"The track flown by the tarns is one pasang in length.
In English measure the two sides of the track are each about seventeen hundred feet in length, and the measure at the corners would be something under a hundred and fifty feet in width.
The flight track itself, of course, is rather like a narrow, aerial rectangle with two rounded ends. The course is determined by twelve rings, hung on chains from great supporting towers; six of these "rings" are rectangular and six are round; the large rectangular "rings" are three on a side; the smaller, round rings are set at the corners of the dividing wall, and one at each of the narrowest portions of the dividing wall.
Thus, in leaving the perches at the beginning of the race, the tarns pass first through three rectangular "rings," then come to the first turn, where they negotiate three round rings, two of which are at the corners; and then they encounter three more rectangular "rings" and then come to the second turn, where they again encounter three round rings, two at the corners and one in the center; skill is required in flying such a course, particularly in making the turns and passing through the small round rings.
If four tarns were flown perfectly, one above, one below, and one on each side, four could just pass through one of the round rings; one of the objects of course is to maneuver the tarn in such a way that it takes the center of the ring, or forces the following bird to strike the ring or miss it altogether; I doubt that this fierce form of racing would be practical were it not for the almost uncanny agility in flight of the short-winged racing tarns."
Assassin of Gor, 12:146

Read more about the Tarn Race in Assassin of Gor!

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Rules for Tarn Racing!

General Room Rules

• During races, the Stadium is a No Capture / No Kill zone; except for tarn racers who may be killed by the race
• Uncollared slaves are safe here. However, if any slave is disrespectful, then they may be detained or punished.
• Actions taken by anonymous/non-citizen characters do not have to be recognized.
• Disrupting OOC behavior will earn the person an immediate IP BAN!
• Rules are subject to change at any time, but will not be altered during role-play to dictate the outcome.
• Posting in the room constitutes acceptance of these rules.

Guidelines for Tarn Racing

• Tarn racing is dice based. Creativity in posting is highly encouraged but the actual outcome of the race is up to the dice.

• The HTML in hyperchat to roll a six sided die is <roll die>.

• A basic tarn race consists of four segments, the "segment number" is used in conjunction with the die roll:
  1. The start through the first set of rectangular rings
  2. Through the first turn and set of smaller round rings
  3. The backstretch through the second set of rectangular rings
  4. Finally the second turn through another set of round rings through the finish.

• Before the Race there will be an opportunity to place bets with the Odds Merchants and the starting order of the racers will be determined. Usually, if there is a "Favorite" to win the race, that person will be given the honor of starting first. This person gets to roll first.

• Once the starting order is set, the racers are given the indication to go:
  1. In order of the assigned starting postions, the Racers will make a "segment post". The Racer does not have to post anything besides the segment number and the die roll, but stray comments or full descriptions are fine too.
  2. Once all racers have rolled, the Racers will post a description about their progress through the track. These can be as elaborate or as simple as the Racer wants, but please remember people will be eagerly awaiting the posts! It is customary, but not necessary, to let the person with the highest "segment roll" post their description first and to follow in that order.
  3. Once each racer has made a "description post" then the racers may continue with the next "segment post". The race continues like this for all 4 segments.
  4. The winner of the race has the highest total score of dice for all four segments.
  5. In the case of a tie the co-winners can agree to the terms of a Race Off. If no agreement is made then the "pot" is split.

The random effect of "mishaps"!!!!

**Of note** If a racer rolls the number one, two times in a row, that racer has suffered some sort of mishap and is out of the race, possibly with injury.

To determine the outcome of the mishap, the racer must openly roll a die once more. The mishap results are shown as follows:

1. Death! If a Healer is present, they can attempt to save a dying racer with one roll. 1-3 they fail to save the racer, 4-6 they have saved the racer from death.
2. Fall from height. Broken ribs & internal bleeding requiring immediate aid!
3. Broken limb
4. Minor cuts
5. Minor bruising
6. Bless the PK's for good fortune; no injuries, but the racer is forced off the course

Guidelines for betting upon tarn races

At this point in time all wagers are done through NPC Odds Merchants. No specific wager needs to be mentioned. You can simply claim which racer you are betting on and hope it works out the way you wanted! You must make a post stating where your wager has been placed BEFORE the first segment post is revealed.

Faction Races (aka NPC Races)

2008 Tarn Racing Season Announced!

In many of the Cities of Gor, Tarn Racing Factions are hailed like modern day sports teams on Earth.

Almost everyone in the crowd wore some indication of the faction he favored. Generally, it was a small faction patch sewn on the left shoulder; the faction patches of the High-Caste women tended to be fine silk, and tastefully done; those of low-caste women merely a square of crudely stitched, dyed rep-cloth; some of the masters had dressed their slave girls in slave livery of the color of the faction they favored; others had twined a colored ribbon about their hair or in their collar.
ASSASSIN OF GOR-, 5; Page 141

Factions can be aligned with Castes, or not! As the racing season progresses, the City becomes decorated with the colorful banners and patches of the most competitive Factions.

