peckishmods | POT THAT QUOD (Reply)

HOW DO I QUODPOT?

Note: Beyond the concept of an explosive Quod, a goal Pot, and eleven players per team, pretty much everything is of our own invention. Quodpot as it functions in Peckenpaugh’s universe has little basis in canon and may not function as it does in other games that feature Quodpot.

Overview

Quodpot is an aerial sport played on a football field-sized pitch wherein two teams of eleven players wrestle for control of a Quaffle-sized ball, the Quod, and race to get it to a floating cauldron, the Pot, on the far side of the opposing team's zone. It all sounds very straightforward, right? Almost boring? Well...

The thing about the Quod is that it’s rigged to explode, and no one knows how long it will last round-to-round. That volatile little bugger can go anywhere from forty seconds to six minutes before it blows, and that’s ignoring the fact that our temperamental friend is getting tossed around and fought over. Nobody likes being thrown, especially not angry, explosive spheres. The only thing that’ll neutralize the volatile qualities of the Quod is the magical solution in the Pot. Conveniently, landing the Quod in the Pot is also how you score points. So, take it to the hole, y’all.

Complicating matters is the fact that the Quod makes a mess when it goes off. Sparks and smoke are problematic enough, but Quodpot doesn’t stop there. Quods are often full of other materials — glitter, colored powder, paint, applesauce — and holding the dang thing can get quite difficult as the game goes on. Players (and audience members in splash zone seats) won’t know what the “secret ingredient” is until the first Quod explosion of the game. Further adding to the mess is that the Pot fires off a spray of colored powder and glitter every time a goal is made. Suffice it to say, nobody’s leaving a Quodpot game with a clean shirt.

Each time a Quod explodes, any players in contact with the ball are eliminated from the field for the rest of the game. In this way, play continues until only one player remains on the pitch, or, in accordance with the North American High School Quodpot League’s standards, two hours have elapsed, whichever comes first. Once one of these conditions has been met, the team with the most points is declared the winner, even if they were the first to be wholly eliminated.

Quodpot is the most popular broom sport in North America, and for good reason: it's fast paced, exciting and satisfyingly messy.

Rules

GENERAL RULES

Each team may have a maximum of 11 players on the pitch at any time.
Any players holding the Quod when it explodes are eliminated from play for the rest of the game and cannot be replaced with a reserve. Gloves are enchanted to change color while in contact with a Quod and the color lingers after an explosion for easily determining who must leave the pitch.
In the event of debilitating injury not caused by Quod explosion, a player may be subbed out for a reserve.
During initial Face-Offs for the Quod, each team will usually send in one of their Sparrows to compete for the Quod. Some teams use one of their Falcons, instead. Only one player from each team is allowed within the Face-Off circle during the Face-Off phase of play.

VIOLATIONS

The offensive team (the team in possession of the Quod) may only have eight players in the defender's zone during play. Too many offensive players in the defender's half of the pitch is a Flocking Violation.
Once a ball has passed the halfway point on the pitch, the offensive team cannot take it back into their zone. Doing so is a Pitchback Violation.
A pass must be made or a shot attempted within 30 seconds of receiving the Quod. An individual player holding onto the Quod for too long is a Brooding Violation. Similarly, Cooking the Grenade occurs when a team passes the Quod around without attempting a shot in an effort to pass it off on the other team just before it explodes. This is technically a violation, but hard to call. Given the volatile nature of the Quod, this tactic is not common.
Any time an offensive violation is called, a new Quod is introduced and handed off to the other team.

CHECKING, PENALTIES & FOULS

Checking is a fundamental part of play in Quodpot, but forceful checking (elbowing or punching, especially above the shoulders) earns a foul. If a team racks up 5 of these fouls in 18 minutes of play, the opposing team is awarded one penalty shot at the end of the round.
Hitting from behind, broom holding, broom flipping, dive-bombing (purposefully crashing into another player to knock them off their broom), throwing the Quod with the intent to hit another player (in the face, for example) rather than pass are all considered aggressive body fouls which earn 2 minutes in the penalty box for the offender and one free throw per foul to the player targeted.
Fighting and excessive unsportsmanlike conduct results in a 10 minute penalty. Continued poor sportsmanship will result in ejection from the game and possible censure.
PENALTY SHOTS: Uncontested shots taken from within the Scoring Zone at the Free Shot line, which is parallel to the pot. Penalty shots are awarded as delineated above. The average player makes 50 - 70% of their penalty shots. The best penalty shot makers average about 90% accuracy throughout the season.

Positions

Positions in Quodpot are dynamic, used more to indicate a player's particular strength than delineate what they are allowed to do in the air. Any player, regardless of position, may handle the Quod and score for their team. There are three positions in Quodpot, and as players are eliminated from the field, roles are shuffled to accommodate. The standard team layout is 5 Sparrows, 4 Kestrels, 2 Falcons, but in theory teams can organize their rosters however they would like. Peckenpaugh plays a standard team, while Ilvermorny, known for its strong defense, utilizes just 1 Falcon and 5 Kestrels.

