Extreme Croquet is a variation on croquet mainly distinguished by its lack of any requirement pertaining to out-of-bounds or field specifications. A close relative of the croquet played in most backyards and gardens, but expanded by more adventurous enthusiasts and played throughout the world in conditions unfamiliar to official tournament players. Game setup A typical extreme croquet game starts with location scouting, searching for terrain that might present interesting and novel challenges such as trees, roots, hills, sand, mud, or moving or still water. Play proceeds following the usual croquet rules, with alterations generally designed to handle circumstances not found in the garden game. Traditional backyard croquet equipment can be used but is prone to damage. Mallets, made specifically for extreme croquet, are made from high-density polyethylene, aluminum, polycarbonate and other durable materials. Rules Different organizations use different sets of rules for extreme croquet. Variations include the following: When one ball strikes another, the striker may choose to continue play as the strikee's ball. A player receives an extra stroke for passing through a second story of a wicket. A player may strike the ball with any part of the mallet, including a billiards-reminiscent style. The first player through the second wicket determines the direction of play. As each player reaches the starting post after clearing all wickets, they are "poison" and must declare their status to all players. A non-poison player can eliminate a poison player by sending the latter through a wicket. Passing through a wicket out of order is punished by sending the ball back to the previous post. Small children, dogs, and ponies are legal obstacles, and if they interfere with the ball's placement, the player must still "play it where it lies." The Richmond Extreme Croquet Group has these rules: Revert Rule: If a ball traverses its prior wicket in the opposite direction, this now becomes its current wicket; exceptions: (1) a rover cannot be reverted; (2) until the ball remakes that wicket, it cannot be reverted again. Nosering Rule: Once per game, at the end of one's turn, one may move one's ball exactly one mallet head, except not into or thru any wicket in either direction; in a team game, one may use a teammate's unused nosering move. Alzheimer's Rule: Before or after hitting the ball, if that player or anyone else realizes that the player forgot their current wicket, the hit is