AMOS PD CD/amospdcd.iso/476-500/apd480/handbook.doc

Text File | 1993-04-24 | 10KB | 202 lines

                           SlamBall Handbook
                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Introduction
~~~~~~~~~~~~

    SlamBall was first considered as a game in the year 2100 by breakaway
group comprising members of the major rugby and football associations.
Dwindling attendances and decreasing sponsorship forced them to seek an
alternative spectacle.  A violent, alternative spectacle.


The early days
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    The first SlamBall game was played in 2101 by two teams of five players
each with no substitutes.  It was meant as a demonstration of the game and
was beamed to millions worldwide.  What the world saw was the most exciting
mix of skill and outright violence you can imagine.  Only 4 players managed
to survive the first game, with the team called Maimers winning 8 goals to
3.
    After this the games popularity rocketed.  By 2102 a league with eight
teams was set up.  This original league comprised the following teams;
Maimers, Phantoms, Armour Fist, Hack n Slice, Terror, Cowboys, Raiders and
Steel Knights.  They played a league, in which each team played each other
team four times.  By this time the players had become more accustomed to
the game and were incredibly fit.  Only 7 deaths resulted in this first
ever SlamBall season.  Nowadays, it is incredibly rare for a player to die
on the pitch, maimed and injured for 30 weeks maybe, but not killed!
    The inaugural league was a huge success.  The average crowd for a game
was 25000, some 15000 above the average of the football and rugby of the
day.  Sponsors were very keen on the game, as the TV audience was into the
millions for every game.  It was rumoured that the top club, the Maimers,
were receiving some 15000 in cash every week.
    Maimers won the original league.  In the 28 week league program they
scored an impressive 46 goals, conceding only 4.  They won 22 games, drew
4 and lost only 2.  The actual order for the first league was as follows;

    1st Maimers
    2nd Hack n Slice
    3nd Phantoms
    4th Terror
    5th Cowboys
    6th Raiders
    7th Armour Fist
    8th Steel Knights

    The league continued in this form for 4 seasons before more changes
brought in.

    NOTE: In those 4 seasons the Maimers won the league each year and in
the year 2104 they did not lose one game!


Changes afoot
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    By the end of the fourth season it was clear that more teams were
needed to form more leagues.  It was decided that 8 more teams would be
used and a two division system would start.  A cup competition was also set
up at this point.  Two of the 8 new teams were backed by very powerful
commercial and industrial groups.  Hence, Destroyers and Deep Sleep had
vastly superior teams to any of the other 8.  Also, in challenge matches
with Armour Fist and Steel Knights(who regularly came bottom at the end of
the season in the original league) they convincingly thrashed them!
    This led to the make of the two divisions being as follows;

        1st Division                    2nd Division

        Maimers                         Armour Fist
        Hack n Slice                    Steel Knights
        Phantoms                        Pyrotechnics
        Terror                          Psycho Crazees
        Cowboys                         Death Demons
        Raiders                         Cutting Crew
        Destroyers                      Razor Blades
        Deep Sleep                      Raw Rockers

    The cup competition consisted of two legs for the first three rounds
while the cup was played out over one game.  Needless to say Maimers won
both in the first year, however their fortunes were to change.


Cheating, surely not!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    By 2106 it came to the attention of the SlamBall Association that two
teams were not exactly playing fair.  Maimers and Hack n Slice enjoyed vast
financial support.  Using this they had squads of around 30-40 players
each!  The other teams were lucky to be able to afford 10 players a season.
To combat this the SA introduced a maximum of ten players per squad.  This
was intended to reduce the gap between Maimers and Hack n Slice and the
rest of the teams.  Of course they still had vastly superior players.
Maimers in particular had an immensely skilled and experienced side with
7 of the squad being 32 or over.
    Then in 2107 the SA brought in a new rule that wiped out Maimers great
team in one go.  Due to the highly physical nature of SlamBall it was
decided that players would HAVE TO retire when they reached the age of 33.
Also, players could only start playing the game when they were 18 or over.
Consequently, 7 of the Maimers squad were no longer allowed to play.  It
took them 5 seasons to get over this.  In that time 3 different teams won
the league and a different team each year won the cup.  The fans, the SA
and most of the teams were happy, except for Maimers of course!


Traditional Rivalries
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    As in most sports traditional rivalries built up over the years and the
first ever matched billed as a 'derby' game came in 2114.  It heralded the
new age of the Maimers as their very young team considered one of the most
skilful sides ever seen.  The match between the then dominant Hack n Slice
and Maimers was the game of the season.  Over 2 billion people tuned in to
see if Maimers could halt the rise and rise of Hack n Slice.
    The match saw the new young captain of Maimers, Shadow and his team
produce one of the greatest ever SlamBall displays.  It was the 21st game
of the season and Maimers were lying second in the table, 6 points behind
Hack n Slice.  Hack n Slice had conceded just one goal all season!
    The match quickly descended into a walkover for Maimers.  With Shadow
totally running things in the middle of the pitch and his two midfield
maestros either side the Maimers attack scored an amazing 7 goals!  The
result finished Hack n Slice for the season.  They lost all their remaining
games and Maimers went on to win the title.  Maimers were beaten in the cup
final however by a great performance from Terror.  They managed to hold the
rampant Maimers at bay for most of the match with terrific defence and then
scored in the first half of extra time.
    Of course Maimers and Hack n Slice are not the only 'derby' teams.
There are others.  Raiders and Cowboys had some immense tussles over the
years and soon they were billed as derby games.  In Division 2 Armour Fist
against Raw Rockers was THE game to see.  Raw Rockers were a dismal team,
who came from a place not far the Armour Fist teams stadium.  Hence the
local rivalry.  These games were always passionate affairs.  Even more so
after the 2118 game.  With Armour Fist needing to win their last game to
secure promotion they met Raw Rockers at The Rockerdrome.  Raw Rockers had
won only twice all season and had lost all three previous games to Armour
Fist.  However, after the match started it became apparent that Raw Rockers
would love to beat Armour Fist and prevent them from being promoted.
    The match went horribly wrong for Armour Fist who were systematically
destroyed by a ferocious Raw Rockers side.  At the end of the game Armour
Fist had 4 injuries, no pride and second division SlamBall for the next
season!  The score was 5 - 0 to Raw Rockers!
    The other teams with a great history of rivalry are Pyrotechnics and
Psycho Crazees.  Traditionally, Psycho Crazees are the strongest team, but
as with the others, you just never can tell!


Transfers
~~~~~~~~~

