Unspoken rules in airsoft?

[Cannonfodder]

One unspoken rule I've seen a fair bit is marshals pretending they aren't aware of their regulars making a habit of not taking hits. Got told at one site by some players on my team they just have to play around a particular group to have an enjoyable day.

To me that would be a reason to find another site

One thing I've noticed is that the more a player shouts at others to push up, the further back they are

 

[BigStew]

I think that an unspoken rule is that non-hit takers can be hosed.

Except 99% non hit takers are people that just didn't get hit. so some poor sod gets lit up because airporters can't judge distance under understand wind deflection. Like life the rule that should not need to be spoken is don't be a dick. 

 

[JinxDuh]

airporters

Them damn pilots! 
Fully agree though, airsoft and the world in general would be a lot better off if people followed the “Don’t be a dick” rule ?

 

[Smiling-Dutchman]

One thing I've noticed is that the more a player shouts at others to push up, the further back they are

I'd like to make it known that I also yell stuff luke that, but not from the back (and there are several forum members who are witness to that), not every shouty person leads from the rear, mostly because my aim is crap and I can't hit anyone otherwise

 

[Esoterick]

To me that would be a reason to find another site

One thing I've noticed is that the more a player shouts at others to push up, the further back they are

Yeah I would never visit a site again that is like that. 

Normally if you kindly suggest players that are the furthest back try moving up themselves they wind their necks in.

If you suspect someone isn't taking a hit you can slowly ramp up how much you shoot them, rather than deciding "better shoot every player I see 30 times for the rest of the day" which I don't think anyone is saying anyway. You can operate on the assumption you just aren't hitting them or are hitting them somewhere they aren't noticing. It's fairly easy to use discretion here.

 

[C-Diddy]

Like is it generally frowned upon if you get too close to enemy spawn because it is spawn camping?

Should you call hits if your own team shot you?

Does ricochet count as hits?

How do you execute a knife kill, and does it only count if the enemy hasn't noticed you and if you do it , or can you engage a enemy around a corner and try to land a stab as they try to shoot you or is this not allowed?

Yes, it's annoying, borderline cheaty and guaranteed to get people mad at you.

Yes, call all your hits. Most sites I play at have the rule that blue on blue is a hit for both parties.

No, ricochets are not direct hits. Caveat, as others have said, if in doubt, take the hit.

Knife kills? You play airsoft to shoot people and be shot, not creepily tap your rubber Rambo knife on someone. Don't be weird; use your gun ? If you do want melee kills though, just my opinion, use something slightly realistic, not a cuddly toy, a rubber chicken or your mum's dildo.

Other unwritten rules. Help other players out, whether they're rentals who haven't been shown how to adjust the hop up, or experienced players having snags. We talk about the airsoft community, so do your part.

Never rub another man's rhubarb by picking up someone's gun or other equipment without asking. Truth is, we're all show offs and want you to see our toys, so ask and you'll generally get a positive response. 

Also, don't be afraid to share equipment if it gets the job done. I'm not a gung-ho banzai charger, but if someone is, here, take my pistol as well. 

Also, everyone goes to play their own type of game. "Push up!", "Be aggressive!" and "Fire and move!" are the airsoft equivalent of "Pass it!" and "Shoot!" in football. We get it. Calling out targets is much more helpful.

 

[Krisz]

Like is it generally frowned upon if you get too close to enemy spawn because it is spawn camping?

Should you call hits if your own team shot you?

Does ricochet count as hits?

How do you execute a knife kill, and does it only count if the enemy hasn't noticed you and if you do it , or can you engage a enemy around a corner and try to land a stab as they try to shoot you or is this not allowed?

Spawn camping is cheap and you wind up people very fast for obvious reasons.

Friendly fire is always a question of site rules just like gaps.

Never played on a site when rico counts but it doesn't make any sense from a gameplay perspective.

Melee should be a gentle tap on the closest body part like wrist shoulder etc. 

