Airsoft gun game rules

I have always have people accost me to know how an airsoft game takes place. Since the BB's are small, how do people know when they are hit, What is the maximum allowed fps in the gun, what are the legal matters involved? You will be surprised to find out that even professionals are switching over to airsoft/bb guns for training purposes due to the nature of their reality.

Airsoft gun rules are pretty straight forward. There are different forms of the game and the rules may vary depending the type that suits your liking. The basics however are mandatory in both forms of the game.

Basic play:

Guns & Ammo: Players can only be armed with airsoft ammunitions and accessories. A limit will be set on the max fps of the gun, which is usually 350-400 fps for indoor play and outdoor limit of 450-500 fps. If there are no laws restricting the max fps of a gun, the club or players can set their own depending on what guns the participants possess. Some countries have a legal limit on the max allowed fps so please be sure to check your local laws before purchasing or getting involved with any airsoft sport.

Tactical Gear: It is mandatory for all players to wear protective eye gear by law. Players are expected to wear clothes that covers the naked skin. Additional tactical protection is always encouraged. If any gear needs adjustment, find cover and lay flat on the ground to avoid direct contact of bbs' and make the adjustment. The club/association is allowed to ban players from re-entering if these rules are not followed.

During play: A direct strike by a BB results in the players immediate 'death' and that player has to sit out until the next round begins. There are however, some variations to this rule which will be explained later. Only direct hits to the body count as kills. Hits to the gun or rebounds off guns, barrels, and even other players don't count.
At times a gun can be damaged by a BB. It is only in this case where the player is deemed dead; the reason being damaged weapons can be dangerous to the other players and the person whom it belongs to.

The BB's traveling at 350+ fps will let you know when you are struck. When a player is struck. He either raises a hand and calls out that he is out or raises his gun with both his hands and calls out that he is out and immediately makes it to the designated safe zone with their hands held on their head. Make sure that your hands are up till you reach the safe zone as this avoids confusion and you being caught off guard and shot.

In either case, if you are shot whilst following the safety rules, you need to let it go and just carry on walking to the safe zone asap. If you feel that the person shot you on purpose you can try to report it to the tactical supervisor but try not to make it a habit otherwise you might be targeted on purpose. There are certain situations, during play, where a player may conclude that he 'MIGHT' have been hit. In such a situation, the benefit of the doubt goes to the shooter and the victim has to call himself out.

These are the basic rules that are followed during major airsoft tournaments. Some basic rules are played with no head hits for the safety of the players. There can be some variations to these rules depending on the club and country you play in. Players who do not follow these rules can be banned in the middle of a game.

Here are some rules that can be used to make the game a little more challenging or exciting.

Resurrection: Each team will have a healer who can bring players back to life. The healer has to stay in the safe zone at all times and only attend to players when they are shot. The killed have to lay flat in the spot where they are killed (except in muck or water in which case they lay on the ground near it), the healer approaches them and brings them back to life by touching them and the he goes back to the safe zone. Only when the healer reaches the safe zone back can the player come alive. A healer cannot resurrect multiple players in one trip. Each trip can only serve one resurrection. This option allows a killed player to come back as many times. The healer can only leave the safe zone as long as there is at least one player still in the game.

Bullet Proof/Multiple lives: In some situations, players can have more than 1 life depending on their assigned position in the game especially when there are fewer players to begin with. For example some players, who are assigned a defensive position on the other team can have more than 1 life to save their bunker from the attackers who are usually more in number. For example 2 defenders would usually encounter 6 attackers who have 1 -2 lives each. Defenders with 3-4 lives will have a fair advantage over in defending their bunker. When they get shot the first time, they call out and lay flat on the ground for 30 seconds, during which they cannot be killed. During this time, the player cannot approach the enemy, he can only run for cover back towards his bunker. This avoids the players from having an unfair advantage over the enemy.

Partial Damage: At times, you can play with rules which allow the player to stay in the game inspite of being hit depending on where they were hit. Hits to vital organs like the chest, neck, head or stomach result in instant death. But hits to the arm, leg can result in the player playing with a handicap. He is not allowed to use the part that is damaged for any purpose during the game. A second shot in the same place results in the players death. Since this rule is difficult to enforce, it isnt used as much, but if can be implied, it is really fun.