Lore Builder: Three: Racing Events & Sataball
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Hello again. This is LORE BUILDER, where we look to you, the community, to help flesh out those dark illusive corners of the Star Citizen lore. If you happen to be new to this feature, please check out the caveats at the beginning of the first issue to bring you up to speed with what has already been established.
Continuing with the Murray Cup for a moment, some of you tackled events that helped shape the course of Murray Cup racing:
ROAD TRIP
_(From Mufossa75
While the Murray Cup is well entrenched and ingrained with life in the Ellis system, there had been a decision by the race’s Board of Directors to try “taking it on the road.” Between 2662 and 2675 and then again from 2789 to 2812 the Cup race was held in a different system each year. The argument was that changing systems every year would make the Cup that much more challenging.
Soon, however, the politics determining the next race location became a source of great intrigue and even scandal. Also, a growing movement of “traditionalists” based in the Ellis system began petitioning the UEE to return the race to Ellis permanently. The traveling days of the Cup ended when, during the 2812 race in the Croshaw system, Josiah Wallace, during a very tight turn around Angeli’s “Port Benjamin” Trojan point station, lost control of his modified RSI Torch and slammed it into Governor Bjorn’s yacht, destroying it and killing the governor, his wife and their elder two sons. Wallace, of course, was also killed in the explosion. It was the very incident that secured the traditionalists the support of the UEE Senate and, ultimately, the Imperator. The Murray Cup race returned to Ellis in 2813 and has remained there ever since.
THE BIG FIX
_(From Decius
The credibility of Murray Cup racing was nearly destroyed in a 2815 scandal which has since been referred to simply as “The Big Fix” by racing aficionados. Coming into the race, two-time champion Ameera Morello was the heavy favorite in early betting, with arch-rival Makena Cisse seen as the only real competitor. Morello and Cisse were locked in a close race from beginning to end, until a last-minute collision allowed relatively unknown racer Julio Fong to cross the finish line first.
Bettors lost heavily, and amidst allegations of foul play an investigation was launched to assure fans of the integrity of the sport. The results of the yearlong investigation would rock the Murray Cup to the core. Morello, Cisse and Fong were all implicated in a scheme to fix the outcome of the race, after financial records traced large payments to the trio originating in the Cathcart system. As the investigators analyzed betting data further, they realized that the 2815 race was not an exception, but rather part of an ongoing race-fixing scheme tracing back over twenty years.
Cisse, Morello and Fong managed to escape criminal prosecution, but were banned for life from the Murray Cup, along with 17 other racers who were found to have participated over the course of the scheme. The incident led to a number of reforms intended to clean up the sport and reduce the underworld influence which had lingered with the Murray Cup since its inauguration. Though many fans at the time complained
the reforms sapped the Murray Cup’s outlaw spirit, turning it into a more corporate event, modern analysts agree that the Murray Cup likely would not have retained its popularity without the reforms which followed “The Big Fix.”
THE CARRINGTON CUP
_(From Jankins
Although the Murray Cup is currently the biggest race in the racing scene it is not the only. Before the Murray Cup, winning the Carrington Cup was the ultimate achievement for any racer. The first Carrington Cup was held in 2418, funded almost entirely by Charles Carrington, who had made a fortune from his work in
experimental engine designs. Carrington did not offer any credits as a prize to the winners of his races, but gave away experimental parts that gave any deserving racer a bit more power than was otherwise available on the market. These races were not very well known, but any aspiring racer dreamed of winning the Carrington Cup.
The Carrington Cup disappeared altogether in 2491. Carrington’s company could not produce new parts fast enough for race winners. He switched to offering prize money, but in its last decade fewer and fewer racers competed. One of the biggest contributors to the demise of the Carrington Cup was the infamous race of 2489. A pack of pirates ambushed the leading racers near the end of the track, killing four racers, including Tom “The Garbage” Pyle, who had four Carrington Cup and two Murray Cup wins under his belt. Some speculate that Amon Murray had paid racers to not attend the Carrington Cup and paid pirates to disrupt the 2489 Carrington Cup, but nothing was ever proven. Charles Carrington’s great-great-grandson Sean Smyth brought back the race in 2611, over a century after the last race and half a century after Carrington’s experimental engine company went bankrupt. The Carrington Cup is still held every year, and although it is a respected race, it cannot compare to today’s Murray Cup races.
This story was based around the Origin Galactic Guide, specifically the quote “The 350r is the dedicated racer model of the line, used as a base by professional racing teams around the galaxy. 350r’s have a storied history, with more Carrington wins than any other spacecraft.”
The comments from Tem Barone, Travis-ts and Sergeant_Hull brought up an excellent point. While the Murray Cup may be the ultimate achievement in ship racing, it’s not the only game in town. There should be a host of illegal or minor league racing circuits, but those will undoubtedly be a little more closely tied to game mechanics, so we will have to hold off before delving into them.
With that, we’ll leave the Murray Cup for a bit. If you are late to the party and have a great idea for a Murray Cup winner from the past, feel free to leave comments in the first or second issue. We’ll periodically check to look for new entries.
Moving on, this is going to be more of an exercise in active construction.
SATABALL
Beginning as a reference in the StarWatch dispatch, Sataball was just a fun little thing to toss for a bit of background prose (“flipping through the channels to find the news, all he could find were ads, Sataball scores and stupid shows”). Since it’s not part of the game, there hasn’t been a need to flesh it out. Until now …
Here’s the original set of ideas and the vague skeleton of rules to get us started. These aren’t necessarily set in stone, by the way.
What does the sport look like: A combination of the footballs, two teams of six players try to score on their opponent’s goal using a combination of carrying and kicking the ball. The trick is that there are barriers between the goals.
What’s the tone of the sport: Fast. It’s a contact sport, not as much as rugby or American Football, more so than soccer/football, but can be rough. Egregious fouls will get you ejected.
How many players: Teams have twenty-person rosters. Six can be on the field at any time.
How are teams organized: As with basketball, there are no set positions, offering a variety of ways to play the game. Some teams have rotating goalies, others will mass defensively or offensively.
Game Length: 4 quarters (15 Standard Earth Minutes per quarter). Local leagues might have quarters adjusted to their local time.
The Field: An octagon (not entirely sold on this, just felt more interesting than a rectangle).
The Barriers: This was Rob’s idea. In the major league, there are staggered barriers positioned throughout the field that will turn off and on throughout the game (possibly increasing/decreasing frequency as the game progresses?). These barriers will stop/ricochet the ball but not a player. - The barriers are controlled by a pre-programmed series of switches. Before (and after) each match, the program is inspected by a Sataball engineer to verify that there are no inconsistencies in the pattern. Since every Sataball game for that season uses the same pattern, it is possible for the players to try and memorize the barrier pattern, but that’s very difficult, especially in the heat of a game. This is made even more complicated as every season begins with the creation of a new pattern.
So for next week, here are some questions to figure out:
When was the game created? Under what circumstances?
What are some of the rules? Fouls? Possible example: The ball becomes dead after two ricochets (play doesn’t stop, it just can’t score).
