Dragons Lair- Ongar

[Prisce]

Hmm, going to be 100% honest throughout this post.

I would not recommend this site to anyone.

Firsty, the site is small, not DTW Colchester small, but for woodland it’s really small, and due to this, the games are repetitive. It’s one of those sites we went to to try, and won’t be returning.

The site is Rife with cheaters of all different ilks, from famous non hit takers, to people who don’t understand that a shield doesn’t make you immortal.

When we went last, the marshals were great, a little too relaxed, but they did the job well enough.

My biggest gripe comes of late, and had I not have been, I would have immediately decided I would never go.

After an incident recently between 2 YouTube airsofters, the site has decided to ban everyone in a particular Facebook group, just because they are in the same group as one of these airsofters, one of these people plays with me regularly, and he loved the site, he is UKARA registered there.

When my team mate rang up the owner to ask why, he got a lot of abuse, My friend then asked him if he thought it was a bit childish to ban people because they are in the same group as 1 person, and the owner turned around and said “I don’t give a F**K what you think” and put the phone down.

Not what I would expect from a site with ties to a decent shop in Romford.

So if your looking for a decent site, with good Staff/players and is on par with what we expect in this hobby, don’t go to Dragons Lair.

Within 60Miles of this place you have 4 other sites I’d go to without hesitation.

These include:

AWA

Airsoft Plantation

Airsoft GB

Tech Brigade

If you want to know anymore, please Pm me.

 

[Duff]

Care to expand on the Bookface drama? What exactly happend to make the owners resort to such actions?

 

[Prisce]

2 old friends had a falling out, one caught the other cheating on site in a video, called him out for it, then it got all childish with insults blah blah blah, one of the friends is friendly with the site owner, and took his side, and the rest is all up top.

 

[clumpyedge]

Bit more too it than that but the gist of it is there.

I have a friend who is banned from there for writing a bad review so I wouldn't be surprised if you get a ban soon @Prisce haha! I've been tempted on occasion to go there purely for the fact its the second closest site to me not counting where I work but the horror stories i hear makes it kinda not worth it. We once had three guys turn up mid game telling us how they had left DL because the briefing and game briefs was pretty much the owners and others calling players cunts and other such niceties and when they challenged the fact they didn't like being spoken to like that they were asked to leave.

The less said about kicking spunkstain the better, I personally wont play on any site he turns up at as he is dangerous, cheats and skirts the rules to his own advantage.

 

[Prisce]

I know there is a little more to it. I just didn’t want to put the names and actual words said in here, I was just more miffed that a site took sides without even hearing the other guys out, and tarred everyone with the same brush.

Honestly, that doesn’t surprise me, infact it makes me more sure that I won’t be going back.

Having met MR Spunkstain as you called him, and having spoken to others about him, he really isn’t what I expected, or was lead to believe.

 

[Tackle]

Having met MR Spunkstain as you called him, and having spoken to others about him, he really isn’t what I expected, or was lead to believe.

Click to shrink...

In a good way or bad way ?, did you feel he was the mega cheating douche he's been portrayed as ?, or possibly misunderstood (& slightly "speshul") ?

 

[Prisce]

The day I met him he was polite and nice, but having seen him play a few other days since, he is just as portrayed. 

In a good way or bad way ?, did you feel he was the mega cheating douche he's been portrayed as ?, or possibly misunderstood (& slightly "speshul") ?

Click to shrink...

 

[Albiscuit]

Not been to DL in about a year, never had any issues with the place, the safety brief is brief but no worse than other sites and to the point and the owner and his family (pretty sure its all family run) have never been anything but nice and polite from what I have seen.

Shame the bookface drama is spilling into real life, I would expect a business to be above all that.

But looking to head back the DL in the coming months now the weather is better (yes ima  tart, CQB in the rain and woodland in the nice weather  )

 

[Prisce]

Not been to DL in about a year, never had any issues with the place, the safety brief is brief but no worse than other sites and to the point and the owner and his family (pretty sure its all family run) have never been anything but nice and polite from what I have seen.

Shame the bookface drama is spilling into real life, I would expect a business to be above all that.

But looking to head back the DL in the coming months now the weather is better (yes ima  tart, CQB in the rain and woodland in the nice weather  )

Click to shrink...

Exactly that. This guy who has been banned was a friend of the owner, he introduced me and my brother to the guy when we first went and he was fine, we just didn’t appreciate the site as much as we have others in the area.

