If paintball is a bit too messy for you, we’ve got the next best thing, Nerf fort building for the ultimate indoor or outdoor party. Grab your Nerf weapons and foam bullets, it’s time for some friendly competition. A Nerf war is a great way to keep your older kids and teen off their screens for a few hours and have some real-world fun. Nerf wars are popular at schools and community centers but you can host your own at home for your family and friends.

Steps you Need to Complete to Host your First Nerf War:

#1. Make sure you have space.

A park works if you can reserve it, your basement or living room works if you have enough open space. Any wide-open space works if you add some shelter and cover spots where people can crouch down and hide. We’ll give you a great tip for adding forts, bases, and cover spots a little further down. 

#2. Choose your date and time.

You want to leave at least 4-6 hours for a Nerf War with several rounds. That means your space should have access to bathrooms and a refreshment station. We don’t recommend going past 6 to 8 hours or everyone will get fatigued and cranky. 

#3. Make up your “house rules.”

Define the rules of the game ahead of time so you can include them on the invitation or go over them with your family before starting. Some common rules are: each person has 5 hit points before they have to sit out, deciding if you can or cannot pick up ammo during your time out, knowing when and where you are not allowed to fire, and more. 

#4. Invitations, if needed, for a large party.

If you are inviting guests you will need to send a paper or digital invitation. You can include your house rules so they know what they are in for! Make sure to get an RSVP for planning purposes. 

#5. Set up your game space with cardboard forts.

This is where things get fun and interesting! Set up reusable cardboard forts as your nerf bases. Use Make A Fort products to construct the ultimate nerf war base with forts. You can mix and match forts and make bases, hiding spots, and obstacles. 

#6. Have fun with it!

Once the Nerf war is ready to begin, the amount of fun you have is up to you. The more “in character” you get, the more fun you will have! The leader can be tough soldier that barks orders and takes charge. Make sure to stay safe and avoid hitting people in the face with the foam bullets as they can still hurt!

We hope you have a great time building your Nerf forts and having an all-out brawl with your family, friends, and neighbors. The best part about the cardboard fort is that you can fold them up and store them for use again and again.