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Grassland Ball!

 
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Kalidor

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PostPosted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 7:35 am    Post subject: Grassland Ball! Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

As part of the Grasslands national documentation, I was tasked with the job of creating a national sport for the Grasslands. I didn't want to take some sport from real life and just slap it on, so I decided to create my own. I tried to think about what made the Grasslands truly unique, and then blend all of those things into one harmonious sport. Finally, after much thinking and trial error, Grassland Ball is what I came up with. And so, I present it in Eike's library so that the other nations might get a glimpse into the national culture of the Grasslands, and what these eccentrics do as a pastime!

And now, without further ado, Grassland Ball!

The Grasslanders are almost universally known for one thing. They're odd. There isn't any two ways about it, when you get so many different cultures living in one area, it's bound to be a little mixed up. There's either going to be a war, or people are going to start mixing and matching, picking what they like out of one culture and adding it to their own until it's all a giant, random mumbo-jumbo.

Of course, this harmonios synergy of differnt things applies to everything within the nation, including sports. The national sport of the Grasslands, Grassland Ball is no exception. It is a game that is dominated by the Grasslands, because really, it's almost impossible to put together a team that isn't from the Grasslands. It has attempted to take the strengths of all of the differnt races and put them all together into one sporting extravaganza.

The Field

The field for Grassland Ball is of utmost importance, and yet, no field is exactly the same. It all depends on where in the Grasslands the field is. However, they all do have one thing in common. The field is always large, being as much as one kilometre by one kilometre at a maximum, though again this varies to some degree. The Lizard Clan, not noted for their running skills, often play on fields that are seven hundred by seven hundred meters, while the Karayans enjoy the largest possible fields. As well, a Karayan field is generally thick Grassland, while a Safir field is hilly. Alma Kinan fields are forested (which can present a -very- interesting dynamic) while lizard fields are often dry, caked earth except for the lake section. However, a standard is that there is always a stretch of water in the middle of the field, from sideline to sideline, that spans one hundred meters. There are also five boulders scattered on each side of the pond, generally towards the back end of the zone. Placement for such things is not standard though, as so many of the rules of Grassland Ball are very fluid.

Gameplay
The idea of Grasslands ball is to score with five of your balls before the other team scores with all five of their balls. Scoring is a simple matter of taking your ball from your end of the field, crossing the water, lifting the boulder covering one of the pits, placing the ball in the pit, and dropping the boulder back on top. Once this is done a point has been succesfully scored, and that ball is out of play. However, there are three positions, and limits to what players in each position can and cannot do.

Runners: Runners are a crucial part of the team system. Runners are the only ones that are allowed to transport the ball on ground. This means that they are the ones responsible from moving the ball from their own end, to the water, and then again once they cross the water and are in the opponents end. However, Runners cannot transport the ball while in the water section. They are free to cross the water section but may not transport a ball at the same time. Runners are the only ones that can score in the game, but are not able to turn over the ball through any means other than an intercepted pass.

Swimmers: Swimmers are the ones that have the heavy responsibility of transporting the ball across the water section of the field. They are an integral part of the game, and many teams are bogged down in the water section because of a lack of quality Swimmers. Swimmers do not have the same restrictions as Runners; they may carry the ball in the water, or attempt to tackle an opposing team's Swimmer for the ball. They cannot, however, pass forward, all passing must be done to the reverse or laterally.

Whackers: Whackers have, as many see it, the most fun job in the game. It is their job to get the ball from the Runners. To do this they make very creative use of their signature whifflebats. Whackers can use their wifflebats on any other player in the game, Runners or Whackers, but not Swimmers. This means that Whackers can run interference for their own advancing Runners, or whack down an opposing Runner who has the ball. They may not carry the ball however, not even to pick it up from a Runner they just creamed.

The description of the positions gives a pretty good sense of the game, but here is a summary. Runners advance the ball along the ground, by either running with it, or passing it. This is generally a position that humans excel at, being the most fleet of foot and agile. However, many teams also employ lizardman Runners, as a single lizardman is generally able to lift the stone covering the goal pits, while it would take two humans to do so. Whackers, as always, try to stop advancing opposition, or make sure that their teams offence isn't waylaid. Once the ball reaches the water section, it is up to the Swimmers to get it across. Swimmer is often considered the most challenging of positions, as they must do the work of a Runner and a Whacker in the water. Duckclan member without exception make the finest Swimmers, and this is the primary reason why foreign teams are not nearly as skilled at Grassland Ball, their game falters in the water section. At the same time, Runners must cross the water so that they are able to receive the ball on the other side, and Whackers cross to forecheck, or protect their Runners. Once the ball is across the water, it is up to the Runners and Whackers to work together to get the ball in a pit. Only Runners can lift the stone above the pits and place the ball in.

