Nerf war
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A NERF war is an organized gathering that primarily involves shooting other people with NERF weapons of varying types, sizes, brands, and levels of modification[1]. Typically in some sort of organized fashion around an agreed upon game type.
Fields
Unlike other shooting hobbies NERF is safe to participate in around public open areas, provided you have already obtained the required permissions and notified neighboring residences (if applicable). These tend to include residences, parks, playgrounds, and public schools for the most part. NERF is also generally safe indoors, unlike water warfare. In this way NERF is a very accessible and affordable hobby since the venue itself rarely involves any expenditure in order to participate. A popular field is the inside of one's house. Yards, playgrounds, fields and neighborhoods are also commonly used. Cover is essential for a NERF war.
Dart Tag
Taken from article: NERF, section Dart Tag
Dart Tag represents Hasbro's efforts at making an official game with a better-codified rule system compared to more informal "Nerf wars". The game requires the use of three specific items: "tagger" darts similar to traditional Nerf darts but with a Velcro-covered tip replacing the typical suction cup; a scoring vest made of a type of fabric that the Velcro-tipped darts easily adhere to; and "Vision Gear", essentially a simple form of eye protection. Apart from that, virtually any Nerf blaster (that is, any that is capable of loading the tagger darts) can be used as a player's weapon.
Darts that land on certain target spots on the opposing player's vest will award an indicated number of points.
Internet Community NERF Wars
Many wars across the country are organized and promoted through the forums of internet community sites such as Nerfhaven[2], NerfHQ[3], and more recently Project Nerf[4].
There are large annual wars on both the East Coast and West Coast of the United States[5] and certain locations even have bi-annual and tri-annual wars.[6] Certain colleges have active Nerf clubs and associations that have Nerf Wars even more frequently than that.
Rules of participation primarily depend upon who is organizing and participating. But a widely accepted set of rules does exist and is followed by the majority of the participants and organizers.[7]
The following are common game types of these wars.
Deathmatch
Teams: Two or More
Objective: To eliminate all players who are not on your team.
Overview: There are as many different variations of this game as there are nerfers. Sometimes there are respawns involved, sometimes there are bases or minor objectives to be achieved, sometimes there are medics,etc. The two most common, however, are 3-15 and 4-20 elimination:
3-15: Every time a person is shot, they must leave the skirmish area, count out loud to fifteen, shout "Clear!" and then re-enter play. Each player is allowed three "lives."
4-20: Each person is given four lives instead of three, and counts to twenty instead of fifteen, otherwise this form is identical to 3-15 elimination.
00-15: Is closely related to 3-15 elimination but with the only factor that it is point based, and runs on a time limit. points are scored one or two points per hit.
Another form that was popular on the East Coast involves having a total of 10 hits, each player keeping track of his or her own remaining hits. When a player is hit, he or she continues playing, noting the hit and reducing the number of remaining hits. When a player's hits reach zero, that player is considered out for the rest of the round.
Capture The Flag
Teams: Two or more
Objective: To capture the opposing team's flag and return it to one's own base.
Overview: This game is generally played with two teams, although it is possible to use more. Usually, games have at least some form of respawning system, to allow the game to run longer. Characteristics of a good CTF field include:
Humans vs. Zombies
Teams: Two
Objective: For Humans: survive the zombie outbreak. For Zombies: infect all Humans.
Overview: Humans vs. Zombies (HVZ) is a scenario-based game of moderated tag commonly played on college campuses. A group of human players attempts to survive a "zombie outbreak" by not being tagged by a growing group of zombie players. Zombies can be "stunned" by being shot with Nerf weapons or hit by a rolled up tube sock. Game was originally developed by a handful of Goucher College students[8].
VIP
Teams: Two, the VIP and bodyguards, and the assassins.
Objectives: The VIP's team generally has to keep the VIP alive for a certain amount of time, or to move them to a "safe" location. The assassins have to kill the VIP.
Overview: The VIP's team is generally stacked with the more firepower, but is almost always outnumbered. The VIP is generally very lightly armed, or not armed at all. As an interesting reversal of the game, the Bodyguards may be required to "rescue" the VIP before taking them to safety. If the VIP gets captured or killed, the assassins win.
