SETPIECES

Playing in History Playing in Fantasy

5 traits cards, 2 condition cards, 5 traits cards, 2 condition cards,
2 setpieces 1 setpiece

CREDITS
Hayley Gordon Design and Writing
(Carry Your Bat, Skyball: Reach New Heights)
Chloe Sobel Design and Writing (Swing For Your Future)
Melody Watson Editing
Vee Hendro Layout

NEW WAYS TO PLAY PLAYING IN HISTORY PLAYING IN FANTASY

Fight with Spirit can tell the story of a struggling volleyball Playing in History presents two setpieces, Carry Your Bat Playing in Fantasy presents one setpiece, Skyball: Reach
team with the will to rise or an elite basketball team that and Swing for the Future, eight new teams, five new traits, New Heights, four new teams, five new traits, and two
just can’t work together. But it can also reach beyond and two new conditions. new conditions.
our everyday to cover more extraordinary stories. We’ve
created two EXPANSIONS for new settings and scenarios
to introduce you to the possibilities. Each includes CARRY YOUR BAT (P. 2) SKYBALL: REACH NEW HEIGHTS (P. 14)
additional traits, conditions, and SETPIECES with four new In Victorian England, everyone is playing cricket. It is glo- In the magical metropolis of Cloud City, capital of the
teams each. rified as both national symbol and moral pursuit. As the Kingdom of Avoka, every child dreams of riding their
cricket craze swept the nation, you were among the many first dragon or giant bird and taking to the sky. There is
• Playing in History explores the social landscape of
who picked up a bat and fell in love with the sport. no better way to prove your prowess at both magic and
the 19th century through high-stakes matches on
maneuvering than the sport of skyball. Played in the
the sports field.
You are proud members of your university college cricket Cloud Arena, two teams of riders and their mounts clash in
• Playing in Fantasy takes to the sky with a magical
team, staking your pride in the London Inter-College Cup. search of victory. Each team competes to knock the other
sport played between rival houses.
Around you, the world is changing as new opportunities team’s targets out of the sky using the claws, mysterious
These expansions are just the beginning of what you can vie with tradition for a hold on your life. When you step out balls with wills of their own.
do in Fight with Spirit, so let your imagination guide you to onto the green, you’ll show London not just how well you
create stories of your own! play, but also how you approach the future. You are apprentices in the service of one of the great
houses of Avoka. Whether you’re training to be a fearsome
To use an expansion, choose a setpiece you’re interested griffin knight or a respected weather witch, you’ve been
in and follow its instructions. The setpiece outlines the SWING FOR THE FUTURE (P. 8) working hard to reach the height of your skills in the air—
game’s concept, setting, and teams, and provides all the In late-nineteenth century America, baseball transforms and your house has taken notice. You’ve been chosen to
details you need to get started. from a sport to a spectacle and life as a professional base- represent it in the Apprentices Cup. This is your chance to
ball player becomes possible for the first time. show your house and the world what you’re made of.
You can also use the traits, conditions, and teams included
here to create your own setpiece. For example, you could A fierce will to win grips the country’s colleges, as playing Fight with Spirit: Setpieces
use Playing in History to tell a story about the birth of for money begins to rival playing for passion. As a vital © 2023 by Storybrewers Roleplaying, all rights reserved.
professional soccer, or Playing in Fantasy to tell a story part of your college baseball team, you need to decide; Images used in Carry Your Bat courtesy of Mitchell Library, State Library
about dragonback archery. To do this, refer to Changing why do you swing your bat, and what would you sacrifice of New South Wales. Images used in Swing For Your Future courtesy of
the Game on page 42 of Fight with Spirit. to make sure you come out on top? California Historical Society.

SETPIECES
1
CARRY YOUR BAT
“Should ladies play cricket? A few OVERVIEW HOW TO USE THIS SETPIECE
years ago such a question would have In late-nineteenth century England, everyone was playing • Read The Story So Far (on the opposite page) aloud
been deemed absurd; one might as well cricket. Seen as more than just a game, cricket was glo- to everyone before you play.
rified as both national symbol and moral pursuit. Playing • During Collaboration, you may want to discuss
have asked, should ladies ride bicycles? cricket was said to create good men and better scholars. the roles that sexism, patriarchy, and gendered
Nowadays it is no longer absurd. We are It was also one of the few sports acceptable for women expectations will (or won’t) play in your game.
not sure that ladies do not ride bicycles; to play. Gender roles are at the heart of this setpiece, but
you can always adjust the assumptions made in
they certainly play cricket.” As the cricket craze swept the country, cricket became The Story So Far to fit your decisions.
— The Graphic, September 1890. an obsession at university colleges. Students staked • Add the Playing in History trait and condition cards
their pride in inter-college tournaments. While these were to those from the standard game.
usually organised by students, they were viciously com- • Choose teams from the four colleges included.
petitive and drew large crowds. Each college can field either a men’s team or a
women’s team, so you’ll need to choose which to
Meanwhile, opportunities for women were expanding. include. You can also include both a men’s team
Universities opened their degrees to women, more col- and a women’s team from the same college in your
leges allowed their admission, and the suffrage move- tournament, or even a mixed-gender team from
ment continued to pick up steam. Despite this, traditional Habershire College. We recommend having at least
expectations about marriage and the place of both men one men’s and one women’s team in your game.
and women in the family remained strong. • For your first game, we recommend the player team
should be a women’s team.
With so many pressures and possibilities, college students • Team specials, rival match games, and team match
had hard decisions to make. How should they imagine their games are not used in this setpiece.
futures, and what would they give up to achieve them? • You can use the Cricket Inspiration section (on the
Bega Women’s Cricket Club, c. 1900.
opposite page) to add detail to your characters
While this setpiece is inspired by nineteenth century cricket and during Backstory. The purpose of that section isn’t
the expansion of women’s access to higher education, it is not to accurately explain cricket, but rather to provide
based on specific historical tournaments or colleges. inspiration for the personalities and play styles of
the major characters. It is not strictly historically
accurate, as it includes some concepts created after
FURTHER READING the 1870s as a way to provide more options.
• Keith A. P. Sandiford, ‘Cricket and the Victorian
Society’ (1983), Journal of Social History
• Rose Staveley-Wadham, ‘Women’s Cricket in the
1800s’ (2019), British Newspaper Archive
• Rafaelle Nicholson, Ladies and Lords: A History of
Women’s Cricket in Britain (2019)
Women take to the field, c. 1900.

