Beatball
The Old Ultra-violence
"If you ever want to meet the Emperor in person, try playing Beatball without a helmet - shouldn't take more than a couple matches."
- Jumei Gwaolong, star defender of the Cobalt Dragons
History
Beatball is one of Zamzara's oldest sports, created sometime during the Jasmine Age - historians estimate that the first game's date ranges from 450 to 500 AC. The exact details behind its creation have since been lost to time, but it is believed the game initially began as a way for soldiers to stave off boredom during months-long campaigns. Once these soldiers returned home, they would often teach it to their friends and family, and the game would spread further and further. Initially the game featured a rattan ball instead of rubber, and there was usually a line drawn in the ground in lieu of a net. Over the past 2000 years, innumerable variants and alternate rules have sprung up, some of which were carried over into the Beatball we know today - most notably the contemporary scoring system.
Execution
Beatball is a team sport that consists of two teams of 5 players each, each with a different role within the team. Teams consist of one server, one setter, two attackers, and one defender. The setter must serve the beatball as soon as the referee announces the match's score, or else they will be given a warning. If they fail to serve on time again, the set ends and the other team starts the new set. Players are only allowed to move once the ball has been served. Points are awarded when either the serving or receiving side commits a fault, of which there are numerous ways to do so, included but not limited to: crossing the net into your opponent's zone, holding the ball, touching another player, hitting the ball outside of the court, and failing to get the ball over the net.
Teams play a match to three sets, with each set being played up to 18 points. Typically players will rotate for each set, but this is uncommon in casual play. A team is awarded 1-3 points based on which part of the body was used to hit the winning shot: Using the arms or torso is worth 1 point, using the legs are worth 2 points, and striking with the head is worth 3 points. In the event of a tie, the set shall be won by whichever side earned 18 points in the fewest number of shots. In tournaments, all teams play once against the others and the winner is determined by the team who wins the most matches.
Components and tools
There are two items that no game of Beatball can be played without: A net, and a ball. Armor is considered a necessity, but are not always used - villages that have no ready access to rubber sometimes forgo protection, as a non-rubber ball is far less deadly... but far less glorious. Beatball armor is commonly worn, as it can be made nearly anywhere in Zamzara as long as there is a material suitable for cordage in the area. The game is played on a court that is 9 meters by 19 meters in size. In the center of the court is a net, usually made of woven fiber or cords that can be found locally, and it is half a meter wide with extra fibers on the top and bottom for added support.
The titular beatball is completely spherical and made from rubber latex, whether it is from the rubber tree or rubber vine - it is extremely heavy, and the smallest historical beatballs weighed at least 5 pounds, sometimes going up to 10. Today, the "standard" beatball is 7.8 pounds - a holdover from the pre-Kalyugi Empire. Due to the mass of the ball, players are required to wear full-body beatball armor - despite this, injury and even death is not an uncommon occurrence. Quite the opposite, in fact - being hurt during a match is considered a mark of honor.
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