Nicholas Law : G-ball -- August 1991, revised October 1992. HTML translation by Andrew Boulton, January 1998
The sport of zero-G handball, widely called just G-ball, is played between two teams, each of nine players, of whom just five can be in the game at any time. The action happens inside a cylindrical court, 60m long and 30m in diameter, that is at zero gravity. A player scores one point by touching his or her opponents' goal while in possession of the spherical ball, the goals being 24m wide, circular areas marked on each end-wall.
A complete match is the best of seven sets, each set being the
best of seven points. After each point, play is stopped and the
teams return to their own halves of the court. The neutral zone,
a 6m slice midway along the cylinder, separates the two halves.
Substitution only occurs between points, when any number of players
can be substituted.
The game board shows a section through the court.
Each of the large squares is 6m across. These full-sized squares are referred to as air squares. Players in air squares are moving through the interior space of the court.
The half-squares and the four small corner squares around the edge represent the wall of the court and so are called wall squares. A player in one of these is assumed to be in contact with the wall. To be in contact with a goal he must be in one of the four, shaded wall squares at each end of the court. The small corner squares are not part of the goals. Players may not loiter on the goals. Those who are on a goal, either theirs or their opponents', must move off as soon as they can.
Any number of players, from either side, may occupy a square.
A player can be classed as a star in three different areas: jumping, catching and tackling. See below for the advantages that stars have.
A new team facing its debut season has a budget of 140 megacredits to buy star players. A player with a star rating in a single area costs MCr20, in two areas MCr60 and stars in all three areas MCr100. Players without star ratings do not count against this budget, and make up the rest of the team.
A player may not shift star ratings from one area to another,
but teams may always trade players.
The order of movement is partly determined by which team has initiative. If the optional morale rule is being used, then the team with the higher morale level has initiative.
If the morale levels are equal, or if that rule is not in use, then the team in possession of the ball automatically has initiative ; when the ball is loose, the home team has initiative.
(If playing at a neutral venue, a coin is tossed before starting
the first point of each set. The winner is considered to be the
'home team' for the point, both for this purpose and for when
starting play. Thereafter, the side which won the previous point
is the 'home team').
A turns represents about one second of playing time and is split into four phases:
Phase One MOVEMENT: First, the ball, if in no one's possession, moves one square in the direction of the arrows on the ball counter. Then the players are moved, in this order:
a) Players without star jumping of the team without initiative
b) Players without star jumping of the team with initiative
c) Players with star jumping of the team without initiative
d) Players with star jumping of the team with initiative.
Phase Two CATCHING & TACKLING: Players in the same square
as the ball may attempt to catch it, or tackle an opponent who
already possesses it. Note that catching and tackling depend on
the player's position after all movement has taken place. If the
ball enters a square which a player vacates later in the same
movement phase then a catch may not be attempted. At the end of
this phase, players in possession may throw the ball.
Phase Three BALL ONLY MOVEMENT: The ball, if loose, moves one
square in the direction shown by the arrows on its counter.
Phase Four SECOND CATCHING PHASE: Players in a square entered
by the ball in phase 3 may attempt to catch it. A ruck is the
only sort of tackling allowed in this phase. At the end of the
phase a player in possession may throw the ball.
Beginning with the away team, each side takes it in turn to place one player on the board until each team has placed five players. Once placed the players may not move until the ball has entered the court.
Players must start the point in a wall square in their own half (and so not in one of the neutral zone wall squares). If they start in a goal square they must jump from it in the first movement phase.
The ball enters play by being shot through a hole in the wall of the court. A die is rolled prior to the first point of each set (once the players are in position) to determine where the ball emerges. On a 1-3 it is placed in the neutral zone wall square to the left of the home team, on a 4-6 in the one to the right of the home team. The first turn then begins, with the ball moving across the court, into the adjacent neutral zone air square.
On the second and successive points of a set the ball starts in
the neutral zone wall square on the same side of the court as
the goal square in which the previous point was scored. It is
also placed so that the arrows showing the direction of flight
are at 45o to the wall, pointing back into the half of the team
which conceded the previous point.
MOVEMENT
The ball and players move one square in a phase. They may move diagonally as well as up/down/across. For players in air squares movement is compulsory. For players in wall squares movement is optional, unless they start the movement phase in a goal square.
Players must move in the direction shown by the arrow on their counter. Those in air squares may only turn as a result of contact with another player (see Changes of Direction).
Players in wall squares may turn at any time to face any direction,
up until they move.
Players may not move from a wall square into an adjacent wall square. Note that the outermost goal squares are not considered adjacent to those side-wall squares one move diagonally across from them, either for this rule or for passing out from the end-wall.
