4 replies to this topic

[reversedracula]

What type of games does everyone play? We play indoors because we have access to large academic buildings with 30 plus people at a given game. It works out well with multiple stairwells, etc. Plus no wind to worry about and we're able to avoid losing ammo.

To get to the point, I was wondering if the games we play are naturally taylored to indoors, if other people play similar games outdoors, or what other games people like to play. So here are some of the game types we play. Please comment if you have any ideas for improvements or wish to compare or contrast to your game types. I'd also be interested to hear what types of games other people play.

Humans vs. Aliens: This is a standard two team game. One team sets up upstairs for two minutes, then have 20 minutes to attack downstairs. Everyone has one life, so to speak and go to a "dead zone" when said life has expired.

We also do a variation of that which just has a standard two army battle.

Vampire: One "vampire lord" goes into an alcove. We count up the other players. The vampire lord picks random numbers coresponding proportion of the players at random, usually about 10% of the players. Players walk by one at a time and the vampire flashes a "V" with his fingers to the vampires he selected. The vampire lord then has one minute to hide, and then everyone else goes to search for him. He can be killed by humans if they find him. However, after another two minutes have passed, the secret vampires become active. This means they can attack humans who may or may not trust them. There's no distinguishing feature between them that is necessarily known until they fire. Once someone is shot by a vampire, he or she becomes a vampire also. If a human shoots a vampire, the vampire is dead. If a vampire shoots a vampire, the vampire is dead. If a human shoots a human, the human is dead. We play until either the humans or vampires have been eradicated. Sometimes we'll choose a "van Helsing" to be a trustworthy human who is at least initially not the secret vampire, just for kicks. You must tell someone what you were when you hit them, usually you try to do so quietly. If the head vampire asks you what you are, you must answer truthfully. If you notice any inconsitencies or rules problems, I probably just left something out.

Animators: Two "animators" play without guns. Everyone else goes and disperses. They hide as evenly as possible where they will not see other players. After a set-up time has elapsed, the two animators (who are unarmed as stated) run in different directions and go to tag the "frozen" characters. When tagged by an animator, you join his team. When someone from the other team shoots you, you become frozen for sixty seconds and must point your gun DOWN. After said time has elapsed, you may be again unfrozen by either team, or used for cover in the meantime, which can be quite fun. When your animator is shot, you are dead.

There is also a variant of that called "assassination" where the animator-type players carry guns, choose teams normally rather than acquire them, and can have a team of people who die normally. Like above, when the captain is killed, the game ends.

Capture the flag: two teams set up as evenly as posssible in a given building. Each team has one flag to defend. When shot by the other team, you must take on a non-threatening stance, guns down, arms up, and "respawn" like in many online games. You usually respawn on the top floor above your flag, in most buildings we play that's the third floor, whereas the flag is on the first. We usually make crossing the third floor off limits. Shooting is on the honor system, when someone hits and makes that claim, you are out. It adjusts for the differences in force between a double-springed crossbow and a little secret strike. You win when you capture the enemy flag and return it to your base. If you are killed while returning the flag, drop it where you died. If you see your own flag, your first obligation is to pick it up and return it to your home base. You cannot leave it out in the open to hide your flag from the enemy.

Mole hole: This game is similar to capture the flag in terms of respawn and teams-picking. The only difference is that each team captain chooses a "mole" from among the other team's members. Moles may be drawn at random as a variant. The enemy’s flag need not be captured as in the aforementioned game. Instead, a proportional number of targets are placed right next to each other, usually four legs of a chair/table, etc. Sometimes fewer or more of such targets are used, depending on the number of players. This is defended at all costs. The point is to get enough players to these targets to touch them all at once. Each player may only touch at a time. The mole (spy) can touch one of the targets if he so chooses. The mole may falsely defend by having poor aim, or even openly betray his supposed teammates. Unlike in capture the flag, friendly fire counts. When a captain thinks he has found the enemy mole, he may fire at the mole. Once discovered, the mole’s respawn point will switch to the side he has actually been secretly working for. However, captains must be wise. If they shoot the wrong person, even by accident, that person will also leave the captain’s team and respawn on the opposite side, so captains must search for the mole judiciously. If anyone else on the same team shoots each other, they must respawn on their usual side as if killed by the enemy. Only captains will know who their moles are, so the mole who has infiltrated their own teams will not go back and tell their actual captain.

