11 replies to this topic

[rabbitt773]

Hi all, myself and some friends are currently in the process of setting up a Nerf society at our university. Due to health and saftey standards it is likeley that we will have to regulate the use of modded blasters (not an outright ban, since that would be to restictive) as well as potentially restrict the use of certain blasters, both for health and saftey and game balance reasons (although this is less of a concern). I had a look about on these forums and the web but couldn't find much information on the subject. As such I would like to ask you guys if you know of any Blasters or Mods that are commonly banned from wars and clubs, as well as the reasons they are banned so that we can come get an idea of how best to handle the matter.

Thank you for reading and for any assitance you can provide.

[Mully]

What kind of ammo-types are you guys using?
It sounds like you might just be using stock darts, if that's the case, as long as you guys don't extensively mod Longshots (Angel Breeches), or use high-power airguns (Titans, 4B's UMB's), you should be fine.
Just try stuff out, and see what works.

Edited by Mully, 31 December 2013 - 05:05 PM.

[azrael]

An easy way to determine what's safe is to simply use a chronometer. Anything that shoots over 100-110 is probably more than most people would like in a stock type war using stock darts.

[Jaynerf176]

I'm on the executive board of the Nerf club at my campus, so I can definitely help you out with this issue.

First off, our rule is no modified darts, so no stefans of any sort, as well as no taping or putting straws in stock darts. Any dart that we find with modifications is immediately confiscated and the club is reminded of the policy.

Second, we kind of go by a case-by-case basis for banning certain blasters. My club isn't really a big fan of modified air blasters, seeing as they can be ridiculously OP, but as long as the power isn't too outrageous it shouldn't be too much of an issue. We also try to get people to check with the E-board about mods and if they're ok. So it's important to have the blasters checked out. A simple pain test usually gives a definitive answer, if it hurts a lot, it can't be used.

Third, while eye protection isn't mandatory at my campus, it is advisable. It's vitally important that you make it known that safety is each individual's responsibility, and that the club and college cannot be held liable for any injury sustained. Waivers might be a good idea, but unless your college needs them, I don't think they're absolutely necessary.


Fourth, painted blasters. While I haven't had a problem yet with my paint schemes, it's incredibly important that you set guidelines about what types of paint schemes are ok and what aren't. Anything with too much black or camouflage is not allowed, as it looks too realistic. It's also incredibly important to stress the need for orange on the blaster, if the tip isn't orange, the blaster cannot be used, especially outside on campus.

If you have any other questions about getting a nerf club started, feel free to PM me.

[rabbitt773]

Alright, thanks guys this has been very helpful. Jaynerf thanks for the advice, we're definatly not allowing stefans and were planning on using a similar method to yours for testing modified blasters (we shoot the blaster user and a commitee member), so its nice to know that someone else is using it. Again, thanks for the help, any other tips you may have would be appreciated.

Edit: azrael thanks for the advice about the chronometer, it may come in handy if we're not allowed to do pain tests.

Edited by rabbitt773, 31 December 2013 - 06:36 PM.

[Duke Wintermaul]

A great way to mine this data is checking old war threads. Most hosts lay down the constitution, and commonly ban/restrict blasters.

[Griever 2112]

Your best be is No Homemades, since they primarily rely on firing Stefans, not to mention will beat out any modded blasters. As for modifications, A/R Removal, springs, Orange Mod Work kits, that should be no problem. Too much strength and the plastic in the shellwill fail if they are too overpowered. IF you allow Air Guns, they should have the original OPRV in tact. the biggest autoban blasters that are well known are Singled Titans and Singled Hydrocannons.

Edited by Griever 2112, 02 January 2014 - 09:45 AM.

[azrael]

Alright, thanks guys this has been very helpful. Jaynerf thanks for the advice, we're definatly not allowing stefans and were planning on using a similar method to yours for testing modified blasters (we shoot the blaster user and a commitee member), so its nice to know that someone else is using it. Again, thanks for the help, any other tips you may have would be appreciated.

