What is Nerf?
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What is Nerf?
Nerf is an adrenaline rush. Nerf is a strategic assault. Nerf is your mother. Nerf is that funny feeling you get when you reach for the Snickers bar and come back holding a slurpee. Seriously though, we're talking about plastic guns here. You've seen them in toy stores. You've seen them in Youtube Videos. They fire cuddly little child friendly foam darts, and if you're like me you probably have a couple of them in your attic next to the Ninja Turtles and underneath the Proton Packs.
What you may not know about your beloved Bow 'n Arrow is that some time back in the early 90's, long before Instructables or Make Magazine, a bored Canadian (the most dangerous kind) figured out how to save some cash by making his own Nerf darts. The simple toy dart guns we know and love collided with the DIY spirit and a community was born. Soon kids from all over the world were modifying their Nerf guns (or Nerf Blasters as the politically correct Hasbro marketing team would like you to call them), and today we have home-brew monstrosities like the Plus-bow and the SNAP.
What is a Nerf War?
Nerf wars are regional events where nerfers gather in schools, public parks, or other arenas to break out their modified contraptions and fling foam at each other. It's a lot of fun. Usually all the attendees are broken up into two teams kickball style (although there are a few Nerf 'clans' that have a rivalry that will oppose each other in special 'clan battles'). Each team will try to eliminate the other team's members. Typically you can get shot about three or four times before you are eliminated from the game, and you accept your hits on the honor system. Nerf wars which are organized online usually bring in 10-50 attendees, and can last from early morning to late afternoon.
What is a Nerfer?
Someone who actually enjoys running around in public shooting others with toy guns, and will pull an all nighter on this Website. Crazy, right?
What is a Nerf Gun Modification?
Modifications are the bread and butter of the Nerf Community. You'd be surprised how much range you can get out of a toy gun if you know how to undo all that safety the engineers crammed into it. You can rebuild it. Make it harder, better, faster, stronger, heck, even chemically enhance it! You have the technology. We have the plans. Just be careful, or you'll shoot yer eye out, kid.
What is the Nerf Community?
A while back a bunch of us got online, and through the magic of the internet discovered there were others out there as weird as we are. Ever since there's been at least one or two message boards dedicated to the discussion of Nerf Gun Modification and the organization of Nerf wars. Right now the only one worth mentioning is Project Nerf's partner in crime, NerfHaven. Check it out, and give VACC a hug when you see him. Tell 'em Phil sent you.