Jailbreak: Two teams are set up like capture the flag. There is a 20 minute time limit. Each team, when they kill the enemy, captures them instead of taking them out of play. By shooting their own (static) team members in the (heavily defended) enemy jail, they can free them. Once freed, a player must demonstrate a non-threatening stance and return to his own side’s jail before re-entering play. This prevents massive prisoner uprisings. Whoever has the most free people at the end of the game wins.

In all games where applicable, teams are to be divided as equally as possible. When captains must decide on something, they are to do a rock, paper, scissors competition. Winner decides whether to pick first or pick another advantage (which side of an asymmetrical building to start out at, etc.) and let the other captain pick first. Teams may need to be divided unevenly given certain inherent designs of buildings, outdoor areas, etc.

What are some other game ideas you folks like to play?

[MysticFalcon182]

Essentially the forms of play in Nerf are very similar to childhood games and elementary school games- CtA, variations, etc... Look on my topic in the Nerf Wars category for something I kinda cooked up... Pretty fun to do, actually. Keep up the good work!

~Mystic~

[DoubleLnL]

Well there is a long term game that I play with my friends called "Mafia". You split into about six teams of 3 or 5. Each team is assigned to kill of another team, but make sure no two teams are assigned to kill each other off. If a team tries to kill you, you can defend yourself and anyone you shoot is dead (or they can't attack you for 24 hours). You can also hire designated "assassins" (make sure assassins don't belong to any team) for a day to kill of enemy team members. Once you kill a whole team, you are assigned to kill the team that they were trying to eliminate. Last team standing wins. This game can last for several weeks, but we try not to eliminate any team members in very public places, at work, and definately not at school.

[Formerly Sane]

Here are the complete rules to two games I adapted for nerf straight from my website. loser is my favorite, for it is best played with only two people and alot of the time I only have my brother to war with. These are the only two games I play inside usually, because outside there aren't any hiding places and I enjoy playing these two at close range. Sometimes me and my friends will play a regular war with one hit kills and teams or whatever, but Capture the flag really is best played outside. Enjoy!

loser

loser is a game I made up a while ago. To anyone who knows how to play "Bloody Murder" the rules are the same. The 'loser' gets an allotted time to hide with one gun. He finds a place to conceal himself and hides there. When the person is done counting, they leave the designated base and go out to look for the loser. The loser has to aim carefully and pick the person who was counting off. If the counter sees the loser, they call out "loser!" and run back to base.

For many player games, they can be played three ways. The first starts out with one loser and whoever he hits also becomes a loser. The last person standing wins the game, and the first person who was taken into the fellowship of the losers is the new starting loser.

For the second way I'm going to use and example: There are 3 losers and 3 counters. "loser!" is called many times and there are still the same 3 losers and 3 counters. Then one loser hits someone. The loser and his two buddies are now counters and the person who got hit and his other two players are now losers.

The third way, you start out with a close to equal number of counters and losers. When a loser hits someone, they both trade spots but the rest of the people stay in their positions. These games can be timed and at the end of the time limit the people who are counters all win.

That whole thing seemed long but if only two people are playing you only needed to pay attention to the first two paragraphs. Try to apply two people to the last three many player games and you'll get the same game play.

Hunter

Hunter is hide and seek with Nerf guns. The "Hunter" who counts has the only gun and goes to find the people hiding. For the people who hide to win a round they have to either touch base, or survive a set time, I usually do two minutes. The first person who is shot with in those two minutes without reaching base is the next Hunter. Simple.

Edited by Formerly Sane, 22 March 2004 - 05:02 PM.

[Techno-Dann]

Here's a few...
King of the Flag
Kind of like capture the flag, although there is only one flag and it starts in the middle. The game could end when a team gets the flag back to their base, or it could end at a set time.
Double Elimination:
Everybody starts on the field alone. When killed, the player goes to the designated 'dead zone'. When two dead people are at the zone, they come back to life as a team. The game is fast, has next to no wait time, and is generaly fun.