57 replies to this topic

[Daniel Beaver]

Bomb Push

Variation of CTF

- Played with single flag.

- Each team has a 'base'.

- If the flag can be put in the opponent's 'base', the opponents lose (or have a point scored against them.)

tertiary

We played a game type very much like this one quite often in Minnesota, and it was a lot of fun (we called it "Football"). To elaborate:

BOMBING RUN (or FOOTBALL)
Single flag assault CTF

Primary or Secondary?: Secondary

People: At least 6, but more is better.

Field: Symmetric, indoor or outdoor. It should be fairly large, or else games end far too suddenly.

Rules:

• Two teams. Each has base, which is where the opposing team tries to plant the flag. They also have a spawn point (or multiple spawn points).
• One flag, which begins the game in the middle of the field. The objective is to plant this flag in the enemy team's base. If hit, you drop the flag where you were hit.
• When you are hit, run back to your spawn point and re-spawn immediately. Each team's spawn point needs to be quite far away from the flag planting base.
• Can be played either with a point limit, or a timer. It is somewhat easier to score in this game than traditional CTF, so games go faster.

[Ice Nine]

Just to reiterate, a "Primary" round is a round that you primarily play throughout a war. If Carpe is your bread and butter, and you're likely to play it for more than half of the rounds of a day, that's a Primary gametype. You can't have more than two or possibly three "Primary" gametypes at your wars. It's just logically impossible.

The reason I closed the other thread is because gametypes are like dongs: everyone on NerfHaven's got one, and they all want to stick theirs where where it doesn't belong. I mean we can all come up with arbitrary rounds off the cuff and give them silly names and silly themes (and from what I've read so far, on the west coast this activity is called 'a nerf war'). That's why I closed the other gametypes thread. The point of this thread is to post gametypes that you routinely play, not because wouldn't it be hilarious, but because they're simple, elegant and fun. For some reason most people can't seem to judge that quality in their own games. Here's a good rule of thumb: a game is good if a nerfer visiting from a different area has played it and would recommend it. If a gametype like Witch Doctor can only be enjoyed by the sort of person who would nerf in a bathrobe, then it's not going to be much use in DC or Chicago.

Seconded. I've let this sit for far too long without a response, and I'd like to thank Langley for this post because it basically echoes my sentiments (goodness knows how many conversations occurred in #nerfhaven about it).

We played a game type very much like this one quite often in Minnesota, and it was a lot of fun (we called it "Football").

Added. Thanks, Ol' Dirty Beaver.

[taerKitty]

So, reading the APOC 2009 thread, I saw mention of a few other game types, but have no idea how they're played:

- Attack & Defend

- Gorefest

[Langley]

http://projectnerf.com/wiki/Great_American_Gorefest

Gorefest is the term used to describe any round in which Evil Angel is the last man standing. It is named such so that he can tell people that he is the "Undefeated Champion" of the Great American Gorefest.

Attack & Defend rounds (sometimes called Siege rounds) are rounds which used to be frequently run by the LCM at Apoc and other wars, and which are now run with some modifications by FA/K-10 at Hell Before Halloween. Typically, it is held on a playground and the defenders are confined to the wood chip area around the playground. In Canada, you are typically confined to the jungle gym itself, and even straying onto the wood chips is considered against the rules (I think you have to take a hit). Defenders have 4-0 (four hits, no counting between hits) and attackers have infinite respawn. A piece of flagging tape or a Dart Tag CTF device is placed somewhere on the jungle gym and the attackers must take it back to their spawn (or in the case of the CTF device, knock it over) before a time limit is reached. In theory, the sides then switch and the new attackers must beat the opposing team's time, but occasionally this is discarded in favor of just running the game over again with switched teams, and calling any capture within the original time limit a win.

