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WELCOME TO THE IWA! You made a wise choice when you joined "The Greatest Fun Since Wrestling Itself." The IWA was the very first and is still the best play-by-mail wrestling organization in existence. With players from all over the world, you won't find tougher competition anywhere! In the IWA, you get to create an imaginary wrestler and manage his career. You tell us everything about him, then you have him compete against the imaginary wrestlers created by other players from all over the globe! Although we use a computer to determine who wins and loses, you are not playing against a computer--you are actually competing against other people! This handbook is designed to acquaint you with all the different aspects of the IWA which combine to make it so enjoyable. Please read it thoroughly before you begin playing. And congratulations on joining the best wrestling game anywhere. We know you won't be disappointed!
CURRENT PRIZES Here are the prizes for our major titles, which have been in effect since the middle of 2018:
When you filled out your IWA application, you had to choose ten wear-down holds and five set-up holds from a list of 90. Each cycle (a "cycle" is three weeks long), the IWA gives each hold a value which determines how effective it will be during that round of play. For the 60 wear-down holds the values range from 1 to 30 so that two holds are given the value of 1, two the value of 2, etc. up to two with a value of 30. For the 30 set-up holds the values range from 31 to 45 so that two holds are valued at 31, two at 32, etc. No hold will ever have the same value two cycles in a row. * There is no formula for determining the hold values because if someone figured it out, he would win every time! Every cycle, the IWA also sets the "disqualification value" and the "count out value." The disqualification value determines when a match ends in a disqualification and the count out value decides when a match ends by a count out. Like the hold values, these values will never be the same two cycles in a row.
All wrestlers in the IWA belong to a "league," which is a group of about 50 to 100 wrestlers. Leagues are referred to by their initials--usually two letters followed by the letter L. For example, the IWA's very first league, the All Star League, is also known as the ASL. (The ASL is still going strong, since it started in 1985!) It is very important that you mark all envelopes you send to the IWA with the initials of your league so they do not get misplaced or lost. We cannot process your matches if we don't know what league the matches are for.
The leagues in the IWA are divided into six "federations": Iron, Steel, Gold, Diamond, Bronze, and Jade. Each federation has its own set of hold values that are used to determine that federation's matches. A list of the hold values used for your federation is published in your league bulletin each cycle. This hold values list also indicates which federation your league is in and what the disqualification and count out values for that federation were.
Managers themselves make up the IWA matches. You pick opponents or partners from the list of wrestlers in your league; you can choose anyone you want. You can compete in singles matches (one on one), tag-team matches (two on a team), six-man matches (three on a team), or handicap matches. In handicap matches, you can have one against two, two against three, or even one against three! You can also have special matches like steel cage, lumberjack, first blood, underwater, or anything else you want. (The type of special match has no bearing on the outcome of the match; it just adds color to the match results. It is therefore possible to lose a "No Disqualification" match by disqualification.) To make a match special, simply write down the type of match you want it to be after the challenger vs. defender numbers. We cannot accept matches unless they are paid for at the time they are sent in. Also, if an opponent you choose is no longer in the league, we reserve the right to substitute another opponent.
