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question for Rick Garrard

Memphis_VicePosted on 06/15/07 at 02:42:04

I'm running a circuit using a modified version of the TNM-RG ruleset. My question is, how did you prevent the roster from bloating? Let the roster bloat but keep the show limited to a certain number of matches each week? Match up the last leftover guys against each other regardless of whether they're in the same locker room or even allies? Fire or decline to rehire lots of guys?
Rick GarrardPosted on 06/28/07 at 05:57:59

Sorry it took so long to reply... I prevented the roster from bloat by only renewing a guy/team if he/they was/were a champion(s).  In some cases, I wouldn't even keep a guy under contract if he was champion, instead I would use the "i" key to bring in a champ that was not under contract when booking a match.  This allowed me to keep my roster level full, and still keep a guy as champ that I really didn't want to have a contract for.

it would basically come down to firing/failing to rehire a LOT of talent that I would have otherwise probably kept, however, it made even more exciting later on in the later years (from year 7 on to the end of year 11) when a guy from the early days of the circuit would show back up and feud and/or team with a guy from his past.

Say, there's a question for you in Discussion on how to deal with TNM-RG issues. No answers needed, though you might want to weigh in on how badly I've butchered the spirit of the rules.
Just BBQ and Chinese restaurant the rules.  ;)

I've pretty much worked most of this out on its own while bastardizing the concept of the ruleset (6 singles and 2 tag team long-term contracts instead of 4 and 1; resulting in a roster of 20 guys from the getgo, occasionally surging into the mid-30s; I don't care how many matches I have to run). Still, the 'm' only nature of hiring is brilliant - keeps things fresh and unpredictable, keeps roster size down.
nothing wrong with bastardizing one of my rules sets.  In fact, it is highly encouraged since they are great launching pads for circuit ideas.  And I merely set out a very simple guideline for the TNM-RG rules... perhaps that is why they are still VERY effective to this day... it's been over 8 years since I developed them and they still are one of my best concepts!!!  (great for when one is on the road with a laptop and a lot of time to waste)

When I make it to Week 521, I'll start a new circuit and do things the "proper" way.
It's more fun to see if you can get your TNM circuit to role over into a new circuit at card 750  :)  That's what started the whole TNM-RG rule project in the first place... that and testing the HTML tree functionality within TNM.  Found the HTML tree bug that has since been fixed (you couldn't use the same first 8 characters for more than 255 cards or the HTML generator would stop at card 255 before giving a memory error which had to do with old dos naming conventions).

I can tell you, that if you go back and read some of the stuff I did with my TNM-RG circuit, there was some fun stuff that didn't need much write up as the angles were pretty easy to follow since there was such a limited roster.

you may want to make sure that you are blocking popups when you visit this site... as I've got popups turned off, so I have no idea what kind of odd things pop when you visit this old site... but here's TNM-RG Memphis in all it's glory (minus year 11).  Enjoy the reading.  :)

http://garrard.8m.com/tnmrg/WELCOME.HTM
Memphis_VicePosted on 06/29/07 at 01:19:28

Heh, I actually read a bunch of TNM-RG Memphis, and that's part of why I decided to use the ruleset. After a couple years I just read the yearly reports, though.

The following is my original manifest for the circuit, though I have edited this on my other machine, which is not on the net atm.

I'm starting a circuit based on a modified version of Rick Garrard's TNM-RG ruleset
(my first ruleset circuit - and probably my last, though MattHarms' TNA
ruleset might be worth a try someday).

Much like Rick's circuit based on TNM-RG, I've chosen the Memphis territory as the
setting. To differentiate mine, I'll go by the USWA name the promotion used for a few years.

Deviations from standard TNM-RG ruleset, additional rules and notes:

1. Instead of 4 singles wrestlers (Rick eventually expanded to 5) and 1 tag team
receiving 52 week contracts, I'm going to have a slightly larger circuit, with 6 singles
wrestlers and 2 tag teams as the long-term talent.

2. Sometimes I will select tag teams by using a random number generator to pick 2
random wrestlers from the database, rather than an established team. From the 'm'
screen you can choose to highlight individual wrestler(s) rather than the whole
database. This way the new hires do receive the short-term contracts given by 'm',
but are still truly random (due to the RNG method).

3. My starting crew, receiving 52 week contracts:
Memphis Vice (Jerry Bryant and Big Lou Winston), The Fabulous Ones (Stan Lane
and Steve Keirn), Jerry Lawler, Buddy Landel, Bam Bam Bigelow, Masked Superstar,
Iceman King Parsons, and The Gambler. Add in 'm' opponents for them from Week One,
and this means the roster will normally have 20 or slightly more wrestlers.