Personally, I would call this a Tertiary game type, but it is frequently considered a Secondary game type by the hosts who use it. My main beef with it is that some of the defenders are sitting ducks who can't maneuver or dodge, and the attackers can spend much of their time running back and forth from the spawn. I wouldn't mind seeing it used at some of the more asymmetrical fields I nerf at, where carpe is harder to pull off, but as a gametype specific to playgrounds it gets a bit tiresome after the first set of rounds.

[TagMaster247]

Not quite sure if this already exists, but until then...

And yes, I did get this off of Call of Duty. And no, I'm not a fan-boy. I hardly ever play it, really.
Bomber Boy

Primary or Secondary?: I like doing it as a secondary. It's fun, but you wouldn't want to do it all day.

People: An even number of people is great, and will work with any amount of people.

Field: An urban environment is sweet, but a playing area with quite a bit of cover will do.

Supplies: 2 medium-size boxes, and one flat box (Cardboard will work. I like the dimensions to be 1' long by 8" wide shaped like a briefcase.). Referees (Just 1 or 2) will be needed to ensure fair and accurate play.

Rules: One hit means you're out for the round. Two teams (One attacking, one defending the boxes) start at opposite ends of the playing area. One team has a "bomber boy (Or girl. )", and has the "bomb" (The cardboard). The attacking team attacks the two medium sized boxes (Targets). One should be placed relatively close to the attacker’s base, and one that’s near the enemy’s base, but you can put them anywhere you want. The defending team’s job is to prevent the attackers from destroying one of the Targets. If the Bomber Boy can “set the bomb” on one of the Targets, and nobody “defuses” it within 30 seconds, the attacking team wins. I like to do best-of-3, and have the teams switch off each round. Generally I like to keep rounds around 5-10 minutes long.

If you want an easier definition, play Modern Warfare 3.

Edited by TagMaster247, 19 April 2012 - 12:21 AM.

[Ice Nine]

Not quite sure if this already exists, but until then...

And yes, I did get this off of Call of Duty.

Bomber Boy

Primary or Secondary?: I like doing it as a secondary. It's fun, but you wouldn't want to do it all day.

People: An even number of people is great, and will work with any amount of people.

Field: An urban environment is sweet, but a playing area with quite a bit of cover will do.

Supplies: 2 medium-size boxes, and one flat box (Cardboard will work. I like the dimensions to be 1' long by 8" wide shaped like a briefcase.). Referees (Just 1 or 2) will be needed to ensure fair and accurate play.

Rules: One hit means you're out for the round. Two teams (One attacking, one defending the boxes) start at opposite ends of the playing area. One team has a "bomber boy (Or girl. )", and has the "bomb" (The cardboard). The attacking team attacks the two medium sized boxes (Targets). One should be placed relatively close to the attacker's base, and one that's near the enemy's base, but you can put them anywhere you want. The defending team's job is to prevent the attackers from destroying one of the Targets. If the Bomber Boy can "set the bomb" on one of the Targets, and nobody "defuses" it within 30 seconds, the attacking team wins. I like to do best-of-3, and have the teams switch off each round. Generally I like to keep rounds around 5-10 minutes long.

If you want an easier definition, play Modern Warfare 3.

This is the series of reactions your post made me go through when I read it.

Oh man, looks like it's time for a deconstruction.

• I'm reasonably confident you have never played this game in a Nerf war before.
• I'm reasonably confident you haven't been to a Nerf war before.
• One-life rounds promote "stagnant and impassable gameplay," to quote Zorn earlier on this page.
• Not only that, one-life rounds only have relevance in a milsim capacity. Nerf wars should ideally be antithetical to milsim.
• Saying that one should play a video game to get a better explanation of rules for a Nerf war is lazy. Explain them better or don't post them up.
• How would timer structures work? How would defusing it work? You do realize how long thirty second is to hold a position with Nerf guns, right?
• Best-of-three with the teams switching off doesn't make sense. There isn't a way to do a best-of split that gives both teams even chances to defend and attack.

Not included.

/* begin edit */

I'm not going to waste space by posting again, so I'm going to edit in some response.

