Pitch Bowl

Pitch Bowl Rulebook

Table of Contents

Equipment

26 PLAYER pieces (2 teams of 13: 9 Three-Quarters, 1 Three-Quarter Ball Carrier, 2 Runners and 1 Runner Ball Carrier). In the rules that follow, the person playing the game is called the COACH, to distinguish them from the PLAYERS (the pieces on the field).
1 BALL piece
1 field
1 coin (not supplied)

Players and the Ball

Each piece has an active side (front) and a passive side (back).

After cleaning the surface of the piece with a dry cloth, stick on the stickers as shown.

Only the "Ball" piece is identical on both sides.

The Field

The field is bounded by the sidelines and the end lines. The grey parts of the field are the outside of the field.

The two end zones are red and blue. They are bounded by the end line, the sidelines and the goal line.

The field is divided into 2 halves, separated by the centre line.

The darkest green squares, which carry numbers, are the wings.

The large red-white-blue line across the 3 central squares of the centre line is the centre line marker.

The "Pitch"

Coaches move players (and sometimes the ball) with a "pitch", that is a flick of the fingernail. The player is said to be "pitched" (from the verb "to pitch", coined for the occasion).

Pieces may only be propelled by the tip of the finger.

It is forbidden to touch anything other than the piece being played. Any piece touched in error is put back in place.

When a player is pitched, it performs one action. It is then turned over so that its passive side shows, to signify that it has finished acting for the turn.

Player Movement

Except as noted (Bonus Action, see below), every player in the team in play may be pitched once during the team's turn.

Except as noted (Going All-Out, see below), the active player may only reach squares within its movement score away (see the Movement Table). If it reaches squares further away, that is a foul which ends its team's turn.

This rule applies to all actions.

Only the movement of the active player is considered, not that of the other players. Thus, a player pushed by the active player may reach an unlimited number of squares.

Movement Score = the squares that can be reached during a move:

Three-Quarters: 1C (1 square)
Runners: 2C (2 squares)

Movement Table

The player is located in the square marked X.

If it is a Three-Quarter, it may reach the 1C squares normally, and the 2C squares by Going All-Out (see below). If it is a Runner, it may reach the 1C and 2C squares normally, and the 3C squares by Going All-Out.

3C	3C	3C	3C	3C	3C	3C
3C	2C	2C	2C	2C	2C	3C
3C	2C	1C	1C	1C	2C	3C
3C	2C	1C	X	1C	2C	3C
3C	2C	1C	1C

VERY IMPORTANT RULE: A player on a line is considered to be part of the 2 squares it occupies. A player on an intersection is considered to be part of the 4 squares it occupies.

Note: a player on an intersection therefore has a wider field of movement in every direction than the same player not touching any lines.

Announcing Decisive Actions

The decisive actions are: Strip the Ball, Pick Up the Ball, Hand Off and Pass the Ball (shown in blue in the rules).

Decisive actions require an Announcement: the coach who has one of his players perform a decisive action must announce it aloud to his opponent.

The announcement comes before the pitch: an announcement is made BEFORE pitching.

If the decisive action was not announced, it does not take place and the action performed is considered a simple action.

Example: the coach forgets to announce that the player he is about to pitch will perform a Strip the Ball action. The pitched player touches the opposing ball carrier before any other piece. As the decisive action was not announced, it is only a Block: the opponent keeps the ball.

If a coach misses an announced action, he loses the initiative (see below).

Kick-Off

The Coin Toss

Toss a coin. The coach who wins decides whether to kick or to receive.

Team Placement

The coach who kicks the ball is the defender. He places his players first, in his half of the field.

The coach who receives the ball is the attacker. He places his players second, in his half of the field.

Starting placement of the teams must follow these rules:

11 players, no more and no less.
At least 3 players touching the centre line marker.
At most 2 players on a wing.

No player may overlap the centre line.

The Kick-Off

The kick-off is the opening kick. The defending coach stands upright facing his edge of the field, without touching it. He then throws the Ball piece into the opposing half of the field (like a frisbee, for example).

The coach who receives the ball begins his turn.

TOUCH BACK: If the kicking coach fails to land the Ball piece in the opposing half of the field (end zone included), there is a "TOUCH BACK": the attacking coach may give the ball to any player of his team. Replace one of the players with the corresponding "ball carrier" piece.

Actions

The different possible actions are as follows.

Run

A player may move simply, without touching any piece whatsoever.

A team may make an unlimited number of Runs in its turn.

* GOING ALL-OUT (METTRE LE PAQUET): This is a special kind of movement. "Going All-Out" means reaching one more square than is allowed in a move (a Run, a Block, a Pick Up of the ball, a Hand Off or a Clearance).

ONLY ONE PLAYER of the team may Go All-Out in the turn.

The second player who Goes All-Out commits a foul, and his coach loses the initiative.

In all cases, a player may not exceed its movement score by 2 squares or more.

If a player exceeds its allowed movement, place the player inside the zone improperly crossed, without touching the line, and put back in place the players who were improperly moved. The coach loses the initiative.

Block

A player blocks the first opponent it touches.

A team may make an unlimited number of Blocks in its turn.

