Pushing off the pitch

[The Souljourner]

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 ||_____|
 ||     |
 ||     |
 ||_____|_____|
 ||     |     |
 ||  E  |     |
 ||_____|_____|
 ||     |     |
 ||     |  O  |
 ||_____|_____|

Say the orc is blocking the elf and gets push. Can he choose to push the elf off the pitch into the stands if he wants, or does he have to choose the open square? What if the square above the elf is occupied by another elf?

The rules seem a little unclear.

[WilburS]

If the square above the elf is clear then he has to be pushyed there, if the square is occupied then SURF'S UP!

Its clear enough in that the player has to be pushed to an available square.

[quozl]

The player must be pushed back into an empty square if possible

Page 10, RHS, paragraph 1. Off the pitch is not an empty square, so in your first example they move to the empty space.

Players must be pushed off the pitch if there are no eligible empty squares

So in your second example, the victim goes off the pitch

[DoubleSkulls]

The priority order is

1) Empty squares (a square with the ball is empty)
2) Off the pitch
3) Into another player

You can only push back into a square of lower priority if there are none of the higher priority available.

In your example if the square behind the elf was occupied he'd have to be pushed off the pitch e.g.

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|X
|E
|_O

Note - you do not have a choice between pushing the player back and pushing off the pitch - you have to push off the pitch

[Digger Goreman]

Ian said it well and I'll only add a little to the above:

If you roll 2 or 3 dice and get "push", "push", double-down, you could choose the double-down (especially if you have block and he doesn't) to keep him on the field (IF there's a compelling reason to)... and just to be complete, if all dice are "push"es, then (as Ian said) off the field he goes...

...UNLESS...

... he has Stand Firm.... Then he could elect not to let you push him.... Stand Firm is also excellent on your players to avoid a retaliatory push back in the next turn....

[guiriman]

What if the square has a prone player, is it considered occupied?

Also, if your choices are occupied, occupied, prone player do you have to push onto the prone player or is it a free choice?

[Digger Goreman]

A prone square IS an occupied square, so it would be your choice if all the available squares are occupied....

This is especially useful in arranging chain pushes to get someone off the field... or to push one of your players, perhaps with the ball, into a better position....

Let's say the following has happened:

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- - - X C X - - -
- - - X X X - - -
- - - O X O - - -
- - - B B B - - - 

Any of your blockers "B" (the O's are your's also) could block the lead "X".... Because all eligible squares are "occupied", you could elect to push into the second "X" of the all-X row... then (because you select all push-backs) push that "X" into your ball-carrier "C" and elect to push out into any of the three eligible empty squares.... Could easily be the difference between dodging into two tackle zones and into NO tackle zones....