WWF With Authority! was first distributed as a downloadable
freeware game and was available on CD in retail stores for US$5.00. The retail version came with a redemption code for a
William Regal starter playbook. Players could purchase additional pre-constructed playbooks for superstars consisting of complete selections of plays for US$10.00. Booster packs were also available for US$3.00 that include an assortment of random individual pages to accentuate your existing playbooks. A certain amount of rarer cards were guaranteed in each booster. In January 2003, THQ ceased production of the game. The server remained online for several months. The freeware client can still be downloaded from some freeware distribution sites, but the game is no longer officially supported. In 2003, just weeks before support ceased, a peer-to-peer version of the game was released by THQ such that existing players could continue using the game with the pages they purchased. This way, players would connect though IP addresses. Eventually, the new community was named
With Authority! Peer-2-Peer. This version of the game used
mIRC for a chat room/server, and the original
With Authority! client as before. In addition, instead of relying on old purchased pages, guide sets were released, which consisted of every page released for the game, thus giving the option to build practically any deck. The community shut down years later.
Expansion packs Season One • First Edition, 196 cards (February 21, 2001) This was the first set of the game, which established the framework and environment. • "No Way Out", 145 cards (December 12, 2001) This expansion rounded the game out to a complete play environment. • "WrestleMania X8", 25 cards (late March 2002) This "mini-expansion" was on sale only for a month or two. It was developed during the show itself, with designers at the event taking notes then scrambling back to implement, code and test the set. The main theme was the inclusion of the NWO.
Season Two • TLC, 160 cards (May 16, 2002) The "Tables, Ladders and Chairs" expansion greatly increased the number of hardcore and illegal moves and special cards available to players. Concurrent with this set was the release of the new "Ladder Match". • Second Edition, 250 cards (June 2002) This set included 238 reprints from Season One and 12 Superstars. These Superstars were new versions of existing superstars, including new gameplay text. This update scheme received a mixed reaction. • "SummerSlam 2002", 25 cards (August 2002) Based on the results from the "X8" mini-expansion, Genetic Anomalies released "SummerSlam 2002". This set featured Shawn Michaels (returning from a four-year break from WWE) and Brock Lesnar (who captured his first WWE Championship). • "Unforgiven", 200 cards (September 27, 2002) This set marked the return to themes that were based more on card mechanics and less on storyline development. • "Expansion Eight", around 150 cards (unreleased) Preview cards of this expansion set were released in October and November 2002. Rey Mysterio and Tajiri and their trademark moves were put on sale in Limited Edition form. This set was originally scheduled for a mid-December 2002 release. ==Roster==