Spleef

“... And a clever move by McAllister, as he slices the block Anderson was about to land on, scoring another triumph for the Haxgate Ghasts!”

Announcer for a college game of Spleef between the Haxgate Ghasts and the Canyon City Creepers

Spleef is a popular, if not the most popular, sport in the world. The main gimmick of the game is to literally deplatform opponents by breaking the floor under them, thus making them fall into a pit underneath. The last person standing on the field is the winner. There are many variations that modify the game arena, the play style, or the rules.

History

The inspiration(s) for the game are believed to be early parkour-based sports on platforms, often with a combat element. Such games date back to ancient times. Surviving records for them are few and far between.
Spleef in its recognisable form has medieval origins. In some of its early iterations it could be rather dangerous, as it often involved deep pits, player-versus-player combat with real weapons, fire, and/or lava. The sport gained tremendous popularity in Treehold during the Netherite Age, as it was a favourite pastime of Peter Chase the Dragonhearted and many of his descendants.
In modern times, the game has been made much safer with padded fall areas, protective team uniforms, and blunted weapons. Versions of Spleef that incorporate hazardous arenas have been all but phased out, and are largely frowned upon if not outright illegal.

Execution

Rules

There are a few basic rules to which every Spleef game adheres, though other rules are added or changed depending on the circumstance.

• Players are not permitted to leave the arena (emergencies being an exception, during which gameplay is to be halted immediately), or destroy any part of the arena aside from the playing field.
• Players may not replace any parts of the platform that have been destroyed.
• In the cases of Ender or Enderborn players, teleportation to avoid falling is strictly prohibited, and will result in their team’s immediate forfeiture of the match.
• Directly attacking opposing players is also generally not permitted, except in games where player-vs-player combat is approved beforehand.
  

Spleef can be played in an "every man for himself" style or in teams. Which method is used often depends on how many players are participating. The referee and/or other moderators will randomly select which players shall go on a team, rather than "captains" or fellow team members selecting.

Variations and Variants

People have found many ways to modify Spleef. They have added new elements of gameplay or altered the rules to make creative variations on the base game and suit their preferences. For example, some variants disallow jumping over gaps in the platform. Others make use of animal mounts or Elytra gliders. Some allow player-versus-player combat. In the past, "risky" Spleef that made use of fire or hostile animals in the arena was popular, but the practise has fallen by the wayside over the years. Skill Levels Being the adaptable game that it is, Spleef is played at all skill levels. Many high schools and colleges incorporate it into their athletic programs. Creepers are a favorite mascot for Spleef teams, given their association with destruction. Large city-states and nations have their own Spleef teams at the professional level.

Components and tools

A typical Spleef arena is a wide area, with the full size depending on the location. The actual playing field itself is made of easily breakable materials, and beneath is a four meter gap to the ground, where falling players land on a spongey material to cushion their landing.

Equipment

Spleef uniforms are sewn from sturdy and flexible materials. They have protective padding, especially around the knees, elbows, chest, and shins. Protective headgear is a requirement as well. Although safety is a high priority, the uniforms are not so heavily padded so as to impede movement. Players must be able to flex their bodies and move around with ease in their gear. Spleef uniforms use colour-coding to show teams.
The standard instrument for Spleef is a shovel-like apparatus to break through the floor. In variants of the game where player-vs-player combat is allowed, players will also be given a blunted sword, or a "sword" made from sponge.