Warfare

Warfare is a territorial elimination game in which two opposing players (or teams) each command an army of ten "soldiers" — numbers assigned from their half of the dartboard. The objective is to eliminate all ten of your opponent's soldiers by hitting their numbers before they eliminate yours.

The game's defining twist is friendly fire: any dart that lands on one of your own numbers eliminates that soldier from your army, making board awareness and careful aim just as important as attacking your opponent.

Warfare requires a standard dartboard, a set of darts for each player or team, and a scoreboard (chalkboard, whiteboard, or paper). Two players or two teams compete. The dartboard is divided into two armies based on the physical layout of the board — a top half and a bottom half — each consisting of 10 numbers:

• Top Army: 20, 1, 18, 4, 13, 6, 10, 15, 2, 17
• Bottom Army: 11, 14, 9, 12, 5, 3, 19, 7, 16, 8

To determine throwing order, each player throws one dart at the bullseye; the player closest to the bull throws first and chooses which army (top or bottom) they wish to defend. The opposing player is assigned the remaining army. On the scoreboard, write each army's ten numbers in a column under the corresponding player's or team's name. Each number represents one soldier.

Players (or teams) alternate turns, with each turn consisting of three darts. On your turn you aim at numbers belonging to your opponent's army. To eliminate an opponent's soldier, you must land a dart in any scoring segment of that number — single, double, or triple all count equally. One hit is all it takes; there is no requirement to hit a specific ring. When a soldier is eliminated, cross that number off the opponent's column on the scoreboard.

Friendly fire rule: If a dart lands on a number that belongs to your own army, that soldier is eliminated immediately — exactly as if your opponent had hit it. For example, if you are defending the Top Army and you accidentally strike single 18, your 18-soldier is lost. This rule applies to every dart of every turn, with no exceptions.

Bullseye: The outer bull (25) and inner bull (50) have no effect in Warfare. Darts landing in the bullseye neither eliminate soldiers nor confer any advantage.

Additional clarifications:

• A number that has already been eliminated cannot be eliminated again — subsequent hits on a crossed-off number are simply wasted darts.
• Because singles, doubles, and triples all produce the same result (one elimination), there is no bonus for hitting a higher-value ring.
• If a dart misses the board entirely or lands in a segment with no game effect (e.g., an already-eliminated number or the bullseye), that dart is simply lost with no consequence.

Warfare uses a binary elimination system rather than a point tally. Each of the ten soldiers in an army is in one of two states: alive or eliminated. There is no cumulative score; progress is tracked solely by counting how many of your opponent's soldiers remain.

• Single, double, or triple of an opponent's number — that soldier is eliminated (one hit, one kill).
• Single, double, or triple of one of your own numbers — that soldier is eliminated (friendly fire).
• Bullseye (inner or outer) — no effect.

For example, suppose you are attacking the Bottom Army. You throw your three darts and hit single 12, triple 5, and single 18. The 12-soldier and the 5-soldier from the Bottom Army are crossed off. However, if 18 belongs to your Top Army, your own 18-soldier is also eliminated — one turn, two opponent eliminations, and one costly friendly-fire loss.

The first player or team to eliminate all ten of the opponent's soldiers wins the game. There is no requirement for a specific finishing dart (e.g., a double); any legal hit on the opponent's last remaining soldier ends the game immediately, even if it occurs on the first or second dart of a turn.

Because one side always throws first, it is possible — though rare — that both armies are reduced to their final soldier in the same round. In such a case the player who completes the elimination first (i.e., during their turn) wins; there is no equalizing extra turn for the trailing player.

Team Warfare: Two teams of two or more players alternate throwing within their team's turn (Player A throws three darts, then on the team's next turn Player B throws, and so on). All other rules remain the same. Team play encourages coordination — teammates can divide the opponent's board into target zones to avoid redundant throws.

Fortified Soldiers (Multi-Life Variant): Each soldier is given multiple "lives" — commonly 3. A single-segment hit removes one life, a double removes two lives, and a triple removes all three at once. This variant significantly lengthens the game and rewards precision, as triples become far more valuable than singles.

Officers Only (Double/Triple Elimination): A soldier can only be eliminated by hitting a double or triple of that number; singles have no effect. This increases the difficulty substantially and is recommended for experienced players seeking a greater challenge.

Know your own army by heart: The most devastating losses in Warfare come from friendly fire. Before you throw a single dart, memorize every number on your half of the board so you can steer clear of them — especially the segments immediately adjacent to your intended targets.

Attack the border zone first: Several numbers sit near the physical boundary between the two halves of the board (e.g., 6, 10, 17 for the Top Army border; 11, 14, 3, 19 for the Bottom). Target opponent soldiers in this border zone early, because stray darts aimed at those numbers are most likely to drift into your own territory and trigger friendly fire.

Work from safe angles: Once you have eliminated your own soldiers in a particular region of the board, that area becomes a "safe zone" — you can no longer lose soldiers there. Use this to your advantage by targeting opponent numbers adjacent to segments you have already lost, turning a setback into a risk-free attack lane.

Coordinate in team play: If playing Team Warfare, divide the opponent's ten soldiers between teammates so each player focuses on a specific cluster of numbers. This reduces duplicated effort and limits the board area each player must aim at, lowering the chance of friendly fire.

Stay calm under pressure: Warfare punishes wild throws more than most dart games. A single errant dart can cost you a soldier while gaining nothing. When the game is tight — say four soldiers remaining on each side — slow your throw, focus on your release point, and accept a miss over the risk of hitting your own number.