Overball is a field sport, with elements of earthly soccer, rugby, and volleyball. The game is named so because the ball, called the overball, remains in play only while it is in the air. Movement stops when the ball touches the ground. Overball is the favorite pastime of common citizens and nobility alike.
It is thought by some conspiracy theorists that overball was invented by the ruling elite to distract citizens from corruption and tyranny.
Field and Equipment
The overball field is (approximately) 100 meters long by 40 meters wide, with a goal area on each side that's about 10 meters deep. The goal area is called the shade. The field is divided up into ten sections, each about 10 meters thick, called spills. The center of the field, at the halfline, is the ring, and the center point on the field is called the center pip. There is also one triangle dead center in the second spill on each side, which are called the back pips. These back pips are used for penalty kicks and kickoffs. The center pip is only used at the start of the game during pip-off, where the ball is placed on a divet where an underground spring launcher punches the ball into the air.
Players
There can be no more than ten players on a side at any given time.
Backfield
- Defender
- Leftback
- Rightback
The defender and the two backs are mostly on the backfield to defend against any sudden deep penetration of their home shade.
Back and Midfield
- Roamer
The roamer floats anywhere in the back and midfield. When a roamer is in play, usually a midfielder or a backfielder is replaced, depending on the other team's play style.
Midfield
- Center
- Left Midrider
- Right Midrider
The Center is traditionally the most versatile player on the field, as he can cover all the surrounding positions, but the other difficult positions to play are roamer and trader. The two midriders are also similarly veratile, able to play both back and front fields, though they are often large in size to enable strong hits all along the midfield.
Frontfield
- Left Forward
- Right Forward
- Left Breaker
- Right Breaker
- Frontrider
The forwards are usually the fastest and most agile players on the team, second to the backs. They are the ones most likely to score. The breakers are typically some of the largest players. Their job is to wreak havoc on the others team from the flank side. They also provide solid blocking for the forwards. The frontrider plays the entire front zone in a defense-heavy formation, which is usually used to give other frontfielders a rest.
Other
- Trader
The trader can cover any position, and is usually used to provide active relief to the other players. The trader is typically a very skilled player, oftentimes used as a sort of ringer for when the other players are injured or tired.
The initial positioning on the field upon "pip-off" has the players from each side lined up as in the diagram. During the rest of the game, players can take whatever positioning they want, barring any limitations (dead ball buffer).
Gameplay
The premise is that the ball must be in the air in order to make forward progress for a side, whose object is to get the overball into the opposite side's shade. The ball may be thrown, popped, kicked, tossed, or bumped forwards to another player.
Players may catch the ball, but they can only run backwards or sideways with it, never forwards (players may run forward after gaining possesion of the ball as long as they stay within their spill). The other side may attempt to create a dead ball by tackling the player only during a carry. A tackle puts the ball into the other side's possession with a stop, which is when players are reset and that side starts with the ball in hand. During a stop, the other side must buffer by positioning in the adjacent spills. The side in possession can only have a maximum of three players within the spill of the overball.
If the ball hits the ground outside of a tackle, it becomes grounded and players can only kick it backwards or sideways, never forwards. Players can only carry it by kicking it up to another player.
Scoring happens when a side gains control of the ball within the other team's shade. They then switch sides and the defender kicks off from the back pip.
A backstop happens when a side gains control of the ball inside the driving side's shade. The overball is then placed in the nearest back pip and gameplay resumes in the recovering side's possession. This is the only time a player can "handle" the ball while grounded.
Penalties
- Intentional Grounding - If a player has control of the overball, he cannot intentionally ground the ball (so as to resume kicking it back to teammates) to avoid tackle. He can only throw or kick the ball forward to get rid of it.
- Contact Foul - A player cannot tackle, slam, kick, punch, etc. another player who does not have control of the ball except when actively trying to go to the ball.
- Contact Foul (Kicking) - A player cannot contact another player with the soul of their feet except in instances where a player goes down and gets stepped on during normal gameplay.
- Contact Foul (Slicing) - A play cannot use the head when making a tackle.
- Contact Foul (Sweeping) - A player cannot sweep another player off their feet except when making a play to get the ball.
- Holding - A player cannot grab onto another player's jersey except during a tackle attempt.
- Handling - A player cannot touch the ball with his hands unless another player kicks it into the air.
- Interference - A player cannot force another player out of the way to gain access to a ball in play.
- Illegal Forward Motion - A player cannot kick the ball forward while it's grounded, nor can he carry it forward.
- Out of Bounds - The ball resumes play in the other side's possession from the position in was upon exiting the field (whichever team last made contact with the ball gives up possession).