Be Careful What You Ask For
by Drew “Darth Weasel” Barton
Raw Deal Staff Writer
darthweasel@hotmail.com

For some inexplicable reason recent Raw Deal conversation has surrounded the forthcoming set, Revolution. Predictions, analysis, kudos and complaints have all shared the spotlight. As the spoilers came out the uproar only intensified. It is only natural that the biggest shake-up the game has seen since the advent of the Backlash deck. Just as the Raw Deal paradigm shifted to a slower paced, less maneuver oriented game as the card Backlash single-handedly changed deck construction, the release of Revolution has the potential to return the game to more of a Rock-Paper-Scissors interplay than ever before.

Lost in the discussion over Revolution has been the addition of one of the most requested additions to the game. So far, it is only available in the forthcoming tournament kit but it is there. I refer of course to the release of the Extremist Superstars; Sabu, Sandman, C.M. Punk and Test.

It used to be the single most common request was for Legends. A typical experience went something like this; Day 1, purchase Raw Deal. Day 2, join the Yahoo list. Post a question, “When can we get Bret Hart in the game? When can we see Andre the Giant?” And so forth.

Those of us who have frequented the list for any appreciable length of time remember the frequency. It was almost annoying. To this day I am sure many people can quote the inevitable answer. “We would love to include Superstar X but WWE legal has not allowed it. If and when we are allowed to, then there will be Legends but I doubt it will ever happen.”

The next day…well, okay, often enough the SAME day someone else would post a new question they were sure had never occurred to anyone else playing Raw Deal before. “Hey, when will we see Andre the Giant in the game?”

I am personally very grateful that Van Toth, Foley, and whoever else was involved kept their ears to the keyholes, sent their minions to “visit” the powers that be or whatever it was they did to finally give us Jake “the Snake”, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, and Sgt. Slaughter and my personal favorite, the Junkyard Dog as examples of Superstars I looked forward to and have greatly enjoyed playing. I personally never was a fan of Andre’s work…but I am smart enough to realize I am in the minority and it was a good job getting him into the game…although if it was at the cost of seeing Koko B. Ware I might have to send some minions of my own out to visit. So Raw Deal powers that be…if you see a half dozen guys riding Segways and looking fierce, you might consider running the other way. I do not wish to imply impending violence, but some people might infer that from the previous sentence. We almost got Koko…it was close, but no cigar.

I was amused by the rather vociferous opposition received by this addition to the game. A lot of the objections were due to the strength of Managed by “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart. Regardless, it was ironic to see something players had clamored for almost since the inception of the game end up being a bone of contention for many players. Even as highly popular Legends were released, for example Bobby “the Brain” Heenan, complaints continued.

A brief recounting of the history: 1) the game begins. 2), requests are ever-present for the release of legends. 3), legends are released. 4), complaints begin. I am in no way belittling the complaints. Many of them have some validity from the standpoint of believing the cards were overpowered. Then again…who really wants to play a Junkyard Dog who consistently jobs out to X-Pac?

The upshot is there was something the players requested and the design team worked to get into the game. In one of the most surprising events ever people found reasons to dislike what they had asked for. Of course, there was precedent for that.

Other commonly requested game elements included a way to reverse irreversible cards and a way to play the opponent’s Trademark Finisher. We have seen the cards Beating the Odds, According to the Fine Print and See How it Feels released, each in their turn. And in turn…we have heard complaints about each of them. The beat goes on.

Once we had our toys to reverse irreversible cards, play the opponent’s Trademark Finisher and play as selected Legends, the Raw Deal community turned its attention to cult favorite federation ECW.

For at least a couple years there have been repeated requests for the inclusion of ECW Superstars. Suggestions have included an ECW themed Holiday set; a complete ECW set and even a completely separate game using the same mechanics so it would interact with Raw Deal.

Ladies, gentlemen, and members of the Starving Crazed Weasels, the release of Raw Deal Revolution Tourney Kit 1 brings us perhaps the most famous 2 “Classic” ECW Superstars who never made it into Raw Deal, Sabu and Sandman, along with old WWE stand-by Test and one of the people who recently was a hot Independent talent and is one of the most pushed members of the reborn ECW, C.M. Punk.

For fans of the original ECW it will now be possible to recreate storylines involving the Sandman, Raven, Sabu, Rob Van Dam, Tazz, Al Snow, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, the various Dudleyz, and so forth.

For fans of the “new” ECW they can play hot talents like C.M. Punk. Once more the designers of the game have listened to the requests of the fans and released something we have requested. It may not be specifically the form some people may have wanted…but then again, are we doing government work here? I don’t think we are. Sometimes it is enough to get as much of what we want.

The upshot is the release of the ECW Extremists, whether you are thrilled, irked, or indifferent, is another example of the designers being responsive to the requests of the players. We may not always have the same idea of what the result will be but it is nice to know they listen.

It is perhaps ironic to be typing this surrounding the release of Revolution…but this set also exhibits a reaction to things many people have said. Complaints have been raised about the difficulty of generating Fortitude, of the increasingly bizarre names of some Maneuvers…although if you have never seen a match where the Tornado Takedown of Doom was not used right after an Atomic Powerbomb Suplexbuster Piledriver Bulldog DDT of Doom then you know you have not really lived…and about other similar issues. Revolution addresses many of those concerns.

With the new maneuver types Fortitude will be far easier to generate, thus creating a more interactive environment than possibly ever before. The new naming convention allows a return to Maneuvers with names like Punch and Kick, albeit with the word Revolution in front of them. In some people’s eyes, obviously including mine, these concepts indicate willingness on the part of the designers to listen to feedback and make bold changes…and as with any change, those changes cannot please everybody. This is unfortunate but it is also the way of the world.

Many games stand pat for great periods of time. I can’t remember the last time Samurai Swords or Risk updated their rules or playing parts. The nature of a CCG is that change is required for the game to stay fresh. Sometimes that change will excite one element of the playing base and irritate another part but other times it will be the reverse. The trick is to find something that excites more people than it irritates. At the end of the day, it is worth thinking about that the inclusion in the new set of ECW Extremists is emblematic of one thing that has remained consistent throughout the history of Raw Deal…right or wrong, the designers have at least made an effort to respond to the desires of the players. There have been times those attempts have not worked out but at least the mistakes that have been made have been effort mistakes and not the result of sitting back, resting on previous efforts and letting whatever happens happens. Personally, I believe there have been more successes than otherwise and I am ecstatic about the release of the ECW Extremists and even more so what they represent; an effort to give us something we have asked for.

And it is almost perfect…but we aren’t lobbing hand grenades here. Give me my Koko B. Ware!