So here we are to part 2 of my recommended weapons for Assassins. I hope you all are ready for a new lesson, because you're gettin' it whether you like it or not. In the last lesson, I talked about larger, more primary weapons (with the exception of the concealment class). This time, however, I'll be speaking about the smaller, one-handed weapons that can be used as sidearms for those with bigger guns. Now, how you carry these guns around is up to you. You can put them in your pocket (which I do not recommend; it's uncomfortable and too hard to draw.) You can use the Nerf tactical vest, (which is only for people 5'5" and shorter. I'm 6'3", so that option wasn't available to me) You can also do like I did, and custom make your own tactical holster. (I may post instructions at a WAY later time.) Without futher ado, let's dive right in and see what weapons we can use today.
Maverick-REV-6/Strongarm REV-6
I've grouped these two weapons together as the mechanisms are almost exactly the same. The Maverick is Nerf's "Old Reliable" gun. It's the most commonly used Nerf gun, and for good reason: It's probably the single most reliable gun that they've ever built. It holds 6 darts of your choice, and fires them all smoothly. Same goes for the Strongarm, with a couple of exceptions. The Strongarm is about an inch longer than the Maverick, and has the ability to slam fire. Yes, you heard me. It's a sidearm that is capable an extreme amount of firepower when absolutely necessary. Both weapons are still available in stores, but the Maverick will likely be phased out in a couple of years in favor of the Strongarm.
Recon CS-6/Retaliator CS-12
Let me start off by saying that I DO NOT recommend these two weapons as primary weapons. Both of these weapons have VERY inefficient methods of priming to fire. the cocking handle surrounds the top of the gun itself making it very hard to control. I would, however recommend using one of these with a CS-6 magazine and a custom tactical holster. This is what I do when playing Assassins. The Retaliator is the same design, however, it comes with a 12 round magazine and a handle, rather than the Recon's 6 round magazine and a tactical light. Again, it's a good gun, but be careful. This thing jams more than a printer from the 1980s.
Barricade RV-10/Stryfe CS-6
These two guns are, again, almost exactly the same, but the key difference is magazine type and capacity. The Barricade is a revolver-type gun with a magazine size of 10 rounds. The Stryfe, on the other hand, takes clips and comes with a 6 round magazine. It also accepts barrel extensions, which, for some reason, ends up with a lot of wobbling around when used with most barrel extensions. Both guns can accept any type of detachable shoulder stock. These guns would have made the list of primary weapons, but I find that repeated firing as one would with a Raider, Rampage, or Alpha Trooper. will decrease range significantly as the motors slow down with each shot. Voltage modification will fix this, however.
Well, that does it for weapon overviews/slightly biased recommendations. If you have any questions, or would like a review of a different weapon, please comment on the spaces below. Remember, as our friend Friedrich Nietzsche would say "Nothing is true. Everything is permitted."
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
Weaponry Suggestions
This topic will be split up into multiple parts, and may be the longest, if not second longest, post of the basic guidebook. Since your college/university probably bans paintball/airsoft guns on campus, I will only be giving suggestions on NERF brand weaponry. I am unfamiliar with other brand name foam dart weapons, and I find them unreliable and easily broken, so we're going to stick with the expensive stuff.
I'm working from the point of specific play style here, so I will be giving it according to your philosophy on taking out your target. Also, check with the authorities before hand about modifying and/or painting weapons. You don't want to go to the trouble of modifying your weapons or pouring your heart out on the baddest paint job you've ever seen just to have it rejected. If you're going to paint it, DO NOT paint over the orange tip. It's a federal mandate to have an orange tip on a toy gun and painting over it will get you in jail, if you're not shot at by a cop who thinks it is real.
If you want to know what each gun looks like, just click on the names of the guns and they will send you to either the official Nerf.com page, or a wiki info page.
The gun recommendations for this playing type:
Jolt EX-1-
This is by far the smallest blaster on the market, with the exception of the Secret Strike AS-1 (which has been discontinued, but your friends may have 1 or 2) this gun is the easiest to conceal, but has the slowest reload time of all the current blasters, this is due mainly to the fact that it loads one dart at a time and has a cocking handle that is rather awkward to get around.