2 PLAYING IN HISTORY · CARRY YOUR BAT

THE STORY SO FAR CRICKET INSPIRATION
1878, London. You are a student at a university college—a Last year, the women of Bly College made the round of This section provides some starting points to give your
small, independent educational institution associated eight, reinvigorating discussion about the inclusion of major characters and rivals unique play styles; focus on
with the University of London. You are studying either the women’s teams. Despite arguments for and against, the what you think captures their personality and approach.
sciences or the humanities, and are in any of the three rule was not changed, leaving bitterness on both sides.
years you’ll spend here. Most of your time is spent within Are they better at batting or bowling, or are they a good
your college walls, and you know its residents all too well. You are a proud member of your college’s cricket team. all-round player? Are they right- or left-handed? When
Your team is good, and it’s only gotten better this year. they field, do they play close to the wickets or run for
You take your classes on the ground floor, where the smell After knocking out your early opponents, you’ve made the big hits? Do they focus on teamwork or trust in their own
of chalk and paper pervades even the corridors. Near the round of eight. Your next match is one week away at the skills? Do they have a slow and patient approach, or take
entrance, stairs wind up to a second floor containing the green near the University of London. You’re ready to show risks to make big moves in the game?
dormitories and common rooms. By the main building are your skill and moral character, and play for the win.
a smattering of additional halls and facilities. In a cricket match, most players on the team will bowl at
some point. Are they a pace bowler with a fast and aggres-
You come from an upper or upper-middle class, family and TIME FOR A PICNIC sive style, or a tricky spin bowler whose balls never go
your parents have paid for you to attend. They most likely College cricket games were played on wide‑open the way you expect? When they bowl, do they aim for the
expect you to return, marry, and if you are a gentleman, greens with makeshift pitches in the middle. wickets to get batters out, or do they focus on hard-to-hit
potentially take over the family business or start your own. They were popular events with a festive atmosphere. balls that might lead opposing batters to make mistakes?
Folk would come with prepared picnics to enjoy a day Are they willing to chance a bowl that could turn into a big
While women have long attended classes, this is the first year of socialising, eating, and exciting cricket. hit or an easy out, or do they bowl more conservatively
in which they are eligible to enrol for the university’s degree and bide their time for the right moment?
examinations. Women who decide to do so must study an
extra year—but they will attain a formal degree qualification. Every player will also step up to bat. How well do they
Otherwise, a women’s college years yield only self-improve- BETWEEN MATCHES work with their partner on the field? Are there others on
ment, and of course, a chance to meet nice gentlemen. As a student, there’s a lot to do between matches. their team they work well with, and is there anyone they
On top of cricket practice and your studies, there’s struggle being at bat with? Do they follow their partner’s
But all of this seems secondary right now to the pursuit college events and dances, dormitory life, London’s lead, or try to call the shots?
with which you have recently been preoccupied: the Lon- social scene, and wrestling with your parents’
don Inter-College Cricket Cup. The first cup was held fifty expectations. Batters mix up their batting styles according to need, but
years ago, long before the first college opened its doors everyone has a favourite style. Are they a defensive batter
to women. It’s not an official event, but it is a prestigious who favours vertical bat strokes to drive the ball along the
one and a great many college students pay close atten- ground and keep the direction controlled? Or do they pre-
tion to it, as do cricket fans and those with a keen interest fer to bat more aggressively, using horizontal strokes that
in the education of the youth. hit far and then drop? Are they the sort to risk it big, kneel-
ing down for a sweep to send the ball high into the air?
Four years ago, the students of Bly College demanded
that women’s teams be allowed to enter the Cup (the rules
did, in fact, specify all teams from London colleges). After
a big to-do this was agreed on; after all, what was the
harm in letting the women have a little go at it? Still, there
was something quite ungentlemanly about beating a team
of women that bothered many of the men.
Enjoying the game, c. 1900.

CARRY YOUR BAT · PLAYING IN HISTORY

3
 BLYTHECOLLEGE
SPITFIRES

A LEGACY OF CHANGE RIBBON COLOURS WHAT ARE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH

Founded by a famous social reformer, your college • Cinnabar red and goldfinch yellow THE RIVAL TEAMS?
has always been known for its firsts. The first secular
university college in London, the first with a women’s Choose one for each rival team in your story:
department, the first to circulate its own newspaper. WHO IS YOUR COACH?
• Contempt: You loathe this college’s attitude and
Bly College has always pushed the boundaries, and its • A known agitator with a passion for sport
everything they stand for. You can’t wait to show
cricket team is no different. • A skilled foreign player seeking a new start
them up on the cricket field.
• A reluctant ex-pro hiding their old-school beliefs
• Read all about it!: You’ve only read about this
• A philosopher fascinated by the moral implications
BAT FOR A BETTER WAY college in the newspaper and periodicals. You
of cricket
hope the reports are accurate.
To you, the London Inter-College Cricket Cup isn’t just
• Former teammates: Many of you played with
about winning. Cricket is seen by society as a battle-
WHAT IS YOUR PRACTICE AREA LIKE? each other outside of college and you know each
ground for virtue. This tournament is your chance to
other’s styles well. Old friendships and grudges
prove that progressive ideas can pave the path to • A cramped courtyard dangerously close to the
still simmer.
success. You’ll face the other teams head on and show science building
• Sibling college: Your colleges are near each other
them what your ideals mean. • A local green near government buildings, also
and you share social events together. You have
used by students for protests
community ties that go beyond this sport.
• A professional green owned by another college
• Practice partners: You’ve played this team so
that you’ve been sneaking into
many times and know them inside out. Will it be
different when it’s the real thing?
Recommended traits for your first game: A Bigger
Stage, Final Year, Late Bloomer, Team Heartthrob,
Rival Start.

4 PLAYING IN HISTORY · CARRY YOUR BAT

 ALEXANDER COLLEGE
THE ELITE

A BIRTHGROUND OF SOCIAL SUCCESS RIBBON COLOURS WHAT ARE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH
Your college is one of the most expensive and presti- • Indigo purple and eggshell white THE RIVAL TEAMS?
gious in London, with a venerable history and many
powerful alumni. Its purpose isn’t just to provide you an Choose one for each rival team in your story:
education, but also a chance for you to befriend soci- WHO IS YOUR COACH?
• Out for a fight: Your college demolished this team
ety’s richest and most influential. It only recently estab- • A retired superstar who draws a crowd
last year and they want revenge.
lished its women’s department and it is often said the • An influential lord or lady with a passion for cricket
• Famed foes: Your face-offs have become
girls who attend here are in search of good husbands. • An ancient disciplinarian who has trained the best
legendary among students. You must win against
of the best
them at any costs.
• A schoolmistress who has secretly been playing
EXCELLENCE OF CHARACTER • Former teammates: Many of you played with
for years
each other outside of college and you know each
Proper gentlemen should be great cricketers, and your
other’s styles well. Old friendships and grudges
college has spared no expense in getting the best of
WHAT IS YOUR PRACTICE AREA LIKE? still simmer.
the best to aid your team. The men’s team has won the
• Sibling college: Your colleges are near each other
college tournament for the last few years running, but • A sparkling, dewy green with an immaculate pitch
and you share social events together. You have
the women’s team is yet to participate. While students used only by your college
community ties that go beyond this sport.
of Alexander College expect success, you still have to • Costly, rented facilities usually used by
• Practice partners: You’ve played this team so
prove—to parents, influential connections, and soci- professional players
many times and know them inside out. Will it be
ety—that you are worth the substantial investment the • A green in the heart of London’s wealthiest
different when it’s the real thing?
world has made in you. district, with many passing gentry of note

Recommended traits for your first game: All Eyes on

Me, In Their Shadow, Still Recovering, Scholarship
Crunch, Special Treatment.