When you challenge another wrestler to a match, the value of your first hold is compared to the value of your opponent's first hold. If your hold is valued higher, your wrestler is awarded the difference in points. If your opponent's hold is valued higher, his wrestler is awarded the difference in points. Then the second holds are compared in the same way, etc., until a winner is determined. If a wrestler has six holds in a row that are valued higher than his opponent's, he wins the match at that hold. If a wrestler's points fall behind his opponent's points by exactly the disqualification value at any time, that wrestler is disqualified; and if he falls behind by exactly the count out value, he is considered to be counted out. A match can go through all 15 holds. In that case, the winner is the wrestler with the most points. If, for instance, after all 15 holds are compared, your wrestler has 23 points and your opponent has 18 points, your wrestler would win by a 5-point margin. This margin of victory is printed in your league bulletin with the match summaries. If both wrestlers end up equal after all 15 holds, the match will be declared a draw. A wrestler can win by a zero-point margin if he wins six straight holds over his opponent and they both end up with the same number of points at that hold. This is not a draw. Your custom finishing hold has no point value itself, but is used to give your wrestler his own unique hold. This will appear in your league bulletin as the "winning hold" of the match only if the match goes through all 15 holds. The winner(s) of tag-team, six-man, and handicap matches are determined in much the same way as singles matches, except the computer uses a "team strategy" for both sides: For the first team, the computer checks the value of each wrestler's first hold. It chooses the hold with the highest value to use as the first hold of that team's strategy. Then it continues with the second through the fifteenth hold. This process is repeated for the other team, and the match is then played using the team strategies. * The highest strategy total a single wrestler can get is 501 points. Tag-teams may have up to 516 team points, and six-man tag-teams can have team strategies worth up to 521 points. Each wrestler may have only one strategy per cycle. For this reason, you may not challenge the same opponent more than once in a cycle since the outcome of both matches would be identical. Also, you may not challenge wrestlers you own since you know both strategies.
Wrestlers' records are listed as wins-losses-ties. A record of 22-8-4 means that wrestler has won 22 matches, lost 8, and had 4 draws. Only singles matches count for records, both those you send in and those in which your wrestler was chosen as an opponent. It would be unfair to count tag-team, six-man, or handicap matches since anyone can choose you as a team partner without your permission. A wrestler can "drop" his record (reset it to 0-0-0) at any time without charge, but if you drop your losses you must drop your wins, as well. You must also drop your stars and imaginary earnings when you do this (see "Stars" and "Imaginary Money").
League bulletins are reports on all league activity which are mailed out every cycle. They contain, among other things, the current league champions, the hold values listing, and the results of that cycle's matches. The match results are divided up into various cards played throughout the United States and other parts of the world. Shown for each match is the winner, the loser, the winning hold (in parentheses, like these), how long the match lasted, and the margin of victory or point spread. Also in the bulletin are the league rankings. Wrestlers are ranked based upon the difference between their wins and losses, and their activity is also taken into account. Inactive wrestlers (those who do not send in any matches) are placed below active wrestlers in the rankings. This is so inactive wrestlers with large win-loss records do not keep the top positions out of the hands of active wrestlers with fewer wins. If the league champion loses his title and does not win another title, he is placed in the #1 spot in the rankings that cycle. Bulletins contain many features which are random and are simply included to add color and realism to the results. These include the cities at which the cards take place, the attendance of those cards, reasons for disqualifications, and the lengths of the matches. League bulletins also include comments, sneak attacks, and/or drawings sent in by managers (send yours in with your matches). These are published without charge. The IWA does not guarantee that any comment, sneak attack, or drawing submitted will be published, but we do our best to fit in as many as possible. Try to limit your comments and/or sneak attacks to 100 words or less, and do not use language that may detract from any player's enjoyment of the IWA. Also, do not make personal attacks on managers; you may insult their wrestlers, but do not insult any player personally. We reserve the right to edit or omit any and all comments, sneak attacks, and drawings received. * Do not expect to receive a league bulletin if you don't send in matches. Sending bulletins only to active wrestlers helps us keep our prices low.
In singles matches, every victory is worth $1,000 in imaginary money to a wrestler. There is also a bonus of $100 for every rank between your wrestler and a higher-ranked wrestler that he defeats (all champions are considered to have a rank of zero). If your wrestler loses a match, he receives a "loser's purse" for making an attempt. The amount of this purse varies, depending on the margin of victory: If your opponent wins by 50 points or more, you receive $200 in imaginary money; if the point difference is 36 to 49, the loser's purse is $300; the loser's purse climbs to $400 if the margin of victory is from 26 to 35 points; you will be awarded $500 if you lose by 16 to 25 points; $600 is the amount of the loser's purse if the point spread is between 6 and 15; and if your opponent wins by 5 points or less, you win $700 in imaginary money. In tag-team, six-man, or handicap matches, each member of the winning team receives $1,000 and each member of the losing team wins the amount of the loser's purse, as stated above. If there is a draw, each wrestler involved receives an imaginary $500. Wrestlers who are disqualified or counted out are fined for their unsportsmanlike actions! If your wrestler is disqualified, he loses $1,000 of his imaginary earnings. If he is counted out, he is fined $500 in imaginary money. A wrestler's accumulated earnings are listed beside his record in the rankings. Imaginary money comes into play in various contests and other special offers. * Unless stated otherwise, money amounts of $100 or more in the league bulletins should always be assumed to be in "imaginary" dollars.
