What is senior water?

Senior water is the water-gun elimination game graduating seniors play in the spring. Everyone who signs up is secretly assigned one classmate as a target. You get your target out by soaking them with a water gun, on video. Then you take over their target, and the last senior still dry wins. "Senior water" is short for Senior Water Wars, which is the same game most schools call Senior Assassin.

Senior water, water wars, senior assassin: one game

The name depends on where you live and on what your school will tolerate. Senior Assassin is the most common name nationally. Senior Water Wars, usually shortened to "senior water," is the rename schools prefer, because it describes the game as what it is: a water fight. You will also hear Senior Splashin', Senior Tag and Paranoia. The rules underneath are nearly always the same. Our page on the game's other names covers where each name comes from and when the name actually changes the rules.

If you are pitching the game to your school, use the Senior Water Wars name. An administrator hears it and knows exactly what to expect: a water fight with rules. Paranoia and Assassin both need explaining before anyone relaxes.

Senior water vs senior tag

The one name that can change the game is Senior Tag. In senior water you get your target out with water. In some senior tag games you get them out with a touch, and water is not used at all. That changes what gear players need, where hits can happen and how you prove one. If your class says "senior tag," confirm which version you are playing before anyone buys a water gun. The senior tag rules guide covers the contact version.

How senior water works

Every version runs on the same three mechanics:

• A secret target chain. Each player hunts exactly one person and is hunted by exactly one person. Nobody knows who has them.
• A recorded elimination. A hit only counts if there is visible water on your target and a video or witness to prove it.
• Targets pass forward. When you get your target out, their target becomes yours. The chain shrinks until one player is left.

Around that core, every class sets a few ground rules: water guns only, safe zones like school, work and practice, an immunity item (pool floaties are the classic), a deadline to get your target before you are out for inactivity, and usually a Purge Day near the end when the protections switch off. The full version is on our senior assassin rules template, which you can edit for your school and print.

When is senior water?

Spring of senior year. Most games start between March and May and run a few weeks, finishing before graduation. Organizers usually open sign-ups a few weeks before the start date, lock the roster, and then send out targets all at once.

Who runs it?

Students. Senior water is almost never an official school event. One senior (sometimes a small group) collects sign-ups, draws targets, checks videos and settles disputes. Some classes collect a small entry fee for a prize pot. Others play for bragging rights. If money is involved, read the prizes guide first, because it changes the game more than any other rule.

Is senior water allowed?

It depends on the school and how the game is run. Most schools ban playing on campus, and that is why school grounds are a safe zone in every standard rulebook. What gets games shut down is almost always safety: realistic-looking blasters, hits from cars, people chasing each other into traffic, or players showing up at homes. A game with bright water guns, clear safe zones and a no-cars rule is a very different conversation with an administrator. The safety page is the one to send to parents, and getting your school to approve it walks through that conversation.

How to start a senior water game

1. Pick your rules. Start from the free rules template, fill in your school, and publish it to get a class code.
2. Collect sign-ups and lock the roster by a set date.
3. Draw targets with the target generator. It makes one clean chain, so nobody is assigned the person hunting them.
4. Send each player their target privately and announce the start time.
5. Players follow the board at join a game with your class code.

No app download, no GPS and no accounts. Teams need a name, too: there are 183 ideas on our senior assassin team names page.

Questions people ask about senior water

Is senior water the same as senior assassin?

Yes, in almost every school. Senior water, Senior Water Wars and Senior Assassin describe the same water-gun elimination game. The name is mostly regional.

What do you need to play senior water?

A brightly colored water gun that nobody could mistake for a real weapon, a way to record a hit on your phone, and whatever your class uses as the immunity item. The gear checklist covers the rest.

What is senior splashin?

Another regional name for the same game. It is also the name of an app, so if someone says "we're doing Splashin," ask whether they mean the game or the app. Our Splashin review explains the difference.