Post by Kim Jong CP on Aug 11, 2009 1:13:11 GMT -5
By doing this I hope I'm not stomping on any toes, however I've taken the liberty after a few drinks to polish up and make current the ACW guide, as well as add in hyperlinks to everything that needs it. Now the guide is like GEICO, so easy a caveman could do it.
PART II
THE MODS
Before we go any further, it’s worth going over who’s officially in charge of this wrestling carnival. There are currently five members with moderator status: Atomic Kitsune, The Senator, Jonny Spade, Jay Zero and Yoko Satoshi. They should be your first port of call for anything that you need help on which this guide doesn’t cover.
SHOWS
So, you’ve created your profile and thus announced your presence. Next, let’s look at the heart of the fed – its shows.
I’ll start by giving an overview of the “scope” of the different shows, and then discuss how you go about getting yourself on them.
Warfare is our main television show, with production levels on par with the WWE. Held on Wednesdays at 4.30pm eastern standard time (9.30pm UK), these shows are where a majority of the matches and character development take place. Each has a maximum of 5 match slots available and then as many “segments” as are written, so that a complete show unfolds very much like a televised wrestling program. Warfare is compiled and posted by Atomic Kitsune (also the writer of this guide and commonly referred to as AK), or Jonny Spade. There is no segment limit for each show, though only four shall be scored.
The fed PPVs are our biggest, brightest shows and major social events for the fed. This is where the best, most hyped matches will take place, and where the serious gimmick contests can be accommodated. There are 12 monthly PPV’s per year, occurring on Saturdays at 3pm Eastern (8pm UK). As overall head writer for the fed I, AK, take on the challenge of preparing these mammoth scripts, but as you may appreciate I get a stupendous amount of help from the rest of the writers here. Therefore, promptness in making spot requests and such is highly critical. As there is still a show on the Wednesday before the PPV, the mods and I can not stress enough, the importance of time management in regards to writing for these shows.
BOOKINGS / REQUESTING A MATCH
Warfare cards are prepared by ACW’s booking committee, which is a group of members with specific interest in putting together matches and a track record that demonstrates their suitability for this important role. When you join the fed, it is assumed that you are available for booking on the main shows; if you want to limit your appearances (say to once per week) you are very welcome to pass this information to any of the mods or Chris Phenomenal who will amend the records held for the committee’s use. The booking committee aims to match people of similar skill levels and rank together, so that no one is ever booked into a contest where they will struggle to have a chance at winning, or which conflicts with an ongoing storyline.
Newcomers should send in a segment or two for a show, without doing so, you will not be eligible to be booked on a card.
Members can also request matches of their choosing in the Match Request Board; this is particularly useful if two or more members are conducting a feud and wish to arrange certain events to suit them. You may also challenge a specific person outside of a feud if you wish, though it is at their discretion whether to accept that challenge. Requests are taken on a first come, first served basis; if the card is full, remaining requests will carry over to the next chronological show if there is room, or to the next edition of the specific show you are requesting a match for if there is not. Except under special circumstances, a character may not be “double booked” i.e. scheduled for two or more matches in a single show. If you wish for your request to be kept secret up until the show, please notify one of the mods or Chris Phenomenal. They will do there best to accommodate this request..
PAY PER VIEW PREDICTIONS
Once a Pay Per View card is full and finalised, a topic will be opened on the predictions board for the relevant show. Here you can see the upcoming matches, and predict who you think will or should win each one. Starting from Heatwave of 2009, our very own Chris Phenomenal will be keeping a table of correct predictions, in the ACW Pay Per View Predictions League.
MATCH DECISIONS
The outcome of a match is decided in two ways. The first is called the “calculations” method; here, the participants of the match are compared by the mods on a number of different criteria, some quantitative and some qualitative and encompassing all aspects of the fed. We do not reveal the specific measures that we use to prevent any attempts to “rig” matches, but regular participation and quality of contributions are the keys to winning matches, both directly and indirectly.
The second method occurs when all the participants in a match agree the outcome beforehand, usually to advance the storylines that one or more members are working on.
-------------------
PART III
SEGMENTS AND ROLEPLAYING
The writing of “Segments” is the method by which fed members contribute directly to the shows. A segment is basically like a roleplay that some other feds use; however, instead of just posting it on an RP board, segments are submitted to the head writer of the show they are intended for and then physically worked into the fabric of the show. A segment can take many forms – a discussion between fed characters, an interview (for which we have NPCs available to use as you require), or some other action that hypes up or builds toward a match, fuels a rivalry, or just gives some insight into your character. You do not need to be booked for a show to write a segment.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The quality and quantity of your work is assessed on a “rolling” basis; after each show, contributions are recorded and assessed to update the records upon which match calculations are based. It is important for new members to understand that matches are not decided simply by the comparison of specific RPs written for a single contest; all your work over a longer period of time is taken into account.
The soft deadline for submissions is one half hour before the show for a weekly event (Warfare) and one (1) hour before Pay Per Views. If a piece reaches the head writer of a show before it is “aired” then every effort will be made to include it. As a result of this, however, any segment that you submit for a particular show will not affect the outcome of any match being held on that same show. Therefore, frequent contributions of consistent quality are the keys to success in matches here; if any of this is unclear or you require clarification, please get in contact with a member of the moderating team.
All segments when completed should be sent to AK or Jonny Spade, dependant on the show poster for the week. If you forget who to send the required segment to, you can also find the links in the Main Header.
Occasions will arise however when either Jonny or AK will be unavailable to post the show. If this does happen, a PM will be sent to all members outlining who will be in charge of posting that weeks show.
RULES FOR SEGMENTS
Members are basically free to do as they wish when writing segments, with the following constraints:
1) Use your head when involving characters other than your own. If a character you wish to involve belongs to another fed member it is good manners to run your plans past them, even if they are relatively minor.