How does the running/kicking dynamic work? Can you dribble the ball indefinitely while only get a handful of steps if you carry the ball?
Should there be an active field overhead to prevent the players from lobbing the ball down field?
What is the Super Bowl/World Cup?
What are some teams? We already have the Terra Gryphons (as mentioned in StarWatch).
While we flesh out the rules and the game itself, one thing to keep in mind: despite all the cool technology that we want to incorporate into the major league incarnation, we still want the game to be simple enough for kids from any economic background to play in the streets. That feels like the prime reason why polo (for example) will never go mainstream. At its core, it’s too expensive and requires too many ‘things’ to play.
Baseball, for example, has vast tomes of rules, positions, and gear, but if you really wanted to play, all you need is two people (one pitches, one bats), a stick and a vaguely ball-shaped thing. In short, keep the game scaleable.
So, in the case of Sataball’s barriers, if you see an amateur league game or see it on the street, players will just build them out of sheet metal or scrap.
Until next week …
Continuing with the Murray Cup for a moment, some of you tackled events that helped shape the course of Murray Cup racing:
ROAD TRIP
_(From Mufossa75
While the Murray Cup is well entrenched and ingrained with life in the Ellis system, there had been a decision by the race’s Board of Directors to try “taking it on the road.” Between 2662 and 2675 and then again from 2789 to 2812 the Cup race was held in a different system each year. The argument was that changing systems every year would make the Cup that much more challenging.
Soon, however, the politics determining the next race location became a source of great intrigue and even scandal. Also, a growing movement of “traditionalists” based in the Ellis system began petitioning the UEE to return the race to Ellis permanently. The traveling days of the Cup ended when, during the 2812 race in the Croshaw system, Josiah Wallace, during a very tight turn around Angeli’s “Port Benjamin” Trojan point station, lost control of his modified RSI Torch and slammed it into Governor Bjorn’s yacht, destroying it and killing the governor, his wife and their elder two sons. Wallace, of course, was also killed in the explosion. It was the very incident that secured the traditionalists the support of the UEE Senate and, ultimately, the Imperator. The Murray Cup race returned to Ellis in 2813 and has remained there ever since.
THE BIG FIX
_(From Decius
The credibility of Murray Cup racing was nearly destroyed in a 2815 scandal which has since been referred to simply as “The Big Fix” by racing aficionados. Coming into the race, two-time champion Ameera Morello was the heavy favorite in early betting, with arch-rival Makena Cisse seen as the only real competitor. Morello and Cisse were locked in a close race from beginning to end, until a last-minute collision allowed relatively unknown racer Julio Fong to cross the finish line first.
Bettors lost heavily, and amidst allegations of foul play an investigation was launched to assure fans of the integrity of the sport. The results of the yearlong investigation would rock the Murray Cup to the core. Morello, Cisse and Fong were all implicated in a scheme to fix the outcome of the race, after financial records traced large payments to the trio originating in the Cathcart system. As the investigators analyzed betting data further, they realized that the 2815 race was not an exception, but rather part of an ongoing race-fixing scheme tracing back over twenty years.
Cisse, Morello and Fong managed to escape criminal prosecution, but were banned for life from the Murray Cup, along with 17 other racers who were found to have participated over the course of the scheme. The incident led to a number of reforms intended to clean up the sport and reduce the underworld influence which had lingered with the Murray Cup since its inauguration. Though many fans at the time complained
the reforms sapped the Murray Cup’s outlaw spirit, turning it into a more corporate event, modern analysts agree that the Murray Cup likely would not have retained its popularity without the reforms which followed “The Big Fix.”
THE CARRINGTON CUP
_(From Jankins
Although the Murray Cup is currently the biggest race in the racing scene it is not the only. Before the Murray Cup, winning the Carrington Cup was the ultimate achievement for any racer. The first Carrington Cup was held in 2418, funded almost entirely by Charles Carrington, who had made a fortune from his work in
experimental engine designs. Carrington did not offer any credits as a prize to the winners of his races, but gave away experimental parts that gave any deserving racer a bit more power than was otherwise available on the market. These races were not very well known, but any aspiring racer dreamed of winning the Carrington Cup.
The Carrington Cup disappeared altogether in 2491. Carrington’s company could not produce new parts fast enough for race winners. He switched to offering prize money, but in its last decade fewer and fewer racers competed. One of the biggest contributors to the demise of the Carrington Cup was the infamous race of 2489. A pack of pirates ambushed the leading racers near the end of the track, killing four racers, including Tom “The Garbage” Pyle, who had four Carrington Cup and two Murray Cup wins under his belt. Some speculate that Amon Murray had paid racers to not attend the Carrington Cup and paid pirates to disrupt the 2489 Carrington Cup, but nothing was ever proven. Charles Carrington’s great-great-grandson Sean Smyth brought back the race in 2611, over a century after the last race and half a century after Carrington’s experimental engine company went bankrupt. The Carrington Cup is still held every year, and although it is a respected race, it cannot compare to today’s Murray Cup races.
This story was based around the Origin Galactic Guide, specifically the quote “The 350r is the dedicated racer model of the line, used as a base by professional racing teams around the galaxy. 350r’s have a storied history, with more Carrington wins than any other spacecraft.”
The comments from Tem Barone, Travis-ts and Sergeant_Hull brought up an excellent point. While the Murray Cup may be the ultimate achievement in ship racing, it’s not the only game in town. There should be a host of illegal or minor league racing circuits, but those will undoubtedly be a little more closely tied to game mechanics, so we will have to hold off before delving into them.
With that, we’ll leave the Murray Cup for a bit. If you are late to the party and have a great idea for a Murray Cup winner from the past, feel free to leave comments in the first or second issue. We’ll periodically check to look for new entries.
Moving on, this is going to be more of an exercise in active construction.
SATABALL
Beginning as a reference in the StarWatch dispatch, Sataball was just a fun little thing to toss for a bit of background prose (“flipping through the channels to find the news, all he could find were ads, Sataball scores and stupid shows”). Since it’s not part of the game, there hasn’t been a need to flesh it out. Until now …
Here’s the original set of ideas and the vague skeleton of rules to get us started. These aren’t necessarily set in stone, by the way.
What does the sport look like: A combination of the footballs, two teams of six players try to score on their opponent’s goal using a combination of carrying and kicking the ball. The trick is that there are barriers between the goals.
What’s the tone of the sport: Fast. It’s a contact sport, not as much as rugby or American Football, more so than soccer/football, but can be rough. Egregious fouls will get you ejected.
How many players: Teams have twenty-person rosters. Six can be on the field at any time.
How are teams organized: As with basketball, there are no set positions, offering a variety of ways to play the game. Some teams have rotating goalies, others will mass defensively or offensively.
Game Length: 4 quarters (15 Standard Earth Minutes per quarter). Local leagues might have quarters adjusted to their local time.
The Field: An octagon (not entirely sold on this, just felt more interesting than a rectangle).
