While popular medieval pastimes like jousting and archery often feature in campaign settings and adventures, other organized sports barely rate a mention.
Even in fantasy fiction, sports get a short shrift, with a few notable exceptions, such as Quidditch from Harry Potter and Ja’la dh Jin from the Sword of Truth series.
It’s a fun change of pace to get your PCs involved in a game within the game! Players can experience competition without life or death stakes, and GM can set up rivalries and enemies without worrying about whether they’ll be killed by the end of the session. That’s already a win!
Each article in the Sporting Goods series introduces a sport that a GM can incorporate into a fantasy campaign. Given the high fantasy nature of most campaigns, many of these sports have magical or monstrous components. Most are also team-oriented so that a group of PCs can participate (perhaps with some persuasion or modification).
Laerfinulin
This traditional elven game is meant to be played in high spirits and as stylishly and dexterously as possible.
History of Laerfinulin
Laerfinulin, or the “long reed game,” as it is known in many worlds throughout the Labyrinth, is a sport played by the elves and fey of the Summerlands for millennia. Known for its elegance and refined movements, laerfinulin was exclusively the dominion of elven and fey nobility who loathed the thought of commoners or those of other less-refined lineages playing it. Alas, their taciturn disapproval could not stop the sport from spilling out of the Summerlands when elves and fey ventured to other worlds.
Laerfinulin matches are now held throughout worlds, from town fairs to noble revels. Refined crowds (what constitutes “refined” varies by the venue) gather to politely applaud the agility and precision of the players. As one might infer, a sense of decorum remains a large part of the game. Violent or uncouth competitors and play are frowned upon.
Playing Area
Due to the nature of the game, laerfinulin has no set playing surface or boundaries, though most players prefer to play on flat, stable ground with little wind. In the past, elven lords played it in small outdoor courtyards or high vaulted ballrooms emptied of furniture.
Teams
There is no set number of players on a laerfinulin team. The game has been played between pairs or in groups numbering in the hundreds. A common number of players on a team is 4–6. Traditionally, laerfinulin teams do not have captains or any other set roles, but regional variations exist that change this dynamic.
Equipment
A game of laerfinulin includes the following equipment:
- Each player carries a long, thin staff (8–10 feet long) constructed of pine, maple, hickory, or some other supple, flexible wood with a small net at one end. The net was initially constructed of phase spider silk, but less fantastical materials are now used in most worlds. A well-made laerfinulin staff can cost 2 gp or more, depending on the fineness of construction.
- A soft, pliable ball around 12 inches in diameter, typically made from calfskin and filled with feathers or straw. A typical laerfinulin ball costs 3 sp.
- A coat, tabard, or dress that distinguishes one team from another, often decorated with some motif. Laerfinulin teams are known for their elaborate and stylish uniforms. A standard laerfinulin costume costs anywhere from 5 sp if your team is woefully drab to 5 gp for acceptable finery. More expensive tabards are also not unheard of.
Rules
Goal: The goal of laerfinulin is to toss the ball between players on your team gracefully without allowing the other team to intercept it.
Scoring: A panel of at least three judges presides over every laerfinulin match. Judges award and deduct points based on the following criteria:
- Intercepting an opposing team’s ball without infringing on the player with the ball (1 point).
- Gracefully throwing the ball to a teammate who is at least 10 feet from you (1 point).
- Gracefully catching the ball (1 point).
- Dropping the ball (−1 point).
- Physically contacting the player in possession of the ball (−1 point).
- Intentionally moving into a player while holding the ball (−1 point).
Malicious, rough, or tasteless behavior (such as deliberately injuring other players or being boorish) is grounds for immediate disqualification, as is using magic to interfere with the course of a laerfinulin match.
Winning: The first team to reach 20 points wins. If a 30-minute timer runs out before one team scores 20 points, the team in the lead wins, but this generally only happens when both teams played poorly, so this kind of win is considered tedious and unmannerly. Special rewards are given to the player who played with the most grace and delight, as chosen by the judges.
Variants: Laerfinulin has been significantly modified over the years; new variations pop up every few centuries. One notable variant involves adding a long pole (between 10 and 15 feet high) stuck in the ground in the center of the playing area with a vertical ring or hoop at the top. In this variation, points are only awarded when a player throws or passes the ball through the hoop and the ball is caught by a teammate on the other side.
Adventure Hooks
Here are some ways of introducing laerfinulin to a campaign.
- A powerful fey lord approaches the PCs, asking them to retrieve his favorite laerfinulin staff from deep within an enchanted marsh. Unbeknownst to the PCs, the staff has gained sentience and movement and wishes to be free of its owner’s cruel treatment.
- The PCs are traveling through a dark forest when a group of mischievous fey challenges them to a game of laerfinulin. If the PCs win, the fey promise to guide them through the forest and avoid its dangers. However, the fey play dirty, using illusions and controlled animals to make the match more difficult, despite the supposed prohibitions against using magic.
- A wealthy noble holds a long reed game tournament (using the variant pole rules) and promises a sparkling emerald worth 5,000 gp to the winning team. She hires the PCs to protect the gem from would-be thieves, though she doesn’t prevent them from participating in the event to win the gem for themselves.
