a capacity for doing good or bad things. Some people lean heavily towards the good, some people lean heavily towards the bad.

Wrestling can and does reflect this, and does so with a lot of gusto. To the point where as soon as you hear the music, you cheer or boo loudly. But too often, this setup is reflected in such a way that babyfaces can do wrong, and heels can do no good. That level of rigid reinforcement of a character can feel like you're being programmed to cheer or boo because you are told to, not because you want to. Nothing works better than something organic, coming from the heart.

By not allowing babyface vs. heel to be the sole reason for a matchup or feud allows for the characters involved to be explored in new ways, which can help make your reaction to their matchup feel more real. I believe in looking at the participants involved and using their personalities and behavior patterns to set up the match. I remember seeing an interview with Paul Heyman (I AM A PAUL HEYMAN GUY, just like the tee shirt says) where he discussed something he and I both love, the UFC. In the interview, he broke down what the UFC does very well in setting up their PPVs.

The UFC sets up quality PPVs and get people to watch them by asking and answering three questions:

1) Who are these guys?

2) Why are they fighting?

3) Why should I care?

Being able to successfully answer these three questions can help you as the booker/creator/player truly enjoy and appreciate the matchup. Answering the first question is a sign of having great characters involved. Answering the second question is a sign of understanding the set up of their conflict. Answering the third question is a sign of acknowledging that there are indeed stakes to being the winner and/or the loser in this match. If you can answer any of the questions, it's good. If you can't answer any of the questions, it's bad. But if you can answer all three, you have something that could be special.

I encourage every promoter to remember that when it comes to booking matches, there is nothing wrong with the babyface vs. heel model. It's been successfully used for a long time. I just want to put the idea in your head that if you can look beyond the model, you can find another way to explore match matching and feuds.

[The REAL Mr. Jimmyface]

Second follow up...

I am a fan of not using a specialty match without a reason. I look at specialty matches like a great steak. I love steak. When it is done right, there is no finer a dinner to share with family and friends. The cut, the seasoning, the garnishing, the side dishes... If you do not like steak, insert the name of your own favorite food. Not just a good food, but your favorite food. I want you to associate a specialty match with the favorite food. And once you're there, think about how that food would be less special if that's all you ate in your diet. No matter how great the dish is, repetition can make it less special.

Specialty matches are the same way for me. I use them sparingly in my cards, even the year-end ones. If you rely on a specialty match too often, you can make it not so special when one appears on your card. And if you book specialty matches too often, the impact will be lessened. You always want to have the announcement that a match is going to held under specific rules to make you excited at the prospect. By spacing them out and using them sparingly, it helps the impact stay sharp.

There are a few other things I use in my feds that relate to specialty matches, and maybe they'll inspire you to try something new in yours.

1) The Heavy Metal Championship - when this title was introduced in the GWF, it was a title that was defended exclusively in a Cosmic Cage Match. I loved that idea. If you have a talent pool for cage matches, this could be a great addition to your fed. But then, in 1992, something happened that sparked a new idea. WCW put together a Halloween PPV with the main event being Sting vs. Jake Roberts. Old schools fans are smiling right now, but for those who haven't seen the match, it was a match booked as Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal. And I encourage you to watch the vignettes leading up to this match. They're on YouTube, and they are awesome. The concept for the match was it would be a specialty match, but you wouldn't know what kind until a large game-show sized wheel was spun to pick the match. The concept would later be used on RAW Roulette. Oh, Eric Bischoff is a delight!

But back to 1992, I thought about that concept in regards to the Heavy Metal Championship. Instead of just being defended in a Cosmic Cage, wouldn't it be interesting if that title was defended in randomly selected specialty matches? I made that happen, and it was a great way to spice up my midcard, and also to allow a story device which could add some spice and excitement to a card. I came up with criteria for determining who is eligible for the title, which leads me to...

2) Heavy Metal and Cruiserweight as tertiary titles - now, being a cruiserweight is not a gimmick. But I'm including the Cruiserweight title with the Heavy Metal title because they are related in my fed set up. As mentioned earlier, I have a hierarchy of titles in my feds:

Heavyweight or Galaxian title - the most prestigious of championship titles, reserved for the most deserving champions and contenders. I consider this a Primary Level title.

International/US title, Tag Team titles, and Women's title - these titles represent the most successful teams or individuals in their respective divisions. I consider these to be Secondary level titles.

Cruiserweight and Heavy Metal titles are what I consider Tertiary level titles because not every wrestler who faces the champion is eligible for the title. Eligibility is restricted to only those who qualify for the title. Because of this, the title isn't defended on my cards on a constant basis. This makes defending the title something of an event when it occurs. Much like... a specialty match!