A team may never have, at the end of a phase, two players in an air square pointing in the same direction. This does not apply to wall squares. Two players from different teams may face the same way in the same square.
A player may not move from a wall square while in possession of the ball.
The ball bounces when it strikes the wall. A loose ball in a wall
square has its facing changed in phases 2 and 4. A ball moving
perpendicular to the wall is turned by 180o. This includes any
ball that enters a corner square. Balls striking the wall at 45o
are moved through a right angle.
CATCHING & PASSING
Players who are in the same square as a loose ball during phases 2 and 4 may attempt to catch it. To get possession they must roll 3+ on a six-sided die, star catchers getting to add one to their roll. If the catch is made remove the ball counter from the board and place the 'In Hand' counter on the catcher.
Only one player may have possession at a time, and only this player may control the ball. Those who are not in possession may not nudge or bat the ball (except, sometimes, in a maul: see below).
If a team has more than one player in the square, it chooses one
of them who will try to catch the ball. Should this player fail,
one, and only one, other player can attempt to make the catch.
A player may never attempt to make a catch in the same phase as
he or she lost a tackle roll.
Players in possession may throw the ball during phases 2 and 4. This is the final activity of these phases, so players may throw the ball in the same phase as they caught it. Throwing is optional, except for players in possession in one of their own goal squares, who must throw, or else leave a spinball, before they jump off.
The ball is placed in the throwing player's square, pointing in the direction in which the player wishes it to move in the following phase. Opposing players in the same square may not try and catch the ball.
For purposes of initiative and morale, the throwing player is
considered to still have possession up until when next someone
has tried to catch the ball: if successful, the catcher takes
possession; if not, the ball reverts to being in neither teams'
possession (the state in which it starts each point). The 'In
Hand' counter should be left on top of the throwing player, as
a reminder, until the next catching roll is made. This rule only
applies when the ball is deliberately thrown or left; players
who fumble immediately lose possession.
A player in a wall square may never throw the ball into an adjacent wall square. In particular, a player in his opponents' corner end-wall square may not throw the ball across the face of the goal, but only diagonally back towards the neutral zone.
A player in a side-wall square may not throw the ball forward.
He may throw it laterally across the court or back towards his
own end-wall. Players in possession on their own end-wall (goal
and corner squares) may make forward passes.
Spinball
Instead of throwing the ball, a player can, at the end of phases
2 and 4, leave it spinning within the square. A spinball does
not move during phase 1, while phases 3 and 4 are skipped. A player
may not therefore try to catch it in the turn in which it was
placed. although a spinball is otherwise caught as normal. A spinball
may be left in any square.
Handoff
Players in possession may also, at the end of phases 2 and 4, handoff, or pass the ball to another player in the same square. If in an air square, the receiving player must roll for a catch. Failure results in a spinball in that square, which no player may attempt to pick up in that turn.
If in a wall square, a handoff may be made without the need to roll for a catch. However, the presence of a star tackler of the opposing team in the same square prevents such a handoff being made. No dice are thrown for tackles; the star is assumed to have interposed himself between the two players. Only star tacklers may prevent handoffs in this manner. Opposing players may never prevent a handoff in an air square.
A player is ineligible to receive a handoff in the same turn as
he or she lost a tackle roll or failed in a prior catch attempt.
TACKLING
A square containing the ball and players from both teams is called a tackle square. Tackling may only take place in the same square as the ball. A tackle which does not involve the ball is called a block.
To determine the result of a tackle each player rolls a six-sided
die, star tacklers adding one to their roll. The highest roll
wins. Tied rolls are called fumbles, the effects of which are
detailed below.
When a player is tackled by several opponents at the same time, he still only rolls one die. The scores of his adversaries are not added together, but instead each is individually compared to that of the lone player. EXAMPLE: Player Alpha is tackled by players Chi and Gamma. Alpha rolls 4, Chi 5 and Gamma 1. Chi has beaten Alpha, but Alpha has beaten Gamma, and , as the two scores add up to five, Gamma is injured (see Injuries). Note, in a ruck involving two players from each side trying to catch the ball, each player compares his tackle score to those of both his opponents.
A player may tackle more than once in a phase in some circumstances.
The Ruck
The action inside a tackle square where the ball starts the phase loose is termed a ruck. It is the only sort of tackling allowed in Phase 4 and the only sort allowed in a wall square.
First, each side nominates upto two players who will contest the catch. These players are called receivers. Any additional players in the square can try to obstruct their adversaries, and so are labeled blockers. A blocker may never try to catch the ball.
Each blocker chooses one receiver to tackle; several blockers can combine against the same receiver.
Only those receivers who have first defeated all their blockers
are eligible to catch the ball. If receivers from both teams have
achieved this, each receiver rolls a tackle die. The highest may
attempt the catch. If this player fails, the second player of
the same team (if any) may now try, providing his tackle roll
was higher than any made by the opposing side. The losers of a
tackle roll may never attempt to make a catch.