CARRY YOUR BAT · PLAYING IN HISTORY

5
 HABERSHIRE COLLEGE
THE SOCIALISERS

A CHANGING COLLEGE RIBBON COLOURS WHAT ARE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH

Your college is known as a respectable choice with solid • Meadow green and lace white THE RIVAL TEAMS?
academics, strong mentors and a thriving social scene.
It is the only London college where men and women Choose one for each rival team in your story:
take classes together, although the casual and residen- WHO IS YOUR COACH?
• Great friends: Your colleges are right next to each
tial areas remain separate. Dances and parties were • A former Habershire team captain, now married
other, and you know each other well. Many of
frequent, whether or not the college knew exactly what • A retired military officer who believes in the
you are close friends; some are even engaged or
was going on. Two years ago, however, a conservative fundamentals
planning to propose.
headmaster was appointed, and slowly the restrictions • A skillful parent of a team member who takes
• Read all about it!: You’ve only read about this
on your daily life, clothing, and leisure time have begun supervision very seriously
college in the newspaper and periodicals. You
to tighten. • A teacher who secretly believes students should
hope the reports are exaggerated.
joke and mingle freely
• Former teammates: Many of you played with
THE FREEDOM OF CRICKET each other outside of college and you know each
WHAT IS YOUR PRACTICE AREA LIKE? other’s styles well. Old friendships and grudges
In a time when your college is growing stricter, crick-
still simmer.
et remains a bastion of fresh air. Out on the pitch you • A dusty college courtyard visible through
• Out for a fight: This college beat you handily last
mingle and joke freely, let loose and enjoy a break from windows on all sides
year, and you’re wary of playing them again. Still,
the countless expectations of your regular life. Continu- • A green in a local park, frequented by students
you’ll need to win to continue.
ing to win means continuing to play round after round, and curious residents
• Practice partners: You’ve played this team so
holding on to your freedom. Maybe you can even show • A wild field on the edge of the college that you
many times and know them inside out. Will it be
your college that there are other ways to succeed than must care for yourselves
different when it’s the real thing?
simply clamping down.
Recommended traits for your first game: Big Fam Big
Obligations, Dorm Supervisor, It’s Like Breathing, I’ve
Always Loved You, Tempting Offer.

6 PLAYING IN HISTORY · CARRY YOUR BAT

 BRUNEL COLLEGE
THE OUTSIDERS

A CERTAIN KIND OF STUDENT RIBBON COLOURS WHAT ARE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH
Your college is infamous for its admission require- • Bold blue and pale leather beige THE RIVAL TEAMS?
ments—lots of money, and very little else. Most students
are industrial heirs whose parents are trying to propel Choose one for each rival team in your story:
them into respectable society. There’s also a handful of WHO IS YOUR COACH?
• Contempt: Whether for your extravagant wealth
rogue gentry who couldn’t find entry elsewhere. Many • A rising pro convinced to put off their own career
or lack of education, this college has always
of you have less than stellar educational records and are by excellent pay
looked down on you. You’ll show them you’re just
trying quickly to catch up. • The headmaster, who was quite a bowler in his day
as worthy.
• Everyone’s favourite charlatan cricketer, a little
• Former teammates: Many of you played with
past their prime
CRICKET, THE GENTEEL EXAM each other outside of college and you know each
• The school’s primary donor, with little to offer but
other’s styles well. Old friendships and grudges
When it comes to batting and bowling, your team is con- enthusiasm
still simmer.
fident in their skills. But cricket is rife with complicated
• Famed foes: Your face-offs have become
rules of etiquette that throw you at every turn. Succeed-
WHAT IS YOUR PRACTICE AREA LIKE? legendary among students. You must win against
ing in this tournament, both competitively and socially,
them at any costs.
would be the ultimate way to prove that you are ladies • The gardens of a teammate’s sizable London
• Sibling college: Your colleges are near each other
and gentlemen worthy of a place in English society. residence
and you share social events together. You have
• A green near the factories, also used by the union
community ties that go beyond this sport.
cricket team
• Practice partners: You’ve played this team so
• A green leased from one of the other colleges
many times and know them inside out. Will it be
with an offer so large they couldn’t refuse
different when it’s the real thing?
Recommended traits for your first game: Engaged to
the Enemy, Fading Joy, Our New Captain, Ringer, Ready
or Not.

CARRY YOUR BAT · PLAYING IN HISTORY

7
SWING FOR THE FUTURE
“You see I am not yet weaned from OVERVIEW HOW TO USE THIS SETPIECE
base-ball. The love of other boys for In the nineteenth century, baseball was a symbolic mirror • Read The Story So Far (on the opposite page) aloud
smoking, chewing, drinking, skating, for the United States. It became a mythmaking vehicle for to everyone before you play.
players, investors, fans, and the country itself. The ques- • Add the Playing in History trait and condition cards
and swimming, in my case is all tion of who played baseball, and why they played it, was to those from the standard game.
concentrated on ball-playing. And I am as important as how it was played. Was baseball uniquely • Choose teams from the four colleges included.
inclined to think that one reason for American? Was it a sport for upper-class white men or Two colleges are single-sex (Cartwright and
did it belong just as much to those they tried to exclude? Wadsworth), and two are coeducational (Doubleday
my dread of life after leaving College is Everyone could agree on one core truth: baseball was a and Spalding), but you can change up team
because I will be unable to play ball.” great deal of fun. compositions as desired. If your team is from
Doubleday or Spalding, you can choose whether
— Birchard Hayes, son of future US Competition between America’s colleges quickly became it is a single-sex team or even a mixed team (not
president Rutherford B. Hayes, 1873. fierce. Money became a dividing line between those who unheard of at the time).
want to win and those who can afford to lose. As the end • Team specials, rival match games, and team match
of the century neared, baseball reached a turning point. games are not used in this setpiece.
All sorts of people had a stake in its future. What would • You can use the Baseball Inspiration section (on
it become? the opposite page) to add detail to your characters
during Backstory. The purpose of that section
While this setpiece is inspired by 1890s collegiate baseball, it is isn’t to accurately represent baseball, but rather
not based on specific historical tournaments or colleges. to provide inspiration for the personality and play
styles of the major characters.

FURTHER READING
• Debra Shattuck, Bloomer Girls [book] (2016)
• Dorothy Seymour Mills & Harold Seymour, Baseball
[book series] (1960–1990)
Watching a baseball game, c. 1900. • John Thorn, Baseball in the Garden of Eden [book]
(2012)
• Ken Burns, Baseball [documentary series] (1994)
• Mitchell Nathanson, A People’s History of Baseball
[book] (2015)

Women practicing, c. 1870s.

