Lore Idea: Hoofball Rules

[Bramble Rose]

Brianblackberry and I have been working on some possible rules for a Hoofball League, and thought we'd go ahead and share them with the boards, for the benefit of some Ponyville Area Youth Hoofball Organization (PAYHO) or Junior Hoofball threads we'd like to do!

The basic idea is to come up with some game rules that would benefit all three of the races, and allow them to use their special talents and strengths without overshadowing the other - so allowing flight and magic without leaving the earth ponies feeling useless.

As folks chime in with their own idea for rules or caveats, flavor, terminology, or what have you, I'll go ahead and update this initial thread with what we (or at least, I) agree sounds good.

There is a 10-pony team in play (more for substitutes), a soccer-like goal at the end of the field, and a soccer-like ball. On this 10-pony team, we have:

(1) Goal tender. Whose job is to protect the goal. Flight and magic can only be used inside the goal zone.

(5) Ground Team members: Can be any race, but no flying or magic use. The balance between offensive players and defensive players is up to the individual teams, and can, of course, change over the course of the game.

(3) Sky Team members: Pegasus ponies, of course (and the very occasional unicorn pony with a spell to give themselves wings, but most wing spells rarely survive a match). The role of this group is to fly overhead and provide backup where the game needs it most, and often end up on the ground with the earth team. They dive down for powerful offensive moves and dramatic defensive saves. Technically it's possible for them to juggle the ball downfield completely in the air, but in practice it rarely works with six pegasus ponies jostling for the ball.

(1) Striker. Usually a unicorn (sometimes a fourth sky team member) this position is an 'anything goes' style position and is often the star of the team, since their unique abilities will give the team their flavor, and the team's strategies will usually be worked around the striker's special talents. (In YHO games, and many Junior Hoofball games, the striker is essentially a sixth ground team or a fourth sky team member, what with the foals having so little use of magic.)

Of course, every team can have its second-stringers, though several teams don't consider their secondary striker truly 'secondary' and will swap their strikers out for sudden and severe strategy shifts to throw the opposing team off-balance. A game can be very active, and ponies swap in and out frequently, without needing to wait for a break in the action. Virtually no ponies play through an entire game.

Rules:

1: There are three 'zones' to the game. Each team has a zone around their goal zone, and the central, neutral zone. While the sky is often referred to as the 'sky zone', those pegasus ponies in the sky zone are considered to be part of the zone they are flying over.

2: If at any point in time a team has more than three ponies in the sky zone, they wil get a penalty: "Too many ponies in the sky." The goaltender is allowed limited flight in his very small goal zone. If more than 10 ponies are on the field at any given time (except for a few seconds surrounding player substitutions) there is a "Too many ponies in play" penalty.

3: Each player will wear a jersey denoting their team's colors. Each team will have two jersey colors: their team color, and white. If, by the referee's judgement, the team jerseys are too similar and would create confusion for the referees, then the visiting team will swap to their white jerseys.

4: There are three 'shifts' to the game, representing the three races. First shift, second shift, and third shift. Each shift is 20 minutes long, with a five minute break between them. (15 minute shifts for YHO games)

5: If, at the end of the third shift, the two teams are tied, then there will be a fourth, 10-minute overtime shift. (YHO and Junior Hoofball leagues do not have an overtime shift)

6: If at the end of the overtime shift there is still no winner, then the game will move to a kickoff. Each team will have three shots at the goal made by three different players. If tied, it will continue to repeat. (YHO and Junior hoofball leagues go straight to a kickoff.)

7: No pony can make an action which tries to seriously hurt another pony. (Offense: Unnecessary Roughness) There are a number of sub-rules about this (Offenses: Grabbing, stabbing - offensive horn use, hobbling - deforming the field under a player's hoof) but they're involved and complicated and cause arguments amongst the fans as to whether or not a call is valid. That being said, hoofball is often a rough sport and a little bit of shoulder-checking, bodily contact, and other such activities is common and appreciated by the fans. Exactly how much is allowed is somewhat dependent on the referee, but referees who are too strict are usually booed by the fans. (YHO games have much more limiting rules concerning player interaction. Junior Hoofball, it starts to get rough, but still not to college or professional levels.)

