Some anarchists who have looked at the Planetary Consortium and declared it as corrupt as Rome in its dying days; pandering to the worst in people, suppressing their noble instincts, and offering them in exchange only the security that is bread and circuses. Others looked at this and realized that people must really like bread, because they can think of far better circuses than that. To put it frankly, Rageby is what happens when transhumans decide to let out all the frustrations built up in that animal part of their brain not devoted to rational thought. Created aboard the Scum Barge [i]Honest Statement of Intent[/i], a converted long-term exploration vessel formerly owned by a partnership between the British, Canadian, and Australian space agencies, Rageby was devised as a result of a need to burn off steam in the tense days after the Fall. As the idea of anarchism and independence settled in, the sport soon came to fill the void left by the patriotism and constant contact with home that used to unite the crew. Since that time, [i]Honest Statement of Intent[/i] has grown significantly, merging into something of a haphazardly built space station, constructed out of several spacecraft, hosting a population of a little over 12,000. In that time, Rageby has gone from simple pass-time and exercise to a way of life for some Scum. [b]The Game and How to Lose It[/b] Rageby is a game that varies greatly by habitat, but the core of the game is largely the same wherever you go. The match takes place inside a large, layered glass ovoid, surrounded by an inflated transparent net just in case. Players are grouped into teams of 15 and marked either by AR IFFs, or by wearing different coloured jumpsuits, or simply being painted in appropriately stylized body paint. The bludger, a sphere about the size of a man's head, is the game's focus. The sphere varies in appearance (some habitats make it luminescent, or even make it sing), but it is usually a shiny metal sphere, and always contains a pressurized gas propellant and an AI that causes it to drift at random around the arena when not held in the hands of any player. This drifting is usually minor, but some habitats set it to particular extremes, to ensure particularly frantic matches. The object of the game is simple: Get the bludger into a ring on the opposite end of the oval and keep the other team from getting it to yours, by any means necessary. This means up to and including punching and kicking your opponents, breaking their limbs, or otherwise subduing them by any means necessary. While killing your opponents is frowned upon and will put your team at a disadvantage (the teams must always be even; killing one of theirs gets you sent out of the game), it still happens. [b]Variations[/b] Rageby is ultimately a Scum game, and, like the Scum, it varies greatly from habitat to habitat. What follows is a list, though hardly exhaustive, of issues on which the game can vary by habitat: -Synth use. In some habs, remotely operated synths are the only form of participation allowed, as it produces no risk of death and allows for quick, cheap recycling of damaged players, while also minimizing harm. In others, synth-players are banned entirely, as they can simply choose to not feel pain, which, for many, is considered a part of the game. -Drug use. For most Scum, this simply isn't an issue; some choose to use drugs, some don't. Purists often argue that it interferes with a player's true ability, but, in a world where you can make yourself stronger just by spending a few hours in a nano-vat, it is a rare argument to hear. In some habs, a handful of biosculptors have made huge names for themselves as drug cocktail artisans, crafting the perfect mixes or chemical cocktails for the various positions, and becoming the exclusive stimulant and narcotic provider for various big-name players. -Weapons. 90% of Rageby arenas do not allow weapons. This includes implanted ones, though what constitutes a weapon can be interpreted very liberally. In some habs, poisonous claws are accepted as parts of the game, while, in others, having extra cyberlimbs is considered a violation of the rules. -Gravity. Rageby was originally developed as a micro-gravity game (the gas jets on the bludger were originally added to make sure it wouldn't get stuck in an open part of the arena's space), but the spread to other habs has allowed it to be played under low-g conditions. Barsoomian games on Mars have no choice [i]but[/i] to be in low-g. As a result, the rules can vary wildly under such conditions. -Mesh use. AR is a big problem for a lot of Rageby fans, and, apart from weapons, is probably the biggest point of contention in mesh chat-rooms on the topic. A lot of Rageby games are played with all player's mesh inserts gone autistic, forcing them to resort to other forms of communication. It makes the game a lot more frantic when the shouts and roars of players are added to the fray. Some even go so far as to demand that players fight wearing as little as a loin cloth, making it a true bare-knuckle brawl.