Videogame Deathmatch
Overview: Videogame Deathmatch gets its name from popular multiplayer game types found in games such as Halo and Call Of Duty. Videogame Deathmatch is exactly the same as regular Deathmatch or Assault, only you start off very lightly armed, or not armed at all. How this works is you and all your nerfer buddies take all your weapons except for your sidearm, unless you are starting with no weapons, and randomly scatter them all over the area of play. You then proceed to find aforementioned weapons and shoot your nerfter buddies in the face. This style of play works best for outside play or large indoor settings.
Extended Weapon Analysis[9]
Vulcan EBF-25: The Vulcan EBF-25 is the most advanced, as well as most expensive foam dart gun as of March 2009. It is a breech loaded, fully automatic gun with selective fire that is visually modeled after a light machine gun such as an M249. It is the only gun in the N-Strike line that requires batteries to fire (on full auto mode only). The Vulcan is fed from a 25-dart ammo belt that is fed from the left side of the gun. The belt can either be fed loose or enclosed in a small ammo box. The gun is capable of firing 180rpm with fresh batteries. As the batteries loose charge, the gun feeds slower and fires shorter distance. The gun requires six D batteries. This, combined with the size of the gun, means that it weighs 16 pounds, making it unsuitable to be carried by small children. Apart from the gun itself and the darts, the gun includes an ammo box that attaches to the base of the receiver and a small tripod that enables the gun to easily rest on the ground. The gun also features three tactical rails for the mounting of accessories.
Longshot CS-6: The Longshot is a breech loaded, manually cycled dart blaster that is visually modeled after a sniper rifle such as the DSR-1, and is advertised as "two blasters in one". It is fed from six-dart clips and can only accept streamline darts. It features a bolt-action cocking system and a tactical rail on top of the blaster as well as a collapsible stock that can store an extra clip. The gun includes the main gun with a tactical rail and an integral folding bipod, a single shot, muzzle loaded gun that can be used as an individual gun, or a barrel extension and fore grip, a pair of six round clips, 12 streamline darts (the yellow-orange version, however, only includes six darts and one clip), and a scope.
Recon CS-6:
The Recon is a breech loaded, manually cycled dart blaster that is visually modeled after a semiautomatic hand gun and an assault rifle, such as an Uzi. It is fed by six-dart clips that are common with the Longshot and uses a similar mechanism to fire. The Recon, like the Longshot, can only accept streamline darts. Unlike the bolt that is used to cock the Longshot, the Recon uses a slide on the top of the gun, similar to on a semiautomatic hand gun. The gun uses a modular building system and includes 4 interchangeable parts. The gun itself is a pistol. Attached in front is a barrel extension that also attaches to the Longshot. Underneath the barrel is a laser pointer that attaches via tactical rail. Behind is a stock that can store an extra clip (however, this is not compatible with any other blasters). On top is a "peep sight" that is attached onto a tactical rail and is used with a front post on the barrel. All these parts can be placed wherever necessary to suit the needs of the user.
Raider CS-35:
The Raider is the latest gun in the N-Strike line as of March 2009. It is fed from a drum magazine with a 35 dart capacity that is inserted through the side of the gun, similar to on an early Hotchkiss machine gun and has a 2 mode selective fire function, including single shot, and fully automatic. Not many details on the internals of the blaster were released at the Hasbro Toy Fair, where the gun had its public debut. It comes in a blue paint scheme. It includes an integral collapsible shoulder stock and a tactical rail system, as well as a fore grip that doubles as pumping handle. It is due for release in stores between August and September 2009.
Maverick REV-6:
The Maverick is a muzzle loaded manually cycled single action revolver style nerf dart gun, visually a hybrid of both a semiautomatic and revolver hand gun. It boasts a rapid fire six-dart rotating barrel. The toy's cylinders double as the barrel, unlike real revolvers. The Maverick is a recognizable model in the N-Strike range, seen in media ranging from movies to webcomics. It is also one of the top selling NERF guns, often being readily available in stores that sell toys. The toy package includes six suction-cup-tipped Micro Darts and a cardboard target. Emulating a swing out revolver, the release on the left side releases the barrels for reloading. The air spring is cocked by pulling back on the top slide. The cylinder advances counter clockwise from the front of the toy, or to the right of the shooter. The spring released by the trigger pull. The blaster features a Tactical Rail System compatible with both CS-6 toys.