2) Attacking other characters comes with special conditions. If you need to attack one of the named NPCs, you should check this with both the show’s head writer – someone else may already have submitted or announced their intention to submit a segment involving that character, and if their segment needs to take place before yours then you will need to come up with an alternative.
If your target is another fed member’s character, you must negotiate and agree what will happen in advance. The member being attacked will be required to “sell” the effects if the beating is any more serious than a light scuffle, so think carefully if you really need to go charging in with brute force. In my experience you can achieve the same level of feud–building with good writing of non–violent confrontation, so that if a real fight does occur at any point it retains the impact it should have.
3) There is a limit of four segments that you can submit per show, and all should have a definite purpose – there is no point in simply submitting any old rubbish if you don’t have a match or storyline to work on, and it won’t put you at a disadvantage if you decide that your character doesn’t have anything worthwhile to say or do on a particular show. There’s also no automatic credit associated with length; in many cases shorter is most certainly sweeter.
The best way to understand how segments work is to read one or more of our past shows, where you can see how the finished product slots together. You will always be credited for anything that you submit, and you are more than welcome to work jointly on a segment with others if you are working on a combined storyline.
Finally, if you have a great idea for a segment but are unsure about how to go about writing it, the mods are always happy to assist you with feedback and general help in putting your thoughts on the screen.
SPOTLISTS AND IN–MATCH REQUESTS
For any match that you are involved in, you are welcome to submit requests for particular high points or “spots” that you would like to see your character perform. The writers do not guarantee to use every single one if you send in a large number, but they generally do their best. 3 or 4 spots is plenty for a standard match; for a PPV match you are free to submit as many as you want as these tend to be considerably longer and there is more scope for the writers to fit spots in.
If you desire your character to carry out certain actions before or during a match, then these should be requested via the head writer of the relevant show, as soon as practically possible after your match request is confirmed. The same rules apply to in–match action as apply to segments. For post-match action, you should write this yourself and submit it in the same way as any other segment; it will be placed into the show at the appropriate point, and credited into the calculation system.
The writers aim to get their allocation of work completed 24 hours before a show is due to air. The closer to this deadline that you leave it to submit your requests, the greater the likelihood that the match will already be written, and we do not expect our writers to bend over backwards and re - write at short notice. Ideally, if you know that you will need specific things to happen in a match, get a PM out to the head writer as soon as you have made your match request or seen the match on the announced card.
STORYLINES AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT
ACW is a strongly story – driven fed, where members co – operate to think up and then work through storylines, some of which can last many months. You are encouraged to join in with this process; a feud may simply be between two great rivals, or it may draw in many individuals or even tag teams and stables (see the section below for general information on these). Generally, the more people that are involved, the further in advance you’ll need to plan, working out when certain events need to occur (and thus get segments written) and where particular matches may be needed, usually culminating in a major PPV confrontation.
---------
PART IV
TITLES
Currently ACW have 4 active title belts, each available to different sub sets of the roster as follows:
ACW Entertainment Title – Does what it says on the tin. Open to Lower Midcarders and Midcarders, this belt is all about putting on a great show and proving that you’re ready for a push up the ladder.
ACW International Title – For the Midcard and Upper Midcard, the International belt is the property of fed legends in the making.
ACW Tag Team Title – This is the belt for the top tag teams. Some of the greatest superstars have held this belt at one point or another. It is held by some as the true belt of ACW, emphasizing it’s focus on co-operation with others to create a story.
ACW World Title - The big one, and the greatest honour in ACW. The holder of this belt is the supreme champion, the best of the best. As such this title is held for the Main Eventers.
There are also two “annual” titles, contested over special instances. They carry no gaudy strap, but simply to be known as the winner is to pick up instant cachet.
Emperor of the Ring is a tournament for those in the Midcard and Upper Midcard to stake their claim as the next big thing in ACW. The winner earns a push and the chance to proceed up the ladder toward the main event, providing that they follow up their work in the tournament with continuing dedication.
Fallen Heroes Battle Royal is a thirty man over the top rope extravaganza, held every April. The winner joins a who’s who of ACW legends that have come out victorious, and will also look to cement themselves further in the record books as the winner also earns a title shot at our biggest Pay Per View of the year, Omega Effect.
All belts and titles are available to both male and female wrestlers.
GETTING A TITLE SHOT
Working your way toward a title shot takes time and a little patience. The best way to get noticed is to contribute frequently and well, and to be prepared to give (e.g. helping people with their storylines, and taking matches against higher – ranked opponents on occasion) in order to get (so you may lose your first match against an incumbent champion, but the next time you meet it may well be with the title on the line and with the scales more balanced). The booking committee strives to ensure that effort is rewarded with title shots to create interesting and entertaining shows.
It is possible to work with a title holder to create a title – related feud. Often, the parties involved will write segments together and be involved directly or indirectly in one another’s matches, and then at the appropriate time (usually a PPV) a title match will take place.
Most of our members view the belts as desirable “extras” – they’re nice to have, but they’re not the sole reason for being a part of the fed. If the glory of a title is especially important to you, you may be better served by seeking out a fed which is purely RP – based, and the ongoing storylines take second place. Having said that, we do of course do everything in our power to see that the belts are held by people who have worked hard and earned their title reigns. If you persevere and enjoy yourself without a belt, you will find yourself in possession of one eventually.
RANKS
On joining the fed, most people will start as lower midcarders. The exceptions to this rule are if a person can demonstrate exceptional prowess and experience from other fed activity, and back this up with roleplays or other physical evidence of their claims.
After each PPV the roster is reshuffled. The need to keep the ranks in some sort of balance has to be reconciled with the need to reward those who’ve worked especially well, or demote anyone who has been unreliable or gone AWOL. Occasionally people may be asked if they will volunteer to move down the roster for a period to allow others a chance in the spotlight; we do our very best to make the fed enjoyable at all levels of competition, so even if it takes you a few months to start ascending toward the higher levels, you should still find plenty to occupy you and provide material you can work with.
-------------
PART V
MATCH WRITING
ACW match output divides into two types: “Summary” matches and “Full” matches.
