How to Play Quidditch (Updated 1/20/13)

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All information below about the game was taken from here.

The Basics

The game is played by two teams of seven people (three Chasers, two Beaters, one Keeper, and one Seeker) and involves four balls (a Quaffle, two Bludgers, and a Golden Snitch).

* The Keeper guards the Goal posts,

* The three Chasers score goals with the Quaffle by tossing it into one of the opposing team's three goal posts,

* The two Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team and hit the bludgers towards the opposing team,

* The Seeker catches the Golden Snitch.

The object of the game is to score more points than your opponents. Each goal is worth ten points and catching the Snitch is worth one-hundred fifty points. The game ends when the Snitch is caught or an agreement is reached between the captains of both teams. Some games can go on for many days if the Snitch is not caught (the record, according to Quidditch Through the Ages, is six months).  

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Rules

1. Players must not stray over the boundary lines of the pitch, although they may fly as high as desired. The Quaffle must be surrendered to the opposition if any player leaves the boundary (it is unknown what the penalty is if a player on defense leaves the pitch).

2. 'Time out' may be called at any time by the Captain of a team. Time out may be extended to two hours if a game has already lasted for more than twelve hours. Failure to return to the pitch after this time will lead to the team being disqualified.

3. Penalties can be awarded to teams by the referee. A single Chaser may take the penalty by flying from the central circle towards the scoring area. The opposing team's Keeper may attempt to stop the shot being scored, but all other players must not interfere (it is unknown if the seeker may still attempt to catch the snitch while a penalty is being attempted).

4. Contact is allowed, but a player may not seize hold of another player's broomstick or any part of their anatomy.

5. No substitution of players is allowed throughout the game, even if a player is too injured or tired to continue to play, unless there are reserve players present.

6. Players may take their wands onto the pitch, but they must not be used on or against any players, any players' broomsticks, the referee, any of the four balls, or the spectators.

7. A game of Quidditch will only end once the Golden Snitch has been caught, or at the mutual consent of both team Captains.

Fouls

1. Blagging: No player may seize any part of an opponent's broom to slow or hinder the player

2. Blatching: No player may fly with the intent to collide

3. Blurting: No player may lock broom handles with the intent to steer an opponent off course

4. Bumphing: Beaters must not hit Bludgers towards spectators

5. Cobbing: Players must not use their elbows against opponents

6. Flacking: Keepers must not defend the posts from behind by punching Quaffles out of the hoops - goals must be defended from the front

7. Haversacking: Chasers must not still be in contact with the Quaffle as it passes through a hoop

8. Quaffle-pocking: Chasers must not tamper with the Quaffle in any way

9. Snitchnip: No player other than the Seeker may touch or catch the Golden Snitch (unknown what would happen if this occured by accident)

10. Stooging: No more than one Chaser is allowed in the scoring area at any one time  

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Equipment
Acquaint yourself with the equipment of Quidditch

Golden Snitch


Bludger Bay


Bludger


Bludger Bat


Quaffle


Quidditch Uniform
During official Quidditch matches, the players must wear standard equipment and the uniform, consisting of a cape, gloves, shin and arm guards, and goggles when the game is played under rainy conditions.* Players in different positions may have different equipment; for example, Beaters carry bats, and Keepers wear protective headgear.

*Click here for more information on Quidditch Uniforms.

 

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How To Play in the Guild

The rules of the game have not changed. It is still the Quidditch game you know and love!

Instead, however, you will be rolling one dice with 20 sides on it when you post. This can be done whenever you go to post a new post, scroll down to where it says Post Action, and select Roll Dice. Where it says Select Dice, select 20 sided. Where it says number of dice, put in 1. Just like the old system, you roll the dice, roleplaying the action that you want to achieve; your next post can be a reaction to the successful/failed roll.

The only times you roll the dice is if you're near the goal posts, about to hit a Bludger, trying to catch the snitch, or trying to block the Quaffle from going in.

Do not edit your post in Quidditch; it'll slow you down. For example, if you are a Seeker and roll the correct number to spot the Snitch in your post, comment about spotting it and chasing it in your next post as you simultaneously roll to catch it. In short, your posts will be slightly behind your dice rolls.

Each player has 3 lives unless you have Dang Healthy. You must display these lives in your post. I don't care if you strike them out (Life 1) or simply remove them from your post, but you must show everyone how many lives you have. If you are hit with a Bludger, you lose a life. Those who lose all 3 lives are knocked unconscious and will be transported immediately to the St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

The guild calendar illustrates the days in which games will be held. If the Snitch is not caught by Wednesday after the Saturday game, the Quidditch Referee will end the game to make way for the next game for the following Saturday.