The earlier versions of the Maverick featured a blue body with a yellow cylinder, as well as a slightly different shape. This has since been transitioned to its yellow body with black cylinder color scheme.
The Maverick has average range and accuracy, though it is best at short range. Unmodified, the toy's cylinder does not fully release from the body complicating reloading. The blaster can accept any Micro dart, including Streamline Darts, although the larger Tagger Darts tend to jam the rotating mechanism.
Nite Finder EX-3:
The Nite Finder EX-3 is the most modern iteration of Nerf's classic pistol-like blaster that features an integrated battery-powered light painter (LED) (advertised as a "laser sight"). The blaster includes three Micro Darts, two of which fit into an integrated ammo holder, as well as a cardboard target. To cock the gun, the user pulls a cocking ring, which remains in position until the trigger is pulled. The Nite Finder can accept any type of Nerf dart (including Tagger and Streamline Darts) and features a top-mounted accessory rail.
The Nite Finder boasts long range and good accuracy. Its simple mechanism and inexpensive price makes it an excellent candidate for modifications, some of which can be performed without even disassembling the blaster. (But Please Note: Package states not to modify darts or dart blaster.) The blaster is quite loud to operate, and is even more so when modified, even though such modification only increases its range by a few feet unless you change the barrel to pvc, cpvc, PETG, or brass. Also, the tactical rail does not hold attachments very well at all. Still, the Nite Finder is one of NERF's best selling guns, apart from the Maverick.
Secret Strike AS-1:
The Secret Strike AS-1 is a pocket-sized pump-powered blaster. It comes in a blaster pack containing two Micro Darts, a cardboard target, and a belt clip. The minuscule blaster one of only three members of the N-Strike range to use the classic pump system, and requires about seven pumps to fire a dart.
The Secret Strike is the cheapest gun of the N-Strike line, costing about three dollars. While it can't be compared to its full-size counterparts, it's a fun companion to other blasters and can surprise victims when pulled from a pocket. It can be modified like other compressed-gas blasters, but its one downfall is the fact that its tiny tank can easily fracture.
Unity Power System:
The Unity Power System is a set composed of the pistol-like Scout IX-3, the Titan AS-V.1 rocket launcher, the Hornet AS-6, nine Micro Darts, and Mega Missile. It is notably more powerful than the other guns of the N-Strike line. The first set to use the N-Strike moniker, the blasters feature a crimson-and-gray color scheme that differentiates them from other N-Strike products. The blasters snap together to form the Unity Power System, which can fire the Titan's rocket, the Scout's dart, and the Hornet's dart burst simultaneously.
The Scout IX-3 is a pistol-like blaster that uses a cocking slide system similar to the Maverick. It features an integrated accessory rail and storage for two extra darts. Without modification, the blaster has average range, is quite quiet, and accurate. A button on the slide enables the blaster to be fired by a button on the Titan.
The Hornet AS-6 features a configuration unlike any real-world weapon. The blaster is primed by pumping with air and again with an advancing slide. The user loads a dart into each of its six barrels, which are fired sequentially by repeatedly pulling the trigger or in one burst by pressing the large side button. The blaster accepts any Nerf darts, and features a shots-remaining indicator in the advancing slide. When fully pumped, the blaster is surprisingly powerful, shooting over 50 feet. Modifying the blaster is difficult but possible. Overall, the Hornet is heavy, difficult to prime, and tough to reload. A button on the top of the blaster allows it to be fire by the Titan when snapped together
The Titan AS-V.1 is a very large rocket launcher. The shoulder stock is used to pump the blaster, and the user can monitor the pressure on the swiveling gauge. Pulling the trigger launches the Mega Missile, the largest piece of Nerf ammunition, at high speed. Although the missile's tip crushes as a safety feature, the soaring rocket has sufficient momentum to hurt victims and damage possessions, which may have contributed to its scarce availability. Modifying a Titan can be very hard, because the air restrictor is very thick. Still, when modded, changes include a prolonged flight time for the missile, but accuracy decreases.
