The Basic Game
This
contest is one of the most physically demanding Lazer Tag games. Ultimate
teams consist of the highest paid and most sought after Lazer Tag Sportsmen.
Usually two teams of five Lazer Tag Sportsmen apiece play against each
other in an effort to score goals against their opponents.
The Field: The ideal Ultimate field is 100 feet
long by about 30 feet wide (about the size of a basketball court). On
either end of the field are 20-foot-deep endzones running the width
of the field.
If there are fewer than five Sportsmen on a team, the field size is
decreased accordingly. Likewise teams with more players use larger fields.
Play Conditions: All StarLytes begin at wide
beam settings. The StarSensors are untagged. The team winning the credit
toss begins at its goal as the offensive team. The other team sets up
anywhere between midfield and the other end(inc. One player from the
offensive team (called the tagger) begins the contest with his StarLyte
out while all other players have their StarLytes holstered. The tagger
may not move except to pivot on one foot.
At the start of the game (and at every restart after a goal), the tagger
must start behind his goal line. The tagger's job is to tag a teammate's
StarSensor. This newly tagged player then becomes the new tagger and
cannot move until he has tagged someone else. The purpose is to advance
downfield (by tagging teammates who are farther downfield than the tagger)
and eventually tag a teammate who is across the opponents' endline,
thus scoring a point.
A tagger must stop in the spot where he is tagged. If his momentum carries
him past that point, he must move back to the spot before he is able
to tag anyone. Meanwhile the offensive team is trying to advance down
the field, the members of the defensive team are trying to intercept
the tag attempts with their StarSensors. If a member of the defensive
team gets tagged, he is now the tagger, his team is the offensive team,
and his teammates immediately start advancing toward the other end of
the field. The other team is now the defensive team and tries to intercept
the offensive team's tag attempts.
There is no halt in play while teams switch from offensive to defensive.
The new offensive team immediately starts advancing downfield (as soon
as the tagger stops and is resetting his StarSensor).
Once a goal is scored, play is halted while the scoring team sets up
defensively (the same as the defensive set up at the beginning of the
game). Once they are ready, the team that was scored against begins
play as the offensive team.
Equipment Notes: No
one but the current tagger is allowed to have a StarLyte out. All other
StarLytes must be holstered. Once a player is tagged, he must ready
his StarLyte (and the former tagger must ho(ster his).
All StarSensors are turned on, but none should register any tags. Once
a player is tagged (and becomes the new tagger), he must reset his StarSensor.
Care must be taken when running with a holstered StarLyte. They will
sometimes pop out of the holster unless they are held in (by a hand,
a rubber band, a velcro strap glued onto the holster attaching to a
velcro patch also glued onto the holster, etc.).
Time: Ultimate Lazer Tag is usually divided into
three 15-minute periods. There is a two-minute rest break between each
period. Each team also gets one timeout per period (timeouts cannot
be accumulated from period to period). A timeout lasts for one minute.
To signal for a timeout, the team captain must reset his StarSensor
so the sound is audible throughout the fieid (and also shout to ensure
that all players hear him).
Good Sportsmanship: To ensure a fast-moving and
exciting game (and to prevent a team from wasting time), the tagger
has only 30 seconds to tag another player. if no one has been tagged
before the 30-second time limit is up, the other team becomes the offensive
team. They choose a tagger who stands in the same spot as the tagger
whose time ran out. Play proceeds in the other direction as soon as
the new tagger is ready.
Ideally a referee is present to count this time out. without a referee,
the count must be announced by one of the defending players. Care must
be taken to use good sportsmanship when applying this rule. The count
must be fair ("One Lazer Tag, two Lazer Tag, three Lazer Tag, etc."
will work well) and called out loudly. Most teams do not even use this
rule unless the other team is very slow or is trying to waste time to
protect a lead. Apply this rule fairly to eliminate any controversy.
Referee Time Outs: Referees may call time outs
at any time and for any reason. The clock stops and all players
must stay where they were at the time of the referee's signal. Play
resumes at the referee's signal to start.
