h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What would be the best markers for a marker fight?

My personal favorites are the Marks-A-Lot markers. They come in a lot of different colors, leave large marks, and they're fairly long (so you have a better reach). The down side is that some of the colors are very difficult to wash off, so if you're trying not to look like you've been marker fighting you might want another kind.

Another type that I like are the flair tip markers. There are various brands, but the one in particular that I've used is Pmop. They're good for smaller and more easily concealed marks, but the tips are sharp enough that you can actually puncture the skin if you're not careful. I have a friend who still has a 'tattoo' from a flair tip -- I broke the skin on his forearm, and it left some ink behind.

Sharpies are also good, and you can even use ballpoints (if you're in a hurry and don't mind being careful). It all depends on your preference, though -- fighting style, what kind of marks you want, whether you want permanent or washable, etc. Experiment to find out what you like best. Above all else, though, remember this: new markers are almost always the best. The newer the marker, the more ink it will leave behind. A few prolonged marker fights will dry out a marker surprisingly quickly. I recommend keeping a few markers around that you use solely for fighting.

If you're duelling with white board markers, and happen to be caught without a decent marker to hand, I thoroughly recommend grabbing the whiteboard cleaning thingie. They're generally magnetised and so sit somewhere convenient on the board. They're the rectangular things, usually completely black with the ink that they've absorbed.

Give your opponent a good whack with this and it'll leave them with a huge dusty black mark. If you pin them down, you can literally paint their whole face black. It's not permanent but it's still a very good laugh.

I used to work in a furniture factory where they used a lot of covered wire in the furniture. After my office mate and I had been marker fighting for a while, I decided to tape a flair tip marker on the end of an 18" piece of wire and use it as a sword-type weapon. It gave me quite the tactical advantage until I realized that I was flinging ink all over the office...

Aah... the ink flinging technique...

If you have a handy fountain pen, you can flick it repeatedly at your opponent and cover him/her with proper ink. Be careful though as it is completely impossible to wash out of your clothes.

At work today I ran out of things to do, so I invented a new paper clip launching turret out of a converted stapler. Tomorrow I think I'll modify it to launch ink cartridges at high velocity.