Sports in fantasy games are rarely mentioned outside Games Workshop (they really aren't that applicable to gaming usually), but here's some ideas:
1. Goblin ball. Kick the goblin across the goal line to win! Everyone wears leather armor. Magic and weapons are not allowed. Kicking, punching, and tackling are perfectly fine though. Oh yeah, the goblin gets a dagger.
2. Hold the bridge. Two teams, each in armor and wielding clubs and staves, fight over a bridge. Whoever holds it after 15 minutes is the winner. A popular variant has three teams involved, with one big team in the middle and two smaller teams on each end.
3. Don't Flinch! Spellcasters face off against each other using illusion magic. Whoever steps back loses.
Of course, the winners get money, booze, fame, and girls. Losers also do fairly well, as long as they put up a good match.
I ran our "chase sequence" vehicle playtest rules for ZWEIHÄNDER with one-horse carts racing across the countryside. This, of course, was replete with detritus tossed from the back of the cart, spiked wheels crashing into another, dodging roadside boulders and even a hillside jump over a ravine ala Speed Racer.
"Races" of the Forgotten Realms:
* Waterdhavian Grand Prx
* Shadowdale Winter Derby
* Royal Suzail
* Tour de Cormyr
* Cormanthor-Evereska Elven Relay
...
In RuneQuest there were:
Games of Shield Push - basically two lines of shield walls brought together by opposing sides.
Trollball - American Football played by trolls with the ball a living trollkin.
Perhaps not quite on the same topic as the OP, but one of the best Rifts campaigns I ever did saw the players as part of a barnstorming baseball team that went from town to town, picking up odd jobs along the way to pay for repairs to the team APC.
Do gladiator matches and chariot races count as 'sports'?
My homebrew setting has a big annual race that is open to any sort of mount. The winner is usually due more to behind the scenes skullduggery than actual skill/talent.
In our Warhammer FRP campaign, several of the gangs engage in snotball hooliganism. (Snotball, without being explicitly stated as such, seems to be a slightly-toned-down Blood Bowl - or a slightly-toned-up rugby. Only with a trussed-up snotling in place of a ball.) I've already decided that, should the party attempt to enlist one of the gangs local to them (as they've talked about doing), they're gonna have to beat them in an informal park Snotball match, first (played with Blood Bowl rules and the party's profiles).
Quote from: Zachary The First;624875Perhaps not quite on the same topic as the OP, but one of the best Rifts campaigns I ever did saw the players as part of a barnstorming baseball team that went from town to town, picking up odd jobs along the way to pay for repairs to the team APC.
Cool concept for adventures!
There are the jousting rules in Chainmail, of course. So, I imagine a few back in the day included sports in D&D. I have run jousting tourneys a number of times with rules I tailored for the campaign, and other one-on-one sports like that. Team sports? Mounted hunts, like fox hunts, which are sort of team. hmm Others will probably come to mind. Oh yes, polo with enemy heads.
The thing is in fantasy settings its a bit anachronistic to have modern-style sports. In my Dark Albion material I do describe the ancestor of modern football (soccer for you north americans!), which was an insane free-for all.
RPGPundit
We used to play Duck Golf in our Gloranthan game, at least the trolls did ...
Our favourite game was "Rich Merchants", wherein we wandered around the docks dressed in our finery, talking about our large coin bags, waiting for ruffians to mug us, then we'd give out an extreme and satisfying amount of violence on said ruffians in "self defence".
Quote from: RPGPundit;625393The thing is in fantasy settings its a bit anachronistic to have modern-style sports. In my Dark Albion material I do describe the ancestor of modern football (soccer for you north americans!), which was an insane free-for all.
Florentine Soccer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcio_Fiorentino) was hardcore, with dead et al.
There are a large number of sports played throughout the Age of Reason and Enlightenment. Some were even organized into teams by royal house or guild:
- Lacrosse
- Bear and bull baiting
- Stoolball
- Cockfighting
- The infamous "foot list"
- Archery
- Shuttlecock
- Pall Mall (a predecessor to croquet)
- Hawking
- Rounders
- Ten pin bowling (called Skittles I believe)
- Fencing
- Horsemanship
- Tennis
- Lancing
- Shinty (a predecessor to hockey)
- Dancing
- Foot, cart and horse races
- Colf (similar to golf, but with thick clubs)
- Wrestling
- "Parlor" games (backgammon, cribbage, chess)
- Gameball (as Pundit already mentioned, a violent form of football)
Chariot racing was pretty important in the Byzantine Empire. Violence and gamgs surrounding the various racing factions can make for a pretty solid city adventure.
Quote from: ZWEIHÄNDER;625530- Lacrosse
- Bear and bull baiting
- Stoolball
- Cockfighting
- The infamous "foot list"
- Archery
- Shuttlecock
- Pall Mall (a predecessor to croquet)
- Hawking
- Rounders
- Ten pin bowling (called Skittles I believe)
- Fencing
- Horsemanship
- Tennis
- Lancing
- Shinty (a predecessor to hockey)
- Dancing
- Foot, cart and horse races
- Colf (similar to golf, but with thick clubs)
- Wrestling
- "Parlor" games (backgammon, cribbage, chess)
- Gameball (as Pundit already mentioned, a violent form of football)
I had a lacrosse set-up ready for a certain campaign, but the characters didn't go in that direct.
