Aerolapse

Aerolapse is a pastime practiced by the Skyborne. It consists of skydiving through various rings held aloft by aerostats. There are time trials and races. The suit worn is a wing suit that allows for a bit of horizontal maneuverability. Races end with racers being caught in large nets at the finish line. Missing a net often results in the death of a participant.

Targa

The Basic Game

Targa is a popular sport throughout the Empire. The name comes from the Target Bolas used during the game, which are refered to as a Targa or a Targabola. There are two popular variations of the game, Field Targa and Running Targa. The Game mechanics of each are quite similar with the goal being to wrap the Targa around a vertical post by spinning and then releasing the Targa from the Snagi. The Snagi is a Short wooden club the end of which curves to one side forming a short hook which is used to either pick the Targa off the ground with or to catch it out of the air.
In Feild Targa there are Two vertical Schiff posts, each of 1 Ken 3 Shaku in hight. There is a metal hook that protrudes from side of the Schiff post 1 Shaku down from the top of the post. The Targa field is of unspecified size and often on uneven terrain. Teams switch ends after each Schiff goal to compensate for any advantage that the irregularities of the playing field may offer. Head and Leg Goals do not stop play.
In Feild Targa there are only 7 team members in play at one time. The teams themselves however can include everywhere from 25- 30 members. Due to the scoring system, and the vigorous amounts of work that the players go through throughout the game, a lot of substitute players are often required.

In running Targa a series of Shiff posts are set up over an area of land and the teams compeate to score a goal for each post in sequence. Only one goal may be scored on each Schiff in running Targa so in games when one team has fallen to far behind to make up Schiff goals by the last pole they will often switch to attempting to score head and leg goals. There are no set number of players in Running Targa but teams must have equal numbers of players.

Scoring

There are two basic types of goal in Targa. Schiff goals and Body Goals.

Schiff Goals are divided into High and Low Schiffs.
Both High and Low Schiffs score 5 points. Low Schiffs are scorred regularly whilst High Schiffs give the scorring team a 5% ground advantage and effect the other teams abillity to win through body goals.

There are Two diferent types of body goal that can be scorred in Targa. Head Goals and Leg Goals which are scored by wrapping the Targa around the respective body parts of an opposing teams player. Head Golas are worth two points whilst leg goals are worth 1. The exception being a leg goals that takes the player who was scored on to the ground, which are worth three points.
Points from body goals must exceed the opposing teams total for High Schiffs and only the points in excess of the high shiff count are scorred. For example if one team has 10 points in High Schiffs and there opponents have ten points in body goals no points are awarded for the body goals, if they have 14 points in body goals then 4 points would be awarded. In games where both teams have equal Shiff scores and neither team has enough body goals to score then the team with the higher number of body goals is the winner. Should the game be a draw at the end of the 5th period then the game will go to a Sudden Death playoff. Historicaly team captains would fight to the death with their Snagis to determine a winner, however in these more civilized time the captains fight unarmed and only until submission. The original rules are still followed in some or the wilder areas on the frontier or the empire.

Fouls and illegal plays

Deliberatley striking an opposing player with the Snagi, hand or foot is considered a personal foul as is pushing grabing of pulling another player. Body checking is permissible but only against a player who is deemed to be in control of the Targa. Body checking a player who does not have possession of the targa is considered a personal foul. A first offense results in the offending player continuing play with their off hand bound to their stomach using the penalty brace, the second offense results in the player being sent off. No substitute will be allowed to replace the offending player.
Deliberately striking another player with a Targa that is not in flight is also considered a personal foul and the same penalties as Snagi fouling apply.

Targa Fouls relate to illegal handling of the Targa and there are several Forms of Targa foul.
1. Handling the Targa. With the exception of disentangling the Targa from oneself after falling victim to a body goal it is impermissible for any player other than the Schiffy to hold the Targa in their hand.

Equipment

Uniforms consist of the Targa Jersey and Hosen and padded leather caps to protect the players head. The Targa itself consists of a monkey fist knot tied around some weighty object such as a round stone or grapeshot and bound in leather to secure it. Regulation rope is 5 Bu in diameter and the weight of the Targa should be 2 Hyakume.