From the introduction: A Slaughterball match is played by two teams of four, on a field packed with unimaginable dangers. The slaughterball itself is a six inch sphere of iron covered with blades and spikes and starts near the middle of the field, sometimes plainly visible. Each team starts opposite the field from one another and the one who gets the ball off the field, through the opposing team’s entryway wins the match. The match ends in a bloodletting if no one has won thirty minutes after the start.