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This is my first writeup. Neither the mods nor the guns are anything new, but I do like the way this system works a lot. It does your integrations for you in a rather practical and effective way. I like being able to have a singled long range weapon backed up by an undermounted semi-auto gun that needs no priming. The whole thing is quite comfortable to hold.

Since these mods aren't original, I take no credit for any of them, though I didn't take the time to find who first did them all. Thanks to all you innovators.

As a preface, these mods are for stock darts because that's all that's allowed at my war, and our local HvZ. These are more for fun than for power.

Let's start with the S-n-i-p-e Blast. http://www.buzzbeeto...ters/56700.html

A simple cock-and-shoot blaster, this is an A-type blaster, meaning it slots in neatly on the top of your system. All I did was remove the air restrictor.

Open her up. Here's the internals.



Not too exciting. In that little plunger tube is the same sort of mechanism that powers the Tek 6, 10, Belt Blaster, and basically every other Buzzbee springer. You could likely add a spring, but I didn't think it would be worth it.

You can take a drill to the center post from behind, or just do what I did and tap the screwdriver you opened it with through the post from behind using a hammer.



Replace the PT and reassemble. I didn't rebarrel. Fit isn't perfect with stock darts, but it's better than other Buzzbee guns. It's akin to a shell from the Doubleshot, darts won't likely fall out unless jostled. Interestingly, the front of the PT fits quite snugly into a 1/2" CPVC coupler, in case you care at all.

Next, the Missile Blast. http://www.buzzbeeto...ters/56400.html

This is a B-type blaster. You can mount stuff on top or underneath. I sort of want to get 4 or 5 just to have an absurd looking stack of them for no reason.

The light up missiles are actually pretty cool. They light up in flight, not on impact, and I can't get them to light up by throwing them or anything. They're fairly bright, even in a lit room. I'm trying to think up an interesting night game or scenario game with them, suggestions welcome.

*edit* There's a pressure switch on the inside of the missile, so when you load it on the arm to fire, it depresses, and the light goes on when released. Clever, Buzzbee. Clever.

Given the identical performance claims and the size of this thing, I expected to find an old-style BBBB tank, or at least the smaller tank they've been putting in Berserkers lately. Not so.

http://www.buzzbeeto...ters/56400.html

This one's a bit blurry, sorry.





Looks like a MM tank attached to a BBBB pump via a solid connecting rod. The connections seemed weak, but airtight. Nevertheless, I wrapped them in sillicone tape to make sure the seal was good (not pictured).

Mod this like you would any other BBBB or MM tank- I'd reccomend a standard sawing-off of the barrel and adding a 1/2 inch PVC coupler over top.



To fit the coupler, you'll have to dremel out the sides round the opening as shown- start maybe a dremel-bit's width outside the two ridges that border the valve. I'm impatient, you'll hopefully cut neater than I.

My roommate tripped over this shortly after its completion, but a finished product picture wouldn't help that much anyway. I made this:



It's 1/2" CPVC jammed inside 1/2" PVC, PVC welded into the 1/2" coupler, then snap-fix breeched.
http://nerfhaven.com...668&hl=snap-fix
If you're going to do this with CPVC and stock darts, take the time with a dremel or knife to smooth out a conical shape to make dart loading easier. It's a tight fit. Streamlines only, of course.

Nothing fancy, but like I said, stock darts, and I don't want/need too much power. There's about a foot of barrel in front of the breech and that's probably getting shortened when I start testing. If you intend to keep that orange cone thing like I did, make sure you put a breech sufficiently far forward so it clears. I like the look of it, plus I'll later be adding pool noodle in there to stabilize the barrel and protect the coupler.

Last, but not least, the Rapid Blast. http://www.buzzbeeto...ters/56600.html

This is a much cooler and more comfortable-in-the-hand reshell of the Tommy 12.






Due to the reshell, you can't just saw off the handle to expose the correct wires like in the Tommy-xx. It's still quite simple, though.



Cut these two wires near where the battery terminals are, discarding the attached capacitor. Color match a 9v battery terminal's wires and splice them to the Rapid Blast's using your preferred method. Mis-matching positive and negative leads will not yield desirable results. If you pull out the spring pieces that attach to the old batteries, you'll see youve got a nice gap already there to shove the 9v connector through. This allows you to keep the battery in the compartment where the old ones were. Add some sort of padding so it doesn't rattle when you run.

So there you have it. You'll end up with a breeched long range weapon, undermounted 12-shot backup to cover yourself, and a crappy, but convenient and well placed sidearm to top it off. The guns stick together when you run, and I find it fairly easy and ergonomic to hold the whole thing and to operate each individual gun. The power switch to the Rapid Blast is a thumb's twitch away, so you don't have to keep it on.