* STRIP THE BALL (ARRACHER LE BALLON): This is the block of the ball carrier. A coach may announce that one of his players strips the ball from the opposing ball carrier.

SUCCESS: the blocking player touches the ball carrier before any other piece. The blocker takes possession of the ball. It is replaced by the corresponding "ball carrier" piece, and the Ball piece is removed from play. This player gets an extra pitch.
FAILURE: the active coach loses the initiative.

Note: if there is no prior announcement, it is a simple Block, and the opposing player keeps the ball.

Pick Up the Ball

A coach may announce that one of his players picks up the ball.

SUCCESS: the player touches the ball. Remove the Ball piece from the field and replace the player who picked it up with the corresponding "ball carrier" piece. The player piece is set aside, off the field. This player gets an extra pitch.
FAILURE: the active coach loses the initiative.

BONUS ACTION: A player who picks up the ball or strips the ball gets an extra pitch, which it may (and must) perform immediately.

Note: if there is no prior announcement, there is a Clearance and the coach loses the initiative (see below).

Hand Off

A coach may announce that the ball-carrying player attempts a Hand Off to a targeted teammate.

SUCCESS: the player must touch the targeted teammate during the action. Replace the "ball carrier" piece with the player's original piece, and replace the teammate with the corresponding "ball carrier" piece.
FAILURE: the player drops the ball. The opposing coach places the Ball piece, at the spot of his choice, against the clumsy player, and the active coach loses the initiative.

A team may make an unlimited number of Hand Offs in its turn.

Clearance

A player who touches the ball without having announced a Pick Up of the ball makes a Clearance. The active coach loses the initiative.

Pass

A coach may announce that one of his players makes a Pass to a teammate. Replace the "ball carrier" piece with the corresponding Player piece. Place the Ball piece against the Player piece. Simply pitch the ball. Unlike a Hand Off, where the player handing off may not exceed its allowed movement, the Ball may reach an unlimited number of squares.

A team may make only ONE PASS PER TURN.

SUCCESS: the Ball piece touches a teammate before any other piece. The piece that receives the ball is replaced by the corresponding "ball carrier" piece.
FAILURE: the active coach loses the initiative.

Note: the Ball piece cannot move a player. Any player moved by the ball, including the receiver of a pass, is put back in its original position.

Special case: INTERCEPTION. If the passer who announced a pass touches an opposing player first, that opponent intercepts the ball. Replace the opponent with the corresponding "ball carrier" piece. It is a failed pass, and the active coach loses the initiative.

Special Situations

OUT OF BOUNDS (HORS JEU): A player is out of bounds when it leaves the field by fully crossing the sideline or the end line. As soon as this happens, the active coach loses the initiative. An out-of-bounds player may not return to the field until the next kick-off.

BALL OUT (SORTIE): A ball that fully crosses the sideline, or leaves the field through an end zone, is out. The active coach loses the initiative. The opposing coach gives the ball to his player closest to the exit point, and takes his turn.

K.O.: A piece that is accidentally turned over during a pitch is considered to have played in the turn.

TOUCHDOWN: A ball carrier scores a touchdown in the following cases:

it properly touches the opposing end line;
it properly crosses the opposing end line;
it receives the ball while on the end line;
it receives the ball while in the end zone.

The team scores a point. Play is restarted. The coach who has just scored becomes the defender for the next phase of play.

Loss of Initiative

The active coach loses the initiative when one of the following situations occurs:

MISS (MALADRESSE): a player misses an announced action.
FALL (CHUTE): a player exceeds its movement without being able to benefit from "Going All-Out".
OUT OF BOUNDS (HORS JEU): a player of any team leaves the field.
CLEARANCE (DEGAGEMENT): the ball is pushed by the active player without being picked up.
BALL OUT (SORTIE): the ball leaves the field.
INTERCEPTION: an opponent intercepts the ball during a Pass.
END OF TURN (FIN DU TOUR): all the players of the team have been pitched and/or turned over.
TOUCHDOWN: a team has just scored properly.

Victory

The team that is the first to score 3 touchdowns wins the match.

Advanced Rule: Defensive Placement

This option is very tactical: reserved for seasoned Pitch Bowlers.

By mutual agreement, the coaches may decide to play the match with defensive placement.

Each time a player of the active team is properly pitched, the opposing coach may make a defensive placement. To do so, he pitches one of his active players, which must perform a Run without Going All-Out. He turns over the piece used after the defensive placement.

If the player activated for the defensive placement performs any action other than a Run without Going All-Out (it causes, in any way, the movement of an opposing piece or of the ball, exceeds its movement, etc.), the move is cancelled, and the defending coach may no longer make a defensive placement for the rest of the turn.

At the end of the turn, both coaches turn over all their inactive pieces, so that their active sides are visible.

Summary Table of Actions

Action	Description	Times per turn	Announcement	Bonus Action
Run	The player moves without touching an opposing player or the ball.	Unlimited	No	No
Block	The player blocks the first opposing player it touches.	Unlimited	No	No
Strip the Ball	The player who touches the opposing ball carrier before any other piece takes possession of the ball.	1	YES	YES
Pick Up the Ball	The player who touches the ball before any other piece picks it up.	1	YES	YES
Hand Off	The player must touch the targeted teammate to hand it the ball.