Post by Stix on Mar 10, 2009 14:16:13 GMT -5
Game Day
Whether it comes weekly, monthly, or daily, the constant challenges the arena poses present chances for the gladiator to test his skill against that of his opponents. The winner survives to see another Game Day while the less-skillful fertilize the earth with their corpses.
Of course, the Game schedule varies from city to city, but there is typically no less than one set of games per week. During times of festival or relaxation, the games are held with far greater frequency, sometimes for several days on end. This sort of excess is not typical, for even the most bloodthirsty of crowds grows tired of constant bloodshed. The sorcerer-kings, skillful manipulators of mobs, know exactly when the crowd will reach such a point. They end the games before that point so that the crowd will again become anxious to see the next week's games. Free gladiators have the option of deciding how many games they will attend. Of course, they might be paid less for fewer appearances. That is the risk they have to take -- more games for more money, or playing it safe, participating only in as many games as it takes to meet expenses.
The Games
The sheer variety of the games is enough to bewilder anyone not familiar with the structure of a Game Day. This is a simple primer of the basic games found in all the major cities of the Tyr region, followed by a brief summary of the advanced games of various cities.
Matinee: This is usually a simple and straightforward combat between weak gladiators and prisoners, all of whom are lightly armed and armored. They are showcase matches in which newer gladiators can gain the attention of nobles and the populace, provided they are impressive enough with their victories. Matinee fights are always to the death, no matter how much either side might beg for mercy.
Matinee fights are always placed at the beginning of any Game Day so the crowd can work into its bloodlust quickly. Although the inexperienced and unpolished fighting styles lack the flair of the later games, the blood spilled is just as red (in most cases) as in the later games. Besides, there is always the chance that a shining star will emerge from the matinee, who will later light the arena with his skill and savagery.
Grudge Match: The Grudge Match pairs up two gladiators who have faced each other before and survived. This traditionally is a match that goes only until one of the gladiators is clearly at a disadvantage, rather than to the death. This provides the spectators with the enjoyment of knowing that there are future possibilities for the match to continue. It also gives them an excuse to follow the gladiators, so that they will know how to bet on the next match. Sometimes grudge matches take place between gladiators who later grow to be close friends. Not all of these matches end in bad blood, much to the disgruntlement of the crowd. Still, grudge matches are avidly awaited, for the spectators cannot wait to see who has improved, and how much. Betting on these games is always particularly intense.
Trial by Combat: Justice is not always dispensed by the templars in the streets. Occasionally. accused felons are brought to the arena to stand trial for their alleged crimes. If they win, they are proven innocent and may go free to continue with their lives. If they lose, they are judged guilty and dispatched with cruelty.
Though this may sound like a fairly easy out for more powerful prisoners, they must still face combat against the pick of the sorcerer-king's stable -- not an easy proposition for even the most powerful of offenders. Even if they should win, they are best advised to leave town quickly, to avoid further persecution and prosecution.
Matched Pairs: Every self-respecting stable keeps at least one pair of gladiators to match against those of the other stables. Each pair is selected on the basis of how well they complement each other's skills. One team might be an elf, with speed and subtlety, paired with a dwarf, with strength and persistence, while another might be a half-giant with intimidation and huge size paired with a rapid, tumbling halfling.
These combats come to be like grudge matches, except that they are comprised of multiple teams, and injuries are more often fatal. There are always matched pairs in a day's events, though not always the same pairs pitted against one another. The spectators keep careful watch on the various stables of the cities, observing the progress of every new team.
Bestial Combat: A mainstay of the arena in any city is the Bestial Combat, where gladiators are tested against the beasts of the desert. The more exotic beast the better, at least from the crowd's point of view. For the gladiator it means an opponent that is almost impossible to gauge, one for whom the standard attack and defense signals are initially unreadable. Bestial combat, especially against intelligent beasts, has spelled the end for more than one famous gladiator. Those who trap the beasts can gain almost as much fame as a standard arena gladiator, if the beasts they bring are exciting enough.
Test of Champions: This is one of the most exciting events the arena has to offer, and it is therefore usually left until the end of the day so the crowd may savor it with growing anticipation. In terms of sheer skill, prowess, and danger, there is no other game to match it. It pits two of the arena's champions against each other, the mightiest the city has to offer. In the games, the crowd sees the epitome of the gladiatorial experience as the finest gladiators produced by the city clash for the crowd's benefit. Though neither gladiator usually desires the death of the other, these combats are left entirely to the whim of the sorceror-king. If he decrees the death of a fallen gladiator, so be it.
