19 replies to this topic

[ComradeSch]

Fairly self-explanatory. Do you bother with shields? Do you like/dislike them? Do you permit them in your wargames? Does a good portion of your Nerf club use shields, or are they considered a rare encumbrance?

[The2ndBluesBro]

The only shield usually allowed is the Manta Ray. 

[LordGiratia]

For my nerf group we ban shields for the same reason we don't like cover, it makes someone extremely hard to hit and affects the speed of the game.

[justaguycalledv]

We have a member of the South East Nerf club that regularly uses the stonewall shield in his left hand and a Slingfire in his right (because he can prime it with one hand obviously). He is very good at blocking incoming fire with it.  I'm seriously considering trying one out myself.

[ENP10]

We have a member of the South East Nerf club that regularly uses the stonewall shield in his left hand and a Slingfire in his right (because he can prime it with one hand obviously). He is very good at blocking incoming fire with it.  I'm seriously considering trying one out myself.

Oooooooooooooooh! Another Nerfer from Tennessee!

[Draconis]

I didn't really have an opinion on shields until our big war in August.  A few people were using these /massive/ shields.  Sorta broke one game of Carpe.  I should have just made rockets shield breakers from the beginning, and we would have gotten more rocket action too.

[Daniel Beaver]

I find that large shields are detrimental to gameplay. I only allow Mantas and the Dart Tag shields at wars because they're fairly small and not super effective.

[shandsgator8]

We allow shields, but only if their offensive "weapon" is a melee item, like a sword. Needless to say, we get a lot of face shots since that's basically the only thing we can reliably hit when someone uses a large shield.

[C-A 99]

Blaster limits on shield users seem to work best. Smaller shields (or large blasters that can block darts) could have lesser restrictions. Most wars I go to just count all equipment hits, or don't count them but still banning shields/blocking. No one I know actually has a Manta Ray amd I've never actually seen one, so I would generally disregard its existence when hosting a game, and it'd get the same rules as any other blaster.

[Snoop Doggy doge]

I think shields are annoying as fuck, especially if there's no restrictions or limitations on them. 

There's an argument that it makes a more diverse gameplay, but I don't think there needs to be extra complications. Shields need a shit ton of regulations and than have created confusion in play for games I've attended. There ends up having to be blaster restriction (can't be semi auto/magfed/whateverthefuck the host says) or only a sword, or size restrictions, sometimes shields are indestructible or shield guys have a hard time telling hits (if megas help destroy or if there's an amount of darts that wlll break a shield) 

TBH I'd ban them but I can understand why people want them. "tactics" or whatever but I have never needed a shield.
I really dislike them but I can acknowledge people have fun with them, and they can work if you give enough regulations.

[Serene Haze]

As far as I'm aware anything larger than a stonewall or manta is basically a universally horrible idea unless you have some kind of "shield breaker" rule in effect. I know that the MTB  guys play with a ruleset that allows shields that seems to work pretty well, but it's probably got a lot to do with the players you've got.

 

Objective game types probably sort this out a bit as well, gives the player a little bit more to do than try not to get tagged. I personally like the idea but it probably only has a place in a certain kind of war.

[justajolt]

We tend to allow shields, simply because gameplay at Grim Up Nerf is so fast paced and our "dialect" of Nerf War is heavily biased towards overpowered auto and semi-auto flywheels.

 

Having a shield ends up as a distraction from things around you and as soon as you duck behind it, one or two players will be maneuvering to take you out. 

 

Additionally, clusters of players behind a shield hearer become and easy target for anyone with a full mag. 

[IAmAPenguin]

It annoyes the heck our of me when people use sheilds. Someone that i'm not going to name always uses a cardboard sheild bigger than they are and it makes it pretty much impossible to tag them. That is for other people of course, as i have an 18kg longshot with an artifact hunter kit and i have no problem just punching right through that monstrocity while still leaving a fairly sized red mark on the weilder . As for other more average players?, i think it just ruins the dynamics of the whole round.
But for large team gametypes it's not too bad as you can manage to surround them and overpower them.
I have found that it also greatly decreases their RoF with springers and overall mobility.
In conclusion i believe that it would make a world of difference just to ban sheilds altogether.

Nothing personal sheild users, just don't like your style.

USER WAS WARNED FOR THIS POST: You replied to a topic that has been inactive for over a year.

