Warfare darts is exactly what it sounds like. It will turn your lovely dartboard into a small battlefield.
Despite the name, this game of darts is super easy and can be played anywhere anytime by anyone.
How to play warfare darts? To play warfare darts, two players (or two teams) divide the dartboard into two halves. Each number represents one soldier. Each player takes turns and tries to eliminate the opponent’s soldiers by hitting the corresponding numbers. The player who eliminates all of the opponent’s soldiers wins.
This game is one of the simplest games of darts that I know and have played, and at the same time, it is a game in which rules can be changed in many different ways. It is definitely not a boring game despite how easy it is to learn and play.
If this sounds interesting, continue reading below. I share with you all the basics and then expand into some interesting twists that can be put on this game.
Contents
Rules of Warfare Darts
The classic way to play warfare darts is by splitting the dartboard into two equal halves. This can be done in two ways:
- A bottom have (with numbers 8, 16, 7, 19, 3, 17, 2, 15, 10, and 6) and a top halve (with numbers 11, 14, 9, 12, 5, 20, 1, 18, 4, and 13); or
- A left halve (with numbers 3, 19, 7, 16, 8, 11, 14, 9, 12, and 5) and a right halve (with numbers 20, 1, 18, 4, 13, 6, 10, 15, 2, and 17,).
As you can see, each player (or team) is given 10 numbers. Each number represents one soldier. When that number is hit, that soldier is eliminated. To eliminate a soldier, you can hit any scoring area of that number (singles, doubles, and the triple all count).
All you need to do is to hit with one dart all 10 of the opponent’s soldiers to eliminate them and win the game. Be mindful when throwing at the numbers that are closest to your numbers as you can also eliminate your own soldiers if you land your dart on one of your numbers. Friendly fire is a real thing even in darts.
Who Goes First in a Game of Warfare Darts?
There are no official rules as to which player should go first.
The standard way to decide who goes first and picks a side is to by throwing one dart at the bullseye. The player that lands their dart the closest to the bullseye goes first.
How Long Is a Game of Warfare Darts?
A game of warfare darts does not last very long. Of course, that would be highly dependent on the skill and experience of the players, but you can expect a game of warfare darts to last between 5 to 20 minutes.
What is the throwing distance when playing warfare darts?
Can a game of warfare darts end in a tie?
How to Keep the Score in a Game of Warfare Darts?
There are no running totals or scores that you need to keep track of.
The only thing you need to track is which soldiers have been eliminated.
The best way is to write down all the numbers in two columns or rows, which will correspond to each player.
Depending on how you have split the board, you can write them down as follows:
- A bottom halve (with numbers 8, 16, 7, 19, 3, 17, 2, 15, 10, and 6) and a top halve (with numbers 11, 14, 9, 12, 5, 20, 1, 18, 4, and 13); or
- A left halve (with numbers 3, 19, 7, 16, 8, 11, 14, 9, 12, and 5) and a right halve (with numbers 20, 1, 18, 4, 13, 6, 10, 15, 2, and 17,).
After a number (or a soldier) has been eliminated, you can cross it out or underscore it so that you can just delete the lines when the game is finished, and you can continue playing a new game.
What Do You Need to Play Warfare Darts?
You do not need anything special to play warfare darts. All you need is just a set of darts (3 darts at the very least) and a dartboard.
That’s it.
On What Kind of Dartboard Can You Play Warfare Darts?
Warfare darts is played on any standard dartboard that has the numbers 1 to 20 on it. This can be either a soft tip dartboard or a steel tip dartboard*.
* for detailed info of the best dartboards in each category, make sure to click on the links above.
It really does not matter what kind of dartboard you are playing on. Even magnetic, velcro, or paper dartboards can be used – you can enjoy this game on any dartboard, really.
The only thing that is important to keep in mind is that different dartboards require different darts.
If you are considering joining a local league at some point in the future, it is better to practice on the same dartboards they use so that you can get more experienced in how they play.
Strategy Principles of Warfare Darts
The game is very simple, and there are no complicated strategies involved here. But there are a few tips that you can use to improve your odds of winning the game.
When the game starts, it is recommended to always aim and start eliminating the middle numbers (or soldiers) from your opponent. “Why is that?” you may ask. Well, there is a very good reason for that, and it is the friendly fire I alluded to earlier. The outer “border” numbers (or the soldiers at the flanks) are too close to your own soldiers. A stray dart may hit your own soldiers instead.
Ideally, you want to work your way from the inside out. And if your opponent tries to eliminate your outer numbers, then you will have a free shot at their outer soldiers without having to worry about hitting any of yours.
If both you and your opponent are doing the same thing and you end up with just the outer numbers that are close to each other, aim for the outer single area and try to land the dart near the outer edge. Ideally, you may want to start doing that when the two outermost numbers from your opponent are still present; that way, even if you don’t hit the outermost number, you may still eliminate the inner one.
Overall what wins a game of warfare darts are consistent and accurate throws.
The only thing that comes to my mind is that you need to know your strong and weak points, which numbers you hit more often and which ones you miss.
Depending on that information, you can choose which soldiers you want to play with.
As always, stay calm and collected. This is just a normal darts game, and there really isn’t any reason to get nervous or stressed out even if you are losing a game. Darts should be fun in the first place.
This game is a good dart game to see where your weak points are. Do you frequently miss one particular number? Do your darts go more to the left for some reason? All these and more are important details that may need to be addressed in your training if you want to improve your game.
If you are playing against somebody who is just way too experienced, you can always put a handicap on them to make the game a little more even and give you better odds.
For What Dart Players Is Warfare Darts Best For?
The game of warfare darts is a perfect game for beginners that want to put in some practice while playing a fun game.
Warfare darts is perfectly suitable for both kids and adults, and it does not involve doing any special trick shots or skills.
Since the whole board is involved, this means that you will be able to get a good feel of how to play the different numbers.
This is a good game to brush up on your throwing consistency too.
I would definitely recommend this game to new players and kids as the warfare and soldiers parallel can be a fun way for them to add a little extra twist to the game – especially considering how many different variations this game can have. And this brings us nicely into the next topic.
What Are Some Variations to Warfare Darts?
Warfare darts lends itself quite nicely to a lot of different variations once you start thinking outside the box.
- Instead of dividing the board into left and right halves, you can split it in many different ways, for example, upper and lower halves, black and white areas (like chess), even and odd numbers.
- You can limit the target area to just the doubles or the triples.
- You can have soldiers have different health points. For example, a soldier can have three health points, which means that you need to hit three singles, a double and a single, two doubles, or a triple to eliminate them.
- You can have each scoring area of each number represent one soldier. This means that each number will have 4 soldiers in total (the double and the triple, the inner and the outer single). Alternatively, you can have each number be represented by 3 soldiers (the single, the double and the triple)