Hello all, welcome back to LORE BUILDER, where we build and discuss fictional aspects of the Star Citizen universe with you, the community. As always, if you are new to this feature, please check the caveats and reading materials linked in the first issue to bring you up to speed as to what’s been established.
We’ve been working on SATABALL, one of the many sports of the future. Last week we narrowed down the entries (no easy task) and asked you to vote on some of the prospective histories of the sport and the name for the Cup/Bowl.
ORIGIN
Sam Corwin won by a considerable margin. Now, as we move forward, we might have to modify this history based on decisions that we make for the rules, but I think it’s a great place to start.[1]
CUP
This was a tighter race. The Galactic Series by Joxer edged out the competition even though there was some debate as to the format that the Series would take (bracket versus Champion’s Cup format). We can dig into that a little later once we get a clearer picture of the sport, teams and divisions.
Thanks again for all of your entries. It was really difficult picking those five for voting.
TEAMS
We also started to dive into teams, posting a rough list as a starting place for discussion. Woolfer brought up a great point about adding some more international flavor to the names and provided some great examples (Olympique Vega and SC Davien were my personal favorites). I’ve incorporated them into the list below as well as some of the other suggestions, but feel free to keep contributing any names you like and we will update the list.[2]
One suggestion when approaching the names though, Supreme Xyphon had a great alternate name for the Terra team (Terra Terrapins), but the thing to remember is that while we’ve probably bred and transported Earth animals to the corners of the universe, some species might not exist in the future or there might be new ones. In short, we should just be aware of staying too 21st century with the names/references.
Sataball Professional League (SBPL)
Imperial League: (IL)
Earth(Sol) Eagles
Croshaw Jumpers
Olympique Vega
Stanton Knights
Ferron Lancers
Centauri Centurions
Rhetor Raiders
Idris Air Hawks
Elysium Elementals
SC Davien
Territorial League: (TL)
Terra Gryphons
Kilian Killers
Ellis Racers
Magnus Dominators
Goss Bucs
Nemo Crashers
Fora Flames
Cathcart Gangsters
Kiel Guardians
Baker Custlers
Now as far as the leagues go, I had broken them down into divisions based on location in the system map, with Territorial teams being located near Terra and the Imperial ones located near Earth. We could go for a system similar to Major League Baseball, where the leagues wouldn’t be based on location, but maybe there’s a slight rule variation between the two (Designated Hitter versus a Pitcher Hitting, for example).
But that can be dictated once we delve into the…
GAME FORMAT
The rules systems that you all have come up with range from brief to pretty extensive, so to simplify their presentation, I’ve adapted them to the format outlined below and linked you back to the original comment.
Author
Type of Field:
Number of Teams:
Summary:
Link to Post
Now, I’ve tried to collate similar approaches to the rules together, but maybe for this we will try a new system for voting and use a bracket system. That way we can also account for people who contribute a little later. This week, we’ll post three rule systems and see which you prefer. Next week, we’ll post three more. Then have the two winners compete. Once we lock in on an basic skeletal approach to the game, we can dig into specific rules and such.
There were multiple suggestions to look at Australian Rules Football , which does serve as a pretty close analogue for Sataball. I also really liked the oval playing field as well as the four posts.
Mikle suggested Kronum, which could also be a really good foundation to build from.
Zan
Type of Field: Ellipse or Polygonal
Number of Teams Playing: 2
Summary: Using magnetic generators to propel or attract the ball. More variety in the barrier types.
Tony_Knightcrawler
Type of Field: Elliptical
Number of Teams: 2
Summary: Ball has to orbit around a post to score.
VaporTrail
Type of Field: Elongated Octagon
Number of Teams: 2
Summary: Much more contact-oriented, similar to Australian Rules Football.
Have a look, see if any these game formats work for you and vote below. I have also included Australian Rules Football and Kronum in the poll to see if you would like to start with those sports as a foundation and work on the format together.
Next week, we’ll keep the conversation going and present some more formats for you. Of course, if any of you have come up with other ideas, please post them in the comments below.
Until next time …