Edited by CaptainSlug, 18 January 2017 - 01:45 PM.
Necro

[NerfGeek416]

I don't personally use shields, but in the winter my school's HvZ club does indoor superstock matches. Each team gets one shield user, and that person is limited to a hammershot/strongarm/etc. Seems to work decently well without being overpowered.

[Zack the Mack]

I've done some casual wars that allow shields. They do slow the game, but they encourage tactical play. Shields counter high-powered blasters that outrange opponents - if you want to get more diversity than homemades, I highly recommend them.

 

Here are the rules we used to govern shields:

• Shooter still calls hits. If the shooter says the round hit the shieldbearer and not the shield, it counts as usual.
• Shields must be held in one hand. Players must hold the shield in a hand to use it. This prevents players from strapping shields all over themselves, makes it easier for the shieldbearer to call shield hits, restricts the blasters the shieldbearer can use, and makes the shieldbearer vulnerable while reloading. It also implicitly bans shield-blaster combos, since the shield is held by the blaster.
• Melee kills the shieldbearer. If the shield touches an opponent's body or any of his or her equipment, the shieldbearer dies as if he or she were hit. This allows any player to kill a shielded player, and punishes the shieldbearer for striking a player with it.
• Exotic projectiles kill the shieldbearer. If a missile, sock, Mega dart, Vortex disc, etc hits the shield, the shieldbearer dies as if he or she were hit. The war organizer might want to allow Rival balls, Boomco darts, stock Streamlines, etc to penetrate shields as well. As usual, the shooter calls hits.
• Shieldbearers have an extended respawn time. We used double time - if the game is 3-15, you wait 30 seconds instead of 15. You might even extend this further if the battlefield is large. This allows players to rush opponents when they kill their shielded teammates.
• Shields don't work during sudden death. If the opposing team has only one surviving player, shield hits kill the shieldbearer. That player is responsible for calling sudden death.

Setup and safety rules:

• Defenders can't use shields. This is only for asymmetrical games with an attacking and defending team.
• Shieldbearers can't use melee weapons. This is a safety rule that prevents players from accidentally swinging a shield at someone.
• Shields can't have sharp edges. Shields must have rounded edges that are unlikely to cut a player. Cracked or broken shields can't be used.

 

Some other pointers for using shields in wars:

• Shields are the most fun when there's a lot of cover. In an open battlefield, the shields are the only cover on the battlefield and the game grinds to a halt.
• Shields are best when the teams are large. I wouldn't allow shields unless there are at least six players on each team.
• Shields force a change in the metagame. One shieldbearer can shut down an entire team of long-range single-shot blasters.

[DjOnslaught]

I like the rule about exotic ammo killing the shield bearer, though it could also have certain ammo just break the shield negating it for the rest of the round

[shmmee]

I personally hate them, but since my newest group uses them extensively I'm trying to give them a chance.

 

We limit blasters shield wielders can use to one handed non mag fed blasters and that exotic projectiles break the shield. I still feel that grants the shield bearers an unfair second life. I really wouldn't count it as balanced unless the shield users are melee only and exotic projectiles not only break the shield but eliminate the bearer too until respawn. If they're armed with a blaster maybe a shield breaking round would also break the shield for their next spawned life as well.

[Zack the Mack]

The key rule is that breaking the shield kills the shieldbearer:

• It amps up the risk factor in running a shield
• It provides a bigger target for the jankier "shield breaker" projectiles
• It cuts out bookkeeping and makes rules enforcement easier
• Many players don't like throwing their equipment on the ground
• People will step on the shield, and we don't want anyone getting lacerated on broken plastic

[DjOnslaught]

<p>

The key rule is that breaking the shield kills the shieldbearer:

• It amps up the risk factor in running a shield
• It provides a bigger target for the jankier "shield breaker" projectiles
• It cuts out bookkeeping and makes rules enforcement easier
• Many players don't like throwing their equipment on the ground
• People will step on the shield, and we don't want anyone getting lacerated on broken plastic

But does breaking the shield and killing the user make the shield null for the rest of the battle?

My post was saying ok the disc hits your shield it's broken for the rest of the rouND and you can go place it back at your base and grab a full size blaster or continue to carry it and wield a smaller one.

[Zack the Mack]

But does breaking the shield and killing the user make the shield null for the rest of the battle?

My post was saying ok the disc hits your shield it's broken for the rest of the rouND and you can go place it back at your base and grab a full size blaster or continue to carry it and wield a smaller one.

 

Oh, you can continue to use the shield. Creating counterplays to shields is important, but It's more important to keep the rules manageable.