Ruleset for War Zone Airsoft

 

Conduct:

  1. Airsoft is a game of honor. Call your hits!

  2. Calling another players hits is not tolerated. If you truely believe another player is not calling hits, refer to our backtag system and give the suspect player’s number to a referee who will handle the situation.

  3. Any player caught cheating will be ejected from the field.

  4. Aircraft are present above and around the property as well as trains on the neighboring train tracks. NEVER point any weapon system in the direction of either planes or trains passing by.

  5. No verbal abuse, excessive profanity, or slurs against someone’s race, religion, family or friends will be tolerated. If the intent of what is said is to berate another person it is grounds for immediate ejection.

  6. Player attempting to steal, vandalize, menace, cause bodily harm, or otherwise break the law will be turned into the police.

  7. No illegal drugs or alcohol are permitted.

  8. Understand that some of our games are more structured than others and may include a chain of command. Certain players will be given roles (such as Squad Leader or Commanding Officer) that are designed to keep more complex games flowing and to be more enjoyable for everyone. Do your best to respect these roles and the function the serve.

  9. Give players the courtesy you want to be shown. Aiming for center mass when available and not overshooting other players is the basis for having a safe and mature rule of engagement. Aiming for a player’s head should only be used if that is all that is available to shoot at.

  10. Game control staff and referee decisions made on the field are final. Please respect the owners operators and staff members on the field, as they have the last say. Arguing with owners or staff on a decision is grounds for ejection.

  11. Staff is here to help you and resolve concerns. If you have a problem with the field or another player, call yourself out and walk over to get their backtag number. Without a backtag number we cannot address the issue. You do not need to confront the player yourself, that is what staff is here for.

  12. Aggressive, malicious or unsportsmanlike conduct is grounds for immediate ejection.

Velocity Limits and MED’s

1. All replicas will be chronographed with 0.25g bb’s (0.32g bb’s for gas propellant replicas.) All replicas are chronographed each time they are on site and are tagged accordingly. Any player found manipulating the tagging system, or using a gun that hasn’t passed the chronograph will be ejected immediately.

2. All replicas are subject to rate of fire checks during chrono. Any replica above 20 rounds per second will be considered a Support weapon and is subject to Support class limitations.

3. We reserve the right to deny any player from using a Support, DMR, or Sniper class replica.

4. All replicas must have their hop-up turned to it’s “off” setting during chrono. Eye protection must be worn by all persons around the chronographing area.

5. HPA replicas will have their regulator “tournament locked” after chrono and will be chronographed with 0.32g bb’s. If the tournament lock is found to be tampered with, it is grounds for immediate ejection.

6. Pistols are allowed to be used with a 0 foot minimum engagement distance if they chrono at 350 fps with 0.25g bb’s (1.42 joules) or less. This is also subject to staff approval on a conduct level.

Rifleman:

  • Up to 400 fps with 0.25g bb’s (1.86 joules)

  • 20 RPS or less

  • Semi-Auto ONLY

  • Minimum Engagement Distance of 10 feet

Support:

  • Up to 400 fps with 0.25g bb’s (1.86 joules)

  • Full-Auto may be used

  • Rate of fire may exceed 20 RPS as approved by staff

  • Minimum Engagement Distance of 50 feet

  • Cannot be used in a “Bang! Bang!” scenario

DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle):

  • 401-450 fps with 0.25g bb’s (2.35 joules)

  • 20 RPS or less

  • Semi-Auto ONLY

  • Minimum Engagement Distance of 50 feet

  • Cannot be used in a “Bang! Bang!” scenario

Sniper:

  • 451-500 fps with 0.25g bb’s (2.90 joules)

  • 20 RPS or less

  • Semi-Auto ONLY

  • Minimum Engagement Distance of 100 feet

  • Cannot be used in a “Bang! Bang!” scenario

Gameplay and Field Safety:

  1. Approved eye/face protection must be worn at all times on the playing field or anywhere other than the staging area. Removal or your eye protection anywhere other than the staging area is grounds for immediete ejection.