All these mods should be simple enough for any beginner. These are clones of other Buzzbee guns, so the mods for the parent gun ought to work fine too. This system makes a great crash course in modding different types of guns.

I'm curious as to how people find out about the leaked information that leads to all the speculation about new guns and whatnot. Is someone out there really so bored that they're browsing what (to me) seems like a completely obscure, no-name foreign-language retail website, ect. and just happen upon this stuff?

I'm just intensely curious as to how this information actually begins circulating.

Once again, it's time for Friday Night Nerfpocalypse. The event is Friday, March 26th, beginning at roughly 10:30PM. It will be hosted in the same location as last time. For a shot of the action and a look at the arena, you can view this promo video I shot of the action at Nerfpocalypse 8.



It's an indoor arena, with a bit of outdoor play in the parking garage. This war is STOCK DARTS ONLY. Modified guns are OK, but they must shoot stock ammo.

The location is in Central Towson, a stone's throw from the traffic circle. For the exact address, you can PM me. More details are available on the public Facebook group Nerfpocalypse. A comprehensive set of rules, ect., can be found at this post for all you non-Facebookers:

http://nerfhaven.com...l=nerfpocalypse

The event has been posted on Facebook for less than 24 hours now, and there are already 11 confirmed attendees, including myself and a fellow Haven member who will be returning after enjoying himself last time. The Nerfpocalypse group has swelled to about 80 members now, so I've got a pretty steady thing going.

The event will be capped at 20 attendees due to space limitations. PM me ASAP if you're interested in attending.

Went off without a hitch. Over the course of the night, about 15 people participated. We mostly played a game called Steal The Bacon. I set a Nerf Dart Tag Flag on a 5 min. timer. Once the timer goes off, the first team to get it to their side wins. The caveat? The game becomes one hit total elimination once the timer goes off. The first team to steal the bacon or eliminate the other team wins.

I was/am sick with the flu, but I still showed up to run the war and film it. I put together this little promo video, mainly intended for consumption by friends and attendees, but perhaps my mediocre video editing skills will lure more Haven dwellers out. We had our first participant find us from the Haven, though I neglected to ask his forum name. A great time was had by all.

Nerfpocalypse Promo Video:


Also there was free pizza. Just sayin'.

I look forward to maybe seeing more of you all in 2 weeks time!

Nerfpocalypse is a bi-weekly Towson area Nerf war. It's been pretty regular and pretty successful for a while now. Attendees should be 18 or older, as I'm not interested in any liability issues having minors running around college age kids, but I suppose it's open to discussion on a case to case basis.

Below are the rules developed for the event. There's more information on Facebook, but for this crowd who should already be familiar with Nerf and Nerf Wars in general, this should be all you need to see.

I think these rules, ect. are pretty comprehensive, but please, PLEASE attack them for all they may be lacking. The more feedback I get the better the rules get. These have been partially inspired by what I read on the forums as a lurker, but mostly hammered out through trial and error over the course of 8 wars of between 10 and 45 people.

These can also be found at our (fully public) Facebook group, Nerfpocalype. You're all welcome to join. I do most of my announcing, planning, and networking there, but I'll post here as well.

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Nerfpocalypse Rules and Regulations

I'm going to try to break this down into 3 general sections: General info, Guns and Gameplay. Many details are place or gamemode specific, and will be noted. What's below is general stuff, stuff that always applies, and what you should consider "default" modes of play.


1. General Info
1. NO DOUCHEBAGGERY. This should be common sense.
2. Regardless of where we are, respect and be careful of the property. Don't litter or leave behind darts if we're in a park, don't break shit or be loud if we're in a public place. This should be common sense.
3. Respect each other. Be nice. No one will like you if you aren't. Don't be wreckless and hurt someone. This should be common sense.
4. WEAR EYE PROTECTION. Anyone failing to wear proper eye protection does so at their own risk. I'll have some safety glasses to loan, but bring your own as I can't cover everyone. This should be common sense.
5. Listen to the rules and administrative direction. That's me. I run this show, and mine is the final word, period. I literally wrote the rules. I'm a nice guy, but don't waste your time arguing. It's a game. This should be common sense.
6. Have fun. It's not a big deal who wins or loses, you just get to gloat and trash talk. If a hit is in dispute, just take the hit. Don't call hits you didn't make. Stuff like that. I foster the competitive spirit, but don't let it ruin the game. This should be common sense.
7. Use common sense. This should be common sense.

I *STRONGLY* reccomend that you read this: http://nerfhaven.com...?showtopic=8682
This is what inspired me to write and develop the rules the way I have. It's just good to read.

NERF Wars are generally held on Friday nights at 10:30pm unless noted otherwise. Exact times and locations will be announced at least a week in advance, but are subject to change. It's life, shit happens.