 

[Adolf Hamster]

Like is it generally frowned upon if you get too close to enemy spawn because it is spawn camping?

Site dependant, some places the play area can be within the effecitive pew range, but generally yes.

Should you call hits if your own team shot you?

Sites will have their own rule, but the one guaranteed thing to think when this happens is "how do you know its freindly fire?"

Does ricochet count as hits?

Generally a lot of sites say no, but as above you need to be sure it's a ricochet and not someone hitting you from an unexpected angle.

How do you execute a knife kill, and does it only count if the enemy hasn't noticed you and if you do it , or can you engage a enemy around a corner and try to land a stab as they try to shoot you or is this not allowed?

You tap them with your dummy knife and hope they get the memo.

 

[Fatboy40]

Edit: Forgot the most important one; ALWAYS help your rentals. Balance teams so rentals are even spaced and actually have a chance, not constantly getting demolished by the more experienced players and/or speedsoft lads. They're the lifeblood of this hobby/sport and preventing them from having fun means they'll never come again.

To be honest I don't care much about the other "unspoken rules" as we're all grown up boys and girls, mostly, so common sense should kick in, but the above unwritten rule should be No.1 on the list.

Personally I've been asked by a good marshal, at my local site, to look after a group of young teenage boys who were rentals and I stuck with them and helped them loads (losing game time that I paid for) as I want them to hopefully buy their own RIF's and come back and play in the future.

 

[Rogerborg]

Seems we're segueing to "how to fix airsoft", so my unwritten rule is: be the person that you want to play against.

You're sure you weren't hit, and you're sure you made the hit, and the other player says "You going to take that?"

What to do?  Argue it out?  You're not going to alter what they're equally sure happened. Even if they are actually delusional, even if they're deliberately cheating, and regardless of what reality really was, right at that point, the best thing you can do is to say "Good shot, nice one!", put your hand up, and walk away.

Because arguing the toss guarantees two sulky faces, over nothing, because there's no prize for "winning". When you've got the power to gift happiness, why not wield it?

 

[heroshark]

Don't drink the milk.

 

[Lozart]

How do you execute a knife kill, and does it only count if the enemy hasn't noticed you and if you do it , or can you engage a enemy around a corner and try to land a stab as they try to shoot you or is this not allowed?

DON'T be stabbing around a corner! That way comes a sense of humour failure in most cases.

And as Luke used to say at the Mall - no "CIA cuddles" either.

 

[sonofsammo]

If it's not an unspoken rule, it should be:

People who pretend to be dead and then shoot you.
The hit shouldn't count and you should be permitted to shoot them at 30m with a sniper rifle.
In the head. Repeatedly.
I loathe this dishonourable behaviour.

Basically, it means I shoot everyone who walks past me if they're on the opposing team, just to be sure. Which makes me the cnut.
But when I get hit by someone "dead" I still feel that I've been hit, so I should go out.
Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

 

 

[Skullchewer]

If it's not an unspoken rule, it should be:

People who pretend to be dead and then shoot you.
The hit shouldn't count and you should be permitted to shoot them at 30m with a sniper rifle.
In the head. Repeatedly.
I loathe this dishonourable behaviour.

Basically, it means I shoot everyone who walks past me if they're on the opposing team, just to be sure. Which makes me the cnut.
But when I get hit by someone "dead" I still feel that I've been hit, so I should go out.
Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

 

If they have their hand up they're dead.  

If they shoot me after that, and obviously haven't respawned, well done you're off for an early shower. 

If they're on the other team and don't have their hand in the air they're getting shot. Oh, you're already dead? Sorry, but you should have had your hand up. Your own fault. 

 

[Cannonfodder]

If they have their hand up they're dead.  

If they shoot me after that, and obviously haven't respawned, well done you're off for an early shower. 

If they're on the other team and don't have their hand in the air they're getting shot. Oh, you're already dead? Sorry, but you should have had your hand up. Your own fault. 