As is apparent from the description, the game has aspects that are best suited to each of the races; swimming for the Ducks, the lifting of stones and whacking of opponents for the lizards, and speed and agility for the humans. The best teams are those of mixed composition, using each of the respective races abilities to the fullest.

Teams

Teams are always made up of thirty members. These members are then divided into three different positions, Runners, Swimmers, and Whackers. The division of each of these is entirely up to the team's preferences. One team could have fifteen Runners, five Swimmers, and ten Whackers, for example. The balance of these can prove critical however, since each position can only do certain things. Games are won and lost because of how many of each position are designated.

Have any questions about Grassland Ball? Feel free to ask them in the thread, and I will answer them as best I can. Hope you all enjoy it and that it's clear enough for everyone to understand!
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Camus the Noble

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

PRESENTING THE FIRST MATCH OF THE FIRST OFFICIAL GRASSLAND BALL TOURNAMENT!!!

The match is about to begin on a large, green, square playing field, with a side length of seven hundred meters. Thousands of fans crowd the stands, waving signs, cheering, and being generally unruly, as sports fans are wont to do. On one corner of the field is a large watchtower; atop it, the announcer and commentator, Camus the Noble, stands. On the opposite corner of the verdant square, VikiFanatic has set up a concession stand, selling refreshments, souvenirs, and the like. Finally, in the middle of the field stands the referee and the inventor of Grassland Ball, Kalidor, the Knight of Silver Fire.

The teams are about to enter the arena. The once-rowdy fans are now hushed, waiting for their heroes to appear.

The sky is cloudy, and this only serves to accentuate the first team's entrance. Fireworks are shot into the air; loud heavymetal rock is played by the hired band. Then, they appear: the famed Trenchcoat Brigade. Leading the group is the team captain, Scrooge McDuck, his stylish trenchcoat flapping in the wind. On his sides are his nephew, Donald, and his three young grandnephews, Huebert, Deuteronomy, and Louis, more commonly referred to Huey, Dewey, and Louie. With the Ducks is the team's only non-Grasslander, the mermaid Seruni.

Immediately after the Ducks and Seruni take position on the one-hundred meter wide strip of water, the Trenchcoat Brigade's Whackers take the field. They stride forward confidently, in a wedge-shaped formation, with the only non-lizard in the group, HarmonianHiccup, in the foremost position. Finally, the team's Runners appear. Nine identical humans, Highwind and his clones, they take the field with a series of acrobatic feats, including somersaults, leaps, and flips. The music stops.

Suddenly, two women, or more accurately one woman and a female Nekobold, clad in ninja garb, mystically appear on the field. The crowd is stunned: Why did they come from? They are Talona and Lusitania, two Runners. Immediately, their fellow Runners run onto the field, the unison pitter-patter of their footsteps an intimidating and awe-inspiring sound. These Runners, numbering eleven (to be added to the two ninjas for a total of thirteen), are all proud Karayan warriors, the Karaya Clan Chief, MMan9000, leading them.

The Swimmers are next. Aril, a Nekobold priestess and shaman, summons water spirits to entertain the crowd. As the spirits flit about the stadium, Aril, two beavers (named Meronoon and Maronoon), Jorda (a duck), and three female Karayan youths take position in the pool.

Finally, the Whackers of the team known as the Karayan Brigade take the field. Three of the ten stand out: Linna, a Karayan teenager; Tameka, the comely Vice-Captain of the team; and a young eleven-year old girl, Bethany, carrying a teddy bear in her arms. What really makes Bethany interesting, besides her youth, is that she is not holding her wifflebat; rather, it floats in front of her, suspended by her innate magical powers.

Suddenly, Tameka begins to sprint across the field. Kalidor, perplexed at this unexpected turn of events (he has previously reviewed and approved the entrance spectacles of the teams, and does not remember this detail), turns toward the other side of the field. Immediately, he understands the situation; One of Highwind's clones appears to be taunting Tameka and making lewd gestures. Tameka, outraged, is running full speed at him wiith wifflebat held high. She is just about to dive into the pond to cross to the other side of the field when Kalidor intervenes.

After giving the clone (or perhaps Highwind himself; at this point, Camus makes a complex joke about there being a eight-ninths chance that it's a clone, but the joke falls decidedly flat) a strict talking-to, Kalidor decides not to punish either team, reasoning that the game hasn't actually started yet. However, he immediately begins distributing the balls, before this crazy crew starts anything else.

