Joining a Team?

[NeonMidnight]

I have been playing QCB for a hand full of years now. I started to take it more seriously and began playing at least once a week.

 

I'm wondering what the situation is with joining a team and playing at a higher level.

 

Firstly, how would I know if I am even ready to join a team?

 

How would I go about contacting and finding a team?

 

What should I do next if I want to take the sport more seriously? 

[Rogerborg]

12 hours ago, NeonMidnight said:

What should I do next if I want to take the sport more seriously? 

 

We're playing pretend soldiers with toy guns.  It's something that little children do, plus a budget. I've never understood the urge to take this hobby remotely seriously.

[EDcase]

Teams can get quite serious in milsim but duno for CQB.  I guess that gets into the competition/speedsofting area 🤮

If you've been playing for a few years you should play regularly with a few people?  Ask if they want to get more serious...?

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

Themed milsims and filmsims tend to attract loose teams via FB groups and the like.  

 

For CQB I would try and form a team around existing links.  A few mates play in a team of former squaddies from the same regiment.   

 

I play along with blokes I have met playing a specific role in filmsim and milsim.  

 

Again,  for CQB teams/groups tend to grow  onsite.  Chat to fellow players that you tend to end up beside.   

[Tackle]

As has been said above, if you've been playing for quite a while your likely to have met other regulars & small groups locally, better to gently build on those links & see what forms. 

Pushing too hard to join or form a team usually ends up with unknown entities that don't always mesh well, which can be awkward when the team breaks up & you continue to frequent the same sites. 

 

As for teams that take it more "seriously", they tend to be populated by Teflon Walts who insist on hierarchy etc, & believe their own hype too much, usually falling out with everyone they play against lol. 

[Cannonfodder]

Chat with others on site to see if they're up for it, if they are then the first thing you need to do I decide how deepvyou want to go. Do you want simply a band of people playing together as a group, or will you go with everyone using the same kit?

 

As for taking the game more seriously, the last thing the hobby needs is more deluded twats thinking they're Captain Price and can order others about before getting all pissy when they don't get their way

8 hours ago, Rogerborg said:

 

We playing pretend soldiers with toy guns.  It's something that little children do, plus a budget. I've never understood the urge to take this hobby remotely seriously.

This

[Rogerborg]

I may have been a little harsh, but I would definitely echo that organically improving your communication and teamwork with people that you already play with is likely to work out very differently than trying to form or join a team that's based on principles, mottoes, patches or [shudders] winr8.

 

I'm sure there are plenty of exceptions, but I've had some bad experiences playing against Team Teflon Walt.  "Stacking" groin-to-bum seems to be the switch that engages God Mode.

[EDcase]

Yep, unfortunately taking it more seriously increases the 'must win' mentality which always ruins the gameplay for everyone else.

 

 

 

Edited January 4, 2022 by EDcase

[Druid799]

If your thinking about wanting to join a team and have to ask the ‘team’ if you can join OR you see “my team is looking for new members” ? don’t . Only successful teams I’ve ever come across(my own team included) are made up of players who already knew each other to a certain extent wether outside of or through Airsofting , the members where invited to join the team (they didn’t ask to join it)AND they all had the attitude of it’s just a bit of fun running around shooting each other and having a laugh . Plus there’s no ‘rank’ or leadership structure in them either , it’s all by mob rule !😆On the whole my experience of interacting with structured teams was they where either all up their own arses about there ability/kit/knowledge (hence they’d migrated to each other’s company as no one else actually liked them that much) or you had one very strong/bossy/walt’ish character who was fluent in ‘Call of Duty’ speak as the ‘team leader’ and then a couple of kids who thought he was Andy McNab because of this ! 

[MagpieTactical]

When I went to my first airsoft game, I turned up alone, not knowing anyone and had a great time.  After about a year of going it was apparent that two teams on site always played on the opposing teams. One team took it serious had 1IC 2IC etc and had training days etc.  They also wanted to 'win', sometimes leading to over competitive tactics. 

The other team tended to be more a group of mates being 'part of a team' but mostly in it for the banter and a laugh. 

When the second team started taking it more seriously, they began taking on more and more members, and often only had one or two on site on any game day.  The beginning of getting competitive also led to people leaving as it wasn't as fun anymore. 

 

 

[NeonMidnight]

Thanks for the replies. I think I will take the advise and try to network a bit. It's just I play at a popular site and I have never seen or heard of a team playing there. People also tend to come and go a bit. You guys made me realise though that I talk with people I don't know every game but I don't think I have ever stopped to ask someone their name.

 

Maybe "seriously" was a poor choice of words.  

[Emergencychimps]

7 hours ago, NeonMidnight said:

Thanks for the replies. I think I will take the advise and try to network a bit. It's just I play at a popular site and I have never seen or heard of a team playing there. People also tend to come and go a bit. You guys made me realise though that I talk with people I don't know every game but I don't think I have ever stopped to ask someone their name.

 

Maybe "seriously" was a poor choice of words.  

 

This might sound silly, but I actually have a name tag, it's just my first name as a velcro patch. While it doesn't help me with other people's names, it helps them with mine and I have noticed more people chat to me when I have it than when I don't. 

 

As I've been doing Airsoft for 10 years, I have a lot of kit, know a few people on site, am older etc but I want to be approachable to any player and newer players especially so making it easy for them to chat to me seems a good way of doing this, they are the future of the sport.