If you add up the values of all 15 of your wrestler's holds and it equals 495 or more, he gets a star. The number of stars he has earned appears after his name on the rankings page of your league bulletin. In the match results section of your bulletin, stars after the names of wrestlers in tag-team and six-man matches indicate who pinned who.
Just as there are values for disqualification and count out, there is a value each cycle that will give matches a guest referee. If the point spread of a match equals that value, the match results in the bulletin will list a random wrestler from the league as the guest referee. The loser of that match should feel free to blame the ref in the comments and maybe even start a feud!
Every cycle, there is a battle royal held in each league (several wrestlers enter the ring and throw each other out until only one remains). The winner gets $30,000 added to his imaginary earnings and the wrestlers who were thrown out also receive imaginary money. The first wrestler who is thrown out gets $1,000 and each wrestler after that receives $100 above the previous wrestler, so the wrestler thrown out tenth is awarded $1,900. To determine the winner of the battle royal, each cycle eight random numbers from 1 to 15 are entered into our computer. When you enter your league battle royal, the values of the holds in your strategy at those eight positions are added up. The wrestler with the highest total wins. The wrestler with the second highest total is thrown out last, down to the wrestler with the lowest total being thrown out first. Wrestlers are given imaginary money based on when they are thrown out instead of who they throw out since that awards more money to those with higher totals. Who throws out who is random and is included for more realism. The more wrestlers that enter a battle royal, the more imaginary money there is to be awarded, so it is a good idea to join your league's battle royal every cycle. It costs just $1 to enter, and the results--who was thrown out when and by whom--are published in the league bulletins. Two more good reasons to join your league's battle royal are to qualify for the King of the Ring battle royal, and it is the only way to win vacant titles (see "King of the Ring" and "Unclaimed Titles").
Included with your bulletin each cycle is your league's Roster. This lists all the wrestlers in your league that you may challenge, along with their computer ID numbers. Save time by using these numbers instead of wrestler names to list your matches. We may, as the need arises, remove inactive wrestlers from a league after the matches are processed but before the rankings are determined. This means that some wrestlers involved in matches may no longer be in the league. Therefore, do not choose opponents from the match results section of your bulletin. Only challenge wrestlers whose names appear on the front page or rankings page of your bulletin, or on your league's Roster.
Each cycle, you will receive a Match Selection Sheet with your bulletin. This form is used to list your matches, make strategy changes, join your league battle royal, pay by credit card, and more. * Always print neatly and clearly on your match form, especially when writing down your strategy. If you do not have the current Roster for your league, list your matches on another piece of paper. Use the full names of all wrestlers involved to avoid being pitted against the wrong opponent. It is a good idea to list all of your first wrestler's matches, then all of your second wrestler's matches, etc., rather than mixing them all together (one match for your first wrestler, one match for your second wrestler, another match for your first wrestler, etc.). This will help you avoid sending in duplicate matches. You are not limited to using only the space on your Match Selection Sheet. List additional matches, battle royal entries, strategy changes, comments, and other information on another sheet of paper. If your Match Selection Sheet is lost or destroyed, simply use a piece of paper to write down all the necessary information. You don't have to use the match forms; they are just included for your convenience.
Along with your league bulletin, each cycle you will receive a copy of the IWA Report. This newsletter lists the winners of the play-offs which take place at the end of each cycle, and also includes upcoming contests and other important information.
