A sport which has enjoyed a surge of popularity over the last few millenia, Kriegball is a game for any number of teams, generally consisting of eleven members: nine Kriegsmen-Regular, the Captain, and the Serjeant-at-Arms, though there is considerable regional variation, and any competitive team is expected to have a substantial network of hirelings, retainers, and corrupt public officials.

Order of Play (union rules, simplified)

• Casus Belli. Teams gather in full ceremonial dress before the Adjudicators and declaim at length about the crimes and failings of their opponents and the regions and/or species they represent. Points are awarded for resplendence of team attire, effective brandishment of weapons, and other indications of proper Kriegsgeist. The highest scoring team at this point is awarded Moral Superiority.

• The Krieg. The longest phase of the game, the Krieg consists of a varying number of subphases and semi-independent events. While the basic goals (for example: Bringing Down Fire followed by Shadow Government conurrent with Antipodal Influences), are specified by Adjudicatorial Dictat, the final objectives used to evaluate team performance must arise organically from the flow of the Krieg. For example, while playing an uncalled Darkening the Sun would normally be considered highly gauche, and provoke a penalty, doing so in response to an Electioneering on home soil is only good sense.

• Adjudication. All teams able to attend report to the Adjudicators’ heavily fortified leisure compound and explain why they alone have been victorious. Adjudicators award points based on this and any surviving recordings of the events of the Krieg. Teams judged worthy are given the location of the stadium which has been chosen to host the final phase.

• Scrum. All teams currently in play attempt to maneuver a large metal sphere to their designated goal areas. points are awarded based on portion of the sphere secured. No held (rather than innate) weapons are permitted in the arena (with, of course, an exception for the regalia of the Serjeant-at-Arms), which has lead most teams to opt for robotic surrogation rather than direct participation. Kriegsman-Regular Dagmar Yvensk of the Evyl Eyethorns’ dramatic decision to compete in person, and the resulting upset, perhaps deserve credit for alerting the Parliament of Worlds of the scope of the changes in humanity occuring in the Viridia region.

—Heichner Kzolknov