1. OVERVIEW
1.1. Players must control, defend and retake the Hill points during each round while using cover on the field to protect themselves from getting tagged by the opposing team. The team with the most accumulated time from all 3 points is declared the winner.
1.2. KotH matches will be 6 minutes long with no stops.
1.3 Team format is 5 vs 5, with each team allowed up to 2 substitute players.
1.4. Dart limit is 320 darts per team each match. Dart distribution is up to the team’s discretion.
1.5. Respawn timers are 15 seconds or more depending on incurred penalties (see Penalties for details).
1.6. Field size is 125 feet by 125 feet.
1.6.1. 2023 Field Layout
2. GAMEPLAY
The Gameplay Format is as follows:
2.1. 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 straight down towards the ground with a hand raised above their head until both feet are in bounds.
2.1.1. The Starting Line is a zone in each teams corner that extends 10 feet from each teams spawn point in both directions along the field boundary lines. It will be marked by cones for player awareness.
2.2. Once the round begins, players can control the 3 hill points on the field. Each point has a timer with two colored buttons to represent both teams. When pressed they will switch control of the timer to that team, which will count up their total time score.
2.2.1. Players are responsible for making sure timers are on the right color for their team. If a player switches a hill point to the opposing teams control, it will remain that way until a player hits a button to switch control and no outside involvement will fix player error.
2.2.2. If a player gains control of a hill after they have been tagged, the officials will revert the hill back to the previous teams control, negating any time gained.
2.3. Players may use their blasters to Tag opposing team members to temporarily remove them from the field.
2.4. TAGS
A “Tag” is whenever a dart fired from a blaster of the opposing team makes contact with an Active Player’s person, gear or blaster.
2.4.1. When Tagged, Players are considered Out of Play and must immediately return to their spawn point. Players may either take the most direct path if there is no play they could impede on their way back, or exit the field via the closest field edge then return to their spawn point.
2.4.2. Players must clearly signify being Out of Play by pointing their blaster muzzle straight up towards the sky above their head OR lowering their blaster towards the ground and keeping a hand raised above their head and must do this until they return to their Spawn Point and as they move along the Spawn Zone before re entering the field to become an Active Player.
2.4.2.1. Players may not switch which indication method they are using once they have chosen one, until they either reach their Spawn Point, or re enter the field as an Active Player.
2.4.3. Aside from talking, Tagged Players cannot take any other actions when on their way to their Spawn Point unless directed by an official.
2.4.4. Tagged Players are NOT allowed to recover any mags left on the field during their time as an Active Player.
2.4.5. Ricochets and bounces do not count as Tags.
2.4.6. ANY dart that was fired BEFORE an Active Player was tagged out is still in play, even if the player is tagged after firing. Any dart fired after a player was tagged is invalid.
2.4.7. If a dart is destroyed while being fired (the head is removed from the foam or otherwise rendered unshootable), any tag it makes on an opposing player is rendered invalid.
2.4.8. A player that steps out of bounds is counted as Tagged and any shots taken while out of bounds are invalid.
2.5. RESPAWNING
When a Tagged Player returns to their spawn point, they start their 15 second count respawn timer and must stay at the spawn point during that time.
2.5.1. During their respawn timer while at their Spawn Point, Tagged Players can:
(1) Reload blasters and magazines from darts on their person/other teammates.
(2) Exchange equipment with other players at Spawn
2.5.2. Tagged players may communicate with their teammates from the spawn point.
2.5.3. After a players respawn timer expires that player may enter the field from any edge on their side of the field.
2.5.4. Players may hold their respawn after finishing their countdown to organize a respawn with other teammates if they choose.
2.5.5. Upon respawning, Players must clearly signify their Out of Play status until both feet cross the boundary line for the field.
2.5.6. Once a player has one foot across the boundary line, whether it has touched the ground or not, they may not pull that foot back out, and must immediately complete the action of entering the field.