Clearly if you haven't been to a war you don't really have any business suggesting game types for wars. With twenty-plus people on the field, mostly using hoppered blasters with refire rates of about one dart per second and ranges over one hundred feet, any game that requires standing still with a box for seven seconds is a recipe for total devastation.

Referees are something I neglected to mention earlier but oh man that sounds like the worst idea ever for a war. Taking suggestions for people who came all that way to willfully sit out for a round and count when a dude holds onto a cardboard box, and then puts it down? The only rounds I sit out are the ones where my b has been too forcefully touched (read: never, because my b can take mad touching).

I'm not buying a video game to learn how to play a Nerf round that sounds bad. Sorry.

Your team scenario doesn't make sense. If team 1 wins while attacking, and they switch, and then team 2 wins by attacking, then who attacks in round three? What if team 1 is better at attacking? Do you really not see that as a problem?

That's cool, I love sucking things out of other things. But, if you think I really sucked the fun out of this gametype, you're operating under some serious false vacuum assumptions, because this game lived in the minimal state of fun to begin with.

/* end edit */

Edited by Ice Nine, 19 April 2012 - 07:15 AM.

[TagMaster247]

•Incorrect. I have played this game, and it goes over pretty well.
•No I haven't. However, I don't see why that should matter.
•That's why I put a time limit on the game.
•That's a matter of opinion.
•That is the best way I could explain it.
•How would timer structures work? A=Referees. Like I mentioned in the post.
How would defusing it work? A=I forgot to put that in there, but you have to at least hold it for 7 seconds.
You do realize how long thirty second is to hold a position with Nerf guns, right? A=I have done many things that have a time limit of 30 seconds, so yes. I do know how long that is. It makes the game more challenging.
•Best-of-three with the teams switching off doesn't make sense. There isn't a way to do a best-of split that gives both teams even chances to defend and attack. A=The way the game works out is that both sides will get a turn to attack and defend one time. For example, if Team A wins both rounds, then they win the match.

It's relatively simple when you actually play it. I really don't care if you add it or not. This was meant to be a fun little game, but honestly, you have sucked the fun out of it.

[uberninja333]

Meat flag
primary or secondary: primary
People: odd, at least 7 is recommended, most fun with several teams of four and one meat flag
Field: any, mixed cover
Supplies: something to designate the meat flag, timer
rules: similar to one flag capture the flag, except the flag is a person who has an unlimited arsenal, and the teams have one gun per person.
At the start, the meat flag spawns in the middle of the map. The two teams are trying to capture him within the time limit. The meat flag is trying to not get captureed, but can not commit suicide. When a team subdues the meat flag, they have to return him to the their spawn point. The meat flag must be returned alive. The teams get three hits before they respawn, the meat flag gets 20, but cannot grab more ammo unless empty. Both get unlimited respawns. If you are downed, return to your spawn then go.
The team that captures the meat flag wins. If the meat flag is not captured, he wins.

I'm sory if the definition needs to be a little more clear, it's easier to play than to explain.
We play this a lot at our wars in North Dakota.
Sory, bold wasn't working

Edited by uberninja333, 29 May 2012 - 05:13 PM.

[Langley]

Attack & Defend rounds (sometimes called Siege rounds) are rounds which used to be frequently run by the LCM at Apoc and other wars, and which are now run with some modifications by FA/K-10 at Hell Before Halloween. Typically, it is held on a playground and the defenders are confined to the wood chip area around the playground.

Lately there's been a minor resurgence in this gametype at East Coast wars. However, instead of using the traditional playground, we've been placing the flag in a more defensible part of a picnic grove. Sometimes the flag is placed uphill from the attackers' spawn point. There are no particular boundaries for the defenders, but they play 4-15 instead of 4-0 and they must spawn behind the flag or at a designated spawn point. This is occasionally run as "Liberate the Lawn Gnome' by the LGLF using one of our ceramic mascots as the 'flag'. It's still generally a tertiary gametype, played twice with the same teams simply switching sides for the second round. I guess I should probably re-write the rules for this one by describing the common elements and then going through each of the regional variations.