Chaser

It takes about three posts to make it from one side of the Quidditch Pitch to the other. Once you're about to post your third post and have possession of the Quaffle, that's when you can roll. Roll your dice on your third post. If your roll number is larger than the Keeper's, the Quaffle will go in. If your roll is lower than the Keeper's, the Keeper has caught the Quaffle and it belongs to the opposing team. Chasers may only receive the Quaffle in three ways: their Keeper throws it to them, they steal the Quaffle from the other team, or they are passed the Quaffle by another teammate (you may simply roleplay a pass to another teammate). If you and your teammates pass to each other and there is a total of three posts from all teammates who received the Quaffle, you are eligible to score by rolling the dice.

Keeper

When a Chaser rolls a number, it's up to you to keep the Quaffle away from the goal posts. If you roll higher than the Chaser's roll, you've saved the goal and now your team is in the possession of the ball; you may throw it to anyone you choose on your team. If you do not roll higher than the Chaser's roll, then it's 10 points to the other team (you and your team will have ball possession as well).

Seeker

Seekers are usually by themselves and their only jobs are to catch the Golden Snitch. A Seeker must roll a 19 or above to spot the Golden Snitch. To catch it, they must roll a 20 or higher. When the Golden Snitch has been caught, the game ends and the team whose Seeker caught the Golden Snitch is awarded one-hundred-and-fifty (150) points.

Beater

Beaters protect their team members from Bludgers. In your post, you must say who you are aiming to hit and then roll to hit them. If you do not beat their AC, you have not hit anybody, but have hit the Bludger away. Any roll of a natural 3 or below means you have completely missed and the Bludger has hit you. If someone is trying to hit one of your own teammates with a Bludger, roll at least a 16 to reach the Bludger in time and hit it away. If you don't roll correctly, your teammate loses a life. If you try to reach the Bludger in time and hit it away, say who you are aiming the Bludger at in the post. In that instance, you must beat that player's AC. Please note that for beaters, you may only attempt one hit per move down the pitch as well as all beaters must take hits at different players at a time. This is to help prevent spamming the bludgers at players in the thread.

Modifiers

Modifiers can give you the edge in a game of Quidditch and can be used to your advantage!

How it works is simple. You roll the dice in your post and add (or sometimes subtract) the modifiers. First, let us determine the modifiers you qualify for.

Experience playing Quidditch:
1-2 years = +1
3-4 years = +2
5-6 years = +3

Training:
(In order to add these as modifiers, you must have completed the course)
Advanced Flying I = +1
Advanced Flying II = +2

The ones above are very basic for everyone. The next section is a choice on your part, as the player. It is what makes every player just a tad different. You may have a maximum of 3 special skills. Any with more than that number will be automatically disqualified and would be required to edit their form accordingly.

Special Skills:
(Note: All of the skills listed here get a +2 to rolls, unless otherwise stated)

Sharp Eyes - used to help seekers spot the snitch
Natural Flyer - could be a bonus to flying-related rolls
Good Arm - used to shoot the quaffle
Mean Swing - used in an attempt to hit a bludger
Deft Dodger - used to try and avoid bludgers
Great Catch - used to catch the quaffle/snitch
Dang Healthy - adds an additional life to a player
Hold the Line - used to block the shot of a chaser to score
Swift Swipe - used to steal the quaffle from an opponent

So, now you have your character's roll modifier! Whenever you roll in your post, you will add these in to the original post. Meaning, you won't know what your roll is until after you post your post. You will go in after you post, now knowing your dice roll, and add you modifiers to the roll (e.g. I rolled a 6. Add 1 for two years of flying, add 1 for Advanced Flying I, and add 2 for Good Arm. My final and total roll is 10). Announce the total in the first post and then do a reaction post to the either successful or failed post.

We also mentioned that there were some modifiers that subtracted from your dice roll. The following are the few that do.

Weather Conditions:
Windy, Rain, Snow -1
Thunderstorm, Sleet, Hail -2
For every life lost, add another -1 to all rolls.

Modifier Gamplay

Note: All new changes are in red.

Now, to throw everything into the actual gameplay of Quidditch. Going back to the earlier example: I rolled a 6. Add 1 for two years of flying, add 1 for Advanced Flying I, and add 2 for Good Arm. My final and total roll is 10. Imagine that this was my attempt at throwing the Quaffle into the goal.

