It’s summer, and big games are everywhere. Skirmish sites tend to put on special events, boosted by higher player numbers, in warmer weather and at the moment I’m watching one unfold at my local, Dirty Dog Airsoft, and eyeing up some others at HQ Airsoft while I plan more new loadouts.

“What should I bring extra?” seems to be a common question as I watch the Red Team preparing for “Op Sireeen”. So, I thought I’d answer that in a blog, mainly for players attending but it might also be of interest to the wider player base. Not just that, but I thought I’d share a few pointers on winning big games because it’s an interesting tactical challenge and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching players adapt throughout the day. Tactics are worth more than gear and it’s this side of airsoft that interests me more at the moment. Oh, and if you were Googling “how to last longer” expecting pills, just click your browser’s back button.

First off, what sort of loadout changes are you going to need?

Make sure you’re appropriately dressed fore the weather conditions. Summer games are likely to be much warmer, so don’t layer up too much. Polyester tees are a good idea to wick sweat off, but also be mindful that the vegetation has grown a lot more and you might want to protect against that. The red team are having to wear red tops, so I’ll shut up about camouflage but if you’re reading this for other events, covering your arms with something camouflaged is a big help.

Obviously, extra ammo is important when you’re not heading back to safe zone every half hour. However, I wouldn’t start overloading with extra mags; carry a bag of spare bb’s. Bottles cause rattle and noise is bad. It can sit in a utility pouch, and just carry a cheap speedloader. These games are about ammo management. You definitely will have spare time to reload your mags, as it only takes a few minutes and then you’re back to 100% capacity and ready to go again. The trick is to avoid going spray and pray, it’s a longer game better served on semi automatic with placed shots. The vegetation as mentioned above is dense which provides a lot of cover for ambushes and flanking, so you want to avoid giving the enemy a direction of fire created by a pissing stream of white plastic. Do not give the enemy team any advantages.

Don’t feel the need to start carrying toolkits or spare batteries – it’s two 3hr sessions, not a 48hr milsim. The only thing you will need is a hydration source and possibly a little snack to keep you going, although I see a lot of people pulling snacks out of pouches yet never actually eat them. Honestly, you’ll survive. Use breaks in play or respawns to take on a good mouthful of water, or better yet fruit juice. Add electrolyte tablets to boost hydration. As a sniper, if you need the toilet in a game, just piss your pants and stay on task. Don’t be tempted to store things in a backpack at base – if it’s a backpack full you’re carrying too much, and also when you need something in the field it’s not going to be on your person. This is why God invented load bearing. If it’s in a backpack at your base, to be honest, you might as well just walk back to your car.

A radio such as a Baofeng programmable one is cheap and easy and you can mount it on the shoulder in a pouch so that is doesn’t need turned up or connected to some dodgy headset. Most cheap headsets actually broadcast it quite loudly anyway, and there’s a lot going on but you’ll be far more organised and successful if you can :

• Hear your radio
• Actually listen to it

Comms is key to understanding what you’re meant to be doing and what’s happening around the site. Without that information, you might find your squad wasted sitting in a ditch for an hour while the battle rages on the other side of the site.

Beyond that, stay light and stay agile. There’s a lot of distance to cover throughout the site so you want your kit to reflect that. Don’t worry, Richie and Julie will still make you look good in photos. You absolutely don’t need a chunky helmet with NVG’s and torches on it for a daytime game. Boonies and bandanas will keep sweat off, protect your head and keep you cooler. And they look cooler. Lids have their place in Airsoft, but it’s been about ten years since I last found a genuine use for mine (low ceilings in a site designed for people under 6ft).

In terms of the game, it’s all about objectives. Firefights for the sake of it aren’t getting you that objective. Airsoft usually is a game of attack and defend. So if you are attacking an objective, don’t try and SAS it by sending a couple of four-man squads in even if Callsign Bubba is in it wearing uncomfortably short shorts. If you need an objective, throw the entire fucking team at it. Would you, as the defender, rather face 8 guys with guns, or 100 guys with guns? It’s a no brainer, and as much as we think rapid reaction forces and guerilla teams are cool (hell you could even slap some ‘Nam kits on them for added cools), they simply can’t stand up to overwhelming firepower and that’s the basics of combat.

However, defending can be done in small groups if you have the discipline to defend. Last time out my squad had guys dug in nicely behind cover making it a near impossible task for the enemy to attack that position, until some decided it would be more fun to stand up out in the open and put the fun switch on to go chasing an engagement. Needless to say, they were quickly shot up and we lost the position because those guys either couldn’t fight their way back up the hill to our position, or simply didn’t want to. Once you get overrun like that, it’s difficult to win it back, especially if your team isn’t pushing in numbers, and then everything kind of fizzles out.

There’s a myth at Dirty Dog big games that the team that is slowest to take the hill in the middle usually loses. The reality is that lost once, a lot of players give up on the task and it becomes a half-hearted attempt to retake it rather than a geographical disadvantage. Once the squads start trying to do their own things then the attacking force becomes split and unable to push their combined weight onto objectives.

Stay focused, keep your weapon up and good luck.