Nerf war

A team playing the Nerf-war-style game Humans vs. Zombies.

A Nerf war is a competitive sport or activity involving Nerf Blasters or other foam-firing toy weapons. The term covers a wide range of games and gatherings, from informal shootouts in offices and basements to well-organized outdoor battles with high-powered modified blasters. Since foam-firing guns are relatively safe and cheap, Nerf wars can include participants and battlefields otherwise unsuitable for airsoft and paintball.

Venues

Nerf wars can take place anywhere. Any area with a good balance of open space and cover can be a candidate. Basements, offices, and backyards are common locations for informal games. For larger wars with more participants, bigger venues like gymnasiums, public parks, forests, ravines, and schools make good playing areas. The inside of a large hall such as a church may be turned into a battlefield by turning tables onto their sides. When planning a Nerf war in a public area, the organizer typically reserves the space and watches out for non-participants to reduce any liability. The ability to play in free locations is an important element of a Nerf war's accessibility.

Organization

Informal wars are usually ad-hoc games played in an office or backyard. These are usually all-out free-for-alls that break out spontaneously and last until the supply of darts has run out. Informal wars in a workplace are a cheap and exciting relief from daily tedium, and an interesting method to build camaraderie.

Organized wars are usually more intense, larger in scale, and well-publicized. Typically planned in advance by a group of friends, a Nerf club, or the Nerf Internet Community, these battles are held in large public areas, attract Nerf hobbyists, and usually have standardized rules. Because the games are more competitive and the battlefield larger, blasters are usually modified for increased range.

Internet Community NERF Wars

Many wars across the United States are organized and promoted through the forums of enthusiast sites like OzNerf, NerfRevolution, Nerfhaven, NerfHQ, Foam Universe, and Heart of Nerf. The members of these forums are collectively known as the Nerf Internet Community, or NIC.    The NIC holds large annual wars on both the East Coast and West Coast of the United States and certain locations even have bi-annual or monthly wars. All around Australia there are wars as well, and a yearly event called Reign Of Foam. Some colleges and youth groups have active clubs and associations that host Nerf Wars regularly.

Rules of participation are set by the war's hosts to create a safer and more balanced game. Over time, the NIC has centered on a widely accepted set of standard rules, regulations, and game types. Australian wars are often held under the "Foam Fortress" rule set, based around the popular FPS Team Fortress 2.

Injury models

Instead of players being eliminated with a single shot, some games include a system of "health", "life" or "hit" points. Players start the round with three health points; a headshot removes three, a torso shot two, and legs and arms one each. Players with no remaining health points are eliminated for the remainder of that round.

Other play styles attempt to simulate bodily injuries. In such variants, if a player is shot in an arm, they may no longer use that arm. Head and torso shots are kills, and a lower torso shot is a delayed kill, with the target having ten seconds to react before being eliminated. Some tactical games include a medic, who is lightly armed but can "heal" limb injuries and resurrect players who have died from stomach shots if they are treated within thirty seconds.

In Dart Tag Association matches, players will be down but not out if they are shot in the torso or legs. Arm shots will render that arm useless. Head shots are prohibited, and may cause penalty. Shooting a downed person will cause them to die, and temporarily leave the match. Foam sword strikes are an automatic kill. Players are encouraged to use cover when using this injury model.

Another injury variant is that a player must be shot twice within five seconds to be eliminated. This rule is designed to stop players from hiding behind cover for most of the game, avoiding one shot kills. It also removes the need for players to track their hit points, and to trust that other players are reporting their own accurately. A variation to this rule is both shots have to come from the same player.

Ranks

In Dart Tag Association matches, "Sergeants" will lead a squad or team, and may have an identifying item of clothing. The weaponry includes Nerf guns and foam swords, along with scooters and bikes for transportation. Upgrading weapons is allowed. A popular upgrade is attaching a foam sword to a Nerf gun to make a bayonet. It is common that there will be a DTA that players will need to be part of to become a Sergeant, there are also officers, Privates, Corporals, and Militia units. Militia units have not signed up for the DTA hosting the event, but a player needs to be accompanied by another to be a Militia unit. These games tend to be highly tactical, more so than other game types.

