RULEBOOKCYPH

The Official Guide CYPH Est. 2013

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CYPHCYPH

THE RULES

Ryder ChasinCommissioner

TRistan VanechPublic Relations Officer

Teddy MiddletonPresident, Player Union

Andy BrownDirector, CYPH Choir

Sam BluntCEO, CYPH Broadcasting

Jason LowenthalRow Manager

Contents

Court Regulations

I. Popping zonE 1

II. Defending zonE 2

Pre-game 3

in-game

I. Popping 5

II. Defending 7

SCORING 8

format & Structure 13

The Offer of the CYPH

To be at home in all dorms and all spaces;

To count Popping a familiar acquaintance,

And Defending an intimate friend;

To gain a standard for the appreciation of others’ styles

And the criticism, often the abundant criticism,

of your own;

To carry the keys of the world’s dormitory in your pocket,

And feel its resources behind you in whatever task you

undertake;

To make hosts of friends...

Who are to be the CYPH leaders of tomorrow;

To lose yourself in generous cheers

And cooperate with CYPHers for common ends —

This is the offer of the CYPHfor the best summer

of your life.

CYPH

COURT REGULATIONS 1

68 in.

99 in.

A

B

B

C

D

E

F

G

C1

I. Popping Zone

KEY

A. Feeder's chairThe Feeder (see Pre-Game) sits here during

the game.

b. Generic Chair&lampServes as general seating and obstacle for poppers

c.CouchServes as general seating

c1. scorer's seatWhere Scorer (see Pre-

Game) sits

d. Joshie's seatInexplicable

E. TableObstacle for poppers and

convenient for storage

F. Wifi boxObstacle for poppers; when hit, it is CYPH tra-dition to chant “asshole”

four times in sequence

g. trash bin*Overhead View

2 COURT REGULATIONS

II. DEFENDING zone

KEY

A. Cork boardEstablishes De-fensible Zone for Defender (see In-Game); the Cork Board itself and the area below it are both

defensible

B. Light boardEstablishes Upper Non-Defensib le Zone (see In-Game)

C. Floor&Ceiling

D. score sheetScore Sheets (see Scoring) are hung

here

E. Bandana FLAGCYPHers hail this emblem of Ameri-can freedom during the nightly CYPH Choir performance

F. NEws bulletinPower Rankings, etc.

A

D

D

D

D

E F

F

D

42 in.

33 in.

10 in.

64 in.

C

C

B

*head-on view

Pre-Game 3

ROW Manager

The Row Manager is in charge of randomizing the order of each night’s row. This can be done either by drawing names out of a hat or using computer programs to randomly generate a list.

Description

- Full honesty and integrity; since the Row Manager can also participate in the game, pre-cautions must be taken to be absolutely certain that there are no “fixed match-ups”- Assemble the row

Responsibilities

Positions

CYPH choir director

The CYPH Choir Director leads the CYPHers and spectators in the nightly rendition of The Star Spangled Banner. This individual can play in the night’s contest, and is responsible only for the starting note of the performance.

Description

- Starting the CYPH Choir on a functional note, in a key versatile enough to allow for ease be-tween the several inevitable key changes while still allowing for full belting volume

Responsibilities

Scorer

This position is typically held by the CYPH Commissioner, as this individual should be highly knowledgable on CYPH scoring and reg-ulations. The Scorer records the scorecard(s) each night and collects all statistics.

Description

- Keep scorecard and collect statistics- Act as official if need be- Read out the row in an entertaining way- Make sure, as per CYPH tradition, the winner of each game pins the scorecard to the board.

Responsibilities

Feeder

One player or spectator in attendance at the court must volunteer to be the Feeder. This individual may not participate in any other part of the in-game action that night, as they are re-quired to be a neutral party, unaffiliated with any CYPHer.