8 PLAYING IN HISTORY · SWING FOR THE FUTURE

THE STORY SO FAR BASEBALL INSPIRATION
1890s, the United States. You are a student at an Ameri- seriously, and training begins months before the season This section provides some starting points to give your
can college. How long you’ll spend here depends on what itself. The line between amateur and professional play has major characters and rivals unique baseball play styles;
you study: if you’re training to become a teacher, you’ll practically vanished: your team might bring on faculty or focus on what you think captures their personality and
spend two years at college; if you’re studying liberal arts, alumni players, hire professionals to coach, or offer schol- approach.
you’ll be here for four. Your college is likely rural, with arships to mediocre students with top athletic skills. You
separate buildings for education and living. You might be might even play professionally during the summer, and The baseball played in the 1890s was very similar to the
paying your own way, receiving a scholarship from your it’s not unreasonable to hope that you’ll be recruited after baseball played today. Is your character better at batting
school, or getting assistance from your family. graduation by the same elite athletic club or organized or fielding, or are they a good all-round player? What po-
team you sometimes play against. sition do they play? Are they in sync with those around
If you’re a woman, you’re expected to marry or teach after them, or do they rely on their own instincts and choices?
graduation. These are also options if you’re a man, but you Although there’s money to be made in baseball, the sport
could also start a business, pursue further education, or itself is actually quite cheap to pick up. The low equipment Every character will head up to the plate at some point
even be recruited into professional sports. This is Amer- barrier lends itself to pickup games: all you actually need during a game, and every character will take to the field.
ica—rightly or wrongly they say that the possibilities are to get started is a ball, a bat, and a glove. How they bat and field signals their approach to the game.
endless for anyone with enough initiative to seize them. Do they aim for show-offy displays of talent and power, or
Your college recently joined a new regional conference do they prefer not to be flashy? Do they try not to rely on
For now, however, these distant futures are second to full of strong teams, and its first tourney awaits. This is their team to accomplish what’s needed to win, or do they
your current obsession: baseball. College teams started your chance to shape baseball’s legacy. Whatever your lean on teamwork to prevail?
as student initiatives, meaning that there can be upwards future holds, you know one thing: you want to win.
of half a dozen clubs at a college. Teams were not institu- An aggressive, flashy player might be a power hitter,
tional at first: they were sporadic, tied to physical educa- showing off by holding the bat loosely at the bottom of
tion classes, brief flurries of competition, or even one-time
pick-up games.
A DAY IN THE LIFE the handle and swinging at every pitch. These players aim
for solid, powerful hits to impress those in the stands, but
Yale ballplayers began training in February to prepare are willing to accept the risk of striking out on the way.
For those of you on women’s teams, it remains this way. for a season that began with an Easter trip, with
You don’t have the option to play professionally after games played every day of the trip. They typically More cautious players swing more strategically, aiming
college. Pro female players are typically working class, played 2–3 games a week during the season and for simple hits, bunts, or walks to get on base. They may
exploited, and subject to scandalised reports in local practised for at least two hours on off-days. Princeton choke up on their bat—holding it far from the handle—for
newspapers. Baseball is not the ticket to your future: it’s was even more intense: training for the 1893 season extra control over their swing. They might even learn to
your last breath of freedom before childhood is over. But began in January of that year. switch hit—switching sides of the plate depending on the
even on the emerald diamond, you’re not truly free. Base- hand the pitcher throws with—to improve their chances
ball is considered a men’s sport, and you’re well aware of a hit.
that to play is to flout gender norms—which is why you
and your teammates still wear feminine fashions, even BATTLEFIELD ARMOUR
physically restrictive ones, on the field. Women tended not to stray far from the fashion of the THE THRILL OF THE GRASS
day, including wearing corsets on the field. Though While women’s teams often played in hidden fields
For those on men’s teams, things have changed dra- cumbersome, at Smith College in 1880, a rigid steel and pastures, men’s teams played on real baseball
matically. Teams quickly became institutional. College corset clasp prevented a player from being knocked fields—fenced in, so that schools could charge
administrations are involved, instituting charges to attend out when another woman hit a ball directly into her admission. Hundreds, even thousands, of attendees
varsity games and sometimes attempting to enforce aca- belt line. watched as these uniformed teams took the field.
demic requirements for players. You take your game very

SWING FOR THE FUTURE · PLAYING IN HISTORY

9
 DOUBLEDAY COLLEGE
THE ACADEMIC ATHLETES

GROWING PAINS PENNANT COLOURS WHAT ARE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH

Doubleday College only became coeducational at • Mahogany brown and paper white THE RIVAL TEAMS?
the top of the decade. Known as a hub for those who
value their education over all else, baseball was slow Choose one for each rival team in your story:
to catch on at the college. Over the last few years, Dou- WHO IS YOUR COACH?
• Academic rivals: Your rivalry with this school
bleday has slowly adopted the national trend of taking • A faculty member rediscovering a childhood love
started long before either of you had baseball
competitive sport seriously. for the sport
teams. You’re always trying to show each other up
• A player from another college trying to keep
off the field as well as on.
it quiet
AGAINST THE GRAIN • Figures of legend: In last year’s tournament, your
• A talented team member who needs a job
team made an excellent play—but now people
Despite a newfound interest in campus sports, Dou- • A professor doing research on sports history
talk about it as though it was the other school
bleday’s identity is first and foremost that of an elite
that pulled it off. Trying to correct the record is
academic institution. Your parents, teachers, and even
WHAT IS YOUR PRACTICE AREA LIKE? slow going.
friends all believe that your passion for baseball will de-
• Newspaper darlings: You always see this
tract from your studies and dilute Doubleday’s academ- • An unkempt field rented from a local farmer
school’s games covered in sporting newspapers.
ic prestige. You believe that sport has a place here, and • The coach’s own yard, too small for a proper
Journalists regularly attend their games and talk
that there’s value in pursuing your passion. A winning scrimmage
up players as future pros.
season will make your case in the best way possible. • A small baseball field, with rickety stands and
• Former teammates: Many of you played with each
fences
other in out-of-school teams and you know each
other’s styles well. Old friendships and grudges
Recommended traits for your first game: All Eyes on
still simmer.
Me, Fading Joy, Shh, It’s a Secret, Scholarship Crunch,
• Local kids: You live near each other and many of
Tempting Offer.
you played on the same junior teams. You have
community ties that go beyond this sport.
• Practice partners: You’ve played this team so
many times and know them inside out. Will it be
different when it’s the real thing?