When a league is new, all titles are unclaimed, and the league championship is awarded to the wrestler who wins a match by the highest point spread. After that first cycle, the league champion must defend his title against the league TV champion and the ten regional champions each cycle. These matches are automatic and do not have to be paid for. The top five wrestlers in the rankings can also go against the league champion for his belt, but only if they pay for the match. No other wrestler can challenge the league champion for his title. To determine the new league champion, first the current league champion faces the league TV champion. Then he defends his title against the ten regional champions, in order from Atlantic to Western. If any of the top five ranked wrestlers have paid for a match against the league champion, he goes against them, in order. If at any point along the way a wrestler defeats the league champion, that wrestler becomes the new league champion and goes on to defend his title against the remaining contenders. Matches for the League Championship are the last matches to appear on any card as that card's main event. League champions are given a bonus of $30,000 in imaginary earnings, and if a league champion retains his title for two cycles in a row (wins the title then successfully defends it the following cycle) his manager receives 10 free matches!
Besides the league champion, each league also has a TV champion. When a league is new, the unclaimed TV title is given to the wrestler who wins a match by the second highest point spread. After the TV champ is determined, only the regional champions and the top ten contenders in a league (wrestlers ranked #1 through #10) can go against him for the belt. These matches must be sent in and paid for by the managers involved. The wrestler who scores the biggest win over the current TV champion becomes the new TV champion. When a TV title is claimed (this also applies to the regional titles), if two or more wrestlers beat the same champion by the same point spread, point flow is used to determine who gets the title (see "Point Flow"). If two or more of these wrestlers have the same strategy, or if the match is for a tag-team or six-man title, the title is awarded to the winner of the match entered into our computer first. This is not necessarily the first match appearing in the results, because the match order is mixed up before our computer prints out the results to lessen the chance of any one wrestler appearing on a card too many times. TV champions receive a bonus of $7,500 in imaginary money and an automatic title match against the league champion the next cycle.
The IWA has ten "regional" titles in each league: Atlantic, Central, Dixie, Eastern, Mountain, Northern, Pacific, Prairie, Southern, and Western. When a league is new or when a regional champion loses his title for any reason (for example, if he is inactive), that title is left vacant. After the regional belt holders are established, to try to win a regional title you simply challenge the wrestler holding that regional belt. The wrestler who defeats the current champion by the largest margin of victory gains the title. Regional champions are awarded a bonus of $5,000 in imaginary earnings and receive an automatic title match against the league champion the following cycle.
Whenever a regional title in a league is vacant, it is awarded to the winner of the league battle royal. If more than one title is unclaimed or if the battle royal winner already holds a higher-ranked regional belt, the title is given to the wrestler who was thrown out last. If there is another unclaimed belt (or if the wrestler thrown out last holds a higher-ranked regional title) it is awarded to the wrestler who was thrown out second last. This continues until all of the regional titles have been awarded. No wrestler may hold more than one singles, one tag-team, and one six-man title in a league at the same time. However, you may hold one of the singles titles, one of the tag-team titles, and one of the six-man tag-team titles in the same cycle.
TAG-TEAM AND SIX-MAN CHAMPIONS In addition to the singles titles already mentioned, all leagues contain tag-team and six-man tag-team champions. When a new league begins play, these titles are awarded to the teams who win by the biggest point spread over any other team in a tag-team or six-man match. Once these championships are determined, the team which defeats the current champions by the most points is awarded the belts. Each of the two wrestlers holding the tag-team championship and all three of the six-man champions receive a bonus of $5,000 in imaginary money. Also, the manager(s) of any team which holds the same title for two consecutive cycles (wins the belts then successfully defends them the following cycle) get(s) to take five free matches the next cycle! * Titles cannot change hands in handicap matches.
TV TAG-TEAM AND SIX-MAN CHAMPIONS Besides the regular tag-team and six-man titles, all leagues contain TV tag-team and TV six-man tag-team titles. In new leagues, these belts are given to the teams who win by the second biggest point spread over any other team in a tag-team or six-man match. Once the titleholders are determined, the team which defeats the current champions by the most points wins their belts. These wrestlers receive $2,000 apiece and automatically challenge the league tag-team or league six-man champions the following cycle.
