GERBL Extreme Croquet Rules

This is a set of rules for playing Extreme Croquet as played originally by a group calling themselves GERBL, used now by GERBL-derived groups and Purdue Extreme Croquet. These rules are an extension to the rules of American croquet as published by the USCA in 2006.

Disregarded Rules

The following rules in the USCA rulebook should be disregarded entirely:

The entirety of the section Croquet Customs and Court Etiquette (starting on page 6)
The entirety of the section The Standard Court (starting on page 13)
2.2 Court Damage
4.3 Ball at Rest
4.5 Dead on Ball in Wicket
4.6 Dead on Ball Beyond Wicket
5.4 Lifting Balls In and Out of the Game
7.3 Special Relief from Deadness
Part 9. Blocking and Wiring
11.3 Dead Ball Faults
11.5 Mallet Faults

Added/Modified Rules

These rules are unique to extreme croquet:

There are nine wickets and two stakes, which may be set up in any fashion over any area. The order of play is: Three wickets, one stake, three more wickets, the other stake, the last three wickets, then the first stake.
1.1a: (Change) Two or three sides. If two sides, blue and black vs red and yellow. If three sides, blue and yellow vs red and green vs black and orange.
1.1b: (Replace) The object of the game is to traverse all of the wickets and stakes in the correct direction and order before the opponent.
1.1c: (Add) With three sides, the players must determine beforehand which side goes first, and the other sides proceed such that this order is maintained: blue/yellow, red/green, black/orange.
1.2: (Add) Clips are optional.
1.3a: (Add) In three-side games, the order of play is blue, red, black, yellow, green, orange.
1.3a: (Change) After all balls are in play, sides may choose to play either of their balls, making the order blue/yellow, red/green (, black/orange).
1.3b: (Replace) Each ball shall begin play from anywhere in a starting area, which is determined before the game.
3.1a: (Replace) A striker shall strike the ball with any part of the mallet (including the head and handle), so long as the strike is one continuous motion. If the strike is determined not to be a continuous motion, it is a fault, the striker's turn is ended and all balls must be replaced to their original position (as accurately as possible).
4.7: (Change) 2 or more ball deadness.
8.0: (Add) Playing fields generally do not have any bounds. For safety reasons, however, bounds may be defined before the game.
11.4: (Replace) Players must make a reasonable effort not to interfere with their own or others' balls. If a player accidentally moves a ball that was at rest, that player must replace the ball without penalty. If a player or outside agent accidentally interferes with a ball in motion, the ball is allowed to continue as if the player or agent was an obstacle. The pain of being hit by a croquet ball is considered penalty enough.

Extensions

These are extensions to the rules above which may or may not be used in any game.

Teleporters

(The details of this extension are still being hammered out)

Teleporters are special stakes which teleport balls to a new location. Each teleporter is associated with a target (which is just some abstractly-defined location, such as "on the oak tree"). When a ball hits the teleporter, it is moved to the target. There are multiple versions of the detailed rules:

"Limbo" teleporter: When a ball hits a limbo teleporter, rather than being immediately placed at the target, it is placed in "limbo". Any roquets involving a ball which hits the teleporter are disregarded, and any ball which hits the teleporter is put into limbo, regardless of the owner. For example, if red hits blue, then hits the teleporter, red is put in limbo and the roquet is disregarded. On any turn, a player may choose to take a ball out of limbo, place it at the appropriate target, and hit it as usual.
"Immediate" teleporter: When a ball hits an immediate teleporter, it is immediately moved to the target. Balls which are at the target and have not yet been hit cannot be roqueted. Otherwise roquet rules are the same: If, for example, the red ball roquets blue and then hits the teleporter, technically red is teleported, but it is then brought back to croquet blue. If red hits blue into the teleporter, then blue is teleported and red is moved to blue to roquet.