The Keeper, on the other hand, tries to block. They also roll a d20 and come up with a 16. The Keeper is a new player and has no experience playing Quidditch. Their modifiers only come from Special Skill: Hold the Line, which adds a +2 to their roll of 16. This is at a total of 18.

However, this Keeper has been targeted by the bludger twice, and has lost two lives, which subtracts 2 from the total. Thus, their roll is still only 16, but they can successfully block the ball by the more experienced player because they rolled the dice so well.

Seekers and the Snitch. To spot the snitch, the seeker would have to roll a 19 or higher to spot the snitch (dice roll + Sharp Eyes + modifiers), and to catch the snitch, they would have to roll a 20 or higher.

A Beater rolls to swing to hit a player with the Bludger. They come up with a 12, but they get a +2 from 4 years in Quidditch. They also have Mean Swing (another +2), and have taken Advanced Flying I and II (+1 and +2). Thus, their final roll total would be a 19.

AC and Your Player

Looking back on our beater example, it might be very easy for the Beater to start dealing out damage. To make this fair, every player gets Armour Class, or AC, which determines how high a Beater must roll to hit you. Everyone automatically gets an AC of 10 as a base. Then, add your modifiers like you would with rolling. The special skills that add on to the AC number are Deft Dodger and Natural Flyer (the other special skills have no affect on your AC). Thus, if a player has Deft Dodger, Advanced Flying I, and five years in Quidditch, they would have a grand total of 16 (10+2+1+3=16).

Looking back at the example above with our Beater and the Deft Dodger player, the Bludger would hit because it was a 19 versus 16.

In the result of a tie between the roll and the AC, the defender always wins. That means if our Beater only got a result of 16, they would not have hit the player, since the defender's AC was 16.

Also, the chance for beaters getting hit by the Bludger they are aiming for is not dependent upon their AC, but instead dependent upon what they actually roll. Meaning, the original number the dice rolls without modifiers. Beaters will hit themselves with the Bludger if they roll a 3 or lower and will take damage.

Stealing the Quaffle would work in very much the same way. If a player has Swift Swipe (much like Mean Swing), they would have to beat their opponent's AC to get the Quaffle from them. If successful, they get the Quaffle, and obviously have an opportunity to move it up the field.

Announcements

For future reference, there is a limit on your posts. You can only post once per six hours, unless your opposing player has posted. Then and only then may you post again. This is the same rule as was in the previous game rules, but due to people ignoring it, it is being emphasized here. It also applies to goals; if the keeper hasn't posted in six hours, you have two options, either wait for the keeper, or you may post the goal as counting due to an unattended goal. This is to promote fairness for those that are otherwise occupied due to real life, and allows them a chance to post before the time limit is over.  

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Questions About Quidditch

If you have any questions, suggestions, or issues with the way something is set up in Quidditch or something just doesn't work, please ask in the A Wizard's Handbook so we can fix it ASAP.

General questions will be posted here.

Answered Questions

Q: "How are team captains decided?"

A: "The crew will assign them based on activity in the guild, interest in Quidditch, and how well they do with others. Also how well they explain things and roleplay will slightly come into the equation. From there, the team captains decide who they want to take over the team when they leave the guild."

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Q: "There doesn't seem to be enough people to make a full Quidditch teams for all the nationalities. Do they get to play in the Cup?"

A: "Sadly, no. They have to be able to fill their teams with all the required positions in order to qualify to play."  

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Try-Outs Guide For Team Captains

Because of the amount of players wanting a specific position on the field, teams are welcome to have try-outs in the Professional International Quidditch subforum.

Things to consider when choosing members for your team:

+ Are they active?
+ Did they show up when you requested?
+ Are they getting the hang of the game?
+ Do they play well with the whole team?
+ Can they roleplay?
+ Are they fun to be around?
+ Do they understand the rules and way to play Quidditch?
+ Will they throw a tantrum if they lose? Are given criticism?
And the mother of all questions:
+ Have they received a Flying Certificate?

Remember, not everyone can be on the team, but try-outs will help separate the best players from the not-so-best. Returning players must still try-out again.

When we say try-out, we mean posting a date and time on the Bulletin Board to meet up and play. See who is not following the above guidelines and make a educated decision as to who should be removed.

Try out dates are posted on the guild calendar. Please remember to check often!  

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Each team will make their own thread (only the team captains can do that) to practice in. Game threads will be created by the crew.

Post and practice away in your threads. If you are interested in becoming a Team Captain or joining a team, please fill out the application. Good luck!