Mitzan

Mitzan is a bat-and-ball team sport with nine flying broomstick-mounted players on each of the two teams, typically played on an outdoor Mitzan field 100 meters long and 50 meters wide with two movable goals. for each team The aim of the game is to score the most points by hitting the ball through the goal, with more points awarded depending on the hitting player’s distance from the goal. The game originated in Malaszec in the late 18th century, evolving from various aerial bat-and-ball games which preceded it. Since its genesis, Mitzan has grown to an international audience and is currently governed by the International Mitzan Federation, which has organized the Mitzan World Cup every four years since 1880.

Gameplay

Playing Mitzan requires the following:

• A rectangular field, typically covered in grass and 100 meters by 50 meters in size, with two scoring arclines (the “inner” and “outer” arcs) on each side and a centerline dividing the field in half.
• A movable, flying circular goals on each of the short sides of the field for each team, for a total of two.
• One glowing, spherical, 21 cm flying ball which ignores gravity and obeys air resistance.
• Nine flying Mitzan brooms for each team, which may resemble typical household brooms, for a total of eighteen.
• Seven bats for each of the hitters on each team, for a total of fourteen.
• Two spellcasting devices for each of the mages on each team, for a total of four.

The game starts when all players are in position on their side of the field and the referee launches the ball upwards from the ground on middle of the centerline. The goal of the game is to score as many points into the opposing player’s goal by the end of the typically 60 minute-long game.

The seven hitters on a team are equipped with bats and are allowed to score by hitting the ball with the bat into the opposing team’s goal. The two mages on a team are equipped with spellcasting devices and may not score directly. The goalie position may be any player, whether hitter or mage, and may be changed during gameplay. All players are allowed to move any goal.

A hitter who hits the ball into the opposing team’s goal from within the inner arc scores for their own team 1 point, from between the inner and outer arc 2 points, and outside the outer arc 3 points. Mages are not allowed to score the ball directly, but may create conditions beneficial for their team’s hitter to score. Mages may cast spells on the ball (e.g. to affect its motion), or on the environment. Mages may only cast one-off spells that do not require concentration, and in professional Mitzan leagues, Mitzan trackers are installed on the mage’s spellcasting device to aid with refereeing and televising.

If a team causes the ball to go out of the bounds of the field, the ball changes possession to the other team, who resumes play by having the hitter hit the ball from where the ball went out of bounds. If the referee rules that a team’s player has fouled, then the opposing team is given possession of the ball from the centerline.

International Mitzan Federation

The International Mitzan Federation (IMF) was founded in 1880 to host and regulate the Mitzan World Cup, currently the largest professional Mitzan league. Due to Malaszec colonialism, Mitzan spread across the world necessitating its the foundation of the IMF. It is one of the few institutions from Malaszec’s imperial era to survive both the Malaszec Communist revolution and the formation of the Malaszec Federation.

Variants

Faerie Mitzan

Faerie Mitzan is played among faeries with a smaller pitch, ball, and goal and does not require broomsticks on account of the faerie ability to fly.

Cultural impact

• The Malaszec expression “to play Mitzan with ", in reference to the game's movable goals, means to change the requirements or rules of something, often unfairly or unexpectedly.
• Mitzan cards, trading cards with information and pictures of famous Mitzan players printed on them, were created in 1996 and were a major cultural phenomenon in Malaszec up until their decline in the 2040s. They were originally created by the former Malaszec People’s Household Goods Commission and distributed with popular snacks in Malaszec. Mitzan trading card enthusiasts are known as “card-heads,” and are known to attend Mitzan trading card conventions.