The system is relatively expensive. The Hornet and the Titan have recently become available for purchase independent of the set. The Hornet stand-alone version includes six Micro Darts and is available for about half the price of the Unity Power System. The Titan stand-alone set comes with one Mega Missile and the Titan blaster.
Switch Shot EX-3: This pistol closely resembles the blaster sold with the N-Strike Disk Shot. It holds three darts and cocks like a Nite Finder, but this gun has a twist. It converts into a game controller for the N-Strike video game for the Wii. The player can simply press the button near the barrel and the top folds down making it possible to remove the dart launcher and insert a Wii Remote to use in the game. In real life the gun shoots anywhere from 15 to 20 feet. It is available in two ways: by itself, or bundled with the game.
Tech Target:
This pistol resembles the Nite Finder and Switch Shot. It is sold in a combo pack that includes the gun, three sonic micro darts, and an electronic target. It is intermediately leveled to modify but features no tactical rail. The gun has a cocking ring that extends out the back (similar to that on the Nite Finder) and has medium firepower.
Reflex IX-1:
The Reflex is a small blaster that fits inside a pocket. It can fire one dart at a time. It features a small cocking slide, the N-Strike Tactical Rail on top and medium firepower. It is not sold by itself, but can be obtained in the N-Strike Tech Target 2 Player set and in a Toys "R" Us exclusive pack of six called the N-Strike Attack Unit.
Disk Shot:
The Disk Shot is a set that is intended to help with aiming practice. The user uses a remote to operate a disk launcher that shoots large foam disks into the air, then tries to hit them with a small blaster. It includes a small blaster and six Micro Darts, a disk launcher, six large disks, a remote, and a cord to power the disk launcher.
BUZZSAW BBL-4:
The Buzzsaw is a blaster that fires foam balls instead of darts. It is loaded through the top of the gun and features a large cocking ring. It is marketed for younger children that enjoy using balls and may have trouble finding small darts. It has a 4 ball capacity.
Atom Blaster BBL-1:
The Atom Blaster is a relatively small and weak ball blaster and is fairly rare. It comes includes the pistol and one ballistic ball. It appears to be modeled after some sort of grenade launcher.
ACCESSORIES
Tactical Light: Includes 10 Micro Darts and a rail-mounted flashlight that projects a bright green light for seeing in the dark.
Tactical Scope: Includes 10 Micro Darts and a rail-mounted scope for enhanced targeting(the scope has no magnification whatsoever).
Dart Refill Packs
Extra magazines are available for the Recon and Longshot, sold individually or in packs of three. They don't include any darts.
Extra magazines for the Recon and Longshot are also sold in packs of two. These packs include 10 Streamline Darts total.
Extra Micro Darts, Sonic Micro Darts, Tagger Darts, Streamline Darts, and Glow Darts with N-Strike branding are available in packs of 8 to 30. Some of these darts are hard to find (Streamline etc.)
Refill packs for the Vulcan that include 25 Sonic Micro darts and an ammunition belt are also available.
Ammo Boxes are modeled after the ammo cases of WWII. They hold three hundred darts each and come with either 100 Sonic Micro Darts or 100 Streamline Darts.
Ballistic ball refill packs are sold that include 5 soft foam balls for use with the Buzzsaw.
Dart types:
Micro dart
Tagger dart
Sonic dart
Glow dart
Mega dart
Ballistic ball
N-FORCE
Nerf Swords
Thunder Fury (yellow)
Thunder Fury (blue)
A good way to rank is by taking the NERF ranking game.
NERF WARFARE
By: Danny Petit
NERF Forts
Nerf forts are VERY important in NERF warfare. They are what hold your troops, tanks, ammo, weaponry, etc. You should always have communication, tank parking, ammo/gun stock rooms, etc. Without a NERF fort, you are pretty much defenseless. You can have more than one base in your fort.
Nerf War
Participants
Without them, you don't even have a war.
Teams
What would happen if there were a different number of teams?
Two
It would be easier. You vs. Other.
Top Tactic
Head on CQC
Multiple
It would be harder. You would have to resort to everything you have in something such as a four team battle.
Top Tactic
Hit and Run