8: The ball can be juggled and kicked with any part of the body, but not carried. (Offense: Carry) Sky team members can technically juggle a ball all the way down the field completely in the sky zone, but in practice, with three pegasus ponies on the opposing team all too willing to bodycheck you to return the ball to the ground zone, this rarely works well.

9: The ball cannot be directly affected by magic. Opposing players cannot be directly affected by magic. (Offense: Illegal use of magic) This means that, for instance, teleporting ponies can teleport to the ball, but cannot teleport away with the ball, because that's directly affecting the ball. They cannot use spells on the opposing team ... but CAN use spells to boost their own team, like giving a strong wind to make their sky team fly faster. They cannot make a wall of magic to block the ball, but they can make a temporary wall out of earth to block an incoming ball (as long as it goes away again right away). Remember that only the striker and goalie can use magic in-play.

10: The ball cannot go out of bounds. Whichever team caused the ball to go out of bounds loses the ball to the other team, who can then pass it in. If it cannot be determined which team caused the ball to go out of bounds, there will be a new face-off. (Offense: Out of Bounds)

11: Magic cannot be used to utterly destroy the field. Any magic that deforms or reshapes the field needs to put it back within a certain time limit depending on the nature of the deformation. (these rules are very detailed and lengthy and, in RP, are dependent upon the Rule Of Drama.) (Offense: Destruction of Field)

12: No pony can enter the opposing team's zone unless the ball has already gone into that zone. Once the ball leaves the opposing team's zone, they have 10 seconds to leave the zone themselves. (Offense: Invasion) If an Invasion offense is called, then the ball changes possession.

13: No pony can make a shot on the opposing team's goal from their own zone unless they already have a player in that zone. (IE: the ball has been out of the enemy zone for less than 10 seconds.) (Offense: Longshot)

14: Each shift is started off with a face-off. This consists of two ponies, each standing outside a ten-foot-radius circle in the center of the field. The referee places the ball in the center of the circle, and then backs away. As soon as the referee does not have a hoof inside the circle, the two players can dart forward and try to take control of the ball. (In YHO and Junior Hoofball games, they have to wait for a referee to blow a whistle.)

15: Out-of-bounds penalties are handled by having the ball passed in from out-of-bounds. All other penalties are usually awarded with a free kick on the goal from anywhere in the free kick zone. Players who incur too many penalties, or grossly attempt to injure another player, are removed from the game. This is left to the referee's judgement.

[HarringtonSleuth]

Extensive and Detailed List of Lore Suggestions:

Uniforms: Traditionally, the home team will wear their team colors and the visiting team will wear white or gray. The Appleoosa Cowpokes of the professional Equestria Hoofball League are an exception as they insist on wearing white at home games. Special occasions may also prompt the teams to wear jerseys that are not usual for their teams.

Ground Team members do not have any additional patches or marks on their uniforms. The Sky Team members have a cloud patch in a conspicuous location, the Striker will have an "S" and the goaltender will either have a "G" or wear a contrasting jersey from the rest of the team. This is so the referees can determine which players have certain permissions. Players may not act as a position they are not marked as. (Offense: Acting out of position).

Players must wear their given name (or a recognizable name if their full name is impractical to fit on a jersey) as well as an identifying number unique from everypony else on the team. When filling in rosters, starting lineups and kickoff lineups, the head coach will submit the player's full name, jersey name (if different), jersey number and position. For pro rosters, captains and assistant captains will also be noted.

Any equipment other than regulation gear must be approved by the governing league and is on a case-by-case basis. Any player wearing unapproved equipment or equipment out of position must leave the game to correct the problem before they may return. Any player who returns without correcting the problem will be assessed a minor offense (Offense: Equipment Violation)

Penalty system: Pro ball: 4 offenses and a player is out for the remainder of the game. Minor offenses count as one, majors count as two and match offenses (such as injuring or attempting to injure an opponent or any other gross misconduct) are automatic ejections. YHO and Junior Hoofball leagues may elect to lower this number to 3 to promote clean play. Match fouls may incur further action from the league.

