Bloodball I thought up an interesting game that some of the Dynasties might play to settle minor disputes and as an added method of celebration amongst the wide array of festivities the Kenasherns are known for. I call this game Bloodball, though the title may change with some development. It's an odd and dangerous mix between croquet, golf, and playing with the predators of the swamps. Bets of money, property and slaves are often placed on winners for this game.
Materials:-Minimum of 2 Players
-1 Mallet per Player
-5 Bloodballs per player
-an appropriate location overlooking a river or bog
Description:The goal of the game is to get as many points as you can by making a number of maneuvers with the ball, such as bouncing it off trees or rocks, getting it to the other bank, or breaking the ball. Each ball is a light, spherical basket with small openings between the reeds. Fresh, often bloody meat scraps are stuffed into these balls just before play, and can be from any array of animals, though the most common are rats, crows and other pests. On the occasion where one would want to present a particularly cruel game, the flesh of dead slaves or runaways is sometimes used.
Rules:1. Each player gets 5 bloodballs, and takes 5 turns
2. Whoever has the most points at the end is the winner
3. Hitting opponents with the mallet or bloodballs is not appropriate
4. Slaves cannot play bloodball
Points:Points:
Points | Maneuvar | Description |
1 | Astari | To bounce the ball off a tree without breaking the ball |
2 | Triari | To bounce the ball off a rock without breaking the ball |
3 | Bite | To have the ball attacked by granidiles upon hitting the water |
4 | Bank | To have the ball land on the other side of the water without breaking |
5 | Call | To have correctly called each of the maneuvers of one’s own or someone else’s turn |
10 | High Call | To have correctly called each of the maneuvers of one’s own or someone else’s turn in the correct order |
Penalties:
Penalty | Maneuvar | Description |
Lose all points gained this turn | Break | The ball breaks (This penalty does not apply to points gained by a Bite, and getting a Bite recalls this penalty) |
-5 | Bonk | The ball hits a granidile that then leaves the area |
-10 | Low Call | To have incorrectly called the maneuvers of one’s own or someone else’s turn |
Example:Danny Dhani and Harry Human go out to play a game of Bloodball. They get 2 mallots and 10 bloodballs, and fill the bloodballs with meat. They wager that the loser will pay the winner 1 Gold Miza for each point the winner beats them by. Both agree, and the game begins.
They decide that Harry should go first. Harry is confidant in his abilities at bloodball and decides to Call his shot. He declares that he will make three Astari and a Bank. He hits the ball and it hits three trees, breaking on the third and plunging into the water. Crestfallen, Harry ends up with a Break and a Low Call, starting the came off with -10 points.
Pleased with how this game has begun, Danny decides not to call his shot, and swings. He manages to bounce the ball off of two rocks before it hits the water and is attacked by granidiles. His first turn ends with two Triari and a Bite. The game stands at Harry: -10 Danny: 7
Harry is displeased, and decides to try to regain his losses with another Call and a complex shot. He calls for a Triari, and Astari and a Bank. Sure enough, his ball hits a tock, then a tree before landing in the muck on the other side of the river. He gets the points for a Triari, an Astari, a Bank and a High Call. The score is tied at Harry: 7 Danny: 7
Astounded, Danny whacks his next Bloodball, which hits a tree and a granidile before landing in the muck on the other bank. Danny gets an Astari, a Bank and a Bonk, which keeps him at 7 points. The score is tied at Harry: 7 Danny: 7
The game goes on for some time, and in the end Harry comes out on top, with a score of 32 to Danny’s 27. Danny pays Harry 5 Gold Mizas and they both go their own ways.
Optional RulesEspecially high class parties or special occasions often call for special rules set by the host. Often each Dynasty family will have its own rule reserved just for when playing on their land. Though these are by no means the only ones available, here is a short list of common house rules:
1. If a granidile eats a bloodball before you have hit it, you lose that turn.
2. You can send slaves out to retrieve the ball after it has been hit if it landed in the water. If they return it with meat still inside, you gain an extra turn for that ball. Opponents Bloodballs can also be gained this way. If an Opponents Bloodball is gained in such a manner, the owner of the retrieving slave also gets all the points the opponent would have gotten for that turn.
3. Destroying any number of crops during the game causes a 5 point penalty for the turn they are destroyed.