  2. No blind firing! You must be looking down your weapon towards where you are shooting. You must see your target while engaging them. Additionally you cannot extend your weapon through or shoot through small holes (i.e. “gun slits”, small gaps in cover) unless it is larger than 10 inches x 10 inches. This is because you must be able to see if someone were to walk in front of your sight line inside of the minimum engagement.

  3. If a player loses or breaks their eye protection or has a medical emergency, they should immediately call out “Blind man!” Game supervisors will immediately signal suspension of play on the field. Until the game has been stopped, if you hear a blind man callout you should echo that call yourself until the game has been suspended. All players must put their replicas on safe and wait for an “All Clear” or “Game Back On” call from a staff member either on radio or in person.

  4. Game control and staff will always be available on channel 22 (462.725 mHz) for concerns and needs.

  5. The staging areas are 100% safe zones. Magazines are to be removed of all replicas before entering the staging areas and to remain on safe while inside the staging area. Before coming into the staging area from the play area, remove all magazines and clear all weapons in a safe direction and set all selectors to safe. At no time should a player dry-fire their replica inside staging. Muzzles are to be pointed downward at all times. Treat your replicas as if they were loaded, “real-steel” weapons. Any weapon safety violations are grounds for immediate dismissal.

  6. At NO time will a player fire at any target near either of the two staging entrances where the trajectory of the bb may enter the staging area whether intentionally or not.

  7. “Bang! Bang!” Rules
    a.) If you are inside of the minimum engagement distance, using an appropriate weapon, and you have a player “dead to rights” (i.e. their back towards you, their weapon is not readied in your direction) you may call out “Bang! Bang!” as if you were shooting them with a bb. You must have your replica pointed at them with a clear line of sight (you and the other player must be able to see each other fully and clearly with no obstructions).
    b.) ”Bang! Bang!” is a safety call ONLY. It is not allowed to be used in a manner of rushing down players as fast as you can close the distance.
    c.) If a player calls “Bang! Bang!” to you, honor the call and immediately pull out your dead rag. You may call out “Hit” after being killed as such.
    d.) “Bang! Bang!” MUST be yelled loudly to be heard from a distance. There are not quiet or “stealthy” safety kills.
    e.) Do NOT use “Bang! Bang!” in a situation where it could be disputed by another player. If you do not have the target “100%, no chance of survival”, or withing 10 feet of their rear arc, do not use “Bang! Bang!”
    f.) Your replica must be functioning and currently capable of firing bb’s. You CANNOT “Bang! Bang!” with a non-functioning replica (i.e. dead batteries, broken replica, uncocked firing system, no gas propellant, empty magazine.) Your target may request you prove your replica is functioning and can currently fire a bb, which you must comply with. If proved to not fire a bb or proved non-functional, the target is no longer “out” and both players will “Parley” with each other.
    g.) You may not “Bang! Bang!” with weapons in the classes of DMR, Support, or Sniper. Only weapons with an approved MED of 10 feet or less may “Bang! Bang!”

  8. “Parley”
    a.) If two player encounter each other in their forward arcs inside of 10 feet, and recognize that neither player was at a disadvantage, either player may call out “Parley!”
    b.) Bother players will put on their red dead rags and fall back at least 75 feet in the opposite direction without line of sight of each other. Players may then remove their dead rags, call “Back in from Parley!” and resume play again.
    c.) The player who are parleying must both pull back to neutral positions on the field free from direct engagement with other players. Parleying is not to be used to gain any tactical advantage whatsoever.
    d.) Parley is also to be used in a friendly manner to resolve uncertain or confusing situations between two players in an engagement. “When in doubt, parley it out!”

Structures, Terrain, and Vehicles:

  1. Junk vehicles are NOT to be entered at any time.

  2. Junk vehicles, structures, debris piles, trees, or the concrete piles by the road are NOT to be climbed on or under at any time.

  3. Vandalizing junk vehicles or structures will not be tolerated.

  4. No parts or components may be looted or removed from any junk vehicle or place on the field.

  5. “Your feet will remain attached to Mother Earth at all times.” The only exception being that there are a few large boulders on the field that are permissible to be climbed on safely.