Penalties:
1) Physical Contact: Ultimate Lazer Tag is not a contact sport! For
player and equipment safety, Ultimate players avoid banging into each
other whenever possible. If a player consistently runs into, trips,
or holds his opponents, the referee should expel that Sportsman from
the game. If there is no referee, the other team may demand that the
offending player be sidelined as a condition for the game to continue.
2) Improper StarLyte Carries: A tagger cannot move until he has tagged
another player and then holstered his StarLyte. First offenses receive
a warning. Second offenses require the StarLyte to be set on narrow
beam for the rest of the period. Third offenses allow the referee to
expel that player.
3) General Game Infractions: If, in the opinion of the referee (or the
other team if the game lacks a referee), a Lazer Tag Sportsman is behaving
in an unsports manlike manner, the referee must expel that player.
After a warning to a player, play resumes from the point where it was
halted. After a player expulsion, however, play resumes with the nonpenalized
team on the offensive and starting as at the beginning of the game.
Ultimate Lazer Tag teams do not play "rules lawyer." They know that
time spent arguing about small points of the rules is time not spent
in playing and having fun. Good sportsmanship is essential for all to
enjoy this game.
Tagger Zone: Regardless of the type of defense
played (see below), no players may be within 10 feet of the tagger.
This is to give the tagger a fair chance to tag a teammate. Whenever
a defender comes within 10 feet of a tagger, the 30-second time count
is halted until the defender moves beyond the 10-foot limit. Repeated
violation of this rule is grounds for a player to be thrown out of the
game.
The tagger's teammates must also stay more than 10 feet away from the
tagger (but the 30-second count is not stopped when the tagger's teammates
come too close). No player may be tagged if he is within 10 feet of
the tagger (tags on players within 10 feet of the tagger are reset and
the tagger must tag someone farther away). It is unsportsmanlike conduct
for a team to waste game time by consistently tagging its players when
they are within 10 feet of the tagger. Such conduct is grounds for a
forfeit.
Simultaneous Tagging: In the event that one StarLyte
tag attempt results in a simuitaneous tag on a teammate and an opponent,
the teammate is considered to receive the tag. If multiple opponents
(or teammates) are tagged, the nearest opponent (or teammate) to the
tagger is the one selected.
Defensive Blocking: The defending players are
trying to be tagged by the tagger on the offensive team. They may position
their bodies in any way to accomplish this block as long as they do
not violate the rules of the game (remember, no physical contact!).
Scoring: A team scores only if its tagger tags
a teammate who is across the goal line prior to the tag. A player cannot
score a goal unless he is across the goal line and his feet are on the
ground in the end zone before he is tagged.
Substitutions: Substitutions are made only after
a penalty whistle, after a goal, or during a time out. In these situations
the coach informs the referee of a substitution and the change is made.
There is no limit to the number of substitutions during a game.
A tagger can only be substituted for if he is injured.
StarSensor Settings: StarSensors should have
no tags on them. Once a player is tagged (and becomes the new tagger),
he must reset his StarSensor. Play continues while the new tagger is
resetting his StarSensor (players may move and the tagger may beam while
his StarSensor is reset).
Defenses: The goal of the defensive team is to
get between the tagger and his teammates. This prevents the tagger from
tagging a teammate and, if the defense does its job, forces the tagger
to either tag a defensive player or run out of time.
Man-To-Man Defense: Used by most Ultimate teams,
this type of defense assigns a defensive player to guard each offensive
player. No one can guard the tagger unless the defender stands at least
10 feet away. Many teams do not guard the tagger, but rather use the
extra man as a "rover" in the backfield to help out in case a teammate
slips or cannot keep up with his as- signed player.
Zone Defense: Teams with new players or with
players of widely varying skill use this defense. A zone defense assigns
defenders to areas on the field rather than specific opponents. The
defender moves around within his assigned area and sometimes moves into
neighboring zones if the offense tries to "overload" a zone with several
offensive players.
This defense enables the defensive team to protect the field with a
minimum of exertion. It can come in handy as a breather in a fast-moving
game or if a team is very tired.
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