17.2.14 Beardball

A long-standing tradition among certain dwarven folk, this nail-biter of a sport pits participants against one another in a masterful display of skill, speed, dexterity, wit, and grit. Grab your snack of choice and join the crowd as players compete to spread their beardly influence throughout the land.


History
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Though the formula has long since been perfected, the earliest batches of beardbrew were so potent and indiscriminate that in the event of spillage, the earth itself would sprout a beard that could put the finest of dwarves to shame.

Thus, in the year 583AF, when a great earthquake led a shipment of beardbrew casks to shatter upon the earth and spill across a great length of Boldarihm, an enterprising young dwarf (who had, perhaps, spent a bit too much time in Merrywick drinking eggnog) leaned over, gathered a handful of the magical locks, looked to the starry sky overhead, and belted with all her might:

"BEEEEEEEEARDBALLLLLLL FIIIIIIIIIGHT!"

Her companions, while understandably stunned at first, rapidly joined in and made merry. And the rest, as they say, is history. Over the years, common rules developed, including how to keep score, and a few clever sneaks found ways to use their magical surroundings to their advantage. The dwarves of Boldarihm continue to brew keg after keg of the less than perfect brew to keep the beloved tradition alive, and though the elementals of old no longer man the commonly accessible corridors of the forges, they are known to conjure such creatures for special occasions.


The Rules
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   * Those who wish to participate should JOIN EVENT
   * BEARDBALL is an EVENT, subject to various EVENT COMMANDS, eg:
      - EVENT WHO
      - EVENT STATUS
      - EVENT SCORES
   * Beardbrew spills will create BEARDDRIFTs across the land
      - GATHER BEARDBALL to collect a beardball
      - You may only gather from each drift once
   * THROW <BEARDBALL|BEARD> AT <target>
      - Using a beardball, you can attach a beard to your target
      - You can only have one beard per person at a time
      - If you have a beard already, you will throw a length of beard instead
      - Beards thrown in this way will become your own, for scoring purposes
      - Attempting to throw a beardball takes balance, even if unsuccessful
      - Being hit by a beardball will take more balance, giving time to flee
   * Points will be awarded periodically
      - 5 points per person currently carrying one of your beards
      - Players hiding in ineligible locations will not gain points (see below)


Beardsense
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Exposure to the potent brew will allow participants to BEARDSENSE, gaining some insight, such as:
   * The location of a handful of active bearddrifts they haven't gathered from
   * How many players carry their beards
   * How many beards they are carrying for other players
   * How many beardballs they currently carry


The Elementals
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From time to time, forgefire elementals will be conjured. These are an optional, and risky, element of the beardball game. A handful of elementals will appear within a certain location, and participants may find and TACKLE these elementals to cleanse themselves in the flames of the forge. This will remove every beard upon their person, and the player will score points for every length of beard removed in this way.

BE WARNED: If you have not developed a beard of sufficient length to extinguish the flames and protect yourself, you will be reduced to ash. You will die, and will suffer any penalties typically associated with death.


Combat Variant (Open PK)
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Standard beardball matches are not open to combat, and attacking other players is forbidden. In some circumstances, a combat variant of the game is hosted, with a set of accompanying rules changes.

In this variant:
   * All players are open to being attacked by other players
   * Experience loss from player deaths is disabled
   * Players may not throw lengths of their own beard, only beardballs
   * When a player is slain:
      - All beardballs upon their person transfer to their killer
      - All beards upon other players wither away
      - Withered beards turn into beardballs, held by the former victim


Scoring Eligibility
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As with other such worldgames, certain locations and tactics are off limits, to keep things fair and accessible for all players. Rather than losing all points, however, players will simply be ineligible for periodic point gains so long as they are any of the following:
   - Dead
   - Phased
   - Astralformed
   - Blackwinded
   - Spiritwalking
   - Dustformed
   - Mistralformed
   - Burrowed

In addition, those in any of the following locations are ineligible for points:
   - Flying
   - In the trees
   - In the Skies
   - Not on the Prime Material Plane
   - Not on the continent of Sapience
   - In any city, or the sewers of any city
   - In any protected location, such as a temple or house estate
   - In the wilderness
   - In a subdivision
   - In a house
   - In a tent
   - In a stronghold
   - In a mine
   - In a maze
   - In a crypt
   - In a digsite
   - In a battlefield
   - On a ship
   - In a foray
   - In a stockroom
   - In a newbie area


Trophies
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As is tradition, the winner of each beardball game will receive a trophy for their victory. In addition to looking spectacular, this trophy may convey other benefits, though the specifics are yours to discover. These trophies will decay, and cannot be preserved or customised in any way.