He just did a total 180 due to someone else he knew, nothing he guy himself did. And that’s what is stupid and something I can’t abide.

If you are planning on coming this way, I would Highly recommend coming over to AP, and if you can make the 17th, we have a mini forum meet going on!(If you enjoyed DL, you will be in heaven here, lots of CQB outdoorsy bits)

 

[Asomodai]

This is a shame. It was one site I was hoping to visit soon as its fairly close. I didn't realise it was as small as you describe as well! 

 

[Robert James]

Haven't been there yet. Was fancying it due to the shop in Romford... It's funny I recently watched Kicking Mustangs video of an argument. He seems fine to me, maybe I don't throw myself into Airsoft as much as others and know the rumours about people

 

[Karl W.]

Hi Everyone,

I thought I had to respond on this subject to say I have been airsofting for many years and have visited many sites. Dragons Lair is an excellent venue and I have been there many times without a problem. I have found the staff to be friendly and enthusiastic. To pinpoint a single issue as a reason not to attend is unfair and I would urge everyone who hasn't been to go and make up their own mind.

Happy skirming !

Karl W.

 

[Karl W.]

Hi all,

As a new member to AF-UK I noticed an earlier blog advising all to steer clear of Dragons Lair. I just wanted to advise that I have been airsofting since about 2004 and have been to Dragons Lair many times without a problem. I find the staff enthusiastic and friendly and would recommend the site to all who haven't attended.

Karl W.

 

[Albiscuit]

Exactly that. This guy who has been banned was a friend of the owner, he introduced me and my brother to the guy when we first went and he was fine, we just didn’t appreciate the site as much as we have others in the area.

He just did a total 180 due to someone else he knew, nothing he guy himself did. And that’s what is stupid and something I can’t abide.

If you are planning on coming this way, I would Highly recommend coming over to AP, and if you can make the 17th, we have a mini forum meet going on!(If you enjoyed DL, you will be in heaven here, lots of CQB outdoorsy bits)

Click to shrink...

I missed your reply for some reason.

I have been to Airsoft Plantation and it is certainly my fave woodland site. 

Hi all,

As a new member to AF-UK I noticed an earlier blog advising all to steer clear of Dragons Lair. I just wanted to advise that I have been airsofting since about 2004 and have been to Dragons Lair many times without a problem. I find the staff enthusiastic and friendly and would recommend the site to all who haven't attended.

Karl W.

Click to shrink...

All the times I have been I would have recommended the site 100%, unfortunately the fact is there are other sites which are better for the same money. 

Thats not to say I would not go back. I like mixing up sites and (apart from The Mall) don't really have a 'home' site and would visit again, but wouldn't be a regular haunt of mine like it used to be as it is a small site and all the times I have been the games have been very similar.

Not rubbishing the place, always enjoyed the day, staff were friendly, had a great game of "replace a movie name with the word CNUT" during the resupply times in the safe zone, got the be hilarious especially as people were shouting suggestions during the games and only 20% of the players knew what was going on  

just giving an honest opinion. 

 

[Shizbazki]

Wow talk about resurrection of an old thread ?

DLA is the first site i played Airsoft at and was the one that got me hooked.

Its also my UKARA registration site.

Other than the Facebook fiasco that happened a few months ago which i didn't follow.

From my experiences I have found the site run more or less like any other site, they got their regulars, they got their newbies and if anything they are welcoming to new people.

Yeah the actual skirmish is small but they have managed to cram many things into one small area, it also means less yomping around the place to get to various points.

The site is owned and family run, the owner and wife often man the desk and his grandson works at Airsoft Zone and marshals games. Ill be honest in my experiences with them they have been nothing but friendly and welcoming. He once gave a rental (freely) a to a mate of mine who turned up with his own AEG that more less immediately broke (it was an ancient L1A1 SLR) and he needed a gun or would waste a day.

What i do know is that the owner is also a no bullshit sort of guy and might rub people up the wrong way because of it. He sacked the site caterer/cook over a phone call when he discovered several badly cook burger patties in the bins at the end of a game day. He's also not afraid to use the ban hammer, he once banned a player when he found out that that player bought a GBB pistol (from the site shop) on behalf of someone without UKARA who had paid him to do so, even revoked that persons UKARA.

I haven't been for around 6 to 8 months but plan on going later this year just to show face and also keep my UKARA intact.