What Do Fans, Facilities & Coordinators Do in Retro Bowl?

Retro Bowl's front office is where games are won before kick-off, and it is easy to skim. Four things run it: fan happiness, the salary cap, the facilities and your coordinators, all paid for in coaching credits. The quoted lines below are the game's own help text, so you know what each one really does before you spend.

What do fans do in Retro Bowl?

Fans are your job security. The game tracks Fan Happiness, and the head coach's own morale is "affected by team morale and fan approval". Winning raises it; losing, and a bad answer in the post-game press questions ("What would you say to the fans who were disappointed…?"), lowers it. Between seasons the game tells you where you stand with lines like "The fans are demanding success this season!" or "Your relationship with the fans has decreased during the off season", and a fan poll rates your season at the end.

• Stadium upgrades "make fans more positive after a win and less negative after a loss", and the loading tips add that an upgrade gives the fans an immediate boost.
• Trading a player you have only just signed hurts both team morale and your fan relationship — the game warns you before it happens.
• The Fan Favorite coach trait adds +1% fan happiness per game, but takes a hit if you are fired.
• Coaching credits are, in the game's words, "not cash, it's kudos" — the respect you have from the owner, team and fans — and they pay for every upgrade below.

The salary cap

Only your key players count. You can have up to 10 of them (12 if you choose the $200m salary cap in the options) "so long as you don't exceed the salary cap". If a signing would take you over, the game stops you: "You will need to cut or trade players from your roster to sign this player." When a contract expires the player tells you the length and salary he wants; if you do not re-sign him he goes to the free agent list, where you can still re-sign him. Players with low morale refuse to sign a new contract at all.

• Use Extend Contract on the player profile to keep a player you cannot replace — and keep his morale up first, because "$playername is not interested in signing a new contract. His morale is low."
• Cutting or trading frees cap room, but cutting a non-toxic player harms team morale, and trading a recently signed player hurts both team morale and your fan relationship.
• Drafted players are the cheapest way to fill the roster — see the Retro Bowl draft guide.

What do the facilities do?

1. Training facilities. "Higher quality training facilities help players gain XP faster." XP is how a cheap rookie becomes a star, and an upgrade also gives players an immediate morale boost. You can also set the training regime: HARD gives more XP per game but costs energy, morale and injury risk; LIGHT does the opposite.
2. Rehab facilities. "Better rehab helps players maintain good condition and recover from injury quicker." Upgrading also gives tired players an immediate boost and reduces how many injuries you suffer.
3. Stadium. Fan mood, as above: bigger swings up after wins, smaller drops after losses, plus an immediate boost when you upgrade.

All three facilities decline slightly over time ("Your stadium has declined slightly."), so a facility you upgraded once will need topping up later.

What do offensive and defensive coordinators do?

Your coordinators "determine the base rating for defense and offense (the rating before star players are taken into account)". Only your key players have star ratings — up to 10 of them, or 12 if you pick the $200m salary-cap option — and the rest of the squad is hidden; their contribution to the offense and defense ratings depends on the coordinator ratings. Because you never play defense yourself, the defensive coordinator is the biggest lever you have on that side of the ball.

Coordinators are hired for coaching credits on a contract of a set number of years, and hiring a new one fires the existing coach. When a coordinator's contract is in its last season the game reminds you, and you can extend it by one year from their profile page. Coordinators also retire, so check their age before paying for a long-term star.

Can you raise the salary cap?

Yes. From the salary-cap screen you can pay coaching credits to persuade the league commissioner to permanently increase the cap. The league also raises it on its own from time to time ("The salary cap has been raised to…"). Free agents cost both cap space and coaching credits, and the quality of the free-agent pool runs down as the season goes on, so sign early if you are going to sign at all.

What does morale do in Retro Bowl?

Every player has a morale rating, from Toxic through Bad, Poor, Ok, Good and Great to Exceptional. The game's own warning is short: "Poor morale can lead to game penalties and problems off the field." Low-morale players also refuse new contracts, and a toxic player cannot be traded at all — no team will take him, so your only option is to cut him (which, unlike cutting anyone else, improves team morale).

• Rest tired players. Tired players lose morale, and resting a tired player boosts it.
• Boost Morale. Once a week you can spend coaching credits on a team event (a meal out, paintball, a trip to the Grand Canyon) to lift team morale.
• Training regime. LIGHT training increases morale; HARD training gives more XP but players are less happy.
• Press questions. After games you choose answers such as Praise Player, Defend Player, Criticize Player or Praise Fans; a player's own game performance also affects his morale.

A first-season plan

1. Spend the first credits on the training facilities so your young players gain XP faster.
2. Check your coordinators' ratings; a better defensive coordinator lifts the side of the ball you never control.
3. Keep tired players rested and morale up, and cut toxic players rather than trying to trade them.
4. Use the draft for cheap talent and keep your key players under the salary cap.
5. Extend the contract of your best young player while his morale is high.

For the on-field side, read the Retro Bowl passing guide.