The Barriers: This was Rob’s idea. In the major league, there are staggered barriers positioned throughout the field that will turn off and on throughout the game (possibly increasing/decreasing frequency as the game progresses?). These barriers will stop/ricochet the ball but not a player. - The barriers are controlled by a pre-programmed series of switches. Before (and after) each match, the program is inspected by a Sataball engineer to verify that there are no inconsistencies in the pattern. Since every Sataball game for that season uses the same pattern, it is possible for the players to try and memorize the barrier pattern, but that’s very difficult, especially in the heat of a game. This is made even more complicated as every season begins with the creation of a new pattern.
So for next week, here are some questions to figure out:
When was the game created? Under what circumstances?
What are some of the rules? Fouls? Possible example: The ball becomes dead after two ricochets (play doesn’t stop, it just can’t score).
How does the running/kicking dynamic work? Can you dribble the ball indefinitely while only get a handful of steps if you carry the ball?
Should there be an active field overhead to prevent the players from lobbing the ball down field?
What is the Super Bowl/World Cup?
What are some teams? We already have the Terra Gryphons (as mentioned in StarWatch).
While we flesh out the rules and the game itself, one thing to keep in mind: despite all the cool technology that we want to incorporate into the major league incarnation, we still want the game to be simple enough for kids from any economic background to play in the streets. That feels like the prime reason why polo (for example) will never go mainstream. At its core, it’s too expensive and requires too many ‘things’ to play.
Baseball, for example, has vast tomes of rules, positions, and gear, but if you really wanted to play, all you need is two people (one pitches, one bats), a stick and a vaguely ball-shaped thing. In short, keep the game scaleable.
So, in the case of Sataball’s barriers, if you see an amateur league game or see it on the street, players will just build them out of sheet metal or scrap.
Until next week …
Nochmals hallo. Dies ist LORE BUILDER, wo wir auf Sie, die Gemeinschaft, schauen, um diese dunklen, illusorischen Ecken der Sternenbürger-Überlieferung zu vervollständigen. Wenn Sie zufällig neu in dieser Funktion sind, lesen Sie bitte die Vorbehalte zu Beginn der ersten Ausgabe, um sich über das bereits Vorhandene zu informieren.
In der Fortsetzung des Murray Cup für einen Moment haben einige von euch Ereignisse angegangen, die den Verlauf des Murray Cup-Rennens mitgestaltet haben:
STRASSENFAHRT
_(Von Mufossa75
Während der Murray Cup gut etabliert und mit dem Leben im Ellis-System verwurzelt ist, hatte der Vorstand des Rennens beschlossen, zu versuchen, ihn "auf die Straße zu bringen". Zwischen 2662 und 2675 und dann wieder von 2789 bis 2812 fand das Cup-Rennen jedes Jahr in einem anderen System statt. Das Argument war, dass ein Systemwechsel jedes Jahr den Cup umso herausfordernder machen würde.
Bald jedoch wurde die Politik, die den nächsten Rassenstandort bestimmte, zu einer Quelle großer Intrigen und sogar Skandale. Auch eine wachsende Bewegung von "Traditionalisten", die im Ellis-System ansässig sind, begann, die UEE zu bitten, das Rennen dauerhaft an Ellis zurückzugeben. Die Reisetage des Cups endeten, als Josiah Wallace während des Rennens 2812 im Croshaw-System während einer sehr engen Kurve um Angelis Trojanische Punktestation "Port Benjamin" die Kontrolle über seine modifizierte RSI Torch verlor und sie in die Yacht von Gouverneur Bjorn schlug, sie zerstörte und den Gouverneur, seine Frau und ihre beiden älteren Söhne tötete. Wallace wurde natürlich auch bei der Explosion getötet. Es war genau der Vorfall, der den Traditionalisten die Unterstützung des UEE-Senats und letztlich des Imperators sicherte. Das Murray Cup Rennen kehrte 2813 nach Ellis zurück und ist seitdem dort geblieben.
DER GROSSE FIX
_(Von Decius
Die Glaubwürdigkeit des Murray Cup-Rennsports wurde in einem Skandal von 2815 fast zerstört, der von Rennsportlern inzwischen einfach als "The Big Fix" bezeichnet wird. Der zweimalige Meister Ameera Morello war der große Favorit bei den Frühwetten, wobei der Erzrivale Makena Cisse als der einzige echte Konkurrent galt. Morello und Cisse waren von Anfang bis Ende in einem engen Rennen eingeschlossen, bis eine Kollision in letzter Minute es dem relativ unbekannten Rennfahrer Julio Fong erlaubte, als Erster die Ziellinie zu überqueren.
Bettors verlor schwer, und unter dem Vorwurf des Foul-Spiels wurde eine Untersuchung eingeleitet, um den Fans die Integrität des Sports zu gewährleisten. Die Ergebnisse der jahrelangen Untersuchung würden den Murray Cup bis ins Mark erschüttern. Morello, Cisse und Fong waren alle in ein System zur Festlegung des Ergebnisses des Rennens verwickelt, nachdem die Finanzunterlagen große Zahlungen an das Trio aus dem Cathcart-System nachweisen konnten. Als die Ermittler die Wettdaten weiter analysierten, stellten sie fest, dass das Rennen 2815 keine Ausnahme war, sondern Teil eines laufenden Race-Fixing-Systems, das über zwanzig Jahre zurückreicht.
Cisse, Morello und Fong schafften es, sich der Strafverfolgung zu entziehen, wurden aber für immer aus dem Murray Cup verbannt, zusammen mit 17 anderen Rennfahrern, bei denen festgestellt wurde, dass sie während des gesamten Programms teilgenommen hatten. Der Vorfall führte zu einer Reihe von Reformen, die darauf abzielten, den Sport zu bereinigen und den Einfluss der Unterwelt zu verringern, der seit der Eröffnung des Murray Cups andauert. Obwohl sich viele Fans damals beschwerten.
Die Reformen haben den Gesetzlosengeist des Murray Cups untergraben und ihn in ein Firmenevent verwandelt, moderne Analysten sind sich einig, dass der Murray Cup ohne die Reformen nach "The Big Fix" wahrscheinlich nicht an Popularität gewonnen hätte.
DER CARRINGTON CUP
_(Von Jankins
Obwohl der Murray Cup derzeit das größte Rennen der Rennszene ist, ist er nicht das einzige. Vor dem Murray Cup war der Sieg im Carrington Cup die ultimative Leistung für jeden Rennfahrer. Der erste Carrington Cup fand 2418 statt, finanziert fast ausschließlich von Charles Carrington, der mit seiner Arbeit in den USA ein Vermögen verdient hatte.
experimentelle Motorenkonstruktionen. Carrington bot den Gewinnern seiner Rennen keine Kredite als Preis an, verschenkte aber experimentelle Teile, die jedem verdienten Rennfahrer etwas mehr Leistung gaben, als sonst auf dem Markt erhältlich war. Diese Rennen waren nicht sehr bekannt, aber jeder angehende Rennfahrer träumte davon, den Carrington Cup zu gewinnen.
