Safety Rules

Safety is the most important feature of a Nerf war. Nerf battles are for friendly competition, thrilling strategy contests, and a good time. Nerf battles are not for serious injuries or trips to the hospital. Safety rules are the most important of Nerf war rules, and should be followed diligently in order for everyone to have a good time.

  • No physical contact. The first safety rule is one of the most important. There is no hitting, kicking, pushing, pulling, wrestling, or physical attacking involved in Nerf wars. The only physical contact that should be made with another player is in the form of tapping, which is used to get someone “out”, to “revive” someone, or to save them from a hostage situation.
  • No intentional face shots. We get it, sometimes you accidentally hit the face and that’s okay. As long as you are not intentionally aiming right between the eyes, you can simply apologize for a face shot and move on.
  • Always wear eye protection. During your Nerf war battles, it’s important to keep on protective eyewear at all times. This can protect you from those accidental face shots from the enemy team, as well as keep you from taking penalties.

Combat Rules

Safety rules are entailed by combat rules, which are tied closely to the instructions of each game or match. While combat rules may differ for your team, there is a general way of doing things that makes it much easier to coordinate a battle:

  • There is a warning whistle about 30 seconds before the main whistle, which can release you into the battle.
  • Play honestly. If you get hit, that makes you dead or wounded. Make sure to play fair and fall down if you do get hit.
  • Game Referee decide how many hits to take before being declared as “out”. In a typical Nerf war, players are only allowed to become hit once before they are out. Once a player is out, they must return to the base to respawn, or they can lay on the ground and wait until a teammate revives them by tapping on their body with their hand. A player’s ability to respawn or become revived by a teammate depends on the amount of lives they have. The amount of lives is typically established before the game.
  • Other rules can be established. Before the battle begins, your team and the enemy team can discuss a custom set of rules to put in place. If you want, you can allow players to use customized Nerf weapons, melee weapons, or more. Or, you can severely limit the weapon choices to make it a much more challenging battle.
  • Hits to the head and torso count as kills. Hits in all other locations, such as the arms, legs, or side, count as injuries but not deaths.
  • If you die on your last life, you must leave the game. This includes laying down your weapon and your bullets on the ground, and leaving the playing area as immediately as you can.
  • Teams can be uneven. Typically, the number of people on each team is equal; however, teams can be uneven due to skill. Most Nerf battlers like to balance teams based on ability and player skill rather than just sheer numbers.

By playing fairly, everyone can have a smooth Nerf war. It’s never fun being the one to get hit, but the deaths and lives system is what helps the teams determine who wins.

Equipment Rules

  • Don’t use damaged darts. Damaged darts will jam your gun. It’s best to leave a damaged dart on the ground.
  • Do not throw darts. Nerf darts are made to be loaded into your gun, and should be treated like actual bullets. They cannot be thrown.
  • Try not to damage the darts. You should avoid stepping on, stuffing, or roughly handling darts. They damage easily.
  • Do not throw or drop guns. Nerf guns can break easily!

General Rules

In general, there are a set of rules that should always be followed when establishing parameters and guidelines:

  • Only Nerf guns may be used. No water guns or other toys.
  • You can loot dead soldier’s weapons and bullets, but not their custom weapons. After the battle is over, all weapons must be returned to their owners or facility.
  • No going outside of battle zones. This applies to any Nerf war game type. 

By following the rules of honor, safety, combat, and equipment, you can be on your way to having a smooth and fun Nerf war course. Understanding Nerf war rules can bring you closer to figuring out which type of Nerf battle you’d like to have. Other than the safety rules and general rules, these rules can be changed or modified according to what you and your team agree on.