Welcome to Nerd House!
We are Nerd House, a community house on Haverford campus that hosts weekly nerdy events. Come join us for activities, games, and lots of nerdy fun. Find out more about us below, and contact us on our other social media sites!If you want to be updated about our events weekly, join our mailing list below!
Our Events
Meet Our Members
Click to view the full-size images. Find out more about our members below!
Humans vs. Zombies
TL;DR: Humans vs Zombies is a game of tag. Humans tagged by zombies become zombies. The game starts with a few (generally 2) hidden ‘starter zombies’, one starter zombie at each campus, who are disguised as humans until they are revealed or until Tuesday at midnight, whichever comes first. The zombies’ goal is to tag as many humans as possible by Friday night!
General Rules and Guidelines
Objectives and Playtime:
- The game begins Monday at 6am and ends Friday at 12am. When the game ends, the zombies win if there are more zombies than humans, and the humans win if there are more humans than zombies. Regardless of who wins, all surviving humans get the Apocalypse Survivor badge.Safe Zones:
- Play is suspended inside safe zones. Safe zones include the Blue Bus, the Blue Bus stops, the interior of any building, anywhere off campus, the bridge to Nerd House (including the ramp), and any required academic, athletic, or employment-related activity. (You are not safe on the way to or from such activities.)- Zombies inside of safe zones may not tag humans or be stunned by them. Humans inside of safe zones may not be tagged, but can still stun zombies (that are not in the safe zones).- You are inside a safe zone if both of your feet are inside it, or (if it is a building) you are physically touching its door.Safety:
- The safety of all players comes before everything else. Do not play in any unsafe location or circumstances. Do not enter or create an unsafe location or circumstance in order to avoid zombies. For example, riding a bike makes it unsafe for a zombie to tag you, so don’t ride a bike in order to stay safe from zombies. (You can ride a bike for other reasons, but you cannot do so specifically to avoid being tagged.) To confirm you understand this risk, please send Zombot the specific phrase “I have read the risk statement and consent to participate in the game.”- Commonly unsafe locations and circumstances: around moving cars, riding a wheeled vehicle, near emergency vehicles, fire escapes and fire drills, stairs, the roads outside campus.- Common sense always applies. If something seems excessively dangerous, don’t do it.
Bandanas:
- All players must wear an orange bandana at all times while they are in play. Humans and unrevealed starter zombies must wear the bandana on their arm. Zombies must wear the bandana around their head (preferable) or neck. Bandanas must be bright orange and clearly visible.- Bandanas are not required in safe zones. If you’re in a safe zone and it’s not obvious (for example, you’re attending an academic event outside) we encourage you to remove your bandana to avoid confusing people.
Human Rules
- Humans must have their ID number (given by the discord bot) with them at all times and provide it if tagged. One hour after you are tagged, you become a zombie and may begin tagging people. You may not tag people before this hour is up. During this hour you are already on the zombie team and should not aid the humans.- Humans may stun zombies for 15 minutes by hitting them with a thrown sock. No exceptions unless explicitly stated. The projectile must be a projectile, it must be thrown, and it must be only socks. If a stunned zombie is stunned again, their timer is reset to 15 minutes.- Humans must sleep on campus, and cannot leave campus to avoid zombies. If you need to leave campus for more than 24 hours, ask the moderators to remove you from the game.- Humans have to eat too! There will be “supply depots” (aka clearly marked QR codes) at the DC, the Coop, New Dorm, Erdman, and Lusty Cup that you can scan to get a code to “restock supplies” for 36 hours. If you don’t restock after 36 hours, you die and turn into a hungry zombie!- In the humans-only channel, use the command !ration <code> where <code> is the ration code provided at supply depots for that day. Supply depots refresh daily, and can only be used once per human.
Zombie Rules
Starvation:
- Zombies must feed every 48 hours or else they starve to death. Every time a zombie makes a kill or is fed by another zombie making a kill, their starvation timer is reset. Starter zombies do not have a timer until they are unmasked.- Zombies that have starved to death are Dead and no longer active players.
