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Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
This page is dedicated to a detailed description of all the game rules that we play with and many commonly asked questions regarding the game. If, after reading this, you have any questions or misunderstandings, feel free to ask any Merc team member or email Nick.
DISCLAIMER: It is your responsibility to decide which eye/face protection to use. If you get your eye shot out, or your teeth chipped, it is your own fault - no one else is ever responsible for your safety but you.
Eye protection / goggles: Eye protection is the most important item a player needs to play. Eye protection is required at all times in the field. A player should never take their eye protection off for any reason once a game starts. Eye protection comes in many acceptable forms. A player can choose to use a paintball mask (this is highly recommended to prevent damage to teeth and face). Simple ANSI rated goggles or any shooting glasses will work too. If you choose to use something similar to shooting glasses, it is necessary that the plastic lens fully shields the eyes to prevent BB’s hitting the eyes from any direction. For more info on ANSI rating (what will and won’t stop a BB), click here. More details on suggested eye/face protection can be found in the Equipment page.
Minimum age requirement: To play with The Mercenaries, you must be at least 16. There are no exceptions!
Gun restrictions: There are a wide variety of Airsoft guns available. Most are allowed in our games. It is important to note and understand how powerful your Airsoft gun is. An Airsoft weapon that hits too hard will not be allowed in play. A common way we measure the force a BB will apply on impact (how hard it hits and how painful it can be) is known as “Joules” of energy. This is a simple concept of Mass x Speed. To view a chart showing the joules rating of different weighted BB’s fired at different speeds, click here.
Player hits: A player is counted as “hit” when a BB strikes him/her on any part of the body or gear – even little things like getting hit in a pouch, backpack, or pinky finger count. You never know when a hit could have been lethal or incapacitating so we count them all. When a player is hit they are considered “dead” and must raise their hands above their heads while calling “Hit!” as they walk out of the play zone. Once hit, be sure you keep your hands up, or yell “Hit!” all the way out. If you don’t, there’s a good chance you might get shot at again by a player that thinks you’re still in the game. In some game types, players can take multiple hits or have multiple lives/regens – just a tip: be sure you know each scenarios specific rules before you enter the game.
Friendly fire: Being hit by friendly fire is always counted. If at any time during a game you should accidentally hit one of your own teammates with a BB, this still counts as a player hit. Friendly fire is always a part of war and always a part of our games. Try not to kill the good guys.
A player can never shoot at another player, with any AEG, at a range less than twenty feet. This is a very important safety rule. If you ever encounter an enemy at a range less than twenty feet, you must use the surrender rule.
Surrenders: To properly surrender an enemy, you must aim carefully, wait till you know for sure that you have a good shot, and then call out-loud, “surrender”. This acts as an actual shot fired. It is never a verbal request to give up. The victim of your surrender will see that you indeed had a good shot and then proceed as if he/she had really been hit.
You CANNOT surrender multiple people with a single "surrender": If you encounter multiple people within twenty feet, you must point your AEG at each player (following all rules stated above) and call for each opponents surrender, individually, one at a time. You cannot address the group as a whole and say, “Everyone surrender”.
A Surrender counts as Friendly Fire: Because calling out, “surrender” counts as an actual shot fired, they also count as friendly fire. If you accidentally call out “surrender” to fellow allies, they are still hit.
Be sure you do not call a bad surrender: A bad surrender would include:
Pistols can be used at any range (in semi-auto mode only): Pistols in semi-auto mode are the only exception to the surrender distance. At any time, a player can take out a pistol and use it at any range – even point-blank. This is because pistols are lighter, more controllable and generally less powerful than AEG’s. This means that a player can safely engage an enemy at less than twenty feet without causing harm. For this reason we highly encourage the use of pistols. If your pistol is in full-auto mode, the twenty foot surrender range still applies – you must stay beyond twenty feet to engage. Turn it to semi-auto and you’re good to shoot at any range. More info on pistols can be found in the Arsenal page (click here).
Gun hits: When the gun gets hit, this does not count as a player hit (the player is not dead). This is called a “gun hit”. Once this happens, the gun is considered to be destroyed and can no longer be used. The player is still able to continue fighting and may use a sidearm or backup weapon - any other weapon that is available. For this reason, it is highly recommended that a player always carry a side-arm or secondary weapon to use. If there is nothing else the player can use to shoot, they can still choose to stay in the game and continue to play (most players stay in the game hoping to borrow a gun from another player or try to achieve the scenario objective, or even just try to survive). If staying in the game isn’t a desired option, that’s fine too, the player can call themselves out and walk out of the gaming zone.
Ricochets: Ricochets do not count as a hit – however, in order to be able to count a hit as a ricochet, you must see the BB strike something (like a wall or tree branch) then bounce off in a completely different direction and strike you. Only if you know for sure the BB could not have hit you if its path remained un-altered, can you call it as a ricochet and continue playing. Keep in mind that if you don’t see the ricochet, you still have to call yourself out. If a player just assumes that a BB is probably a ricochet, many times there’s a frustrated player behind them waiting for them to call out – and that’s just not nice.