2.5.7. Players are not considered Active Players and must continue to indicate their Out of Play status, may not make tags, or be tagged until both feet have touched the ground on the field. The players feet must be the first two things to touch the ground when crossing onto the field, if any other part of the body or gear touches the ground before both feet it is considered an illegal entry. (Refer to rule 2.4.2. for clarification on Out of Play status)
2.5.7.1. Once players have completed their respawn timers and are moving along the spawn zone before spawning into the field to become Active Players, they may rev or prime their blasters, so long as they do not break their Out of Play status by their blaster leaving the position indicating that status.
GAMEPLAY MISCELLANY
2.6. Scavenging or use of darts off the ground is prohibited.
2.7 Field cover cannot be modified or moved in any way outside of recovering from a cover malfunctions (i.e., blown over by wind or knocked over by a player). Officials will move to help reset cover when necessary.
2.8. “Blind fire” from behind cover is prohibited. Players must present a target of at least their head when shooting from behind cover.
2.9. Players are prohibited from using an opposing team’s equipment during play. Sharing equipment and blasters between teammates is permitted.
2.10. Magazines may be passed to your teammates while on the field during play. Thrown magazines MUST be tossed underhand. Tossing magazines at opposing players is prohibited.
2.11. All gear other than magazines and darts must be kept on you and may not be left on the field.
2.11.1. Magazines left on the ground may be picked up by you or your teammates while active.
2.12. Intentional physical contact of players is prohibited.
2.13. No transportation other than by foot may be used.
2.14. No jumping or vaulting over obstacles.
2.15. Unsafe play (Throwing blasters/equipment, riding on another players back, jumping over obstacles, climbing, poking your blaster over an obstacle or around a corner where you cannot see, etc.) is prohibited.
3. SUBSTITUTES
Substitute players can be subbed in to replace other Players on the field during the KotH round.
3.1. Players can be subbed in the following ways:
(1) When an Active OR Tagged Player reaches spawn
(2) During an injury Hold to replace the injured player.
3.2. If another player is subbing in for a Tagged Player, the Sub takes the respawn timer of the Tagged Player along with any penalties that Player incurred. If the player subbing out has not been Tagged and is still Active, the subbing player must still take a respawn timer before entering.
3.3. Substitute players may communicate with players on the field.
3.4. Substitute players must stay outside the play zone behind the Starting Line.
3.5. Substitute players may not have any blasters in hand until they are subbed in for a teammate.
3.5.1. The exception to this rule is if a player is working on repairing a blaster, in which case they must be far enough back behind the Starting Line that there is no chance of mistaking them for a player entering the field.
4. PENALTIES
4.1. Penalties are incurred when a Player breaks one of the rules during the game round.
4.2. Offending players are considered Tagged and depending on the rule broken, incur increased respawn times.
4.3. Multiple infractions can result in a player being ejected from the remainder of the match, leaving their team to play down a person regardless of any subs the team might have.
4.4. Any player found to be exploiting any aspect of the rules can result in that player being ejected from the remainder of the match or event.
4.5. PENALTIES – CALL FORMAT
Penalties will be called using the following format:
(Player Team and/or Number), (Penalty)
For example:
Nerf Herders #22, Unsafe Play, Double Respawn
DaNC #69, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, Double Respawn
Maverick #42, False Tag, Double Respawn
4.6. PENALTIES – DETAILS AND CALLS
4.6.1. Reset, Return to Spawn
Players moving outside the field before spawning in without properly showing they are Out of Play must return back to their spawn point. No additional spawn time is incurred
4.6.2. Respawn Penalty (Normal Respawn Timer): If Active, Players must take a Tag and return to spawn.
4.6.2.1. Out of Bounds, Respawn: Stepping outside of the field while Active.
4.6.2.2. Gear on the Field, Respawn: Leaving any gear on the field aside from magazines during the round. Players must pick up their gear and return to spawn.
4.6.2.3. Illegal Field Entry, Respawn: Entering the field illegally. Some examples are:
– Attempting to enter the field while not clearly Out of Play.