Der Carrington Cup verschwand 2491 ganz. Carringtons Unternehmen konnte nicht schnell genug neue Teile für Rennsieger produzieren. Er wechselte zu einem Preisgeld, aber in den letzten zehn Jahren nahmen immer weniger Rennfahrer teil. Einer der größten Mitwirkenden am Untergang des Carrington Cup war die berüchtigte Rasse 2489. Ein Haufen Piraten überfiel die führenden Rennfahrer am Ende der Strecke und tötete vier Rennfahrer, darunter Tom "The Garbage" Pyle, der vier Carrington Cup- und zwei Murray Cup-Siege zu verzeichnen hatte. Einige spekulieren, dass Amon Murray Rennfahrer bezahlt hat, um nicht am Carrington Cup teilzunehmen, und Piraten bezahlt hat, um den 2489 Carrington Cup zu stören, aber nichts wurde jemals bewiesen. Charles Carringtons Ur-Ur-Enkel Sean Smyth brachte das Rennen 2611 zurück, über ein Jahrhundert nach dem letzten Rennen und ein halbes Jahrhundert nachdem Carringtons experimentelle Motorenfirma bankrott ging. Der Carrington Cup wird immer noch jedes Jahr ausgetragen, und obwohl es sich um ein angesehenes Rennen handelt, kann es nicht mit den heutigen Murray Cup Rennen verglichen werden.
Diese Geschichte basierte auf dem Origin Galactic Guide, insbesondere dem Zitat "The 350r ist das spezielle Rennmodell der Linie, das als Basis für professionelle Rennteams in der ganzen Galaxie dient. 350r's haben eine lange Geschichte, mit mehr Carrington-Siegen als jedes andere Raumschiff."
Die Kommentare von Tem Barone, Travis-ts und Sergeant_Hull brachten einen ausgezeichneten Punkt zur Sprache. Der Murray Cup ist zwar die ultimative Leistung im Schiffsrennsport, aber nicht das einzige Spiel in der Stadt. Es sollte eine Vielzahl von illegalen oder kleineren Rennstrecken geben, aber diese werden zweifellos etwas enger mit der Spielmechanik verbunden sein, so dass wir uns zurückhalten müssen, bevor wir uns mit ihnen befassen.
Damit verlassen wir den Murray Cup für eine Weile. Wenn Sie zu spät zur Party kommen und eine tolle Idee für einen Murray Cup-Gewinner aus der Vergangenheit haben, können Sie gerne Kommentare in der ersten oder zweiten Ausgabe hinterlassen. Wir werden regelmäßig überprüfen, um nach neuen Einträgen zu suchen.
Weiter geht es, dies wird eher eine Übung im aktiven Bauwesen sein.
SATABALL
Angefangen als Referenz in der StarWatch-Disposition, war Sataball nur eine lustige Kleinigkeit, um ein wenig Hintergrundprosa zu werfen ("Blättern durch die Kanäle, um die Nachrichten zu finden, alles, was er finden konnte, waren Anzeigen, Sataball-Ergebnisse und dumme Shows"). Da es nicht Teil des Spiels ist, gab es keinen Grund, es zu konkretisieren. Bis jetzt.....
Hier sind die ursprünglichen Ideen und das vage Regelwerk, um uns den Einstieg zu erleichtern. Diese sind übrigens nicht unbedingt in Stein gemeißelt.
Wie sieht der Sport aus? Eine Kombination der Fußbälle, zwei Mannschaften mit sechs Spielern versuchen, das gegnerische Tor durch eine Kombination aus Tragen und Treten des Balles zu erzielen. Der Trick ist, dass es Barrieren zwischen den Zielen gibt.
Wie ist der Ton des Sports: Schnell. Es ist ein Kontaktsport, nicht so sehr wie Rugby oder American Football, mehr noch als Fußball/Fußball, kann aber hart sein. Schwerwiegende Fouls werden dich ausstoßen.
Wie viele Spieler: Die Teams haben zwanzig Personen. Sechs können jederzeit auf dem Feld sein.
Wie sind die Teams organisiert: Wie beim Basketball gibt es keine festen Positionen, die eine Vielzahl von Spielmöglichkeiten bieten. Einige Teams haben rotierende Torhüter, andere werden defensiv oder offensiv kämpfen.
Spieldauer: 4 Viertel (15 Standard Earth Minutes pro Viertel). Lokale Ligen können Quartiere haben, die an ihre Ortszeit angepasst sind.
Das Feld: Ein Achteck (nicht ganz verkauft, nur interessanter als ein Rechteck).
Die Barrieren: Das war Robs Idee. In der Major League gibt es im gesamten Spielfeld versetzte Barrieren, die während des gesamten Spiels ein- und ausgeschaltet werden (möglicherweise mit fortschreitender Spielzeit immer häufiger?). Diese Barrieren stoppen den Ball, aber nicht einen Spieler. - Die Schranken werden durch eine vorprogrammierte Schalterreihe gesteuert. Vor (und nach) jedem Spiel wird das Programm von einem Sataball-Ingenieur überprüft, um sicherzustellen, dass es keine Unstimmigkeiten im Muster gibt. Da jedes Sataball-Spiel für diese Saison das gleiche Muster verwendet, ist es für die Spieler möglich, sich das Barrieremuster zu merken, aber das ist sehr schwierig, besonders in der Hitze eines Spiels. Dies wird noch komplizierter, da jede Saison mit der Erstellung eines neuen Musters beginnt.
Also für nächste Woche, hier sind ein paar Fragen, die es zu klären gilt:
Wann wurde das Spiel erstellt? Unter welchen Umständen? Was sind einige der Regeln? Fouls? Mögliches Beispiel: Der Ball wird nach zwei Querschlägern tot (das Spiel hört nicht auf, es kann einfach nicht punkten). Wie funktioniert die dynamische Lauf-/Treten-Funktion? Können Sie den Ball auf unbestimmte Zeit dribbeln, während Sie nur eine Handvoll Schritte erhalten, wenn Sie den Ball tragen? Sollte es ein aktives Feld über Kopf geben, um zu verhindern, dass die Spieler das Feld mit dem Ball nach unten schlagen? Was ist der Super Bowl/Weltcup? Welche Teams gibt es? Wir haben bereits die Terra Gryphons (wie in StarWatch erwähnt). Während wir die Regeln und das Spiel selbst ausarbeiten, sollten wir eines im Hinterkopf behalten: Trotz all der coolen Technologie, die wir in die Inkarnation der Major League integrieren wollen, wollen wir, dass das Spiel einfach genug ist, damit Kinder aus allen Wirtschaftsbereichen auf der Straße spielen können. Das fühlt sich wie der Hauptgrund an, warum Polo (zum Beispiel) nie zum Mainstream wird. Im Kern ist es zu teuer und erfordert zu viele "Dinge", um zu spielen.
Baseball zum Beispiel hat riesige Mengen an Regeln, Positionen und Ausrüstung, aber wenn man wirklich spielen will, braucht man nur zwei Leute (einen Platz, einen Schläger), einen Stock und ein vage ballförmiges Ding. Kurz gesagt, halten Sie das Spiel skalierbar.
Also, im Falle der Barrieren von Sataball, wenn Sie ein Amateur-Liga-Spiel sehen oder es auf der Straße sehen, werden die Spieler sie einfach aus Blech oder Schrott bauen.
