do People Take Milsims Too Seriously ?

[superwok]

I have never done one but always like the idea of a Milsim,  but do people get a bit carried away and take the fun out of airsoft, or is it still fun and a full on day/night. Any feedback would be great. 

 

[Enid_Puceflange]

Scares me, my mate wants me to travel to Inverness for the next Tazball 72hr event

overnight!!  Really?? Lol

 

[Spatch]

It depends massively on the company that organises the event, I have done many and can say that yes, there are some great events, enjoyable for all and there are also companies and players who take it far too seriously, believe they are things and doing things that are not, spend ridiculous amounts of money on gear and kit and yes, will make people feel inferior in the process, research the organiser and their previous events before booking on because there is still some serious milsim snobs out there and don’t expect 48 hours of gun battles, I’ve spent many an hour sitting in a hole doing sod all

I have however had some amazing weekends and made some great friends over the years 

 

[superwok]

It depends massively on the company that organises the event, I have done many and can say that yes, there are some great events, enjoyable for all and there are also companies and players who take it far too seriously, believe they are things and doing things that are not, spend ridiculous amounts of money on gear and kit and yes, will make people feel inferior in the process, research the organiser and their previous events before booking on because there is still some serious milsim snobs out there and don’t expect 48 hours of gun battles, I’ve spent many an hour sitting in a hole doing sod all

I have however had some amazing weekends and made some great friends over the years 

Thank you, this is what I needed to know

Scares me, my mate wants me to travel to Inverness for the next Tazball 72hr event

overnight!!  Really?? Lol

Yeah I would pass 

 

[E21A]

You’d probably struggle to find one not dominated by gerdo warriors dressed head to toe in Crye gear thinking they’re srsly opar8a bro! 

 

[Cromulon1994]

Brit tac events run some that are a little more relaxed. They usually manage 2 events at copehill down a year.

Well run, you get the odd Geardo but it's a great weekend.

Also theres some half decent hotels nearby if you fancy milsimming as the raf.

 

[Tackle]

I've done a few & to be fair, I've seen just as many geardos on walk-on days as I have on 48hr milsims, & at least on a milsim your justified in carrying a bit more kit that would be classed as essential, whereas even on a daytime walk-on there'll be plums with taclites etc fitted on their rifles & every inch of molle filled with unnecessary kit.

Same goes for the mindset, again just as many walk-on days feature players that behave like they're "operators", & spit their dummies out when a rental in a hoodie takes them out lol.

It's prob unfair to critique an organiser for running a milsim in a serious fashion, after all isn't that what people are paying for ?.

As @Spatch has pointed out, before you book check out the firm behind it, research previous games etc, so you know what your potentially letting yourself in for.

& Research kit lists, turn up for a Weekender in with one spare t-shirt & no snivel kit & you might be in for a miserable time.

 

[AlphaBear]

I've not partaken in any milsim event other then playing some micro games where you're only allowed 6 mid caps and auto not allowed. If you ran out of BB's you were effectively dead and and to return to the safe zone.. The games lasted about 45 mins...Suffice to say the auto junkies hated playing those types of games....

On a more serious note, there was a squad of 6 guys I remember who called themselves the Rangers. They wore US special forces gear, had the same uniforms, the same weaponry and had the same buzz cuts and even had a squad tattoo. Hell, I reckon they were all the same height too!!!  Anyway, I remember have a wee chat to one of them and they said they were mainly into milsim but played normal Airsoft to pass the time (I didn't know how to take that at the time other than saying 'that's really cool").  Looking back, they were kinda anti social in a way and 'operated' with each other and if they were on your side that was great... But you can tell the opposing teams just made it a mission to seek them out...  For some reason they just rubbed some players up the wrong way....  I guess it was their perceived attitude which grated peoples cheese.....

 

[superwok]

Thanks all for the replies, it has given me a lot more to think about. I've been doing airsoft for around 4/5 years, I do enjoy it, I have never invested in camo, uniforms or full on kit as I never really saw the point, for me its to much of a fashion show and i prefer to look like local militia than a Super Army Solider.

I think I just want to attend a site, that has games run around 45 minutes  to and hour and half, but limits mag size so you do not get someone with a 200 round mag and their M4 spamming the trigger then not to call the hit. Full auto is fine for me,  but with sites only allowing single shot it seems pointless spending money on a full auto GBBR. If anyone knows of a sight that has longer game times please let me know. But again thanks for your input it is very much appreciated.