– Moving to fire while Out of Play before before both feet are in bounds.
– Not returning to spawn and completing their respawn timer.
– False Start: leaving the starting line early at the beginning of a match.
4.6.3. Double Respawn Penalty (Normal Respawn Timer + 15 sec. = 30 sec. Total)
The following Penalties result in a doubled Spawn time of 30 seconds, and if an Active Player, an immediate tag:
4.6.3.1. Illegal Scavenging, Double Respawn: Scavenging darts.
4.6.3.2. Ignored Tag, Double Respawn: Ignoring an obvious tag while Active. Some examples are:
– Being tagged in the face and still playing on.
– Acknowledging a tag but continuing play.
4.6.3.3. Unsafe Play, Double Respawn: Unsafe play such as throwing anything on the field, removal/loss of eye protection, climbing/jumping over cover, or blind firing.
4.6.3.4. False Tag, Double Respawn: Calling tags on players you have not actually tagged while Active.
4.6.4. Triple Respawn Penalty (Normal Respawn Timer + 30 sec. = 45 sec. Total)
The following Penalties result in a tripled Spawn time of 45 seconds, and if an Active Player, an immediate tag:
4.6.4.1. Severe Unsafe Play, Triple Respawn: Any severely unsafe play including but not limited to the actions listed in an Unsafe Play will result in being counted as tagged with a tripled respawn timer.
4.6.5. (Penalty Reason), Double Respawn: Any rules broken not listed here will result in being pulled from the field with a doubled respawn timer.
4.6.6. Excessive penalties, physical or verbal altercations, or arguing with referess, officials, or staff may result in removal from the match or tournament, forcing your teams to play down a player for the remainder of the match, whether you have substitutes or not.
5. SAFETY
5.1. All players must wear eye protection. NO EXCEPTIONS.
5.1.1. Players may wear lower face protection depending on venue restrictions. Ragnarocktoberfest 2023: lower face protection may be worn only on the field, must be put on immediately before a match, and removed immediately after a match. Full face masks such as paintball masks are not allowed.
5.2. No intentional physical contact of players allowed during gameplay.
5.3. Unsafe play (Throwing blasters or equipment, riding on another players back, jumping over obstacles, climbing, poking your blaster over an obstacle or around a corner where you cannot see, etc.) is not allowed.
5.4. If you experience problems with another player, witness cheating, or have any disagreements with another player, please let a referee or BTA staff know. Problems will be addressed in a discreet and orderly manner.
5.5. BTA staff reserves the right to kick or ban any player for misconduct, exploitation or repeated breaking of the rules. Misconduct and rules exploitation are up to the sole discretion of BTA staff.
5.6. If a player is injured referees will call for a hold. During this time the timers will be stopped, and all players must remain in the same positions they were in when the hold was called. The team with the injured player may substitute a player in their spot. Referees will countdown and restart the match once safe to do so, resuming from the state when the hold was called.
6. BLASTER ELIGIBILITY AND RESTRICTIONS
6.1. Each player is allowed a total of 3 blasters for the duration of a Tournament.
6.2. All blasters must be checked and approved by BTA staff for use at the Tournament during check-in to ensure that they meet the safety guidelines listed below. Once approved, the player is ONLY limited to those blasters and cannot be changed.
6.3. Players may not use HPA/LPA/Air powered blasters, melee, shields, blowguns, or arrows of any kind.
6.4. Modified or homemade blasters may be used, so long as they comply with all other rules.
6.5. Players may use Nerf Darts, Mega Darts, Rival Rounds, Vortex Discs, Boomco Darts or a 3rd-party equivalent provided they are factory-made, including short darts.
6.5.1. Darts that have hard tips such as FVJ’s, are homemade or have been modified with non-pliable, hard plastic and/or metal are NOT allowed. BTA staff reserves the right to deem a dart unsafe on the field.