Advanced Games
Each city and town has its own particular version of the advanced games, specific to that one locale and no place else. Due to circumstances of the arena and the climate around the city, the individual games sprang up to pander to the tastes of the citizens of those cities. The regulars of the arenas know every intricacy of the rules of these games, and they spend countless hours after the games arguing over minor points of the games and the players in them.
There is not enough space here to describe the complexities of the games in each city. Instead, what follows is a quick summary of the games in each of the major cities.
Balic: The advanced game of the Criterion is one called Earthquake. Twelve gladiators enter the field and are stationed around the walls of the arena. Each wears a scarf of a different color somewhere on their body. When the king signals that the game is to begin, the gladiators rush toward the center of the arena, trying to reach the center of the arena and the red silk scarf. The gladiator who stands atop the center column with the red scarf and the scarves of three other gladiators is the one declared a winner.
The game sounds deceptively simple. The detail that ensures that this game is no easy stroll is the shifting columns. The columns of the Criterion rise and fall, at random speeds and random times. They do not necessarily rise all the way up, and neither do they necessarily descend at the same speed at which they rose. Any gladiator in this game must make a Dex -2 check every round to retain their footing, as well as an Int check to keep track of their enemies. This is one of the most challenging games in the Tyr region.
Draj: The trademark game of this venue features 16 gladiators in the arena at a time. Clad only in coverings and wrist razors, the gladiators prowl though a hastily erected artificial maze, searching for each other. The last one standing wins. The crowd can clearly see the gladiators because of variations in the elevations; some walls are as tall as 10 feet while others are barely enough for a halfling to crawl behind.
This variant is sometimes called the "jaguar games," due to one forgotten combatant's tactic of spotting herself with mud and dirt so as to blend in with the maze's shadows.
Gulg: An arboreal game is the favorite in this arena. All the action takes place through the trees. Gladiators may not touch the ground, on pain of death at the hands of the crowd. There are some bramble trees that injure and interfere with movement. Winning strategies include luring enemies into a copse of these bramble trees and backing them into corners.
Tyr: Tyr, of course, no longer sponsors games. Since the ascendancy of King Tithian to the throne, the arena has been changed into a marketplace and the gladiators have been given their freedom. In the days of Kalak, however, the best game in town centered around a ziggurat erected in the center of the arena. Up to twenty teams of paired gladiators fought to be both the last standing and the first to make it to the top of the ziggurat. Only the best of the best were allowed to enter this competition, for winning set the victors up for life. Though they would still be slaves (if they were slaves before entering), they could spend most of the rest of their days in luxury, coming out only when their masters needed the extra money that their appearances generated. Occasionally, several teams of semi-retired gladiators emerged from their restful lives to perform again; this was always a crowd-pleaser. For obvious reasons, this game was never held more than once every few months.
Urik: The hallmark contest here is kickball with the head of a desert beast. The staves are moved so that there is an outgrowth of them only at the end of the playing field. The object of the game is to slam the head of the beast onto the spikes of the other team (Ten gladiators per team, only five on the field at any given time). The game lasts one hour, and the team that spikes the head most wins. Sometimes the head of a criminal is used instead.
Concluding the Games
Eventually, of course, each game draws to a close. Whether an opponent is humanoid or not, one of the contestants almost always dies. Although certain games allow the crowd in the arena to decide the fate of the fighters, most of the action in a typical day at the arena is too brutal to allow such niceties.
Some contestants in the games invariably decide that faking their own death is preferable to suffering more permanent damage by a superior opponent. When they take any serious blow, they fall to the ground, feigning death. To most tests (such as poking, prodding, and the like) they appear dead. Unfortunately for them, both their opponents and the arena masters like to make sure they are in fact dead—they do not want the crowd cheated of the spectacle of the game. The way they insure this varies from city to city, but the following is the most common: When one of the combatants falls, a team of slaves bearing heated obsidian blades enters the arena. They remove whatever footgear the fallen one wears and press the burning blades into the soles of his feet. A successful Con -12 roll allows the victim to remain motionless; otherwise, he naturally jerks away. The slaves then restrain him as his opponent cuts his throat. Dead people, of course, do not jerk away. Even if the cowardly gladiator does make his Con check, he is likely crippled for life.
In other arenas, they do not even bother with such civilized niceties as heated blades. Often, they simply encourage the victorious gladiator to run his vanquished foe through, then and there. However, most gladiators are loath to perform this duty, for they know their enemy could simply bluff like this to lure them in close and then strike the exposed champion. Even the bravest of gladiators do not enjoy endangering themselves in this fashion, and thus the use of slaves for this work arose.
