>LIVE ACTION TROLLBALL
>Glorantha's most exciting cultural export
>Rules devised by Michael O'Brien and Nils K. Hammer, c.1994
>[inspired by Chaosium's RuneQuest supplement Troll Pak c.1982 and
>with thanks to John Hughes, the original 'Bhagwan'.]
>As played at RQ Con I, Baltimore 1994, Convulsion '94, Leicester 1994,
>RQ Con II, San Fransisco 1995, RQ Con Down Under, Melbourne 1996 and
>Convulsion '96, Leicester 1996.
You did not mention those conventions you did not attend: Dragonmeet '94 in Kiel, German RQ-Con '95 in Berlin, Dragonmeet '95 in Kiel, German RQ-Con in Bacharach (see David Dunham's web page for Lewis Jardine's photographs), and Dragonmeet '96 in Kiel. In Germany life action trollball is perhaps one of the most enthusiastically played rolesports ever since I encountered it in Leicester '94 and brought it over. Last time on German RQ-Con it took 5 people about one hour to clear up the debris... but then, as Lewis commented, "The Germans are Mad".
Thanks for posting the rules, MOB.
To all of you who have a convention run in your neighbourhood, it doesn't
take that many preparations to run a LATrollball match. You will get a
fluffy teddy-bear, IKEA-elk (-moose to Americans) or otherwise rag doll
quite cheaply. When you buy it, check whether the legs are part of the body,
or sewed on - only toys with sewed-on extremities are easy to transform into
a trollball. Simply open the seams with small scissors, push the stuffing
back into the separated parts, add some more stuffing, and close the
openings with matched patches of velcro. Make sure that all patches have the
same side on the body. The balls I have seen so far had the soft part on the
extremities (head included), and so were fun to combine when there was more
than one.
Stability of the ball seems to depend on the velcro area available. I found
htat patches about 1cm * 4cm hold the extremities reasonably well, if kept
free from the ball's fur. However, after a few passes, the ball becomes
quite instable, preventing thrown passes. If you want those, try larger
patches. Surrounding the velcro patches with non-fleecy cloth might prolong
their life time as well...
The head usually requires more patches, since it is unproportionally large
on most fluffy beasts.
Now all you need are some inflatable toys. 4-foot baseball clubs have proven the most satisfying to the players, inciting to role-typical behaviour like bashing the club onto the floor before yourself. Just for fairness, include some bulkier and some shorter weapons, so that the wounded will be relieved of their weapons.
Print out the rules and distribute a few copies, display one or two so in addition. Even at conventions familiar with trollball you will need them...
Last but not least organize a number of thrown missiles, and distribute them to the spectators. Water bombs have proven most satisfying during summer. Try to get spectators to prepare them...
Flour for the healing is highly optional, and should be announced before play begins.
Start with four to six volunteers for trollball. Let _them_ inflate the clubs. Show them the rules, then start testing. By this time, pick someone interested and unlikely looking for a Xiola Umbar healer, unless you have volunteers for the role.
If you want to do something for the convention, let the referee giant collect the bribes in small coin, and deliver it to the committee...
It might be a good idea to prepare a press communique what trollball is about, and why comparably mature adult people behave like they do. On my first convention in Kiel I had to explain this pasttime to a local reporter who knew next to nothing about roleplaying...
Variations:
Chaos Trollkin: explodes upon losing a limb or death
Two balls:
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