Humans vs Zombies (HvZ), held every semester by Case Western Reserve University’s Big Games Club, is a regular experience for many CWRU students, whether they play the game or not. For some students whose schedules do not allow for game play, it can be a disappointment.

To offer them an opportunity this semester, the Big Games Club launched Nerf Wars, a short game with some of the rules from HvZ repeating every Sunday from noon-1 p.m. The first Nerf War drew 20-25 people on Sunday, Feb. 19 at the Leutner Pavilion.

For future games, the Big Games Club is considering other outdoor locations for variety and indoor locations in case of rain or snow. The events are run by the HvZ Core of the Big Games Club, Treasurer Adam Doros and President Stephen Morrell.

“Nerf Wars evolved out of our love for Humans vs Zombies,” said Doros. “Many of us from HvZ Core and our players from HvZ enjoy playing with Nerf blasters, and we thought this was a great way to let people do just that. Nerf Wars are a way to expand upon this aspect of HvZ in a more relaxed format.”

The semester will feature a variety of different games, as the Big Games Club is testing out many different modes to see what players enjoy. Currently, the games will include teams that will complete specific objectives or simply a free for all.

“In the end, they’re all just excuses to shoot Nerf blasters at each other,” said Doros, referring to various games and rules, the primary one being that a player is considered out if they or anything attached to or held by them is hit by a dart. “Ultimately, all our rules stem from the ‘Golden Rule’ of the Big Games Club: ‘Play in good faith at all time,’ as well as safety concerns for our players and the community.”

According to Doros, Nerf weapons will be held to the same standards of HvZ: All stock, unmodified blasters are acceptable for use without needing to be checked. All modified blasters must be approved by HvZ Core prior to use. Modifications to darts, realistic paint jobs and internal modifications to any Nerf Rival series are always prohibited for safety reasons. All other modifications are approved on a case by case basis. The most common, such as upgrading springs or rewiring flywheel blasters, are usually approved.

In order to play, a player needs to sign-in with their CWRU ID upon arrival. Extra blasters are provided for anyone who may not have their own.

“Anyone is welcome to come out with us and have fun when they’re available. If people are busy, we’ll be there next week,” added Doros

Coming up on the calendar, the Big Games Club has also organized a Super Smash Brothers tournament, which will take place on Saturday, Feb. 25, from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. in the Student Organization Center of Tinkham Veale University Center. HvZ will continue to be held this semester from Mar. 24-31.