Beat me to it

 

[Tommikka]

If it's not an unspoken rule, it should be:

People who pretend to be dead and then shoot you.
The hit shouldn't count and you should be permitted to shoot them at 30m with a sniper rifle.
In the head. Repeatedly.
I loathe this dishonourable behaviour.

Basically, it means I shoot everyone who walks past me if they're on the opposing team, just to be sure. Which makes me the cnut.
But when I get hit by someone "dead" I still feel that I've been hit, so I should go out.
Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

 

If they have their hand up they're dead.  

If they shoot me after that, and obviously haven't respawned, well done you're off for an early shower. 

If they're on the other team and don't have their hand in the air they're getting shot. Oh, you're already dead? Sorry, but you should have had your hand up. Your own fault. 

Beat me to it

Sneaky kills are encouraged in the majority of my rule sets.

I classify two valid forms of ‘non shooting’ kills:

1) Surrender - I get the drop on you and OFFER the opportunity to surrender.  You are not obliged to surrender

If you accept that you would have been shot by me catching you by surprise then you accept and take the kill, if you don’t want to then you can choose to shoot back. If I have sneaked up behind you then I should be able to shoot you first 

(I may or may not have been bluffing with an empty gun)

2) Tag / barrel tag / knife rule. I don’t require a knife/melee weapon.

If I sneak up on you and tap you on the shoulder then I have managed to be able to take a kill, but not opted to shoot up close.

If the rule is live then that’s an enforced kill

But sneaking must not be cheating.

If you walk around with your hand up then drop it you are a cheat

If someone from the opposition or unidentified is wandering around without their hand up then shoot them or challenge them.

If you shoot them then you know for sure

If you challenge an unidentified player and they lie about what side they are on - then they are cheating.
If they tell you they are eliminated then you know they are out

If they ignore you then you know that they are being sneaky so you need to shoot them first 

 

[Tackle]

One exception, I played a night game, got through the enemy lines via stealth but once I was in their harbour area I proceeded to "bimble" around like I was meant to be there, allowing me to enter their hq, open fire while pirouetting lol ?‍, & end the game. 

But yeah, anything else is cheating unless it's specified in the game rules otherwise, kinda "brandenburger" shit etc. 

 

[Tommikka]

One exception, I played a night game, got through the enemy lines via stealth but once I was in their harbour area I proceeded to "bimble" around like I was meant to be there, allowing me to enter their hq, open fire while pirouetting lol ?‍, & end the game. 

I played a tunnel game, got through, got into the enemy base …… and because I’m far too cocky attempted to get all the way in until someone on my side turned on a torch which sillouhetted me creeping up against the wall to keep my glow stick out of site —— plus the shape of my Angel wings ——- which was a very good indication that the leader of the angels was sneaking in

I got shot

 

[Adolf Hamster]

One exception, I played a night game, got through the enemy lines via stealth but once I was in their harbour area I proceeded to "bimble" around like I was meant to be there, allowing me to enter their hq, open fire while pirouetting lol ?‍, & end the game. 

But yeah, anything else is cheating unless it's specified in the game rules otherwise, kinda "brandenburger" shit etc. 

tis a tricky balance.

on the one hand a well executed sneaky play can be equal parts hilarious and effective, but on the other hand, if we can't trust someone is out when everything about their demeanour is saying so, then that's just gonna invite people to be sure, which whilst fair enough if their hands aren't up is regardless going to illicit salt from those who are genuinely out and just have their hand down.

yes you could argue that not having a hand up is fair game, but even outside of fatigue if you've got some tricky ground/obstacle to maneuver around/over you might need both hands to balance.

 

[Tommikka]

There should be no ‘unwritten rules’

There are so called ‘unwritten rules’ among the regulars of a site.  But if you ask them what they are then they may be surprised about how each player thinks they vary

The rules ought to be the rules and the staff should provide them in the brief 

If in doubt then ask - particularly about sneaky knife kills etc and look around for the groups of players who think they do  and do not apply 

Like is it generally frowned upon if you get too close to enemy spawn because it is spawn camping?