Some offenses, such as Long Shot, Invasion or Out of Bounds, will instead result in a face-off or change of possession. These will be classified as possession offenses and count as zero.

Delay of game offenses, such as Face-Off Violation, Too Many Ponies and Illegal Substitution, will result in one sweeping warning to the offending team, then a minor offense to any subsequent offenders. No warnings will be given for delay of game in the last five minutes of the third shift or at any moment during overtime.

If the non-offending team has the ball at the time of a foul, play will continue until the offending team gains possession or another rule mandates a stoppage of play. Any goal scored by the non-offending team will be upheld, then the offense will be assessed. If the offending team has the ball at the time of a foul, play will be stopped immediately to assess the offense. Any goal scored for the offending team, other than an own goal by the non-offending team, will not count.

Swapping out: Any player may swap out on-the-fly, but only a maximum of 10 are allowed on the field. The player leaving must be within 5 feet of the bench for his/her replacement to leave the bench. If the player leaving is any further from the bench, play will be stopped. (Offense: Too many ponies) Like positions are only allowed to swap out for like positions (e.g. no Ground Team tagging out for Sky Team) (Offense: Illegal substitution) If play is stopped, teams will have a given time limit to change members out. In pro ball, the visitors will have 10 seconds to change first, then the hosts will have 15 seconds. In YHO and Junior Hoofball, both teams will have 15 seconds to swap at the same time.

Kickoff: Each team must submit its lineup of three attackers prior to each kickoff cycle. This lineup must include at least one member from each position class (except goaltender). This cycle of threes will continue for the duration of the kickoff. Once a player has kicked, they may not kick again until all others in their position have kicked. The game ends once a team is ahead at the end of a cycle or cannot be tied before the end of a cycle.

The player must wait for the referee's whistle before (s)he may proceed. Any infractions by the kicking team will cause a "no goal" result on the kick. Any infractions by the defending team will cause a "goal" result for that kick. The procedure will be given before the kickoff and no warnings will be given on infractions.

Face-offs: Only one Ground Team player or Striker from each team may take up the face-off spot at the edge of the circle. All others must take up an alternate place corresponding to their position, at least 15 feet away from the circle. Any false start or violation of the official's instructions will result in a delay of game offense (Offense: Face-Off Violation)

On-side vs Off-side: The position of both hind hooves will determine a player's position for the purposes of the Invasion rule. Both hind hooves must be over the line for a player to cross. One hind hoof over the line means the player has not changed zones. Flags will mark these boundaries for the Sky Zone.

Fights: Fights will not be tolerated at the YHO/Junior level and will incur a match offense. Fights at the development/pro level will result in a major offense for all involved (Offense: Fighting)) To assess fighting, at least two must engage in the fight and all who engage are to be penalized.

Interference: Players are allowed to lengthen an opponent's path to the ball as long as they do not physically or magically restrain them in doing so. (Offense: Interference) This is a minimum minor depending on the severity of contact.

Players are also not allowed to block the goaltender's vision or interfere with a goaltender attempting to play the ball. (Offense: Goaltender Interference) Any goal scored from interference will be nullified.

Timeouts: Each team gets three, 1-minute timeouts per game. Substitutions are allowed during this time. Once the timeout period ends, teams have 10 seconds to clear the field except for the lineup who will play. Each team will also have two injury timeouts that will be used anytime play is stopped to remove an injured player from the game. Any subsequent injuries will cost the team one timeout. If they have no timeouts, the opponent will get one free kick. Play will always be stopped for a player who cannot remove himself/herself from the game. Injured players must be substituted immediately following a stoppage.

Empty net: Each team may replace its goaltender for one extra player in any other position. This is often used late in the third shift when a team is down by one or two and an extra Striker is usually placed in the game, though teams have the option to send an extra pony in any position to maximize their particular offensive strengths. Any goaltender replaced in this manner may not return on-the-fly, but only at a stoppage of play. The team with an empty net may not have a player acting as goaltender. Long shot rules still apply (which means no goal can ever be scored on a long shot).

