ranTrainer Details - LaunchBox Games Database

Overview

RanTrainer is a football management simulation bearing the name of a then-popular German TV-show on Bundesliga football. Players take the role of the manager of one of the clubs from the 1994/95 season of the Bundesliga (the highest German football league) and try to lead their team to success, or at least avoid being sacked. Due to lacking licences, the players don't have real-life names (but are still recognizable, assuming you're familiar with mid-90s German football) The manager may buy or sell football players for their team, and select the formation, tactics and squad for each match. Matches are presented as pre-rendered scenes from an isometric view, and managers can "shout" instructions to their players on the run (although it remains unclear if this has any actual effect). Each match-day is then summarized in the "ran"-TV-show. However, Most time is spent on the day-to-day training: Managers can select the type of training (cross-country running, headers, tackles etc.) and the players that should train (which player dribbles, which player attempts to tackle, etc.). The training is then shown as pre-rendered animation in the same style as the matches, and managers are well advised to observe the training closely, as it is practically the only way to learn about strengths and weaknesses of the players on their team (statistics are available, but practically useless).