"Dartwars is an ongoing Nerf fight free for all..."

And with those words, my love affair with Nerf began. Dartwars began in Cincinatti Ohio, where Ryan McEathron was visiting his friend, Cole Mason. Cole told Ryan about a game his school used to play involving Nerf Guns, that lasted for days at a time. He returned to Calgary and quickly adapted the game to the one we now know and love.

The first games started in the 2001-2002 school season, and quickly grew to a large number of players. This game has not yet resulted in any arrests--the sight of teens running around with dart guns tends to invite police presence--but we're always hoping. There has been cases of fire department calls, and copys of the rulebook are rumoured to be ciculating around police headquarters.

It's a no-holds-barred game. Alliances are crucial. Betrayals are common. At least one fire hydrant has been injured in the game.

You'll need a dart gun to play the game--Nerf guns are superior to cheap brands. You'll need the understanding of your household for a few weeks--not every parent likes having shoot outs in their front yard or through a window. You'll need at least one alliance if you want to survive the first week.

The most important thing, though, is HAVE FUN!!!! Dartwars is about distracting yourself for a bit. It's about doing something totally different and meeting new people while you're at it. It's a blast--and besides, after your original purchase of your Nerf guns, its FREE FUN! Just think to yourselves, and count how many times you've been sitting at home, wishing you had something to do that didn't cost money. Enough Said.