[TagMaster247]

Alamo

Primary or Secondary?: Secondary

People: Doesn't really matter, but the more the merrier!

Field: Symmetric and kind of big.

Objective: To hold the Alamo for the set time.


Rules:
There is a "fort" in the middle of the field (Can be made of boxes or some other material. Should be fairly easy to hide behind/under.). There are 2 teams starting at opposite ends of the playing area with the "fort" in the middle. The object of the game is to capture the "Alamo" and hold it for 2 minutes (But can be shortened or lengthened.). If the person inside the Alamo is hit, he/she goes back to their base and counts to 15 seconds and re-joins the game. Unlimited "lives".

UPDATE! I was watching a TV show and thought up a pretty cool game type (If this has already been invented, please tell me.):
Boarder Patrol



Primary or Secondary?: Secondary, or maybe use this as a warm-up round

Number of People: Doesn't matter.

Field Type: Preferably one with quite a bit of cover, but should have some open spots, as well.

Objective (If Boarder Patrol Agent): Stop the "Migrants" from getting to their Rally Point.
Objective (If Migrant): Cross the boarder and get to your Rally Point.

Rules:

To start off, the Migrants are allowed to have any Nerf sword they wish, but they can't have a Nerf item that shoots projectiles. The main idea is for the Agents to have strength in weaponry, but the Migrants to have strength in numbers. You can either have it 3-15, 4-20, or 1 and out (I prefer either 3-15 or 1 and out.). You can also set a time limit, if you'd like. So the game starts off by choosing who will be the Boarder Patrol Agent(s). You can choose the ratio however you like, but I think that 3 Migrants per 1 Agent would be one of the best ways. Now go out to your field, and place a marker around where half-field is at. Next, put the Migrants on one side and the Agent(s) on the other. The Agents are NOT allowed to shoot a Migrant unless he/she is on the Agents side of the field, and the Agents can't go onto the Migrant's side at all. Once all Migrants have been eliminated, all Agents have been eliminated, all Migrants have gotten to the Rally Point, or time has expired, the other team wins.

Another alternative is once the Migrants reach the Rally Point, they can grab their blaster and blast the enemy.

Edited by TagMaster247, 25 July 2012 - 08:23 PM.

[Langley]

These are some rounds that we've run to kill time while people were returning from lunch, setting up for another round, or while we were waiting for bystanders to clear the main field. They are quick and fun, and serve a similar purpose to Meatgrinder. They seem to work best in an open area with little or no cover.

One Hit Kills Speed Round - for two teams
Everyone who wants to play is divided into two groups as quickly as possible. Use some arbitrary rule like odd vs even date of birth. Make some quick adjustments to balance numbers, and--time permitting--skill. Try to do all of this in less than 30 seconds. Now play a game of deathmatch (see team elimination above) where players are instantly eliminated if they are hit. Repeat, re-mixing the teams each round, allowing players to leave and join. The key is to keep things moving as quickly as possible. If the last players in a round are taking too long, declare the team with the most players remaining the winner or set a short (less than 30 second) time limit for a draw to occur.

We played this at Apoc and several people said that it was the most fun part of the day. It has many of the advantages to meatgrinder, but there can be winners and losers (without taking this too seriously) and it allows organized controlled downtime.

Winner Stays On Speed Round - for several small teams
Everyone who wants to play forms up into small even teams (3 players suggested) and line up. The first two teams enter the play area and play a game of deathmatch (see team elimination above) where players are instantly eliminated if they are hit. The losing team moves to the back of the line, and the winning team stays to play against the next team. Give the teams 15 seconds to be ready for the next round, and only permit them to play if they are ready in that time (make stragglers wait for the next round). If a team wins three times in a row, send them to the back of the line and field the next two teams. Teams can come and go, and players can mix themselves into any groupings they want while waiting in line. Keep things moving as quickly as possible. If you play long enough for a team to get several consecutive wins, break them up and mix them into other teams.

