Mall Football

A sport played by nearly all YoGangs, mall football is a violent but fun sport. It evolved from Australian Rules Football, and shares many common principles. However, thanks to the bloodlust of most modern-day YoGangs, it is far more violent and much faster. Its versatility is its main strength - can you play Aussie Rules in a Mall?

The game has few accepted rules, and even those that are commonly used are subject to wild variations and interpretations. There are, though, some common rules used by most players and teams.

• Any number of teams. The number of players per team depends on who turns up, but usually varies from 5 to 50-a-side.
• The 'pitch' is any Mall with a large enough playing area, because compacting 40 MegaViolents into a cigar shop is self-desructive and depletes the manpower of the YoGang too much. Multi-level malls are favoured, because the tactical options are limitless, and catching your opponents head in a rising lift door is one of the highlights of the game. The 'pitch' has 3 main areas - 2 'goals', usually shop windows or lift doors of some kind, and the 'outfield', the centre of all activity.
• The 'ball' has been known to actually be a severed head in some all-MegaViolent games. Softer teams prefer traditional balls. The GlitterKids rarely play, but prefer a lycra ball when they do. Some extremist EcoRaiders use pigs bladders to get back to their roots, while some far-right female Lookers use portions of another kind of ball.
• The aim is to outscore the opposition. Since any number of teams can be playing at once, there is no real definition of opposition, except for 'them not us'. Security forces are classed as pitch-invaders, and are treated as such. 'Outscoring' is a loose term, sometimes measured in goals, other times in heads.

For game purposes, create a new skill for dedicated players (those who play more than once a month). Mall Football begins at 1, and can be improved as usual. This skill is used as a bonus to the normal check (REF + Jockstuff). Casual players should use REF + Jockstuff for normal in-game play, and REF + Streetfighting for the inevitable fighty situations which will occur.

It is common for teams to completely take over the Mall in which they are playing, in fact some teams even regard certain Malls as their 'home' grounds, despite the efforts of the Police and Security. Matches begin quickly, and those in the middle will either be trampled, treated as an enemy or mistaken for a player (and having the ball in this game is a risky thing).

There is no real code of conduct in Mall Football, as it was invented as a way to vent frustration, so restricting players would be counter-productive. There are no watchdogs or viewers to cater for, so extreme violence goes as do most weapons. Hand-to-hand weapons are acceptable, but larger firearms are frowned upon, because the likelihood of death increases several times over. Also, the use of aeroboards, hoverbikes and other flying vehicles is not common.

Mall Football is not a game for cowards. It's a way to let out your anger, and have a jolly good time kicking in someone's head while you're at it.