Hobnanigans (Pre-2014)

A Game of Hobnanigans

The game called Hobnanigans is also known as "Chicken Ball" in chat. A Game of Hobnanigan takes place during Summer Festival, in Bree-land.

It is played by two teams of six on the field using sticks to bunt a chicken around with the objective of scoring a goal.
a total of 12 players is needed to begin the game.
It takes 3 goals to win.

"So you want to join the Flying Feathers (or Steel Beaks) do you? Fine then, come on and play a round of Hobnanigan. You must wait in the area for 5 others to join you, and then you shall play for the right to become a winner in the great Chicken Chasing League of Eriador. This is no small honour!"

"The game will start when twelve sticks have been taken!"

You will see that your team-mates will all have a rune floating above their heads. Red for the Flying Feathers, blue for the Steel Beaks. These are very easy to see, and it is recommended that you turn off names in your UI (default command "N"). As with PvMP, this also reduces lag.

If the chicken is whacked out of bounds, you must wait for the Referee to announce it has re-entered the field. Do NOT leave the field in pursuit, for you will immediately be teleported to the Bree Graveyard, which is quite a way south of the venue.

Non-players who enter the field once the game has begun are also immediately be teleported to the Bree Graveyard!

The Teams

the Flying Feathers

Haggo Boffin is the Captain of the Flying Feathers (The red team)

A Game of Hobnanigan -- Flying Feathers

the Steel Beaks

Carnelian Bracegirdle is the Captain of the Steel Beaks (The blue team)

A Game of Hobnanigan -- Steel Beaks

The Referee

A Referee oversees the competition, tracking chickens when they run out of bounds.

Referee says: "The Game Hen is Out of Bounds!"

Referee says: "The Game Hen has returned to the field. Resume play!"

Rewards

Depending upon which team is victorious, the team members each receive:

the title: "Flying Feathers Champion"”

or

the title: "Chicken Chaser"

History

This game appeared once, for the Summer Solstice Festival, June 20 - July 10, 2007. It was buggy, with the chickens very hard to target and hit.

They also tended to run out of bounds frequently and got the Referee confused!

The Letter from Executive Producer Aaron "Rowan" Campbell stated that they have a new prototype of Hobnanigans that they hope to release further in 2014.

Links

A complete guide to the game The Brasse

Kingsfoil Championship League

This was not an April Fools joke, as it was originally thought. Hobnanigans was officially relaunched from May 9th to the 11th, 2014 on three brand new fields at the Bree-land Festival Grounds.

By Sapience

Michel Delving, Shire April 1, 2014 – Mayor Will Whitfoot unveiled plans today for Middle-earth’s first major sports league, the Kingsfoil Championship league. The league will bring together teams from as far away Dunland and possibly beyond, though Mayor Whitfoot did acknowledge events in the east were a source of concern for some teams and their ability to travel at this time.

In describing the sport Mayor Whitfoot explained players would be challenged to score points by driving a chicken between two goal posts using a stick. It would be up to players how best to accomplish this. When asked if this was fair to the chicken, he declined to comment.

“It’s an old game that fell out of favour just around the time it was about to take off. Since then it’s been played casually in the streets and back alleys. We thought it was time to bring it back and give it the attention it deserves,” said the Mayor.

Also involved in the formation of the league is Bree-town Mayor Graeme Tenderlach. Mayor Tenderlach described the league as, “a first of its kind ‘cSport’ featuring fast paced action and some of the hardest hitting seen outside of the Ettenmoors. People are really going to see some feathers, and chickens, FLY!”

When asked about teams from the Ettenmoors and surrounding areas being excluded from applying for the league Mayor Tenderlach replied, “A few years back we tried to start up a different type of cSport in that region, but mostly they just kept eating the Chickens. Then they started trying to eat the other teams. It was a disaster. We don’t think it’s a good fit right now.”

Mayor Tenderlach also announced plans for a new stadium to be constructed near the existing Bree Festival area. The project has been awarded to the Thornley Construction Company and is expected to bring many new jobs to the area.

“I foresee that these jobs will remain for many, many, many years to come. Honestly, it feels like we might not ever finish,” according to a Foreman for the company.

The league has partnered with Sandson’s Farms to be the official supplier of sports ‘equipment’ for the new league. A spokesperson for the farm commented, “We’re honoured to have been selected as the official supplier of Chickens for the league. We believe our chickens are the healthiest and best raised in all of Eriador and will put on a great show!” Sandson’s Farms has also announced they’ll be hosting an all you can eat “Wings and Things cookout” after each match.