Summary matches make up the bulk of the regular ACW shows. 300 to 500 words long, they aim to give the flavour of a match without full play-by-play detail or long entrance descriptions. These matches are designed to be a short, sharp read which do not take up a large amount of writing time. On a standard edition of Warfare the majority of matches will be summaries.
Full matches do what it says on the tin. Entrances and full descriptions are given, including commentary if the writer chooses to include it. The main event of Warfare will be a Full match, and the booking committee selects the match which will have this honor on each card.
PPVs consist entirely of full matches, and these will frequently be lengthy and engaging reads with big spots, major developments and the best quality of writing.
All members are most welcome to participate in the match writing process. The match board is at the very top of the main board page, and the card for the next show goes up as soon as the preceding one finishes. The mods update the card shown with the names of the people who have volunteered for each match, so you can see at a glance what is available. Example summary matches are also provided to assist new writers, and the “ACW Talk” board contains an exhaustive match writing guide that covers all aspects of this particular art. The show heads can always provide writing feedback if desired.
If you see a match you would like to write, for normal shows the writer can provide either a summary or a full match, unless they’ve picked the main event where a full match is always expected. Most writers find summaries easier to fit into their free time during normal weeks, but if you’ve got some extra time to spend, full matches are always appreciated.
MATCH TYPES
ACW features a large variety of different matches. Where specific equipment is required or the match is complex, there is a limit of one “gimmick” match per show. In general, the more physically strenuous the match, the less the frequency at which they are permitted to occur.
Here is a guide to the more commonly requested match types.
Unrestricted matches:
Regular singles, and 2 – team tag team matches.
Elimination (Pinfall, submission or over-the-top) with up to four participants
Single stipulations – e.g. submission only, no dq
“One per show” match types:
Table Match
Ladder Match
Cage Match
Hardcore Match
Falls count Anywhere Match
PPV – Only Matches:
Hell in a Cell
Iron Man Match
Multiple participant matches: Any match that involves more than four single wrestlers, or six competing in teams of 2 or 3.
TLC and its variants: Any match that uses more than one type of furniture, or includes weaponry in addition to tables or ladders etc.
Structure Matches: Anything requiring a specially designed and built environment – e.g. Elimination Chamber, Skyscraper of Hell, Lil’ Shop of Horrors.
ANY match that involves major bumps (long falls or full impact weapon use, e.g. serious Weedwhacker shots.)
One last important point: “Squash” matches are extremely rare in ACW. If you feel that such a one – sided match is necessary you will be expected to repay the courtesy of the person being squashed at a later date.
For an extensive list of the matches seen in ACW, Dan White has compiled a listing.
SPECIAL MATCH REQUESTS
The writing team will consider any proposals from fed members for new and innovative match types. However, before a special match is approved, you must ensure that:
1) All parties involved are prepared to deal with the “selling” issues of any major bumps that may result.
2) You have a clear and concise explanation of how the match is set up, the rules that apply, and how you envisage the match to play out (e.g. strategic, all out attack).
Make sure that you discuss your ideas with a mod well in advance of when you want the match to take place, so that any difficulties can be resolved in good time for the writing work to be carried out. You will also be asked to provide suggestions for spots that make full use of the special conditions that you are proposing.
TAG TEAMS
Members have two options if they wish to form a tag team; they can form an alliance with another member, or they may create an NPC to accompany them in tag matches. In general teams with two active members tend to outdo those with one member and an NPC, simply because with 2 people working together it’s possible for them to score more highly when the match calculations are taking place. If one member doesn’t pull their weight, however, the reverse is occasionally true. In addition, members who work at giving their NPC partners a personality of their own also do better than those who create them on a whim and then subsequently forget, only bringing out that character when they decide that they need them.
STABLES
Stables are really just extended tag teams; however, you can’t have just one member and then a whole other group of NPCs (see the NPC guidelines below). A majority of the members of any stable should be “real” people.
Again, if you form a stable you will need to work on developing the stable’s identity and coherence if you want it to work properly. Also you need to be flexible and learn to negotiate – no stable will be permitted to ride roughshod over others simply by weight of numbers. It is almost always better to introduce your character as a lone operator for the first month or two, and only then think about starting a stable or joining an existing one.
NPC GUIDELINES
Under normal circumstances, a member may use up to three distinct characters:
1) Their major wrestler, the one whom they will spend the most time developing. This is considered to be the “real” character, and the main identifier of an individual member. (See “Second Characters” under Other Boards and Housekeeping for the rules on using more than one major wrestler, which is permissible but not recommended).
2) A character, usually of the opposite sex, as a manager or diva.
3) A second “wrestling” character for use as a tag partner.
The second and third of these are considered to be NPCs.
Some of the most well known NPC’s in ACW history are El Froggy Mask, Stan H. Johnston, “Dangerous” Nicholas Alger and Daniel Ness. For usage of these, and any other NPC Characters please contact The Senator.
There are some other key individual NPCs, the most important of which are:
1) Philip Jones, ACW’s ring announcer.
2) Kevin "The Internet" Anderson and Charlotte King, the ACW Interviewers.
3) Biff Taylor, the GM of Fallout.
4) Gary, legendary jobber, currently on the Fallout roster, but occasionally used on ACW.
5) The Southern Smashers, Rich Richardson/Evan Dixon, two more jobbers who are preferred opponents for new tag teams, or for someone wanting to dominate in a handicap match.
6) The referees and technical staff, some of whom have distinct characteristics of their own; they can be found under “ACW Staff” on the main profiles board.
---------
Part VI
FED BOARDS
The general layout of the boards is one that hopefully allows the user to easily navigate there way around ACW. At the top of the fed front page is the board containing the assortment of ACW guides, as well as the monthly newsletters compiled by BK London. Below that is the Suggestions and Urgencies board that is for any issue which a member wants to make the fed as a whole aware of or start a discussion on. The Wrestler Profile board is where you can find the profiles for all of the former and current ACW wrestlers, as well as an assortment of ACW Staff. The autobiography board is there for anyone to tell the fed about their general e-fed experience, whether it is in ACW or not. The Banner Request board is there for you to request that one of our talented designers make you a banner for your signatures.