6.5.2. Darts that have reglued tips may be used, provided they are disclosed at check in and checked for safety. If they do not pass you will need to use different darts, so we recommend bringing a secondary option if you plan on using reglued darts.
6.6. Blasters may not be replicas of real firearms, whether by initial design, modification, or body kit.
6.6.1. Ragnarocktoberfest staff is compiling a list of blasters that are not accepted by the venue, and potential options to alter them to be acceptable by the venue’s standards, this will be linked when completed and updated as necessary.
6.7. FPS Cap:
6.7.1. Flywheel blasters, semi auto blasters, and full auto blasters may not shoot over 160 fps.
6.7.2. Spring powered manual priming blasters may not shoot over 200 fps.
6.7.3. FPS is determined by an average of 5 shots. BTA staff will remove obvious outliers at their discretion to ensure accurate readings.
6.8. Any blaster with variable settings must have all settings tested for compliance with the FPS limit. If a setting breaks the FPS limit, the player must be able to lock that setting so it cannot be accessed, otherwise the blaster will not be approved for Tournament use.
6.9. Blasters with cosmetic modifications made to look like firearms are NOT ALLOWED. This includes excessive black or silver regardless if the blaster has an orange safety tip. Blasters may not have black, metallic, excessive dark colors, or dark muzzles; they MUST be a light and safe color. Painted blasters will be assessed on a case by case basis at the sole discretion of BTA staff.
7. Team Creation
7.1. Teams have a minimum of 5 players and a maximum of 7.
7.1.1. Players must be 15 years of age or older in the calendar year of the event.
7.1.2. Players under 18 must have their waiver signed by their parent/guardian.
7.2. Players may only be on one team for the duration of each tournament.
7.3. Team jerseys are not required but suggested, they help differentiate players on the field, they do not need to be expensive custom jerseys, and may be as simple as shirts with numbers taped on, but should meet these guidelines:
7.3.1. Jerseys must not contain any offensive or inappropriate material or images for any ages.
7.3.2. The most valuable option should teams choose to go to any length for jerseys are Player Numbers. Player Numbers should be on both the front and back of the jersey. Player numbers help referees and other players make necessary calls.
7.3.2.1. If a player is wearing gear that would cover these numbers, the player numbers should be visible on the front and back of their gear large enough to be read by referees on the side of the field.
7.3.2.2. Player numbers are preferred in a two digit format.
7.3.3. Player names and numbers should be large enough and clear enough to read.
7.3.4. Player names may be of the players choosing, but may not be inappropriate. Player names are optional.
7.3.5. Team name, if displayed, should be on the front chest of the jersey.
7.3.6. If a team has sponsors, they may display sponsor logos on their jerseys.
7.3.7. Logos should not be larger than the team name, player name, or player number, and should not cover these locations.
7.3.8. Jerseys may display the BTA logo on them. Contact BlasterTagAssociation@gmail.com if you need the file.
7.3.9. If a team isn’t wearing jerseys or colors that are matching they may be asked to wear provided pinnies.
8. Tournament Day
8.1. When your team arrives the morning of the tournament, start at the check in table and your team will be given your dedicated staging area.
8.2. Once your gear is at your staging area, load up mags for chrono check and bring all your blasters to be chronographed.
8.3. When chronographing, use the darts you intend to bring on the field with you for the start of each match. Staff will mark what darts you’re using when you chronograph each blaster.
8.4. If you have reglued darts, bring the entirety of them with you to chrono check and staff will check them.
8.5. Once finished you may return to your staging area to prepare for matches, roam to watch matches, or other activities, but maintain awareness of when your next match is scheduled.
8.6. 10 minutes before your match start time, all members of your team should be at the check in table to have your dart cap confirmed and sent to field of your next match.
8.6.1. If your team is not ready at the scheduled time the officials may give your team a forfeit loss for that match and award your opponents a forfeit win.
8.7. After your match finished, shake hands with the opposing team and pick up darts until the results are announced, then exit the field until check in for your next match if you have more to play.