Bis nächste Woche.....
In der Fortsetzung des Murray Cup für einen Moment haben einige von euch Ereignisse angegangen, die den Verlauf des Murray Cup-Rennens mitgestaltet haben:
STRASSENFAHRT
_(Von Mufossa75
Während der Murray Cup gut etabliert und mit dem Leben im Ellis-System verwurzelt ist, hatte der Vorstand des Rennens beschlossen, zu versuchen, ihn "auf die Straße zu bringen". Zwischen 2662 und 2675 und dann wieder von 2789 bis 2812 fand das Cup-Rennen jedes Jahr in einem anderen System statt. Das Argument war, dass ein Systemwechsel jedes Jahr den Cup umso herausfordernder machen würde.
Bald jedoch wurde die Politik, die den nächsten Rassenstandort bestimmte, zu einer Quelle großer Intrigen und sogar Skandale. Auch eine wachsende Bewegung von "Traditionalisten", die im Ellis-System ansässig sind, begann, die UEE zu bitten, das Rennen dauerhaft an Ellis zurückzugeben. Die Reisetage des Cups endeten, als Josiah Wallace während des Rennens 2812 im Croshaw-System während einer sehr engen Kurve um Angelis Trojanische Punktestation "Port Benjamin" die Kontrolle über seine modifizierte RSI Torch verlor und sie in die Yacht von Gouverneur Bjorn schlug, sie zerstörte und den Gouverneur, seine Frau und ihre beiden älteren Söhne tötete. Wallace wurde natürlich auch bei der Explosion getötet. Es war genau der Vorfall, der den Traditionalisten die Unterstützung des UEE-Senats und letztlich des Imperators sicherte. Das Murray Cup Rennen kehrte 2813 nach Ellis zurück und ist seitdem dort geblieben.
DER GROSSE FIX
_(Von Decius
Die Glaubwürdigkeit des Murray Cup-Rennsports wurde in einem Skandal von 2815 fast zerstört, der von Rennsportlern inzwischen einfach als "The Big Fix" bezeichnet wird. Der zweimalige Meister Ameera Morello war der große Favorit bei den Frühwetten, wobei der Erzrivale Makena Cisse als der einzige echte Konkurrent galt. Morello und Cisse waren von Anfang bis Ende in einem engen Rennen eingeschlossen, bis eine Kollision in letzter Minute es dem relativ unbekannten Rennfahrer Julio Fong erlaubte, als Erster die Ziellinie zu überqueren.
Bettors verlor schwer, und unter dem Vorwurf des Foul-Spiels wurde eine Untersuchung eingeleitet, um den Fans die Integrität des Sports zu gewährleisten. Die Ergebnisse der jahrelangen Untersuchung würden den Murray Cup bis ins Mark erschüttern. Morello, Cisse und Fong waren alle in ein System zur Festlegung des Ergebnisses des Rennens verwickelt, nachdem die Finanzunterlagen große Zahlungen an das Trio aus dem Cathcart-System nachweisen konnten. Als die Ermittler die Wettdaten weiter analysierten, stellten sie fest, dass das Rennen 2815 keine Ausnahme war, sondern Teil eines laufenden Race-Fixing-Systems, das über zwanzig Jahre zurückreicht.
Cisse, Morello und Fong schafften es, sich der Strafverfolgung zu entziehen, wurden aber für immer aus dem Murray Cup verbannt, zusammen mit 17 anderen Rennfahrern, bei denen festgestellt wurde, dass sie während des gesamten Programms teilgenommen hatten. Der Vorfall führte zu einer Reihe von Reformen, die darauf abzielten, den Sport zu bereinigen und den Einfluss der Unterwelt zu verringern, der seit der Eröffnung des Murray Cups andauert. Obwohl sich viele Fans damals beschwerten.
Die Reformen haben den Gesetzlosengeist des Murray Cups untergraben und ihn in ein Firmenevent verwandelt, moderne Analysten sind sich einig, dass der Murray Cup ohne die Reformen nach "The Big Fix" wahrscheinlich nicht an Popularität gewonnen hätte.
DER CARRINGTON CUP
_(Von Jankins
Obwohl der Murray Cup derzeit das größte Rennen der Rennszene ist, ist er nicht das einzige. Vor dem Murray Cup war der Sieg im Carrington Cup die ultimative Leistung für jeden Rennfahrer. Der erste Carrington Cup fand 2418 statt, finanziert fast ausschließlich von Charles Carrington, der mit seiner Arbeit in den USA ein Vermögen verdient hatte.
experimentelle Motorenkonstruktionen. Carrington bot den Gewinnern seiner Rennen keine Kredite als Preis an, verschenkte aber experimentelle Teile, die jedem verdienten Rennfahrer etwas mehr Leistung gaben, als sonst auf dem Markt erhältlich war. Diese Rennen waren nicht sehr bekannt, aber jeder angehende Rennfahrer träumte davon, den Carrington Cup zu gewinnen.
Der Carrington Cup verschwand 2491 ganz. Carringtons Unternehmen konnte nicht schnell genug neue Teile für Rennsieger produzieren. Er wechselte zu einem Preisgeld, aber in den letzten zehn Jahren nahmen immer weniger Rennfahrer teil. Einer der größten Mitwirkenden am Untergang des Carrington Cup war die berüchtigte Rasse 2489. Ein Haufen Piraten überfiel die führenden Rennfahrer am Ende der Strecke und tötete vier Rennfahrer, darunter Tom "The Garbage" Pyle, der vier Carrington Cup- und zwei Murray Cup-Siege zu verzeichnen hatte. Einige spekulieren, dass Amon Murray Rennfahrer bezahlt hat, um nicht am Carrington Cup teilzunehmen, und Piraten bezahlt hat, um den 2489 Carrington Cup zu stören, aber nichts wurde jemals bewiesen. Charles Carringtons Ur-Ur-Enkel Sean Smyth brachte das Rennen 2611 zurück, über ein Jahrhundert nach dem letzten Rennen und ein halbes Jahrhundert nachdem Carringtons experimentelle Motorenfirma bankrott ging. Der Carrington Cup wird immer noch jedes Jahr ausgetragen, und obwohl es sich um ein angesehenes Rennen handelt, kann es nicht mit den heutigen Murray Cup Rennen verglichen werden.
Diese Geschichte basierte auf dem Origin Galactic Guide, insbesondere dem Zitat "The 350r ist das spezielle Rennmodell der Linie, das als Basis für professionelle Rennteams in der ganzen Galaxie dient. 350r's haben eine lange Geschichte, mit mehr Carrington-Siegen als jedes andere Raumschiff."
Die Kommentare von Tem Barone, Travis-ts und Sergeant_Hull brachten einen ausgezeichneten Punkt zur Sprache. Der Murray Cup ist zwar die ultimative Leistung im Schiffsrennsport, aber nicht das einzige Spiel in der Stadt. Es sollte eine Vielzahl von illegalen oder kleineren Rennstrecken geben, aber diese werden zweifellos etwas enger mit der Spielmechanik verbunden sein, so dass wir uns zurückhalten müssen, bevor wir uns mit ihnen befassen.