Below them are the Match Writing board and Match Requests board which are covered extensively in Part 2 and Part 5 Respectively.
Show Boards
The reason for being here are found in these boards, our Wednesday show, as well as Special Events and archives of our former shows are found in the first category, while Pay Per Views and Predictions are second. As these are the antithesis of ACW, they are mentioned in every portion of the ACW Guide in some way shape or form. If you have not done so, we encourage you to read each part, located here
Out of Character Areas
The boards have four main OOC areas. The “ACW Talk” board is for you to discuss any aspect of the fed that interests you – ongoing storylines, the shows themselves, character development and anything else connected to the fed. Within this board there are specific areas for advice and criticism, rumors and gossip and more general chatter; do explore these to find out what’s available.
The “Social” board is a space where you can talk about anything at all that interests you; at any one time you’ll probably find debates raging, online questionnaires and quizzes where members are comparing their results, creative writing, social and political comments, and everything in between. Even if it’s a non – show day for the fed you will almost certainly find something new to read and comment on here, the members of the fed have grown into a true community and so there’s almost always something going on.
“ General Wrestling” is a board for talking about real wrestling of any type.
Finally, “Conflict Resolution” offers a dedicated forum for differences between members to be aired, talked through and resolved, with help from the mods as appropriate.
The Chat Room
ACW’s chat room is available at all times for fed members to use. On show days you’ll usually find a number of people in here while the show is being posted, and everyone’s welcome to drop by and say hello if the fancy takes you. All we ask is that guests observe the same etiquette rules as fed members while they’re making use of our facilities.
The Fed Website
ACW’s site not only contains basic information for prospective members; it also hosts features such as title histories and show archives. While full members will find themselves spending most of their time on the boards, it’s good to check here now and again to see how the Fed’s “shop window” is looking.
Maintaining your profile
You are at liberty to make changes to your profile as you see fit, as long as this does not include any unrealistically large character shifts (see below). You can use the “modify” option on your original post, but when you’re done it is advisable for you to post a new message with the date of your update on it; this bounces your profile up the list and brings it to the writers’ attention so that the changes can be noted.
Radical shifts or entire character changes
If you should reach the point where you want your character to take on a new look or significant personality change (e.g. Cactus Jack – Dude Love), you should discuss this with a mod so that a suitable way to carry this out in the context of the shows can be worked out. If you want to bring in an entirely new character rather than a new identity, your original character needs to “leave” the fed in an appropriate way before the new character debuts.
Second “Major” Characters
It is theoretically possible for a member to have more than one “major” character active in the fed. However, the following must be clearly understood:
- work submitted in the guise of one character may not be counted toward the match decisions of another, and vice-versa
- “Joint” segments are not permitted where both submitting characters are handled by the same member
- If one character is associated with another member (e.g. as a tag partner), neglect of that character in favour of a second is frowned upon, as a lack of writing for the first character will harm the chances of the tag team in tag competition. Any commitments that a character has with regard to another member must be honoured, or that commitment satisfactorily dissolved, before the member with 2 major characters will be allowed to concentrate on the second one.
Absence from the fed
Occasionally people find that their lives become too busy for them to put in the necessary time to work actively in the fed. If this happens to you, ideally you should speak with a mod and agree a method by which your character’s absence will be “explained” – this could be through being sent for extra training, or via a serious injury.
We understand that sometimes things come up at very short notice. It is, however, very helpful to us if people can drop a brief message to say that they have been waylaid. If you fail to do this and do not make contact with the mod team for an extended period, your failure to stay in touch will be construed as a lack of interest in the fed, and your character will be pushed down the hierarchy in terms of title shots, and if the absence is long enough, in terms of rank.
To notify us of any happenings, please either send a PM to one of the mod groups, or let the entire fed now by posting in the Suggestions and Urgencies board.
Kayfabe
All segments and other action requests must adhere to Kayfabe, that is they must maintain the characters of all the people involved. When in the chat room or discussing the fed on other channels (e.g. AIM), it is preferred that you do not disclose the details of plot or character developments to anyone not directly involved in your storyline. Mods will not “spill the beans” either, so don’t pester us – you’ll have to wait and read the shows like everyone else!
Board Etiquette
The fed does not set out specific rules about the use of swearwords or cursing; this is a fed for the mature of mind, and as such we trust our members to ensure that they use strong language appropriately where it enhances a segment, and not in a puerile manner. Anyone daft enough to submit a segment along the lines of “fuck you and fuck your mom” will find it returned to them for “quality control” purposes.
We are all strongly committed to allowing and accepting the consequences of free speech; this means that you can basically say whatever you wish. However, please note that everyone has the right to enjoy being a part of this fed, and that any member who deliberately sets out to offend or insult another will be spoken to by the mods, and that further action will follow if this warning is not heeded.
Also, bear in mind that while you have the right to say what you want, everyone else has the right to think what they want about you on the basis of how you conduct yourself. So if you get off on destructively criticising other people’s opinions or work in a “you suck lol” manner, don’t be at all surprised if you get a verbal trouncing back in return.
In the event of problems, and your right to confidentiality
The moderating team strives to maintain an atmosphere which is pleasant and enjoyable for all fed members, and we also do our utmost to ensure that we treat all members equally, fairly and with due consideration. If, however, there is any aspect of the fed which is troubling you and which you do not wish to raise “publicly”, you always have the right to PM a moderator of your choice with your concerns. We take all difficulties and complaints seriously, fortunately we have had very few to deal with in the past but if a problem arises the mods will do their best to investigate if appropriate, and work with you to resolve the issue to everyone’s satisfaction. During this time your discussions with us will remain completely private.