Edit: azrael thanks for the advice about the chronometer, it may come in handy if we're not allowed to do pain tests.

Pain tests are the worst. People can be such pussies sometimes.

[Daniel Beaver]

If you are using only stock darts, then you don't really need blaster bans beyond the obvious (insane pipe bomb homemade airguns). You do need to maintain the "integrity" of the darts, though - otherwise people will start dicking around with the darts, putting fishing weights in them or other dumbshit things like that. If you are using homemade darts, then using lightweight slug darts will go a long way towards keeping pain levels low, and disincentive high-powered blasters. At these sorts of wars, the general rule of thumb is to outright ban homemade airguns, and disallow singled modded airguns if the original blaster was designed to fire ammo larger than micros (e.g, Titans, Big Salvos, Big Blasts).

Are you more concerned about sportsmanship, or draconian university rules? If it's the latter, then you're safest using stock darts and modded retail blasters. If it's sportsmanship... then it really depends on the maturity of the players. The wars I used to host in Minnesota were totally free of any blaster restrictions - we had a group of cool people who used fun and interesting blasters, and occasionally agreed to do rounds with Unfair and Dangerous guns just to to mess around. That sort of loose ruleset would never fly at large wars where the host didn't know everybody - there is more opportunity for bad apples to slip in and do dangerous, unfun stuff. The strict blaster bans that those big wars implement are important for big wars, but they shouldn't be emulated everywhere.

The point being, everyone's case is unique, and we can't give you the answer. Get people together for some mini wars with no rules to get a feel for what people are using, and what they want to get out of it... and importantly, to experience for yourself whether certain equipment is dangerous or not. That experience will inform you much better than we ever could.

Edited by Daniel Beaver, 02 January 2014 - 04:20 PM.

[KaneTheMediocre]

Your best be is No Homemades, since they primarily rely on firing Stefans.

This is a very popular and largely incorrect sentiment. Like EVERYONE has said, stock ammo should be required, but modded blasters and homemade blasters can be made equally safe or unsafe depending on their power. Don't let people use overpowered blasters, and don't let people use blasters with pointy objects sticking out of them.

Whatever standard of power that you use should apply equally well to anything (stock, modified, or homemade). Pain-based tests are very subjective, but they are easy to implement and give a better idea of what you're dealing with than a number from a chrono.

If you are planning on everyone wearing eye protection (hint: you should require everyone to wear eye protection) then you shouldn't have too many problems because most stock ammo ceases to be aerodynamically stable at the high speeds where non-eye hits are problematic. Regulation for gameplay purposes may still be valuable, and help keep the game accessible.

[Aemilianus]

My University uses a Strongarm as a general guide for how strong a blaster can be without starting to be dangerous. My Vulcan with a 6kg spring and AR removal is borderline legal. Essentially it's a pain test - our game Mods and our Community Welfare Officer get shot on skin and light clothing and make a judgement on a case by case ruling. Stefans are illegal, for obvious reasons.
We follow the UK laws, in that a blaster must be at least 50% bright colours - an uninitiated person must be able to look at the blaster and think "Yep, that's a toy." Blasters must also be stowed in bags when not on campus as well, because some people don't realise they're toys. I for one, was accused of carrying around a real gun in the shape of a Pyragon once, so better safe than sorry.

[Draconis]

My University uses a Strongarm as a general guide for how strong a blaster can be without starting to be dangerous. My Vulcan with a 6kg spring and AR removal is borderline legal. Essentially it's a pain test - our game Mods and our Community Welfare Officer get shot on skin and light clothing and make a judgement on a case by case ruling. Stefans are illegal, for obvious reasons.
We follow the UK laws, in that a blaster must be at least 50% bright colours - an uninitiated person must be able to look at the blaster and think "Yep, that's a toy." Blasters must also be stowed in bags when not on campus as well, because some people don't realise they're toys. I for one, was accused of carrying around a real gun in the shape of a Pyragon once, so better safe than sorry.

On second thought, let's not go to Camelot. It is a silly place.