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General Rules

About the Game

 • The Golden Rule: Don't be a douchebag

 • Always follow the Golden Rule

 • Use common sense and go about situations reasonably (see the Golden Rule)

 • If an idea seems unsafe or can hurt another player, don't do it (see the Golden Rule)

 • If you feel like you are cheating, you probably are and should stop whatever activity you have engaged in immediately (see the Golden Rule)

 • If anyone is hurt, stop to help them or find an organizer/moderator (see the Golden Rule)

 • A Moderators decision is final in any situation (see the Golden Rule)

 • Any attempt to 'Push the boundaries of the rules' or 'walk a fine line' will be dealt with on a case by case basis, and probably severely (see the Golden Rule)

 • Blasting Non-Players with darts is a bannable offense (see the Golden Rule)

 • People who are not registered participants (NPC's) may not directly interact with the game. This includes bringing food to humans or spying for either team.

 • No Shields: Zeds may not use shields to deflect foam darts or socks. Anything attached to a Zed counts as part of their body for stunning purposes, anything attached to a human counts as part of their body for tagging purposes.

 • Panelists & Staff: Panelists & Staff are safe during official panels and events, or while on duty, but not on the way to or from events.

 • Official Convention Events: Similarly, players at official convention events are safe for the duration of the event (even if this event is in a free-play zone), but they are not safe on the way to or from the event.

Humans vs. Zombies is a game of tag. All players begin as humans, and one is randomly chosen to be the “Original Zombie', or OZ The OZ tags human players and turns them into Zeds. Zeds must tag and eat a human every 24 hours or they starve to death and no longer get points.

• The Zeds win when all human players have been tagged and turned into Zeds.
• The Humans win by surviving to the end of the convention or event and completing the Final Mission.

All Players must be at the event for the majority of regular event hours. If you need to leave for longer than 24 hours, contact the game moderators and explain your situation.

Equipment & Bandanas

This gear is required for all players:

 • Official D20 Ghouls Bandana
 • Foam Dart Blaster and/or socks
 • A card or print out with your Tag ID & QR Code* 

Non-official bandanas will not be allowed to be used to play. Any players or non-players using a non-D20 Ghouls bandana will receive one warning, then be removed from the game and reported to convention or event security. Any players caught impersonating a moderator will be banned from all D20 Ghouls games, and players and non-players will be turned over to convention or event security. 

*QR Code is optional but nice

Nerf Blasters

 • Nerf blasters are considered any non-organic device used to propel foam darts. Nerf blasters may not be painted. Dark paint, camo patterns, metallic paint, and painting grips is especially prohibited. 

 • Nerf blasters may not be modified in any way. Especially prohibited modifications include anything that compromises the structural integrity of a pressurized Nerf blaster. 

 • PVC blasters may not exceed a total length of 1 meter (3.28 feet).

 • Tags to a blaster do not count, unless the human is purposely using their blaster to shield themselves/ward off a zombie's hands.

Socks

 • Socks are thrown by a human to (hopefully) hit a zombie. Socks must be rolled into a shape resembling either a ball or cylinder. Only one sock may be thrown at a time from each hand. 

 • Tape is allowed, but may not exceed more then 6 inches of length. The socks may not resemble rocks and must be easily able to fit onto a foot of a adult human. 

 • Humans may not put any objects into the center of the socks (including tape).

Defense Don'ts

 • No Ricocheted Projectiles
Ricocheted darts/socks/etc. do not count as a stun. Darts/socks/etc. cannot touch anything other than a zombie, otherwise they are considered inactive.

 • No modified darts
Darts should not be modified in any way. Hot glue, weights, straws, etc. will not be acceptable and will be confiscated/destroyed when found. Homemade darts fall under this category.You are only allowed to write your name/mark on the darts.

 • No Shields
You cannot use any sort of cardboard/Nerf/etc. contraption to shield yourself from stuns.

 • No Melee
You cannot use melee weapons (including the Nerf lines of swords, hatchets, etc.).

Safety

Violation of safety rules will result in a ban from the game.

 • No realistic looking weaponry. Blasters must have blaze-orange tips, and must pass convention weapons policies. This may result in blasters being banned from some games, check the event-specific rules for every game.

 • Players may not use cars or play where there is traffic.

 • Darts must not hurt on impact.*

 • Don't be stupid. Be aware of your surroundings-- in previous games, people have run into trees or slipped on wet grating.

 • No vaulting at fast speed over objects. Vaulting is the act of using arms or legs in order to quickly pass over rails or fences. A fast speed is anything more than a normal walking speed. You can cautiously/calmly step over objects that are in your way (such as chain-link fences).

 • No climbing. Period. Even for 'Recon'.

 • No diving.

 • Absolutely no 'Parkour' or similar activity.

 • No tackling. Any player found tackling will be dealt with severely, including the possibility of police action for assault.

 • No biting. You're not really a zombie, and you're not a toddler.

 • Do not use vehicles-- cars, bikes, skateboards, other people, etc.-- while you are playing this game. DO NOT be playing while on, or when hunting someone who is on, a vehicle. 

 • We reserve the right to change the rules (temporarily or permanently) whenever we deem it appropriate.

 * Foam dart blasters are children’s toys – it should be obvious that your blaster won’t hurt anyone. If you modify your blaster or are somehow not sure if it is safe, speak with a moderator and ask them to check your blaster.

