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To Boldly Go... (a Starfleet quest)

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To Boldly Go... (a Starfleet quest) Starfleet Ship Design Bureau, Refit ("To Boldly Go...")
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Vehrec said:
Gah, I want to write a biopic about one of the Romulan senators who was elected to a dynastic seat in the senate as Captain of a Football Team. But I just can't figure out how to start writing the life story of the guy because I keep getting hung up on the rules of Romulan football.
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Okay, serious answer. If we want to take the Romans as inspiration for the Romulans (and why wouldn't we) then what's happening on the field isn't nearly as interesting as what's happening off it.

Team 'fans' aren't just spectators, they're a cross between a street gang and a political movement. Check this out for the merest taste of it.

The ancient Roman and Byzantine empires had well-developed associations, known as demes, which supported the different factions (or teams) under which competitors in certain sporting events took part; this was particularly true of chariot racing. There were initially four major factional teams of chariot racing, differentiated by the colour of the uniform in which they competed; the colours were also worn by their supporters. These were the Blues, the Greens, the Reds, and the Whites, although by the Byzantine era the only teams with any influence were the Blues and Greens. Emperor Justinian I was a supporter of the Blues.
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So a Romulan Football Club electing a Senator is actually totally reasonable.
 
Iron Wolf said:
Bloodbowl but if the Eldar came up with the rules, I imagine.

To be very clear: Craftworld Eldar. Not Dark Eldar. That is a very, very important distinction.
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!!!
Yes, you see, the rules order is not complete happenstance ...
If the referee calls 'Out' you are out. Getting him not to do so is part of the game, of course.
 
[X][FYM1] USS S'harien Captain T'Rinta
[X][FYM2] USS Atuin Captain Vol Chad
 
Tackle Soccer!

> : V

Can't touch the ball with your hands and no external blood, anything else is fine.
 
AKuz said:
Tackle Soccer!

> : V

Can't touch the ball with your hands and no external blood, anything else is fine.
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I'm actually kinda serious here.

It bugs me when sci-fi is like "FUTURE SPORTS WITH HIGH TECH GIZMOS"

Except in the Future space year 2017 the most popular sport on Earth needs only a foot... and a ball.

I suspect that, especially for a culture as traditionalist as the Romulans, the most popular sport has probably been the same for millenia. And the purity of Ball+Foot+Light Violence probably appeals to them.

Now I'm trying to think of what other Species "Traditional" game is.

I suspect Andorians are inveterate curlers.

Klingons just have excessive violence in everyday life.

Tellarites have arguing loudly.

Caitians chase that goddamn red dot?? (BAD KUZ. THAT IS SPECIST!)

Cardassians are no longer allowed to have fun. Having any sort of fun at all is an entire sport in and of itself.

Vulcans wear silly hats and pretend that it is still logical. Very amusing, approaches actual "fun" quotients
 
[X][FYM1] Captain T'Rinta
[X][FYM2] Captain Demora Sulu

I'll be honest, I've wanted Demora on an Excelsior for quite the while, and I really don't want to see her passed up now.
 
AKuz said:
It bugs me when sci-fi is like "FUTURE SPORTS WITH HIGH TECH GIZMOS"
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I guess we'd have additional sports - with antigravity, some fun things should be possible. But the traditional sports will stay, too, because they codify basic needs of the species - for humans, competition, overcoming adversity, team play, ... that's independent of technology.
 
Baseball, only you have to beat off the players trying to tag you out with the bat and foul balls can lead to honor duels between the pitcher and the batter.
 
Would the Romulans having a starship troopers types political system work?

It would seem to mesh well with their Republican Roman aesthetic.

It would also give them a big point of difference with the Federation, beyond simply being evil paranoid aliens, in that the see the Federation's universal sufferage as a system doomed to inevitable failure. On hat in value might lead to the rise of an aggressive non rational polity that might see war against Romulus as a desirable course.

In fact I think that might b a good way to model the Romulans, as a kind of combination of 19th century American manifest destiny, and 20th century Russian cynicism and paranoia.
They firmly believe that it is their destiny to rule the stars, and only their empire fit to do so. Disdaining the decadence of the old Orions, and the barbarism of the Klingons.
They also have quite likely suffered several devestating invasions, that have left them instutionally suspicious of their neighbours, believing that even seemingly benevolent polities will inevitably transform into expansionist warmongers. (The Hur'q likely having been just one of these.)
In their minds bloody hard fought experiance has shown that the only solution is for the Romulans to be in control, and to maintain wide buffers of space between themselves and potential rivals.
 