3a. At the end of the first year, when long-term contracts are up for renewal,
if I have any vacancies to fill, the first such vacancy will be filled by a
wrestler who has some history with the Memphis promotion in real life.
This is the only way a wrestler can be offered a contract from the 'Wrestlers'
screen. Additional vacancies will be filled by offering long-term contracts to
worthy wrestlers who are up to renew their short-term contracts.

3b. If a long-term contracted wrestler should quit during the year, there is
simply one less long-term contract until the beginning of next year.

[tt]Editor's Note: I just had one of my long-term contracts, Jerry Bryant, lose a loser-leaves-town stipulation. I'm trying to decide if I should assign his long-term contract to someone else. I think I may.[/tt]

4. I will try to use every wrestler each week, and assign them a reasonable opponent
in a reasonable place on the card. This may lead to a bloated roster at
some points. I reserve the right to break this rule for guys on their way out, guys
who might be likely to take a week off for storyline purposes, or if I just feel
like breaking it. Champions not defending their titles may get the week off.

5. The World Unified and USWA Tag titles must be defended once every 4 weeks. The TV
title must be defended EVERY week unless the champion is receiving a shot at a more
prestigious title. I'm not sure if this circuit will be big enough for a fourth title.

[tt]Editor's Note: I've added a Southern Heavyweight title, a Hard Knocks title AND a Mid-America Tag Title. This seems to be about right with the roster normally somewhere in the 25-35 range, with an all-time high of 37 midway through Year 2. I've always favored insanely deep tag team divisions in my circuits :P[/tt]

6. Circuit is unbooked. Wrestlers "on their way out" who win a non-title match against
talent still under contract will have the match 'r'estarted, but only once. If they
still win on their way out, so be it.

Perverted_IconPosted on 06/29/07 at 08:49:49

The RG rules are fun.  I like the randomness of the whole thing.  I started with a small group of wrestlers that I dig a little but didn't have in my other circuit -- I think I started with Chris Jericho, Mike Sanders, Jeff Hardy, Sabu, and XXX (Daniels and Skipper) -- and just "m" button it up whenever necessary.  It has certainly made for some wacky title holders and fun matches over the year and a half or so (game time) that it's run so far.
My current long-term roster is Daniels, Skipper, Christian, Bryan Danielson, Barry Windham and Rick Steamboat, after Mike Sanders quit, leaving me with only two originals.  
I may have to run a bunch of cards tonight now.  Sika winning the World Unified title might rule all.   ;D
VertigoPosted on 06/29/07 at 15:29:43

In my TNM-RG the Wild Samoans were my first long-term tag team. They were 1 time Tag Team Champs and Sika had a couple of opportunities at the Television title. Afa, however, got injured twice that year.
Perverted_IconPosted on 07/05/07 at 06:45:08

On 06/29/07 at 08:49:49, Perverted_Icon wrote:The RG rules are fun. I like the randomness of the whole thing. I started with a small group of wrestlers that I dig a little but didn't have in my other circuit -- I think I started with Chris Jericho, Mike Sanders, Jeff Hardy, Sabu, and XXX (Daniels and Skipper) -- and just "m" button it up whenever necessary. It has certainly made for some wacky title holders and fun matches over the year and a half or so (game time) that it's run so far.
My current long-term roster is Daniels, Skipper, Christian, Bryan Danielson, Barry Windham and Rick Steamboat, after Mike Sanders quit, leaving me with only two originals.
I may have to run a bunch of cards tonight now. Sika winning the World Unified title might rule all. ;D
Based on this post, I gave Sika a shot against my current champ, Barry Windham.  Let's just say that shouyld say "former champ Barry Windham".  
Rick GarrardPosted on 07/05/07 at 07:20:39

Sika is the champ! Where's the raw chicken being eaten during Mr Fuji's ranting promo for his man Sika? ;)

Guess Barry's not that tall and lean, quick and mean,  big bad fightin' machine that's smokin', no jokin' that he once was, eh?
Perverted_IconPosted on 07/08/07 at 01:35:46

Sika had but a 7 day reign as World Unified Champ.  (I don't know what was unified either, by the way.)
Somehow, American Dragon is the World Unified and TV champ right now.  (I guess that really is a Unified champ, then.)
Rick GarrardPosted on 07/08/07 at 06:25:33

somehow I see Danielson losing both titles on the same show.  ;)  Just the way things within a TNM-RG circuit usually work.
Perverted_IconPosted on 07/08/07 at 07:43:58

The fact that I have a circuit where Sika jobbed a title to Danielson just makes me once again realize how much TNM and the RG rules are fantastic.