Common game types

Tank

One or two players (depending on amount of people) play as a "Tank", and are granted a much larger amount of Life Points than the rest of the players (typically 20 life to the Tank, compared to three for regular players). Each Tank carries multiple weapons, or the most powerful weapon in the game. The Tanks win if they eliminate the rest of the players; the other players win if they eliminate the Tanks.

Tactical

Two same-sized teams, ideally of around seven players each, start out at their own bases (optionally designated as a "base" and a "landing zone"). The first team to capture the enemy base or eliminate the enemy wins. Tactical games typically use the bodily injury model and include a medic.

Team Deathmatch

In this game for two or more teams, each team's kill score is tracked, and players respawn when killed. The first team to reach a specified score is the winner. The game is usually played in a medium sized battlefield with an average amount or cover to fight with.

Hostage

A game for two teams, the first team being a third larger than the second. In a hostage game, the smaller team must rescue a hostage (a member of their own team) from the larger team's base, and they win if they return the hostage to their own base. If the larger team eliminate all of the smaller team, they win.

The hostage's freedom of movement and ability to use guns is usually restricted in some way, and cannot be killed while at the larger team's base.

Total War

This is a chaotic game where players fight freely, either individually or in small teams, and is suitable for any playing area.

Eliminator

In this free-for-all variant, players eliminate one another until only one player, the victor, remains. It can also be played with two equal-sized teams, who first attempt to eliminate one another, before the winning team turns on itself until only one player is left standing.

Assassin

A game for three players, one of whom is the "assassin". The assassin hides on the battlefield before the game begins. If the assassin eliminates both of the other players, he or she wins (with the first player to be eliminated becoming the next assassin). If the assassin is killed, he or she loses.

Gunslinger Heaven

A variation of Elimination where eliminated players sit out for 15 seconds and wear a flag. If a player wearing a flag is eliminated, they are removed from the game - if the shooter in this case was also wearing a flag, they may remove their own flag to regain a "life". Gunslinger Heaven is best played in a small area with little cover, to prevent standoffs and keep teams from hiding. The game is played over short rounds, and is a common game at Nerf Internet Community wars.

Capture the Flag

This game is generally played with two teams, and each team must retrieve an opponent's flag and bring it back to their home base. Often, a team must have their own flag in their base to win the round. Capture the Flag games typically do not include permanent elimination.

In the "Push" variant, a single flag is placed in the center of the battlefield. A team wins by retrieving the flag and putting it in the opponent's base. (The Pull variant is also known as "Search and Destroy", where the flag is a "bomb" which starts in one team's possession and is destroyed if the other team capture it.) In the "Pull" variant, a flag in the center of the battlefield must be returned to the team's own base. Both of these games often turn into footraces when quick players can outrun the opposing team and simply snatch the flag.

Venue selection is very important for a fair and fun CTF game. A good field is symmetrical and offers many routes to the flag, for balance and variety. In addition, plenty of cover should be available around the bases to allow each team to effectively defend their territory. Because this game involves plenty of running, the venue should be fairly small. A small venue makes for fun, fast-paced games.

VIP

The game involves one VIP who attempts to move from a start point to a distant base. Two teams fight over him: The bodyguards who defend the VIP and the assassins who attempt to take him out. The bodyguards are generally loaded with better firepower, but are almost always outnumbered by the assassins. The VIP himself is generally very lightly armed, or not armed at all. The VIP is always killed with a single shot, and the others usually follow 3-15 elimination rules.

For a reversal of the game, the bodyguards may be required to "rescue" the VIP before taking him to safety.

A similar variant is "President", in which there are two teams. On one team, there is the president and his bodyguards. The president is equipped with a pistol. The bodyguards are equipped with shotguns, or any pump-action gun. All players on the other team are equipped with snipers or clip-system guns. The president hides somewhere in the playing area while the bodyguards protect him, and the snipers make their way to find the president. If a sniper kills a bodyguard, the bodyguard has to sit out the rest of the game. If a bodyguard kills a sniper, he must return to his base, count to ten, and return to play. Once all bodyguards and the president are dead, the sniper who killed the president then becomes the president, and the former president becomes a sniper. Then a new round begins. All participants can improvise on a round limit.