Certain billed games do allow the crowd to decide the fate of the fighters, depending on which one has defeated the other. While standing over his fallen, disarmed, and yet-living foe, the victor looks to the sorcerer-king, nobles, or other high-ranking attendees. These folk generally (but by no means always) abide by the decision of the crowd around them, which hoots, yells, and screams for the fallen gladiator's life or death.
If the fallen one put on a good show before his defeat, struggling desperately to survive and fighting masterfully despite obvious handicaps, the crowd clamors for his life. They want to see him again, hopefully faring better the next time, for his skill and tenacity have brightened their lives. On the other hand, even if the fallen gladiator is one of the great champions, if he fought poorly this day the crowd calls for his death. They have no loyalty for has-beens; all they care for is a good show, and if their favorites are unable to provide for it, they move on to new heroes.
Gladiators themselves honor their fallen opponents. After the battle is over, their artificial enmity comes to an end and they are able to respect one another's fighting styles. Even when one of the gladiators must kill the other, the short time between the judgement and the killing stroke is a peaceful place where they can offer their advice, strategy, suggestions, and farewells to one another if they feel the other deserves or needs it.
The greatest salute one gladiator can pay to another, reserved only for the fiercest opponents and thus only those worthy of one's respect, resounds in both the ears of dying men and victors alike: "You fought like the Dragon." On the other hand, those who don't fight well find that the final action they witness is the spittle from their opponent's mouth, the final sound a contemptuous grunt as the victor dispatches his enemy.
Handicaps
In certain cases, the match between two gladiators is far from even. In these cases, unless the match is specifically meant to be humorous or punishment for the weaker gladiator, the more powerful of the gladiators is often impaired in some way to make the match more even and entertaining. The more boisterous gladiators even ask to be handicapped as a show of bravado.
Sometimes this involves the binding of one arm or the other, a leg, or perhaps a blindfold across the eyes. In some cases it is only a difference of weapon. The severity of the handicap depends on the apparent difference in skill, the gladiators' reputations, and their bravado.
Sample Handicaps
Whether it comes weekly, monthly, or daily, the constant challenges the arena poses present chances for the gladiator to test his skill against that of his opponents. The winner survives to see another Game Day while the less-skillful fertilize the earth with their corpses.
Of course, the Game schedule varies from city to city, but there is typically no less than one set of games per week. During times of festival or relaxation, the games are held with far greater frequency, sometimes for several days on end. This sort of excess is not typical, for even the most bloodthirsty of crowds grows tired of constant bloodshed. The sorcerer-kings, skillful manipulators of mobs, know exactly when the crowd will reach such a point. They end the games before that point so that the crowd will again become anxious to see the next week's games. Free gladiators have the option of deciding how many games they will attend. Of course, they might be paid less for fewer appearances. That is the risk they have to take -- more games for more money, or playing it safe, participating only in as many games as it takes to meet expenses.
The Games
The sheer variety of the games is enough to bewilder anyone not familiar with the structure of a Game Day. This is a simple primer of the basic games found in all the major cities of the Tyr region, followed by a brief summary of the advanced games of various cities.
Matinee: This is usually a simple and straightforward combat between weak gladiators and prisoners, all of whom are lightly armed and armored. They are showcase matches in which newer gladiators can gain the attention of nobles and the populace, provided they are impressive enough with their victories. Matinee fights are always to the death, no matter how much either side might beg for mercy.
Matinee fights are always placed at the beginning of any Game Day so the crowd can work into its bloodlust quickly. Although the inexperienced and unpolished fighting styles lack the flair of the later games, the blood spilled is just as red (in most cases) as in the later games. Besides, there is always the chance that a shining star will emerge from the matinee, who will later light the arena with his skill and savagery.
Grudge Match: The Grudge Match pairs up two gladiators who have faced each other before and survived. This traditionally is a match that goes only until one of the gladiators is clearly at a disadvantage, rather than to the death. This provides the spectators with the enjoyment of knowing that there are future possibilities for the match to continue. It also gives them an excuse to follow the gladiators, so that they will know how to bet on the next match. Sometimes grudge matches take place between gladiators who later grow to be close friends. Not all of these matches end in bad blood, much to the disgruntlement of the crowd. Still, grudge matches are avidly awaited, for the spectators cannot wait to see who has improved, and how much. Betting on these games is always particularly intense.
