Gatunga

Gatunga is a team sport of goblin invention. Similar to baseball, the sport is played on a circular field and the goal is to run around the circle as many times as possible without being tagged with the ball.
==Origin==
"Gatunga" is a goblin word which literally means "start playing." However it is usually translated idiomatically as "play ball!" The phrase is shouted by the referee at the beginning of each round of play.
The game has existed in various forms in Dorthellond for centuries, but the rules as they exist today were first written down in 1335 OCA. The first formal league, the Compass Point Gatunga League, was founded in 1402 OCA and consists of eight official Gatunga clubs from surrounding nations.
==Rules==
The game consists of seven rounds. During each round, both teams bat and field one time. It is the batting team's goal to score as many points as possible. The fielding team's goal is to get three outs as quickly as possible.
Batting players use a wooden stick called a grigagrip, which is the Goblin word for "mace." The stick is based on a real mace, which is what was used when the game was invented to hit the ball. Modern grigagrips are made entirely of wood and specially designed to hit the ball, or junt, effectively. 
Each player has three tries to hit the ball. If they fail to hit the ball in three swings, they are out. If the ball is hit, the player then has to try to run as far around the circle as they can, taking their grigagrip with them. The runner can be stopped in one of four ways. First, if the ball is caught without touching the field, they are out. Second, if the ball is picked up and thrown to "tag" the player above their waist but below their neck, the player is out. Third, if the player chooses to stop and places their grigagrip head-down in the field, they may stop and are safe. Finally, if the player uses their grigagrip to hit the ball as it is thrown towards them for a tag, they MUST stop and are considered safe.
Once players have passed the batting area, they score one point. They may then retire, or continue running around the circle to try to score more points. There is no limit to how many runners can be on the field nor how many points they may score, however each runner makes it more likely that the opposing team can score outs. In recent years some leagues have implemented a mercy rule stating one player may not score more than 3 points per round by himself. The record for most points scored at-bat by a single player is 16. 
==Popularity==
Gatunga is the favorite sport of goblins as well as grippli, who adopted the game from them and often play in one of the many leagues across Dorthellond. Gatunga has spread to other nations in recent years, and the first Corganan gatunga league was founded in 1430 OCA. There are dozens of leagues in Dorthellond, both professional and casual. Recently, gatunga was also added to the Reachlander Games as an event, with teams representing all major nations arriving to play the sport. 
Category:Games
Category:Games