The teams then begin deploying the Whackers. In the game, Whackers can begin on either side of the field, so as to act defensively or to protect their own team's runners. The Karayan Brigade sends five of the Whackers, including Linna, to the opponent's side of the field, to interfere with the opponents' defense. To the same end, the Trenchcoat Brigade sends seven of its Whackers to the other side; however, the Trenchcoat Whacker Captain, HarmonianHiccup, stays on her team's side of the field.

The match is ready to begin...
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Camus the Noble

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PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 10:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

The Water Mages enter the arena. They are there, partially, to provide any paramedical assistance that should be necessary; however, that is not their only duty. Immediately, they begin chanting a Silent Lake spell, and their combined efforts are so powerful that even passive runes lose their effect. Highwind stares sadly at his hand as his Haziness Rune fades away. From here on, physical strength, stamina, and skill are everything. Even Bethany's psychic control over her wifflebat fade, and she is forced to hold it manually.

And the game begins as Kalidor tosses five balls into the pond. Two are caught by members of the Karayan Brigade (Aril the Nekobold and Maronoon the Beaver), while Huey, Dewey, and Louie catch the other three. Immediately assessing the situation, Scrooge signals Louie to take a defensive position. The Trenchcoat Brigade has taken control of the game, and Scrooge wants to make sure it stays that way.

Obeying his great-uncle's orders, Louie lets his trenchcoat open and sinks down under it, managing to stay ever so slightly above the surface, so that he appears to be nothing more than a floating trenchcoat. In the chaos of the first moments of the game, he goes unnoticed; the other Swimmers are too busy getting the balls to the proper sides of the field.

And so starts the field game, with two balls on each side. The first major action of the game occurrs right after Huey popped the ball out of the water and into one of Highwind's clone's hands. Tameka smashes the clone right in the face with her wifflebat, prompting the announcer, Camus, to remark that perhaps she is still sore about the incident before the match. Tameka responds by angrily waving her wifflebat at Camus' watchtower, and Camus immediately shuts up.

Unfortunately for the Karayan Brigade, Tameka's smash does little good; the ball is promptly picked up by Highwind himself. Along with the clone holding the other ball on that side of the field, he rushes the rocks at the end of the grassy plain. In response, the Karayan Whackers form a line right in front of the boulders, determined to prevent a score.

On the other side of the field, the action is no less intense. Mark and Talona have the balls, and are being rushed by the Trenchcoats' Whacker Captain, HarmonianHiccup. Talona, being a ninja, simply sprints off in a different direction. However, Mark realizes that he cannot outrun the nimble HarmonianHiccup, and chooses to attempt a pass to his fellow runner Vanessa. On the other side of the field, Highwind takes a break from the action to notice that a ball is potentially up for grabs, and thus sends three of his clones to the other side of the field.

As the ball sails through the air toward Vanessa, she leaps up into the air and grabs it. However, it is all for naught; she is promptly wifflebatted by a towering lizard, who, along with several of his teammates, sets up guard around the ball, awaiting the clones who are to retrieve it. Unfortunately for them, their efforts are in turn for naught, for as the first clone to cross the water scoops up the ball, he is unable to run more than ten meters before being smacked upside the head by the Whacker Linna. The ball is then, once again, turned over, as it is taken by the ninja Lusitania.

To return to the other side of the field, Highwind and his clone are still running toward their opponents' boulders. They are nearing the end of the path now, and are preparing their strategy to break through the Karayans' defensive line. And it is quite a novel strategy: just as the first Whackers detach from the line to advance on the clone, the same clone throws his ball into the air, baffling his opponents -- and giving the lizards on that side of the field the opportunity to crash into the defense's flank, a completely unexpected move. The result is what can only be described as an all-out melee. After nearly ten minutes of fighting and smashing, the only participant left standing (the young Bethany, with bat and bear held high) turns to look behind at the boulders, only to see, too late, Highwind slip his ball under the boulder, scoring the first point of the game.

The score is thus:

Trenchcoat Brigade: One
Karayan Brigae: Zero
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Camus the Noble

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 4:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

On the other side of the field, Mark hears the cheers and whoops of the Trenchcoat Brigade and their fans. He immediately understands what has happend: the other team has scored. However, he does not allow room in his heart for despair. Instead, he redoubles his efforts to score, as does his teammate and fellow Runner, Lusitania.