10 PLAYING IN HISTORY · SWING FOR THE FUTURE

 CARTWRIGHT COLLEGE
THE PROFESSIONAL AMATEURS

By default, this college has a single-sex men’s team. PENNANT COLOURS WHAT ARE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH
• Royal blue and crimson red THE RIVAL TEAMS?
THE PRICE OF SUCCESS Choose one for each rival team in your story:
Cartwright College has long been lucky enough to grad- WHO IS YOUR COACH?
• Match fixing: You’ve always suspected that this
uate successful men—the kind of men who endow the • A pro player looking to give back
school hires ringers to improve its team, but
school with more money once they’ve been out in the • An overbearing parent who wants a winning team
you don’t know for sure. Can you defeat them
world long enough. In the last decade, a number of suc- • A physical education specialist who has never
honestly?
cessful professional ballplayers have joined the ranks coached before
• Sibling squabbles: Your schools don’t just share a
of these graduates. The administration was an early • A professional coach looking for a comeback
sport, you share practice space. There is regular
adopter of ticketed ball games, and the varsity baseball
disagreement over who should get it when.
team has raked in the cash for Cartwright.
WHAT IS YOUR PRACTICE AREA LIKE? • Big draw: Playing this school always means a
higher turnout and more tickets sold for games.
• Professional—shared with a professional team,
A CRISIS OF TRUTH The competition may be fierce, but you need
in fact
each other.
Unfortunately, money can’t actually buy skill. This year, • A fenced-in field just off the campus, manicured
• Former teammates: Many of you played with each
your team faces an internal crisis: play honestly and risk and clean
other in out-of-school teams and you know each
looking like amateurs, or hire ringers to get the team • A rolling lawn next to a pond, that’s thought to
other’s styles well. Old friendships and grudges
back on track? Baseball should be fun, but it’s also a help improve throwing accuracy
still simmer.
moneymaker, and those players who aspire to become
• Local kids: You live near each other and many of
pros after graduation want to play on a good team. It’s Recommended traits for your first game: A Bigger
you played on the same junior teams. You have
time to choose a path. Stage, Losing Streak, Our New Captain, Ringer, Ready
community ties that go beyond this sport.
or Not.
• Practice partners: You’ve played this team so
many times and know them inside out. Will it be
different when it’s the real thing?

SWING FOR THE FUTURE · PLAYING IN HISTORY

11
 WADSWORTH COLLEGE
THE UNSUNG HEROES

By default, this college has a single-sex women’s team. PENNANT COLOURS WHAT ARE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH
• Emerald green and sunny yellow THE RIVAL TEAMS?
YOUR BURIED PAST Choose one for each rival team in your story:
Wadsworth College has a decades-long history of wom- WHO IS YOUR COACH?
• Inspiring idols: You were inspired to form your
en’s baseball. Since the 1860s, Wadsworth students • A physical educator who played as a girl
team after seeing how this school played. Your
have been organising teams for pickup games after • A retired professional male player
goal has always been to play at the same level.
dinner, clubs that last a semester and then don’t reform, • A literature professor learning to play
Have you finally succeeded?
and friendly competitions between classes or houses. • A recent graduate who returned to teach
• Sibling squabbles: Your schools don’t just share a
What all of these have had in common is that, until you • You don’t have one
sport, you share practice space. There is regular
started playing here, you’d never heard of them.
disagreement over who should get it when.
WHAT IS YOUR PRACTICE AREA LIKE? • Newspaper darlings: You always see this
RECLAIMING A LEGACY school’s games covered in sporting newspapers.
• The green at the center of campus, shared with
Journalists regularly attend their games and talk
You know where you fit into society’s strictures: you’ll whoever is on it at the time
up players as future pros.
graduate from college and go off to an acceptable job • A field hidden behind tall hedges, out of sight of
• Former teammates: Many of you played with each
or marriage. But before then, you’re going to stake the curious
other in out-of-school teams and you know each
your claim on baseball’s future. This doesn’t have to be • Whatever empty space you can find when you
other’s styles well. Old friendships and grudges
your career to make it worthwhile in the here and now. need it
still simmer.
By building a strong team that will play year after year,
• Local kids: You live near each other and many of
you can leave your mark on Wadsworth even after Recommended traits for your first game: Dorm Super-
you played on the same junior teams. You have
you graduate. visor, Final Year, Into Your World, Part-Time Pals, Time
community ties that go beyond this sport.
Cut Short.
• Practice partners: You’ve played this team so
many times and know them inside out. Will it be
different when it’s the real thing?

12 PLAYING IN HISTORY · SWING FOR THE FUTURE

 SPALDING COLLEGE
THE EXPERIMENTAL EDUCATORS

AHEAD OF THE CURVE PENNANT COLOURS WHAT ARE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH
Spalding College is a coeducational teachers college • Marigold yellow and coral red THE RIVAL TEAMS?
that’s always been ahead of the times. Spalding was
one of the first schools to admit women, and its baseball Choose one for each rival team in your story:
team followed suit shortly after. You’ve always been WHO IS YOUR COACH?
• Maybe-mergers: This school has offered to
proud of your college and the role you’ll play in shaping • A celebrated professor with a long tenure
absorb yours, which would transform your college
society’s future as both a teacher and ball player. • An alum filled with Spalding pride
into one of several schools under its larger
• A cricketer intrigued by a new sport
umbrella and probably absorb your team, too.
• You don’t have one
THE VANISHING POINT • Figures of legend: In last year’s tournament, your
team made an excellent play—but now people
You’ve just found out that a larger and more traditional
WHAT IS YOUR PRACTICE AREA LIKE? talk about it as though it was the other school
school has recently made overtures to Spalding, with
that pulled it off. Trying to correct the record is
plans to absorb your college into its own. As students, • An indoor gymnasium with all the latest physical
slow going.
you have little say in this decision, but you know it would education equipment
• Big draw: Playing this school always means a
strip Spalding of its progressive focus. You need to show • The field behind the college president’s house
higher turnout and more tickets sold for games.
the administration in any way you can that Spalding can • A small baseball field built by the students
The competition may be fierce, but you need
and should stand on its own.
each other.
Recommended traits for your first game: Budding Se-
• Former teammates: Many of you played with each
cret, Engaged to the Enemy, It’s Like Breathing, Quitter
other in out-of-school teams and you know each
Returns, Youth Coach.
other’s styles well. Old friendships and grudges
still simmer.
• Local kids: You live near each other and many of
you played on the same junior teams. You have
community ties that go beyond this sport.
• Practice partners: You’ve played this team so
many times and know them inside out. Will it be
different when it’s the real thing?