We played this at a recent PA war while waiting for a softball team to leave the field. It worked out really well, and people waiting to play or sitting out really got into watching the current match. I recommend allowing teams with much younger or newer players to have an extra player. This is an excellent opportunity to create a scenario where the little kids or the new guy can win, without spoiling it for anyone else.

[2193nerfer]

Let me know what you people think about this game


Bush-Whack Attack

• Two teams (one small and one large)
• Small team must get to a flag back to a base with out being picked off. The large team must stop the small team before it gets the flag back to base. The large team cannot be in groups larger than four within an unmodified elite blasters shot of each other. The large team can work together but must remain in small groups the large team cannot puppy guard the base (puppy guarding can be defined as guarding a base or safe zone in a game). There are no respawn points for either team. Once you are out you must return to the designated wait point till the game is done.
• Game is over when small team returns flag to base or small team members are all out.

[Duke Wintermaul]

Tried out a new gametype at a few wars, so here it is.

Red Rover

School yard pick for teams, or whatever i don't care. Preferably even teams, or as close as you can get.

Pick a spawn point in the middle of the play area, this will be the spawn for all players.

Start the round with both teams on opposite sides of the spawn. When a player is tagged, they respawn at the communal spawn point and join the other team

This is best played with smaller groups, as the more people you have the greater the confusion. Wait, who's on my team?

The game is over when there in only one team. The best part? Everybody is on the winning side!

[Gears]

Yeah we call that game Blob.

[Langley]

Freeze Tag Motherfucker! Do you play it?

[popatachi]

Are there any Nerf game types where the main objective is to capture points? I was going through my game library and came upon Dawn of War where you have to capture points throughout the map.

My thought was to have 5 points on the playing field. All 5 points need to be captured to win (I am not sure if this a realistic goal, but we'll go with it for now) or if one team, after the initial point is taken, has no points on the field.

- Two teams with infinite re-spawn and 15 re-spawn time.
- To capture a point, a team (1+) must count aloud to 5 and be next to a single point. (There must be some way to display which team has the point)
- For each point captured, that team gets one second (possibly two) off their re-spawn time.
- If team B takes a point away from team A and there are people from team A mid re-spawn, those people must go to another team A point to start their re-spawn.

At the start of the game, teams must capture their initial point on the field and continue with other points around the field. In order for a player to re-spawn, they must start their counting at any of their own team's points.

There should be a time limit (or maybe when 3 points are captured) on the game where, when the time expires, the game changes to 1 life (or maybe 3-15).

Is there anything similar or is this too complicated or has this been tried and didn't work out well?

[Zorns Lemma]

We tried it at Spano using painted PVC sticks at territory markers and it was moderately successful.

We did it with 3 teams though which seems unsuited for this kind of game type since symmetry becomes nearly impossible to maintain.

[Daniel Beaver]

What makes game types like Defend the Core or Carpe work is that there is no special effort required by the players to keep track of the game state - the scoring system is integrated into the game (darts in the core, balls in the bucket).

Rules like these are problematic:

- To capture a point, a team (1+) must count aloud to 5 and be next to a single point. (There must be some way to display which team has the point)
- For each point captured, that team gets one second (possibly two) off their re-spawn time.

..because someone needs to actively keep track of stuff. You can't have these "if such and such condition is met, then that team gets one second off their re-spawn time" rules. If you look through all the tried-and-tested game types in the OP, you'll see that none of them require that the players keep track of anything beyond "how many flags have we captured?" or "how many lives do I have left?".

Again, the core concept is not bad. You just need to come up with a way that players can easily tell which points are controlled. Here's where you could make some sort of game prop to mark it - maybe something like a dueling tree, that players would have to manually flip around to indicate that their team controls the point.

Edited by Daniel Beaver, 17 November 2013 - 10:44 AM.

