Extreme Medieval sports?
- Thread starter Graf
- Start date
Sejs
First Post
Heh, that's not alot of motivation to play to win. *cough* Oh darn, look at that, they scored another goal off us. Damn shame, really.
Anyway - sports!
Joustin!
Wrasslin!
Boxin!
Stuff-Chuckin! (shotputs, javelins, cabers, you name it)
Racin on Foot!
Racin on Horses!
Swimmin!
Rugby... er.. Rugbyin!
Soccerin!
Pie Eatin!
Speed Logcuttin!
Slap-Fightin!
Tree Catchin!
Lacrossin!
Motorball!
... uh.. wait. Nevermind that last one.
adembroski3
First Post
If you're in a traditional fantasy medieval setting, i'd go with the jousting one. If it's an earlier period, say Roman or Greek feel, then wrestling or gladatorial combat might be more appropriate.
Zaruthustran
The tingling means it’s working!
Sejs said:
Heh, but you're not an aztec.
If a proper sacrifice meant that your village would gain the blessings of the gods, and you're a fanatical zeolot who would willingly give his own life for his village, then yeah, you'd play hard to win--for the honor of dieing to ensure the success of your village.
Many pre-Industrial cultures had people literally dieing for the priviledge of getting sacrificed.
But yeah, it'd never work in a modern society.
-z
Ant
First Post
Cat-lovers and the squeamish may wish to avert their eyes and move on to the next post ...
A documented medieval game was to nail a live cat to a post and then have the combatants, with their hands behind their backs, take turns head-butting said cat to death. One assumes part of the game was to avoid having ones eyes scratched out. Apparantly this game drew quite a crowd and was accompanied with the sound of trumpets.
Just goes to show that sometimes you really don't want your pseudo-medieval campaign settings to be too realistic.
A documented medieval game was to nail a live cat to a post and then have the combatants, with their hands behind their backs, take turns head-butting said cat to death. One assumes part of the game was to avoid having ones eyes scratched out. Apparantly this game drew quite a crowd and was accompanied with the sound of trumpets.
Just goes to show that sometimes you really don't want your pseudo-medieval campaign settings to be too realistic.
robberbaron
First Post
I might just try that with the cats that come to use my garden as a toilet.
Might use a stick rather than my head, but good idea nonetheless.
How about hedgehog-throwing?
Might use a stick rather than my head, but good idea nonetheless.
How about hedgehog-throwing?
Wilphe
Adventurer
Real Tennis? - goes at least as far back as the 16th century.
Polo, or varients thereof that might or might not involve goat carcasses? Especially likely in a culture like Persia which is very horse based.
Early Football is something akin to minor warfare of the "one village versus another" type and has been mentioned.
Hurley or similar hockey type games. Very rough.
Jousting is up there, and there were what would now be considered pro-jousters. Of course the more like a sport it became the less useful it was in battle.
Archery?
Polo, or varients thereof that might or might not involve goat carcasses? Especially likely in a culture like Persia which is very horse based.
Early Football is something akin to minor warfare of the "one village versus another" type and has been mentioned.
Hurley or similar hockey type games. Very rough.
Jousting is up there, and there were what would now be considered pro-jousters. Of course the more like a sport it became the less useful it was in battle.
Archery?
Wilphe
Adventurer
If you want to get PETA or the RSPCA after you:
A trainer for cockfighting, badger baiting or bull baiting.
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Really though, in order to be a "pro" sportsman you have the world set up so as that it possible for someone to make a living playing sport. Unless you want to throw in a few anacrhonisms that is unlikely in a standard medieval world. If they are a pure sportsman then they are likely to be a member of the idle rich, and even then they are probably just killing time and getting training before going back to war.
The unwashed masses might compete in the local fair, but that would be something they'd do once or twice a year - they probably don't travel the world competing in fair after fair. In order for them to do that, it has to pay for them to do it, so someone has to be paying for it.
A trainer for cockfighting, badger baiting or bull baiting.
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Really though, in order to be a "pro" sportsman you have the world set up so as that it possible for someone to make a living playing sport. Unless you want to throw in a few anacrhonisms that is unlikely in a standard medieval world. If they are a pure sportsman then they are likely to be a member of the idle rich, and even then they are probably just killing time and getting training before going back to war.
The unwashed masses might compete in the local fair, but that would be something they'd do once or twice a year - they probably don't travel the world competing in fair after fair. In order for them to do that, it has to pay for them to do it, so someone has to be paying for it.
TheAuldGrump
First Post
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