SWING FOR THE FUTURE · PLAYING IN HISTORY

13
 SKYBALL: REACH NEW HEIGHTS
OVERVIEW HOW TO USE THIS SETPIECE THE STORY SO FAR
In the magical metropolis of Cloud City, every child dreams • Read or summarise the information from The Story
of riding their first dragon or giant bird and taking to the So Far, including the details about Cloud City, CLOUD CITY
sky. From travel to trade, ceremony, and entertainment, skyball, the characters, the great houses of Avoka, Of all the metropolises within the borders of the mighty
skill as a rider can get you anywhere. Of course, there is and flying folk (pages 14–16). Kingdom of Avoka, Cloud City is the greatest. Instead
no better way to prove your prowess at both magic and • Add the Playing in Fantasy trait and condition cards of expanding outwards, the city is built vertically upon a
maneuvering than the sport of skyball. to those from the standard game. sheer cliff face, extending upwards to the clouds.
• Choose teams from the four houses included. Each
Played in the Cloud Arena, two teams of riders and their house has its own unique story that changes the Cloud City is one of the most cosmopolitan places in the
mounts clash in search of victory. Each team competes way you approach the Apprentices Cup. kingdom. It also has the highest population of flying crea-
to knock the other team’s targets out of the sky using the • Team specials, rival match games, and team match tures—‘flying folk’, as some call them—including dragons,
claws, mystical balls with wills of their own. The team to games are not used in this setpiece. perytons, rocs, pegasi, and even more unusual folk. Flight
score the most points by hitting their opponent’s targets • The lore included in The Story So Far is just a is very useful in the steep city, but also an ancient part of
is the winner. Skyball is fast, furious, and often beautifully starting point. Take a moment as a group to flesh its culture. Cloud City was one of the first places where
coloured; once you take to the air you’ll never look back. out anything from that section that interests you. flying creatures were domesticated, and the first place
As you play, add details about the setting, houses, visited by the Dragon Court when it sought to make con-
You are apprentices in the service of one of the great and the sport of skyball, to develop your world and tact with Avoka.
houses of Avoka. Whether you’re training to be a fear- create cool ideas for you to play with.
some griffin knight or a respected weather witch, you’ve Almost everyone in Cloud City is taught to fly in some ca-
been working hard to reach the height of your skills in pacity. With everything from agile mail perytons zipping
the air—and your house has taken notice. You’ve been post from house to house to giant sky-serpents snaking
chosen to represent it in the Apprentices Cup, one of the food up to the highest parts of the cliff, the traffic in the air
most important and anticipated skyball tournaments of can be even worse than on the ground.
the year. After months of training, the tournament is finally
here. It’s your chance to show your house and the world It’s no surprise that Cloud City is where the biggest and
what you’re made of. Good luck in the skies! best games of skyball are played, in the giant Cloud
Arena. Suspended over the clifftop, the Cloud Arena seats
This setpiece with special thanks to: thousands. Its playing area has no floor, instead gaping
Ashe, Leandro Pondoc, Bryan Grob, and Violet Flohr. over a sheer drop that seems to go infinitely downward
(though an invisible magical barrier is used during the
game to prevent fatalities without compromising the aes-
thetic). This is how skyball is supposed to be played—high
in the sky!

14 PLAYING IN FANTASY · SKYBALL: REACH NEW HEIGHTS

SKYBALL, THE SPORT OF HEROES
Skyball is the most beloved sport of Cloud City, and indeed much of the Kingdom of Avoka. Tournaments are held across
the kingdom, but Cloud City hosts the biggest and most prestigious. There are no full-time salaried skyball players, with
teams formed for individual cups. The strongest teams are associated with Avoka’s great houses, and often feature house Targets
champions and rising stars. Some of the most famous griffin knights were unbeatable in the skyball arena, and even a
mystic bog witch on an undead pegasus can pull an impressive crowd when they choose to emerge from their solitude. No-fly area

Here’s how the game is played:

• The basics. Skyball is played by two teams of four • Spells and enchantments. Each rider may prepare
mounted riders in a large rectangular arena. Teams three, and only three, spells before the match
score points by hitting the other team’s floating starts. They may cast only these three spells during
targets with one of two special balls—the sun claw the game, and each only once. Spells are usually
or the moon claw. The game ends when one side cast by means of a focus item worn around the
knocks all the other team’s targets out of the sky or player’s neck, touching their skin, to free up their
Playing area
when one hour has elapsed. The team that scores hands. Spells may not lead to the injury of opposing
the most points wins. riders, nor affect opposing mounts in any way.
• The claws. There are two balls in play at all times: Counterspells can be chosen as one of the three,
the sun claw—a larger golden ball—and the moon and are often used to quickly react to the other
claw—a small silver ball. Both claws are enchanted side’s most powerful blows.
to fall slowly. Riders hit the claws with a mallet, • Safety and fouls. Fouls are given for deliberately
Sun claw Moon claw
using small hits to dribble their way across the arena or recklessly injuring an opponent, and doing so
or pass to teammates, or powerful drives to aim for to a mount can result in ejection from the game.
the targets. There is a rumour that the claws can There are also fouls for crossing into the no-fly area
behave differently depending on the movement of and breaking the spell rules. For most fouls, play
the celestial body with which they’re associated. is stopped and both claws are given to the other
• Targets. At each end of the playing area are four team. Riding pads or leathers protect riders from
floating targets that can be knocked out of the sky most contact injuries, and an enchanted net (often
by a ball. The targets float in a ‘no-fly’ area, meaning rendered invisible for effect) is summoned below
teams must hit to shoot and defend from a distance; the arena in case of falls.
however, the flapping of large mounts has been • Mounts. All mounts must be approved by the
known to move the floating targets. tournament organisers before they can be used
• Points. Players get one point for knocking out a in tournaments. Mounts must be below a certain
target with the sun claw and two for using the moon size, adjudged by the length of two horses. No
No-fly area
claw. Note that, ending the game by knocking out player may ride a dragon without the consent of the
the other team’s targets will not result in a win if the Dragon Court.
other team has more points. This results in strategic • Add your own details! Feel free to add more details
play around which claw is used to knock out targets; as you see fit. What are the common moves or
do you go for a quick sweep with the sun claw or tactics? What is your character’s specialty? What
strive for big points with the moon claw? kind of mounts are commonly used for different
styles of play?
Skyball Field Markings

