Situated in Southern California, the Hollywood Bowl is the most popular aquarena in the world. California has always had a knack for the strange but fun. Due to the popuIarity of boat duels, the sport has moved indoors. Since its opening only two years ago, the aquarena has developed a cult following around the world.
Reefs: The reef walls have 40 DP and will not collapse due to their honeycomb construction. The reefs can be submerged up to two inches (effectively removing them from play), or raised up to 1/2" above the water making islands that block the line of sight. This is determined before a duel begins. The reefs also act as safety bunkers for swimmers. Swim next to a bunker for one turn and a hatch will open. Raising and lowering the reef takes five minutes for each 1/4" of movement.
Ramps: Sitting at a 30-degree angle, they encourage flight. Treat flying for boats the same as for cars, except no damage can happen to the underbody when it lands in water. The ramps can be lowered to a 15 degree angle, or removed from play. However, this must be decided before play begins.
Whirlpools: These have become the "trademark" of the arena, and are great crowd-pleasers. They are usually turned on midway through an event. For the first two turns after being activated, the whirlpools have no effect. After two turns, they are fully active. When in the area of a whirlpool all maneuvers away from the center are at a + Dl for each half-inch the vehicle is into the whirlpool. All maneuvers towards the center of the whirlpool are at a -Dl per half-inch into the spiral. Traveling straight is considered to be away from the center and is a Dl hazard per half-inch in the whirlpool. On inches of movement where the boat cannot maneuver it will still do a Dl drift towards the center of the whirlpool.
Bunny-hops: These are plastic "logs" floating in the water. Hitting a bunny-hop is a D2 hazard for boats smaller than a speeder, Dl hazard for speedboats and larger and a D3 for aquabikes to hit.
Pontoons: Twelve bright orange, indestructible pylons that form "gates" around the arena. They are a Dl to hit.
Barrel Race: Each contestant starts out dead in the water at his gate. The goal is to drive a circle around each of the four whirlpools. The first whirlpool circled may not be the closest one to your starting gate. Typically, the reefs are raised 1/2" above water and the ramps are set at 30 degrees.
Big Fish, Little Fish: A team race where each player has a boat and an aquabike. The aquabikes race the inner loop, while the boats race the outer loop. The little fish may not fire upon the big fish until they complete two laps of the inner circle. The big fish may not fire on the little fish until they have completed one lap of the outside circle. Points are awarded for each gate passed through (only if done in order) and for each kill made. A little fish that kills a big fish gets double points for that kill; if a big fish kills a little fish, he gets half the normal number of points. The duel is usually over when the first boat successfully completes three laps.
Hover Bumpers: To support the growing number of hovercraft fans out there, the Hollywood Bowl has added a complete lineup of events just for them. Each Saturday main event includes at least one hovercraft duel. The crowd favorite is the Hover Bumper event. In this event, four teams of two hovercraft are outfitted in rubber armor and sent out into the bowl. Each team consists of a bumper and a runner. The goal of the event is to get the runner to complete three laps of the outer track and three laps of the inner track. The gates must be passed in order; if one is missed the hovercraft must go back and go through that gate before any other gates count for the lap. The entire purpose of the bumper is to "bump" the other players' runners off course so that they miss their gates. These events usually do not allow weapons, but it is not unheard of. Hover Bumpers Plus is a special event held once a month. In this variation each team consists of two bumpers and one runner. Often the runner is allowed to carry weapons.
For the Hover Bumper event, pick the largest hover you can as your bumper and have a very fast runner. Keep the bumper as quick as possible, so that it can keep up with the runner. Usually the teams circle in pairs, with the bumper guarding the runner from any possible assault. This quickly deteriorates when the first bumper is sent Out to hit a runner. The event tends to be long and drawn out as gates are missed and the runners have to circle around. In the Hover Bumper Plus event, have a fast bumper and a slower bumper. The fast bumper should cover the runner from any enemy fire and keep the runner safe from opposing bumpers. Your second bumper should either sail around playing spoiler to all the other players at random, or keep it near one particular gate and try to keep everyone from passing through it. This, however, is a good way to get everyone else teaming up against you.