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Pastimes on Roshar


Patrick Star

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This thought just occurred to me a couple of minutes ago: What do people on Roshar do for fun?

 

So far, we've seen storytelling, hunting whitespines, hunting chasmfiends, fishing, courting, formal dueling, informal dueling, plotting, scheming, fighting, drawing, drinking, eating, cooking, sleeping, reading, writing, dressing, and killing bridgemen appear as activities that people on Roshar do.

 

However, not every country on Roshar will have as much of a combat-oriented culture as Alethkar, which creates a conspicuous lack of pastimes in places like Azir and Shinovar.

 

Also, I haven't seen any sports (other than dueling and hunting) on Roshar.  Do they have any varieties of football, American football, baseball, basketball, tennis, or any other sport?  I really don't see why they wouldn't, especially in places that don't have such a glorified view of combat.

 

What do you guys think? How do people on Roshar pass the time?

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Well, in one of their dates Adolin mentions to Shallan how the Shattered Plains are boring as they do not held any concerts, arts show nor sculptures contests.... They end up going to a menagerie.

 

I would some pastimes include the above: concerts, plays, arts exhibit and such.

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Well, in all fairness, we've barely seen the different aspects of Roshar - the two books practically take place in the Alethi warcamps. So we have only one nation, and it's kind of sort of waging a war at the moment. So the only real entertainment we've seen are the feasts the various highprinces hold - dancing, mingling, contests (be they art or dueling), socializing, dating... 

 

Knowing how bureaucratic the Azish appear to be, I wouldn't be surprised if they like to engage in less physical activities - puzzles, games of the mind. Debates have to be a thing somewhere. Basic ball sports will probably be popular in the various countrysides, but our only glimpse of that were Kaladin flashback chapters, and he was busy with other things there. I guess animal fights could be a thing in, among other places, Jah Kaved.

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I'm pretty sure the Horneaters have races and probably ball games as well. Herdazians probably have similar sports. ALSO!!!! DRINKING GAMES!!! I'd love to teach some to some Horneaters, we'd have a blast.

Edited by BreathTaker
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Well, Sigzil teaches a betting game with stones to Teft, so that's probably an Azish thing. Vasher/Zahel's playing a game with colored stones which may or may not be from Nalthis. Kal got into a quarterstaff fight with another kid, suggesting that that might be a common thing among Alethi darkeyed kids. There are some festivals as well. The Reshi seem to play and have fun all the time, so I think they're covered. 

 

As for some joke games, I can think of One-Armed Herdazian Tag, Hide and Choose Dullform, and some Rosharan knock-off of Trivial Pursuit.

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Vasher/Zahel's playing a game with colored stones which may or may not be from Nalthis.

Definitely from Nalthis. It's a dead ringer for Taracin. Of course, depending on the extent of world-hopping, the game could be played on Roshar too.
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Sigzil mentioned a few places traditions. I forget the name of one, but everyone had a right to debate. Every corner had like a stand or podium to pontificate from, and everyone carried or has near by rotten fruit to throw at said debater. That I think would be a fun past time  :P

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It's really easy to get a quick and dirty meal there. You just start yelling extremist slogans. Then, when you've accrued a company of followers, make them buy you lunch.

They reserve the fruit for good ideas, you see.

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Plus the odd Vorin gambling games where you guess at the cards already dealt.

It's not particularly odd, at least not by Earth standards. It's basically the same as poker. The cards are already in their order in the deck, so it's not predicting the future. You're just trying to tell how good of a hand you have compared to everyone else, and trying to prevent others from figuring out how good a hand you have.

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Definitely from Nalthis. It's a dead ringer for Taracin. Of course, depending on the extent of world-hopping, the game could be played on Roshar too.

 

Actually, Tarachin is a game that requires a huge field, with people who literally have the strength of gods throwing the balls. Something tells me that's not it. :) However, it's almost definitely from Nalthis.

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Actually, Tarachin is a game that requires a huge field, with people who literally have the strength of gods throwing the balls. Something tells me that's not it. :) However, it's almost definitely from Nalthis.

Normal people play it too, on a much smaller scale. They just adapted it for Returned strength in the case of Lightsong's game.
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