BStyles/PowerBall

Powerball is a working concept of a competitive, professional sport in the world of Exalted, mostly to balance against the Olympic-style competitions in the Realm (archery, wrestling, equestrian, fencing) and the Gladiatorial battles elsewhere in Creation. The concept I have is loosely based around the Blitzball minigame developed for Final Fantasy X, which inadvertently resulted up from my original development of ideas from combining key elements American Football, Soccer, and Australian Rugby.

Overview

Game Setup

• Powerball is played on an enclosed elliptical field, no less than 100 yards long by 50 yards wide. A two-yard-high wall encloses the entire field, rising to a higher, five-yard height at each goal end of the field. The goal area is a circular indentation in the wall one-yard wide, and set in the middle of the wall, such that the entire goal structure is off of the floor. The object of the game is for one team to maneuver the ball - usually made of leather - from one end of the field to the other, and deposit it in the opposing team's goal. Mechanisms vary, depending on the structure of the field, but generally the goal zone has some sort of retrieval system, both to allow the ball to be re-collected for play to begin, and to mark out that the goal was in fact scored. Each goal is worth one point. The game is played over the course of a full hour, with ten minutes of rest between two twenty-five minute periods of active play.

Teams

• Powerball is played between two seven-man teams. Six of the seven players are free to move about the field at will, and any may take attempts to score or defend as they see fit. The seventh player, called the Keeper, is restricted to a zone around the goal area no more than fifteen yards out. A penalty is issued if the Keeper leaves this area. In addition to the teams, no fewer than two referees are to be present on the field.

Play Style

• The game begins with the ball thrown into play from outside the boundary wall, generally as much into the exact center as possible. One player from each team, called the Conqueror, is responsible for gaining possession of the ball for his team. The ball is then maneuvered by hand - either carried or thrown as a pass - toward the opposing team's goal, at which point a shot may be taken on the goal by delivering a kick to the ball - either as a dropkick or kicking a standing ball. ONLY the hands may be used to legally pass, and ONLY the feet may be used to legally shoot. The defending team is allowed to use a measure of force to prevent being scored upon. Techniques such as blocking, tackling, and tripping are deemed legal, so long as no actual physical striking of an opponent's body takes place. The exception to that rule is the Keeper, who may use any technique to stop the offense, provided the ball carrier steps into the Keeper's zone.

Penalties and Substitutions

• A penalty is called by the referees for each of the following infractions:
  • A player passes the ball via any part of the body other than throwing by hand
  • A player receives a pass by any part of the body other than catching in the hands
  • A player makes a direct shot with any part of the body other than the legs or feet
  • A defending player physically strikes an opponent with fists or feet
  • A Keeper steps beyond his zone boundary
• Should a player accumulate enough infractions, he may be expelled from the rest of the game, at which point a substitution may replace him. Likewise, should a player become injured to a point where he cannot continue, a substitute may take his place. Substitutions may be made at any time during play, though one team may never have more than four reserve players ready at any time in the game (though teams may have more than eleven total players). If the ball is dropped out of bounds, or if a goal is scored, possession is given to the opposing team's Keeper.

In-Game Mechanics

Important Abilities

Athletics

• Self-explanatory, and necessary for a participant in a highly Athletic competition.

Thrown

• Ideal for making both accurate passes to open teammates, and for assessing situations of range to fend off interceptors.

Martial Arts

• The Martial Arts skill is highly useful for defensive players, those who want to tackle and take down any opponent that comes their way.

Awareness

• Being aware of your surroundings is key when you have the ball. Locating an open teammate in time, or quickly noticing an opposing blocker can mean the difference between a goal and a turnover. Likewise for defenders, making sure you know where the other team's receivers are is crucial to winning back possession.

Dodge

• Personal grace and agility is crucial for quick offensives, or for the fleet carrier who can duck around waves of blockers.

Resistance

• Physical resilience is a must-have for anyone who needs to endure the fifty-minute contest of skill and stamina.

Larceny

• The realm of defensive superiority is not left merely to the physically strong, but also to those nimble of mind and touch, who might strip away possession of the ball before the carrier even notices, or feint and juke their way past the stalwart Keeper's eyes.

Medicine

• In a contact sport, injury is bound to happen. The smart players know to take care of their bodies, to keep their natural mechanisms as finely tuned as possible.

Equipment

Official Powerball, Cost: o

Thrown: Speed 4, Accuracy +1, *Damage +2B, Rate 1, Range (Str)x10, Minimums: Str o

Kicked: Speed 3, Accuracy -1, *Damage +4B, Rate 1, Range (Str+Ath)x10, Minimums: Str o, Dex oo

• Damage value if used in combat, or directly against an opponent

While the core game is meant to be played with little else but the clothes on one's back, protective gear and other such amenities do exist for those players in training, or for games where personal risk to the players is too much to not care about.

Powerball Pads, Cost: oo. This full-body set of padding is modeled in a composite design of light military armors, and may vary in form depending on the regional make of it, yet always is composed of the same gear: chest guard, shoulder pads, forearm guards, and leg braces.

Soak: +3B/+1L, Mobility: -1, Fatigue: 0, Tags: May be concealed under clothing or cloak