This depends on the rules 

A player that can’t get out of respawn can tend to get grumpy and frown upon it

Its not spawn camping if you arrive at a spawn area then shoot everyone at it 

It would be spawn camping if you are camping upon the spawn.

If the site layout causes a situation where a player can dominate the spawn point then the site need a rule to allow it, disallow it or to have a point under which the spawners are being destroyed and a form of reset or temporary relocation are required

Should you call hits if your own team shot you?

If you’re hit then you’re hit - unless local rules say otherwise (and I would think such a rule is a bad rule unless justified for specific circumstances)

Does ricochet count as hits?

A ricochet is not a hit - unless local rules say otherwise (and I would think such a rule is a bad rule unless justified for specific circumstances)

How do you execute a knife kill,

Depends on local rules - either by contact or saying ‘tag’, ‘knife kill’ etc

It needs to be specified if the rule applies and how it applies

(eg the original barrel tag required contact with a barrel - so sneaky players carried a barrel in their hand, and a sensible barrel tag rule is to require that you are not stabbing with the tip of a barrel or conducting a negligent discharge with a barrel tip pressed into a player)

and does it only count if the enemy hasn't noticed you and if you do it ,

They need to notice that you have tagged / knived them. 
But if they notice you and let you walk right up to them then they deserve to be eliminated 

Local rules apply 

or can you engage a enemy around a corner and try to land a stab as

Sounds very much like blind firing - you need eyes on, such as stepping around the corner - but of course local rules apply 

they try to shoot you or is this not allowed?

This brings us back to my two versions

of surrender and tag - the local rules will apply

If I walk up to you but you shoot me first then that would be a legitimate kill

If I ask you to surrender but you shoot me then you have a legitimate kill - I should have made sure that I could enforce it (or i was bluffing) *

If I comply with tag/knife rules eliminating you and you then shoot me then unless it was in the same moment then you have cheated 

* at one game I was playing with my pistol, I spent too much time chatting and failed to change my co2. My pistol burped and I was ineffective 

Rather than just walk off I made myself a distraction target running directly at the castle - I made it to the castle alive

Sat for a moment deciding what to do, then stood up, leant over the wall, waved my pistol about and asked “Do you guys want to surrender?”

I captured the front wall of the castle

tis a tricky balance.

The balance is very important on the type of game 

A group of rentals aren’t going to have a good day out if the regulars appear to be ‘ cheating’ 

But an event is on the other side of the spectrum 

on the one hand a well executed sneaky play can be equal parts hilarious and effective, but on the other hand, if we can't trust someone is out when everything about their demeanour is saying so, then that's just gonna invite people to be sure, which whilst fair enough if their hands aren't up is regardless going to illicit salt from those who are genuinely out and just have their hand down.

yes you could argue that not having a hand up is fair game

‘Fair game’ is a good description - 

Not ‘fair game’ to rip into players ‘just to be sure’ 

But ‘fair game’ to challenge or shoot one

or a small burst

, but even outside of fatigue if you've got some tricky ground/obstacle to maneuver around/over you might need both hands to balance.

Tricky ground (plus ladders etc) should come with common sense - but clear rules should also apply 

Such as - do not shoot players climbing/descending ladders

I like the idea of ‘dead flags’ - they can keep you hands free for obstacles, long walks etc 

A dead flag does not need to be a fancy flag that pulls out of a pouch, but could be a piece of fabric 

Arm band rules can also apply where you remove your armband 

(this won’t work with taped arm bands)

Velcro arm bands can be removed (though a few players will drop them)

I played a couple of events which had paper armbands - part of the scoring system was the number of armbands issued - medics were given a counted number and could therefore heal a set number of players before obtaining more

A site that does not have clear surrender/tag/knife rules can be heading to grumpy disputes