Ever since they decided to outlaw dodgeball in school, some of us must have felt they’ve been robbed of a great time and thus one of them by the name of John Jackson decided to create a game called Archery Tag.
Archery Tag is essentially a game of dodgeball, but with a twist. Instead of using balls, you use non-lethal foam arrows, much like a nerf gun, but you shoot with a bow. Archery Tag is also called “Extreme Archery”. There are two ways to playing it: Elimination & League Style (Points-Based Scoring). A game costs around $15-$25 per person for a 30 minute game.
Below will explain how to play the game, but if you want a more in-depth description to go over the cost click here to scroll to the bottom of the post.
How To Play?
Depending on which mode you’re playing, Elimination or League Style, it will have a different style gameplay, but a few things remains static: The playing field, the barriers, and the 5-spot targets.
The Battlefield
The game is divided into two teams on a field spanning 78 ft long and 36 ft wide. The width of the field doesn’t change throughout the 78 ft span. Each team will have 29 ft of area to called an “Attack Zone” to maneuver & strategize their attacks and a 20 ft “Neutral Zone” of which they cannot cross during the game.
The Barrier
Each team will get 3 barriers called “Bag Bunkers” that’s 56″ Tall x 36″ Wide x 18″ deep that they can take cover from enemy fire. The closest barrier is placed in the middle, 3 ft from the Neutral Zone. While the two other bunkers are placed respectively 10 ft away from the Neutral Zone.
The 5-Spot Target
Both team will get one 5-spot target placed in the middle of the line where Attack Zone meets Neutral Zone.
Play Time & Players
One of the interesting thing about Archery Tag is that there doesn’t seem to be a cap on how many players per team nor a specified match time. This seems to vary with the number of players playing and the amount of equipment available.
The Opening Rush
Much like how the “Hunger Games” began, there’s something called the “Opening Rush” where both team at the beginning of each game will have to rush to the center of the field to retrieve arrows in the Neutral Zone. Both team will try and collect as much arrows as they can and rush back to the end of their attack zone to retrieve their bows and begin their attack.
Elimination
In Elimination, two teams are pinned up against one another in a 5 to 10 minutes match (Sometimes two-halves of 5 minutes match).
The goal of elimination is to eliminate every member of the opposing team.
Here are the ways that a person can be eliminated:
- If the arrow hits you on the head or any part of your body.
- If the arrow hits your clothing, this means like uniform or armor.
- If the arrow hits your equipment, meaning bow and arrow.
- If the arrow you shot is caught by the enemy’s hand mid-air.
In a scenario with both team still having players when the time is up. The team with the most number of remaining players win.
Much like dodgeball, you can recall your teammates to comeback to the battlefield if you can manage to either of these:
- You can recall one of your teammates if you knock out one of the spots in the 5-spot target.
- You can also recall one of your teammates by catching an enemy arrow mid-air.
If the game ties, sudden-death mode kicks in and whichever team lands the first legal “hit” wins.
League Style
In League Style gameplay, no one will be eliminated off the playing field, rather it is a game of seeing who can score the most points in the set time. Usually, this is also a 10 minutes game or two-5 minute game.
Here are how you can score points:
- 1 pt for landing a hit on a player. (That’s body, clothing, and equipment)
- 2 pts for knocking out a spot in the 5-Spot target.
- 3 pts for catching an arrow in mid-air.
If the game ends in a tie, the game enters sudden-death and the team to score the first legal “hit” wins the game.
For a better visual understanding visit ArcheryTag.com for a battlefield layout.
Does it Hurt? Archery Tag Safety
Getting hit by a foam arrow wouldn’t hurt as much as getting hit by paintball, but it ain’t going to tickle either, you won’t bruise unless you’re prone to bruising. A little bit more painful than getting hit by tennis balls, but less pain than getting hit by baseball.
Generally the only safety gear you’ll need is the helmet. There’s nothing too special about the helmet, it’s like the same one you’ll come across for playing paintball or airsoft.
Tactical gears are allowed, it may protect you from potential injuries which are rare, but it can reduce your mobility greatly on the field if you choose to wear it.
The bow you’ll be shooting with is usually a long bow or a recurve bow, if you don’t know what it looks like you can google it or read up on: Hawkeye’s Playground: Beginner’s Guide to Indoor Archery
The draw weight of the bow should ONLY be 12.5 kg or 27 lbs max, any more than that can result in potential injuries.
To ensure everyone safety I suggest only shoot with foam arrows that are purchased from ArcheryTag.com, the official site for archery tag, think of it as “The Association for all things Archery Tag”.
Bootleg foam arrows can cause severe injuries, so make sure you buy the Archery Tag’s patented foam arrows.
Since this game is like dodgeball, you know there will always be players that refuse to admit when they are hit and thus you’ll need a referee or two to help settle the matter before things escalate.
The Cost of Archery Tag
On Archery Tag’s Official Site, you can buy a starter kit to play at home for $179.99 which includes:
- 1 Mask
- 1 Recurve Bow
- 2 Foam Arrows (S.A.F.E. Arrows)
Each additional foam arrow cost $20. Another airsoft mask for your opponent will cost between $25-$40 on average. Another bow will cost around $130.
That’s close to $400 for bare essentials and a couple of additional arrows. (No Barrier(s) or 5-Spot Targets Included)
As you can see, this can get pretty pricey to own a set of your own.
Luckily, you can go to one of their participating locations for a session that will cost you around $15 – $25 per person for a 30 minute session depending on location and party size.
To find if there is a participating location near you click here to go to Archery Tag’s Map / Directories.
Business Opportunities
If you want to own your own Archery Tag business, you can become one of their affiliated members with a business starter kit for around $1,700.
I’m not certain what’s included, but I can assume it comes with the barriers and the 5-spot targets, and a reasonable amount of head gear, bows, and arrows.
(Full Disclosure: “I am not affiliated with ArcheryTag.com and is not being compensated to promote their products / services.”)
The Genius and The Challenge Behind the Game
John Jackson, the creator of Archery Tag did a really great job to create this well-designed game. Not only is this game suitable for both indoors and outdoors, but it have become widely adopted and used for reenactments and cosplay warfare.
One of the challenging aspect of this game is the 5-Spot Target and where it’s placed. It’s very close to the front of the Neutral Zone, meaning you’ll have to be very close to enemy fire to get a chance for a good shot, placing yourself at higher risk of getting hit to recall a teammate or score more points.
Catching an arrow in mid-air rule was ingenious, not only does it give you the Harry Potter vibe of catching a flying object that gives you the most points, but recalling a teammate at the risk of getting hit in the hand is edgy.
The choice of using a certain draw weight bow and spanning over 20 ft allowed for minimal injuries and enough reaction time to catch arrows mid-air.
All of this would not have been possible without the patented foam arrows. It really opened the door for a safe way for people to practice on moving targets that fires back.
Although this sport is almost a decade old and have a cult following, not many are aware of this extreme sport and thus with any other indoor activities, I would personally recommend you try it. Maybe you’ll love it and become a regular!