Kill and Hit Rules:

  1. Hit Procedure
    a.) Any hit anywhere on your entire person, including any and all gear, counts as a hit. Richochets count. Friendly fire counts. Bb’s falling from the sky count. Shooting yourself counts. All hits count!
    b.) When hit immediately yell “Hit!” or “Out!” as loud as possible, pull your dead rag out and place it on top of your head so that it can be seen from all sides. Proceed to follow the kill and respawn rules for the given scenario.

  2. Weapon Hits
    a.) If any part of your primary weapon is hit and it does not ricochet onto you or your gear, it is considered destroyed. If it is your only weapon you are considered out and must follow kill and respawn rules for the given scenario.
    b.) If you have a secondary weapon, call out “Weapon!” as loud as possible and you must discard or sling your primary weapon. Your primary weapon will become back in play once you go back to respawn.

  3. Dead men don’t talk
    a.) When you have your kill rag on you may not communicate with other players that are in play. Do not use the radio, hand gestures, body language, or any other form to communicate to live players. Doing so is considered cheating.
    b.) The only phrase you may call out is “Medic!” if medics are being used in a scenario.
    c.) You may talk to other dead players once you have reached respawn.

  4. You must always walk back to your respawn point when you are dead.

 

Mandatory Clothing and Equipment:

  1. Boots MUST be worn. No sneakers or shoes.

  2. Hard shell kneepads MUST be worn.

  3. Gloves MUST be worn.

  4. Long pants are required. Shorts are not applicable.

  5. A 22-channel FRS/GMRS radio is required for each player.

  6. Bright red “dead rag” that is at least 1’x1’ large.

  7. Eye protection as defined below.

  8. Backtag with a player ID issued by War Zone staff upon registration.

  9. Watch or other time-keeping device.

  10. Field waiver filled out legibly and signed (and notarized if player is under 18 years of age and parent is not present to sign in front of staff) and on file with staff.

    NOTE: Radios, backtags, and watches are NOT required for private parties and dead rags will be provided.

Optional Equipment:

  1. Medic Bandage (IFAK)
    a.) A 2”x 36” strip of white cloth is considered a “medic band”
    b.) Each player must carry their own medic band if they wish to participate in a scenario’s medic rules. Each player’s medic band is to be used on themselves by another player ONLY. Your medic band is not to be used to revive other players.

Eye and Face Protection:

  1. Only ANSI Z87.1 and/or ASTM F-1776-99a rated (or greater) ballistic eye protection will be accepted. Goggles or masks MUST have a full foam seal completely around the eyes AND secured to the head with and elastic band.
    a.) Shooting glasses without a seal/gasket and backstrap are not permitted.

  2. Mesh goggles are not permitted.

  3. Full face protection is mandatory for all player under the age of 18. Permitted masks are as follows.
    a.) Full face paintball masks are allowed.
    b.) Full seal goggles with a separate plastic or mesh face mask are allowed.
    c.) Full seal goggles with a secured shemagh around the face is allowed.
    d. Full seal goggles with a thick neoprene face mask is allowed.
    e.) T-shirts, scarfs, bandannas, or any other thin material are not suitable as face masks and are not permitted.

 

Radio Rules

  1. Radios are mandatory equipment for safety reasons as well as being a tactical tool. All radios used MUST be capable of using the 22 channels of FRS/GMRS frequencies of the UHF band.
    a. Make sure your radio is tuned to a 00 subchannel to work with all other radios on the field.

  2. Channels 1 and 22 (unless otherwise specified) are always reserved for game control and staff use. Other channels are subject to staff use as necessary.
    a.) Channels 1 and 22 are open for players to directly contact a staff or game control member in the case of an emergency, question or problem, however these channels may not be monitored by players outside of those uses.