Infiltration (Procurement)

A game for two teams, one about twice the size of the other. The larger team start around 40 feet outside the playing area (often a building with clear entry points) and must infiltrate it to collect an object, typically a unique gun, a cardboard token or a memory stick. The game ends when either team has been eliminated, or the object has been removed from the playing area.

Quick Draw

Quick draw is a simple game played where two opponents stand from 7–10 feet apart. Both players stand with a single action spring pistol at their side loaded and ready to fire. A third person stands off to the side and calls down from 3. On go both players fire a set number of darts, varying on the way they prefer to play. The first player to be hit with a dart is the loser of the match. These games are almost always very short and require very little strategy. They are almost completely based on reaction time, and ability to aim under quick circumstances.

Immigrant

The players are split into two teams, the guards and the immigrants. The guards set up a base and then patrol the surrounding area, heavily armed. The immigrants (who may be lightly armed or have no weapons at all) set up a base at the other end of the area. The immigrants must then try to enter the guards base without being seen or shot. Guards must patrol around the area and cannot guard the base itself.

Point Control (PC)

A game for two or more teams in which several "points" are marked with multiple flags, or other markers. A team can capture a point by raising its own flag there. Eliminated players can respawn at any point controlled by their own team.

Zombies

See also: Humans vs. Zombies

Best played with ten or more people in an open field. The group is split up into two teams, five human teams and four zombies, ten soldiers and three zombies. The soldiers are allowed unlimited guns and ammo, while the zombies have no guns. In order for a zombie to take out a soldier, all it must do is touch. In order to survive, a soldier must evade and shoot the zombies. When a zombie is shot, it regenerates at a designated spot. Soldiers also have the option to visit a safe zone, where they may remain for five seconds. When a soldier becomes a zombie, he must immediately drop his gun and regenerate at the designated spot. Dropped guns may be used by other soldiers. The last remaining soldier is deemed the winner.

A variation of this allows zombies to only use single shot weapons, or 'chambered' weapons (such as the Nerf Maverick). In this variant, zombies cannot kill survivors by touch, but must instead shoot the survivors.

Stand still

Players must pick a spot, whether it's out in the open or behind something. All players must have about the same amount of ammunition. Players are not allowed to leave their location. Their feet must stay in the same place, but, players are allowed to duck or stand up. A player scores a point by shooting down an opponent. When a player is shot or they run out of ammo, they are considered dead. If there is a tie, those two or more players must duke it out again. If everyone runs out of darts, and no one scored any kills, the game is considered a tie and the game starts again. If one players moves from their location, they are out.

Further sources

• Sock It to Me: Competitive Knitters Get Deadly Serious; Based on 'Assassin' Game, This Contest Has Players On Pins and Needles. Kevin J. Delaney. Wall Street Journal. (Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.: Dec 17, 2007. pg. A.1
• Claussen, Nick (2006-10-29). "The war of the zombies vs. humans rages in Athens". Ohio: The Athens News. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
• ALL WORK AND SOME PLAY BRINGING JOY TO THE OFFICE; [FINAL Edition] RODD AUBREY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Seattle Post - Intelligencer. Seattle, Wash.: Jul 7, 1998. pg. C.2
• Title:Nerf Guns Strike a Nerve on Campuses. (cover story) Authors:Young, Jeffrey R. Source:Chronicle of Higher Education; 4/25/2008, Vol. 54 Issue 33, pA1-A8, 2p
• McLaughlin, Sheila (2004-05-06). "Teens' Nerf guns raise ruckus". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
• Epstein, Laura (2009-08-11). "Nerf War!". The Blue Banner. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
• Wendt, Megan (2010-05-07). "Freshmen unwind with Nerf wars". The Augustana Mirror. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
• Kanki, Jamie (2003-06-06). "The power of nerf Shoot, score and generally enjoy mayhem in organized war". The Kansas City Star. p. E3. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
• Columbia County Bureau (2005-12-13). "Nerf war is, like, heck". The Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
• Wolfson, Bernard J (1999-08-15). "Don't mind that Nerf dart in your eye; it's younger workers playing on the job". Reading Eagle. p. C4. Retrieved 2010-06-06.

See also

• The Great Office War - A viral video of a Nerf war.