Description

- Toss tennis ball to Popper’s desired location- Remain neutral, not rooting for any particular CYPHer or result

Responsibilities

4 Pre-game

Pre-game Timeline

11:15 - The SpliceThis is the equivalent of a “throw off ” as this is when the game starts. The Splice starts when every CYPHer and spectator in attendance simultaneously count backwards from three to one. Each participant raises his right hand and forearm perpendicular to his upper arm so his fingers point toward the ceiling. On the beat of each number, the hand and forearm become level with the upper arm, and then they raise again in the silent beats between counts, in what resem-bles a pumping action. After the participants reach the last count, a scream erupts as all players yell: “splice.” Silence immediately fol-lows this, and the game begins.

11:00 - The feederBy this time each night, a Feeder must be determined.

11:02 - The rowCYPHers will notify the Row Manager if they would like to play. Then, the row will be randomly assembled. The row will then be relayed to the Scorer.

11:05 - The anthemThe CYPH Choir Director will get all in attendance on their feet and facing the Bandana Flag on the cork board. Then, he or a delegated official will turn the lights off and announce the following: “Ladies and gentlemen, please rise and remove your caps as we honor America with the singing of our National Anthem.” Subsequently, the CYPH Choir Director will provide the starting note, and the fans and players will sing, as loud possible, the National Anthem.

11:08 - Getting situatedAll in attendance will take their seats and get ready for the contest.

11:09 - waiting for silenceSilence is essential to maintaining CYPH order. Before the row is read, silence must be achieved.11:11 - The row reading

Traditionally, the row will be read by the Scorer. The reading is done with the background music of a cliché song like “Kernkraft 400” or “Sirius.” The reading itself is accurate, as it provides the ordered row. However, the names in the row must be read with a unique and hopefully clever middle name (i.e. if the CYPHer was Teddy Middleton, the Scorer might say, “Popping first: Teddy ‘monkey in the’ Middleton.”). The middle name must change each night.

*All pre-game ceremonies are done only once per night. Though two CYPH games are usually played, these cer-emonies are done only before the first game. The one step

to be repeated is the assembly of the row.

*All times are p.m. CST

In-game 5I. POPPing

Two conventional Styles of popping:Traditional and Swing (this CYPHer pops Traditional)

SUMMARYPopping is the offensive element of CYPH. The objective of popping is to score a goal. Once a goal is scored, or a Penalty Out is recorded, the Popper switches and becomes the Defender.

The basketball is used to pop.

objectiveAs stated in the summary, a Popper’s objective is to score a goal. A goal can be scored by popping the tennis ball past the Defender and into the Defen-sible Zone. This zone is defined by the area of the cork board and the area directly beneath the cork board. The area to the sides of the cork board are the Flank Non-Defensible Zones and the area above the cork board is the Upper Non-Defensi-ble Zone.

structureEach Popper gets 10 attempts at a goal per frame (see Scoring). An attempt is defined as any feed from the Feeder that the Popper intends to pop. This does not mean the basketball must make con-

tact with the tennis ball; a “swing and a miss” is still an attempt. This, however, is considered a Penalty (see Penalties section, next page). In these 10 attempts, they may try to score a goal in any method they choose as long as they are within the guidelines of the Penalties.

mandatesEvery CYPHer must pop; there are no Designated Poppers. In CYPH, it is necessary to play both the offensive and defensive game. Additionally, all Poppers must use the same basketball for the sake of fair play.

6 IN-game

i. Popping

PenaltiesThere are several ways to accrue a Penalty. Each Popper is given one per frame. Once the Popper accrues two in a single frame, they are called on a Penalty Out (see Scoring) and their frame is over. A Popper cannot score a goal on a Penalty, though it still counts as an attempt.

Ways To accrue a penalty:- Swing and a miss

- Failing to pop the tennis ball past the far arm rest of the couch

- Stepping past the close arm rest of the couch

- Popping the tennis ball into a sidewall

- Losing control of the basketball

- Failing to pop into the Defensible Zone five consecutive times

In-game 7II. Defending

SUMMARYDefending is the defensive element of CYPH. The objective of defending is to prevent the Popper from scoring a goal. Once a goal is scored, or the Popper’s 10 attempts are through, the Defender re-turns to the spectator area as their frame concludes.

