Thank you for your help in testing this rule set, the more groups that can test and share their experiences and perspectives the better the results will be. When you’re testing these rules, try to actively find ways to break or exploit the rules in ways that may be against the spirit of the rules, that helps find the fixes that need to be made so we don’t encounter those issues during tournaments. Keep in mind as well that while some areas say pending and are a focus point for potential changes through the testing, nothing is set in stone, and everything has the possibility to be changed or adjusted based on the results of testing and the experiences shared across all groups.

Overview:

1. Teams will compete to gain control of a flag in the middle of the field, with the goal of running that flag through the opposing teams starting line before the end of time each round.
2. Teams are composed of 5 players, with up to 2 substitute players.
3. A Match consists of 5 rounds, the the team with the most total points at the end of 5 rounds wins the match.
   1. Each round within a match lasts up to 2 minutes.
   2. Rounds end either when 2 minutes have elapsed, a flag capture is completed, or all players on one team have been eliminated.
   3. Teams will then have 2 minutes to prepare before the next round, the next round will start after those 2 minutes, if a player isn’t ready in time, their team will play the round without them.
4. The field size is 160 feet by 100 feet.
5. There are no respawns during a round, players must wait until the start of the next round after being tagged out.

Test Field Layout

Gameplay:

1. At the beginning of each round, Players begin on the starting line for their respective side with one foot on the starting line and the other outside the play zone.  Blasters must remain pointed straight up towards the sky with the muzzle above their head or blaster lowered towards the ground with a hand raised above their head until both feet are in bounds.
   1. The starting line is a 20 foot long zone in the middle of each short boundary line, it also serves as the zone players must cross to capture a flag. It will be marked by cones/pylons for player awareness.
2. Before each round start, the time keeper will verbally check with each team to confirm they are on their starting line and ready. Once a team has confirmed this, they may not switch positions on the starting line.
3. At the start of the round players must immediately enter the field and stay within the boundaries of the field until they are either tagged out, the round ends, or they run the flag through the opposing teams starting line.
4. Each team has a dart cap of 120 darts per round, which resets every round.
   1. Darts may be distributed however the team desires between players each round.
5. Players may use their blasters to tag opposing team members to remove them from active play for the remainder of that round.
6. A tag is whenever a dart from an opposing team member makes contact with an active player’s person, gear, or blaster.
   1. Darts that ricochet or bounce off other objects or the ground before making contact with a player do not count as tags.
   2. Any dart that was fired before an active player was tagged out is still in play, and any dart fired after a player was tagged out is not counted.
   3. When tagged, players are considered out of play, and must immediately exit the field as quickly as they can in the most direct path that does not interfere with active players, and occupy the out box for the remainder of the round.
   4. Players must clearly signify being out of play by putting a hand over their head until they are off the field.
   5. Aside from the one call in the sub rule below, tagged players may not take any other actions while moving to or occupying the out box.
      1. Inactive players on the field may only make a single “I’m out.” call between the time they become inactive and when they reach the out box. Once inside the out box they may speak freely.
   6. A player that steps out of bounds is considered tagged and any shots taken while out of bounds are not counted.
   7. Only a dart launched from a blaster is a viable way to tag someone, thrown darts, hand tags, etc are not allowed.
   8. Referees have the final say in all tag calls.
      1. Players should not wait for referees to make calls. If a player is tagged they should call themselves out and go to the out box. Intentionally not taking tags or waiting for a referee to make a call will result in penalties.
7. “Blind Fire” is prohibited behind cover, players must present a target of at least their entire head when shooting from behind cover.
8. Players may not scavenge ammo during or between rounds.
   1. Active players may pick up dropped mags of their teammates, scavenging is specifically of loose darts.
9. Players are prohibited from using opposing teams equipment.
10. Gear may be passed between active players on the same team during rounds.
11. Gear may be dropped on the field by active players, and may be picked up by their teammates.
12. The only gear that is acceptable to throw to a teammate is magazines, and this may only be done if there are no opposing players nearby that could be hit by the throw.
13. Cover on the field may not be intentionally moved or modified by players, referees will fix cover if it has been moved during play.
14. Intentional physical contact of players is prohibited during play.
15. No transportation other than by foot may be used outside of medical necessity.
16. No use of communication devices is allowed outside of those required by medical necessity.
17. All players must wear eye protection, no exceptions.
18. Unsafe play (Throwing blasters/equipment, riding on another player’s back, jumping over obstacles, climbing, poking your blaster over an obstacle or around a corner where you cannot see, etc.) is prohibited.

Scoring:

1. Teams accumulate points over the course of each round played in a match, those points are:
   1. Completed Flag Capture – 5 Points
      1. If the last remaining player on a team is eliminated by any action other than being tagged by a dart, while the opposing team has control of the flag, the opposing team counts as having completed a flag run for the purpose of points scoring.
   2. First Control of Flag Per Round – 2 Points
   3. Total Tags For Each Team:
      1. 1 Tag – 5 Points
      2. 2 Tags – 9 Points
      3. 3 Tags – 12 Points
      4. 4 or 5 Tags – 14 Points
2. Completed Flag Capture points are awarded when a player on a team has possession of the flag and crosses the starting line of the opposing team before the round timer ends while the opposing team still has at least one player active.
   1. Crossing the line is constituted by any part of the player or gear on that player in possession of the flag crossing the threshold of the starting line, regardless of where the flag is on them.
   2. Making contact with the cones or pylons that mark the starting line counts as crossing the threshold.
3. When in possession of the flag, it must be held in the players hand, it may not be attached to anything on them or placed in pockets, etc.
   1. A player in possession of the flag may not leave the flag on the field while they are an active player. If they set it down it must always be within arms reach or a referee will reset the flag.
4. Players in possession of the flag may still use their blasters and may hold a blaster in the same hand as the flag.
5. The flag may be handed off to a teammate, but not thrown.
6. If a player with the flag is tagged out, they must immediately drop the flag wherever they are.
   1. They may not throw the flag in any direction, it must be dropped.
   2. If the flag runner steps out of bounds with the flag, the flag must be dropped in bounds where they first stepped out of bounds.
   3. If the player is tagged but has moved well beyond where they were tagged, so long as there are no players actively moving towards their location, they must return the flag to the position they were tagged. If there is anyone nearby or actively moving towards their location, they must drop the flag where they are.
7. The flag may not be intentionally dropped out of bounds.
8. The match is won by the team that scores the most points at the end of 5 rounds.
   1. If the match ends in a draw, tiebreakers will be used as follows:
      1. The team with more flag captures.
      2. The team with more first flag controls.
      3. The team with more total tag points.
      4. If teams are still tied, teams will continue playing rounds until a score difference or tiebreaker it met.

Blaster Eligibility and Restrictions:

1. Each player may register 3 blasters per event.
   1. Those blasters may be used by anyone on their team.
   2. Blasters not in active use may be placed within reach outside the boundary lines on either side of a teams starting line. Those blasters may be grabbed by active players during a round without penalty so long as they don’t step out of bounds.
2. After blasters have been chronographed and approved by event organizers they may not be altered to change performance.
   1. If a blaster is found to be altered for improved performance after being approved, it will result in that player being removed from the event.
   2. If a blaster needs to be repaired during the course of the event, it must be re chronographed once repairs are completed.
3. HPA, LPA, Melee, Shields, Blowguns, Arrows, and throwables are not allowed.
4. Blaster barrels may not end in exposed metal.
5. Air blasters may be used so long as they have a functioning OPRV, are manually pumped, comply with all other rules, and are deemed safe by the event organizers during chronograph checks.
   1. When chronographed the blaster will be pumped until the OPRV is enabled before shooting.
6. Players may use “Nerf” Darts (any dart mass manufactured by a company such as Dart Zone, Xuru, Buzz Bee, Worker, etc, are just as acceptable), Mega Darts, Rival Rounds, Vortex Discs, Boomco Darts or a 3rd-party equivalent provided they are factory-made in full or half length.
   1. Players may not use hard tipped darts, example: FVJ darts.
7. Modified darts must be checked by event organizers for safety, hard plastic/metal are not allowed.
   1. It is recommended to have backup darts with you if you bring modified darts in case they do not pass the check.
8. Blasters may not be modified to look like actual firearms. Excessive black or silver(50% or greater)  is not allowed. Muzzles must also be a light or bright color, ideally blaze orange.

FPS Cap:

1. The FPS Cap is 200 for all blasters.
2. FPS is determined by an average of 5 shots, outliers may be removed and reshot at the discretion of the organizers.
3. Blasters with variable settings must have all settings tested or show that the blaster can be reasonably locked to prevent changes during a match.

Substitutes:

1. Substitute players must be in either of their teams out boxes before each round starts and remain in the out box during active rounds.
2. The out boxes are 20 foot by 5 foot boxes that will always be near the mid line just outside the field boundaries on both sides of the field.
3. Players may be subbed in between rounds or if a player must be removed from play during a hold due to a non penalty reason.
4. Substitute players and inactive players may communicate with their teammates from the out box.
5. Substitute players and Inactive players from the round may not leave the out box until the round ends
   1. Players within the out box must keep both feet within the boundaries of the box to be considered inside.

Penalties:

Referee calls are final on all matters. If referees need to discuss a call with each other, players should not intervene. With the current access to technology we have, we will not be doing video reviews as there isn’t a good way to do them in a consistent and timely manner.
Penalties can stack and you can receive more than one penalty at a time.
If a player is removed from a round due to penalty, the opposing team is awarded points as though that player was tagged out.

1. Player continues to play on after a referee has called them out: Removal of player from the match and -5 points
2. False start due to player error: Restart round and -1 point
3. Changing positions on the starting line after confirming ready: Restart round and -1 point
   1. If the round has not started yet, the players can be changed back to their confirmed positions to start the round, they will still lose 1 point.
4. Unpermitted communication before getting to the outbox: -2 points
5. Arguing with a referee: -5 points
   1. If player continues to argue after the first call, they will be removed from the match and their team will play down a player the rest of the event. If a team is playing down a player, the opposing team will count as having tagged that player each round they play.
   2. If a team wants to bring a question or concern to a referee for clarification, the team captain may voice them to the designated head referee between rounds. This will not overturn calls from previous rounds.
6. Obstructing referee sight lines or discussions: -3 points
7. Player not properly signifying they’re inactive after being tagged/stepping out of bounds/etc by having a hand clearly above their head until they reach an out box: -3 points
8. Player scavenges any darts: Removal of player from the round and -2 points
9. Player purposefully manipulates cover: Removal of player from the round and -3 points
10. Player blind fires from behind cover: -3 points
11. Inactive Player leaves the out box before the end of a round: Removal of player from the match, they are unable to play or communicate with their team for the remaining duration of the match.
12. Players eye protection is removed: Removal of player from the round.
13. Player is not ready at the start of the round: Removal of player from the round.
14. Any action, at the discretion of the referees, deemed to be unsafe, endangering, or harassing others will result in players being removed from the event and their team forfeiting their current match, or their next match if they are not currently playing.