The NAS Mantra

The NAS Mantra is a set of basic principles for which our club strives. We encourage our players, mods, and officers to learn them and promote them within the club.

1) Be honest.

This applies everywhere. The nature of our club depends on the honor system. If a dart hit you and no one saw it, say so. If you broke game rules, even by accident, say so. If you saw someone else cheat or break university rules, definitely say so. The game won't work if players aren't trustworthy.

2) Be safe.

This should be self explanatory. No one needs to get hurt to have fun (indeed, getting hurt isn't much fun). Dangerous and violent play put us all at risk.

3) Academics first.

NAS can cut into your time, but only if you let it. Besides, there will always be more games, and you're not paying to go to Nerf games.

4) A fair game is a fun game.

It feels good to have the situation on your side, mowing down zombies, taking down zombies, or just owning in a capture the flag game, but games only work for as long as everyone wants to play. If a rule favors one set of players over another, it's not fun. If someone is bypassing the rules for an advantage, it's not fun.

5) Keep bystanders bystanders.

I can't stress this enough. Players have agreed to a game that involves players and players only. The university doesn't want to hear that a club is harassing people, and the NAS doesn't need to be shut down because someone was reckless. If you're bothering someone, back off.

6) It's just a game.

Enthusiasm is a good thing, but don't lose your head. There's no such thing as zombies, Nerf darts are made of foam, and no one, no one in this club should take fantasy too seriously. Most of us are lucky enough never to have experienced real, life-threatening combat, and it needs to stay that way. Remember: Nerf is at most a game of projectile-assisted tag.

7) Ignorance is not an excuse.

If you agree to play, you agree to know the rules. "I didn't know" does not excuse you; NAS makes rules available for a reason.

8) Treat blasters as toys, not weapons.

This follows from the last point, but it needs to be said. Don't paint your blasters black. Don't mod your gun to fire BBs or to snipe across football fields. Nerf doesn't design them to hurt people, and neither should we. Blasters are not guns.

9) When in doubt, ask.

Not everything is obvious, and we'll never have rules for everything. If you have a question about rules, safety, or anything else Nerf, ask.

10) Have fun.

Rules are not in place to spoil your fun. As long as we can ensure the welfare of players, the club, and the university, we're here to have a good time.