Andorians like martial arts tournaments. They really go for the one-on-one "individual champion" type stuff.

Tellarites go for something like American Football in structure. The way AF is structured, with brief periods of highly coordinated activity punctuated by regular short breaks to discuss strategy for the next play, is very appealing to them. You get to have a mini-debate on strategy before every play.

Vulcans play something that is structurally much like Basketball, a team sport where coordination between players is very important.

Caitians do racing, but it includes a mechanism where racers are allowed to interfere with each other in carefully structured ways.

Betazoids do something like tennis, where part of the competition is trying to read your opponent's mind to figure out where they'll hit the ball next. The Doubles version is considered particularly challenging, because you potentially have to read two minds at once.

Amarkians play a polo-equivalent on top of a horse-equivalent.

Rigellians play something like football/soccer, but with a strategic element where you can vary the number of players you have on the field in return for your goals being worth more/less points. They revise the rules every other year because it's hard to keep the game balanced.

Apiata play with massive teams of 50+ players on the field at once, with leaders and sub-leaders to keep everyone coordinated.

Indorians play a baseball equivalent and spend all their energy nerding out about statistics of individual players.
 
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Ato said:
Would the Romulans having a starship troopers types political system work?

It would seem to mesh well with their Republican Roman aesthetic.

It would also give them a big point of difference with the Federation, beyond simply being evil paranoid aliens, in that the see the Federation's universal sufferage as a system doomed to inevitable failure. On hat in value might lead to the rise of an aggressive non rational polity that might see war against Romulus as a desirable course.

In fact I think that might b a good way to model the Romulans, as a kind of combination of 19th century American manifest destiny, and 20th century Russian cynicism and paranoia.
They firmly believe that it is their destiny to rule the stars, and only their empire fit to do so. Disdaining the decadence of the old Orions, and the barbarism of the Klingons.
They also have quite likely suffered several devestating invasions, that have left them instutionally suspicious of their neighbours, believing that even seemingly benevolent polities will inevitably transform into expansionist warmongers. (The Hur'q likely having been just one of these.)
In their minds bloody hard fought experiance has shown that the only solution is for the Romulans to be in control, and to maintain wide buffers of space between themselves and potential rivals.
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They're not really expansionist, though.

Briefvoice said:
Andorians like martial arts tournaments. They really go for the one-on-one "individual champion" type stuff.

Tellarites go for something like American Football in structure. The way AF is structured, with brief periods of highly coordinated activity punctuated by regular short breaks to discuss strategy for the next play, is very appealing to them. You get to have a mini-debate on strategy before every play.

Vulcans play something that is structurally much like Basketball, a team sport where coordination between players is very important.

Caitians do racing, but it includes a mechanism where racers are allowed to interfere with each other in carefully structured ways.

Betazoids do something like tennis, where part of the competition is trying to read your opponent's mind to figure out where they'll hit the ball next. The Doubles version is considered particularly challenging, because you potentially have to read two minds at once.

Amarkians play a polo-equivalent on top of a horse-equivalent.

Rigellians play something like football/soccer, but with a strategic element where you can vary the number of players you have on the field in return for your goals being worth more/less points. They revise the rules every other year because it's hard to keep the game balanced.

Apiata play with massive teams of 50+ players on the field at once, with leaders and sub-leaders to keep everyone coordinated.

Indorians play a baseball equivalent and spend all their energy nerding out about statistics of individual players.
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Meanwhile, the Yan-Ros...
 
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Sydraxians have poetry contests obviously, although they probably have some martial arts stuff as well.

Gretarians don't have any contact sports, they prefer contests of skill over strength. They have great debate teams.

Lecarre play hide and seek, which can sometimes last for days and involve multiple costume changes and assassinations.

Yrillians play basketball.

Dawiar have drinking contests, as well as mock combat.

Risans have competitive party games. The national limbo competition is especially fierce.

Honiani hold art fairs in high regard, and people compete to produce the most beautiful designs.

Yan-Ros hold tournaments at their training academies with their personal shields.

The Kadeshi don't really play games any more.
 
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