Legends of Wrestling: Strategy Points Using Strategy PointsAt the start of a match, determine the number of Strategy Points each wrestler or team receives – usually between 2 and 6. If the match is a tag-team match, these points are shared by all team members.
A wrestler may spend Strategy Points to use a Strategy Option at any point during the match if he meets the listed prerequisites. For example, if the Strategy Option stipulates that it can only be used when a wrestler has 4 Fatigue or higher, then the wrestler cannot use that option if he only has 1 Fatigue.
Any Strategy Points left at the end of a match are lost. Some wrestlers will milk their Strategy Points for all they’re worth. Others will have an easy match and use only one or two. There is no in-game reward or penalty for using or not using Strategy Points.
Wrestler ClassesWrestler Classes are groups of Strategy Options available to a wrestler or tag-team during a match. Each class presents a wrestler with different options that give him an incentive to behave a certain way in the ring. A wrestler can only use the options available to his class.
The classes available to a wrestler are divided into three main categories: Heels, Faces and Tweens.
FacesFaces are the “good guys” of the squared circle. There are three Face classes: Hero, Technician and Tough-Guy.
HeelsHeels are the “bad guys” – the guys who will do anything to win. There are three classes of Heel: Egotist, Conniver and Madmen.
TweensTweens are capable of acting as Heels or Faces. The Tween classes are a mix of options that combine elements of being a Face with elements of being a Heel. The four classes of Tweens are: The Brawler, the Wildman, the Giant and the Bad-Ass.
How to Pick a ClassIt doesn’t matter what class you pick for a wrestler but there are a few obvious limitations. For instance, you don’t want Frank Gotch or Danny Hodge to use the Giant options. Likewise, Koko B. Ware doesn’t have the move set to take advantage of the Madman or Wildman class. So choosing an appropriate class is a consideration of the wrestler’s size, move set and role within your federation. There are no right or wrong answers, only more or less obvious ones.
If you are on the fence about a wrestler, consider the role he plays in your fed. Buddy Rogers could be an Egotist or he could be a Conniver. Some might even use him as a Face Badass or Technician. Bruiser Brody could be cast as a Face Wildman, a Giant or even a Madman. It doesn’t make much difference either way and there are no hard rules that will come to bite you. Whatever works best for your fed is always the right choice.
Variant: No Points, Only OptionsPoints are added bookkeeping and any kind of bookkeeping can be a pain at times. This is an option that changes the bookkeeping or, rather, simplifies it.
In this system, wrestlers get a set number of Strategy Options – instead of points – based on the type of match they’re in. The charts themselves can be used to check-off which options are used and also how many options have been used in a match. This variant offers fewer options for some matches. But it is simpler than keeping track of points.
The Options on the Wrestler Class charts (see below) are divided into two types: those costing 1 point and those costing 2 points. In this variant, wrestlers get a certain number of options they can use according to the guidelines below:
In a preliminary Singles match – meaning a non-title, non-feud match that is also not a main event or special event – each wrestler can use 1 option that costs 1 point.
In any other match (including tag matches), a wrestler or team can use either:
- 3 options that cost 1 point and 1 option that costs 2 points or...
- 2 options that cost 2 points
Frequently Asked QuestionsQ: What’s it like using Strategy Points?A: The most notable benefit is that Strategy Points add an element of strategy that’s missing from the standard rules. A lot will still be determined by how your wrestler is performing – meaning that dice and chance still play a huge role. But sometimes, you run into situations where you need to use up your points just to keep a guy in the match. But there are also times when a wrestler’s performance remains competitive and you have the option of using Strategy Points for other things.
Q: Why points? Why not cards or something else?A: The Strategy Points rules are based on a previous system that used cards. The problem I found was the cards a wrestler drew were not always useful. This led to a revision that included rules for discarding cards to create certain effects in a match. As I continued using the revised rules I found that my discards became more important – and more common – than the options listed on the cards. From that, the Strategy Points system was developed.
Q: Are the options hard to remember?A: Sometimes. I think it would be easier to keep track of a wrestler’s options in a game against another player. Keeping up with the options in solo play can be a little confusing at first. I found myself looking at the charts a lot for fear of not remembering what a wrestler could do at a given point. I have had wrestlers lose matches because I either forgot or neglected to read an option on their chart. In this case, I stand by the rule of “no do-overs”. But many of the options are repeated from chart-to-chart. Once you’re familiar with the repeated options, the unique options to a Wrestler Class become a lot easier to manage.