Thanks Al, this was helpful. I assume steps 2 and beyond open later in the season/recruiting process....correct?

Thanks for the feedback Mike.  I "cringed" when I listened again to my statement on "quick tutorial" at the beginning.  :-)

Yes, when we get to session 2 you'll see:

STEP 1 (Session 4 commits)

STEP 2 (Session 3 commits)

Then when we get to session 3 you'll see:

STEP 1 (Session 5 commits)

STEP 2 (Session 4 commits)

STEP 3 (Session 3 commits) - this is where you pay the BIG RP

You can be very strategic.  If no one is in step 1 and you need the player that's a good one to go after.

Or even if in step 2 (visit) and you weren't in step 1, but NO ONE is selecting him then you might find yourself paying the MINIMUM RPs to get the player in the step 3 (commit) phase.

Some of that can happen as people get players they want and may have been in step 1 but drop out in step 2.  Its very fluid and is an area to keep checking back on especially as we get close to the orders deadline.

I'd like to add one thing in case it isn't obvious. You can untick a box before a deadline and not spend your RP. 

Thanks for the explanation.  The strategies will be interesting to observe over the season.  

Are prices generally cheaper at the start of the season when RPs are scarcer or towards the end of the season when teams have completed their recruiting?  Or is there no difference?  Or with now 32 teams fighting over 90 players it is too early to say?

Good questions, James. Short answer is I don't know. I haven't quite got the hang of this part and either bid too little and fail or too high, compared to other winning bids, to get my man.

In my first season I got a 4* for 800 RP and later a 5* for much less. And then compounded by error by not CPing the 4*.

But last season I was lucky enough to get my 5* libero with max+1 serve for minimum price. 

One other question on this.  Is the final cost you pay the next highest bid + 1 RP or is it the bid you put in irrespective of the next value.

Sorry if I missed it, I couldn't find it or indeed hear this mentioned anywhere.  

+1 RP, James, with the same minimum value as in United

Thanks for the questions James and very helpful info from Steve!

We are a little unsure how all this will go this season moving from 16 to 32.  

In general, which "star" recruit you get is up to you and the rest of the teams trying to recruit him too.  We'd all like to get four 5-star players but that's unrealistic.

Personally I'd set a goal of one 5-star, one 4-star, and one 3-star in the competitive recruiting and then get your FREE 3-star in the walk on phase.  But again, we all may not be able to do that too.  

What you want to avoid is this:

a) only getting 1 or 2 competitive recruits (in our RP bidding process from sessions 1-12) and

b) needing to get 2-3 walkons (one would be a free 3-star, one is a pricey 3-star and as needed the final one is a 2-star)

There's also a strategy here of:

1) Not getting involved in TOO MANY step 1/2 players

2) Not waiting until the end of the season thinking I can get my recruits then

For the new coaches, I'd recommend trying to be recruiting 1-2 players in each of step 1, 2, and 3 for each session.  It gives you flexibility to then focus on the step 3 (commit) phase to get the player(s) you need.   

Also, check that Dashboard link and only get the recruits at the positions you need.  

Really helpful, thanks....I too chuckled to myself at the line 'quick tutorial' when I saw the 18+ minutes video lol :)

Thanks for the helpful tutorial! Hope you eventually found out what happened during the Oscars otherwise a lot of jokes went over your head the last few days.

very nice honey! However I will need some caffiene now.  Liven it up next time!

what is the reasoning behind the RP cost of Setters being much higher than thee RP costs of other players. Are Setters the equivalent of Quarterbacks in American Football?

I think that's a reasonable comparison Vick.  When your team gets the ball it is either:

Pass, Set, Attack or

Dig, Set, Attack

90% of the time that Set will come from the Setter.  

So they are essentially involved in every play you try to attack the ball.  Quality (even a little extra quality) at a position like this makes all the difference.