Any champion in a league who does not send in any matches may be stripped of his belt. A wrestler who wishes to compete without risking his title may mark his matches "Non-title" so he will not lose his title if he loses that match. However, title matches take precedence over non-title matches. If you challenge a wrestler to a non-title match but that same wrestler challenges you for your title, the match will be for your title. Otherwise, you could challenge everyone in the league to a non-title match and no one would be able to take your title! On that same note, if you are a champion and you challenge someone for his title, you must also put your own title on the line for that match.
At the end of every cycle (when the matches in all the leagues have been processed), there are several titles which must be determined across the entire IWA. This is done by adding up the values of all fifteen holds in the strategies of each of the wrestlers eligible to win a certain title. The wrestler with the highest total wins that title. So that all wrestlers have a fair chance, each wrestler uses the hold values from his particular federation when figuring out his total. When two or more wrestlers have the same total for a belt, "point flow" is used to break the tie. Instead of adding up the values of all fifteen holds of those wrestlers, the values of only the first fourteen are used. If there is still no wrestler with the highest total, the values of the first thirteen of their holds are added up. This continues, even down to one or two holds, until only one wrestler has the highest total.
Each cycle, the top ten leagues in the whole IWA are listed in the IWA Report according to the number of matches received. We determine the average strategy total of all the active wrestlers in these ten leagues, and matches in the league with the highest average the following cycle are "two for $1." (For example, 20 matches would cost only $10. This special price lasts only for that one cycle, and you must send in an even number of matches. If you prefer, you can ignore the special and use our regular prices instead.) To improve the chances of your league making the list, start some feuds in the comments, and keep your wrestlers active.
Every cycle, the league champions from all the leagues in each federation automatically compete to become Federation Champion. These wrestlers win $40,000 in imaginary money.
After the federation champions are determined, they all battle it out for the IWA World Belt. These matches are also automatic, and do not have to be paid for. Instead of the federation prizes, the World Champion wins $300,000 in imaginary money. In addition, all the wrestlers in the World Champion's league get two matches for $1 the following cycle. (Remember that the special price is only for that one cycle, and you must send in an even number of matches.)
After the World Champion has been determined, all of the TV champions from every league automatically wrestle for the United States Championship. This champion wins $60,000 in imaginary money.
When all the league battle royals have been played, the winner from each is entered into a giant free-for-all to determine the cycle's "King of the Ring." The wrestler who wins gets 25 free matches for his manager. Eight of your fifteen holds are used to find the King of the Ring winner; these are not the same eight used for the league battle royals.
HARDCORE AND ASIATIC CHAMPIONS The champions of certain leagues designated as "Asiatic" leagues compete for the Asiatic Championship every cycle. This winner receives $25,000 plus ten free matches and is mentioned in the IWA Report. The Hardcore Champion also gets the same prize, but wrestlers cannot transfer into a Hardcore league (you must create a new wrestler).
Each cycle, all the Atlantic regional champions from every league fight for the title of IWA-wide Atlantic Champion. The same is true for the other nine regional champions from each league (IWA-wide Central Champion, etc., down to the IWA-wide Western Champion). These wrestlers receive $20,000 in imaginary earnings. If any wrestler wins the same IWA-wide title two cycles in a row, his manager will receive 10 free matches!
All ten of the IWA-wide Regional champions wrestle for the title of National Champion.
WORLD TAG-TEAM AND SIX-MAN CHAMPIONS At the end of every cycle, the tag-team and six-man champions from each league compete for the titles of World Tag-team Champions and World Six-man Champions. All of the winners on these teams get $50,000 in imaginary money, and their managers receive 10 free matches.
U.S. TAG-TEAM AND SIX-MAN CHAMPIONS After determining the World Tag-team and Six-man champions, all the league TV tag and six-man champions compete against each other for the U.S. Tag-team and U.S. Six-man tag-team belts. The winners receive $20,000 each, and if the same team wins two cycles in a row, their managers get 10 free matches.