Damit verlassen wir den Murray Cup für eine Weile. Wenn Sie zu spät zur Party kommen und eine tolle Idee für einen Murray Cup-Gewinner aus der Vergangenheit haben, können Sie gerne Kommentare in der ersten oder zweiten Ausgabe hinterlassen. Wir werden regelmäßig überprüfen, um nach neuen Einträgen zu suchen.
Weiter geht es, dies wird eher eine Übung im aktiven Bauwesen sein.
SATABALL
Angefangen als Referenz in der StarWatch-Disposition, war Sataball nur eine lustige Kleinigkeit, um ein wenig Hintergrundprosa zu werfen ("Blättern durch die Kanäle, um die Nachrichten zu finden, alles, was er finden konnte, waren Anzeigen, Sataball-Ergebnisse und dumme Shows"). Da es nicht Teil des Spiels ist, gab es keinen Grund, es zu konkretisieren. Bis jetzt.....
Hier sind die ursprünglichen Ideen und das vage Regelwerk, um uns den Einstieg zu erleichtern. Diese sind übrigens nicht unbedingt in Stein gemeißelt.
Wie sieht der Sport aus? Eine Kombination der Fußbälle, zwei Mannschaften mit sechs Spielern versuchen, das gegnerische Tor durch eine Kombination aus Tragen und Treten des Balles zu erzielen. Der Trick ist, dass es Barrieren zwischen den Zielen gibt.
Wie ist der Ton des Sports: Schnell. Es ist ein Kontaktsport, nicht so sehr wie Rugby oder American Football, mehr noch als Fußball/Fußball, kann aber hart sein. Schwerwiegende Fouls werden dich ausstoßen.
Wie viele Spieler: Die Teams haben zwanzig Personen. Sechs können jederzeit auf dem Feld sein.
Wie sind die Teams organisiert: Wie beim Basketball gibt es keine festen Positionen, die eine Vielzahl von Spielmöglichkeiten bieten. Einige Teams haben rotierende Torhüter, andere werden defensiv oder offensiv kämpfen.
Spieldauer: 4 Viertel (15 Standard Earth Minutes pro Viertel). Lokale Ligen können Quartiere haben, die an ihre Ortszeit angepasst sind.
Das Feld: Ein Achteck (nicht ganz verkauft, nur interessanter als ein Rechteck).
Die Barrieren: Das war Robs Idee. In der Major League gibt es im gesamten Spielfeld versetzte Barrieren, die während des gesamten Spiels ein- und ausgeschaltet werden (möglicherweise mit fortschreitender Spielzeit immer häufiger?). Diese Barrieren stoppen den Ball, aber nicht einen Spieler. - Die Schranken werden durch eine vorprogrammierte Schalterreihe gesteuert. Vor (und nach) jedem Spiel wird das Programm von einem Sataball-Ingenieur überprüft, um sicherzustellen, dass es keine Unstimmigkeiten im Muster gibt. Da jedes Sataball-Spiel für diese Saison das gleiche Muster verwendet, ist es für die Spieler möglich, sich das Barrieremuster zu merken, aber das ist sehr schwierig, besonders in der Hitze eines Spiels. Dies wird noch komplizierter, da jede Saison mit der Erstellung eines neuen Musters beginnt.
Also für nächste Woche, hier sind ein paar Fragen, die es zu klären gilt:
Wann wurde das Spiel erstellt? Unter welchen Umständen? Was sind einige der Regeln? Fouls? Mögliches Beispiel: Der Ball wird nach zwei Querschlägern tot (das Spiel hört nicht auf, es kann einfach nicht punkten). Wie funktioniert die dynamische Lauf-/Treten-Funktion? Können Sie den Ball auf unbestimmte Zeit dribbeln, während Sie nur eine Handvoll Schritte erhalten, wenn Sie den Ball tragen? Sollte es ein aktives Feld über Kopf geben, um zu verhindern, dass die Spieler das Feld mit dem Ball nach unten schlagen? Was ist der Super Bowl/Weltcup? Welche Teams gibt es? Wir haben bereits die Terra Gryphons (wie in StarWatch erwähnt). Während wir die Regeln und das Spiel selbst ausarbeiten, sollten wir eines im Hinterkopf behalten: Trotz all der coolen Technologie, die wir in die Inkarnation der Major League integrieren wollen, wollen wir, dass das Spiel einfach genug ist, damit Kinder aus allen Wirtschaftsbereichen auf der Straße spielen können. Das fühlt sich wie der Hauptgrund an, warum Polo (zum Beispiel) nie zum Mainstream wird. Im Kern ist es zu teuer und erfordert zu viele "Dinge", um zu spielen.
Baseball zum Beispiel hat riesige Mengen an Regeln, Positionen und Ausrüstung, aber wenn man wirklich spielen will, braucht man nur zwei Leute (einen Platz, einen Schläger), einen Stock und ein vage ballförmiges Ding. Kurz gesagt, halten Sie das Spiel skalierbar.
Also, im Falle der Barrieren von Sataball, wenn Sie ein Amateur-Liga-Spiel sehen oder es auf der Straße sehen, werden die Spieler sie einfach aus Blech oder Schrott bauen.
Bis nächste Woche.....
Hello again. This is LORE BUILDER, where we look to you, the community, to help flesh out those dark illusive corners of the Star Citizen lore. If you happen to be new to this feature, please check out the caveats at the beginning of the first issue to bring you up to speed with what has already been established.
Continuing with the Murray Cup for a moment, some of you tackled events that helped shape the course of Murray Cup racing:
ROAD TRIP
_(From Mufossa75
While the Murray Cup is well entrenched and ingrained with life in the Ellis system, there had been a decision by the race’s Board of Directors to try “taking it on the road.” Between 2662 and 2675 and then again from 2789 to 2812 the Cup race was held in a different system each year. The argument was that changing systems every year would make the Cup that much more challenging.
Soon, however, the politics determining the next race location became a source of great intrigue and even scandal. Also, a growing movement of “traditionalists” based in the Ellis system began petitioning the UEE to return the race to Ellis permanently. The traveling days of the Cup ended when, during the 2812 race in the Croshaw system, Josiah Wallace, during a very tight turn around Angeli’s “Port Benjamin” Trojan point station, lost control of his modified RSI Torch and slammed it into Governor Bjorn’s yacht, destroying it and killing the governor, his wife and their elder two sons. Wallace, of course, was also killed in the explosion. It was the very incident that secured the traditionalists the support of the UEE Senate and, ultimately, the Imperator. The Murray Cup race returned to Ellis in 2813 and has remained there ever since.
THE BIG FIX
_(From Decius
The credibility of Murray Cup racing was nearly destroyed in a 2815 scandal which has since been referred to simply as “The Big Fix” by racing aficionados. Coming into the race, two-time champion Ameera Morello was the heavy favorite in early betting, with arch-rival Makena Cisse seen as the only real competitor. Morello and Cisse were locked in a close race from beginning to end, until a last-minute collision allowed relatively unknown racer Julio Fong to cross the finish line first.