  3. Channels will be assigned to each team by staff before the game scenario begins. Teams are expected to lock in that channel to their radio until endex unless otherwise specified.
    a.) For most scenarios “green” team will use channel 17 (462.600 mHz) and “tan” team will use channel 21 (462.700 mHz)

  4. Electronic Warfare is prohibited and will be considered cheating.
    a.) EW is defined as, but not limited to, any scanning or monitoring of frequencies assigned to teams other than your own, interfering with transmissions intentionally through mechanical or electronic means (overpowering or VOX-ing the channel), deliberately sending “roger beeps” or “call” signals on an opposing frequency, or otherwise impeding player or staff communications.
    b.) Channels outside of your specified range are not permitted to be used unless explicitly allowed by game staff. This includes CB and VHF frequencies. Using undesignated channels is considered EW.

  5. In the event that a team radio channel is compromised due to civilian radio traffic, the team leader may request a new channel to use from game control. Due to safety reason a team may only change over to a new channel after game control has approved of it.

  6. If the batteries in your radio die, or your radio ceases to function at any time, you must retire from the field and cannot resume play until you are in possession of a working radio.

  7. Radios cannot be turned off at any time during play. All players must be capable of receiving and transmitting at all times. If you are concerned about your radio making noise while receiving, you must use a headset.

 

Smoke, Hand, and Launched Grenades:

  1. Smoke Grenades
    a.) Enola Gaye brand smoke grenades are permitted to be used at the field at staff’s discretion. Certain times of the year brush may be considered a fire hazard if a smoke grenade is present. Staff reserves the right to allow or disallow use of smoke grenades.
    b.) Smoke grenades that are not “cold-burning” are explicitly prohibited from use at War Zone Airsoft.

  2. Grenade Launchers
    a.) Grenade shells that fire a burst of bb’s are allowed to be used at any range if they are arced above 25 degrees.
    b.) Grenade shells that fire a burst of bb’s can be used as “direct-fire” with a 25 foot minimum engagement distance.
    c.) All players, friend or foe, are considered dead if hit by bb’s from a grenade shell and cannot be healed by a medic.

  3. Hand Grenades
    a.) Reusable hand grenades with metal outer parts or inner cores must ALWAYS be tossed underhand. Overhand throws are prohibited.
    b.) Pyrotechnic grenades are prohibited from use.
    c.) Hand grenades have a 20 foot kill radius from the point of detonation. All players inside of the radius are considered dead and cannot be healed by a medic.
    d.) The only cover that can save you from a grenade blast is the FULL length or width of a vehicle you are using for cover. Walls, hills, boats, and foliage do not save you. If the grenade lands inside of the vehicle you are using for cover, it does not protect you.
    e.) Any grenade that does not fully detonate with an audible “Bang” does not count and is considered a “dud.”

Uniform Restrictions and Requirements:

  1. The color Red is solely reserved for dead rags only. At no time may red colored objects, gear, clothing, or large patches be on a player except to indicate a dead rag.

  2. Please make an effort to dress clearly in either a “Green” or “Tan” outfit. Avoid ambiguous colored outfits that make identification difficult. That being said your shirt color is what defines your team designation so plan accordingly.
    a.) “Green” Team consists of dark colored clothing including navy, black, dark browns, Woodland camo, and etc.
    b.) “Tan” Team consists of light colored clothing including khaki, tan, white, Multicam, arid camos, etc.
    c.) Civilian clothing is acceptable but do your best to adhere to the color guidelines above.

  3. We encourage players to bring a set of clothing for both “Green” and “Tan” teams to each game if rebalancing is necessary or if scenario rules may be more appealing from another team’s perspective.
    a.) Players may choose to dress to play on a specific team but staff does reserve the right to “break-up” teams or move players to another team to make game balance work for everyone.

Age Requirements:

  1. Minors, Ages 10-17
    a.) Minors may be dropped off by a parent or guardian and left to play alone for the day. However we do ask that the parent or guardian leave a phone number to be reached at in the case of an emergency.

  2. Adults, Ages 18+
    a.) No restrictions. You are responsible for your own behaviour.

Two-Story Building Rules:

  1. Only two people are allowed on the 2nd level at any time. This includes staff members.

  2. All normal grenade rules are in effect. Any grenade detonating within 20 feet of the perimeter of the building will kill all players on the ground and 2nd floors.