Knife kills: Knife kills can be used at any time during a game – usually as a way for a player to get a kill when they don’t have a weapon to use. It is important that knife kills are used safely and in no way harm a player. A knife kill is as simple as tagging a player, with an open hand, on a vital part of the body. Hitting a player somewhere like the toes or hand doesn’t count. Most players like to dramatically act out a knife kill in a way that makes it more realistic, like tagging the opponent on the chest a couple times to simulate an actual knife attack, but there is no rule dictating that anything more than a simple tag is needed – feel free to ham it up if you so desire. Rubber prop knives are allowed to be used, but they can never be thrown or used in a way that will harm the opponent. A thrown knife is never a legitimate knife kill. Never throw a prop knife for any reason
Playing as a sniper: A “sniper rifle” is considered to be any Airsoft gun that fires a .20g BB faster than 400 FPS. For safety purposes, the use of a sniper rifle is on per person approval basis only. This means that the player has to prove themselves to be a good, calm sportsman that is capable of wielding an Airsoft weapon of the highest power with honor and respect while watching out for the safety of all players around him. Only when the player has asked the team and then been approved by his/her teammates can they ever use a sniper rifle.
No sniper rifle can ever be fired at a player under 80 feet: There is a minimum engaging range for sniper rifles that is much farther than the standard. This seems far, but remember, this is for safety. If the target is under the minimum engaging range of 80 feet, a shot cannot be taken! For this reason it is suggested that “snipers” always have a back-up weapon or side-arm (but it is not mandatory). The sniper should also try their hardest not to intentionally aim for the face. It’s just not nice. The sniper should also try to limit the rate of fire (amount of shots taken in a given amount of time) so that there is only one BB in flight at a time - around one shot every three seconds or more. Having a high-powered Airsoft gun firing as fast as the user can pull the trigger only increases the chance for injury. Abuse of the sniper rules will result in the removal of all sniper rights for that player.
Try not to aim for the face if you can help it: Try to aim for center mass (the body) if you can. Everyone knows that getting hit in the face is part of the game and sometimes it’s the only shot you can take (and that’s ok); but if it’s avoidable, never intentionally aim for a players face.
Between games, try to get re-loaded and ready as fast as you can: It’s easy to get distracted during load times. That’s ok, it happens to us all. Socializing is one of the best parts of the team. Talk all you want between games but please try to do most of the talking after you have re-loaded and are ready to play. Also try to minimize the distraction you may be making for other players around you that are also trying to get ready. Help them out or wait till they are done before telling your war-stories. There will still be tons of time to do all the chit-chat you can, and the more games we play in a day the better.
Know the rules for every scenario before playing: Each game we play is different from the last. You’ll want to be sure you listen to all rules during the briefing and understand everything. Always ask questions when you have them. Some of the most important parts of any scenario are the win/loose conditions, number of regens and other special rules that may apply.
Try not to camp the enemies regen spot: give them a chance to spawn and move
Dead men don’t talk: If you have been hit or are not in play, never talk to other players about events happening in the game. Dead men don’t talk. So, once hit, just walk out of the playing area without a word (except for yelling “hit”, of course). Even something as little as, “aw man, I didn’t see that guy behind that bush” can affect the game in big ways. If a live player asks you a question while you are walking out, remind them you are “dead” and keep walking.
Blind firing is bad. Take look first: A player can fire around a corner at any time as long as they are safe - take a quick “turkey check” at the targeted area before shooting. Be very careful to stick to the twenty-foot engagement rule. The player has to be sure that no one on the other side of the wall is going to get hurt by his/her fire. It is important the shooter do this as safely as possible. If you’ve come to a room that you already know is smaller than twenty feet, then obviously, anyone in the room is now under the minimum engagement range. If you blind fire into that room, you’re breaking the surrender rule and potentially doing something that could harm another player. In that situation, don’t even bother blind firing. Take a few steps back or jump into the fray to get a good look.
Borrowing Airsoft weapons in-game or leaving them in the field after having been hit is good: If your gun has been hit and you have no weapon to use, borrowing a gun from another player is always an option. You must have that player's express permission to use the weapon – never assume it’s ok to use another player's gun without asking - but typically, any team member will be happy to pass a gun onto another player in need. If borrowing a gun, you must retrieve the weapon in the exact location the player died. If you want to leave your weapon in the field after getting hit, that’s great (but not mandatory). Sometimes you’ll have other allies that need a gun to use or even an enemy player that might be in need. If you feel comfortable leaving your weapon in the field for other players to use, be sure to leave it in the exact spot you got hit. Never walk a gun to a player. Just like as if you died and your gun lies with your body, any player must go to that spot you were last alive to retrieve the weapon. No one, however, is ever obligated to do any of this. It’s only an option if a player feels like doing a good deed and helping out a fellow player.
No firing in the load zone during play: While the game is on, it is preferred that no one shoot any Airsoft weapons while in the load zone. If “dead” players are firing their weapons into or close to the gaming area, it is very confusing for the players that are actually out in the field playing. Go far away from the action or wait till the game is finished to test or fire your Airsoft weapon.
If you walk out of the game zone, you are “dead” and out of play: Much like real life, if you didn’t bring it with you, too bad. Once the game has started a player cannot leave the designated gaming area, go to the load zone (or car or whatever), grab forgotten equipment and then walk back into the game. This is way too confusing and affects the game far too heavily. This counts for all forms of equipment or supplies - even batteries, BB’s, extra mags, etc. If you walk out of the designated area to do this, you are considered out of action and cannot return to the game. The only exception to this rule is if you have multiple regens. If you need something from outside the playing area, you may call yourself out where you stand by calling “hit” or “dead man” (like as if you had been hit), walk out of the area, grab what you need and then regen like you would normally. Just try not to pay too much attention to the action around you and adhere to the “dead men don’t talk rule”.
Do not pick up debris in the field and use it as a shield: Any debris lying around the field is fine to hide behind; it’s even ok to move it around to form new structures or barricades (BEFORE the game starts). But don’t grab a chunk of ply-wood or aluminum siding and walk around with it using it as a shield. That’s just silly.
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