Speculation and Worldbuilding: Magical Pony Sports · 6:49pm Nov 26th, 2014
A major part of worldbuilding is sports and games. Taking something familiar and changing it slightly has multiple uses. It creates verisimilitude by showing that your fictional world still has and plays games. It creates a slight disconnect from the audience, because they can recognize that the mechanics are similar, yet not identical (a smaller version of the Uncanny Valley, if you will). It also gives you a chance to showcase the fantastical elements of your setting and tie them into everyday life.
Lots of fictional works use this tactic; creating a unique amalgamation of preexisting parts in order to worldbuild. The Legend of Korra has Pro-bending. Harry Potter has Quidditch. IGPX has…IGPX.
And yet, ponies don't. They certainly have variants on real sports; archery and relay races and the like. But they don't have anything that could only exist in Equestria.
As (yet another) mental exercise, I thought I'd try and invent such a sport. *The following is a fleshing-out of a post originally on the TVTropes forums.*
The first and most important part is team composition. It needs to be a sport that requires 3 (perhaps 6) members per team, one of each pony type. It needs to give each type advantages and weaknesses so that they need to play together. If pegasi are mobile, earth ponies are sturdy, and unicorns have reach, what sort of sport gives each of those specialties equal importance?
Roller derby comes to mind. The basics of the game are that you have a circular track, and each team has a designated scorer. If one team's scorer laps the other one, they score a point. The other members can help their team or impede the other. It requires blocking, mobility, and reach, just the qualities we are looking for.
The first problem, however, is that since it relies on speed it gives pegasi too much importance. We need some way to limit the speed of the participants then. The obvious answer lies in limiting the pegasi ability to fly. If they can only do jumps of a certain height, and must return to the ground after doing another, it gives them a mobility advantage without giving them a speed advantage.
The second problem is that since unicorns' main advantage is reach, they need some way to increase their utility without being too dangerous to the other ponies. Changing the scorer position to a relay stick or somesuch would solve this problem, and also allow the team to change their scorer on the fly the same way that you can in actual roller derby.
Thirdly, since earth ponies have super strength, blocking them and tackling them is unfairly difficult to the other pony types. We need some way to hinder/weaken the earth ponies without being too dangerous. The obvious answer is track obstacles. Maybe sliding barricades (unicorns can move them and pegasi can jump over them); earth ponies would either need to crash through them (they flip down with enough force, preventing injury and resetting for later laps) or maneuver around them. Either option leaves them vulnerable, due to the sudden shock or sudden turn.
So we have the basics of a sport. Two teams of three run around a track, and one of them (the scorer) carries a sort of relay marker. If the scorer passes the other team's scorer, that's a point. Pegasi have a mobility advantage by being able to use their wings in short bursts, limited by time spent in air. Unicorns have a reach advantage, being able to move and swap the relay stick more easily than other players, limited by either time and/or distance. Earth ponies have an advantage in tackling and scrums, limited by their reduced options for dealing with track obstacles.
The rest is simply a matter of embellishment. How complicated is the track? Does it have inverted sections, vertical loops or overbanked turns thanks to gravity spells? Does it have single-use spells scattered around the track (ala Mario Kart)? How are they positioned (in midair, behind barricades, off the edges), and how do those positions favor different pony types?
Another thing is team composition. Every team needs to have the same basic setup (one starter and one relief of each type, excluding under-funded teams). Depending on how many rounds there are and how often play resets, that is a lot of potential combinations. Assuming each pony has a fairly unique special skill thanks to their cutie mark, the potential for team strategy and complementary compositions is huge. You might have a team focused on defense and blocking, who uses their pegasi member to jump over the other team to score. You might have a team focused on offense that uses their pegasus and unicorn to soften the other team for large tackles from the earth pony. You might gimmicks like a unicorn throwing one of the other members or a pegasi launching the scorer.
So there you have it. An attempt to create a fictional sport that takes advantage of and showcases the unique elements of ponies and Equestrian culture. As always, comments, criticism, and counter-arguments are always welcome.
Part Five in a series of blog posts about meandering mental exercises. Check out the others if you missed them!
One; Why do so many Pony works use Human weapons?
Two; Earth Pony Spearfighting
Three; Pegasus Combat and Weapons
Four; What Do the Main Six Drink?
Fascinating thought. I know I've seen a sport called "hoofball" in a number of stories, though the exact details vary. At least one instance has a number of similar criteria to what you described, and I recall that one of the rules is that at least two teammates of different tribes have to handle the ball before it's scored. I think the pony who has the ball may not be allowed to move from the spot while possessing it. Sadly, I can't remember the rules or the story it's from.
2617850 I'm no sport expert, but it seems like preventing a pony from moving would be a bit silly in a ball sport. If one of the players can't move it might stall the game.
The "two different pony types have to handle the ball before it is scored" rule also seems a bit arbitrary, like it's meant to pad the game out. Of course, if each pony type has a specific role (analogous to positions in other sports), that would make more sense.