  3. You MUST walk up and down the stairs.

  4. You may NOT use a weapon while on the stairs. BOTH hands must be free to use the railing as you ascend or descend the stairs. If you cannot sling your weapon it must be left behind.

 

Trash:

All players are responsible for their own property and disposal of trash they produce. Garbage cans can be found throughout the staging area and are typically at most respawns as well. Do NOT throw water bottles, bb bottles, CO2 cartridges, etc. on the field. These items destroy our landscaping equipment and make a mess of the field. Players found littering the field will be sent home and may have their playing privileges revoked.

Lost and Found:

Most items lost on the field are typically found soon after. Please inform staff as soon as possible that you are missing something and what it specifically was. Provide contact information and we will get it back to you as soon as we find it. As such it’s strongly recommended that you mark your equipment, magazines, radios, etc. with something you can identify as yours should you lose it.

Lasers:

Due to our close proximity to not only the Niagara Airport but also the Niagara Falls Air Force Base, beam projecting lasers of any kind are prohibited from being used at War Zone Airsoft. On the off chance that it would interfere with aircraft equipment we would like to be preemptive about the situation and not allow lasers to be used.

Backtag ID System:

Backtags are mandatory equipment to play. Each player will be issued one clear hunting license backtag holder, which during play will be attached to the upper and center back of each player on their clothing or gear, wherever it will be visible during play. Inside each holder will be a 3”x 5” index card with an ID number in bold lettering. Each player will have a unique number which will be used to easily identify a player. This provides staff with a way to easily monitor players on the field.

Every player and staff member will be able to quickly identify every other player on the field for rule enforcement, and adjudicate disputes. Any player must show their number to any other player upon request; failure to do so is and ejectable offense. Manipulation of one’s backtag to cover or otherwise conceal from players or staff is also and ejectable offense. It is all players’ responsibility to buddy check each other that your backtag and everyone else’s can be seen and is not covered by gear, slings, clothing, etc. Once issued your backtag is your responsibility to bring with you every time you come to War Zone Airsoft. The initial cost of the tag upon registration is waived, however in the event of a backtag gone missing or completely damaged it will be a $5 replacement fee.

Medic Rules:

These rules are for use of personal medic bands. Some scenarios will have specific medic rules and will be briefed accordingly.

  1. Basic medic rules involve the use of a Medic Band (see optional equipment above.)

  2. When killed a player has the option of being healed or not. If they do not wish to be healed they may simply return to respawn.
    a.) If you choose to wait to be healed, you must stay in place where you were shot from until a teammate comes to medic you. You may not move unless you are in direct fire from other players. If so you may move enough to get out of the way. If a teammate wishes to move you they must place their hand on you and direct you to a safe location but they must stay in contact. Players moving a dead player may not grab, pull, or push on another player.
    b.) To medic a teammate you must use the dead players medic band and tie it around their arm with a typical shoelace knot. Once your teammate completes the knot and is hands off, you may take your dead rag off and resume play.

  3. If a player with a medic band around their arm is shot, they are dead and cannot be healed again. Once they return to respawn they may reset their medic band to be used again before resuming play.

  4. Players killed by grenades, rockets, mortars, or claymores CANNOT be healed. And IFAK cannot save you from such injuries.

 

Hard and Soft Respawn Points:

  1. Hard Respawns
    a.) Hard respawns are the main bases for each team and are considered “sovereign” territory. They may not be encroached on or violated by an enemy team.
    b.) Hard respawns will never be an objective for an opposing team.
    c.) Objectives will not be located in close proximity to hard respawns.
    d.) There is at 50-100 foot non-engagement buffer around hard respawns. Players coming out of their respawn may not be engaged upon within that distance of their respawn. Players caught violating the non-engagement buffer will be given a warning followed by dismissal.

  2. Soft Respawns or FOB’s
    a.) Soft repsawns are secondary bases that function as a respawn point, but are also considered in play and may be attacked as an objective for the opposing team.