 

I've always hated going to sites where the older/regular players almost seemed unapproachable. 

 

I also figure that if I'm wearing a name patch, people figure that I want them to know my name and probably chat to me, which again I think helps. I swear this has made people I don't know feel more comfortable chatting to me. 

[RostokMcSpoons]

15 minutes ago, Emergencychimps said:

 

This might sound silly, but I actually have a name tag, it's just my first name as a velcro patch. While it doesn't help me with other people's names, it helps them with mine and I have noticed more people chat to me when I have it than when I don't. 

 

Yup, I've done exactly the same thing, with a slight twist as I'm the FNG who has been turning up as a solo Billy No-Mates, as my usual airsoft companion has been kept away by work. I don't want to feel left out, so got a name tag just to 'grease the wheels' socially.

I wish everyone did it because I am absolutely frickin' terrible with remembering names!

[Cannonfodder]

I've never understood the must win at all costs mentality. Sure its a nice feeling when you do manage to get all objectives, but to me it's a bonus. Also some of the most enjoyable games I've had have been when I've been on the receiving end of an arse kicking

[Druid799]

Another one for name tags , I’ve got ‘Druid’ in multiple camo patterns and colors so I’ve normally got one on my shirt and I always have at least one on my rig , I do find in game that my fellow red/blue/etc team members are more likely to call out a warning or ask for assistance when they’ve got a nickname/call sign to use instead of “oy you in the camo gear !”🤦‍♂️
 At my old site everyone knew me as Druid a team mate was known as little bear(his online name is stwpid Bear and he’s a short arse !) another friend is known as CoM(center of mush as he ALWAYS gets shot in the face !)and another is animal(simply because he is one !🤣) in what I’d consider my ‘inner circle’ of player/friends we use each other’s actual names but outside this it’s all nicknames . I do wonder if the other players especially the newer one just seemed happier calling us by our nicknames because there less formal than your actual name ?

[concretesnail]

Another vote for a name tag. I have mine on the back of carrier. Easy to see if youre looking at my back and it's short, easy to yell.

[NeonMidnight]

20 hours ago, Cannonfodder said:

I've never understood the must win at all costs mentality. Sure its a nice feeling when you do manage to get all objectives, but to me it's a bonus. Also some of the most enjoyable games I've had have been when I've been on the receiving end of an arse kicking

 

I could tell stories all day of annoying people running the fun for everyone.

 

I think it's mostly about the attitude you play with. Airsoft can be what you want it to be. You can chill out at the back or get stuck in at the front. Just play to have a good time.

[Druid799]

3 hours ago, NeonMidnight said:

 

I think it's mostly about the attitude you play with. Airsoft can be what you want it to be. You can chill out at the back or get stuck in at the front. Just play to have a good time.

101% this ! I’ve had days where I’ve only played half the games and shot no one all day because I’ve been too busy socializing with players that we’ve not seen each other in ages . I know this really annoys some players but as long as it’s not affecting the game day(talking in the briefing/not paying attention/delaying game start/etc)then who cares if someone hardly plays most of the games and just socializes ? But equally I have game days where I’m a positive god(in my own mind😇)of war and really set out to do as much as possible to win . Just play so your happy at the end of the day .

 

23 hours ago, Cannonfodder said:

I've never understood the must win at all costs mentality. Sure its a nice feeling when you do manage to get all objectives, but to me it's a bonus. Also some of the most enjoyable games I've had have been when I've been on the receiving end of an arse kicking

You get the ‘only play to win at all costs’ in every facet of life , think it’s just in Airsofting it can be more noticeable than a lot of other sports perhaps ? Me personally I’m like you I don’t actually care wether we win or not I just want to enjoy the day .
Then again I know my willy works !😉

[Rogerborg]

3 hours ago, Druid799 said:

think it’s just in Airsofting it can be more noticeable than a lot of other sports perhaps

 

Airsoft is particularly prone to exploitation, and even more so to the suspicion that people are in it to "win" it (what's the prize?) rather than to call hits.

 

To be honest, when I see Team Walt at a site, I do assume "Teflon" until proven otherwise.  It's not fair, but as per the CO2 ban thread (and dog breeds), after you've seen enough of it, you do start to assume the worst.

 

I'm always delighted to find to the contrary, of course.   #NotAllPitbulls

[Druid799]

1 hour ago, Rogerborg said:

To be honest, when I see Team Walt at a site, I do assume "Teflon" until proven otherwise.  It's not fair, but as per the CO2 ban thread (and dog breeds), after you've seen enough of it, you do start to assume the worst.

Sadly I agree with you , I see a player in a speed S’ofter get up , I hear a ripsaw noise from a gun or see the infamous hose from gun to somewhere else I automatically think “better watch them , just in case” . Just the nature of the beast I suppose ?

[John_W]

I remember a team on Arnies who had a public team forum. They acted like they were Special Forces and had "Selection Weekends" and all sorts.

And then there was Team SNAFU. Average age 17...

 

[MAX DICKER]

A fair few years back, a bunch of regular players and myself at a local site kinda coalesced into a proto-team. Though we by no means took ourselves seriously, we'd play at various sites and had matching gear. Some of the others then started to take it a lot more seriously and ended up with some other guys and formed Cobalt. Never appealed to me trying that hard at something I do to let off steam every fortnight or so.

[Jacob Wright]

I think I ran alongside some of them at a Tier 1 game yearsssss ago!