From the left, Mark notices a lizard creeping up on him; to the right, he hears Lusitania scream. He doesn't have time to turn and look, for to do so would put himself at risk to the lizard's wifflebat, but he assumes that Lusitania has dropped her ball, and responds to the situation by shouting out orders for his teams Whackers to immediately focus on preventing the other team from taking that ball.

In that endeavor, they are successful, as three of the Karayan whackers rush to the ball: an impressive show of force. However, the Trenchcoat-clad Whackers also manage a three-person group where the ball lies. They stand there, uneasily, awaiting a Runner to take the ball.

Mark hears a wifflebat smash behind him, and, turning, sees that Linna has incapacitated the lizared pursuing him. He can now turn his attention to the game. Upon realizing the situation, he changes course from running toward the boulders to running toward the dead ball in the middle of the field. He reasons that he has no chance of moving the boulders on his own, and as he has no support now, he must aid the other Runners as best he can.

On the other side of the field, Bethany has been playing a strong defense for control of the ball, as Highwind and all his clones converge on the ball that was tossed into the air. However, as all the other Whackers for the Karayan Brigade on that side of the field have been knocked out, the Trenchcoat Runners take control of the ball and score an easy point. There are now no balls on that side of the field, so Highwind sends two additional clones over the pond.

In that pond, the previously stagnant game begins to heat up. Meronoon, one of the adept Swimmers mathematically, realizes that there are only two balls in play, rather than the requisite five. Three balls are missing, and as Meronoon quickly notices, so are three of the Swimmers! It is then that she first notices the three small trenchcoats floating on the water in the far corner of the pond. She dives underwater, and sees the three small ducks -- Huey, Dewey, and Louie -- hiding beneath the surface. After she alerts her team members, the Swimmers of the Karayan Brigade execute what can only be described as a charge on the Ducks' position. Realizing that the game is up, Scrooge orders his nephews to toss the balls quickly to the opponents' side of the field.

However, by the time the sound waves curl under the surface of the water and reach the young ducks' ears, the swift beavers have reached them. Huey and Louie, in desperation, throw their balls to Donald, who transfers them to the appropriate side of the field, but Dewey's ball in intercepted in midair by Maronoon's broad tail and sails through the air toward a boulder on the Trenchcoat Brigade's side of the field.

It goes almost completely unnoticed. The entire side of the field is involved in a standoff for that one solitary ball, each side afraid to make a move. In the midst of it all are the six Whackers around the ball, with the other players fanned out around it in a vaguely circular manner; it is as though the ball is the center of a wheel, and each player a spoke. However, the interregnum in the action is broken when two Karayan Runners, Alex and Ferdinand, notice the ball lying right next to a boulder and begin to sprint for it. Two lizards and HarmonianHiccup follow, breaking down both sides' respective hesitations and causing a Highwind clone to make a run for the ball. At the same time, Mark decides that the stalemate has ended and returns to his own offensive.

He is immediatley smashed by a Whacker, but the ball is then retrieved by yet another clone, who turns the ball back toward the center. Meanwhile, Alex retrieves the ball hit by Maronoon and, with Ferdinand's help, manages to move the boulder and score his team's first point.

The Highwind clone with the ball breaks for the pool at record speed. Before the pursuing Whackers and Runners can catch up to him, he hands the ball off into the pond to Scrooge McDuck, who then calls a time-out.

The score stands thus:

Trenchcoat Brigade: Two
Karayan Brigade: One
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Camus the Noble

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PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2006 5:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

The Trenchcoat Brigade now holds a decisive advantage. Of the four balls in play, two are on the side of the field on which they have a chance to score, one of their Runners controls another ball on the other side of the field, while only one is controlled by the opponent, and in the pond no less (Aril, a Nekobold Swimmer playing for the Karayan Brigade, caught the ball tossed into the waters following the Trenchcoat Brigade's last point). And so their good spirits remain high, even after the ball put into play after Alex's score is caught by Erinn, a Swimmer for the Karayan Brigade.

But the other team's jubilation does not distract Aril, as she determinedly swims to the edge of the pond and lofts the ball into the air. She watches the throw with satisfaction, confident that Geraldo, her intended target, will catch it. However, her optimism is rewarded only with pain; HarmonianHiccup rushes to the scene and brings her wifflebat down in a wide arc, connecting with the ball and sending it right back into Aril's face. The crowd winces.

Fortunately for the Karayan Brigade, Aril's injury serves to temporarily distract everyone in the vicinity, allowing Erinn to get her ball onto the Trenchcoat Brigade's side of the field. At around the same time, the Highwind clone that had taken Mark's ball passed it into the hands of Dewey Duck, who in turn transferred it to Highwind himself. The three ball-carrying Runners on Trenchcoat Brigade rush across the field. But the journey of one of them is interrupted by Tameka, whose wifflebat collides with the clone's chest, causing him to drop his ball. The ball is then scooped up by Talona.