FUMBLES: If a tackle between a blocker and a receiver is fumbled the receiver is prevented from catching the ball, and, if in an air square, there is a chance that the players may make an accidental turn (see below). If the block is fumbled in a wall square, both of the players must roll a die: on a 1, 2 or 3 he or she has strayed into an adjacent wall square and is called on a wall-walking penalty. The offending player is sent out (removed from the board) but may return for the following point.
If any of the tackles made between the receivers causes a fumble,
the resulting confusion of flailing limbs immediately brings the
phase to a halt: no catching attempts may be made, nor any changes
in direction, although injuries and fouls are resolved.
The Maul
The action within a tackle square where one side begins the phase in possession is termed a maul. Mauling is not allowed in a wall square, nor in Phase 4.
If there are players from the team in possession in the tackle
square other than the ball-carrier, then these extra players may
block for him. The blockers decide which tacklers they will oppose.
Each blocker can block only one player, but several can combine
against the same individual. Tacklers who are unopposed by blockers
go directly to tackle the ball-carrier, joining those who have
defeated all their blockers.
If the ball-carrier defeats all his tacklers then he retains possession. Otherwise, the successful tackler gains possession if he makes a catching roll. If several tacklers beat the ball-carrier's die roll, the tackling team chooses which one attempts the catch and if he fails one, and only one, other of those players may have a go. Should the tackling team fail to gain possession the ball comes loose, with no other player of either side able to catch it during that phase. The tackling team decides in which direction the ball moves off (note, this is the only time a player can aim the ball without having first caught it).
FUMBLES: If a blocker fumbles there is a chance of both players making an accidental turn (see below); the fumble prevents the tackler from confronting the ball-carrier.
Whenever the ball-carrier fumbles the phase ends immediately once
any injuries and fouls have been rolled, with no turning allowed.
The ball pops loose and goes off in a random direction. Roll a
die: a 1 means it will move off at 90o to the left of the direction
of the ball-carrier; 2 means it continues going in the same direction
as the ball-carrier; 3, at 90o to the right of the ball-carrier;
4, 5 and 6, respectively, 90o to the left, the same direction
as and 90o to the right of the tackler who caused the fumble.
(If two or more tacklers tie with the ball-carrier, randomly pick
one before rolling the die). The ball moves out of the tackle
square in the following phase; no player may try to catch it until
it has moved.
Injuries
If the two dice in a tackle roll add up to five, after modification for stars, then the loser is injured. The injured player rolls a die:
| 1 - 2 | STUNNED | the player misses the rest of the point, but may play the following point. |
| 3 - 4 | MINOR INJURY | the player misses the rest of the current set. |
| 5 | SERIOUS INJURY | the player misses the rest of the game, plus the next game as well. |
| 6 | SEVERE INJURY | the player is out for the next (die roll) games. If this second roll is another 6, the player is automatically out for the remainder of the season, or, if a veteran (q.v.), announces his or her retirement. |
In between games teams may call up any number of replacement players, but these cannot have star ratings nor be veterans, unless they are established players acquired from another team.
If a player tackled simultaneously by several opponents is injured twice or more then two or more dice are rolled and the highest result taken - injuries are not cumulative.
For convenience, remove injured players from the board. Play continues
without interruption. Substitutions may not be made until the
point is over.
Fouls
When a player is injured the player who won the tackle must also roll to see if a foul was committed:
| 1 - 3 | NO FOUL | |
| 4 - 5 | FOUL | The player is sent out and takes no further part in the point. They must also spend the following point in the Sin Bin. |
| 6 | SERIOUS FOUL | The player is expelled from the game, and suspended for the following game (a replacement may be signed, as with injured players). |
Remove fouling players from the board. Play is not stopped when
someone is sent out, nor may a substitution may be made until
the point is finished.
Tackling Declined
At the start of phases 2 and 4, the players in a tackle square may elect not to take part in the tackling. This is the choice of the individual: a player can decline to tackle even if a team-mate does tackle. The decision must be made before receivers and blockers are chosen and allocated, the team without initiative designating which players will not tackle, followed by the team with initiative. Any player in possession of the ball may not be so designated.
Players who opt not to tackle take no further part in the phase. They may not be tackled by their opponents; they may neither turn nor be turned; they may not try to catch the ball; they may not receive a handoff.
For the rest of the players tackling only stops when all those
from one team have been beaten.
Changes of Direction
Players in air squares may only turn as a result of contact with other players.