The Defender tries to block the TENNIS BALL.

objectiveAs stated in the summary, a Defender’s objective is to prevent goals. To do this, the Defender stands in front of the cork board and tries to keep the tennis ball away from touching the Defensible Zone. Each time they prevent a goal from being scored, they accrue a save (see Scoring). With few exceptions, as long as the Defender makes contact with the tennis ball in some capacity during the tennis ball’s flight and the tennis ball does not touch the Defensible Zone, a save is recorded. On a separate token, if the Defender makes contact with the tennis ball and it deflects into the Defensible Zone, it still counts as a goal.

structureA Defender’s frame, like the Popper’s, ends when a goal is scored or a Penalty Out is recorded. Until

then, the Defender will try to block the most attempts possible. Each oc-currence, as aforementioned, counts towards their score as a save. Still, there are cases where contact with the tennis ball may not count for a save. If, before contact is made, the tennis ball touches two or more surfaces, the attempt can no longer count as a save. The same applies if the ten-nis ball bounces twice before contact. However, these two cases, if not blocked, can still count as goals.

mandatesEvery CYPHer must defend; there are no Designated Defenders.

No conventional Style of defending:Each CYPHer develops a novel way to defend, with everything from kicking to catching.

8 scoring

points

POINTSThere are only a few ways to alter a CYPHer’s point total. These ways are laid out in the box to the right. Each CYPHer tries to accrue the most points possible. Whichever CYPHer scores the most points after all frames are over is the winner.

Ways To gain/lose points:

as a popper:Goal 4 ptsPenalty Out -2 pts

as a Defender:Save 1 pt

BASIC TERMINOLOGYTo score, it becomes essential to know the proper terminology. Here is a glossary of the basic CYPH language.

attempt(n.) Any feed from the Feeder that the Popper intends to pop (v.) To make an attempt

defend [someone](v.) If CYPHer B is “defending” CYPHer A, it means CYPHer B is trying to prevent CYPHer A from scoring a goal.

feed(n.) A singular toss

frame 1. Full Frame: (n.) The entirety of the row; however long it takes for each CYPHer to pop and defend exactly once (there are three full frames in a standard game of CYPH) 2. CYPHer's Frame: (n.) However long it takes for one CYPHer to pop and defend exactly once. The specific CYPHer’s frame is referred to by how far into the full frame the particular CYPHer is. For example, if it is the first frame, the fourth CYPHer is popping and there are nine total CYPHers in the row, it is called “the fourth ninth of the first frame.”

goal(n.) When a Popper pops the tennis ball past the Defender and into the Defensible Zone

Perfect Defensive frame (alt. PDF)(n.) When a Defender records 10 saves in a single frame. This has never happened in recorded CYPH history.

Penalty out(n.) When a Popper accrues two Penalties in a single frame

pop on [someone](v.) If CYPHer A is “popping on” CYPHer B, it means CYPHer B is trying to prevent CYPHer A from scoring a goal.

Save (alt. block)(n.) When a Defender prevents a goal from being scored(v.) To prevent a goal from being scored

Row(n.) The order in which the CYPHers pop

Splice(n.) The official beginning of a CYPH game

TOSS(v.) To deliver a feed to the Popper

count(n.) How many total attempts the Popper has made in a single frame as compared with how many attempts have been saved. For example, if a Popper has made eight attempts so far in the frame, and the Defender has blocked four of them (meaning each of the other four was either a Penalty or out of bounds), then the count is announced as “eight and four.”

out of bounds (alt. out)(adj.) An attempt that touches any of the Non-Defensible Zones

Shutout(n.) A frame in which a Defender prevents a Popper from scoring

SCORING 9

D O

ANDY

AUSTIN

JasOn

Teddy

TRISTAN

MIHIR

1

2

3

4

5

6ROW

CYPH (GAME 16)

1 2 3 1 2 3

K

4 4

17

26

21

14

16

9

the scorecardThe scorecard is integral to CYPH success. Below is an example of a typical completed scorecard.

