What flaws are in this pseudo-Olympic event system?

[Leitz]

In the stuff I'm writing there's the Sangrean Games; five pseudo-Olympic events that replicate military skills. I'd like to make sure I don't have any gaping holes in the system, though we don't yet have actual RPG level rules for running the events.

What problems need to be fixed in this basic layout? What seems missing?

Sangrean Games.

Junior, ages 12-13, Middler ages 14-15, Senior ages 16-17. Each age group competes against it's own age group but the teams only get the best "win" of each age group. A Junior placing 1st beats a Senior on the same team who placed 2nd, in the same event.

Each team must field five competitors for each event and the top three are used for deciding winners. Each team normally has six members, to include a team captain who can fill in if a team member is injured or ill.

Sangrean Events

Combatives
20 Meter diameter circle, two 1 meter lines 1 meter apart in center, for start.
3 rounds of twelve minutes each.
Highest points.
Submission allowed in mid and high age groups.

Fencing
3 rounds of twelve minutes each.
Juniors can use upper body contact. Middlers and Seniors can use full body contact.
No locks or submission. Mask, armor.
Highest points.

Swimming
1600/1200/800 (Senior/Middler/Junior) meters,
Various styles. Free, Butterfly, Dolphin, Weight carry. Swimmer chooses the sequence.
Weight is swimmer's weight.

Shooting
Must use same rifle and ammo.
Iron sights, Chemically propelled rounds, No electronics anywhere
Standing 75 meters, Kneeling, Sitting 125 meters, Prone at 200 meters.
Ten shots at each range. Individual targets.
Shortfire, 2mm for Juniors.
7mm for Seniors. Middlers and Juniors can opt for it but Juniors seldom do.
7mm has better ballistics.

Poni
20 Km to mix rough, hills, and flat.
All for one race.

 

[warwizard]

Is this for a single planet culture or are characters from different planetary environments?

" Ok in one corner is Jax, who has grown up on a 1.8 g world and has increased strength and reflexes, and in the other corner is Weldell that grew up in the Gliss Ten habitat in Glisten, and has reduced strength and higher than standard height and reach. The toss was won by Jax, who elects 1.8 g for environment, allowing Wendell to select vacuum for the secondary environment. "

 

[Enoki]

Twelve minute combat (I assume hand-to-hand) rounds? Brutal! Nothing like that today. Usually, rounds are 3 to 5 minutes at most. Half an hour of martial arts or fencing would be grueling to say the least. Are you stopping between pins, strikes, scores, or do the contestants just keep at it? Seems to me if it's the later, once someone gets the upper hand, they're just going to cream their opponent repeatedly until the round ends or their opponent is too busted up to continue.

In fencing, is it only point hits (ie., with the tip of the weapon) or would edge strikes count too?

How would one in fencing get into a situation requiring a "lock or submission?" You hit your opponent in a valid location with your edged weapon and they take a hit.
What's the point of allowing body contact and blows as part of the competition? Or, is it more like sword fighting you are doing here? If so, can the participants use a shield or buckler? Do they reset after each score or just continue for twelve minutes to thrash each other?

200 meter shooting with a 2mm? That's tough. The rounds are so light that you get significant drop at that distance. That'd be tougher on juniors than using 7mm. Maybe put the distances shorter for the junior category as well?

 

[kilemall]

Is this for a single planet culture or are characters from different planetary environments?

" Ok in one corner is Jax, who has grown up on a 1.8 g world and has increased strength and reflexes, and in the other corner is Weldell that grew up in the Gliss Ten habitat in Glisten, and has reduced strength and higher than standard height and reach. The toss was won by Jax, who elects 1.8 g for environment, allowing Wendell to select vacuum for the secondary environment. "

Perhaps there should be G-classes like there are weight classes for boxing and other melee forms.

 

[Leitz]

Awesome responses, thanks! Let me go through each one.

Most competitions are local to the same planet, and they all currently happen on planet. There are four or five teams on one planet who compete locally, then the winning team goes to the next planet that's hosting a higher level event. In atpollard's sandbox we're using a section of the map near Wardn, so the Wardn winner would go to Steel and compete, and then to Biter and the major event at Tenalphi. Even if the Wardn team beat everyone at Steel, the latter's best team would still go to Tenalphi.

Since the events are planet based, and many of the planets have regressed in TL in the sandbox, the gravity and atmo options are "planetary local". Tenalphi, being rich and populated, would have artificial game areas, and other sporting events the poorer planets couldn't afford.


Yes, the events are based on endurance. A combatives or fencing match can end at submission or knockout, but otherwise it's fight for twelve, rest for two, repeat. Note that the sport is for the young and energetic. In a match the entire twelve minutes is run straight through and three judges average their points to decide the winner for that round.

For fencing, any forceful strike counts, point, edge, guard, etc. Fencers wear padded gloves and can block with their off-hand. In general, Fencing keeps the opponent at the more distant ranges while combatives winds up as Krav Maga and BJJ.

For exterior ballistics, I'm thinking something like a 10 cm drop for a high ballistic coefficient bullet and decent powder charge. The .17 HMR is about 8.9 inches at 200 yards, so hopefully technology improves and we have low drag barrels. Wind will affect the impact area but most ranges are bermed on the sides.

Yet in some ways the slant against juniors is intentional. Remember, the best in the event, no matter what the age, wins. Since a team wants to send their most seasoned to Tenalphi it's often the seniors. The Juniors and Middlers get a chance but more importantly get experience.

The issue with multiple weights and G-classes is that teams only have six contestants and all must be in each event. So that heavy worlder may be strong but will sink like a rock in the pool and need a larger poni for the entire 20 km. In local events there are three teams of six, one team for each age group. But only the winners of each event move forward to Tenalphi. That's why they go to Steel and Biter, so the possibly reformed team can gel and the Team Captain can learn each person.