SKYBALL: REACH NEW HEIGHTS · PLAYING IN FANTASY

15
 WHO ARE YOU? THE HOUSES OF AVOKA DRAGONS AND THE FLYING FOLK
To compete in the Apprentices Cup you must be exact- Each house has different expectations of its apprentices, We have spoken much of the affairs of humans, but what
ly that: an apprentice. Exactly what you have chosen and a different goal in how it is represented, both in and of their mounts, the so-called flying folk? Skyball players
to apprentice in is up to you, but if you’re competing in out of the arena. In Collaboration, you pick which of the choose their mounts based on availability, strategy, and
skyball, chances are it requires knowledge of flying or the great houses you play for, and the rest become fearsome their own expertise. As long as they fly, are large enough
flying folk. You could be squire to a griffin knight, a medic opponents. to ride, and are small enough to be a legal mount, you can
who specialises in dragons, a sky-dancer, a wind witch, take them into the arena. Flying folk, as with birds or any
• Ashgrave – The Reigning House
or something else entirely. Feel free to be creative when animals, have different degrees of intelligence, weakness-
The Royal House, its riders enjoy certain privileges
deciding on your specialty. es and strengths, and bonds with their riders.
above all others. In return, they are expected to
conduct themselves with prowess and honour.
As an apprentice, you’ve been working for your master since However, there is one kind of mount that has a special
• Southhope – The Rising House
around 12 years of age and will finish your apprenticeship place in the Kingdom of Avoka, and that is the dragon.
Once nestled in obscurity, this house is rising fast in
sometime between 18 and 21. As a notable talent chosen to Dragons are a powerful and ancient race, with knowledge
prestige and power. Its riders are expected to have
compete in this cup, you are most likely a senior apprentice and intellect said to far outstrip those of mere humans.
an impact on the world around them.
with only one or two years left before you become a journey- Many reside in a large mountainous area near the King-
• Kilcrest – The Troubled House
man and can strive to become a master in your own right. dom of Avoka, which few humans are allowed to enter.
This powerful house could dominate Avoka were its
The heart of this area is ruled by the Dragon Court, rich
members not always fighting among themselves. Its
Your masters serve the same great house—a dynasty with culture and history. Relations between Avoka and the
riders are expected to show their individual glory.
with significant wealth and land, and considerable sway Dragon Court, while shifting over the years, remain cor-
• Dunside – The Fallen House
in Avoka’s political fate. It is this house that has chosen dial. The dragons have learned to speak the languages of
This once-grand house and its riders withered into
you to compete in its name and provided you with all the Avoka, and some few humans have attempted to learn the
disgrace. Now they seek to make a comeback,
resources you need to travel to Cloud City (if you’re from difficult dragon tongue.
proving the house is not yet buried and gone.
elsewhere) and play skyball at your best.
What does this have to do with the thrilling sport of sky-
ball? Well, in an effort to educate their young, it has be-
WHAT IS YOUR PLACE HERE? THE RISE OF LADY SOUTHHOPE come commonplace for the Dragon Court to allow young
dragons to stay in Avoka and befriend riders. These
You are sworn to serve your master, and your master The true story of Lady Evangeline Southhope, the young dragons are encouraged to participate in skyball to
is sworn to serve your house, but what place do you enigmatic leader of House Southhope, is shrouded in improve their flying skills, agility, and teamwork.
have in it? As chosen representatives of your house, mystery, but rumours abound. What is known is that
you are all standout apprentices that have come to Lady Southhope was not born into nobility; indeed, Such dragons are very young—mere toddlers in the eyes
the attention of its leaders; however, your background she may once have been an apprentice herself. She of their society. Most have not yet learned to speak the
within the house is up to you. is certainly skilled in the magical arts and can carve human tongue, although some learn by the time they
wood charms by hand. return to the mountains. Many stay for no more than ten
You could be a noble, born into a house name and
position, or you could belong to a loyal family of Reports disagree on her rise to power: some say years, though some dragons grow fond of Avoka and are
retainers, richly rewarded for centuries of house Lord Southhope owed her a life debt, others that she granted permission from the Court to stay much longer,
service. Perhaps you had little connection to the blackmailed him, or even that she simply stepped even 50 or 100 years. These older dragons grow too large
house at all, until someone from its ranks discovered up to save him from his own poor decision‑making. to play skyball, but often retain a fondness for the sport.
your abilities. There’s no end to the possibilities of Regardless of the truth, she has infused House Once in a while, a representative of the Dragon Court will
how you were apprenticed to this particular house, Southhope with her own ambition. Its newfound come and check that their young ones are doing well and
and this may affect how others in the house treat you. hunger for greatness has cause it to rise rapidly. are being treated rightly.

16 PLAYING IN FANTASY · SKYBALL: REACH NEW HEIGHTS

 ASHGRAVE
THE REIGNING HOUSE

THE ROYAL PREROGATIVE HOUSE COLOURS WHAT ARE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH
The name Ashgrave has adorned the mighty crown of • Dawnbreak yellow and rich gold THE RIVAL TEAMS?
Avoka for generations, commanding deference and
respect from all. While the house is not shy about using Choose one for each rival team in your story:
its power, it also seeks to prove itself worthy to rule. As WHO IS YOUR COACH?
• Sworn vassal: This house is technically sworn to
a rider of the royal house, you enjoy certain privileges— • A former skyball star injured in war
serve yours, although it rarely acts like it. Your
but you’re expected to give back just as much in return. • A young royal who really likes the idea of skyball
house’s leaders expect the other house to let you
The house crest reads ‘honour, prowess, and dignity.’ • A skilled foreign knight seeking a new start
win, but you doubt it will be so simple.
To complete your apprenticeship you must stand before • A representative from the Dragon Court with
• Rogues and knaves: You know this house does
the queen herself and show you possess these quali- ancient secrets
not play honourably. Will you give as good as you
ties. For now, as you take to the air, these expectations
get, or stick to your principles?
weigh heavy on your shoulders.
WHAT IS YOUR PRACTICE AREA LIKE? • Destined rivals: Your houses have been at each
other’s throats for longer than you’ve been alive, a
• An expensive, towering pavillion full of inscrutable
THE WORTHY SHALL FLY HIGHER tradition even the apprentices continue.
magical equipment
• House of fables: You always hear tales of this
With privilege and power at its disposal, Ashgrave al- • An intricate and grand arena—a living monument
house sung by bards or delivered by messengers.
ways performs in the Apprentices Cup. This year, you to the crown
You’re unsure which of the stories are true.
must continue to make your house proud. Even so, you • A gleaming cloud sphere constructed by royal
• House exchange: It is common for apprentices of
can’t help but think about recent rumours that have wizards, constantly beset by tours from visiting
your houses to learn and study with each other.
been flying around the house. These whispers say that dignitaries
You feel you know them inside and out, but will it
the apprentice who conducts themselves best will com-
be different in the air?
plete their apprenticeship and be appointed to the royal Recommended traits for your first game: I’ve Always
court. There’s also rumblings that another great house Loved You, Mounting Distrust, Replaced Too Soon, Rival
intends to use the competition as a display of power. Start, Special Treatment.
Amidst all this, can you perform at your best and prove
you’re worthy of your house’s trust?