Bettors lost heavily, and amidst allegations of foul play an investigation was launched to assure fans of the integrity of the sport. The results of the yearlong investigation would rock the Murray Cup to the core. Morello, Cisse and Fong were all implicated in a scheme to fix the outcome of the race, after financial records traced large payments to the trio originating in the Cathcart system. As the investigators analyzed betting data further, they realized that the 2815 race was not an exception, but rather part of an ongoing race-fixing scheme tracing back over twenty years.
Cisse, Morello and Fong managed to escape criminal prosecution, but were banned for life from the Murray Cup, along with 17 other racers who were found to have participated over the course of the scheme. The incident led to a number of reforms intended to clean up the sport and reduce the underworld influence which had lingered with the Murray Cup since its inauguration. Though many fans at the time complained
the reforms sapped the Murray Cup’s outlaw spirit, turning it into a more corporate event, modern analysts agree that the Murray Cup likely would not have retained its popularity without the reforms which followed “The Big Fix.”
THE CARRINGTON CUP
_(From Jankins
Although the Murray Cup is currently the biggest race in the racing scene it is not the only. Before the Murray Cup, winning the Carrington Cup was the ultimate achievement for any racer. The first Carrington Cup was held in 2418, funded almost entirely by Charles Carrington, who had made a fortune from his work in
experimental engine designs. Carrington did not offer any credits as a prize to the winners of his races, but gave away experimental parts that gave any deserving racer a bit more power than was otherwise available on the market. These races were not very well known, but any aspiring racer dreamed of winning the Carrington Cup.
The Carrington Cup disappeared altogether in 2491. Carrington’s company could not produce new parts fast enough for race winners. He switched to offering prize money, but in its last decade fewer and fewer racers competed. One of the biggest contributors to the demise of the Carrington Cup was the infamous race of 2489. A pack of pirates ambushed the leading racers near the end of the track, killing four racers, including Tom “The Garbage” Pyle, who had four Carrington Cup and two Murray Cup wins under his belt. Some speculate that Amon Murray had paid racers to not attend the Carrington Cup and paid pirates to disrupt the 2489 Carrington Cup, but nothing was ever proven. Charles Carrington’s great-great-grandson Sean Smyth brought back the race in 2611, over a century after the last race and half a century after Carrington’s experimental engine company went bankrupt. The Carrington Cup is still held every year, and although it is a respected race, it cannot compare to today’s Murray Cup races.
This story was based around the Origin Galactic Guide, specifically the quote “The 350r is the dedicated racer model of the line, used as a base by professional racing teams around the galaxy. 350r’s have a storied history, with more Carrington wins than any other spacecraft.”
The comments from Tem Barone, Travis-ts and Sergeant_Hull brought up an excellent point. While the Murray Cup may be the ultimate achievement in ship racing, it’s not the only game in town. There should be a host of illegal or minor league racing circuits, but those will undoubtedly be a little more closely tied to game mechanics, so we will have to hold off before delving into them.
With that, we’ll leave the Murray Cup for a bit. If you are late to the party and have a great idea for a Murray Cup winner from the past, feel free to leave comments in the first or second issue. We’ll periodically check to look for new entries.
Moving on, this is going to be more of an exercise in active construction.
SATABALL
Beginning as a reference in the StarWatch dispatch, Sataball was just a fun little thing to toss for a bit of background prose (“flipping through the channels to find the news, all he could find were ads, Sataball scores and stupid shows”). Since it’s not part of the game, there hasn’t been a need to flesh it out. Until now …
Here’s the original set of ideas and the vague skeleton of rules to get us started. These aren’t necessarily set in stone, by the way.
What does the sport look like: A combination of the footballs, two teams of six players try to score on their opponent’s goal using a combination of carrying and kicking the ball. The trick is that there are barriers between the goals.
What’s the tone of the sport: Fast. It’s a contact sport, not as much as rugby or American Football, more so than soccer/football, but can be rough. Egregious fouls will get you ejected.
How many players: Teams have twenty-person rosters. Six can be on the field at any time.
How are teams organized: As with basketball, there are no set positions, offering a variety of ways to play the game. Some teams have rotating goalies, others will mass defensively or offensively.
Game Length: 4 quarters (15 Standard Earth Minutes per quarter). Local leagues might have quarters adjusted to their local time.
The Field: An octagon (not entirely sold on this, just felt more interesting than a rectangle).
The Barriers: This was Rob’s idea. In the major league, there are staggered barriers positioned throughout the field that will turn off and on throughout the game (possibly increasing/decreasing frequency as the game progresses?). These barriers will stop/ricochet the ball but not a player. - The barriers are controlled by a pre-programmed series of switches. Before (and after) each match, the program is inspected by a Sataball engineer to verify that there are no inconsistencies in the pattern. Since every Sataball game for that season uses the same pattern, it is possible for the players to try and memorize the barrier pattern, but that’s very difficult, especially in the heat of a game. This is made even more complicated as every season begins with the creation of a new pattern.
So for next week, here are some questions to figure out:
When was the game created? Under what circumstances?
What are some of the rules? Fouls? Possible example: The ball becomes dead after two ricochets (play doesn’t stop, it just can’t score).
How does the running/kicking dynamic work? Can you dribble the ball indefinitely while only get a handful of steps if you carry the ball?
Should there be an active field overhead to prevent the players from lobbing the ball down field?
What is the Super Bowl/World Cup?
What are some teams? We already have the Terra Gryphons (as mentioned in StarWatch).
While we flesh out the rules and the game itself, one thing to keep in mind: despite all the cool technology that we want to incorporate into the major league incarnation, we still want the game to be simple enough for kids from any economic background to play in the streets. That feels like the prime reason why polo (for example) will never go mainstream. At its core, it’s too expensive and requires too many ‘things’ to play.
Baseball, for example, has vast tomes of rules, positions, and gear, but if you really wanted to play, all you need is two people (one pitches, one bats), a stick and a vaguely ball-shaped thing. In short, keep the game scaleable.
So, in the case of Sataball’s barriers, if you see an amateur league game or see it on the street, players will just build them out of sheet metal or scrap.
Until next week …
Continuing with the Murray Cup for a moment, some of you tackled events that helped shape the course of Murray Cup racing:
ROAD TRIP
_(From Mufossa75
While the Murray Cup is well entrenched and ingrained with life in the Ellis system, there had been a decision by the race’s Board of Directors to try “taking it on the road.” Between 2662 and 2675 and then again from 2789 to 2812 the Cup race was held in a different system each year. The argument was that changing systems every year would make the Cup that much more challenging.
Soon, however, the politics determining the next race location became a source of great intrigue and even scandal. Also, a growing movement of “traditionalists” based in the Ellis system began petitioning the UEE to return the race to Ellis permanently. The traveling days of the Cup ended when, during the 2812 race in the Croshaw system, Josiah Wallace, during a very tight turn around Angeli’s “Port Benjamin” Trojan point station, lost control of his modified RSI Torch and slammed it into Governor Bjorn’s yacht, destroying it and killing the governor, his wife and their elder two sons. Wallace, of course, was also killed in the explosion. It was the very incident that secured the traditionalists the support of the UEE Senate and, ultimately, the Imperator. The Murray Cup race returned to Ellis in 2813 and has remained there ever since.