10 scoring

Scorecard key

ANDY

AUSTIN

JasOn

Teddy

TRISTAN

MIHIR

D O

1

2

3

4

5

6ROW

CYPH (GAME 16)

1 2 3 1 2 3

K

4 4

17

26

21

14

16

9

ANDY

AUSTIN

JasOn

Teddy

TRISTAN

MIHIR

D O

1

2

3

4

5

6ROW

CYPH (GAME 16)

1 2 3 1 2 3

K

4 4

17

26

21

14

16

9

ANDY

AUSTIN

JasOn

Teddy

TRISTAN

MIHIR

D O

1

2

3

4

5

6ROW

CYPH (GAME 16)

1 2 3 1 2 3

K

4 4

17

26

21

14

16

9

SCORECARD TITLE : The scorecard title is the simple word "CYPH" fol-lowed by, in parentheses, the game number. This mock scorecard is the 16th game of the season, hence "Game 16."

ROW Order : The row order is made after the participants are written down, hence the disordered num-bers. The row is the order in which the CYPHers pop, so here Austin is popping on Andy in the first frame.

final Scores: The fi-nal scores are tallied and recorded here, at the end of the scorecard. The win-ner's score is traditionally circled. In this game, Ted-dy won with a score of 26, Jason came in second with 21 and Andy came in third with 17.

ANDY

AUSTIN

JasOn

Teddy

TRISTAN

MIHIR

D O

1

2

3

4

5

6ROW

CYPH (GAME 16)

1 2 3 1 2 3

K

4 4

17

26

21

14

16

9

Defensive section: The capital D at the top of the section stands, of course, for defense. Each tally mark represents one save (i.e. in the first frame, Ted-dy had seven saves; Mihir had none). This game went into one extra frame. In the case of extra frames, leave only the win-eligible CY-PHers' boxes open. Mark others with an X.

O1 2 3

K

4

ANDY

AUSTIN

JasOn

Teddy

TRISTAN

MIHIR

D

1

2

3

4

5

6ROW

CYPH (GAME 16)

1 2 3 4

17

26

21

14

16

9

offensive section: The capital O stands, of course for offense. Each tally mark represents one goal. The K represents a Penalty Out (i.e. in the third frame, everyone scored a goal ex-cept Mihir, who was called out on Penalties).

SCORING 11Statistics

common StatisticsThere are several com-mon statistics, which are stats most frequently re-corded (the list of these is to the right). These are recorded at the end of every night, once all games are complete and all scorecards are hung on the corkboard.

Common statistics:- Games Played (GP)

- Total Points (Tot Pts)

- Player Rank (PRK)

- First Place Wins (1W)

- Second Place Wins (2W)

- Third Place Wins (3W)

- Total Win Points (Tot W)

- Average Points per Game (Avg Pts)

- Penalty Outs (K)

- Perfect Defensive Frames (PDF)

Calculating player rank

Total Points Scored (tot pts)

possible points (42 x GP)

Total win points (tot w)

possible win points (5 x GP)

X X50 50

X YX Y =+ PRK

12 scoring

Calculating player rank (cont.)

possible pointsA CYPHer’s possible points are determined by how many games the CYPHer has played. To find possible points, multiply the games played by 42 (42 is the highest a CYPHer can possibly score in a three frame game: 30 saves and three goals). Extra frame games are treated the same as any other game for the purpose of calcula-tions. Technically, if a CYPHer plays a four frame game, a score of 56 would be attainable. However, this four frame game is treated like any other and multiplied by 42.

the variables and components of PRK

total pointsA CYPHer’s total points is simply the sum of every score from every game the CYPHer has played.

total WIN pointsWin points get a little more complicated than standard in-game point scoring. Scoring points in-game is straight forward: however many points are tallied during the game —between saves, goals and Penalty Outs — become the CYPHer’s point total for the given game. Who-ever scores the most points is the first place winner; whoever scores the second-most points is the second place winner; whoever scores the third-most points is the third place winner. The rest of the CYPHers do not record any win. So far, this should all be intuitive.The CYPH-specific part of who records any placement, and the part that factors into Player