For indoor wars, and when the weather warms up, try to wear as tight fitting, and minimal clothing as you can. This makes it easier to determine hits. You can't feel most of these guns through a jacket. Wear running shoes. If you're just not into it, that's perfectly fine, but I certainly run a lot.

If you don't have guns and ammo, I have plenty and will provide some. Be prepared to pay for lost ammo. In outdoor wars, lost ammo is very likely. You can get 51 suction darts at Target for 10$. It's not that pricy, but I can't foot the bill all by myself.

While you're at Target, I strongly reccomend you get a blue LED flashlight of some sort. Blue light illuminates NERF orange colors as if they glowed in the dark, making dart retrieval much much easier.


2. Guns
*STOCK AMMO ONLY* No homemade darts, or stefans. The only exception is for megas, missiles, or any other large size ammo. No modified ammo. Chalk darts and other non-nerf stock ammo are allowed, provided they were originally intended to be shot at kids by kids and are still in 100% stock form.

You are HIGHLY encouraged to bring your own ammo. If you do, it MUST be clearly labeled with your initials or some other distinct marking. Unmarked ammo is very likely to get mixed in with mine. If you don't have your own, I will loan you a limited amount, but you will be expected to chip in for ammo you lose. It isn't free, after all. Under no circumstances will anyone with a Raider drum be loaned any ammo whatsoever.

Bans: Anything singled with a plugged pump, most homemade guns*, anything with a laser sight (except when controlled by a pressure switch), anything with exposed brass, copper, or other metal tips**, anything with sharp, pointy protruding bits. All integrations must be relatively clean, i.e. not falling apart, not duct-taped together, ect.

All weapons that have been modified in any way MUST be subjected to a case by case inspection by me. I'm very lenient outside the above rules, as long as it's safe, but it must be inspected.

Guns may not have any excessive nonfunctional pieces attached to it. I.E., no attempted shields or spinners or whatever. If it doesn't do anything, leave it off. Small cosmetic bits or details are ok. I just don't want to see attempts at shields.

For weapons featuring a bayonett or integrated melee weapon of any sort, the melee part must extend at least 10" from the body of the blaster. This is to prevent people whacking each other with their gun.

*I'll allow homemade dart-launching equipment of sorts, like the TSFA Nerf Mortar and TSFA Cluster Fuck, but as a rule homemades won't be allowed as a primary weapon.

**Exposed metal barrels are allowable, but the end of the barrel must be wrapped in rubber, e-tape, plasti-dip or something to prevent you from being able to stab someone with it. That hurts. Also, the metal must not protrude any further than 12" from the front of the gun.



Melee Weapons:
There are 3 types of allowable melee weapons:
1. Any NERF brand weapon: The swords, the axe, ect. The Marauder is allowed but discouraged, as it actually hurts if you get hit with it. It's like a fucking club of dense foam.
2. Any foam toy weapon intended as a kids toy, subject to approval. This includes G.I. Joe Cobra swords, dollar store foam swords, hulk hands, ect. If its safe, its probably allowed.
3. LARP-approved homemade weapons, subject to approval. You can google Live Action Roleplaying for more details on this. General construction consists of a foam pool noodle with 1/2 inch PVC or bamboo or something stuck up the middle. Pipe insulation foam is not sufficient. If it's safe, I'll approve it. Use good judgement. I'm told bamboo is the best center material, as it's flexible, but this is not my area of expertice. Contact your local LARPer.

You can integrate 2 melee weapons into each other, but no more. You can carry a sword in each hand, each will count as a hit. You can carry 2 swords in 1 hand, it will count as 2 hits. You can hot-glue(ect.) 2 swords together into one sword (for NERF swords only), and it will count as 2 hits. No more than 2, though. No 1 hit wonders.

What you can carry:
You can carry any amount of weapons and ammo you choose, subject to the above rules. Obviously, carrying and using 5 Vulcans is not practical, but do whatever you want. Backpack full of ammo? Go for it. Equipment such as flashlights, walkie talkies, Spy Gear stuff, infrared tripwires, cameras, or whatever is encouraged and allowed, subject to approval (the above mentioned stuff is expressly approved and encouraged).

If there's anything in this section you don't understand, feel free to ask questions. In all likelyhood, if you don't know what it means, it's very likely it doesn't apply to you. If your gun is unmodified, it definately doesn't apply to you.

3. Gameplay
Gameplay will vary greatly depending on what game we're playing and where. I'll cover the basics, and some key terms you must be familiar with.
1. A Hit is counted when a dart hits the player or any attached or carried stuff, excluding the head. If you're wearing a backpack and the backpack gets hit, it counts if it's on your person. Gun hits count. The only allowable shields are guns like the Manta Ray, which are expressly designed by Nerf as a shield. If you can make a convincing argument that your gun was designed stock to be a shield, I'll hear it. Sword hits do not count. If you actually manage, by accident or on purpose, to deflect a dart with a carried melee weapon, good job Neo. You blocked it.