The duel for the lead in racing hung suspended among three factions, the greens, the Yellows, and the Steels, the new faction. The progress and startling rise of the Steels as a faction dated from the first day of the races, when in the eleventh race, Gladius of Cos, astride a great tarn, initiated the Steels as a faction with a surprising, but responding, win over a strong field of competitors. The great bird he rode was no racing tarn but its size, its swiftness, its sureness, its incredible power of ferocity made it a terrible foe in the wars of the suspended rings: indeed, never had it lost; many of the other tarns of Steels, as well, were not bred racing tarns, but war tarns, ridden by unknown riders, mysterious men hailing supposedly from far cities; the excitement of a new faction not only competing but dangerously challenging the established factions of Ar provided a spectacle that thousands of fans, for one reason or another, discouraged with their factions, or seeking novelty, or wishing to feel a part of the great battle of the races, sewed or pinned on their garments the small rectangle of a bluish-gray cloth, faction patch of the Steels.
ASSASSIN OF GOR-, 5; Pages 229-230

But it is a harsh business, and it is not easy....

...It might be noted, however, that a serious investment is involved in attempting to form a faction. There are often attempts to found a new faction, but generally they are unsuccessful. If a substantial proportion of races are not won in the first two seasons the law of the Stadium of Tarns discontinues its recognition of that faction. Moreover, to bring a new faction into competition is an expensive business, and involves considerable risk to the capital advanced. Not only is it expensive to buy or rent tarncots, acquire racing tarns, hire riders and Tarn Keepers, and the entire staff required to maintain a faction organization, but there is a large track fee for new factions, during the first two probation years....
Assassin of Gor, 16:219-220

Here in Thentis@JAG, we conduct Faction Races with "non-playing characters" most of the time. This is not a requirement, but it is the "norm". For the most part, these Tarn Racers exist just to race and are not used in any other roleplay. We encourage anyone who is interested to participate!

If you want to race as an NPC Faction Racer, all you have to do is to make up a Faction Name - it could be a Faction from any City not just Thentis - and then make up a name for your Tarnsman. You may even be able to join an existing Faction if you want. Once you have a name to use, and a Faction to race for, all you have to do is show up at one of our races! It's that simple!

The List of Current NPC Tarn Racing Factions is as follows:

• The Black Faction - Sponsored by the Assassin Caste
• The Red Faction - Sponsored by the Warrior Caste
• The Gold Faction of Thentis - Sponsored by the Merchant Caste - looking for new Racers!
• The Blue Faction of Thentis - Sponsored by the Caste of Scribes - looking for new Racers!

For the most part, a Faction Race is conducted in the same exact manner as a Regular Race.

1. A call for Racers is announced.
2. The Racers that show are given a starting order
3. The segment rolls and subsequent description posts flow in the same manner
4. In the event of a tie a Race Off can be considered but must be agreed to by the co-winners.

Tarn Racing Season

For a period of 3 RT months, the known Tarn Racing Factions will be invited to race in our Tarn Racing Season. This is a series of weekly races resulting in upwards of 12 races. Factions announce their desire to participate at the start of the Season. The results of these races will be tracked publicly. A final tournament consisting of the top racers will determine the ultimate Champion for the Season.

To handle the periodic scheduling conflict, only the Racers best 9 races will be counted; allowing for a Racer to have 3 potential "bye weeks" during the season. If a Faction has more than one Racer, than any Racer of that Faction may participate in the week - but only ONE Racer from that Faction may race in a week.

In the event of a tie, the co-winners split the points alloted for the place they earned. If they agree to a Race Off then it is usually for the sake of the wagers, the fans, and/or to act as a grudge match! However, the results of the Race Off do not count towards the Season standings. A Racer can't get points for 2 wins in a night.

The current scoring system will be based on the total sum of all the segment rolls, with the following bonuses:

• 1st place - 20 points
• 2nd place - 15 points
• 3rd place - 10 points (if 5 or more Racers).

NEW: OPTIONAL Crash Rule for Faction Races!!!!

Since NPC races protect any IC persona from possible death, and for the sake of increasing the danger/excitement level, Racers may opt to race with the "Crash Rule" in full effect during any given week. With the "Crash Rule" in effect, it will be easier for a Tarnsman to suffer a "mishap".

These crash rules replace the "mishap" rules of the regular race:

If a racer rolls the number one (1) during any segment, then some sort of mishap has occurred. The NEXT segment roll will determine the nature of the mishap and may put the racer out of the race. If the (1) is rolled on the 4th segment, then the racer MUST roll again to see if he actually completed the lap or crashed at the last moment.

The mishap results are shown as follows:

1. Death! If a Healer is present, they can attempt to save a dying racer with one roll. 1-3 they fail to save the racer, 4-6 they have saved the racer from death. The Faction may continue the season with another Racer.
2. Knocked from saddle - out of race. Broken ribs & internal bleeding upon impact requiring immediate aid!
3. Minor crash or collision resulting in injuries (broken limbs, cuts, bruises) - but able to keep racing!
4. Trouble controling the tarn - but able to keep racing
5. A minor fumbling of the tarnstraps - but able to keep racing
6. Some sort of close call, but able to spring back alive!

Final Note:
During the course of a Faction Race, non-playing characters will be used and normal expectations regarding "gender bending" and "dualling" are suspended so that more people may participate. This means that the in-character people in the room may ALSO - at the same time - be portraying an NPC racer. Likewise this also means that slaves and Free Women may be portraying a Tarnsman. It is expected, however, that these NPC's will not be a part of any larger roleplay than these races. If the Racer is to be a "regular" character in JAG, then we expect that no dualling or gender bending will be taking place.