Quidditch Rules & Gameplay

A big Quidditch tryout occurs at the start of each new school year, hosted by the Flying Instructor. All four houses share the pitch that night, though are run individually by each house Captain -- putting potential players through a few drills, with their own scoring systems or rules etc.

However, this is no longer an event we RP. With our Quidditch schedule overhaul, there wasn't anywhere to fit a Tryout thread and they were mostly for fun rather than necessary. 

Once #2 has concluded, a member can request a place on their house team via our Discord at any time. The only requirement is that your character must have at least 10 posts and is active. Simply make your request in the #quidditch channel to get started. A RP sample, quizzing of the rules, post length / activity check, or otherwise may be included in the process.

If accepted, you and the Captain receive 70 Flying exp. If rejected, you must wait 60 days (RL) to ask again.

It's always the Captain's decision (if available) who joins the team and what position they're given. You can try for a specific position or be open to any, but nothing's guaranteed; you may request Chaser and instead be made the Seeker. Some positions are needed more than others, or the Captain believes you / your character would be better suited for something else. 
Note: similar to classes, Quidditch practices are in their own "bubble" of RPG time and exempt from the "not two places at once" rule; while IC they are held at a set time of day (morning or afternoon) and are to be RP'ed as such, thus take place before / after certain meals or classes for your character... the threads themselves are open all RPG day.

This allows for more time to play out a practice, unhindered by anything else happening on site or being stuck there while others have free time etc. The threads are available once Breakfast ends, and must be wrapped up before Dinner begins though may be done sooner if the Captain / team wish.

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Before the start of your team's first match of the season, a practice is pre-booked as part of the RPG schedule. After that, it's the responsibility of each Captain to book more throughout the year if needed. Priority's given to teams with upcoming matches.

Though gameplay is modded similar to a real match, Captains are in charge of these threads and may run the event however they want (within reason). However, only 1 Bludger is used -- though the Captain may choose to use none. Current weather also impacts practice matches.

Practices are private -- hidden from members who aren't in the same house, to protect the team's strategy or progress. If you have more than one character, and thus have access to more than one practice area, you are expected to keep the secrets. For full privacy, there's team-only channels in our Discord.

Despite the name, practice matches are not full matches. It's a training and strategy-learning event that's sometimes broken into several parts. The Captain may have the Chasers and Keepers working at the goalposts, release a Bludger for the Beaters to race at hitting back and forth or practicing aim, or have the Seeker play a game of catch and release with the snitch. 

Members are being trained as well; it's the Captain's duty to ensure everyone knows how to play. Quidditch buttons must be used during a practice, as they would during a match -- to keep in the habit of using them.

Note for Captains: To conclude a practice (mod will hand out rewards and consider the event finished, though exit posts are permitted afterwards), you need to return all balls and bats to the Quidditch Box. Retrieve the Snitch, Quaffle, and bats from your players -- if the Seeker hasn't caught the Snitch yet, free-RP doing so yourself.

To recall the Bludger, stand beside the Quidditch box (make sure you're not holding a bat). Free-RP it rocketing towards you, to which you'll need to tackle / catch it, then wrestle it into the box. Securely latch it in. Captain recall of the Bludger always overrides any targeting etc it was doing beforehand; no modding is required.
All official Quidditch season matches are pre-booked to occur at a certain point in the school year rather than on a specific RPG day. Student-wise, it's a day of no classes or other events. These matches exist outside of the current schedule, slotted in somewhere around their activation day story-wise.

This new exemption method prevents matches from limiting characters or members, halting RPG progress as we wait for the match to end, and allows for longer gameplay without a strict time pressure. All players still need to be attentive and active, and the match must conclude before its allocated RPG month is over.

Spectators are allowed, but have no impact on the matches. Weather is chosen at random for match threads, and may provide additional obstacles or dangers for players. An NPC student gives commentary throughout -- updating the score, major events, and who's winning. 

Your team's score at the end of a match (earned from goals + snitch + penalty rewards), and accumulated throughout the season, determines your rank towards winning the Quidditch Cup. Matches are an exciting event on HAU, though mods pay close attention that gameplay rules are followed -- please check all relevant threads and our Discord often for any updates.

If a player consistently doesn't perform their duties, due to inactivity or not following the rules, a Captain may afterwards either assign them a different position or remove them from the team. This isn't done lightly, but please ensure you're as active and attentive as you can be -- your team relies on it. If something happens in RL that compromises this, you must inform your Captain and HAU staff ASAP.

A character can sit out of a match if absolutely necessary, so long as the team still starts the match with their required 1 Seeker and 1 Chaser minimum to play.