Starting up a new game- toy gun ban.

[UTA_admin]

Hey guys, first time poster here.

I am starting up a new game at UT Arlington next fall, I am a freshman here. I have been reading through the forums and researching the game for months and we have learned what typically works or does not work. We have gone through all the correct procedures regarding getting permission to play. We were quickly approved by the head of campus recreation, the police and some of the higher ups. Then we had a meeting with residence life and they pointed out there is a toy gun ban in the residence halls. Since HvZ is aimed at on campus players, this poses a major problem. The rule states that you cannot even store the toy guns in your room. I tried to persuade them to let us have a trial run with nerf blasters allowed in the dorms, and if we had a positive reaction with students and staff, we could petition to change the rule. Unfortunately, they are extremely strict on this.

We could play the alternative game with socks only, but they understand that this will take a lot of the fun away from the game. We decided that would be the last choice. We think the best possibility would be to try to keep the players blasters with us in a storage area and only hand them out before the missions. After the scheduled mission is done, we would take the blasters back. The players would use socks for any play other than the missions. This has both positive and negative aspects to it.
Positives:
-We will be using a reward system that offers points for humans, one for each day they survive and one for each successful mission they attend. Having to hand out the blasters before missions would help us keep track of who shows up and receives a point.
-Doing it this way would maximize our organization of the game. There will be no room for mistakes in the trial game. The higher ups would be impressed with the overall organization.
-If we have a large turnout with residence hall students, we could petition to have the rule changed for the second game.

Negatives:
-This could be very costly to us. We will be applying to be a student organization soon but we may or may not be granted storage space. If we are not, we would have to buy/build storage containers for hundreds of Nerf blasters.
-If we do have to buy/build storage bins, it would be time consuming to move them around.
-We may have issues with players trying to steal other players blasters. We would have a strict ID rule in place, but there may be mistakes. It could be costly to us in the end, depending on the blaster.

We have mostly kept this game under wraps to avoid disappointment if we were denied. Prior to our first meeting, we posted something quick on the UTA freshman page to ask for support for the game. We generated a large amount of support within the page and think we could do the same around campus with the right advertising. We are trying to do it right and do it big. Has anyone dealt with a similar situation? Does anyone have advice? Any help is much appreciated, thanks guys!

[joecracko]

My school doesn't ban nerf blasters, but they still wouldn't allow us to use them last semester.

Last semester was Bloomsburg University's first game of HvZ. We used only socks. 250 people played, and everybody still loved it!

You don't need nerf blasters to have a fantastic game, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't fight for the special permission! It seriously might take over a year of negotiation, but the business and negotiation experience will be worth it!

[Thomas MOD]

As a Mod for game that also does not allow Nerf guns I would say they are not needed.  The fun in the game comes from the paranoia created and the passion to stay human, not that you get to shoot a nerf gun at each other.

[ritHvZack]

There have been games/schools that started out using only socks then transitioned to using blasters.  This helps to show the school that you have your shit together, you can manage the game, and act like adults.  Play a game or 2 without blasters, then try again to let them be passed.

[mcknightchris]

I'm a bit late on this, but it's relevant. For fall 2010/spring 2011, TAMU ResLife had implemented a rule banning toy blasters from even being stored in the rooms, much like your campus. We didn't find out until flyers started appearing in the dorms halfway through the first game that semester. Upon learning this, a few mods and myself started emailing the ResLife dept. Eventually we got a meeting, and immediately said that we had already banned all play in the dorms as a precaution. Since this eliminated there only argument (cause a disruption), they agreed to rewrite the rule for the following year to allow it. Much to my surprise when I read the new rule the following fall, they not only approved storage of nerf blasters but also paintball guns and airsoft guns. So, just go in prepared and willing to compromise and you should work things out fine.