Feeding and Entering Bites:
- When a zombie tags a human and gets their code, they record the bite with Zombot as soon as they are able. They can feed up to two other zombies with the kill, resetting their timers as well.- In the zombies-only channel, use the command !bite <code> @eater1 @eater2 where eater1 and eater2 are the zombies you feed. For example, !bite ADK63CXR @Elise @Caspian. More information on commands is in command-list.- Starter zombies do not begin to starve until they are revealed. Starter zombies are revealed when a human figures out they are a starter zombie (i.e. they see them tag someone/obviously chase someone) and announce it in the human chat.Tagging:
- A tag is a firm touch to any part of a human, or anything they are wearing or carrying. Once you tag a human, you must inform them immediately, get their ID number, and report it to Zombot as soon as possible. You may not intentionally delay reporting a tag.When you are stunned by a human, you are out of the game for 15 minutes. You may not tag humans or continue to physically interact with the game (e.g. blocking thrown socks or chasing humans).Starter Zombies:
- When the game starts, two Starter Zombies are randomly selected. These zombies are disguised as humans. They wear their bandanas like humans, don’t have real decay timers meaning they don’t have to worry about starvation, and are able to see the humans-only channel – so be careful what strategies you share! A starter zombie is “unmasked” if they are seen tagging someone by a human who does not get tagged, if their fake human starvation timers run out, or if they otherwise reveal themself.- If a starter zombie is “unmasked” they lose their starter zombie status and become a normal zombie. This includes the normal rules on starvation and feeding as well as wearing their bandana on their head.- If the Starter Zombies are still masked by Tuesday at midnight, they are revealed at that point and become normal zombies.-Starter Zombies, keep up the charade! If you aren’t eating rations, it will be suspicious; after 36 hours without eating any rations, your role will be revealed and your decay timer will begin.
Privacy:
- Do not share images of other players or their private (not publicly available) information without their consent.- Do not ever share any information obtained through the game with non-players or use it for any purpose other than the game, unless you have the explicit consent of the person concerned. Violation of this rule will result in an immediate and permanent ban from the game.- This game inherently requires a certain amount of publicity of players’ location; humans will often advertise where zombies are to help other humans avoid them, and vice versa. By playing this game and agreeing to the guidelines and rules, you are consenting to this aspect. That said, if play ever escalates to a point of discomfort, please contact one of the moderators through discord or email - this is meant to be fun, not creepy. To confirm you understand this, please send Zombot the specific phrase “I have read the risk statement and consent to participate in the game."
Other Rules
- Non-Players: Non-players may not directly interact with the game. For instance, they cannot spy for either team or bring food to humans. Players should never physically engage with non-players: do not chase, tag, or throw socks at them.- Discord: Do not exploit the Discord format of the game for gameplay advantages. Your Discord nickname (which you can set with /nick) must be your name (or whatever you go by).- Attendance: Do not skip class because of Humans vs. Zombies.- Participation in the game: Humans, don’t hole up in your room! The point of the game is to interact with other players and have fun, not make it a who-can-not-leave-their-room-the-longest contest. That’s not fun for anyone.- Image: Please don’t give faculty or staff a reason to dislike Humans vs. Zombies.Honor Code:
- Humans vs Zombies relies heavily on the Honor Code - we can’t possibly enforce all the rules, so we’re relying on you. Further, we’re all doing this to have fun. Treat fellow players with respect, and abide by the spirit of the rules whenever possible. If you have any questions, ask a moderator and accept their decision. Use your best judgment and common sense at all times.ENFORCEMENT AND VIOLATIONS
- If a rule has been violated, the moderators will make a decision on the appropriate course of action. This is usually a warning at most. In more extreme cases (especially violations of the rules on safety or privacy) responses can include removal from the current game, bans on participation in future games, and/or contacting and notifying the College.
Laser Tag in the DC basement
Sign up to guarantee a time spot, but commitment is not necessary! Walk-ins are welcomed - and we will provide games and snacks.
Rules and guidelines:
TL;DR: Be safe, use common sense, don't break our stuff
Start rounds by going to your side’s base and waiting for the referee to start the match.
Rounds last until one side is eliminated or after 15 minutes.
When you’re out, put your hands up and come upstairs without interfering.
Referees are in these vests. Please don’t interact with them.
Listen to anything a referee tells you.
Don’t cover your gun’s sensor.
Don’t touch your gun’s switches.
Don’t move the furniture or barriers.
Please don’t touch your face, for sanitary reasons.
Keep your mask on, likewise.
No excessive running.
No jumping.
No physical contact.
No vaulting over the furniture.
Basically please don’t do anything that will get admin to ban this event for safety reasons
Or anything that will break the guns or the other equipment