Single Blue Battles An excellent way to level the playing field while building fighters skill and personal style is to have everyone use a single class 1 weapon. You can do this Free For All or with teams. Try having everyone use their non-dominant hand. To mix it up more have everyone chuck their weapon away from them on a 3 count and when all have hit the ground lay on is called. This mixes up the size and style of weapons people become experienced with. These battles are good both to warm fighting up or wind it down.
Regiside: Each team nominates a monarch which is revealed to all players. If a monarch dies the game is over and the side with a living monarch wins.
Mafia Regiside: Each team secretly picks their monarch. If a monarch dies, the game is over and the side with a living monarch wins.
Emporer/Emporess: Each team selects a monarch who will is INVULNERABLE except to the opposing monarch. (This balances best having relatively new fighters as monarchs). If a monarch dies, the game is over and the side with a living monarch wins.
Salad Bowl: Toss a large variety of weapons in the center of the field- just enough for everyone. Leave out shields. Everyone makes a circle around the weapons and walks 15 paces out from it. Once everyone is spread out around the weapons “Go!” is called by the Herald at which point everyone runs in to grab a weapon(s). (Fighting does not start yet!) Everyone then returns to their place in the ring around the weapon pile. The Herald then will call “Lay On” once everyone has a weapon and is back to their spot. The purpose is to force people to use fighting styles they wouldn’t normally use.
Rotational Teams: Divide into teams of about 5 people each. As people die, they go to a deadpile on the sidelines. As soon as any 5 people are in the deadpile, they come back onto the field as a together as a new team. The cycle continues for a set game time limit at the end of which the game is over, or no people may return from the deadpile so the last team standing wins. This variation helps in getting to know new people and fighting alongside people you normally don't.
**Suggestion for keeping team on team games balanced and mixed up: Have the losing team pick and take a player from the opposing team each battle; the same player cannot be picked again until all players have been picked.
Clerics: Assign an equal number of healers to each team and fight it out. Can be played with most any team game style.
Clerical Kings: Regiside in which the monarchs can heal people. Can be played such that kings can heal only team mates OR that they can heal any dead on the field thereby bringing them to their team.
Necromancer War: Assign two(or more) Necromancers at the beginning of the game. Everyone spreads out on the field and starts out dead aside from the Necromancers. The Necromancers each have an even number of armbands or pieces of colored cloth which they use to raise dead to fight for them. This can be played such that the Necromancers are invincible, or that as soon as one dies they are a normal dead person and their Necromancer abilities cease. Colored cloth or armbands should be placed on/held by fighters in a noticable fashion and they should frequently call out their team color to avoid team confusion.
Necrolyte: This variation can be assigned to most any game format. Assign one NPC(non-player character) called a “Necrolyte” who has the ability to raise dead from the field to fight for him/her. The Necrolyte is an invincible, unarmed separate entity. The Necrolyte can heal limbs and raise dead infinitely. Also, if the Necrolyte touches you, you die and are immediately raised to his/her side fully healed. Any dead they raise become undead and fight for them against the remaining “living.” The last team or person “living” win. Necrolytes and undead must move slowly, like zombies!
Team Fetch:Same as Fetch, except with teams. The Herald drops/throws the object as close to the middle between them as possible and the 1st team to return the object to the Herald wins.
Fetch Galore:Herald throws 2 objects in which the person or team has to return both objects at the same time. This usually produces even more astounding dead piles within a ten second time frame, its great...
'Running Monkey' Fetch:Tie a distinguishable piece of cloth to a dagger and use it as the Fetch object. When someone picks up the “Fetch Dagger” they must drop all other equipment; the Dagger is their only weapon. **This can also be played such that all fighters are limited to sidearms(daggers and blades under 15”)
Necro Fetch:Fetch with a Necrolyte. Undead’s objective is to kill the living, only the living can return the Fetch object.
Center Flag:Start with 2 or more teams each with a designated base and one flag in the center between them. Objective is to capture the center flag and return it to the an opposing base. This gets really good when done with 3+ teams.
Multi Team CTF:Start with more than 2 teams each with a designated base and one flag at each base. Objective is to capture all the opposing flags and return them to your base.
Meat in the Middle:Start with 2 or more teams each with a base and flag. Designate a center base or flag equidistant from all teams that is unmovable. Objective is to capture as many opposing flags as possible and touch them to the center flag/base. The Herald must keep track of how many complete flag captures each team has(it helps to have a Herald per team or per 2 teams). The team with the most complete flag captures wins. Can end in a tie.
Flag Football:Start 2 teams on far ends of the field with designated boundaries and inzones. Each team starts with a flag and an even number of other flags are placed on the field at equal distances from each team. Objective is to get more flags returned to the opposing inzone than the other team(by running them and not dying). “Hand-offs” are ok but “passing” of cored flags is a safety hazard and not allowed.
Below are more extensive lists.
