Survive, solve, stun.
- Bandana on head
- May carry an approved foam blaster
- Can stun zombies
- Avoids being tagged
KSU Marietta field manual
Read the field manual before you enter the game.
A fast player guide for tags, stuns, safe zones, equipment, and conduct. The full rulebook is linked at the bottom for official detail.
01 / Player identification
One bandana tells everyone what side you are on.
Humans and zombies both wear the player wristband, but the bandana placement changes everything. This visual language appears throughout the rest of the field manual.
Hunt, tag, turn.
- Bandana on upper arm
- Tags humans
- Can be stunned
- Does not carry a blaster
Bandana visibility
Your bandana must tell the truth at a glance.
Bandanas stay visible on the outermost layer unless a legitimate campus duty or academic need takes a player temporarily out of gameplay.
A zombie who puts their bandana back on outdoors must wait before tagging, but can still be stunned.
- Bandanas stay visible on the outermost layer.
- Humans wear the bandana on the head.
- Zombies wear the bandana on the upper arm.
- Do not hide, camouflage, or swap placement.
- Outside and wearing a bandana generally means active.
Tour guides, dining staff, and players in official campus work roles may be temporarily exempt while performing that duty.
Students carrying fragile projects, artwork, models, or materials may step out of play while transporting them.
Do not exploit exemptions:
These exceptions exist to protect students with a legitimate reason to be removed from gameplay. They should not be used to gain a player advantage.
02 / Tagging and infection
When a zombie reaches a human, the tag starts the turn.
A valid tag is a firm touch by an active zombie. Both players must be in an active play area, and the tagged human decides which zombie tagged first if several tags happen at once.
Zombie tags human
Firm touch. Active zombie. Active play area.
Tag is recorded
The human provides tag info. The zombie logs it.
Incubation
The tagged player stays human for one hour.
Human becomes zombie
Bandana moves from head to upper arm.
Incubation:
The tagged player remains human for one hour. After incubation, they move the bandana from their head to their upper arm and become a zombie.
03 / Stunning zombies
Humans can stop a chase, but only with approved hits.
Humans may stun zombies with an approved foam dart or a clean balled-up sock. A valid body hit counts. Players must not intentionally aim at the head.
Valid hit
Foam dart or clean balled-up sock hits the body.
Zombie is stunned
No intentional headshots. Loose darts do not count.
Move to safe area
The zombie steps out of active play.
Wait 90 seconds
No following humans. No useful intel.
Return to play
After the timer ends, the zombie may rejoin the game.
04 / Blaster rules
Gear should read as safe, bright, foam, and toy-like.
When equipment is unclear, it must be approved by game staff before use. The goal is simple: no realistic weapons, no painful darts, and no unsafe modifications.
- Commercially available foam-dart blasters
- Brightly colored toy-like designs
- Orange barrel tip
- Standard, soft foam darts
- Stock motorized or automatic blasters
- Clean balled-up socks
- Extra magazines carried elsewhere on the player
- Realistic-looking blasters
- Repainted blasters
- Externally modified blasters
- Power or firing-speed modifications
- Modified, painful, or unsafe darts
- More than 50 rounds attached to the blaster
- Swords, melee weapons, slingshots, or conventional bows
Staff approval required:
Equipment that does not clearly meet these requirements must be approved by game staff before use.
05 / Where you can play
Stay outdoors, inside the campus loop.
Active play happens in uncovered outdoor areas inside the Marietta campus loop. Buildings, roads, parking areas, vehicles, covered structures, and staff-marked areas are not active play.
Key rule:
No tags in safe zones. No shots from safe zones.
06 / Doorways and buildings
The 15-foot doorway buffer prevents pileups and disputes.
Covered entrances, awnings, and building interiors are safe. Blasters must be lowered and kept out of sight inside buildings, and they may never be fired indoors.
- Public doorways have an approximately 15-foot safe zone.
- A player with any body part inside a building is out of play.
- No firing from inside or partly inside a building.
- No tagging someone who is inside.
- No blocking players as they leave a safe zone.
- Blasters must be lowered and kept out of sight inside buildings.
07 / Vehicles and transportation
Play on foot.
Vehicles and wheels cannot be used to gain position, escape, complete objectives, or affect mission progress.
- Gameplay happens on foot.
- Do not use vehicles, scooters, bikes, boards, skates, or similar transportation for an advantage.
- Players inside vehicles are out of play.
- After exiting a vehicle, humans get a limited 15-foot safe area.
- There is no safe zone while approaching a vehicle.
08 / Human rules
Human play is about survival without abusing safety zones.
Use approved equipment, keep shots safe, protect team information, and follow the incubation process after a tag.
Human checklist
- Wear the bandana on your head.
- Use only approved foam gear.
- Aim only at active zombies.
- Do not aim for the head.
- Never shoot from safe zones.
- Do not use non-players as shields.
- After a tag, follow incubation.
09 / Zombie rules
Zombie play is about clean tags and honest stuns.
Tag firmly, avoid safe-zone pressure, record tags promptly, and stay quiet while stunned.
Zombie checklist
- Wear the bandana on your upper arm.
- Tag with a firm touch.
- Do not tag humans in safe zones.
- Do not follow humans into buildings.
- When stunned, move away and wait 90 seconds.
- Record successful tags promptly.
10 / Conduct, safety, and accountability
This is a KSU Housing and Residence Life event.
HVZ is a campus game, but it still operates under KSU policy. Safety, staff direction, and respect for bystanders come before gameplay.
Official policy
Campus rules still apply.
KSU HVZ is organized by Housing and Residence Life. Every player is subject to the Residential Code of Conduct and the Student Code of Conduct issued by KSU Student Conduct and Academic Integrity.
View Student Code of Conduct Gameplay consequences
- Unsafe equipment or dangerous behavior may remove a player from the game.
- Harassment, threats, or campus-policy violations may be reported to Housing and Residence Life and/or SCAI.
- Staff instructions, bystander safety, and campus operations always come before gameplay.
Immediate safety concern:
If you ever feel unsafe or a player is engaging in dangerous behavior that could harm themselves or others, call KSU Police at 470-578-6666.
Full rulebook
Need the complete official rulebook?
This page is a condensed player guide. Open the organization’s latest published rulebook for complete official detail.