The champions of our ladies' leagues compete for the Ladies' World title. The winner receives $40,000 in imaginary money and 10 free matches. The winners of the battle royals in the ladies' leagues compete for the Queen of the Ring title. This free-for-all is determined in the same way as the King of the Ring brawl. Since there are very few ladies' leagues, the same female wrestler must win this title two straight cycles to receive 10 free matches. The TV champs in the ladies' leagues fight for the Ladies' U.S. Championship. The winner gets $20,000 in imaginary money, and 10 free matches if she wins this title two cycles in a row. The tag-team champions, six-woman champs, TV tag-team champs, and TV six-woman champs from the ladies' leagues compete for the Ladies' World Tag-team, World Six-woman, Ladies' U.S. Tag-team, and U.S. Six-woman titles, respectively. The winning teams do not receive prizes, but their names are listed in the IWA Report.
You may change your wrestler's name for a $2 fee. If you wish to change his name while dropping his record and earnings, that is creating a new wrestler and will cost you $1 instead. There is no charge to add or change the stable initials in front of your wrestler's name, but changing any other part of your wrestler's name costs $2. Make sure you separate your stable initials from your wrestler's name with a colon (for example, DEATH: Axe Murderer). Name changes are listed in the comments section of the league bulletins. You should read this section of your bulletin every cycle to avoid any confusion that may arise, such as when a champion changes his name, etc. The IWA reserves the right to not use a name it considers offensive in any way. This includes inappropriate names, names mocking other wrestlers or managers, obscene names, or any name deemed unsuitable for competition.
You can change your wrestler's strategy at no cost whenever you send in a match. Make sure you list the holds by number, not by name, and print clearly. Use the 60 wear-down holds for your first ten holds and the 30 set-up holds for your last five holds, and do not use any hold more than once (if you use a hold twice, we will substitute another hold). List the holds in the order in which you wish to use them; you don't have to list them in numeric order. For your custom finishing holds, you may use the name of one of the 90 holds or the name of a hold you design yourself; you may not use this space to make comments or insult other managers. If you leave a space blank, your last (fifteenth) hold will appear as the finishing maneuver of any match that goes through all fifteen holds. If you are not sending matches in for a wrestler, you may not change his strategy. Each wrestler can have only one strategy per cycle; you cannot give a wrestler a different strategy for each opponent.
If you wish to add to your "stable" of wrestlers, you can create a new wrestler for just $1 and put him into any league you wish. He must start fresh with a record of 0-0-0 and earnings of $0. Write to the league you want to add him to and include his name, strategy, and the $1 fee. Remember to follow the rules listed in "Name Changes" and "Strategy Changes." All of your wrestlers must remain active or they may be dropped to make room for new arrivals.
For a $2 fee, you can transfer your wrestler from one league to another as long as you keep his name, win-loss record, and imaginary earnings the same. If you drop his record and earnings or change his name, that is creating a new wrestler and will cost $1. To transfer your wrestler, send a note to the league you are transferring him into, not the league he is currently in. Include your name, complete address, wrestler's full name and stable initials, the league you are transferring him out of, the league you are transferring him into, and the $2 fee. If you would like to have matches in the league you are sending your wrestler to right away and don't know any of the wrestlers in that league, write "Choose" for your opponents' names on your match form. We will select opponents for you. To try for a regional title, write the name of the title as your opponent's name. You may not challenge the league champion or TV champion. Remember to pay for the matches, including the $2 transfer fee.
Any wrestler who accumulates either $5 million in imaginary money or 1,000 wins may choose to retire from the IWA and enter our "Hall of Fame." The manager of any such wrestler receives an engraved plaque, and a tribute to his wrestler's accomplishments will appear in the IWA Report.
Each wrestler in the IWA is considered to be a separate entity. Therefore, you may not combine the records or earnings of any wrestlers, even those with the same name from different leagues.
No manager may take over another wrestler, whether that wrestler is inactive or not. You cannot "share" a wrestler with another manager. The buying and selling of wrestlers is not permitted. You also may not submit matches, strategy changes, or anything else for a wrestler you do not own. Any manager found to be engaging in such practices is liable for expulsion from the IWA.