    Teams had traditionally recruited young local talent and then trained
them up to be the stars of tomorrow.  However, in the year 2122 the first
transfers were introduced.  The SA decided that if teams could agree on a
price and the players were happy that they could change clubs.  This also
meant that contracts were introduced with lengths between 1 year and 5
years.
    The transfers proved to be incredibly popular with the big teams who
had cash to spare.  Soon, 4 'super teams' were in the first division,
Maimers, Hack n Slice, Phantoms and Terror.  They always finished in the
top four usually separated by goal difference and the cup went to each one
for four seasons running!
    The other teams were getting desperate.  They would train a star player
and then Maimers would pop along and offer big money contracts and take the
player away.  The SA decided to do something about it.
    So, in 2127 the first money controls were introduced on clubs.  If any
team had more than 3000000 at the end of a season, they would be stripped
off the excess cash so they only had 3000000.  The money went to help
develop SlamBall in other areas.  This was satisfactory to the big clubs.
They could still buy whoever they wanted.  It was also satisfactory to the
SA as they got money each year and had been seen to do SOMETHING.  However,
all the smaller teams saw that nothing was any different and to this day
they still campaign to get the rules changed.


Today
~~~~~

    Maimers are still considered by most to be the best team of the day
Phantoms and Hack n Slice running them close.  The Cowboys had a very young
team a couple of seasons ago.  Now they have a bit more experience they are
considered one of the major teams in Division 1.  Who will the title this
year then is a burning question.  With two points for a win and one for a
draw its going to be tight.  History says Maimers will win, while a lot of
people say the Cowboys now have the staying power to do the job!  Maybe
Deep Sleep will win!
    In division 2 things are just as tight.  Armour Fist have lost their
way in recent seasons and may not be at their best this season.  Who else
could win it is anybody's guess.  Let's just hope it's you!




Credits
~~~~~~~

SlamBall the game was written by Michael Keith Lysons

If you enjoy the game please send a shareware contribution.  Details of how
to do this are in the instructions on this disk.



(c) Michael Keith Lysons 1993