# Fictional Sports and Games



## Ophiucha (Jun 23, 2014)

Sports, games, these things are all pretty significant to many cultures. Balls were 'invented' (to use the word generously) in nearly every culture in the world and they got the idea to kick it around and throw it through hoops.

They're also fairly political. The olympics as a time of temporary peace, patrons with teams that represent them in the court of sport instead of the court of law (but with all the intrigue), the heavyhanded metaphors that come from chess. We often think only of duels to the death and gladiator rings when it comes to sport in fantasy, but many sports games have had significant, direct effects on the politics of the nations partaking. Riots on the street, the occasional war, and we need not mention the current world cup in Brazil.

So, does anyone else have fun inventing games and sports for their world? How much thought do you put into it, and how do you explain it in your story (if you show it at all)? Are your games 'fully functional', or do you just re-name classics from our world and hint enough for the audience to get the idea?



My current project has a card game that requires a bit of mathematical skill as well as the usual strategy and luck. People are keen to gamble on the results.


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## Penpilot (Jun 24, 2014)

The novel I just finished revolves around a group of athletes from a sport based on magic.

Other than that, I've only used sport and games as flavor. Never really got into it in detail. But I'm sure sooner or later I'll revisit the idea in greater detail.


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## hots_towel (Jun 24, 2014)

I do have one poker-esque game that I'm working on. it involves cards and dice (its not too well thought out though. Its basically 5 card stud with dice). 

I also have a planned scene where some of the characters take part in a football (soccer) game. im not too much of a stickler for historical accuracy, but i think it would add some flair and humor if everytime the ball stood too still in one place, both teams came together in a large brawl for the ball


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## stephenspower (Jun 24, 2014)

One of the minor characters in my novel first gained fame as the Messi of his day playing hipball, which I based on the Mesoamerican ballgame. Like the greatest Roman gladiators, he was even featured in ads painted on the walls.


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## Trick (Jun 24, 2014)

In my Epic, which is on hold while I hone my skills, I have developed a sport that is a combination of lacrosse, American football and rugby. With some magical bits thrown in and a few odd rules particular to the world, it can't exactly be played in our world but it's pretty fleshed out. A non-magical version would still be more fun than most sports I've played, a little rough though - definitely would be easy to get injured even while the rules are being followed.

In the same work I have a logic and math based game called Crescents. It's a popular game for gamblers and even gets one of my minor characters killed. I haven't worked out all of the nuances but, because I'm a nerd who likes making up board games just for fun, I'm sure I'll get it functional at some point.


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## IrelandBeaver (Jun 24, 2014)

My story has a game known as Ria Celoi. It's a board game based on the Hnefatafl games found in Scandinavia. It is typically played with two people, and the goal is to capture your opponent's king by surrounding it with your own pieces. There are three types of pieces and each requires a specific number of pieces surrounding it to be captured. There is even a variation where four people could play at once.

Within the story itself, I do show people, particularly the MC, playing it. Teachers will use the game to teach their students about strategy, patience, but mostly about being aware of everything that is happening around you.

There are also other games like gambling with dice (which I haven’t fleshed out), and sports, particularly archery, wrestling, and chariot racing.


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## KC Trae Becker (Jun 24, 2014)

I'm working on a sport that is better adapted to the strengths of the race of humanoids I've developed. I've also come up with a game of chance that is an expanded version of rock-paper-scissors. Both will be used as plot points.


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## Ireth (Jun 26, 2014)

I've given it some thought, but haven't yet managed to create anything besides a drinking game for my vampire novel. The villain of said novel uses a variant of the game to punish underlings who disobey or displease him.


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## Terry Greer (Jun 26, 2014)

I used a game in my Jangada series that was based in my mind on the board game Cathedral (which is  a strategy game). Basing my fictitious game on a little known real-world game and deviating from it where necessary gave me an almost ready-built ruleset.


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## SM-Dreamer (Jun 29, 2014)

Pole throwing with a team, goal is to hit a target. People that play it fly, so that adds in another dimension. Haven't really worked out the details, so much as I know that it's a game one of my characters play.


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## Gurkhal (Jun 29, 2014)

I just usually check up what games cultures close to the ones I've made used and then I let them practice the very same when I need to mention them.


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## crash (Jul 3, 2014)

The three sports/sport culture's I've come up with are mostly based on real world sports. And these are the ones that play plot important roles in my stories 

One culture, the Tara people, play a game based on a Inuit game I forget the name of. Basic idea is a ball is tied to a rafter and competitors have to jump and kick the ball; whomever can jump the highest and kick the ball wins. Another favourite game is tug o' war; indoors with two people, outdoors with four or more. These are games mostly played during the long, harsh winters in the Tara Federal Territory of Jallawal and are mostly indoor games, but can be played outside in the summer, when they are also part of fairs and festivals.