Rough play: Physical play is allowed, though going too far may result in offenses. This list is as extensive as there are ways to hurt a player. These are divided into three classes based on the minimum level of offense a referee may assess based on his/her judgment. Examples include:

Minimum minor: Roughing, Deforming the Field and Interference

Minimum major: Stabbing, Wing-Clipping and Projectile Throwing (the ball must be the only projectile in play)

Mandatory match: Slew-hoofing (the act of kicking a player's legs out from under them in any way that causes a violent fall/collision), intentionally attempting to injure an opponent, injury of an opponent as a result of any physical offense

Note on match due to injury: The injured player must be unable to proceed to their bench without assistance due to a physical offense. If able to proceed, the referee will assess an offense based on his/her judgment.

Coaches: Coaches, at all levels, are required to meet restrictions depending on the level of play they wish to coach for. Most pro coaches usually start in the YHO/Junior leagues as a coach or player. Coaches are responsible for the general conduct of their teams. Misconduct may result in penalties against the team and/or coach. If a coach is ejected from the game, (s)he may not continue to communicate with the team by any means for the rest of the game. Assistant coaches are subject to the same standards and penalties, but unless the head coach is absent for any reason, no assistant coach may act in the same capacity as the head coach.

The head coach is responsible for submitting rosters, starting lineups and kickoff lineups. In YHO/Junior Hoofball, both coaches will submit these simultaneously. In Pro/D-League, rosters will be submitted at the same time, but the visiting head coach will submit their starting lineup first. The host coach will have a chance to view this before submitting their own starting lineup. Kickoff lineups will also be submitted by the visitor first. The player's name, not their number, will determine eligibility.

Captains (Pro/D-League only): Captains and assistant captains may be designated as the sole means of communication between officials and teams in the event of a dispute or other special situation. The captain is the first player who may act in this role. If the captain is not on the field, any assistant captain may act in this role. The captain will wear a "C" patch on his/her uniform and assistant captains will wear an "A" patch. Any other player or coach who attempts to act in this capacity will be ignored and assessed an offense based on severity (Offense: Illegal communication). If no captains or assistant captains are on the field at the time, then the referee will designate one player as temporary captain until the issue is resolved.

Playoffs (Don't talk about playoffs!!): Each YHO/Junior Hoofball League will have its own system to determine its champion team. The professional and development leagues have one system. The EHL plays for the Celestial Cup. For the pros, the leagues are split between two divisions of eight teams. The top four teams in each division will enter the playoffs, with the number 1 seed hosting the number 4 seed and the number 2 seed hosting the number 3 seed. Each round will be a best-of-5 series, with the following schedule being used to determine the host.

Game 1: Higher

Game 2: Higher

Game 3: Lower

Game 4: Lower (if necessary)

Game 5: Higher (if necessary)

The team with the better record will host the Celestial Cup Finals.

In the professional playoffs, there are no kickoffs. If a game is tied at the end of regulation, the teams will enter a sudden-death, continuous overtime of 20-minute shifts with 15 minutes between regulation and overtime as well as each overtime period. The first goal scored wins.

The champion team will be presented the Cup by Princess Celestia herself, members will have their names engraved on the Cup and that team will keep the Cup until a new champion earns it.

For History of the Equestria Hoofball League:

The game of hoofball was invented 150 years prior to the present day. It remained heavily a local sport in the region of Baltimare and local villas. For 65 years, its lack of popularity was due to its reputation as a ruffian's game and the lack of racial diversity in most other regions meant ponies for certain positions the game just couldn't be found.

The game was demonstrated by two rival Baltimare teams in Canterlot. Though hard-hitting and rough at times as onlookers feared, the teams demonstrated finesse, strategy and athleticism like few other sports could rival. Trickle-down could not describe how the sport caught on from there. It resembled more of a waterfall. Teams and fields quickly sprouted up all across Equestria, and cities would go out of their way to recruit prospects. Single-race cities such as Cloudsdale and Las Pegasus found fan loyalties split by nearly every city in the nation because of the demand for Sky Team and Striker pegasi. Though it would be while longer before a professional league could form due to two rival leagues appearing, then eventually merging into the Equestria Hoofball League.

