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-> Hettyc'rugam - One Entry.
When you think of Mandalorian culture, there is little credence given to any aspect of their society that isn’t involved with violence. While Mandalorians are a highly martial culture, one that idolizes the strength of one’s mind and body, there was more that existed beneath the surface. Like many other societies that populate our galaxy, the Mandalorians created a form of recreation that showcases their culture in the grandest of ways. This sport was called Hettyc’rugam in their tongue, which roughly translates into “Burning Ball.”
The concepts behind the Mandalorian game were incredibly basic, especially by galactic standards. Hettyc’rugam involved two teams, whose members numbered from two to five. Their task was to shoot a beskar ball, shrouded in a portable ray shield, through a pair of respective goalposts. The game’s peculiar name comes from the visual spectacle that occurs when the ray-shielded beskar ball rolls across the playing field. It should also be noted that games of Hettyc’rugam are often the causes for small brush-fires. Especially if the players are too concerned with the game itself rather than their surroundings.
The playing field, too, is elementary by conventional standards, as it’s a game that could be played virtually anywhere. Most commonly, however, games of Hettyc’rugam were often played on a large rectangular tract of land. Which was either rife with grass to enhance the danger and be faithful to the game’s namesake or sites of recent victories. The goalposts themselves were also of a similar, rectangular design. Little is known of the reasoning behind the choice, but throughout history, there have been comments about the playing field’s pleasing aesthetic and symmetry.
Players may utilize two types of weaponry when playing games of Hettyc’rugam. Yes, as one can imagine, it’s not a true Mandalorian sport without some form of violence woven in. Those two types of weaponry revolved around blasters or slugthrowers, each contributing to a stylistic approach to playing the game. Blasters were used to cause the ray-shielded ball to bounce erratically on the playing field, making it difficult for the opposition and your fellow teammates to target the ball. Slugthrowers offered a more direct approach, as they bypassed the ray shield and struck the ball directly.
While the impact emitted a pleasant enough sound, the slugthrowers’ use was intended to offer a form of precision to the game. Directly contrasting the usage and effects of blaster weaponry on the shielded ball.
Although the rules were simple, as they revolved around keeping the ball in play and the absence of penalties, there were times that a team was given a penalty shot against their opposition. These penalty shots consisted of a single choice. From there, two possible outcomes often resulted from a player being struck above the waist by one or more forms of weaponry being utilized in play. If and when that eventuality occurs, the affected player is given a sniper rifle - of their choice, blaster or slugthrower. The ball is then placed in the centre of the playing field.
The two possible outcomes range between the affected player either taking a shot at the ball in the hopes of scoring a goal. Or, the other option was to shoot the other player, who offended them. While the decisions between what transpired were often in the hands of the affected player, the latter outcome was uncommon compared to the first unless the offender repeatedly racked up penalties against the opposing team. Even though there were penalties and consequences that followed, Hettyc’rugam didn’t have any rules regarding any shots made to the groin.
Thus, games of Hettyc’rugam vary from one match to another. Where the playing field was as small as three metres, or as large as one could imagine. These adaptations were more than possible with the less-than-exacting standards put forth by the rules of the game. What’s more, it was also possible to play a game of Hettyc’rugam without a single player ever stepping foot in the playing field. These games were often considered as a more skill-based variant. Since they required the use of sniper rifles and keen eyesight to keep track of their ever-moving target.
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