Lineball

Written by woxbirdie, but with much credit to AstralOmega for soundboarding and brainstorming.

Don't be fooled -- it's pronounced leen-ball. Lineball is a popular sport -- perhaps the popular sport of Magha V. Like many sports, the objective is to score by getting the ball from one end of the field to the other. Goals are achieved by bouncing the ball off a flat trampoline, and the game is played with hands.

History

Lineball developed out of an orcish sport. Common knowledge says that the sport was played with enemy skulls and spears, because common knowledge is only ever about fifty percent correct. The orcs did use spears instead of trampolines, but used hard-shelled fruit as their then-spearballs. Succesful points were left on the spears to act as a tally system, and winning was either the most points in the time limit, or the first to the top of all three spears, although a popular variation was the first to one full spear.

Common knowledge also says orcs played the sport after battle, but it was more commonly played after hunting and gathering; it was considered bad sportsmanship to join the game with bloodlust running high.

The sport was adopted by half-orcs, then by humans, who quickly modified the rules to reduce the risk of running into an angled spear by mistake.

Execution

Initial ball possession is decided by centre ball toss. Players can take a maximum of three steps while in possession before passing. If a player in possession is out of bounds, play is resumed by throw-in by the defensive team. If the ball is dropped and caught by the defensive team on the first bounce, play continues; otherwise, play is resumed by defensive team throw-in. Points are scored when a player bounces the ball off their trampoline and the rebound is caught on the full by a member of the offensive team. Lineball is a full contact sport, but players who deliberately begin a fight are given a two minute penalty.

Components and tools

The modern iteration of the game uses two trampolines (lines), a marked field and a medium-sized soft round ball.

Participants

Professional games are nine-a-side, but three-, five- and seven-a-side are common variations. One to two referees are often allocated.