Official Rules to the Mongoose Bar Game

You are at a bar with friends and up for a bit of competitive sport - the solution: Mongoose! Mongoose is like tennis, hockey, and paper football got drunk and were hit with a honey-I-shrunk-the-kids ray. As co-inventor of the game along with my compatriot Tavi, this is the home for the official rules.

Goal: Mongoose is a game where a Puck is Volleyed between players using a Striker. Winning the game involves accumulating points by moving the opponent's Goalpost or "Hanging" a quarter. Games are played to either 6 or 11 points.

Equipment:

• 2x One dollar bills
• 5x Quarters
• A salt and a pepper shaker
• A table you can sit across from each other at (no size regulation)

Equipment can come from anywhere, but each opponent provides one of the dollar bills.

Starting the game:

• Players agree on the length of game to be played (6 or 11 points).
• On the count of 3, players spin a quarter on the table. The player whose quarter comes to rest on the table last gets the first serve.
• If your quarter goes off the table, that counts as "coming to rest"
• The quarters are allowed to collide with each other and other objects
• Once the opening server is determined, players set up the field.

Setup: Here is a diagram of the field setup.

• Each player places two quarters heads-up as "Goalposts" on their edge of the table
• The Goalposts are positioned using the corners of a dollar placed flush with the edge of the table
• The dollars are then placed in a line at the center of the table between the players
• Each player takes a salt / pepper shaker to use as a Striker
• The remaining quarter is the Puck and is placed on the table tails-up

Serving:

• Serving is performed by placing the Puck on your side of the table, announcing the score (e.g. "Two serving Three") and striking the Puck with your Striker
• Once the Puck crosses into the other player's side, it is a fair serve
• You can score points immediately from the serve

Volleying:

• Each Volley begins with the appropriate player Serving
• When the Puck is on your side of the table or in the "No Man's Land" between dollars, you can hit it with the striker as many times as you want to get it back onto the other player's side
• Players use their striker to shoot the Puck at the opponent's Goalposts, or to Hang the puck over the opponent's edge
• The Volley continues until a point is scored, the puck goes off the table, or the Puck goes "In the Rough" (see below)
• Once the goalposts are measured (as needed) and the field is reset, a new Volley is started
• Note: you can only strike the Puck with the Striker, you cannot "slide" it - or move the Puck with anything else. Except telekinesis. If you can do that, more power to you.

Scoring points:

• If your Goalpost (quarters) move for any reason, the other player gets one point - for each goal post that moved
• If a quarter comes to rest hanging over your edge of the table (it is "Hanging"), the other player getsfive points - for each quarter that is Hanging
• At any time either player can request that a dollar bill be used to measure if your goal posts moved
• First player to score the agreed points (6 or 11) shouts out "Mongoose!", wins the game, and keeps both dollars on the field

Scoring Examples:

• If the puck hits your Goalpost and moves it, the other player gets one point
• If you accidentally hit your Goalpost with your striker and move it, the other player gets one point
• If the puck comes to rest over your edge of the table, the other player gets five points
• If one of your Goalpost is struck and ends up hanging over the edge of the table, the other player gets six points (one for the goal post moving, and five for it hanging over the edge)
• The other player does not get points for hitting your Goalpost directly with their striker (this is a foul - see Fouls below)

Going off the edge:

• When the puck goes off the edge, the player who touched it last is at fault
• The opponent of the player at fault starts play again by serving

Going into the rough:

• If the puck stops under or on the dollars at all, it is "In the Rough"
• The player who touched the puck last is at fault
• The opponent of the player at fault starts play again by serving

Foul:

• You are allowed to move your Striker within No Man's Land and strike the puck
• If your Striker crosses the far side of No Man's Land into the other player's side, you commit a Foul
• When you commit a Foul, your opponent gets to take a Penalty shot - which is a single serve that you can block, but do not return as a Volley
• Whether or not the Penalty shot results in points, the Serve is returned to the player that took the Penalty shot, and they start a new Volley

Playing the Winner:

• The Winner of a game remains at the table after each game as the incumbent player (unless they turn over the table)
• The loser of the game relinquishes their spot to the next player for the new game
• You indicate your desire to play the Winner of the current game by placing your dollar on the sidelines and declaring your intent between a Volley