Wrestlers who do not challenge any opponents in one-on-one matches may be dropped (removed from the IWA) to make room for new wrestlers. Simply joining your league battle royal or being in a multi-man match does not qualify you as active. If a manager wishes to "bring back" a wrestler that has been dropped due to inactivity, that wrestler must be treated as new, without a record or imaginary earnings.
When a league's activity falls too low, we must close it. This means that all inactive wrestlers in that league will be dropped, losing their record and earnings. Active wrestlers will be transferred to another league in the same federation for free, with records and earnings intact. The best way to avoid having your league close is to stay active. If enough wrestlers from your league compete every cycle, your league can stay "open" forever!
Already well established in the IWA are groups of wrestlers known as "stables." These groups are independently formed by managers through the comments section of the league bulletins, and are simply created to let other wrestlers know that those group members have joined forces to win titles, perform sneak attacks, etc. Stable members can be recognized by the "stable initials" they place in front of their names. For example, DC: Death Soldier means that the wrestler named Death Soldier belongs to the group with the initials D.C. Adding stable initials to your wrestler's name or changing his current stable initials is free. To join a stable, you can either write comments asking current group members if they would like you as a member or wait for a group to invite you to join. You may also form your own stable by placing initials in front of your wrestler's name and inviting other wrestlers to join your group. Belonging to a stable does not give your wrestler any advantages in winning matches, battle royals, etc., but we occasionally hold contests open only to members of stables. Once you join a stable or form your own, it is entirely up to you whether you wish to go along with your stablemates or not. Nothing in IWA rules prevents a wrestler from challenging his fellow stable members to matches or sneak attacking them, but wrestlers who do so may find themselves being sneak attacked!
Every year, the IWA appoints one manager in each league as that league's Commissioner. It is his or her job to create league pride and stimulate league activity. He must be honest and impartial. Each cycle, the Commissioner gets to have a column printed in his league bulletin, take 5 free matches, and may award a total of $50,000 in imaginary money to one or more wrestlers, up to five. The wrestler(s) who receive the money must be determined by something which appears in the league bulletin (point spreads, rank, etc.) and not just by random or who the Commissioner likes best. He may not award the money to any of his own wrestlers, even if they win it fairly, as this would be a conflict of interests. * Please state both in your column and on a separate piece of paper which wrestlers receive a share of the money and how much each receives. When the IWA announces that it is looking for Commissioners, write your column (type it, if possible) and send it in with your matches. You may wish to create a logo or special heading for it. We will then choose the Commissioners based on the quality and fairness of all columns submitted.
We cannot allow managers to publish their addresses in the league bulletins due to a small number of competitors. To the best of our knowledge, all of these rip-off organizations were started by former or even current IWA players! (Keep in mind that all IWA material is copyrighted, and forming your own wrestling organization may be against federal copyright laws.) These copycats would write to the addresses in our bulletins and get our players to join their game. Since they didn't have the employees or the equipment that we do, their results were inferior and took months to arrive, and they soured many of our players to the whole idea of play-by-mail wrestling. So although you cannot include your address in your comments, we do allow you to establish contact with other IWA managers. To do this, print or type your letter to a manager on a single sheet of paper and send it to the league that he or she wrestles in. Enclose $1 to cover our costs of proofreading and mailing. If you choose to include your name, address, and/or telephone number, you do so at your own risk. Once the manager receives your letter it is entirely up to him or her to decide whether to reply through the comments, directly to you, or not at all. * The IWA is not responsible for any actions that take place as a result of this correspondence. We will not forward any letter we consider to be in poor taste or that may have a negative effect on the IWA. Any misuse of this privilege is liable to result in expulsion from the IWA.
If you are moving or changing address, send notification to us with your old address, your new address, and the date your new address becomes effective.