Reflex IX-1-
This weapon is the one I would personally recommend the most for this playing style even though it is a single shot weapon, the charging handle on top makes this for a faster reload just in case you miss on the first shot.
Note that this playing style allows little to no room for error. If you miss on your first shot, your target's probably going to take you out very quickly. I would recommend a small melee weapon as a backup in case things go south. As a matter of fact, you would need one of these for every single playing style. A gun's no use to you if you're facing down someone who's sprinting towards you and firing at the same time. by the time he's up close, if you're not dead yet, you better have something you can pull out.
Rayven CS-18-
This gun is semi-automatic and comes with an 18-round clip magazine. Its advantages are its amazing rate of fire for such a mobile gun. Even though it is a bullpup-style gun, it is the heaviest of all the guns of it class, which diminishes the flexibility-style's greatest assets-its speed and endurance. I haven't had much personal experience with this gun, so this is all the information I can provide for this gun in particular.
Raider CS-35 and Rampage CS-25-
I grouped these two guns together because they are so similar, the only difference being the Rampage can use a modular stock system, while the Raider cannot. One might argue that the Raider ships with a larger magazine, but let's face it, if you're spending more than 25 rounds on one target, you probably shouldn't have signed up for this game. Both of these guns are very reliable. They very rarely jam. In addition, the slam fire ability that both these guns have can put A LOT of rounds downrange very quickly.
Alpha Trooper CS-18-
The link to this weapon is to a wiki page rather than the official site because this product has been "discontinued." However, I have seen this gun in stores very recently, and as far as I know, it is still very easy to obtain. This gun is a personal favorite of mine because it is a very balanced weapon, the smaller magazine size related to the slam-firing weapons allowing it to be much more mobile, its accuracy for its slam-firing abilities, and its ability to take modular stocks. (I would HIGHLY recommend the Recon CS-6 stock with an extra magazine fit into it.)
Note: I may be a little biased to this class because this is the class I tend to go for when playing a game.
You're the biggest, baddest son-of-a-gun on the face of this earth and you want every mike foxtrot within a 100-yard radius to know it. Your tactic is to discourage a potential attacker into thinking twice about getting close to you. You do big guns. You can't move around too much, but you can take out some long-range targets with an amazing degree of efficiency. You're all about the ammo, and people can spot you from a mile away. You can put more rounds down range than any other class, but only after setting up first, and you don't move around too much.
Stampede ECS-
This gun is the closest existing example of a SAW in Nerf's open market. It ships with inline clips that hold 18 rounds and can send them all down range in 6 seconds firing fully automatic. It has a foregrip/bipod front attachment and a removable front shield (that I would recommend removing immediately as it really serves no useful purpose) All this flair comes at a great expense though. It is the heaviest gun that NERF makes and takes a fresh supply of batteries in order to operate at full efficiency. It's not all that mobile and takes a bit of time to sight in when it's time to fire. It also has a tendency to jam due to the unreliability of a clip system bing emptied too fast.
Vulcan EBF-25
This was Nerf's first-ever fully automatic gun. It's a belt-fed machine gun that has its own removable tripod. The belt holds 25 rounds. If you have one of these, congratulations, you're one of a few elite members of the Nerf fan club. This is an amazing gun, however, there is a MAJOR issue with this gun. You can't just get more belts with rounds in them, so reloading can be a MAJOR pain. If you're going to have one of these, then you better plan on having a sidearm handy. (I'll talk about sidearms in the next post)
Longshot CS-6-
If you've got one of these, then congratulations, you've got Nerf's best example of a bona fide sniper rifle that's ever been released. Please note, however, that I do not mean the LongSTRIKE, which is a much less accurate gun. Also, if you've got one of these, then I would HIGHLY suggest modifying it. The direct plunger system, which this, and only this, has, is the strongest system that NERF has ever made, and is the most receptive to modification.