Trial by Combat: Justice is not always dispensed by the templars in the streets. Occasionally. accused felons are brought to the arena to stand trial for their alleged crimes. If they win, they are proven innocent and may go free to continue with their lives. If they lose, they are judged guilty and dispatched with cruelty.
Though this may sound like a fairly easy out for more powerful prisoners, they must still face combat against the pick of the sorcerer-king's stable -- not an easy proposition for even the most powerful of offenders. Even if they should win, they are best advised to leave town quickly, to avoid further persecution and prosecution.
Matched Pairs: Every self-respecting stable keeps at least one pair of gladiators to match against those of the other stables. Each pair is selected on the basis of how well they complement each other's skills. One team might be an elf, with speed and subtlety, paired with a dwarf, with strength and persistence, while another might be a half-giant with intimidation and huge size paired with a rapid, tumbling halfling.
These combats come to be like grudge matches, except that they are comprised of multiple teams, and injuries are more often fatal. There are always matched pairs in a day's events, though not always the same pairs pitted against one another. The spectators keep careful watch on the various stables of the cities, observing the progress of every new team.
Bestial Combat: A mainstay of the arena in any city is the Bestial Combat, where gladiators are tested against the beasts of the desert. The more exotic beast the better, at least from the crowd's point of view. For the gladiator it means an opponent that is almost impossible to gauge, one for whom the standard attack and defense signals are initially unreadable. Bestial combat, especially against intelligent beasts, has spelled the end for more than one famous gladiator. Those who trap the beasts can gain almost as much fame as a standard arena gladiator, if the beasts they bring are exciting enough.
Test of Champions: This is one of the most exciting events the arena has to offer, and it is therefore usually left until the end of the day so the crowd may savor it with growing anticipation. In terms of sheer skill, prowess, and danger, there is no other game to match it. It pits two of the arena's champions against each other, the mightiest the city has to offer. In the games, the crowd sees the epitome of the gladiatorial experience as the finest gladiators produced by the city clash for the crowd's benefit. Though neither gladiator usually desires the death of the other, these combats are left entirely to the whim of the sorceror-king. If he decrees the death of a fallen gladiator, so be it.
Advanced Games
Each city and town has its own particular version of the advanced games, specific to that one locale and no place else. Due to circumstances of the arena and the climate around the city, the individual games sprang up to pander to the tastes of the citizens of those cities. The regulars of the arenas know every intricacy of the rules of these games, and they spend countless hours after the games arguing over minor points of the games and the players in them.
There is not enough space here to describe the complexities of the games in each city. Instead, what follows is a quick summary of the games in each of the major cities.
Balic: The advanced game of the Criterion is one called Earthquake. Twelve gladiators enter the field and are stationed around the walls of the arena. Each wears a scarf of a different color somewhere on their body. When the king signals that the game is to begin, the gladiators rush toward the center of the arena, trying to reach the center of the arena and the red silk scarf. The gladiator who stands atop the center column with the red scarf and the scarves of three other gladiators is the one declared a winner.
The game sounds deceptively simple. The detail that ensures that this game is no easy stroll is the shifting columns. The columns of the Criterion rise and fall, at random speeds and random times. They do not necessarily rise all the way up, and neither do they necessarily descend at the same speed at which they rose. Any gladiator in this game must make a Dex -2 check every round to retain their footing, as well as an Int check to keep track of their enemies. This is one of the most challenging games in the Tyr region.
Draj: The trademark game of this venue features 16 gladiators in the arena at a time. Clad only in coverings and wrist razors, the gladiators prowl though a hastily erected artificial maze, searching for each other. The last one standing wins. The crowd can clearly see the gladiators because of variations in the elevations; some walls are as tall as 10 feet while others are barely enough for a halfling to crawl behind.
This variant is sometimes called the "jaguar games," due to one forgotten combatant's tactic of spotting herself with mud and dirt so as to blend in with the maze's shadows.
Gulg: An arboreal game is the favorite in this arena. All the action takes place through the trees. Gladiators may not touch the ground, on pain of death at the hands of the crowd. There are some bramble trees that injure and interfere with movement. Winning strategies include luring enemies into a copse of these bramble trees and backing them into corners.