The Celestial Cup was created to award to the champion of the professional league that formed 53 years prior to the present day. The trophy grew from a simple bowl to a towering trophy as tall as Luna over the years. The Cup bears the names of the champion teams as well as its members and is a travelling trophy. When the defending champion is no longer in contention to defend their title, they surrender the Cup to be given to the new champion. Per tradition, each member and coach spends one day with the Cup as their companion in any way they see fit, which leads to several strange stories of what this award has seen. They had to make a replica to stand in at its headquarters in Baltimare when the real Cup is out and about. Players are also incredibly superstitious about the Cup and will not touch it until they have won it lest they doom themselves to a career without a championship.

There are currently 16 EHL teams with development league affiliates across the nation. Recent talks have opened up to inviting foreign competition, either in the League itself or as part of an international tournament.

[Bramble Rose]

That is some very good feedback! I'm going to definitely incorporate some of that. I can't give it a full review right now, but there's a lot of good stuff there.

I can say that I definitely want to keep the rules shorter and more general, so that they're easy to read and subject to Rule Of Drama, so I'm probably not going to incorporate some of the finer details of rough play and minor/major offenses and the like, but there's a lot of the rest of it I'm going to definitely bring in.

[Bramble Rose]

1: I like your ideas on visiting teams playing white, but generally isn't it the home team that wears white?

2: I like your thoughts about 'playing out of position' but ... there's nothing against Sky Team players playing as if they're Ground Team. In fact, that's rather the point. So the only real worry is having too many ponies flying - so "Too many ponies in the Sky" and "Too many ponies in play" (if they have more than 10 ponies on the field) Other than that, I like the idea of a team playing it risky and having extra pegasus ponies on the field, so long as there are never more than three in the sky at any given point in time.

The goalie should totally wear a different jersey, but other than counting how many are in the sky, I'd say that the only ones the refs need to keep track of are goalies and strikers. For the goalies, sure, give them an extra jersey ... I think I'd rather the striker just be 'known' as the current striker, and that lets strikers be able to sub in for ground team members, so long as they act as ground team members. The players shouldn't be pigeonholed into their positions, they should be able to cycle around if they need to, in the case of injury and particular strategies.

3: I like ruling that for professional and college level teams, they have to wear name and number. I think that Junior and YHO players probably have generic jerseys.

4: I think the penalty system should remain nice and vague. I don't want to get too detailed on that. Leave it up to rule of drama and the judgement of the refs.

5: I like 'change of possession' offenses, and will move that in.

6: I think that kickoff should be handled by ground team, as kickoff is the 'base' of the match.

7: I like the on-side vs. off-side 'where are your hooves' thing. Especially if we vary it up depending on your level of play. Because that's a thing.

8: I like the interference rules for the goaltender. I'm going to include those. Also Empty Net rules.

9: I didn't even think of playoffs, good idea! I don't like the 'best of five' idea. I rather like the idea of having one game to decide it. Every game is vital. I also like the sudden-death rules.

10: I LOVE THE STORY YOU BUILT. Very, very, very nice. XD

For everything else, I'm going to want to hand-wave it a bit for rule of drama. I do like several of the ideas, but I don't want to CODIFY them, because I think it might get in the way of RP a bit. The idea is to have a common idea of how things work - not necissarily to make a very rigid set of rules.

[HarringtonSleuth]

For the home jersey color, that depends on the sport. In basketball, the home team usually wears white. In American football, the home team wears their primary colors and the away team wears white (except for the Dallas Cowboys, who typically wear white at all games unless they are on the road and the home team wears a color that forces the Cowboys to wear something different. Hence the reference with the Appleoosa Cowpokes.) For other sports similar to this (international football and hockey) it seems the home team more often chooses to wear its primary colors than whites.

Thinking a bit more, with how rough the sport sounds, single elimination sounds more ideal. The higher-seeded team will host each playoff game through the league finals. For the EHL championship game, the team with the better record hosts. Awards for regular-season and postseason play are presented annually at the Awards Banquet in Canterlot and are hosted by the commissioner one week after the EHL title game except the Cup and the MVP award, which are given at the conclusion of the championship.