Safe & 'No Play' Zones

'No Play' Zones

Some areas are 'no play' zones, where the game is permanently suspended. Dart blasters must be concealed and no players may be stunned or tagged. These areas include:

 • Panel Rooms & Areas with Active Convention Events
 • Dealers Room & Artist Alley
 • Pools, Saunas, Workout Rooms, & Other Hotel Facilities
 • Restaurants 
 • Bathrooms
 • Any major road around or through the play zone
 • Parking Garages
 • Loading Docks 
 • Any area with enough non-players that running into or shooting one of them would be inevitable

Safe Zones

Other areas are merely 'safe zones,' where gameplay continues but humans can’t be tagged. A Zed must have both feet outside of a safe zone to tag a human. Humans can stun Zeds from inside of a safe-zone. These areas include:

 • Hotel Rooms
 • Cabins and Tents

Other Safe Zone can be won or lost by completing Missions. This is a really good reason to attend missions.
 
See your specific game details for information on where the safe & 'no play' zones are.

Doorways

 • Once a human is within immediate vicinity (read: radius) of an accessible door when entering ANY doorway, even those within active play zones, they are unable to be tagged. 

 • When a human leaves a doorway, they are safe for 10 seconds/10 steps, whichever comes first, or until they attempt to stun a zombie during this safe time. 

 • When a zombie leaves a building, there is a 5 second no-tag period. They can still be stunned during this time.

 • This is to discourage players from rushing doors so no one, player or NPC alike, gets hurt. Please don't camp doorways. See the Golden Rule.

Human Rules

Objective

The objective of the humans is to survive to the last day and complete the final mission.

Identification

 • Humans will wear a bandanna around their upper arm (bicep) at all times. It may not be concealed by any object, including cosplay. The bandanna may also not be camouflaged (by wearing very similar colors, etc). 

 • Bandannas cannot be rolled thin, or folded in any way to hide them. They must be at least 2 inches wide.

 • Tag ID / QR Code: Humans must keep a card with their unique Tag ID on them at all times. ID cards are required for mission attendance. ID cards are not required for a zombie to tag a human. 

 • If for some extraordinary reason a ID card is not present for a tag, the username will be given to the zombie in some way.

Missions

Every day there are missions for humans to complete. Humans are required to attend as many as possible. If a human misses two missions in a row, it will be assumed that they have been lost to the Horde and they will become zombified. This will be enforced automatically by the website, which means there will be 100% enforcement of this rule.

Stunning Details

The act of stunning a zombie involves the zed being hit by a sock or foam dart. The foam dart must be launched from a Nerf blaster. The sock must leave the hand of the human, the dart must be outside of the Nerf blaster (including barrels). A foam dart or sock is 'dead' once it hits any object other than air or another dart/sock

Zombification

Congratulations! You just unlocked the best of the game! In order to be zombified, a human must first be tagged by a zombie. Look to the zombie section for what constitutes a tag. Once a tag has taken place, the former human will move their bandanna to around their neck. They are now a stunned zombie and must wait the typical stun period. Afterwards they become a zombie.

Zed Rules

Objective

Braaiiinnnsss....

Zeds must feed every 24 hours. A Zed feeds by reporting their tag on the website.

Identification

 • Zombies will wear the bandanna around their heads. A stunned zombie wears their bandanna around the neck. 

 • The bandanna may not be covered, even partially, by any object. Bandannas may not be camouflaged.

 • Bandannas cannot be rolled thin, or folded in any way to hide them. They must be at least 2" wide.

Stuns

 • When you are stunned (hit with a sock/dart) you are prohibited from interacting with the game IN ANY WAY beyond picking up darts/socks. You are out of the game for 7 minutes. 

 • If you are stunned again during this period, the 7 minutes starts over. 

 • If a zombie is part of a large group and is stunned, they should immediately move their bandana to their neck, put their hands in the air, and move out of the way of active play. 

 • While a zombie is stunned they may not relay intel to ANY zombies (active or stunned) in ANY way (cell, walkie talkie, word of mouth, etc).

 • Line of Sight Rule: 
When a zombie is pursuing a group while they are stunned (which they shouldn't be doing in the first place--'do not interact with the game when you are stunned'), the zombie must break the line of sight with this group before respawning if they want to tag anyone in the group that had shot them last. 

 • If, during this respawn time, the zombie notices another group, the zombie is allowed to respawn in their line of sight and pursue, as they should see the zombie coming. 

 • This rule applies to the last group/person that shot the zombie, so if the new group shoots the zombie, the zombie is allowed to respawn in the line of sight of the original group. This rule only applies during days and after night missions (when alone, on the internal 7 minute stun-timer).

Tagging

 • A successful tag on a human requires touching their body with the full-face of the palm. Just grazing them with your fingertips doesn't count. 

 • During missions, one zombie may only tag 2 people at one time. After the second tag you cannot tag anyone else until you get the kill IDs from the previous 2 tags. 

 • If a zombie knocks down or injures a player or executes any other overly kinetic tag, that tag does not count and the human gets to walk away from the scene.

 • A purposeful "tag" to a human's blaster while it is in their hands does not count. If the human is wearing the blaster on their back, or using their blaster as a shield/way to stop the zombie's hands, it is fair game.

 • You cannot hug a group of people at once. 

 • You only have two hands-- therefore only the two people you touched with the full-face of the palm count.

 • No Shields, you cannot use any sort of cardboard/Nerf/etc. contraption to shield yourself from darts.

The Golden Rule

Seriously. Don’t be a douchebag. 

Everyone plays to have fun, and the rules only exist because we agree they do. That’s why the most important is to treat your fellow players with respect, always think of safety first, and gracefully accept when you have been tagged or stunned.