 

[FreeFrag.UK]

I've not attended a milsim event but I intend to do so at some point.

I suspect it's like any other social activity in life, a lot of the experience falls down to the people on the day. You'll always get those who think by donning the uniform of x military group, and being assigned the lead role for the squad, automatically turns them into a real life snake eater but I would happily wager that those people are in the minority. Hell, I'm sure we've all encountered this type of player at some point just on your average walk on day.

One thing to consider is that milsim events tend to encourage very different mind sets to your average walk on day. The event rules and requirements make this clear from the outset. I you're attending a milsim event  then you also need to consider that you'll be aiming to complete set objectives assigned to your unit/squad/posse which won't necessarily mean you'll be in the thick of it all the time you're there. From what I've read and been told in various discussions it is not uncommon to go hours with no engagements or to be asked to do a shift as a guard/sentry if you're playing a game which allows for night engagements.

I think with, as with virtually anything, you'll get out of it what you put into but it's important to remember that it's a game. You're always going to get that guy who thinks by throwing on his crye gear that he is suddenly transformed into the best operator imaginable but this holds true at skirmish days too, you just need to realise that there is a higher risk of seeing this type at a milsim.

Personally I'd suggest starting out with what is referred to as a "film sim" event, at least this is what I've been advised, and then pursue milsim events based off of the back of that experience. Another thing I've been told is that it is best to try and go with a group of friends, or make arrangements ahead of time to tag onto a group, in order to try improve your experience. The other thing I've had stressed to me is to make sure to bring what it is needed as it's not uncommon for those who turn up ill-prepared end up going home early usually as a result of not having something they've ended up needing (change of clothes, waterproofs, extra layers etc etc).

TLDR; You'll always get those who take the hobby too seriously, it doesn't matter if it's at a pre-organised event or a skirmish day.

edit: On the subject of gear, it's worth reading into what different events require. It's not uncommon for events to have a "militia" type faction which tends to be more relaxed in terms of gear requirements. This role is often viewed as the best gateway, especially for larger events.

 

[Albiscuit]

I have only ever skirmished like you and have been put off of milsims due to the fact I don’t have camo or matching gear and correct era issues boots etc. It has always seemed like an elitist thing but that might just be my view.

there are places running mini milsim type games and more relaxed versions of a milsim/skirmish if you look around. I have noticed a bit of a trend over the past year or so for these middle ground type games and have been tempted but not managed to get to one yet.

do your research and dip your toe in, maybe find one of the more relaxed games and see if you like it.

 

[GeorgePlaysAirsoft]

I have only ever skirmished like you and have been put off of milsims due to the fact I don’t have camo or matching gear and correct era issues boots etc. It has always seemed like an elitist thing but that might just be my view.

Ive only seen 1 place specify stuff like matching gear. Its just greens v tans for the most part. UK milsim is not milsim west

 

[FreeFrag.UK]

Ive only seen 1 place specify stuff like matching gear. Its just greens v tans for the most part. UK milsim is not milsim west

I think this is heavily dependent on the organiser and the specific event. Personally I've never seen one that's as simple as green vs tan although this sounds like an excellent format for a more casual milsim style open day/introductory event.

To use examples from a milsim event put together by Gunman Airsoft (they tend to run a lot of filmsim stuff as well as specific milsim (and other themed) events).

The following is taken from a modern era milsim event:

• Special Forces - MTP, Multicam (arid, alpine and black not acceptable), Tropic Multicam, Flecktarn, Concamo and AOR1 with a requirement that upper and lower has to be matching camo although vests/rigs can be tan, solid green or camo (guessing matching). They also have other limitations/requirements.
  
• Phoenix PMC - Top and bottom in solid colours such as green/olive drab, grey, black or tan. There are other stipulations but this it as far as clothing colour goes.
  
• Braganza Bandidios Gang - Civilian gang clothes including jeans, tracksuits etc. Preferably as few block colours as possible, bright colours are good. Keep any camo to an absolute minimum. Wear what any South American gang member would wear and avoid military/tactical looking clothes.
  

This is just an example of some requirements, obviously this is far from extensive.

Apologies if this is slightly off topic @superwok, I just wanted to try add some clarity regarding the gear side of things. I definitely agree that the UK Milsim experience looks to be somewhat different to the more commonly seen Milsim West (MSW) but  if you start going down the route of Stirling Airsoft events then I'd expect something much more comparable. Admittedly from what I've seen of the events ran by Stirling they look to have more stringent requirements than MSW. From some of the footage I've seen of MSW it's not uncommon to see the opposition turning up with kit that doesn't really fit the role they're meant to be playing.