SPARROWS: Primary scorers, their focus is on forward movement, getting the Quod to the Pot as quickly as possible. On offense they try to avoid direct engagement, dodging Falcons and Kestrels, and work in groups to keep opposing players off whoever is holding the Quod. When on defense, they engage the opposing team's Sparrows to try and intercept the Quod. Sparrows focus on evasive maneuverability, speed, passing and shooting accuracy. As Sparrows are usually the first to be eliminated from play, just about everyone on a team trains extensively in this position to make up for lost teammates as a game goes on.
KESTRELS: Guards and interceptors, Kestrels make up a team's defensive line. Their main job is to make it impossible to get the Quod to the Pot, blocking and intercepting passes and engaging Sparrows and Falcons. Kestrels are typically divided into Forwards who join the Sparrows in pushing into the scoring zone, and Rear Kestrels, who hang back watching for interceptions or pincer plays. The most valuable skills for Kestrels are catching, passing, accuracy, shooting and stability.
FALCONS: Dynamic skirmishers who adapt to the flow of the game. Falcons are primarily concerned with harrying whoever has or is going after the Quod. They get in close, disrupting plays and formations, clearing a path for Sparrows on offense and attempting to steal the Quod directly on defense. Some teams forego Falcons in favor of having their Sparrows play more aggressively. Falcons require skill in all aspects of the game to really shine, but benefit most from high balance and a healthy dose of fearlessness.

The Pitch

The Quodpot Pitch is roughly football field sized — 300ft x 160ft — rectangular in shape but with rounded edges. Scores, fouls and time elapsed is broadcast with magical lights cast against the Pitch’s tall stadium stands at either end of the arena. The boundaries of the Pitch are charmed to catch any stray Quods or runaway players before they can crash into the spectator stands. Though not unlike hitting a loose net, caught Quods often explode on impact. Those that do not slowly fall to the ground (where, yes, they probably explode if they haven’t already).

On either end of the pitch are two floating black cauldrons, each with a lipped mouth about 2ft in diameter and an overall depth of roughly 1 ½ft. Surrounding each cauldron is the Scoring Zone, demarcated both on the ground with circle drawn in chalk and in the air with faint blue lines of fog that ring each Pot, rotating a bit like animated illustrations of electrons around a nucleus.

The halfway point of the pitch is indicated by a line reflected both on the ground in chalk and in the air with faint blue magical fog. In the very center of the Pitch is a 4ft diameter circle, the Face-Off Zone, where new Quods are introduced.

Spectators are seated in elevated bleachers not unlike the ones seen in Quodpot fields. Certain stands are considered “within the splash zone,” which means what you think it does: sit here and you’re going to get splattered. Generally, anyone seated near the Pots or in the front rows of the stands is going to catch some filth at some point during the game.

Scoring

There are five ways to score in Quodpot:

Goals made from within the Scoring Zone are worth two points. These are the most standard goals made.
Goals made from outside the Scoring Zone are worth three points. Distance from the Pot and higher chance of interception make these more difficult.
Penalty shots are worth one point. These are awarded after certain fouls (refer to rules for details) and are made uncontested from within the scoring sphere.
Dunking is legal and worth one point. Throwing yourself from your broom to hand deliver the Quod to the Pot will also net you a great deal of audience adulation, generally.
The last team standing on the Pitch earns a bonus five points at the end of the game.

Equipment & Gear

In order to play Quodpot properly, you'll need a number of exploding Quods, two goal Pots and plenty of neutralizing solution, called Defusing Draught. The Pots get refilled with Defusing Draught throughout the game as necessary.

Proper outfitting is a little more complicated. It should come as no surprise that Quodpot is a risky game. If you're not getting knocked off your broom in an aerial dog fight, then something is exploding in your hands. The North American High School Quodpot Association is strict about compliance with safety measures, particularly as it pertains to gear. All players are outfitted in lightly padded uniforms (called Quodpot leathers), magically reinforced for additional protection. Gloves come with enhanced mundane grips, but may not be enchanted with further gripping properties. Standard Quodpot boots are light, flexible and come above the ankle for support. Helmets and goggles are mandatory. Mouthguards are not required, but are encouraged.

What to Expect from Quodpot Games In Play

Peckenpaugh faces off against other schools in eight games, alternating home and away. There will be space to post reactions and thread scenes at each game, with away venues hopefully including some fun backdrops for everyone. The explosive “secret ingredient” in the Quod is the same throughout the game and will be announced in the write up.

Junior Varsity will play before Varsity, with JV getting a one paragraph summary and Varsity receiving a more detailed (but still bullet point) breakdown of the game. Stats will be provided. Cheerleaders and the marching band play and perform throughout both games, but they get their own focused show between the JV and Varsity games. Locals, including family members, day school students and fans are permitted to attend Quodpot (and Quidditch!) games. We ask that you not bring NPC family members or friends into direct focus during these events through threading. They're just there to support the kids.

Accidental fouls are a great deal more common in Quodpot than in Quidditch. Some Quodpot players and teams do play more aggressively, or even dirty, but just about every team is going to amass a few penalties throughout the game. We will try to be mindful of your character's playstyle. Generally, our preference is to leave the finer details of how a foul or injury happened up to the Players (that is, real people behind the characters).

Injuries can range from minor scrapes and bruises to burns to broken bones. Quod explosions can daze players, and may cause light singing/burning, but a properly working Quod will not severely injure anyone when it explodes. The most significant injuries are instead amassed through player roughing — that's right, humans were the real monsters all along. We're all wizards here, so most harm can be fixed up lickety-split. There is always a healer on site to tend to injuries, and eligible players with light injuries may rejoin the game between rounds, but there are instances where an injury is so severe it benches a player for the rest of the game.

POT THAT QUOD