Melee hits are scored the same way as dart hits. No head hits. The difference is that you can block a melee hit with another melee or ranged weapon. If I block your sword strike with my gun, that doesn't count as a hit. I don't reccomend that, though, you may break something. Sword hits must be distinct. You must hit the person, withdraw the sword, then strike again. You can't just wave your sword at or on someone and call 3 hits, or poke them repeatedly. This is why 2 swords in 2 hands is better than 2 swords in 1 hand.

2. Safe zones are some sort of predesignated area where you go to count back in after being out. It can be anything from a bathroom to a stairwell to a handicapped parking space. While inside a safe zone, you cannot hit an enemy, and you cannot be hit. No dancing around the borders of the safezone like a jackass to exploit this.

3. Outs are scored when a player takes 3 hits. If you take 3 hits, you must hold your weapon above your head and/or point it straight up in an obvious fashion, return to a pre-designated safe zone, count 20 SECONDS (not 20 as fast as you can), shout CLEAR, then return from there to combat. At indoor wars, you may not pick up ammo during this time. At outdoor wars, you are REQUIRED to pick up as much ammo as possible before leaving the battlefield. Under neither circumstance are you allowed to interfere with battle, pick up opponent's ammo, speak, or otherwise do anything besides getting your own ammo, letting everyone know you're out, and leaving. Unless you brought it yourself, never pick up Streamline darts if your gun isn't specifically designed to fire them. Save them for people that need them. Same goes for clip-gun users, if you can't shoot it, don't touch it.

The number of hits before an out, the procedures for an out, the time counted and other factors vary between gamemodes, but these are the rules unless otherwise specified.

4. Some sample gamemodes:

Here are just a few game types we may play, to give you an idea of what to expect.

VIP:
2 teams are assigned 1 or more (depending on team size) VIPs. When you are tagged out, you stay in place, raise your gun and count loudly to 10. If a VIP doesn't tag you back in before you reach 10, you're eliminated. Teams do not start out knowing the identity of the other VIPs. When all of a team's VIPs are eliminated, that team loses. VIPs will usually have more health than normal players, but cannot be tagged back in. This game forces teams to stick together. If you're caught away from a VIP, you're fucked.

No holing up with one of your VIPs in some corner somewhere as to indefinately prolong the game. That's just dumb.

President:
2 teams are formed. Team A must protect 1 player, the President, as they escort him/her to a number of preset points in any order they choose. Once all points have been hit, they escort the President to the end zone. Team B tries to assasinate the president en route to the end zone. The president cannot fight and will likely be given a reflective vest or noise maker or something to inhibit their movement or stealth abilities. Normal out rules apply, but the president has more health, and safe zones do not apply to the president. The game ends when the president is either out, or reaches the end zone. More specific details are location-specific.

CTF:
This one is pretty cut and dry. 2 teams each protect their flag. The enemy team attempts to steal your flag and bring it to a pre-designated capture point. The capture point is generally the same for both teams. Once the round starts, teams cannot touch their own flag, i.e. to return it to its point of origin if taken. If you are hit while carrying the flag, even once, you must drop it, and cannot pick it back up until after you have been out. If you continue running and don't feel the hit, as happens often, bring the flag back to where the hit was called.

To prevent these games from turning into flag hide-and-seek, generally teams will select one member of the opposite team as a "hostage". The hostage accompanies the enemy to the hiding spot, and thus knows where it is. At the beginning of the round, the hostages return to their teams. You can play this a number of ways. You can select a noob hostage, so they can't effectively describe where the flag is to their friends, or select a skilled player so that they can't help think of a good hiding spot.

As always, location specific rules and exceptions apply, including what constitutes an acceptable hiding spot.

Bounty Hunter: Timed 3 team game. 1 team consists of an individual or small group that are the Bounty. The other 2 teams must hunt down the Bounty while fighting each other. Essentially, the 2 teams are competing for the Bounty. You must fight the opposing team AND fight the Bounty. Generally, the Bounty players can only be taken out with specific weapons or ammo types that will be determined game-to-game. Regular rules apply for other players. If there is 1 person as the Bounty, the first team to eliminate them wins. If there are multiple Bounties, the team who takes out the most wins, and the game goes until all Bounties are taken out. If time runs out and the majority of Bounty players are alive, they win. The rules are usually stacked in favor of the Bounties, I.E. they may have more health or score 1 hit kills or something.

That's about it. This is all subject to change. My word of course trumps these rules on a case to case basis, but I consider myself pretty fair. This is about fun. Have fun. And NERF ON.