In phase 2, after catching and tackling have taken place, but before the ball is thrown, players who tackled in the phase and who won all of those tackles may turn by 45o. Players who lost a tackle may be turned 45o by the player who defeated them, even if that player was himself subsequently defeated in the phase. A player can only turn or be turned once in a phase, even if defeated by several tacklers, so his or her direction of movement at the end of the phase cannot be more than 45o away from what it was at the start. A player may not turn or be turned so as to face, at the end of the phase, in the same direction as a team-mate in the same square.
Players turn both themselves and their beaten adversaries in the
same order as they move. EXAMPLE: Player Alpha, with star jumping,
has defeated Omega but has himself been defeated by Chi. Neither
Omega or Chi have star jumping and so would normally move before
Alpha. Chi first turns Alpha, then himself. Because of his star,
Alpha turns Omega last of all.
Players in a tackle square who do not decline to tackle but who
for some reason do not tackle (e.g. a ball-carrier with good blockers;
a player all of whose adversaries decline) may also turn 45o provided
that they have a team-mate in the square with them.
During phase 2 only, players who are not in a tackle-square but who are in the same air square as at least one of their team-mates may also change direction by 45o. This is done at the very start of the phase, before any tackling and catching, in the same player order as movement.
Only those players involved in a ruck may turn in phase 4.
Accidental Turns
Whenever a block in an air square results in a fumble, the two tackling players concerned may possibly make a random, involuntary turn.
Each player rolls a die: on a 1 or 2 they must turn 45o to their
left, on a 5 or 6 they must turn 45o to their right, otherwise
they continue as they are. These turns are made before any others
in the tackle square. Should so turning cause a player to face,
at the end of the phase, in the same direction as a team-mate
in the same square, then the two players are both called on a
ganging penalty and are sent out (removed from the board). They
may return for the next point. If the team-mate was in possession
he may throw, handoff or place a spinball as his final act in
the court.
Veterans & Morale
Veteran players are those who are in their fifth or more season
in the leagues, a season lasting about two standard years. As
time has blunted their edge, they may not possess star ratings.
However, their coolness sets an example to their junior team-mates.
When a new team fills out its roster upto two players can be veterans.
Each team has a morale level, which is equal to the number of veteran players currently in the game (i.e. not those on the bench, injured, or sent out) plus the following modifiers, which are all cumulative:
+1 : The team is in possession of the ball
+1 : The team won the previous point (this doesn't apply during the first point of any set)
+1 : The team has home court advantage (this doesn't extend to
teams at neutral venues who are the 'home team' as regards initiative)
Morale levels change from phase to phase. The team with higher morale has initiative.
If the difference between morale levels is two or more then the
team at the lower level is demoralised, or, as the old G-ball
saying has it, is 'under the cosh'. A demoralised team temporarily
loses all its star ratings until the morale deficit is reduced.
Earned Stars
Players may earn star ratings through exceptional performance.
If, within a single set, a player
- scores a 'hat-trick' of three consecutive points, they gain a star jumper rating;
- attempts 8 or more catches, with a success rate of 0.833 or better, they gain a star catcher rating (receiving a handoff in a wall square does not count as a catch, although it does in an air square);
- is involved in 8 or more tackles, with a win ratio of 0.555
or better, they gain a star tackler rating (fumbles count as losses;
being tackled by several opponents at once counts here as a single
tackle, and only a win if all are defeated).
These ratings take immediate effect.
Veterans may not earn stars this way, nor do players earn additional
stars in areas for which they already have them.
Seasons
The number of professional seasons experience that a player has
had can be made up, or found using the following method: two dice
are rolled to generate the first and second digits of a number
between 11 and 66. Veteran players consult a separate table :-
| Non-Veteran Player | Veteran Player | ||
| 11 - 26 | Rookie | 11 - 32 | 5th Season |
| 31 - 44 | 2nd Season | 33 - 45 | 6th Season |
| 45 - 56 | 3rd Season | 46 - 55 | 7th Season |
| 61 - 66 | 4th Season | 56 - 63 | 8th Season |
| 64 - 65 | 9th Season | ||
| 66 | 10th Season | ||
As a result of the next road game often being a dozen light years
away, seasons are spread over eighty weeks, with a twenty-four
week off-season.
a) GANGING: Two players from the same team may not face in the same direction in an air square - the flying wedge is definitely not permitted.
b) HOLDING: To prevent tackles becoming brawls, players are not allowed to hold the ball against their bodies.
c) ILLEGAL FORWARD PASS: Players must be in an air square or on their own end-wall to make a forward pass.
d) JUMPING WITH THE BALL: Players may not move from a wall square while in possession.
e) OFFSIDE: Players may not stay in goal squares.
f) PARALLEL PASS: The ball may not be thrown from one wall square into an adjacent one.
g) WALL-WALKING: Players may not move from a wall square into
an adjacent one.
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