Reference

Guerilla Warfare

Guerilla warfare is much like free-for-all, but with teams added. Players are divided into official and (usually) permanent teams at the start of the game, and the teams are well known. It may be desirable to use special hats, bandanas, uniforms, sashes, etc. to identify teams more easily. Players and weapons (or other equipment) are usually evenly divided between teams, and each team is assigned a starting location. Teams may be allowed to discuss strategy before the game starts, and/or there may be a designated team captain in charge of making plans.

Also similarly to free-for-all, some custom rules must be specified at the beginning of play:

Maximum Payload: what weapons are considered acceptable or not for the fight, and how many a person may carry at once. By default, there are no restrictions.
Thievery: whether you may use weapons assigned to another team or that another team started with, and under what conditions. By default, assume that you may use any weapon if it is left unattended.
Boundaries: where you are allowed to go or not go during the fight. This always varies, so if you don't know, use common sense. Stay in a reasonable area for the number of people, don't trespass on others' property, and don't go near any place where water would be a bad idea (like inside houses).
Bases: whether you can enter or shoot into another team's base (and whether you can shoot out of your own). By default, assume that bases get no special consideration.
Refill Safety: whether you can shoot someone who is refilling their weapon. By default, you cannot. It is considered bad form to stay near the refill spot so that you can shoot people just before they start refilling or just after they finish.
Alliances: whether teams may form alliances with each other during the game. By default, assume that you may not.
Traitors: whether you are legally allowed to betray your teammates, in favor of yourself or another team. By default, assume that you may not.
Covert Ops: if there is a planning period, whether players may "spy" on other teams before the game starts to learn their plans. By default, assume that you may not.
Time Outs: whether players can call time-outs. By default, assume that players can call a halt to the game in the case of an emergency, an injury, a need to clarify rules, or if they wish to leave -- but not for other reasons, such as "I need to escape."
Targets of Opportunity: whether you can fire on unarmed opponents, or hapless bystanders who wander into the war zone. By default, assume anyone wearing a unique team identifier or who you know to belong to a specific team is a valid target whether they are armed or not, but bystanders should not be fired upon.

Variations in Survivability

Because each player is fighting as part of a team, it is often desirable to remove "dead" players from the game, either temporarily or permanently. There are various methods for doing this.

Elimination Methods:

For permanent elimination, people are usually removed when they have been shot at and hit a designated number of times (which may be, but is usually not, different for each team). To avoid arguments, this number is often one. Usually what qualifies as a "hit" is being struck on any part of the body or any article of clothing by a direct blast, not mist, foam, or indirect splash damage if something nearby is hit.

Rotation Methods:

Some people prefer to remove people from the game only temporarily. Players are usually removed on the same criteria as elimination -- that is, a designated number of hits -- but the reentry method varies. The most common are a certain length of time (such as a minute), an uncertain length of time (such as until clothes are dry again), or a certain location (such as a tree). The criteria for removing a player or for them to reenter play may be different for each team (for example, you may have to return to your base).

Scenarios

~ Headquarters ~

Game Type: Guerilla Warfare
Survivability: any removal method

Played like a normal guerilla warfare game (preferably with two teams), except that it is important to defend your team's designated base. If anyone from another team enters your base while "alive," you lose. It is important for players to be removed from play when shot, so that bases can be defended, but any removal criteria work. However, you should not have "dead" players reenter play at their team's base, as this makes defending a base far too easy.

If there are more than two teams, there are various methods for resolving the capture of a base. The simplest alternative is for the first team to break into any other team's base to be delcared the winner of the entire game. If you prefer, you can eliminate any team whose base is breached, but allow other teams to remain in the game. You may wish to keep score, awarding points for each base a team takes, to reward them for their initiative.

If you want to give teams a disadvantage for taking someone else's base, you can force them to defend the bases of any teams that they take in addition to their own, and eliminate permanently all players from any team who loses a base. This makes for a long game, because people may not want to take an enemy base.

~ The Hunted President ~

Game Type: Guerilla Warfare
Survivability: Elimination deaths

This is played with two teams, one of which should be slightly larger and better-armed than the other. The larger team is called the bodyguards, and one person from the team is named the President. The other team is called the assassins. Everyone on both teams should know who the President is.

Designate a starting location from each team. The goal of the bodyguards is for the President to get from their start point to the assassins' starting point without being "killed." The goal of the assassins is to "kill" the President. Any player is eliminated permanently from the game if they suffer one direct hit, and should place their weapon carefully on the ground, place their hands over their head to indicate they are dead, and get out of the way of anyone left in the game.

The game ends when the President is killed, or when he reaches the assassins' starting point.

~ Captain's Bane ~

Game Type: Guerilla Warfare
Survivability: any removal method

Played like a normal guerilla warfare game, but each team must have one designated Captain. All players on all teams should know who the Captain of each team is, and it is helpful for the Captain to wear a special uniform, etc. to help identify him/her.

The game can be played with any elimination or rotation method, but if teams reenter at a certain location, the Captain may not get within a certain distance of his team's reentry location (twenty to thirty feet is recommended). If the team Captain is "killed," they cannot reenter play -- the team is defeated and all of its players are permanently eliminated.

The game ends when there is only one remaining Captain. His/her team wins.

~ Race to Kill ~

Game Type: Guerilla Warfare
Survivability: any removal method

This is similar to the Captain's Bane scenario (see above). Must be played with at least three teams, and one of the teams should be larger and/or better equipped than the others. The larger team is christianed the defenders, and must have a designated Captain. All players on all teams should know who the Captain is.

The game can be played with any elimination or rotation method, but if teams reenter at a certain location, the Captain may not get within a certain distance of his team's reentry location (fourty to fifty feet or more is recommended). Assign a maximum time limit for the game -- a good time limit would be fourty-five minutes, minus five times the total number of teams minutes (making maximum length actually 30 minutes for the minimum number of teams).

The defenders try to keep the Captain from being "killed" before the time limit expires. If they succeed, they win. Every other team is trying to kill the Captain, but they are not allied. They may attack each other, and if one team kills the Captain, the other teams who were also trying to kill the Captain lose.

The game ends when the Captain dies or the time limit expires.

~ Escape ~

Game Type: Guerilla Warfare
Survivability: Rotational death with location-based reentry

Played with exactly two teams, one of which is called the guards, and the other of which is called the prisoners. Generally the guard team should be smaller, but given much better weapons.

On the playing field, determine a prison, an escape point, and a guard house. Prisoners start in the prison, and must return there to reenter play if they are hit. Guards start at the escape point, but must return to the guard house to reenter play if they are hit. The prisoners try to get to the escape point without being hit, and the guards do everything they can to stop them. Players should take their weapons back to their start locations rather than dropping them when they die. Guards may not enter or shoot into the prison, but a prisoner who leaves the prison may not reenter until they "die."

Any prisoners who successfully escape should return to the prison with their weapon(s) as if they had been killed, but should keep track of the number of times they have escaped -- the total number of successful escapes is the team score for the prisoners.

Game ends after a designated amount of time.

Variation: Elimination

If players wish, you can play with elimination instead of rotation. Game lasts until everyone on one team is dead or escaped. Players set down their weapons if they die, but take them out of the game if they escape while carrying them.