[popatachi]

Thanks for the feedback. I have a couple ways to make an easy prop to display who controls the point. Similar to what you linked to and a couple other ideas.

The idea about taking time off spawn time was a way to get more of a incentive to capture points and hopefully a way to get the game to end instead of stalling. I realize that it could be too complicated, but good to know that something similar had been tried before.

Maybe another type of incentive for capturing points but making it easier to remember so that it's mindless to all players. If you guys or anyone else have any ideas, I would love to hear them. Back to the drawing board.

Edited by popatachi, 17 November 2013 - 08:05 PM.

[Zorns Lemma]

The easiest way to incentive capturing points is to make the win condition "capture all points."

This is easier than it sounds because being able to spawn at a point that you capture is very oppressive for the losing team(s). A better system would use timers (like chess timers, but those cost mad dollars) so its based on the time accrued with territories.

Another option is to have cones to mark of "zones" and if you die in a zone you can't spawn at the marker that controls that zone. This would alleviate some of the pressure that spawning at controlled points causes.



FPS gametypes seem like they would lend themselves to Nerf easily, but I think the real litmus test for how successful a game will be is how easily you can explain it to an 8-yr old. Powerball was fun but had a really obtuse scoring system, while Carpe can be explained in a single sentence, and pretty much no one plays Powerball anymore.

[Xellah]

Here is a game-type that spawned spontaneously at Hell After Halloween: Ultimate Core Penetration.



Pictured above is the field we used for UCP. The only requirement is that the field must be symmetrical.

A few things are required to play this game-type:

- An Ultimator or some other kind of missile launching blaster for each team. However, Ultimators are prefered for their unreliability and superior penetration.
- A core for each team to defend. We used buckets. Don't use buckets.
- Something to mark each team's spawn point.

Overview:

Each team has an Ultimator carrier that must launch a missile from their Ultimator into the opposing team's core. They cannot toss the missile into the core, it must be fired from their launcher and come to rest inside the core. When one team has successfully penetrated the opposing team's core, they win the round. The teams then switch sides and play again. Best of 2.

Sudden death:

If each team wins one round then the third round is determined by a 1v1 duel between both Ultimator carriers.

You may choose a ruleset for you own sudden death scenario, but we found that a 1v1 duel between each team's Ultimator carriers to be the most hilarious and effective. Whoever strikes the opposing carrier first with a missile wins the round.

Respawning rules:

Each team has a spawning point some distance directly behind their core (~50 ft. away).

When you are a regular player and are hit by a dart you touch your respective spawn point and return to play. If you are a regular player and are hit by an opposing Ultimator carrier's missile, you are out of play for 30 seconds. You return to play after this time, spawning in 3-15 fashion away from the opposing team. If you are carrying your team's Ultimator and are hit by a dart, you are out of play for 30 seconds. Special Note: If you are the Ultimator carrier and you are hit by an opposing Ultimator carrier's missile, you are out of play for 1 minute (or double the normal timer).

Here's a table to explain a little better:



Non-carrier players used pistols for the rounds we played, due to the size of the field. I would recommend sticking with pistols on a small field with Ultimators, as this game type lends itself to such silliness. If you use Titans or some other kind of actually effective blaster to launch your missiles then you may consider making your field larger and using primaries.

A time limit of 7-10 minutes is reasonable for this game-type to keep rounds moving.

Game strategy:

- The time penalties for hits on your team's carrier make for power-play opportunities. If the opposing team's carrier is down, you're free to play aggressive.
- Each carrier can carry up to 2 missiles on them at once (an Ultimator naturally carries 2 missiles), but may only fire one at a time. Each carrier must begin the round with an equal number of missiles (2 if possible).
- Picking up of missiles by non-carriers is extremely erotic (LOL I forgot about that filter, how appropriate). This prevents missile hoarding.
- An Ultimator carrier may pick up missiles while they are stunned. They may not carry more than 2 at a time.
- Your carrier may decide whether or not they want to save their missile(s) to use on the opposing core or to fire at the opposing team. If your carrier hits the opposing carrier then they are down for 1 minute, which gives your team a huge advantage. If they miss however, then your team is down a missile.
- You may body block missiles that are heading toward your core, but you will have to sit out the appropriate time penalty.

