What Makes HvZ Popular?

There’s nothing quite like running for your life! In those moments when you just barely survive an encounter with a wave of zombies, HvZ is adrenaline-pumping and, at times, absolutely terrifying. The moderators reward your efforts when you help complete a mission with your team. And when blasters and socks are your only defense, how long you remain human becomes a badge of honor you can share with your friends.

The gameplay isn’t over once you turn zombie! Unlike other foam-flinging games where you are out of play once you’re tagged, with HvZ, you merely join “the winning team.” Additionally, playing as a zombie can be tremendously satisfying when you run down a solo human player or catch a whole team off guard. Humans vs Zombies rewards teamwork, vigilance, and endurance, making it a blast for everyone who participates. 

General Rules

Similar to the card game Mao, the specifics of each HvZ can vary wildly by geographic region and game organizer. However, there is a loose consensus of rules you can still expect from most games:

Safety First!

Especially since the distance between humans and zombies can be close, blasters are usually limited in performance compared to other foam-flinging games. The “Standard” HvZ cap for normal ammo, like short darts, is 130 FPS, but this can depend on the organizer's and venue's requirements. However, despite the lower performance caps, eye damage is still a real threat, and eye protection is strongly encouraged when participating in HvZ games.

Clear Team Markings

Traditionally, each player is marked with a brightly colored bandana to spot what team they are on easily. Humans will wear the bandana on one of their arms until they turn into zombies. Meanwhile, zombies wear the bandana on their heads until they are stunned and need to respawn. At many large-scale HvZ invitationals, the organizers provide bandanas, illustrated with the event name and sponsors, for use in the game and as a keepsake for attendees.

Power-Ups

Upon completion of missions, the moderators usually award players with buffs and bonuses. Most commonly, zombies can become “super” zombies, which gives them protection from normal ammo (short darts, rival rounds, etc). For example, a zombie with a shield or hi-vis vest might only be able to be tagged out by larger ammo types or throwables. Other zombie bonuses include foam melee and throwables, extending the horde’s reach.

Cynically speaking, human missions only distract humans from the zombie horde as it grows in number. However, humans can also be rewarded! After completing their missions, humans can use blasters with higher capacity, get limited immunity from zombies, or sometimes earn in-game currency to trade for their choice of bonuses. 

Alternatively, just as post-apocalyptic worlds live with risk and scarcity, missions are sometimes required to be completed to continue. If you fail, you may lose power-ups or even members of your party. Often, other groups’ missions will rely on you to complete your own, and they may have to complete any failed missions for them to survive as well.

Theming

For added variety, many HvZ games are themed in some way. Depending on the organizers, this theming can be all-encompassing, with rich storylines that players can follow from mission to mission, or it can be merely a light dressing of themed NPCs and props. That being said, this is not a requirement of the game type. It’s just a way to play the game in a fictional universe other than “the aftermath of a zombie outbreak.”

Moderators

Last but not least, moderators (mods) are crucial in providing a safe and fun HvZ play experience. They often serve as non-player characters (NPCs) that move an overarching story along or as leaders of player groups to guide them to game objectives (often in the path of zombies). Ultimately, mods are there to keep everybody safe and resolve the rare player conflict. Remember: The difference between a good and bad game of HvZ often comes down to how you treat the volunteers who run the game!