Second group, the Ryslyn people, are a horse based culture, greatly based on Central Asian groups and the Cossacks. Their big sport is mounted archery. And a fun game euphemistically called "scarf chasing". This is based on a real horse racing/kissing game from Uzbekistan. Basically (my version), a boy and a girl are mounted on horses. The Girl gallops away with a 30 second head start. The boy then has to ketch up to her and grab onto the scarf that's tied to her saddle (hence the name). When he does, the boy will try to steal a kiss from the girl, but she can beat him off at any point with her whip. If the boy is able to kiss the girl, he wins; if the girl's able to get across the finishing line without being kissed, she wins.

Finally, in the Republic of Hylas, rowing is the name of the game; and it's deadly serious. This goes back to ancient times when rowers were needed to power triremes. Anyway, if you've seen Olympic rowing, you know what I'm talking about. But rowing is important in Hylas due to the massive rivalry between the country's top two schools: Mount Zycea University representing western Hylas (colours are blue and white) and the University of Tarunassa (red and gold), representing eastern Hylas. And yes, their rivalry is like Oxford v. Cambridge, Harvard v. Yale, Michigan v. Ohio State. And it's one of those rivalry's where you're cheering for one team, then you *hate* the other.


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## wordwalker (Jul 5, 2014)

Here's an added dimension to it: are sports illegal, and underground?

English kings once tried to outlaw games (anything with a ball) because they distracted the peasantry from the lifelong archery practice they needed to win wars.


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## Angelic Randomness (Jul 6, 2014)

My angels have FlightBall. I havn't worked out all the details yet, but it looks like it will be my fantasy world's version of basketball. 

They also have flight races, using Pegasi or themselves (Depending on the race.) to reach the finish line.

Other sports: archery contests and jousting.


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## Addison (Jul 7, 2014)

My world has several sport events. Races, obstacles courses, races+obstacles courses. A magic fusion o fpin ball but there are people instead of flippers and stuff. I've even taken the old chinese soccer (with human heads) and Irish hockey (I forgot the actual name...started with a 'c') to make a sort of lacrosse where they can kick the ball, which is jinxed. Hitting an oppposing player with the ball when it's jinxed is a foul, but hitting their stick or the ground in front gives a point. Sometimes the ball will warp to look like a players face. If the ball is hit at that time then the player it's representing will feel the force and pain of the strike. 

This is why I LOVE fantasy. It opens up so many possibilities. XD


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## Cloud (Jul 8, 2014)

Volleyball played with nunchaku  deliberately dangerous for young fighters to prove their fearlessness


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## Bruce McKnight (Jul 12, 2014)

In my world, there is a game called Boar's Head. Two teams, typically from different cities/towns/villages, bring the finest alcohol from their home and meet in a field suitable for play. They leave their supplies in a joint camp and work together to hunt a boar. Then they work together to dig a pit, behead and skin the boar, and smoke it in the pit. That evening, after setting the boar to smoke, the teams exchange pleasantries while eating a small dinner of nuts and berries (typically foraged for as a joint effort) and/or vegetables.

The boar cooks overnight and in the morning the teams play a game resembling rugby with the head of the boar used as a ball. Whoever loses must serve the smoked boar and all the alcohol to the winning team. The losers go hungry.

Depending on the general relations between the two regions the teams are from, the victors may share the meat and alcohol with the losers or simply mock them while enjoying their feast (which sometimes leads to bloodshed).


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## mowque (Jul 14, 2014)

I've been working on a commercial game for a trading (think Jews in the Middle Ages) race in one of my worlds. The game is based on trading and building properties (something like monopoly) but with alot more hidden knowledge. It consists of gradually building up holdings and castles until you can crush your opponent. Oddly enough, I hate that sort of game in real life....


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## Logos&Eidos (Aug 7, 2014)

I pretty much lifted Blitzball straight out of Final Fantasy X, only it's played on the ground(most of the time) instead of in a spherical pool.  Sepak takraw,which I'm just going to call footly-ball and a form of field hockey.
 There are of course card and dice games.  These are about all that I've got of the top of my head.


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## Bortasz (Aug 14, 2014)

Hello. I just want show you the fantasy sport from the Avatar universe. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HjP2mYNzxg

Pro-Bending. 
You take 2 teams each have 3 benders. Fire, Earth and Water. 
They goal is to push the members of other team of the arena in to water beneath.


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