So, as you can see, I tend to categorize Nerf players in three distinct categories. All the weapons that I have recommended in this post are bigger, more primary guns (with the exception of the concealment class) I will talk about the recommended hanguns in the next post (which will be much shorter, by the way.)
I'm working from the point of specific play style here, so I will be giving it according to your philosophy on taking out your target. Also, check with the authorities before hand about modifying and/or painting weapons. You don't want to go to the trouble of modifying your weapons or pouring your heart out on the baddest paint job you've ever seen just to have it rejected. If you're going to paint it, DO NOT paint over the orange tip. It's a federal mandate to have an orange tip on a toy gun and painting over it will get you in jail, if you're not shot at by a cop who thinks it is real.
If you want to know what each gun looks like, just click on the names of the guns and they will send you to either the official Nerf.com page, or a wiki info page.
Playing Styles-
Concealment
You don't even want people to know you're playing. You want to be able to walk right up to your target, take him/her out, and walk away. You're the type who's going to want a smaller weapon, something that you can fit in your pocket and pull out with ease.The gun recommendations for this playing type:
Jolt EX-1-
This is by far the smallest blaster on the market, with the exception of the Secret Strike AS-1 (which has been discontinued, but your friends may have 1 or 2) this gun is the easiest to conceal, but has the slowest reload time of all the current blasters, this is due mainly to the fact that it loads one dart at a time and has a cocking handle that is rather awkward to get around.
Reflex IX-1-
This weapon is the one I would personally recommend the most for this playing style even though it is a single shot weapon, the charging handle on top makes this for a faster reload just in case you miss on the first shot.
Note that this playing style allows little to no room for error. If you miss on your first shot, your target's probably going to take you out very quickly. I would recommend a small melee weapon as a backup in case things go south. As a matter of fact, you would need one of these for every single playing style. A gun's no use to you if you're facing down someone who's sprinting towards you and firing at the same time. by the time he's up close, if you're not dead yet, you better have something you can pull out.
Flexibility
As the name suggests, this playing style allows for the greatest flexibility in fighting style, you can cover just about any range, from short to long, with an amazing degree of efficiency. If you were an actual soldier, you'd be the normal, everyday ground-pounder. You can move and fire at the same time, and people are afraid of your efficiency in combat. Your biggest advantage is your speed and endurance, being able to identify your target, move into position, and take him out, and everybody's watching you do it.Rayven CS-18-
This gun is semi-automatic and comes with an 18-round clip magazine. Its advantages are its amazing rate of fire for such a mobile gun. Even though it is a bullpup-style gun, it is the heaviest of all the guns of it class, which diminishes the flexibility-style's greatest assets-its speed and endurance. I haven't had much personal experience with this gun, so this is all the information I can provide for this gun in particular.
Raider CS-35 and Rampage CS-25-
I grouped these two guns together because they are so similar, the only difference being the Rampage can use a modular stock system, while the Raider cannot. One might argue that the Raider ships with a larger magazine, but let's face it, if you're spending more than 25 rounds on one target, you probably shouldn't have signed up for this game. Both of these guns are very reliable. They very rarely jam. In addition, the slam fire ability that both these guns have can put A LOT of rounds downrange very quickly.
Alpha Trooper CS-18-
The link to this weapon is to a wiki page rather than the official site because this product has been "discontinued." However, I have seen this gun in stores very recently, and as far as I know, it is still very easy to obtain. This gun is a personal favorite of mine because it is a very balanced weapon, the smaller magazine size related to the slam-firing weapons allowing it to be much more mobile, its accuracy for its slam-firing abilities, and its ability to take modular stocks. (I would HIGHLY recommend the Recon CS-6 stock with an extra magazine fit into it.)
Note: I may be a little biased to this class because this is the class I tend to go for when playing a game.
