Incomplete pass question

Borg · Post by **Borg** » Sun Nov 06, 2005 11:01 am

We had this situation coming up yesterday and didn't know 100% sure how to resolve it.

Thrower makes an inaccurate throw to his Catcher on the sideline.
Now you have to scatter three times to know the exact place the ball winds up in (before bouncing)
However on the first of the three scatters the ball goes out of bounds.

Should this end the action here and should the ball be thrown in by the fans at this point ?
or do you have to complete the three scatters first before a ball can in effect be "out of bounds" ?

This is how we played it (probably wrong)
- inaccurate pass
- scatter 1 goes out of bounds
- scatter 2 goes back in bounds
- scatter 3 ended up in the catcher's square, who failed to catch it, re-rolled and failed again
- ball scattered out of bounds
- fans threw it back on the pitch

What is the correct way to solve this ?

Darkson · Post by **Darkson** » Sun Nov 06, 2005 11:39 am

As soon as the ball goes off the field, you resolve the fans throw. There are no futher scatters from the original pass, as there are no squares off the field to count.

So yeah, you got it wrong, but don't panic, as you're not the first, and I doubt you'll be the last.

Snew · Post by **Snew** » Sun Nov 06, 2005 3:20 pm

Darkson's right but I hate that interpretation.

The final square in the 3 times is where the ball is thrown to due to being inaccurate. It doesn't zip around like some silly cartoon football trying not to be caught but a fan grabs it as soon as it crossed the sideline.

Like I said. The official interpretation is just as Darkson said, but you can play it any way your group likes. Just make sure you all play it that way every time. If that's what you decide to do, congratulations, you have your first house rule.

Darkson · Post by **Darkson** » Sun Nov 06, 2005 8:11 pm

Have to say, when we first started playing 3rd ed, we did it the same way, counting squares off-pitch (abstractly of course). Doesn't make a huge amount of difference, as long as you apply it consistently.
Just be aware if you ever attend tourneys the "official" rule is as I said above.

The Florist · Post by **The Florist** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 2:23 am

Also make sure you bring your own stopwatch for the four minute turn limit thing, asking to borrow one from the arrangers is frowned upon.
And I understand a bullhorn for calling illegal procedure through is the stylÃsh thing to have these days.

Snew · Post by **Snew** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 5:11 am

Those are Eurobowl rules but only if you're playing German or Italian coaches and facing East or South respectively.

arv9673 · Post by **arv9673** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 12:40 pm

Snew wrote: It doesn't zip around like some silly cartoon football trying not to be caught but a fan grabs it as soon as it crossed the sideline.

I have always interpreted an inaccurate pass scattering three times as it wobbling in the air before it gets to the intended square (i.e. a lame duck throw) and therefore, the three rolls were to deteremine where it ended up, not actual bounces. So if it goes off in our league, I will argue that we keep rolling all three. So, I agree they did it right. That's not to say I'll win the argument. We have lots of passionate, fickle people. Makes for an interesting league.

slup · Post by **slup** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 2:20 pm

It is in the FAQ LRB page 64:

Q: Is a thrown ball or kick-off that scatters off the pitch thrown back in by the crowd as soon as it leaves the field? Or do you track it all three squares and only throw it back if it finishes off the field?
A: As there are no squares located off the field you should stop rolling for a scattering ball as soon as it leaves the pitch. Although a bit of an abstraction (as the ball could scatter back onto the field if you kept rolling) this method has the distinct advantage of keeping things nice and simple.

Ravage · Post by **Ravage** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 2:28 pm

personally i agree with arv from a "real-world" standpoint, and I think the rulebook insults the player's intelligence by forcing an off-pitch rule as soon as it flies out of bounds even if it had a chance to come back (the only time I'd say this should happen is if a kickoff landed out of bounds before the bounce, since in that scenario the ball would be physically bouncing out of bounds before having a 3-in-8 chance of coming back). But it's like the interception rule... the order of Operations doesn't make sense there either, but it's just a game mechanic we've come to accept and live with.

At the end of the day as long as both coaches are playing by the same rules, it's still fair.