Highwind, who is about halfway between Tameka and the other clone carrying a potential point, sees the Karayan Whacker in question begin rushing toward him. Thinking in his usual confrontational manner, he hefts the ball in his hand and hurls it at Tameka. Like her teammate Aril before her, Tameka takes a hit in the face, incapacitating her. The ball rebounds from her face and is caught by another Highwind clone, who is then smashed in the back by Bethany, angry at her comrade's injury.

Throughout this highly dramatic episode, the clone at the far end of the field keeps running. Because of his distance from the epicenter of the action, he continues for some time relatively unharassed. But as he nears the boulder, he realizes that one Karayan Whacker is coming up on him fast, and besides, he has no backup. In an attempt to at least keep the ball in the possession of his team, he is forced to turn back into less isolated territory.

At this point, the ball tossed out of the pond by Erinn is about halfway to the boulder from the edge of the water, in the hands of Mark. Seeing an oncoming Whacker, Mark tosses the ball to his friend Lusitania, who in turn passes it to Saleen, who successfully keeps possession of the ball. In a few minutes, Mark has shaken the Whacker of his tail, and calls for the ball. Saleen then throws it to Mark's position on the other side of the field; the Karayan captain catches it, beckons his teammate Vanessa over, and, with Vanessa's help, moves one of the remaining boulders and scores a point, tying the game.

The score stands thus:

Trenchcoat Brigade: Two
Karayan Brigade: Two
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Camus the Noble

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PostPosted: Mon May 29, 2006 4:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

While Mark is running toward the boulder where he will score his team's second point, the Highwind clone in possession of one of the balls runs around the field aimlessly, attempting to break away from his pursuit by the Karayan Whacker Marten. Throughout the last few minutes of the game, Scrooge McDuck has possessed one of the balls and has been biding his time to put it into play. Now, however, he sees a chance. He signals his teammate Seruni the mermaid under the water, indicating that they are to perform a special manuveur. Seruni swims to the surface and, as Scrooge lofts his ball into the air, leaps up and smacks it with her tail, imitating Maronoon's previous stunt. Her aim is perfect; the ball lands directly in the path of Marten, tripping him and allowing the Highwind clone to turn back toward the line of boulders.

On the same side of the field, Talona, running toward the pool of water, spots a loose ball out of the corner of her eye. As she is already carrying a ball, she is unsure of what to do: Is it illegal to carry two balls at once? Eventually, she decides to take the chance, and runs toward and picks up the ball. Scrooge McDuck, viewing the whole spectacle from the now-quiet pool, calls a time-out, arguing that Talona's actions violated the rules. From the stands, the crowd watches Scrooge make his case before the referee Kalidor. However, his efforts are to no avail; Kalidor states that there are no rules explicitly forbidding the simultaneous transport of two balls by the same Runner.

The game resumes play, and Talona is now the target of a very angry Trenchcoat Brigade. One of the bulkier lizard Whackers on that team rushes Talona and lunges forward in a tackle, wildly swinging his wifflebat. However, Talona leaps out of the way as the lizard hits only air and falls to the ground. The Karayan Runner, impressed by her evasive skill, turns to stick her tongue out at the failed Whacker. Unfortunately for her, without her eyes pointed forward, she collides with a lizard stationed at the edge of the pool. His wifflebat comes forward, knocking her senseless.

The two balls Talona was carrying take different routes. One falls to the ground and rolls into the pool, while the other flies into the air. The lizard looks around and finds no Runners. Instinctively, he reaches up to catch the ball. Now, a foul has been committed; Whackers are not to come into contact with the balls. Kalidor requisitions the ball and awards it to the Karayan Brigade.

At this point, there are two active Runners on the field: the Highwind clone and Lusitania, who has retrieved the ball dropped as a result of Aril's face injury. Both are in relatively safe positions, and both seem poised to score. However, the clone's status becomes threatened, when all of a sudden Bethany intercepts his path forward. Seeing the young girl appear without warning in his field of vision, he panics and throws the ball wildly. Luckily for the Trenchcoat Brigade, it is caught by another clone, who rushes it to the boulder line and scores a third point. Taking advantage of the situation, and hoping to curb Lusitania's seemingly unstoppable momentum toward a third Karayan point, Scrooge calls his second time-out.

The score stands thus:

Trenchcoat Brigade: Three
Karayan Brigade: Two
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