Murder Ball

Murder Ball (aka Death Ball)

LORD STEVENSON THE THIRD OF ANTIOCH OF TIR ASLEEN (a sample Murder Ball)

Overview: Murder Ball, as it's played in Eriador, is a scenario battle similar to soccer, field hockey, or Blood Bowl, but the ball is usually larger and deals BLACK damage.

Objective: The object of the game is to score goals by either carrying (with weapons) or propelling the ball into the opponent's goal. Teams can play to a certain number of points or with a fixed time limit.

Marshal requirements: Minimum 2 marshals, located at opposite corners of the field to observe out of bounds and goals. Two additional marshals are helpful for ensuring players take damage accurately and for retrieving balls that go out of bounds. Marshals reserve the right to eject players for unsafe behavior, unsportsmanlike conduct, rhinohiding, or any other violations of Belegarth rules.

Basic Rules:

• 1. SAFETY FIRST!
• 2. Players may use any legal Belegarth weapons; Belegarth combat, bashing, and grappling rules apply.
• 3. The ball does black damage, meaning it deals the greatest amount of damage possible upon contact. Players may move the ball by hitting it with weapons along the ground or picking up the ball between two weapons. The ball must NOT touch the player or they lose the area that the ball touched (i.e. an arm or leg). The ball can be blocked with a shield, but per black damage rules, the shield is then considered 'broken' and must be dropped.
• 4. Kicking the ball is allowed, however the offending leg is immediately sacrificed and counts towards normal damage.
• 5. The ball must remain visible at all times; you may not carry it behind a shield. If you are in possession of the ball and are struck with a hit, you must immediately drop the ball.
• 6. Play continues until a goal is scored. When a goal is scored, the ball is reset to the middle and players return to their respective goals. Play begins again when "Lay on!" is called.
• 7. Goals should be loudly declared, but scoring is ultimately up to a Marshal's discretion.
• 8. Upon death, players should exit the fighting field and walk to a designated respawn point or area (typically behind the goals or at the far corners of the field) and count 30 seconds (time can be variable depending on size of field). When re-entering, players should always declare themselves (i.e. "3, 2, 1 UP!").
  

As with all scenario games, regional differences exist, but the general idea is the same. Feel free to add any other versions below!