 

[superwok]

No need to apologise, it's good to get as much information as possible, but the more I read the more I realise Milsims may not be for me. I just want have fun shooting people with bb guns, I don't really want to get caught up in the fashion show side of things or group of people that may take  a bit to seriously , I see enough on skirmish days, so I can imagine its amplified for more on a Milsim. 

But thanks all the same 

 

[GeorgePlaysAirsoft]

I think this is heavily dependent on the organiser and the specific event. Personally I've never seen one that's as simple as green vs tan although this sounds like an excellent format for a more casual milsim style open day/introductory event.

To use examples from a milsim event put together by Gunman Airsoft (they tend to run a lot of filmsim stuff as well as specific milsim (and other themed) events).

The following is taken from a modern era milsim event:

• Special Forces - MTP, Multicam (arid, alpine and black not acceptable), Tropic Multicam, Flecktarn, Concamo and AOR1 with a requirement that upper and lower has to be matching camo although vests/rigs can be tan, solid green or camo (guessing matching). They also have other limitations/requirements.
  
• Phoenix PMC - Top and bottom in solid colours such as green/olive drab, grey, black or tan. There are other stipulations but this it as far as clothing colour goes.
  
• Braganza Bandidios Gang - Civilian gang clothes including jeans, tracksuits etc. Preferably as few block colours as possible, bright colours are good. Keep any camo to an absolute minimum. Wear what any South American gang member would wear and avoid military/tactical looking clothes.
  

This is just an example of some requirements, obviously this is far from extensive.

Apologies if this is slightly off topic @superwok, I just wanted to try add some clarity regarding the gear side of things. I definitely agree that the UK Milsim experience looks to be somewhat different to the more commonly seen Milsim West (MSW) but  if you start going down the route of Stirling Airsoft events then I'd expect something much more comparable. Admittedly from what I've seen of the events ran by Stirling they look to have more stringent requirements than MSW. From some of the footage I've seen of MSW it's not uncommon to see the opposition turning up with kit that doesn't really fit the role they're meant to be playing.

I don't completely disagree but gunman was the 1 i was on about, and with respect to that specific set of rules... its basically camos vs solids vs civvies. 

I mean this purely neutral terms  - this is hardly MSW level stuff let alone reenactment. From what I have seen from stirling it is "as good as" greens vs tans. As far as I know african terrorist groups do not tool about in $200 Platatac chest rigs for example. 

At the very least I find camo/kit rules to be more liberal then people tend to expect. 

 

[lukeB]

You're more likely to find try hard operators on the nato/task force sides.

Opfor tends to be more laid back and I'd recommend trying that first.

I'd also recommend trying your first milsim in the summer months.  

You don't need to worry too much about cold/wet weather gear and daylight lasts longer, so you're not as disadvantaged in the evenings without nv.

Obviously you can do milsims on a budget but it can become a bit of a money pit.  It's easy to get sucked into what feels like pay to win with items such as tag launchers, pyro and night vision/thermal.

 

[clumpyedge]

I'd also recommend trying your first milsim in the summer months.  

You don't need to worry too much about cold/wet weather gear and daylight lasts longer, so you're not as disadvantaged in the evenings without nv.

Someone has never been to sennybridge...

 

[EvilMonkee]

Having been to a LOT of Gunman events, I can categorically state that Josh does not advertise or run MilSims.  He runs FilmSims.  And they are excellent.  If you want a halfway house between a normal skirmish and something more serious then I would seriously consider one of his themed games.   If Cold War or Vietnam arent your bag there is an ongoing 90s themed game that should scratch all of your Ops/NATO/SF itch.  Personally, having attended all of his events, the Cold War scene is the best by far but it isn't everyone cup of char.

If you want to know more PM me.

 

[Tackle]

Someone has never been to sennybridge...

Lol, I think all the good training areas have a micro-climate all of their own, usually really hot or really cold, or if your really lucky, all the seasons in one day, irrespective of what the rest of the country is like ?

 

[EvilMonkee]

Lol, I think all the good training areas have a micro-climate all of their own, usually really hot or really cold, or if your really lucky, all the seasons in one day, irrespective of what the rest of the country is like ?

I still have a recurring nightmare of crossing that cattle grid into Sennybridge........it truely is a shithole of the highest order which is saying something as it is in Wales.....