User blog:EvilhariboMadness/IC Sport at Hogwarts

Hello everyone! Albeit this is belated, at the recent admin meeting it was discussed on what could happen to Quidditch as AI and the admin team feels as if it’s become stagnant with a lack of interest in the form of consistent posts. That, paired with an increased difficulty on GMing the games in general, has led to the discussion of alternatives. With what was decided in the meeting and what AI has expanded since, this blog serves as a way to account for what will happen starting this IC year.

What’s Happening?
Starting this IC year, the sport that we focus on that is roleplayed at Hogwarts will be subject to change each year as to keep interest fresh and new. This will be done on the basis of how popular the sport is, how many people consistently roleplay it and how well it works being roleplayed out. At the moment, the three roleplayable sports devised are Quidditch, Duelling and Duellball. Muggle sports such as lacrosse, traditional football, rugby and hockey may also be roleplayed if there is an interest for it.

This IC year will largely serve as a trial run for this new system; if it flourishes like we hope it will, then it will become the system in place. If, however, there is the desire for Quidditch to be the only roleplayed sport at Hogwarts, AI will do our best to revamp Quidditch and make it more enjoyable for sportsmen and GMers alike.

The Fate of Quidditch
So that begs the question, what happens to poor old Quidditch? Quite simply, it’ll become an OOC aspect of life at Hogwarts.. You still can - and will be encouraged to - sign up for captains and positions but be prepared to know that there will be no games roleplayed out unless there’s a special occasion. There are a few reasons that we have chosen to do this;


 * 1) It gives Quidditch the long needed break it deserves. Whilst we can all say we love Quidditch, roleplaying student Quidditch again and again becomes repetitive and with concerns about our current game master rules being voiced, it has been decided that Quidditch should be shelved for the time being. It still can come back! As mentioned, if the wiki shows enough interest once again in Quidditch then AI will be more than happy to reinstate it as the roleplayed sport at Hogwarts
 * 2) Whilst we could just scrap Quidditch altogether for the time being, AI recognises that it is intrinsically an important part of the Harry Potter universe and thus DARP. Through keeping it OOC, we can still have it involved in the Hogwarts school year without the commitment to post for what can be - and has been - a repetitive sport to roleplay.
 * 3) It gives us the chance for other explorations of Quidditch! Captains will be encouraged to roleplay the training, nights out of celebrations, rivalries - everything but the Games! AI will be more than happy to post fictional scores for each Quidditch game so that there is a basis for these roleplays. These scores will be randomised so there’ll be no bias.

When it comes to the Champions of the Quidditch Cup, this too will be randomised at the end of the year.

Duelling
This setup for Duelling has been done by users Aeradise and Asteriea - thank you for letting AI use the set up you’ve both created! :)


 * Each house will run its own mini tournament to find two champions.
 * The numbers for this may vary but there ideally should be an equal number of participants.
 * The inter-house brackets will consist of pairs until there are three pairs remaining in which there will be a six way duel.
 * There will be three winners from this who will then battle in the house final to find the said two champions; the first person to yield in this duel is out.
 * Semi-Final: The winning champion pairs will duel in two matches against one another; the two winning pairs will go through.
 * Finals: These pairs will then go into two duels against one another, their house champion mate. (Example: the two Ravenclaw champions will go against one another) The two winners will go through.
 * Finale: The winners of the previous match will go against one another. The winner of this match will be the duelling champion for the year.

Other notable rules include;


 * There will be a set time limit for each of the matches; if one person fails to post within this time limit then their character automatically yields from the duel and their opponent wins.
 * There can be up to three spells cast per post. They can be either offensive or defensive so that there is flexibility there for posts.

Duellball
[https://protips.dickssportinggoods.com/sports-and-activities/soccer/soccer-positions-the-numbers-player-roles-basic-formations For anyone who needs some basic information on football/soccer. ] Setup & Rules=
 * 7 players
 * 2 forwards (centre forward & second striker)
 * 2 defenders (centre-back & wing-back)
 * 2 midfielders (centre midfield, wide midfield)
 * 1 goalkeeper

These are the following rules proposed; Kicks & Cards= A free kick happens when:
 * Characters can use any magic sans dark magic against the opponents, but only when the ball is in play (using magic when the ball isn't in play is immediate grounds for a red card)
 * Dark magic is also immediate grounds for a red card
 * Yellow is a warning and a red card is a dismissal of that player
 * 2 yellow cards = 1 red card
 * No replacement if ejected
 * Most rules of football are void, and will follow Quidditch rules
 * Offside rule can be tedious, but it’s still there
 * The referee is on the ground, but the linesmen are on brooms circling the pitch and looking for offsides


 * Kicks or attempts to kick an opponent
 * Trips or attempts to trip an opponent
 * Jumps at an opponent
 * Charges an opponent
 * Strikes or attempts to strike an opponent
 * Pushes an opponent
 * Tackles an opponent
 * Holds an opponent
 * Spits at an opponent
 * Handles the ball deliberately

A Yellow Card is issued when:


 * Unsporting behavior
 * Dissent by word or action
 * Persistent infringement of the Laws of the Game
 * Delaying the restart of play
 * Failure to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick,free kick, or throw-in
 * Entering or re-entering the field of play without the referee’s permission
 * Deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee’s permission

A Red Card is issued when:

Types of Kicks & Penalties= Types of Kicks:
 * Serious foul play
 * Violent conduct
 * Spitting at an opponent or any other person
 * Denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (the goalkeeper being an exception)
 * Denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal by an offense punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick
 * Using offensive or abusive language and/or gestures
 * Receiving a second caution (yellow card) in the same match
 * A corner kick is awarded to the offensive team when the defensive team plays the ball out of bounds over its goal line. The ball is placed within the corner area and is kicked back into play by the offensive team. Players can score directly off a corner kick.
 * A goal kick is awarded when the offensive team plays the ball out of bounds over the defensive team’s goal line. After the ball is out of play, the defender or goalkeeper may place the ball anywhere within the six-yard goal box and kick the ball back into play

Penalty Kicks are awarded when…


 * Plays in a dangerous manner
 * Impedes the progress of an opponent
 * Prevents the goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his/her hands
 * Commits any other unmentioned offense

Vote
Below is a vote in which you, the userbase, can choose what IC sport we are doing this year. The vote will close one week from today, the 14th August, and the sport will commence immediately. If you have any questions about any of the new sports listed, please comment them down below and myself or someone from AI or Aera (in the case of duelling) will be able to answer them! :)

Additionally, please do sign up your characters for the Quidditch positions, thank you!!

- The AI Team

Which IC sport would you like to see this year? Duelling Tournament Duellball Quidditch