Edited by Xellah, 28 July 2014 - 03:07 PM.

[flyingchicken]

We tried this round yesterday at PAINsgiving and it was crazy fun.

Robot Mind Control

Primary or Secondary?: Secondary

Supplies: Things that can be used as blindfolds, such as towels, shirts, actual blindfolds, etc.

People: As many teams as possible.

Field: We played this in a wide open field, which I think is best for this gametype.

Goal: To eliminate all other teams.

Rules: Players will divide into teams of two. One player (the robot) will be blindfolded, will use a blaster, and will have unlimited lives with no respawn time (essentially unaffected by being shot). The other player (the controller) has 1 life and will be unarmed. The goal of the game is for the controller to guide their robot into killing all the other controllers. When a controller is hit, both the controller and his robot are out. The controller is not allowed to touch their robot's blaster but may guide their robot's arms. The game ends when only one controller is left alive.

This gametype was hilarious and was probably the best three rounds of yesterday's war.

[shmmee]

I play tested this game type last night with a large church group (30-40 people) where I provided most of the blasters. It is very well suited to large groups of non NIC nerfers who are not familiar with most game types or disciplined enough to not pick up a fully loaded blaster and empty the clip between rounds when they should be reloading.

Dodgeball:

Preparation -
Load and prime all loaner blasters and line them up along a center line in the field. Personal blasters may be loaded but un-primed and may be held by their owners. This game was played on a basketball court and the court size was just about perfect. 6 tables were laid on their side as barriers (3 on each side - optional). Small piles of darts are placed behind the 6 tables.

Start with some brief instruction on blaster operation - especially the clip fed ones. "POINTY DARTS ONLY". I lost count of how many screamers I had to pound out of clips.
Line everyone up and count them off into two teams. Teams start touching opposite walls of the court.

At the word "go" teams rush forward to either grab a loaner blaster (hunger games style) or touch their personal blaster to the center line. Play begins immediately.

People with dart blasters may not progress beyond the center line. People with ball or arrow blasters may progress 5' beyond the center line to fire. Swords were originally given the right to completely penetrate enemy lines, but that broke the game and all swords were removed.

Once a player is shot they drop all ammo where they were standing. With their blaster in the air they walk to the center and place their loaner blaster on the center line (they can always choose to hold on to their personal blaster) and then keep walking to the enemies back wall. Once they touch the back wall they re-spawn as a member of the opposing team. (like blob) Their first order of business is to risk life and limb grabbing a blaster from the center line.

Play ends with one lonely hold out getting massacred by the rest of the group.

Rounds lasted about 30 min.

Why it works:
Dropping all ammo at death discourages hoarding.
Dropping blasters at death encourages people to try many different blasters and keeps people from getting stuck with "the crappy gun" for too long.
Having established "team sides" avoids the "what team are you on?" confusion of many other team games.
No one sits out so everyone stays engaged. The rules are simple enough that players can govern themselves. I actually spent 90% of the night playing instead of refereeing! (10% of the night was spent clearing taggers out of clips...)
Granting 5' of approach for balls and arrows makes them a serious asset. I spent most of the night looking for my ArrowStorm.
The larger team will handicap themselves by depleting their ammo.
The smaller team is handicapped with the difficulty of getting a new blaster without getting shot.

For large groups where large amounts of loaner blasters are used (or participants are willing to let other people use their blasters) - this game type absolutely rocks!!!

[eagle-eye]

One of my favorite nerf games is tag. Its tag, with nerf guns.

[Langley]

Overhauled the thread for new users, made it a little clearer for people who haven't nerfed before and removed some of the in-jokes. Let me know if I missed anything or made any obvious errors.