Hopefully this summary should cover all the most common questions that members raise. If, however, you would like more information on any topic, please feel free to get in contact.
Whether you’re a “viewer” or a member, Enjoy!
AK and the rest of ACW
PART II
THE MODS
Before we go any further, it’s worth going over who’s officially in charge of this wrestling carnival. There are currently five members with moderator status: Atomic Kitsune, The Senator, Jonny Spade, Jay Zero and Yoko Satoshi. They should be your first port of call for anything that you need help on which this guide doesn’t cover.
SHOWS
So, you’ve created your profile and thus announced your presence. Next, let’s look at the heart of the fed – its shows.
I’ll start by giving an overview of the “scope” of the different shows, and then discuss how you go about getting yourself on them.
Warfare is our main television show, with production levels on par with the WWE. Held on Wednesdays at 4.30pm eastern standard time (9.30pm UK), these shows are where a majority of the matches and character development take place. Each has a maximum of 5 match slots available and then as many “segments” as are written, so that a complete show unfolds very much like a televised wrestling program. Warfare is compiled and posted by Atomic Kitsune (also the writer of this guide and commonly referred to as AK), or Jonny Spade. There is no segment limit for each show, though only four shall be scored.
The fed PPVs are our biggest, brightest shows and major social events for the fed. This is where the best, most hyped matches will take place, and where the serious gimmick contests can be accommodated. There are 12 monthly PPV’s per year, occurring on Saturdays at 3pm Eastern (8pm UK). As overall head writer for the fed I, AK, take on the challenge of preparing these mammoth scripts, but as you may appreciate I get a stupendous amount of help from the rest of the writers here. Therefore, promptness in making spot requests and such is highly critical. As there is still a show on the Wednesday before the PPV, the mods and I can not stress enough, the importance of time management in regards to writing for these shows.
BOOKINGS / REQUESTING A MATCH
Warfare cards are prepared by ACW’s booking committee, which is a group of members with specific interest in putting together matches and a track record that demonstrates their suitability for this important role. When you join the fed, it is assumed that you are available for booking on the main shows; if you want to limit your appearances (say to once per week) you are very welcome to pass this information to any of the mods or Chris Phenomenal who will amend the records held for the committee’s use. The booking committee aims to match people of similar skill levels and rank together, so that no one is ever booked into a contest where they will struggle to have a chance at winning, or which conflicts with an ongoing storyline.
Newcomers should send in a segment or two for a show, without doing so, you will not be eligible to be booked on a card.
Members can also request matches of their choosing in the Match Request Board; this is particularly useful if two or more members are conducting a feud and wish to arrange certain events to suit them. You may also challenge a specific person outside of a feud if you wish, though it is at their discretion whether to accept that challenge. Requests are taken on a first come, first served basis; if the card is full, remaining requests will carry over to the next chronological show if there is room, or to the next edition of the specific show you are requesting a match for if there is not. Except under special circumstances, a character may not be “double booked” i.e. scheduled for two or more matches in a single show. If you wish for your request to be kept secret up until the show, please notify one of the mods or Chris Phenomenal. They will do there best to accommodate this request..
PAY PER VIEW PREDICTIONS
Once a Pay Per View card is full and finalised, a topic will be opened on the predictions board for the relevant show. Here you can see the upcoming matches, and predict who you think will or should win each one. Starting from Heatwave of 2009, our very own Chris Phenomenal will be keeping a table of correct predictions, in the ACW Pay Per View Predictions League.
MATCH DECISIONS
The outcome of a match is decided in two ways. The first is called the “calculations” method; here, the participants of the match are compared by the mods on a number of different criteria, some quantitative and some qualitative and encompassing all aspects of the fed. We do not reveal the specific measures that we use to prevent any attempts to “rig” matches, but regular participation and quality of contributions are the keys to winning matches, both directly and indirectly.
The second method occurs when all the participants in a match agree the outcome beforehand, usually to advance the storylines that one or more members are working on.
-------------------
PART III
SEGMENTS AND ROLEPLAYING
The writing of “Segments” is the method by which fed members contribute directly to the shows. A segment is basically like a roleplay that some other feds use; however, instead of just posting it on an RP board, segments are submitted to the head writer of the show they are intended for and then physically worked into the fabric of the show. A segment can take many forms – a discussion between fed characters, an interview (for which we have NPCs available to use as you require), or some other action that hypes up or builds toward a match, fuels a rivalry, or just gives some insight into your character. You do not need to be booked for a show to write a segment.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The quality and quantity of your work is assessed on a “rolling” basis; after each show, contributions are recorded and assessed to update the records upon which match calculations are based. It is important for new members to understand that matches are not decided simply by the comparison of specific RPs written for a single contest; all your work over a longer period of time is taken into account.
The soft deadline for submissions is one half hour before the show for a weekly event (Warfare) and one (1) hour before Pay Per Views. If a piece reaches the head writer of a show before it is “aired” then every effort will be made to include it. As a result of this, however, any segment that you submit for a particular show will not affect the outcome of any match being held on that same show. Therefore, frequent contributions of consistent quality are the keys to success in matches here; if any of this is unclear or you require clarification, please get in contact with a member of the moderating team.
All segments when completed should be sent to AK or Jonny Spade, dependant on the show poster for the week. If you forget who to send the required segment to, you can also find the links in the Main Header.
Occasions will arise however when either Jonny or AK will be unavailable to post the show. If this does happen, a PM will be sent to all members outlining who will be in charge of posting that weeks show.
RULES FOR SEGMENTS
Members are basically free to do as they wish when writing segments, with the following constraints:
1) Use your head when involving characters other than your own. If a character you wish to involve belongs to another fed member it is good manners to run your plans past them, even if they are relatively minor.
2) Attacking other characters comes with special conditions. If you need to attack one of the named NPCs, you should check this with both the show’s head writer – someone else may already have submitted or announced their intention to submit a segment involving that character, and if their segment needs to take place before yours then you will need to come up with an alternative.