Now that you mention bull baiting, I had something like the ancient Crete version in one adventure.
I also have had rodeos in games with bull riding and such, since so many games ended up with a old west elements no matter what the setting.
Edit: The lacrosse set-up was to be used in a region peopled by a tribe similar to those in Northeastern Untied States. Also, I have often wanted to incorporated the Mesoamerican ballgame, sometimes called Ulama in the modern recreation, that was played with a rubber ball. It was often part of a larger ritual. So, it has interesting potential.
In Arrows of Indra I dedicate a small section to describing the "Kalari Arenas", which are locales used for training warriors, but also for conducting both wrestling matches and formal duels. These are spectator sports and quite a bit of gambling takes place during either event.
RPGPundit
My Fantasy Game has The Game. Something like Rugby and Football (soccer, not Gridiron).
There were posted up at //www.strolen.com
http://strolen.com/viewing/The_Field
http://strolen.com/viewing/The_Mound_District
http://strolen.com/viewing/City_Image_-_Petordan_-_The_Flag_City
The Field
It is not really a field, but an arena of sorts for local games.
If approached from any direction but the west, it appears to be a huge steep mound. It is four stories tall and too steep to easily climb. The sides of the mound have grass and prickly plants growing upon them. The top of said mound has a number of poles suitable for running up banners and flags.
The Mound is actually a tall "U" shaped pile of Earth.
The West side has a building butted up against the hill (closing the U). It is the Field Hall. In addition to two gates which allow people in and out of The Field, there is an open area on the ground floor where carters can sell their foodstuffs and goods - usually blankets. Runners, associated with the carters, sell things in the crowd and replenish their supplies at the carts and a set of privies (The midden pit is said to be quite deep). The second and third have small changing rooms, Field Offices, the tiny Herald\'s Box (Where they announce the events with trumpets and voice horns), and High Boxes for High People (Noble or Rich). The Storage area under The Field Hall has the various flags, pieces of the stage to re-assemble, and maintenance equipment.
The Field part of the Field is sized for The Game, with some extra distance between the People and the Participants. There is a waist high wall that separates them. The Field Hall hires toughs and off duty watchmen to patrol the Crowd to keep anyone from killing anyone, nor anyone from climbing over the top. (An aside: it is amusing to see the two opposing sides (watch vs toughs) working together. It makes for a friend-foe relationship outside The Field).
The Inside of the U is not as steep as the outside, but it has wood stairs embedded to the dirt. There are long flattened logs serving as benches embedded into U side where the crowd sits. The logs are treated to avoid rot and bugs. It can make them oily to sit on, but that is one of many reason blankets are popular here. (Cold, comfort, and team colors, are the other reasons.)
The Field is where they play The Game. It can also be used for gladiatorial combat, tournaments/ contests, True Bard performances, plays (daytime only), and large public announcements/ meetings. (A good portion of the town can fit in here.) Most events are free, but a few require a coin or two at the gate.
The Church and the Guilds are working the town council to require "entry tokens". Your Work Master would give you a token if you were "proper enough" to attend an event. This keeps workers from sneaking off (good for guild) and keeps people from improper things (like games that the church dislikes). This is unpopular with the Field Hall, as it interferes with pay events and slows down the carter sales.
Note: The Carters have to pay for the privilege of selling here, but the festival atmosphere (and the beer) help make people loose with the crowds' coins.
Second Note: There is a tarp that can be stretched across the flag poles at the top of the U hills, allows for usage in less then clement weather. It is not used very often.
The Mound District
This is the city district that has The Field, called The Mound by the Locals.
This district was originally outside the Old City Wall, but will be well within the new city wall, when it is complete. The Field's Mound is one of the tallest structures in the city (four stories), so it is visible from almost every part of the city. The district was actually built up around the mound.
The district has a larger road passing through it, not far from the Mound. It has four inns within shouting distance of the Mound, and three more in its boundries. These cater to people coming to and from the Field (some teams and actors travel upto a week for The Game), as well as general travellers.
The Distract has the new theater. This structure is built along the lines of the famous Globe Theatre. Since it holds fewer people and can have plays at night, it does not compete with The Field.
In the district, there are a couple of taverns, one brewery (two of the taverns are tied houses), a bakery (specializing in sweets), a weaver shop (who makes blankets and flags), and a blacksmith/ farrier (for tourney day shoing).
The homes and businesses of the district will often fly penants on event days, adding to the colorful feel. The flags will express what is "playing" that day at The Mound. Sometimes it will be team colors (usually based on the flags of their city or region) or the heraldy of famous jousters.
The Family that runs The Field, built up most of the houses in the district and rent them out. They can make their tennants fly the flags. Everyone else does it because it is good for business, their landlords make them do it, and to fit in.