THE BIG FIX
_(From Decius
The credibility of Murray Cup racing was nearly destroyed in a 2815 scandal which has since been referred to simply as “The Big Fix” by racing aficionados. Coming into the race, two-time champion Ameera Morello was the heavy favorite in early betting, with arch-rival Makena Cisse seen as the only real competitor. Morello and Cisse were locked in a close race from beginning to end, until a last-minute collision allowed relatively unknown racer Julio Fong to cross the finish line first.
Bettors lost heavily, and amidst allegations of foul play an investigation was launched to assure fans of the integrity of the sport. The results of the yearlong investigation would rock the Murray Cup to the core. Morello, Cisse and Fong were all implicated in a scheme to fix the outcome of the race, after financial records traced large payments to the trio originating in the Cathcart system. As the investigators analyzed betting data further, they realized that the 2815 race was not an exception, but rather part of an ongoing race-fixing scheme tracing back over twenty years.
Cisse, Morello and Fong managed to escape criminal prosecution, but were banned for life from the Murray Cup, along with 17 other racers who were found to have participated over the course of the scheme. The incident led to a number of reforms intended to clean up the sport and reduce the underworld influence which had lingered with the Murray Cup since its inauguration. Though many fans at the time complained
the reforms sapped the Murray Cup’s outlaw spirit, turning it into a more corporate event, modern analysts agree that the Murray Cup likely would not have retained its popularity without the reforms which followed “The Big Fix.”
THE CARRINGTON CUP
_(From Jankins
Although the Murray Cup is currently the biggest race in the racing scene it is not the only. Before the Murray Cup, winning the Carrington Cup was the ultimate achievement for any racer. The first Carrington Cup was held in 2418, funded almost entirely by Charles Carrington, who had made a fortune from his work in
experimental engine designs. Carrington did not offer any credits as a prize to the winners of his races, but gave away experimental parts that gave any deserving racer a bit more power than was otherwise available on the market. These races were not very well known, but any aspiring racer dreamed of winning the Carrington Cup.
The Carrington Cup disappeared altogether in 2491. Carrington’s company could not produce new parts fast enough for race winners. He switched to offering prize money, but in its last decade fewer and fewer racers competed. One of the biggest contributors to the demise of the Carrington Cup was the infamous race of 2489. A pack of pirates ambushed the leading racers near the end of the track, killing four racers, including Tom “The Garbage” Pyle, who had four Carrington Cup and two Murray Cup wins under his belt. Some speculate that Amon Murray had paid racers to not attend the Carrington Cup and paid pirates to disrupt the 2489 Carrington Cup, but nothing was ever proven. Charles Carrington’s great-great-grandson Sean Smyth brought back the race in 2611, over a century after the last race and half a century after Carrington’s experimental engine company went bankrupt. The Carrington Cup is still held every year, and although it is a respected race, it cannot compare to today’s Murray Cup races.
This story was based around the Origin Galactic Guide, specifically the quote “The 350r is the dedicated racer model of the line, used as a base by professional racing teams around the galaxy. 350r’s have a storied history, with more Carrington wins than any other spacecraft.”
The comments from Tem Barone, Travis-ts and Sergeant_Hull brought up an excellent point. While the Murray Cup may be the ultimate achievement in ship racing, it’s not the only game in town. There should be a host of illegal or minor league racing circuits, but those will undoubtedly be a little more closely tied to game mechanics, so we will have to hold off before delving into them.
With that, we’ll leave the Murray Cup for a bit. If you are late to the party and have a great idea for a Murray Cup winner from the past, feel free to leave comments in the first or second issue. We’ll periodically check to look for new entries.
Moving on, this is going to be more of an exercise in active construction.
SATABALL
Beginning as a reference in the StarWatch dispatch, Sataball was just a fun little thing to toss for a bit of background prose (“flipping through the channels to find the news, all he could find were ads, Sataball scores and stupid shows”). Since it’s not part of the game, there hasn’t been a need to flesh it out. Until now …
Here’s the original set of ideas and the vague skeleton of rules to get us started. These aren’t necessarily set in stone, by the way.
What does the sport look like: A combination of the footballs, two teams of six players try to score on their opponent’s goal using a combination of carrying and kicking the ball. The trick is that there are barriers between the goals.
What’s the tone of the sport: Fast. It’s a contact sport, not as much as rugby or American Football, more so than soccer/football, but can be rough. Egregious fouls will get you ejected.
How many players: Teams have twenty-person rosters. Six can be on the field at any time.
How are teams organized: As with basketball, there are no set positions, offering a variety of ways to play the game. Some teams have rotating goalies, others will mass defensively or offensively.
Game Length: 4 quarters (15 Standard Earth Minutes per quarter). Local leagues might have quarters adjusted to their local time.
The Field: An octagon (not entirely sold on this, just felt more interesting than a rectangle).
The Barriers: This was Rob’s idea. In the major league, there are staggered barriers positioned throughout the field that will turn off and on throughout the game (possibly increasing/decreasing frequency as the game progresses?). These barriers will stop/ricochet the ball but not a player. - The barriers are controlled by a pre-programmed series of switches. Before (and after) each match, the program is inspected by a Sataball engineer to verify that there are no inconsistencies in the pattern. Since every Sataball game for that season uses the same pattern, it is possible for the players to try and memorize the barrier pattern, but that’s very difficult, especially in the heat of a game. This is made even more complicated as every season begins with the creation of a new pattern.
So for next week, here are some questions to figure out:
When was the game created? Under what circumstances?
What are some of the rules? Fouls? Possible example: The ball becomes dead after two ricochets (play doesn’t stop, it just can’t score).
How does the running/kicking dynamic work? Can you dribble the ball indefinitely while only get a handful of steps if you carry the ball?
Should there be an active field overhead to prevent the players from lobbing the ball down field?
What is the Super Bowl/World Cup?
What are some teams? We already have the Terra Gryphons (as mentioned in StarWatch).
While we flesh out the rules and the game itself, one thing to keep in mind: despite all the cool technology that we want to incorporate into the major league incarnation, we still want the game to be simple enough for kids from any economic background to play in the streets. That feels like the prime reason why polo (for example) will never go mainstream. At its core, it’s too expensive and requires too many ‘things’ to play.
Baseball, for example, has vast tomes of rules, positions, and gear, but if you really wanted to play, all you need is two people (one pitches, one bats), a stick and a vaguely ball-shaped thing. In short, keep the game scaleable.
So, in the case of Sataball’s barriers, if you see an amateur league game or see it on the street, players will just build them out of sheet metal or scrap.
Until next week …
Links
Metadata
- CIG ID
- 13355
- Channel
- Undefined
- Category
- Undefined
- Series
- Lore Builder
- Comments
- 157
- Published
- 12 years ago (2013-10-31T00:00:00+00:00)