If your target is another fed member’s character, you must negotiate and agree what will happen in advance. The member being attacked will be required to “sell” the effects if the beating is any more serious than a light scuffle, so think carefully if you really need to go charging in with brute force. In my experience you can achieve the same level of feud–building with good writing of non–violent confrontation, so that if a real fight does occur at any point it retains the impact it should have.
3) There is a limit of four segments that you can submit per show, and all should have a definite purpose – there is no point in simply submitting any old rubbish if you don’t have a match or storyline to work on, and it won’t put you at a disadvantage if you decide that your character doesn’t have anything worthwhile to say or do on a particular show. There’s also no automatic credit associated with length; in many cases shorter is most certainly sweeter.
The best way to understand how segments work is to read one or more of our past shows, where you can see how the finished product slots together. You will always be credited for anything that you submit, and you are more than welcome to work jointly on a segment with others if you are working on a combined storyline.
Finally, if you have a great idea for a segment but are unsure about how to go about writing it, the mods are always happy to assist you with feedback and general help in putting your thoughts on the screen.
SPOTLISTS AND IN–MATCH REQUESTS
For any match that you are involved in, you are welcome to submit requests for particular high points or “spots” that you would like to see your character perform. The writers do not guarantee to use every single one if you send in a large number, but they generally do their best. 3 or 4 spots is plenty for a standard match; for a PPV match you are free to submit as many as you want as these tend to be considerably longer and there is more scope for the writers to fit spots in.
If you desire your character to carry out certain actions before or during a match, then these should be requested via the head writer of the relevant show, as soon as practically possible after your match request is confirmed. The same rules apply to in–match action as apply to segments. For post-match action, you should write this yourself and submit it in the same way as any other segment; it will be placed into the show at the appropriate point, and credited into the calculation system.
The writers aim to get their allocation of work completed 24 hours before a show is due to air. The closer to this deadline that you leave it to submit your requests, the greater the likelihood that the match will already be written, and we do not expect our writers to bend over backwards and re - write at short notice. Ideally, if you know that you will need specific things to happen in a match, get a PM out to the head writer as soon as you have made your match request or seen the match on the announced card.
STORYLINES AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT
ACW is a strongly story – driven fed, where members co – operate to think up and then work through storylines, some of which can last many months. You are encouraged to join in with this process; a feud may simply be between two great rivals, or it may draw in many individuals or even tag teams and stables (see the section below for general information on these). Generally, the more people that are involved, the further in advance you’ll need to plan, working out when certain events need to occur (and thus get segments written) and where particular matches may be needed, usually culminating in a major PPV confrontation.
---------
PART IV
TITLES
Currently ACW have 4 active title belts, each available to different sub sets of the roster as follows:
ACW Entertainment Title – Does what it says on the tin. Open to Lower Midcarders and Midcarders, this belt is all about putting on a great show and proving that you’re ready for a push up the ladder.
ACW International Title – For the Midcard and Upper Midcard, the International belt is the property of fed legends in the making.
ACW Tag Team Title – This is the belt for the top tag teams. Some of the greatest superstars have held this belt at one point or another. It is held by some as the true belt of ACW, emphasizing it’s focus on co-operation with others to create a story.
ACW World Title - The big one, and the greatest honour in ACW. The holder of this belt is the supreme champion, the best of the best. As such this title is held for the Main Eventers.
There are also two “annual” titles, contested over special instances. They carry no gaudy strap, but simply to be known as the winner is to pick up instant cachet.
Emperor of the Ring is a tournament for those in the Midcard and Upper Midcard to stake their claim as the next big thing in ACW. The winner earns a push and the chance to proceed up the ladder toward the main event, providing that they follow up their work in the tournament with continuing dedication.
Fallen Heroes Battle Royal is a thirty man over the top rope extravaganza, held every April. The winner joins a who’s who of ACW legends that have come out victorious, and will also look to cement themselves further in the record books as the winner also earns a title shot at our biggest Pay Per View of the year, Omega Effect.
All belts and titles are available to both male and female wrestlers.
GETTING A TITLE SHOT
Working your way toward a title shot takes time and a little patience. The best way to get noticed is to contribute frequently and well, and to be prepared to give (e.g. helping people with their storylines, and taking matches against higher – ranked opponents on occasion) in order to get (so you may lose your first match against an incumbent champion, but the next time you meet it may well be with the title on the line and with the scales more balanced). The booking committee strives to ensure that effort is rewarded with title shots to create interesting and entertaining shows.
It is possible to work with a title holder to create a title – related feud. Often, the parties involved will write segments together and be involved directly or indirectly in one another’s matches, and then at the appropriate time (usually a PPV) a title match will take place.
Most of our members view the belts as desirable “extras” – they’re nice to have, but they’re not the sole reason for being a part of the fed. If the glory of a title is especially important to you, you may be better served by seeking out a fed which is purely RP – based, and the ongoing storylines take second place. Having said that, we do of course do everything in our power to see that the belts are held by people who have worked hard and earned their title reigns. If you persevere and enjoy yourself without a belt, you will find yourself in possession of one eventually.
RANKS
On joining the fed, most people will start as lower midcarders. The exceptions to this rule are if a person can demonstrate exceptional prowess and experience from other fed activity, and back this up with roleplays or other physical evidence of their claims.
After each PPV the roster is reshuffled. The need to keep the ranks in some sort of balance has to be reconciled with the need to reward those who’ve worked especially well, or demote anyone who has been unreliable or gone AWOL. Occasionally people may be asked if they will volunteer to move down the roster for a period to allow others a chance in the spotlight; we do our very best to make the fed enjoyable at all levels of competition, so even if it takes you a few months to start ascending toward the higher levels, you should still find plenty to occupy you and provide material you can work with.
-------------
PART V
MATCH WRITING
ACW match output divides into two types: “Summary” matches and “Full” matches.
