League Rules

Captains and/or Co-Captains need to be able to be present at Black Raven by at least 5:30pm (30 minutes prior to match start) on each BRPL night that their team is playing. The opposing Captains should meet and discuss the state of the machines, sharing any known malfunctions or errors they’ve witnessed to determine and agree upon whether any given machine cannot be picked (this should be a very rare instance).

The full roster for both teams should be present by the match start time of 6:00pm, at which point the “Away” team for the night should meet to begin to pick their machines for the first round. Picks should take no more than 5-10 minutes for any given round in an effort to keep the night moving along.

The following table is a sample, ideal timeline for a given match of BRPL:

A Doubles Round consists of 2 players from each team playing against each other in two team-based games, trying to both beat the individual player scores of their opponents, and trying to get a cumulative score that is higher than their opponents’ cumulative score.

For each individual opponent player that you beat in a Doubles Round, you earn 1 point. If your team’s cumulative score is higher than your opponents’ cumulative score, you earn 1 Extra point. Thus, a single Doubles game in a round is potentially worth a maximum of 5 points: 2pts + 2pts + 1pt Extra.

A Singles Round consists of 2 players from each team playing against each other in two head-to-head games, trying to beat the individual scores of their opponents, ultimately hoping to double their opponent’s score to take the Extra point away from their opponent, earning it for their team instead.

If you beat your opponent’s score in a Singles Round, you earn 3 points, and your opponent earns 1 point. If, however, you double (or more) their score, you take the 1 point from them as an Extra point for yourself. Thus, a single Singles game in a round is potentially worth a maximum of 4 points: 3pts + 1pt bonus.

Team Captains are responsible for managing the BRPL Match Scoresheet for each played game in their matches. Unique scoresheets per match will be created and shared with the Captains from both teams for a given matchup, with each Captain and Co-Captain having Edit access to the Google Sheets scoresheet provided. Captains should manage entering names and scores for their own teams.

At the end of the match, after all 4 Rounds have been played by a given pairing of teams that were scheduled to play against each other, their total scores are compared. The team with the most points will earn a win, while the other team will earn a loss. A match may also end in a tie, in which case each team will earn a result of Tie. BRPL team standings (and ultimately Playoff entry — see that section for more) are determined based on Win/Loss/Tie records, with total summed points earned in matches as the initial tiebreaker. Winning is good, but really winning is better! As such, matches should not be terminated early if one team has recorded enough points already to mathematically guarantee their win; each team still wants to play for as many total points as possible to improve their position in the overall season standings.

Captains are responsible for both agreeing to the results as recorded, then Confirming the results on the spreadsheet, and should elect one of them to submit the scoresheet to the LC for review and entering into the record for standings (text to notify the LC that the match is complete). If the digital version of the scoresheet was used, no separate physical submission is required; it will be available in Google Drive for the LC to review and approve. If a physical copy of the scoresheet was used, the submitting Captain may take a clear photo showing the entire scoresheet, and can text or email that to the LC.

Teams must be registered prior to the start of any given season, and must have the following at the time of registration:

• Their full, official roster of players
• Their Captain and Co-Captain decided
  • At least the Captains should have contact information for each player on their roster, to enable them to check in with their players prior to matches to determine if anyone needs to miss a match and have a Sub fill in, or to otherwise get ahold of them should league–related questions arise
• Their appointed Player Committee representative
• Their team name

The LC will maintain a private, invite-only document (available only to all league members via email invite) that contains contact information for each team Captain and Co-Captain, along with contact information for the League’s Board of Directors and the registered Sub List.

To promote competitive balance and maintain fairness throughout our seasons, all teams must adhere to the roster requirements defined in this section.

The only requirements for a player to participate in BRPL are that they are:

• 13 years of age or older
• Not banned from Black Raven Brewing or pinball events at Black Raven Brewing

BRPL is otherwise open to all players regardless of an individual’s gender bias, social beliefs, political affiliations, mental or physical disabilities, or background.

Teams will consist of exactly 4 players each, with players needing to meet the requirements outlined above (see Player Requirements).

If, for whatever reason, a team cannot find a sufficient number of valid subs and comes to a match with only 3 of the 4 players that constitutes a Full Roster (in the following examples, they are referred to as Team A), or if a player has to leave mid-match for any reason, the match can and should still occur, but the incomplete team will forfeit the points their missing player could have earned to the other team, and will not earn the 5 Bonus Points that are granted at the end of the match for having fielded a Full Roster (the other team does not get these points, they are just not earned by the incomplete team).

The structure of the rounds for the match will be mostly the same, with two exceptions:

1. One of the Doubles games in Round 1 and Round 4 will be a 3 player game, with 1 player for Team A playing against the standard 2 players from their opposing team (note that this 3 player game can score 3 points for Team A at most, with an automatic 2 points to the opposing team)
2. One of the Singles games in Round 2 or Round 3 will not occur; one of the Singles rounds will only have 1 game being played between Team A and their opposing team (note that this unplayed game will score 0 points for Team A, with an automatic 4 points to the opposing team)

See the following table for a breakdown on TPP differences for Incomplete and Full teams per round, as well as information on the exceptions that are applied to each round.