Tyr: Tyr, of course, no longer sponsors games. Since the ascendancy of King Tithian to the throne, the arena has been changed into a marketplace and the gladiators have been given their freedom. In the days of Kalak, however, the best game in town centered around a ziggurat erected in the center of the arena. Up to twenty teams of paired gladiators fought to be both the last standing and the first to make it to the top of the ziggurat. Only the best of the best were allowed to enter this competition, for winning set the victors up for life. Though they would still be slaves (if they were slaves before entering), they could spend most of the rest of their days in luxury, coming out only when their masters needed the extra money that their appearances generated. Occasionally, several teams of semi-retired gladiators emerged from their restful lives to perform again; this was always a crowd-pleaser. For obvious reasons, this game was never held more than once every few months.
Urik: The hallmark contest here is kickball with the head of a desert beast. The staves are moved so that there is an outgrowth of them only at the end of the playing field. The object of the game is to slam the head of the beast onto the spikes of the other team (Ten gladiators per team, only five on the field at any given time). The game lasts one hour, and the team that spikes the head most wins. Sometimes the head of a criminal is used instead.
Concluding the Games
Eventually, of course, each game draws to a close. Whether an opponent is humanoid or not, one of the contestants almost always dies. Although certain games allow the crowd in the arena to decide the fate of the fighters, most of the action in a typical day at the arena is too brutal to allow such niceties.
Some contestants in the games invariably decide that faking their own death is preferable to suffering more permanent damage by a superior opponent. When they take any serious blow, they fall to the ground, feigning death. To most tests (such as poking, prodding, and the like) they appear dead. Unfortunately for them, both their opponents and the arena masters like to make sure they are in fact dead—they do not want the crowd cheated of the spectacle of the game. The way they insure this varies from city to city, but the following is the most common: When one of the combatants falls, a team of slaves bearing heated obsidian blades enters the arena. They remove whatever footgear the fallen one wears and press the burning blades into the soles of his feet. A successful Con -12 roll allows the victim to remain motionless; otherwise, he naturally jerks away. The slaves then restrain him as his opponent cuts his throat. Dead people, of course, do not jerk away. Even if the cowardly gladiator does make his Con check, he is likely crippled for life.
In other arenas, they do not even bother with such civilized niceties as heated blades. Often, they simply encourage the victorious gladiator to run his vanquished foe through, then and there. However, most gladiators are loath to perform this duty, for they know their enemy could simply bluff like this to lure them in close and then strike the exposed champion. Even the bravest of gladiators do not enjoy endangering themselves in this fashion, and thus the use of slaves for this work arose.
Certain billed games do allow the crowd to decide the fate of the fighters, depending on which one has defeated the other. While standing over his fallen, disarmed, and yet-living foe, the victor looks to the sorcerer-king, nobles, or other high-ranking attendees. These folk generally (but by no means always) abide by the decision of the crowd around them, which hoots, yells, and screams for the fallen gladiator's life or death.
If the fallen one put on a good show before his defeat, struggling desperately to survive and fighting masterfully despite obvious handicaps, the crowd clamors for his life. They want to see him again, hopefully faring better the next time, for his skill and tenacity have brightened their lives. On the other hand, even if the fallen gladiator is one of the great champions, if he fought poorly this day the crowd calls for his death. They have no loyalty for has-beens; all they care for is a good show, and if their favorites are unable to provide for it, they move on to new heroes.
Gladiators themselves honor their fallen opponents. After the battle is over, their artificial enmity comes to an end and they are able to respect one another's fighting styles. Even when one of the gladiators must kill the other, the short time between the judgement and the killing stroke is a peaceful place where they can offer their advice, strategy, suggestions, and farewells to one another if they feel the other deserves or needs it.
The greatest salute one gladiator can pay to another, reserved only for the fiercest opponents and thus only those worthy of one's respect, resounds in both the ears of dying men and victors alike: "You fought like the Dragon." On the other hand, those who don't fight well find that the final action they witness is the spittle from their opponent's mouth, the final sound a contemptuous grunt as the victor dispatches his enemy.
Handicaps
In certain cases, the match between two gladiators is far from even. In these cases, unless the match is specifically meant to be humorous or punishment for the weaker gladiator, the more powerful of the gladiators is often impaired in some way to make the match more even and entertaining. The more boisterous gladiators even ask to be handicapped as a show of bravado.
Sometimes this involves the binding of one arm or the other, a leg, or perhaps a blindfold across the eyes. In some cases it is only a difference of weapon. The severity of the handicap depends on the apparent difference in skill, the gladiators' reputations, and their bravado.
Sample Handicaps
- Inferior equipment
- One arm bound (-2 to attack)
- One leg bound (-2 AC)
- Blindfolded (-4 to attack)
- Blindfolded, one limb bound (as above)