Rank, is the win points. These points are com-pletely separate from the in-game points, and do not factor at all into a CYPHer’s total points for the season. They instead make up a CY-PHer’s total win points for the season. For a first place finish, five win points are rewarded to a CYPHer; for a second place finish, three win points; for a third place finish, one win point. If a CYPHer does not finish first, second or third, the CYPHer gets no win points. Multiple CY-PHers can finish in second or third in a single game, and there must always be at least one second place and third place finisher. However, there can never be more or less than one first place finisher, which is why if a first place win-ner is not determined after the standard three frames, extra frames must be played.

possible win pointsPossible win points are determined, like pos-sible points, by how many games a CYPHer has played. However many games this CYPHer has played is multiplied by five (five is the most win points a CYPHer can be rewarded in a single game).

Typical prkA typical Player Rank for an intermediate to advanced CYPHer will be anywhere from 30 to 40 points. While each half of PRK is worth 50 points, it is seldom seen to even earn half of the possible PRK points. The greatest CYPHers will have a PRK of 50 or higher.

FORMAT & STRUCTURE 13regular season By the numbers

3 5 to1023frames in a single game. This is the ideal number of frames in a game. Much like base-ball’s nine innings, CY-PH’s three frames are only a standard. Like baseball’s extra innings, there are extra frames in a game of CYPH if one first place winner is not determined after three frames.

CYPHers in a single game’s row. This, again, is the ideal num-ber of CYPHers in a row. There should be no less than five and no more than 10 CY-PHers in order to re-tain the integrity and fairness of the game. These are not manda-tory parameters, yet should be considered when forming the row.

games in a single season. This, once again, is the ideal num-ber of games in a sea-son. This by no means is mandatory. Only a standard set in the first official season of CYPH. More games or fewer games can be played, and it is en-couraged to play as fre-quently as possible.

Postseason by the numbers

1 23 to7frame in a single game. There is just one frame per game played in a postseason matchup, but extra frames are oftentimes necessary to determine a winner. It is also not mandatory to play the full frame. If a winner can be mathematically determined before the full frame is over, the game concludes.

CYPHers in a single game’s row. This is a very rigid number, as the two-player row ensures head-to-head defensive and offen-sive frames for the CYPHers. This, to-gether with the one-frame game regulation, makes for a fast-paced postseason.

games in a single postseason matchup.

This is determined by which round of the postseason it is. There are three games played in a quarterfinal round, five games played in a semifinal and seven games played in the champion-ship. This is the maximum number of games played in each round. The CY-PHer who first reaches two, three or four wins, respectively, moves on to the next round. If the CYPHer does not need all possible games to do so, the round ends once the round’s quota is met.

14 FORMAT & STRUCTURE

SummaryExtra frames are not played to determine a second or third place winner, only a first place winner. Additionally, the three frame structure is only indicative of the minimum full number of frames that must be played in a game. There is no maximum. However, once in extra frames, there is no longer a need to play full frames. For example, if CYPHer A and CYPHer B are tied with a score of 20 after the first three frames, an extra frame will start. If in the first extra frame — the fourth over-all frame — CYPHer A pops first and scores a goal before CYPHer B can record a save, and then subsequently CYPHer A records a save before CYPHer B can score a goal, then the game ends after CYPHer A’s save. This is because, mathematicaly, CYPHer B cannot come back and win; since they both had 20 points heading in, CYPHer A will have 25 total points after a goal and one save in the fourth frame, while the most points CYPHer B can score in the rest of the frame (since CYPHer B recorded no saves in the defensive half of his frame) is four points, which would leave him with 24 total points, still trailing CYPHer A by one point.

Regular Season Row OrderIn extra frames during the regular season, to determine which CYPHer pops first and which CYPHer defends first, the feeder flips a coin. The participating CYPHers must decide between themselves who chooses which side of the coin — heads or tails. If one of the participating CYPHers provides the coin for the toss, that CYPHer is automatically allowed to pick their side of the coin first. The CYPHer who picks the side of the coin that the coin lands on decides whether they would like to pop or defend first.

