From: Harald Smith 617 726-2172 (SMITHH@A1.MGH.HARVARD.EDU)
Date: Wed 13 Apr 1994 - 16:02:00 EEST
Hello Everyone--
It's been a busy week out on the daily and I'm now half a week
behind. Have to catch up this weekend. In the interim, since
there have been a number of comments on games (and also feeling
that I should offer up something after suggesting we build games
from a Gloranthan base), I'm offering up the Imtherian game of
Truetoss.
Truetoss comes from the Southlands of Imther, an area heavily
dominated by apple orchards (for those who like to picture areas
based on earth equivalents, think of the rolling hills of Vermont
or the hilly areas of western Wisconsin). The game originated
with children trying to toss gathered apples into baskets from a
distance.
Truetoss is played with two teams of 2-5 players on each side (5
is preferred, though rare in the country except at festival time,
as it produces 10 individuals participating--mythologically
significant as much of the culture is solar-derived, though most
children playing would not tell you that).
Truetoss uses a hand-sized ball. The ball is stitched leather
and filled with grass, leaves, or twine, often weighted with a
small stone. It is not uncommon for the ball to break apart
during play (or at least lose some of its stuffing). Note that
feathers are not used as a rule as they are considered valuable
by families. The ball is called the Orb (natural for a Yelmalian
culture).
Each player uses a one-handed forked stick called a Truthstick.
It is basically Y-shaped (also appropriate for a Yelmalian
culture) though the area between the Y is laced with gut string.
Often the Truthstick is a crude branch, though some people spend
time carving more effective sticks.
The game is played upon any field that the contestants agree to.
It might be bounded by four trees (or in the city of Hortugarth
where they play in city alleys, it is bounded by the alley walls)
or by field stones, etc. There are two ends and two sides. At
the center of each end sits a tilted basket, called Home. The
goal is to toss the Orb into the basket and have it stay there.
This has led to the rise of the slang expression "Bringing the
Orb Home"--equivalent to saying that someone made a good point
(or scored a solid hit with their weapon, etc.).
If someone tosses the Orb at the basket and it goes past the
basket or bounces back out, the other team gains control of the
Orb. A slang expression "Throwing the Orb Away/Afield" has come
from this event--equivalent to saying that someone tossed away an
advantage.
One Kingstep (the Imtherian equivalent of a meter) to either side
of the basket are two posts called Kingsposts. When one team has
thrown the Orb away and the other brings it back in, it does so
between the Kingsposts.
The Orb is moved in one of two ways. It may be tossed by hand
from one person to another. A person cannot move when the Orb is
in their bare hand--they can only toss it. It may be tossed and
caught in a Truthstick. Depending on the community, a person
with the Orb in a Truthstick may either move 5 or 10 paces before
they must toss the Orb or they may move constantly (though they
may not come within a Kingstep of the basket). (This is
reflective of the local beliefs in Yelmalio's flight from pursuit
after the battles at the Hill of Gold--note that in my version of
Imther, Yelmalio is not frozen atop the Hill of Gold, but flees
eastward into the Imtherian hills to escape the dark and rally
the local populace.) Players cannot touch each other though they
may hit another person's Truthstick with their own to dislodge
the Orb.
Local communities may add on additional rules, but that is the
core of the game. It derives from a common local event (apple
picking), utilizes available resources (leather, some sort of
soft filling for the ball, branches, and gut string), and aspects
of the rules reflect childhood understanding of mythological
events.
Now how similar is this to earth games. Not knowing the rules of
lacrosse, I realize there is similarity of equipment. There are
certainly similarities with basketball or American football. And
I suppose there are any number of other games it has similarities
to. But it's an attempt to generate something from a Gloranthan
base.
--Harald Smith
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