SKYBALL: REACH NEW HEIGHTS · PLAYING IN FANTASY

17
 SOUTHHOPE
THE RISING HOUSE

YOUR OBSCURE PAST HOUSE COLOURS WHAT ARE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH
When you began your apprenticeship, House South- • Sky blue and wine red THE RIVAL TEAMS?
hope was not even a name worth knowing. But then,
several years ago, a new leader arose. Your house has Choose one for each rival team in your story:
thrived under the ambitious leadership of Lady South- WHO IS YOUR COACH?
• Out for a fight: This house knocked you out
hope, gaining power and fame. These years have been • An impoverished griffin knight trying to make ends
of the Apprentices Cup last year in the most
tough. The other houses resented Southhope for its meet
embarrassing manner possible. You intend to right
rise, and at times barely acknowledged its existence. • An expert dragon rider poached from a rival
this wrong.
But despite that, Southhope has become a mighty force house
• Love-charmed: A witch foretold that someone on
worthy of awe. • An ambitious house politician here to make a
your team is destined for true love with someone
statement
from this one, and you’ve all been thinking about
• Lady Southhope herself
TIME TO MAKE YOUR MARK it ever since.
• Dragon-linked: Your team’s dragons and theirs
Finally, things are starting to feel different. As a rider
WHAT IS YOUR PRACTICE AREA LIKE? know each other and have complex relationships
from Southhope, you’ve begun to earn interest and
of their own.
respect from other riders, and even their houses. In the • A secret canyon outside Cloud City, gated by
• Allies in power: Your houses have a tentative
Apprentices Cup, it was a simple matter to defeat your warding magics—your tactics must remain hidden
alliance though you both believe yourselves the
early opponents. But now you’re about to face the other • Cloud City’s recreational skyball park, shared with
stronger party. You have shared many social
great houses, and they won’t accept your place among local teams and visiting knights
events together and have community ties that go
them so easily. You know that the way the other houses • An unusual space requisitioned from another
beyond this sport.
treat you as apprentices will pave the path for how your house
• House exchange: It is common for apprentices of
house is treated in the future. You need to look for allies
your houses to learn and study with each other.
and weed out threats. It’s time to make an impact and Recommended traits for your first game: Budding
You feel you know them inside and out, but will it
show the world that Southhope is a name to remember. Secret, Eternal Apprentice, Fading Joy, Into Your World,
be different in the air?
Time Cut Short.

18 PLAYING IN FANTASY · SKYBALL: REACH NEW HEIGHTS

 KILCREST
THE TROUBLED HOUSE

A HOUSE DIVIDED HOUSE COLOURS WHAT ARE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH

For as long as Kilcrest has been counted among the • Fiery scarlet and raven black THE RIVAL TEAMS?
great houses, its nobles have never seen eye to eye. At
times, the house has almost brought Avoka to its knees, Choose one for each rival team in your story:
only for the selfish acts of its members to drive their WHO IS YOUR COACH?
• Beneath notice: The tenacity of these apprentices
plans awry. Known for their hunger for individual glory, • A decorated sibling of one of the apprentices
get on your nerves. They’ll never win, so why do
Kilcrest’s apprentices are no different. In this house, if • A disgraced warlock making a grand return
they try so hard?
you don’t fight for your fame and position, you will never • A schemer with dreams of power within the house
• Dragon-linked: Your team’s dragons and theirs
have either. • An ancient house relic that spews forth but riddles
know each other and have complex relationships
of their own.
GREED FOR VICTORY WHAT IS YOUR PRACTICE AREA LIKE? • House of fables: You always hear tales of this
house sung by bards or delivered by messengers.
House Kilcrest has power, money, and magic. Those • The dizzying heights of Cloud City’s peak, where
You’re unsure which of the stories are true.
who reach for glory with conviction are granted every riders can be seen for miles around
• Allies in power: Your houses have a tentative
opportunity, and as chosen apprentices you have taken • A pocket realm haunted by past Kilcrest leaders,
alliance though you both believe yourselves the
the first step on that path. Yet you are expected to pay but with plenty of space and equipment
stronger half. You have shared many social events
the house back with your actions. Victory in the cup, or • Wherever you feel like—others would do best to
together and have community ties that go beyond
at least great glory in the air. You know your coach is not get out of your way
this sport.
just teaching you to play—they are watching you with
• House exchange: It is common for apprentices of
an eye to your future. Your teammates are your greatest Recommended traits for your first game: Bad Habits,
your houses to learn and study with each other.
allies and your biggest threats. If you do not prove your- From One Star Born, In Their Shadow, Still Recovering,
You feel you know them inside and out, but will it
self above them, your path forward is sure to become a Team Heartthrob.
be different in the air?
harder one.

SKYBALL: REACH NEW HEIGHTS · PLAYING IN FANTASY

19
 DUNSIDE
THE FALLEN HOUSE

YOUR DISGRACED HOUSE HOUSE COLOURS WHAT ARE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH
Once your house was a force to be feared, but that was • Moonflower purple and rose quartz THE RIVAL TEAMS?
many years ago. Some say your leaders overplayed
their hand, others call it misfortune or even a curse. No Choose one for each rival team in your story:
matter how it began, the house was forced to surrender WHO IS YOUR COACH?
• A great debt: Your house owes a great debt to
land, wealth, and allies to the other great houses. Of • A secretive bog witch who mysteriously retired
this house. You’ve been told it may be better to let
the few holdings that remain, most have fallen into ruin. • The ghost of an apprentice’s ancestor
them win, but you certainly don’t plan to.
They call you weak, a house in disgrace. The truth is, • A storied griffin knight now trapped within a sword
• Love-charmed: A witch foretold that someone on
until now, you’d find it hard to prove otherwise. • A criminal offered pardon if they can lead the
your team is destined for true love with someone
house to victory
from this one, and you’ve all been thinking about
YOUR RISE FROM THE ASHES it ever since.
WHAT IS YOUR PRACTICE AREA LIKE? • Destined rivals: Your houses have been at each
As apprentices about to come into your own, you re-
other’s throats for longer than you’ve been alive, a
fused to be trapped in the remains of a ruined house. • A hallowed training ground used by Dunside since
tradition even the apprentices continue.
With the last of Dunside’s might, you’ve readied yourself time immemorial
• A mighty curse: There are rumours that this
for this year’s Apprentices Cup. Somehow you made it • A decaying cloud sphere plagued by fracturing
house laid a terrible curse on Dunside, causing its
through the first few rounds, and now the battle against magics
misfortune. Could they really be true?
the other great houses begins. Your house has always • The cramped courtyard of a ruined castle, still
• House exchange: It is common for apprentices of
been friend to dragons, and so you called upon the filled with ransacked remnants
your houses to learn and study with each other.
Dragon Court to watch you play. Should they see some-
You feel you know them inside and out, but will it
thing in you, they might just help restore Dunside. You Recommended traits for your first game: Our New Cap-
be different in the air?
must prove to the dragons and all of Avoka that you’re tain, Dragonheart, Fight Me!, Losing Streak, Wild Magic.
far from dead and gone.

CARRY YOUR BAT SWING FOR YOUR FUTURE SKYBALL

ONLINE PLAY
Scan the QR codes opposite or head to the URL underneath to
access the online play documents, as well as guides and tutorials
for online play.

bit.ly/fws-carry bit.ly/fws-swing bit.ly/fws-skyball

20 PLAYING IN FANTASY · SKYBALL: REACH NEW HEIGHTS