NERF wars

A "NERF war" is an organized gathering that parimarily involves shooting other people with NERF weapons of varying types, sizes, brands, and levels of modification [ [http://nerfhq.com/wiki/index.php?title=Modification Nerf Blaster Modification] ] . Typically in some sort of organized fashion around an agreed upon game type.

Fields

Unlike other shooting hobbies NERF is safe to participate in around public open areas, provided you have already obtained the required permissions and notified neighboring residences (if applicable). These tend to include residences, parks, playgrounds, and public schools for the most part. NERF is also generally safe indoors, unlike water warfare. In this way NERF is a very accessible and affordable hobby since the venue itself rarely involves any expenditure in order to participate.

Dart Tag

"Taken from article: NERF, section Dart Tag"

Dart Tag represents Hasbro's efforts at making an official game with a better-codified rule system compared to more informal "Nerf wars". The game requires the use of three specific items: "tagger" darts similar to traditional Nerf darts but with a Velcro-covered tip replacing the typical suction cup; a scoring vest made of a type of fabric that the Velcro-tipped darts easily adhere to; and "Vision Gear", essentially a simple form of eye protection. Apart from that, virtually any Nerf blaster (that is, any that is capable of loading the tagger darts) can be used as a player's weapon.

Darts that land on certain target spots on the opposing player's vest will award an indicated number of points.This is not a terribly popular play style.

Internet Community NERF Wars

Many wars across the country are organized and promoted through the forums of internet community sites such as Nerfhaven [ [http://www.nerfhaven.com Nerfhaven] ] , NerfHQ [ [http://www.nerfHQ.com NerfHQ] ] , and more recently Project Nerf [ [http://www.projectnerf.com Project Nerf] ] .

There are large annual wars on both the East Coast and West Coast of the United States [ [http://nerfhq.com/wiki/index.php?title=Nerf_War Notable Nerf Wars] ] and certain locations even have bi-annual and tri-annual wars. [ [http://nerfhq.com/wiki/index.php?title=DCN tri-annual Nerf War in DC Metropolitan area] ] Certain colleges have active Nerf clubs and associations that have Nerf Wars even more frequently than that.

Rules of participation primarily depend upon who is organizing and participating. But a widely accepted set of rules does exist and is followed by the majority of the participants and organizers. [ [http://nerfhaven.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8682 Nerf War Etiquette] ]

The following are common game types of these wars.

Deathmatch

Teams: Two or More

Objective: To eliminate all players who are not on your team.

Overview: There are as many different variations of this game as there are nerfers. Sometimes there are respawns involved, sometimes there are bases or minor objectives to be achieved, sometimes there are medics etc. The two most common, however, are 3-15 and 4-20 elimination:

"3-15:" Every time a person is shot, they must leave the skirmish area, count out loud to fifteen, shout "Clear!" and then re-enter play. Each player is allowed three "lives."

"4-20:" Each person is given four lives instead of three, and counts to twenty instead of fifteen, otherwise this form is identical to 3-15 elimination.

Another form that was popular on the East Coast involves having a total of 10 hits, each player keeping track of his or her own remaining hits. When a player is hit, he or she continues playing, noting the hit and reducing the number of remaining hits. When a player's hits reach zero, that player is considered out for the rest of the round.

Assault

Teams: Two or more

Objective: They vary, generally there is a location of some sort to be occupied, although sometimes one team may be given a well-fortified position with the objective of surviving or protecting a particular item for a determined amount of time.

Overview: With Assault, there is generally only one defending team, but there can be more than one team attempting to capture the objective. The defending team is given an easily defendable spot either on, or close to, the objective point. The attacking team then tries to either take that position or eliminate all the defending team's players. It is a good idea for organizers to try to give the attacking team a significant numerical advantage, as the defending team has the terrain advantage.

Popularly the attacking teams are given unlimited lives, but are limited to only being able to respawn at the far end of the play area opposite the objective. However the defending team is given a limited set of lives like in deathmatch.

Capture The Flag

Teams: Two or more

Objective: To capture the opposing team's flag and return it to one's own base.

Overview: This game is generally played with two teams, although it is possible to use more. Usually, games have at least some form of respawning system, to allow the game to run longer. Characteristics of a good CTF field include:

Symmetry - to provide a balanced playing field for both teams.

Plenty of cover around both flags - to allow for effective defenses and require at least some form of coordinated effort to achieve a capture.

Multiple routes to the flag - which allows for various tactics to be used.

As an interesting twist on this game, a single central flag may be used in a soccer-like set up, wherein one team captures the flag and takes it instead to the enemy base, as returning it to their own base would merely result in a footrace to the flag.

Play style not as widely popularly due to its propensity towards very lengthy rounds.

Humans Vs. Zombies

Teams: Two

Objective: For Humans: survive the zombie outbreak. For Zombies: infect all Humans.

Overview: Humans vs. Zombies (HVZ) is a scenario-based game of moderated tag commonly played on college campuses. A group of human players attempts to survive a "zombie outbreak" by not being tagged by a growing group of zombie players. Zombies can be "stunned" by being shot with Nerf weapons or hit by a rolled up tube sock. Game was originally developed by a handful of Goucher College students [ [http://media.goucherzombies.com/hvzsource/ Humans Vs. Zombies Source] ] .

---------------------------------------Limb Survival (Not normally played by groups such as the above, but a fun mode nonetheless)

Teams: Two (normally), but FFA, or other variations of teams can be played.

Objective Eliminate everyone on the opposing team

Overview Limb Survival is a sort of variation on Deathmatch. Amount of lives is usually 1, but can be more. (Assuming it is being played indoors) There is one base for each team (usually in two teams Team A gets on side of the room, Team B gets the other side) where the players start off. Then, you simply try to eliminate everyone on the other team(s). The twist is that if, say, you are shot in the right arm, you lose that arm, and are no longer able to use it (not even for things like reloading, you have to come up with a way to do that). So for instance, if you are shot in the right leg, you will have to move around using your left leg only. The only way you can die is from being shot in the head (any part), spine, or heart. If you're shot in, say, a kidney, you would run around clutching that area. Once you are killed, you lie in the spot you were killed in until only one team is left. This makes matches interesting, and it's funny to watch someone try to hobble away on one leg as you get them in the back of the head. This mode is most fun in areas such as basements.

Assassin

NERF guns are common weapons in Assassin (AKA Killer). In that game they are generally just one of a larger number of weapon types. In Assassin, the objective is to "kill" a designated player on the other team. there can be any number of assassins on a team, but there must be at least one bodyguard protecting the appointed target. The game ends if a target is shot in the head, heart or spine, or the assassins of one team are killed.

References