Summary matches make up the bulk of the regular ACW shows. 300 to 500 words long, they aim to give the flavour of a match without full play-by-play detail or long entrance descriptions. These matches are designed to be a short, sharp read which do not take up a large amount of writing time. On a standard edition of Warfare the majority of matches will be summaries.
Full matches do what it says on the tin. Entrances and full descriptions are given, including commentary if the writer chooses to include it. The main event of Warfare will be a Full match, and the booking committee selects the match which will have this honor on each card.
PPVs consist entirely of full matches, and these will frequently be lengthy and engaging reads with big spots, major developments and the best quality of writing.
All members are most welcome to participate in the match writing process. The match board is at the very top of the main board page, and the card for the next show goes up as soon as the preceding one finishes. The mods update the card shown with the names of the people who have volunteered for each match, so you can see at a glance what is available. Example summary matches are also provided to assist new writers, and the “ACW Talk” board contains an exhaustive match writing guide that covers all aspects of this particular art. The show heads can always provide writing feedback if desired.
If you see a match you would like to write, for normal shows the writer can provide either a summary or a full match, unless they’ve picked the main event where a full match is always expected. Most writers find summaries easier to fit into their free time during normal weeks, but if you’ve got some extra time to spend, full matches are always appreciated.
MATCH TYPES
ACW features a large variety of different matches. Where specific equipment is required or the match is complex, there is a limit of one “gimmick” match per show. In general, the more physically strenuous the match, the less the frequency at which they are permitted to occur.
Here is a guide to the more commonly requested match types.
Unrestricted matches:
Regular singles, and 2 – team tag team matches.
Elimination (Pinfall, submission or over-the-top) with up to four participants
Single stipulations – e.g. submission only, no dq
“One per show” match types:
Table Match
Ladder Match
Cage Match
Hardcore Match
Falls count Anywhere Match
PPV – Only Matches:
Hell in a Cell
Iron Man Match
Multiple participant matches: Any match that involves more than four single wrestlers, or six competing in teams of 2 or 3.
TLC and its variants: Any match that uses more than one type of furniture, or includes weaponry in addition to tables or ladders etc.
Structure Matches: Anything requiring a specially designed and built environment – e.g. Elimination Chamber, Skyscraper of Hell, Lil’ Shop of Horrors.
ANY match that involves major bumps (long falls or full impact weapon use, e.g. serious Weedwhacker shots.)
One last important point: “Squash” matches are extremely rare in ACW. If you feel that such a one – sided match is necessary you will be expected to repay the courtesy of the person being squashed at a later date.
For an extensive list of the matches seen in ACW, Dan White has compiled a listing.
SPECIAL MATCH REQUESTS
The writing team will consider any proposals from fed members for new and innovative match types. However, before a special match is approved, you must ensure that:
1) All parties involved are prepared to deal with the “selling” issues of any major bumps that may result.
2) You have a clear and concise explanation of how the match is set up, the rules that apply, and how you envisage the match to play out (e.g. strategic, all out attack).
Make sure that you discuss your ideas with a mod well in advance of when you want the match to take place, so that any difficulties can be resolved in good time for the writing work to be carried out. You will also be asked to provide suggestions for spots that make full use of the special conditions that you are proposing.
TAG TEAMS
Members have two options if they wish to form a tag team; they can form an alliance with another member, or they may create an NPC to accompany them in tag matches. In general teams with two active members tend to outdo those with one member and an NPC, simply because with 2 people working together it’s possible for them to score more highly when the match calculations are taking place. If one member doesn’t pull their weight, however, the reverse is occasionally true. In addition, members who work at giving their NPC partners a personality of their own also do better than those who create them on a whim and then subsequently forget, only bringing out that character when they decide that they need them.
STABLES
Stables are really just extended tag teams; however, you can’t have just one member and then a whole other group of NPCs (see the NPC guidelines below). A majority of the members of any stable should be “real” people.
Again, if you form a stable you will need to work on developing the stable’s identity and coherence if you want it to work properly. Also you need to be flexible and learn to negotiate – no stable will be permitted to ride roughshod over others simply by weight of numbers. It is almost always better to introduce your character as a lone operator for the first month or two, and only then think about starting a stable or joining an existing one.
NPC GUIDELINES
Under normal circumstances, a member may use up to three distinct characters:
1) Their major wrestler, the one whom they will spend the most time developing. This is considered to be the “real” character, and the main identifier of an individual member. (See “Second Characters” under Other Boards and Housekeeping for the rules on using more than one major wrestler, which is permissible but not recommended).
2) A character, usually of the opposite sex, as a manager or diva.
3) A second “wrestling” character for use as a tag partner.
The second and third of these are considered to be NPCs.
Some of the most well known NPC’s in ACW history are El Froggy Mask, Stan H. Johnston, “Dangerous” Nicholas Alger and Daniel Ness. For usage of these, and any other NPC Characters please contact The Senator.
There are some other key individual NPCs, the most important of which are:
1) Philip Jones, ACW’s ring announcer.
2) Kevin "The Internet" Anderson and Charlotte King, the ACW Interviewers.
3) Biff Taylor, the GM of Fallout.
4) Gary, legendary jobber, currently on the Fallout roster, but occasionally used on ACW.
5) The Southern Smashers, Rich Richardson/Evan Dixon, two more jobbers who are preferred opponents for new tag teams, or for someone wanting to dominate in a handicap match.
6) The referees and technical staff, some of whom have distinct characteristics of their own; they can be found under “ACW Staff” on the main profiles board.
---------
Part VI
FED BOARDS
The general layout of the boards is one that hopefully allows the user to easily navigate there way around ACW. At the top of the fed front page is the board containing the assortment of ACW guides, as well as the monthly newsletters compiled by BK London. Below that is the Suggestions and Urgencies board that is for any issue which a member wants to make the fed as a whole aware of or start a discussion on. The Wrestler Profile board is where you can find the profiles for all of the former and current ACW wrestlers, as well as an assortment of ACW Staff. The autobiography board is there for anyone to tell the fed about their general e-fed experience, whether it is in ACW or not. The Banner Request board is there for you to request that one of our talented designers make you a banner for your signatures.
