Creating a fantasy wrestling federation over the internet can be an extrememly fun thing to do, but requires much work.
If you're a wrestling fan and you have access to the interent, chances are you've come across fantasy wrestling federations. The premise is pretty simple. People join up in a group and choose real wrestlers to be, make up their own, or compete against each other. Not in a wrestling ring, they compete online in several different ways. The most common fantasy wrestling federations are sim and roleplay.
Sim feds used to be much more popular, but recently have become more scarce. The premise of this type of fed is to choose a pro wrestler from a major organization with pre-determined statistics. Then the person will challenge another wrestler and they will compete in a match. In actuality, a simulation program is used to simulate the match, and usually the person with better stats will win. These types of federations are somewhat pointless and don't last long because there is little interaction between members.
The much more popular and overall more enjoyable fantasy federations are called roleplay federations or RP feds. They will be the main focus of this article. In an RP fed the object is for the members to do a roleplay as the wrestler they represent. The quality and length of roleplays is what determines the winner in a match. The member will write up an interview with descriptions of how his wrestler comes to the ring, speaks, and makes his exit. Or sometimes a roleplay will occur in another area, such as a locker room or the wrestler's home. Here is an example of a roleplay.
Scorpion walks down to the ring with a rock hard face. The crowd is booing at this mysterious man as he steps into the ring. He grabs a microphone.
Scorpion: In two weeks time I will be facing The Executioner for the World Title. I will not be merciful on your beloved champion. Instead I will unleash the demons of the night to destroy him. Prepare yourself Executioner...your time draws near.
Scorpion walks out to a chorus of boos.
That was a crude example, but it's the basic format in which most roleplays are set. Sometimes they're done more elaborately. The person might add announcers, interviewers, managers, or anything else that might improve his or her roleplay. Again, the whole purpose of this is to roleplay better than your scheduled opponent. In some feds it can become a little more complicated as storylines and strict rule are set.
OK, so now you're wondering exactly how you can create your own fed and watch people bust their hump writing great roleplays to impress you. First you must make a big choice for your fed. Will it be an email fed or one on a website? Although both are run the same, each can dramatically effect how everything molds. An email fed is one where everything is done through email. Roleplays, messages to members, everything is done through email. A board fed, or one on a website, is held on a website and the roleplaying is done on a message board. The choice is a big one concerning the type of work on your part. If you're not great at website design you should choose an email fed. If you want a very sleek design choose a board fed. Once you've made your decision, you'll need to create the following.
Rules: You're going to need to establish a basic set of rules for your fed. The most common rules are a minimum number of lines in a roleplay, making it illegal to use another wrestler in a roleplay, and punishment for breaking the rules. Without your basic rules the fed will have no future, so this is an important step.
Wrestler Signups: You need to establish some way for new members to join your fed. If you're running a website you'll probably want to find a form creation service or create your own form for new members. If you're running things by email, make a form and simply send it to them. In the form you should request the wrestler's name, information about the character, any details you'll need, and a sample roleplay. The sample roleplay is very important as it shows you the quality at which your wrestlers will roleplay.
A Place To Roleplay: If you're running an email fed, this isn't a problem. But if you're running a fed on a site, you're going to need a place for people to roleplay. Usually a good message board will do but sometimes extra is needed. You might want to find a message board with password protection so non-members can't post harassing messages. It's also a good idea to create a board for people to speak out of character in order to express complaints or feelings about the fed.
That's pretty much what you'll need to get started. Although it may not look like much, starting up a fantasy wrestling fed is a lot of work. I suggest that you join a few feds yourself and spend some time learning how everything works. Whatever you do, I hope you have lots of fun with fantasy wrestling.