Intimidation
You're the biggest, baddest son-of-a-gun on the face of this earth and you want every mike foxtrot within a 100-yard radius to know it. Your tactic is to discourage a potential attacker into thinking twice about getting close to you. You do big guns. You can't move around too much, but you can take out some long-range targets with an amazing degree of efficiency. You're all about the ammo, and people can spot you from a mile away. You can put more rounds down range than any other class, but only after setting up first, and you don't move around too much.
Stampede ECS-
This gun is the closest existing example of a SAW in Nerf's open market. It ships with inline clips that hold 18 rounds and can send them all down range in 6 seconds firing fully automatic. It has a foregrip/bipod front attachment and a removable front shield (that I would recommend removing immediately as it really serves no useful purpose) All this flair comes at a great expense though. It is the heaviest gun that NERF makes and takes a fresh supply of batteries in order to operate at full efficiency. It's not all that mobile and takes a bit of time to sight in when it's time to fire. It also has a tendency to jam due to the unreliability of a clip system bing emptied too fast.
Vulcan EBF-25
This was Nerf's first-ever fully automatic gun. It's a belt-fed machine gun that has its own removable tripod. The belt holds 25 rounds. If you have one of these, congratulations, you're one of a few elite members of the Nerf fan club. This is an amazing gun, however, there is a MAJOR issue with this gun. You can't just get more belts with rounds in them, so reloading can be a MAJOR pain. If you're going to have one of these, then you better plan on having a sidearm handy. (I'll talk about sidearms in the next post)
Longshot CS-6-
If you've got one of these, then congratulations, you've got Nerf's best example of a bona fide sniper rifle that's ever been released. Please note, however, that I do not mean the LongSTRIKE, which is a much less accurate gun. Also, if you've got one of these, then I would HIGHLY suggest modifying it. The direct plunger system, which this, and only this, has, is the strongest system that NERF has ever made, and is the most receptive to modification.
So, as you can see, I tend to categorize Nerf players in three distinct categories. All the weapons that I have recommended in this post are bigger, more primary guns (with the exception of the concealment class) I will talk about the recommended hanguns in the next post (which will be much shorter, by the way.)
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Physical Recommendations
Before I begin, I must first stress that I am not at all discriminating against any sex or weight class, I am merely describing my personal recommendations regarding physical specifications.
Well, word's going around that in a few months, there's gonna be a game of Assassins on campus. People are either excited to play, or excited to watch. You're planning on being in the game, but you're not in it for mere entertainment. You want to win. You want to be the guy/girl who makes kill after kill, ambushing from cover, chasing your targets down, tailing them to the point that they drop from sheer exhaustion, or simply give up. How are you going to do that? You're going to prepare.
I don't have to reiterate the old "ounce of prevention" adage. Most of you know it by now. I will, however, tell you my favorite saying involving the 7 P's: prior proper planning prevents pitiful performance. If you plan ahead and prepare, you will go a long way to staying alive and making your kills quick and efficient.The best way to prepare, better than buying the 'best gun' or making all sorts of gadgets to make carrying weapons, or reloading your guns easier, is physical exercise. It's that simple: get in shape.
Now, you may be thinking, "I'm overweight. I can't possibly lose that much weight in a few months." Hold on a second. Being in shape and being of recommended weight are two different things. By 'in shape', I don't mean operating at maximum metabolic efficiency. In my book, you don't have to be skinny to be in shape. What I mean is being able to operate your own body, moving it from place to place, with some degree of efficiency. Even for the skinny ones, this is a challenge. Have you ever watched the pencil thin guy on campus try to do a pull-up? It's amusing, nonetheless. I don't expect you to hit the floor and do 20 push ups off the bat, although it's definitely something to strive for.
What I would recommend, however, is some aerobic activity. Just 5 minutes of running a day to start, and increasing it by 2 minutes weekly will go a long way. If you think that you're more advanced than that, take a diagnostic test. Go run a mile or two, and then try to shave off a reasonable amount of time after that. Try shaving 10 seconds off your mile in a week, every week.