Below them are the Match Writing board and Match Requests board which are covered extensively in Part 2 and Part 5 Respectively.
Show Boards
The reason for being here are found in these boards, our Wednesday show, as well as Special Events and archives of our former shows are found in the first category, while Pay Per Views and Predictions are second. As these are the antithesis of ACW, they are mentioned in every portion of the ACW Guide in some way shape or form. If you have not done so, we encourage you to read each part, located here
Out of Character Areas
The boards have four main OOC areas. The “ACW Talk” board is for you to discuss any aspect of the fed that interests you – ongoing storylines, the shows themselves, character development and anything else connected to the fed. Within this board there are specific areas for advice and criticism, rumors and gossip and more general chatter; do explore these to find out what’s available.
The “Social” board is a space where you can talk about anything at all that interests you; at any one time you’ll probably find debates raging, online questionnaires and quizzes where members are comparing their results, creative writing, social and political comments, and everything in between. Even if it’s a non – show day for the fed you will almost certainly find something new to read and comment on here, the members of the fed have grown into a true community and so there’s almost always something going on.
“ General Wrestling” is a board for talking about real wrestling of any type.
Finally, “Conflict Resolution” offers a dedicated forum for differences between members to be aired, talked through and resolved, with help from the mods as appropriate.
The Chat Room
ACW’s chat room is available at all times for fed members to use. On show days you’ll usually find a number of people in here while the show is being posted, and everyone’s welcome to drop by and say hello if the fancy takes you. All we ask is that guests observe the same etiquette rules as fed members while they’re making use of our facilities.
The Fed Website
ACW’s site not only contains basic information for prospective members; it also hosts features such as title histories and show archives. While full members will find themselves spending most of their time on the boards, it’s good to check here now and again to see how the Fed’s “shop window” is looking.
Maintaining your profile
You are at liberty to make changes to your profile as you see fit, as long as this does not include any unrealistically large character shifts (see below). You can use the “modify” option on your original post, but when you’re done it is advisable for you to post a new message with the date of your update on it; this bounces your profile up the list and brings it to the writers’ attention so that the changes can be noted.
Radical shifts or entire character changes
If you should reach the point where you want your character to take on a new look or significant personality change (e.g. Cactus Jack – Dude Love), you should discuss this with a mod so that a suitable way to carry this out in the context of the shows can be worked out. If you want to bring in an entirely new character rather than a new identity, your original character needs to “leave” the fed in an appropriate way before the new character debuts.
Second “Major” Characters
It is theoretically possible for a member to have more than one “major” character active in the fed. However, the following must be clearly understood:
- work submitted in the guise of one character may not be counted toward the match decisions of another, and vice-versa
- “Joint” segments are not permitted where both submitting characters are handled by the same member
- If one character is associated with another member (e.g. as a tag partner), neglect of that character in favour of a second is frowned upon, as a lack of writing for the first character will harm the chances of the tag team in tag competition. Any commitments that a character has with regard to another member must be honoured, or that commitment satisfactorily dissolved, before the member with 2 major characters will be allowed to concentrate on the second one.
Absence from the fed
Occasionally people find that their lives become too busy for them to put in the necessary time to work actively in the fed. If this happens to you, ideally you should speak with a mod and agree a method by which your character’s absence will be “explained” – this could be through being sent for extra training, or via a serious injury.
We understand that sometimes things come up at very short notice. It is, however, very helpful to us if people can drop a brief message to say that they have been waylaid. If you fail to do this and do not make contact with the mod team for an extended period, your failure to stay in touch will be construed as a lack of interest in the fed, and your character will be pushed down the hierarchy in terms of title shots, and if the absence is long enough, in terms of rank.
To notify us of any happenings, please either send a PM to one of the mod groups, or let the entire fed now by posting in the Suggestions and Urgencies board.
Kayfabe
All segments and other action requests must adhere to Kayfabe, that is they must maintain the characters of all the people involved. When in the chat room or discussing the fed on other channels (e.g. AIM), it is preferred that you do not disclose the details of plot or character developments to anyone not directly involved in your storyline. Mods will not “spill the beans” either, so don’t pester us – you’ll have to wait and read the shows like everyone else!
Board Etiquette
The fed does not set out specific rules about the use of swearwords or cursing; this is a fed for the mature of mind, and as such we trust our members to ensure that they use strong language appropriately where it enhances a segment, and not in a puerile manner. Anyone daft enough to submit a segment along the lines of “fuck you and fuck your mom” will find it returned to them for “quality control” purposes.
We are all strongly committed to allowing and accepting the consequences of free speech; this means that you can basically say whatever you wish. However, please note that everyone has the right to enjoy being a part of this fed, and that any member who deliberately sets out to offend or insult another will be spoken to by the mods, and that further action will follow if this warning is not heeded.
Also, bear in mind that while you have the right to say what you want, everyone else has the right to think what they want about you on the basis of how you conduct yourself. So if you get off on destructively criticising other people’s opinions or work in a “you suck lol” manner, don’t be at all surprised if you get a verbal trouncing back in return.
In the event of problems, and your right to confidentiality
The moderating team strives to maintain an atmosphere which is pleasant and enjoyable for all fed members, and we also do our utmost to ensure that we treat all members equally, fairly and with due consideration. If, however, there is any aspect of the fed which is troubling you and which you do not wish to raise “publicly”, you always have the right to PM a moderator of your choice with your concerns. We take all difficulties and complaints seriously, fortunately we have had very few to deal with in the past but if a problem arises the mods will do their best to investigate if appropriate, and work with you to resolve the issue to everyone’s satisfaction. During this time your discussions with us will remain completely private.
Hopefully this summary should cover all the most common questions that members raise. If, however, you would like more information on any topic, please feel free to get in contact.
Whether you’re a “viewer” or a member, Enjoy!
AK and the rest of ACW
