How to Play the Paper Game War

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The popular paper game known as War where all you need is paper, a pen, and a friend (or enemy)!

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    During your turn, draw a straight line no longer then 3 inches (7.6 cm) on your side of the field that you think will touch your opponent's soldiers or fort when the paper is folded over.
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    • If it touches an opponent's soldier (head or body; NOT legs or arms), that soldier is destroyed.
    • If it hits the opponent's fort draw an X or a dot to show that you hit it. After 5 hits the fort is destroyed.
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    • You must make your fort on the EDGE of your side of the paper.
    • You cannot fold the paper over before you shoot to check your shot.
    • Hits in the limbs don't count.
    • Hits on the flag or flagpole count.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    What are some ways I could make the game more interesting?
    Community Answer
    Here are a few ideas: Objectives, walls you have to destroy to get to the enemy, a prize to compete for, being able to move your "soldiers" on your turns before shooting (might want to draw things in pencil in this case), being able to re-draw one soldier after five turns, drawing each side in different colors and having a few of your soldiers on their side that you have to avoid hitting or you'll lose points, and a points system. Abilities (magical?), building structures like tents, troops needing supplies that you only get from destroying the enemy, and different kinds of soldiers with different abilities that you can attack with instead the base, like snipers and tanks.
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    Not Helpful 5 Helpful 62
  • Question
    Can I play with a group of friends?
    Community Answer
    You could if you played in teams, and it might be possible for 4 people if you fold it in fourths, but I haven't tried this.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 10 Helpful 26
  • Question
    Would this work for any size paper?
    Pyti
    Community Answer
    Yes, but if the paper is too small you might not have enough space to draw the figures. A paper from a regular notebook is best for the instructions given.
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    Not Helpful 9 Helpful 19
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      Things You'll Need

      • Notebook Paper
      • One pen per player (optional: different colors)
      • Someone to play with
      • ruler

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