In addition, I would recommend some anaerobic exercises in order to increase your amount of explosive energy. Do as many push ups as you can, then try to increase that by 10% of your current number a week. It's the same with sit ups or box jumps. If you can't find a partner to help with the sit ups, do some crunches, hold for 3 seconds per repetition, and repeat. If you need something to jump up on, find a park bench. Get some friends together and play a few games of basketball. All these things can go a long way towards being physically prepared for a game.
That's it for this section, if you have any questions, feel free to comment, I will try to respond to them as best I can. Happy hunting.
Well, word's going around that in a few months, there's gonna be a game of Assassins on campus. People are either excited to play, or excited to watch. You're planning on being in the game, but you're not in it for mere entertainment. You want to win. You want to be the guy/girl who makes kill after kill, ambushing from cover, chasing your targets down, tailing them to the point that they drop from sheer exhaustion, or simply give up. How are you going to do that? You're going to prepare.
I don't have to reiterate the old "ounce of prevention" adage. Most of you know it by now. I will, however, tell you my favorite saying involving the 7 P's: prior proper planning prevents pitiful performance. If you plan ahead and prepare, you will go a long way to staying alive and making your kills quick and efficient.The best way to prepare, better than buying the 'best gun' or making all sorts of gadgets to make carrying weapons, or reloading your guns easier, is physical exercise. It's that simple: get in shape.
Now, you may be thinking, "I'm overweight. I can't possibly lose that much weight in a few months." Hold on a second. Being in shape and being of recommended weight are two different things. By 'in shape', I don't mean operating at maximum metabolic efficiency. In my book, you don't have to be skinny to be in shape. What I mean is being able to operate your own body, moving it from place to place, with some degree of efficiency. Even for the skinny ones, this is a challenge. Have you ever watched the pencil thin guy on campus try to do a pull-up? It's amusing, nonetheless. I don't expect you to hit the floor and do 20 push ups off the bat, although it's definitely something to strive for.
What I would recommend, however, is some aerobic activity. Just 5 minutes of running a day to start, and increasing it by 2 minutes weekly will go a long way. If you think that you're more advanced than that, take a diagnostic test. Go run a mile or two, and then try to shave off a reasonable amount of time after that. Try shaving 10 seconds off your mile in a week, every week.
In addition, I would recommend some anaerobic exercises in order to increase your amount of explosive energy. Do as many push ups as you can, then try to increase that by 10% of your current number a week. It's the same with sit ups or box jumps. If you can't find a partner to help with the sit ups, do some crunches, hold for 3 seconds per repetition, and repeat. If you need something to jump up on, find a park bench. Get some friends together and play a few games of basketball. All these things can go a long way towards being physically prepared for a game.
That's it for this section, if you have any questions, feel free to comment, I will try to respond to them as best I can. Happy hunting.
Welcome to the Guild
Welcome recruits,
I would like to welcome you all to the tactics and strategies blog/guidebook for the current reigning champion of college campus games. I am of course talking about Assassins. If you haven't heard of it, chances are you have either been a college graduate for longer than 10 years, or have yet to attend a college/university. I'm going to be breaking the guide down by topic, and each topic will be published within a week of the previous post. I may publish two or more topics in a week or even in a day. the guide will cover:
Physical Recommendations
Weaponry Suggestions
Form and Movement
Etiquette
Rules/Suggestions for Conducting Games
And Other Helpful Tips
This guide won't have a definite end, and I plan on responding to many questions as time allows, some of which will be addressed publicly, some which will be addressed privately.
I would like to welcome you all to the tactics and strategies blog/guidebook for the current reigning champion of college campus games. I am of course talking about Assassins. If you haven't heard of it, chances are you have either been a college graduate for longer than 10 years, or have yet to attend a college/university. I'm going to be breaking the guide down by topic, and each topic will be published within a week of the previous post. I may publish two or more topics in a week or even in a day. the guide will cover:
Physical Recommendations
Weaponry Suggestions
Form and Movement
Etiquette
Rules/Suggestions for Conducting Games
And Other Helpful Tips
This guide won't have a definite end, and I plan on responding to many questions as time allows, some of which will be addressed publicly, some which will be addressed privately.
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