Now, for cruiserweights, the eligibility is pretty simple to determine. There is a weight limit. In the GWF years, the weight limit was originally set for 240 lbs. or less. In recent times, 205 lbs. or less has been set for the weight limit. Feel free to select whatever number you wish if you want to create a weight based tertiary title in your fed. Again, another way to spice things up.

For my Heavy Metal title, here are the qualifications I came up with. In order to compete for the title, a wrestler must have at least one of the following on their cards: a) two out of the ring choices on Level 3 offense; b) a move or finisher that can result in a disqualification; c) a Disqualification rating of 6 or higher; d) a Cage rating of 1 or less. If the wrestler has one of these, they are eligible to compete for and hold the Heavy Metal title.

Another reason these two titles are considered Tertiary in my fed is because I have a rule with the Primary title. Once a wrestler wins the Heavyweight championship, which is Primary, they can no longer compete for either the Cruiserweight or Heavy Metal titles again. The reason for that is because I want to save those two titles for younger/new wrestlers to win and build their career. Secondary titles are for everyone, but to get there, you have to win time and time again until you get to that level. But the Tertiary titles are something that can be fought for by those are not the best (Primary) or not the most dominant (Secondary). When you reach the Primary level, you have established yourself as a main event star. You don't really need Tertiary titles to boost your reputation. But others do, and that rule gives them a better chance of success.

3) Break Glass Only In Case of Emergency - now, this one is big with me, and I hope it's big with you as well. If you have a match where the losing wrestler is going to missing subsequent cards with injury, use these matches only when necessary. There are a number of match rules out there where this can happen. Two of those matches that I only use when absolutely necessary are Torture Chamber and Barbed Wire matches. In the world of steaks, match rules that have the losers roll for how many cards they are going to miss are the Ribeye cuts. Because there is a guaranteed chance of one or more of the participants being that badly injured, it's pretty high stakes for a wrestler to participate in that kind of match.

If I had matches of this level of violence and damage on a regular basis, my roster would be cut down. Literally and figuratively. Some people love that level of hardcore, some do not. I fall in the middle. I don't believe these matches should be banned or forbidden, but at the same time, I cannot make a steady diet of them. So if the matches are going to happen, I want to to be something special. If it's going to be done, it needs to be done right.

How I go about doing it, outside of limiting the number of times those matches can happen (usually within one year for my fed, you can choose your own time limits) is to only give them out to the highest rated match on the card. Going back to the sample card earlier in the thread, let's look the number on the right, which is the combined ranking of the participants. It is time to have a Barbed Wire Match in my fed. Who will it be? Let's look at the highest point totals, and work our way through them...

142 points for Sniper vs. Supernova vs. Amazonia - no, because a triple threat match is already a specialty match. Don't need to stack more on this one.

110 points for Genocide vs. Pegasus - no, because both participants at this point in time are mostly babyfaces, and they're not involved in a feud. If they were in a feud, that would certainly change things, but right now is not the time.

103 points to Twin Blood vs. Titan Attack - no, because of the same reasons above.

99 points - Thunder vs. Wolf - this is going to be who will participate in the Barbed Wire match. We have two wrestlers who are in a blood feud, and whose personality and ability certainly lend to a match of this nature. The rising star from Aethra vs. the GWF legend. A warrior raised on violence vs. an unpredictable wild animal. If it is time for a match of this magnitude to happen, whether by system design or by choice, these are the two I want to put in the match. Whoever wins is going to be a major threat to every single person on the roster, especially the Heavyweight champion, because they took out a top tier main event caliber wrestler. And the loser will take a hit by being out of a number of months, but it also gives them a comeback story, which is a great way to reintroduce a character and enhance their story.

If I took that same match and gave it to Tortured Soul vs. Grovel (31 points)... sure, the characters have the capacity for violence, as you would expect from an animated corpse taking on a lava beast. But compared to Thunder vs. Wolf, the payoff is far less. Both of these individuals are towards the bottom of the card. Whoever wins that match, who did you really beat? And if you wanted to make a match of this level have impact, how would a return to this match down the road look? Not just for the two participants, but if you wanted to use the match for someone else? There's a difference between "Oh, this is the match where Grovel took out Tortured Soul" and "Oh, this is the match where Thunder took out Wolf". One of these is going to make you go "oh...", and one of these is going to make you go "oh man!". So let Thunder and Wolf fight it out in the Barbed Wire match. Tortured Soul and Grovel can still be booked in a Ruins of Antilla match, and the two of them fighting through ancient ruins will give both men a boost. Not the same level as Barbed Wire would, but still a good match up. Why serve a steak when you can make hamburgers?

Wrapping up (man, I am a long winded cuss, lol), always look for the reason behind why you do what you do as a promoter. Specialty matches and additional titles are great thing to have. Just make sure you use them to your best advantage. You're an amazing booker and game player. And as you play and learn more from other players on the boards, you're going to get even better!