Bow and Arrows

(Up to Schemes)

The Bows and Arrows (BnA) scheme is played on specially created landscapes which consist solely of a random arrangement of specks or small objects. To win, players must carefully navigate the map and kill their enemies with the only weapon available - the Longbow.

The scheme has had many variations throughout its history, without any clear standard. Most schemes incorporate a selection of transport tools, such as Low Gravity or Parachute. Some schemes include utility crates or health crates, which double up as strategic targets, since the fire is particularly hazardous on a map of specks. Some schemes also include weapon crates, though these are mostly set to contain only transport tools such as Teleport. Instant mines, and sometimes barrels, are generally included. Worms are usually set to be invincible unless drowned.

Maps also differ considerably, with some being open maps - particularly in the past, before big maps became a possibility - and others being closed maps. The spacing of the specks can also vary, not only between maps but sometimes within the map itself. A few maps have land at the bottom to prevent drowning, in which case worms are given a finite health, and Sudden Death is usually included to eventually flood the map.

Each variation of the scheme comes with its own gameplay and unique set of strategies.

History

The Bows and Arrows scheme has been around for as long as anyone can remember, and the origin of the scheme has long since been forgotten. The scheme has always been relatively unpopular, but the introduction of big maps and up to 250 mines completely transformed the scheme and as a consequence it is played a little more frequently today. These changes have had a lasting effect; the old small-map, 8-object version of the scheme has now all but disappeared.

Run's Bigmap BnA

This variation emerged shortly after the introduction of big maps, offering a more chaotic alternative to the original Bigmap scheme (above). The main differences in Run's version include:

• A more densely packed map of specks, except for an open space across the top
• A floor to prevent drowning, usually shaped as a funnel
• Crates, containing either Teleports or Select Worms

Because the specks are so dense, chain reactions involving dozens of mines are far more likely than in the original Bigmap BnA scheme. Mines are close together, so that when one explodes, nearby mines are knocked off their specks, and a cascade begins. At the beginning of the game, these cascades quickly wipe out most of the worms.

The crates provide strategic depth to the scheme, as the Teleports within are the only alternative to the long, tedious climbs through dangerous minefields. The teleports also become weapons in themselves, as players use them to detonate mines with their own worms in a bid to take down the enemy.

Strategies

• Controlling the top

• Teleport attacks