Note that, should a player need to leave mid-match for any reason, the match will shift to using the above exceptions to play, where the absent player will (a) score 0 points in any yet-to-be-played rounds, and (b) the team will not earn the 5 Bonus Points that would have otherwise been granted for fielding a Full Roster.

If a team cannot field at least 3 players (composed of roster members and/or up to 1 valid sub), and a timely reschedule of the match is not possible, this will be considered a Forfeiture, and the opposing team will score 50% of the Total Match Point Potential (TMPP) before the Full Roster Bonus points are applied, which is 18 points (36 TMPP / 2 = 18). If the opposing team was able to field their Full Roster, they will also receive their Full Roster Bonus of 5 points on top of the 50% TMPP received, which would earn them a total of 23 points for the match. The forfeiting team will score 0 points for the match.

If a team is found to be kingmaking (that is, strategically forfeiting to affect any given team’s potential to earn full points and thus manipulate the season standings), disciplinary action including (but not limited to) expulsion from the league may occur.

The scoresheet for a Forfeiture match does not need to record scores; just record the names of all the players fielded for the team that was able to play, and indicate that the other team had to forfeit. The LC will manage the points in the standings from there.

As is standard in tournament play at Black Raven Brewing and most locations/tournaments elsewhere, there are certain things that are disallowed during league play, and can result in disqualification of a given round (which would mean the offending player(s) would record 0 points for the applicable round), and repeat offenses may incur other penalties as determined by the League Commissioner. These include, but may not be limited to:

• Playing Extra Balls (you may skillfully plunge Extra Balls, but after plunging, it’s hands off the machine!)
• Performing Death Saves or Bang Backs
• Plunging or playing other players’ balls
• Unacceptably abusing the machines
• Coaching or verbally interacting with an opponent while they are playing their ball (do not attempt to aid, distract, or disrupt your opponents!)
• Harassing other players or patrons at Black Raven or otherwise making them feel unsafe or unwelcome. BRPL is about having fun and playing pinball with friends; don’t be a jerk!

Accidents happen, so use your best judgment in any given situation, and give people the benefit of the doubt as the situation affords it. Some of the above, like accidentally plunging another player’s ball or tilting through the next player’s turn, can in some circumstances be remedied with a consolation ball after the current game is over. That said, game state cannot be replicated, so again, use your best judgment here, but in the end, if things are too complex or nuanced, default to the above types of situations and behaviors resulting in disqualification for a given round. As ever, if the team Captains cannot agree on an appropriate resolution for a given circumstance, feel free to reach out to the League Commissioner for assistance.

As with any competitive sport, all players are expected to uphold a high standard of sportsmanship throughout league play. Coaching, strategizing, or providing gameplay advice during match play is strictly limited to players on the same team. Players may not offer guidance, suggestions, or coaching to members of any other teams during matches, especially in a match that the offending player is not involved in (there will be 2 matches scheduled on most BRPL nights; a player from a team in Match 1 is not allowed to provide tips to a player on any team involved in Match 2, so as not to influence the results of that match). This includes verbal advice, gestures, or any other form of communication that could influence gameplay. This rule applies whether a person is present as a player in an active match, or simply as a spectator.

Violations of this rule may result in a warning, score adjustment for the offending player or their team, and/or further disciplinary action at the discretion of league officials.

Players may of course coach their own teammates, even during a live ball, but must follow the usual guidelines for doing so:

• The coaching player may not touch or affect the machine or active player in any way
• The active player may not trap and hold the ball for more than 60 seconds while being instructed; instruction may occur for any length and in any complexity during live play, however
• The coaching player must give space and deference to any other match actively being played on neighboring machines and must not interfere with them in any way; failure to observe this may result in the other match receiving compensation balls as/where applicable, and the coached match receiving a 0 score for the associated player if egregious enough (e.g. the coaching player physically bumps into someone playing another match while they try to get a better view of their active player’s game)

As with most all the rules for our or any similar league, common sense and a spirit of good sportsmanship should keep you and your team in the clear!

Players are permitted to practice games that are not in use during any given round of a match, so long as the following conditions are met (similar to the Idle Machines ruling for MNP):

• The Practicing Player (PP) is not playing in the current, active round
• The PP’s team is not currently meant to be making or responding to game picks
• The PP is not playing on a machine that has been selected for the upcoming round (whether they themselves are scheduled to be playing on that machine or not)
• The PP is not playing on a machine that is right next to a machine that is actively being played in a round, whether for their match or the other running match (if present)

If a player is found to be in violation of the above conditions, they are to be given a warning. If they repeat the offense after being reminded of these rules, it should be reported to the LC for review and further action, including but not limited to points penalties.

