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Game Notes: Team Deathmatch
We always run at least one Team Deathmatch every single time we're out with a group and at the start of every open event. Deathmatches are the simplest, most straightforward game you can play on a field. They're perfect for giving players a chance to push all the buttons on their gun and to figure out how to shoot opponents.
Observations
It doesn't matter to players whether you announce the scores as deaths or kills as long as you're consistent throughout the day. I recommend announcing how many times a team dies because lots of games (like base assault) require you to calculate progress based on how many times a team has died and it makes the mental work easier for you.
Don't run more than two deathmatches at the start of a session. First, people get too twitch-happy. They get into this zone where all they want to do is to push harder, faster and they lose team cohesion. They start to get mowed down by anyone working well together and get depressed, like a sugar low. That's when their game tanks, they get into a funk and the session energy starts to slide. Second, if you don't change up the games quick enough people will start to think of any game you run as just another deathmatch with some sort of crazy rules. That won't help them win a VIP escort, Sniper or Bomb Plant game. Ultimately that just leads to a much harder time for you to convince them to try different games and victory styles and can help them feel bored.
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Administration Suggestions
Make deathmatches short. This encourages players to be faster and work harder but also helps to differentiate more complicated games. When you give them more time they'll automatically start thinking in terms of having more to do that can't be done in the time of a deathmatch.
10 minutes of deathmatching is a lengthy game. 15 minutes is a marathon. One tournament I ran had 2-game matches with each game 6 minutes long. Players hated it when they had to pull a double match because they were totally dead afterwards. For open events I recommend 2 games of ten minutes each, back-to-back, switching sides between games, then a break for water.
Deathmatches and 2-man FFAs are great ways to end the day because the twitchy adrenaline they give players leave everyone on an epinepherine high. I recommend the FFA over the deathmatch if you're on a remote, though, because you can pack the guns up as players return, instead of all at once.
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How do you run your team deathmatches? E-mail mike@mikescombatgames.com and let us know.