You can pay for your matches by U.S. paper currency, MasterCard, or VISA. Players who live in the United States may also pay by check or money order, and Canadian players may use paper Canadian dollars. All prices given in your bulletin and Match Selection Sheet are in U.S. funds. Do not pay using coins. They cause Post Office machines to mangle your envelope and its contents, so they arrive late and sometimes even have important match information torn off. Also, do not write the amount enclosed on the outside of your envelope. Make checks or money orders payable to "IWA." To pay for your matches by credit card, fill out the space provided on the back of your Match Selection Sheet. Note that this section must be signed by the card holder. Make sure you enclose the correct amount of money for your matches, battle royal entries, name changes, league transfers, etc. We cannot process requests which are not accompanied by the proper payment.
If you receive a coupon for free matches, remember that you must include the coupon with your matches (print "Free" after them on your Match Selection Sheet). You must use all of the free matches at the same time in the same league. Also, you must spend at least $4 on matches, battle royal entries, etc. The coupon entitles you to matches in addition to those you pay for.
It is extremely important that you send your matches in before the deadline indicated in your league bulletin. If your envelope arrives too late for a cycle's play, all the information it contains will be saved and won't be processed until the following cycle. Worse yet, your wrestler may be considered inactive and dropped from your league! The best way to prevent this from happening is to mail your matches several days before the deadline in your bulletin.
You may use one envelope to send matches for two or more leagues. Neatly print the initials of all the enclosed leagues on the outside of the envelope. On each piece of paper inside, print the league initials at the top. Do not put more than one league's information on the same piece of paper, since we have to separate all the papers and put them into the various league mailboxes. Mail your matches by the earliest deadline of all those leagues. Finally, make sure you enclose the correct amount of money, and use enough postage or your letter will be returned to you.
Address all questions, complaints, suggestions, or other correspondence requiring immediate attention to the IWA c/o Johnny B, Box 5275, Willowick, OH 44095. Be sure to include all the necessary details (your name and address, league, wrestler's name, etc.) so that we can resolve the problem for you. You may also contact us by e-mail. Visit our website at http://www.playiwa.com for details.
If you are using a credit card to pay for your matches, you may fax them to us. Be sure to neatly and completely fill in the credit card section of your Match Selection Sheet, then fax both sides of the match form to (440) 946-0358. You may also fax us your comments and sneak attacks, questions, complaints, and suggestions. Because the quality of faxes is poor, please do not fax drawings. Also, print all information very neatly, especially your strategies and matches.
The IWA cannot accept phone calls; we are a play-by-mail company, and can best handle your questions by mail. If you have a problem or need information, write to us as outlined in "Questions and Complaints." We will respond as soon as possible.
The IWA takes every possible precaution to ensure that no manager gains an unfair advantage over another. Hold values are determined immediately before a new cycle begins and are then put into our computer, which is not connected to a modem or any other such device. Only the IWA's founder, Johnny B, knows the values, and he never tells! No manager can receive a bulletin and immediately fax in strategies and matches using those published hold values because by the time he receives the bulletin, it is well past the deadlines for all the leagues in that same federation. When processing strategy changes, matches, etc., we check the handwriting/printing, the envelope's postmark, the return address, and other information to verify that no manager is attempting to change information of a wrestler he or she does not own. Any manager found attempting to cheat in any way is liable for expulsion from the IWA. We intend to keep the IWA fair and fun for all our players!
Successful IWA managers change strategy often. Because the value of each hold must change every cycle, what wins for you one cycle may not be good enough the next. Save your league bulletins and study the hold values carefully. Remember that hold order is very important. Whether or not you get disqualified or counted out depends on it! Also, put your strongest holds at the fifth and tenth positions in your strategy. That way, no one can defeat you by six holds in a row. For your set-up holds, place your best holds earlier in your strategy. If you tie with someone for an IWA-wide title, such as the U.S. Championship, you'll have a better chance at winning by point flow. In tag-team, six-man, or handicap matches, use wrestlers whose best holds are in different locations in their strategies because our computer uses the highest valued hold at each location for that team's strategy. Therefore, it is possible for the team strategy of a six-man tag-team to contain the same hold up to three times! |
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