All players are encouraged to get to Black Raven Brewing for practice prior to their match starting, and/or at other times as their schedules allow during the days leading up to a given match. Once a match has begun, with our limited space, time, machine count, and also having to navigate the public, trying to squeeze practice games in can be a challenging and touchy thing. It is allowed per the rules written and referenced above, but generally, it’s best to get practice games in during free play hours instead. Nobody wants to be responsible for someone else getting a compensation ball during their match because they accidentally performed too big a slap save on their practice game and knocked into an active player/machine, causing them to drain unduly in their match game because of your practice game. If you’re not sure whether you should play a practice game, it’s probably best to not.

See the section on the MNP rules document.

The top 4 teams will qualify for the playoffs, based on the following priority:

1. Win/Loss/Tie record, then
2. Total season points, then
3. Official roster member attendance

If teams are still tied after considering each of those metrics, tiebreaker matches will be scheduled.

The playoffs will ideally immediately follow the final match of the regular season, on the next available BRPL night, where all official roster members from all qualified teams are available to play. Should there be a need to hold Qualifying Tiebreaker matches, the start of playoffs may be deferred to accommodate, but should be scheduled as soon as possible.

In BRPL, we use a playoff system that recognizes and rewards season-long performance while still allowing for the majority of our teams to compete with a high chance for dramatic comeback arcs, known as the Page system.

In the Page system, we’ll have 4 of our 6 teams qualify, and there will be 3 rounds (weeks) of play, with 4 matches total.

• Round 1
  • Qualifiers 1 (Q1) - Seed 1 (Home) vs Seed 2 (Away)
    • Loser goes to Qualifiers 2
    • Winner goes to Finals
  • Elimination Match (EM) - Seed 3 (Home) vs Seed 4 (Away)
    • Loser takes 4th Place
    • Winner goes to Q2
• Round 2
  • Qualifiers 2 (Q2) - Loser of Q1 (Home) vs Winner of EM (Away)
    • Loser takes 3rd Place
    • Winner goes to Finals
• Round 3
  • Finals - Winner of Q1 (Home) vs Winner of Q2 (Away)
    • Loser takes 2nd Place
    • Winner is the Season Champion

This system offers some recognition for strong regular season performances, while maintaining wide league engagement and dynamic paths to victory for all involved - without any free rides. Some key points that make for interesting and dramatic playoff runs:

• Early matches pit like-seeds against each other, offering intense, tight challenge from the start
• Regular season performance is recognized for the top seeds in that one will advance to the Finals after Round 1, while the other gets a second shot, but, they have to face the tougher of the lower seeds, who will be coming in hot off a first round win...
• It keeps more teams engaged, with each having to play hard to earn their way to the Finals; no freebies, but everybody has a real shot!

The following is the current Board of Directors and their contact information.

As stated in the MNP documentation, the LC cannot serve as a team Captain while they are the LC.

Any eventuality that is not addressed in these (or those referenced) rules will be at the discretion of the LC. They can be contacted during any league night to help resolve or provide a ruling for any issue that may crop up, and may act as liaison between teams and the Board Members.

Gavin Phillips serves as a Board Member in his capacity as Location Advisor as he is the representative of Black Raven Brewing, where league matches are held, and thus any determinations that come up during or around BRPL which involve the brewery, its property, operations, name, etc. will be handled by him. The Location Advisor does not provide rulings or other operational duties within the league, outside of those related to their business at Black Raven Brewing.

The PC shall consist of one appointed representative per registered team, to be appointed at the discretion of their individual teams. This representative:

• Does not need to be a team Captain or Co-Captain; any official roster member may be appointed as their team’s PC representative
• Must, as a general rule of thumb unless otherwise requested and approved, be reliably available to respond to league communications (including discussions, votes, inquiries, etc.) via text, phone, email, or other group messaging within 48 hours to have their input recorded in order to ensure that league business is not unduly delayed
• Must be an active, official roster member playing in the season during which they serve on the Committee

The PC shall have the opportunity to:

• Review and discuss rules changes, additions, or other amendments to the league’s operations
• Submit feedback or recommendations to the LC and Board of Directors
• Raise concerns or suggestions on behalf of the teams they represent
• Vote on league-wide issues as requested by the Board

The PC shall act in an advisory capacity to the Board of Directors, and is not itself an official governing body, in that final authority on league decisions, including rules and policy changes that the PC advises on, remains with the Board of Directors. However, the Board is expected to give good-faith consideration to all recommendations and suggestions put forth by the Committee’s majority.

The PC will convene as needed, with members able to join any physical meeting either in person or virtually (live). Meetings may be called by the LC, any member of the Board, or by a majority of the Player Committee members. A quorum of conducting business shall be a simple majority of current Committee members. Members are expected to respond to any league communications within 48 hours of receiving notice unless a different response period is explicitly stated or requested and approved; failure to respond within the allotted time will be recorded as an Abstention for the representative’s team. Abstentions do not count toward any total when determining majority or consensus.

Representatives serve for the duration of the season for which they were appointed, and must be reaffirmed (or replaced) for each season that their team registers. The LC reserves the right to request that a team appoint a new representative if the current representative is continuously unresponsive or otherwise fails to meet participation expectations.