Postseason Row OrderIn extra frames during the postseason, the order remains the same, since it is only two CYPHers to begin with. To start the matchup, however, the higher-seeded CYPHer gets to decide whether they would like to pop or defend first. After each game in the matchup, the CYPHers switch positions in the row, so that the CYPHer who is popping first in the first game is defending first in the second game, and so on.

Multiple CYPHersIn the case of more than two CYPHers in extra frames, determine the order by the sequence of the row. For instance, say there are three CYPHers in extra frames. Those three are CYPHer A, who popped third during the first three frames of the game, CYPHer B, who popped fifth, and CYPHer C, who popped eighth. The order of the row in extra frames would be CYPHer A popping first, CY-PHer B second and CYPHer C third, since that is the order they appeared in the row in-game.

EXTRA FRAMEs

format & Structure 15seeding & postseason tournament

There are eight spots available in the CYPH postseason. These eight spots are determined by Player Rank, as the top eight CYPHers by PRK advance to the postseason. Accordingly, the highest PRK is the No. 1 seed, and so on. There is no consolation tournament.

In the postseason tournament, there are three rounds of play: quarterfinals, semifinals, championship. The bracket looks like this:

No. 1 seed

No. 8 seedNo. 4 seed

No. 5 seed

No. 2 seed

No. 7 seedNo. 3 seed

No. 6 seed

The quarterfinal round is a three-game matchup. A CYPHer must win two games to advance to the semifinal round. In the semifinal round, it is a five-game matchup. A CYPHer must win three to advance to the championship. To win the championship, a CYPHer must win four of the seven games in the matchup.

What if two players have the same Player Rank?

This is highly unlikely, but if this case occurs then the higher seeding will be determined by total games played. If the two CYPHers are also tied in this category, then the higher seed will be whoever has the least Penalty Outs. If the two CY-PHers are tied in Penalty Outs as well, then they will play a one-frame head-to-head game to determine the higher seed.

Is there any handicap for the higher-seeded CYpher?

No, there is no handicap for the higher-seeded CYPHer. The only advantages the higher seed will receive are playing a lower seed and choosing whether to pop or defend first in the first game of the matchup. Howev-er, there is not a point handicap or any other tampering with the score or the format.

Are there any rituals for the start of the tournament?

There are, to an extent. The postseason tournament is tra-ditionally the largest broadcast event of the season, as the pre-game show, the game and the postgame show (The After-CYPH) are all broadcast over the livestream. Also, once a champion is determined, it is a ritual of sorts for all spectators to swarm the CYPH court and engulf the champion.

16 Format & Structure

Play-by-PlayCYPH can be confusing without seeing it in action. Here’s a standard frame, play-by-play, in words.

Austin popping. Andy defending.Tot: 5 attempts; 1 goal; 2 saves; 0 Penalties

Splice

Attempt 1: Out of bounds, Flank Non-Defensible Zone

Attempt 2: Save

Attempt 3: Out of bounds, Upper Non-Defensible Zone

Attempt 4: Save

Attempt 5: Goal

Jason popping. Austin defending.Tot: 2 attempts; 1 goal; 0 saves; 0 Penalties

Attempt 1: Out of bounds, Flank Non-Defensible Zone

Attempt 2: Goal

Mihir popping. Teddy defending.Tot: 3 attempts; 1 goal; 1 save; 1 Penalty

Attempt 1: Penalty 1; popped into sidewall

Attempt 2: Save

Attempt 3: Goal

Teddy popping. Jason defending.Tot: 1 attempt; 1 goal; 0 saves; 0 Penalties

Attempt 1: Goal

End of Frame 1

Tristan popping. Mihir defending.Tot: 1 attempt; 1 goal; 0 saves; 0 Penalties

Attempt 1: Goal

Andy popping. Tristan defending.Tot: 1 attempt; 1 goal; 0 saves; 0 Penalties

Attempt 1: Goal

SPLICE.

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