Playing Airsoft

· What are the main ways of playing?
I would say there are three kinds of ways of playing:
CQB
CQB stands for close quarters battle, others prefer to call it CQC for close quarters combat. This is a very exciting, quick, and effective way of playing airsoft. Since CQB is usually played in relatively small areas, and indoors, you get to the heat of the battle very quickly. It is necessary to be carrying a smaller gun in CQB, so you can manuever in the small areas, and you have to be able to move your gun where necessary very quickly. The most popular guns for CQB are the MP5's.
The MP5a4 AEG
If you're the kind of guy who enjoys SWAT type simulations, and/or special forces making raids, etc. CQB is for you. There is a lot you can do with CQB, all kinds of realistic scenarios such as disarm the bomb, rescue the hostages, etc. The only difficulty is it is hard to find CQB arenas to play in, with out paying a signifficant amount of money to build, or acquire one. But you would be surprise how many lucky people are out there.

Woodland
Probably the most common airsoft arena is the outdoors, and the woods. Very simple and efficient, it requires no money in most cases, and no work to get it set up, you just go out there and your set. The woodland provides only natural cover, which makes it fun, and adds a lot of strategy, since it is quite difficult to manuever close to the enemy with out being seen, or heard. The woods is also a favorite destination by snipers everywhere. It is where the ghille suits work, and where they can have the natural cover they are looking for. Snipers may also get a good distance away from the enemy, while keeping the ability to hit them.
Woodlands takes a lot more time for actual firing to start, but there is a lot more natural feel, and when the battles do get started, they are a blast. It is a lot better to hear pellets ripping through leaves and brush, then bouncing off a wall. You also can get dressed up in camoflouge, and get your face painted, etc. The woods allow for a lot more creativity, and realism if your going from a military standpoint. Not saying there isn't CQB in real wars, but when it is played in airsoft it more simulates SWAT teams then the army. But there is good special forces simulation in CQB. In the woods its you using your surroundings, and trying to out smart the enemy, all natural, and in some cases dozens of acres to spare.
Close Quarters, and woodland
I know it is kind of cheesy that the third way is the first two combined but what are you going to do. Prime examples of this are a CQB building surrounded by woods, or just open ground. A town, or village, with signifficant space in between buildings, or surrounded by open space. Or there is scattered bunkers in the woods, or open ground. The possibilities are infinite, but those are the most likely.
This is a example, you can see empty space at the end of the tunnel, and there is another building in the background.

· What kind of Scenarios are there?
Scenarios is what Airsoft is all about. You don't just get two teams together and shoot until everyone's dead (at least not most of the time) you make things a little more fun, complicated, and realistic by using a realistic scenario. Whether it be rescue the hostage, defuse the bomb, find the downed pilot, etc. they have scenarios, some more complicated than others. Here we will just give you some ideas for scenarios and it will be updated over time.

· Scenario: Assissination / Body Guard
Assissination / Body Guards
Team A: Has their team start on one end of the field, and wait there. They choose a speciffic guy, give him no weapons, or arm him lightly. He must stick out from the rest of the group in some way, and the other team must be told before hand who it's going to be.
They must transport this person from one end of the field to another, with out him getting killed. Everyone can get killed but him, but he has to make it to the pre-determined point.
Optional: If you have some kind of road/path on the playing field that goes pretty far, you can make a rule so that Team A can only stay on the determined path. This makes it so the other team has an idea of where they'll be which is quite common in real life situations. If someone was trying to be assassinated like in this scenario, the opposing force usually knows where the guy will be.
You also could make it so they have a couple different paths to choose from, to make it more difficult for the opposing force.
Team B: must set up somewhere between Team A's starting point, and objective point (place where specified person needs to get to). They will hide, camp, ambush, and do what ever they like when the enemy comes, they just need to take down the one guy. Everyone else they kill does not matter to the scenario, they can't win unless the one guy gets hit.
Both Teams: If you get hit by a BB from either team you are out and must get out of the battles way, and may in no way interfere with the game. You are out until the scenario is over. You may in no way act like you are dead, or alive if it is not true.

· Is there organized airsoft?
Yes. Airsoft can be just as organized, as any sport, depending on where you live. In places where airsoft is popular, you are likely to find many fields, and organizations where airsofters will get together and play, with numbers ranging from 10-200 people participating. More than likely there are places in your area where you can go, and play with a bunch of people, for a field fee, and they will divide up into teams, and play scenarios.
Most organizations for playing can be found online, and others can be found through talking to other people that play airsoft in your area. So that is probably the best way to find out about such games. So airsoft is very organized in most cases and areas. If you don't have any knowledge of airsoft in your area, then simply search for players in your area, and organize them yourself! With such a great sport, it shouldn't be too hard to convince people to play.

· Where should I not play?
The sport of airsoft is very sensitive, and is in danger due to people doing stupid things with these realistic looking gun replicas. That is why you must be very careful where you play this sport, and where you use/take these guns.
First off, NEVER aim or weild these guns at someone who doesn't know what they are (of course never aim at someone without a mask too). They don't know it is a fake gun, and they may react in a dangerous way to you, or others if they think the gun is real. Also never ever take the gun into public. You can get yourself killed by a police officer, you can get arrested, and you can get the sport of airsoft banned. No matter how cheap your airsoft gun is, or how unrealistic it is to you, someone not knowing much about guns, and from a distance may assume it real. Especially at these times in the world, with people worrying about terrorist, walking around with a realistic looking gun, is a VERY bad idea.
Okay, now your wondering where would be a safe place to play? Well first off, the best place is on a playing field, designed for airsoft or paintball, and you usually have to pay a small fee to get on the field. These are the safest, since everyone there knows what you are doing, you have full permission, and no one gets any surprises. Now a lot of people in the airsoft world like to play on private property since it is more convenient, cheaper, and maybe thats all they can play on. You have to be positive that you own the property or you have full permission of the owner to use it and they know you are there. If there is land by you where you assume no one is, don't just use it. This could cause several problems, such as if someone happens to be back there, it could be a place for hunters or something, etc. and this can lead to all sorts of legal problems, as well as life threatening situations. If you have a small yard that is surrounded by other houses, or with in plain view of a public road, you should not play there. Neighbors, people walking by, and people driving by may see you, causing obvious problems.
A few rules of thumb are that you have full permission to play at this place, anyone who can possibly see you knows you and exactly what you are doing, no one is with in range of being shot by the pellets, you have complete ownership of the land, or have full permission by who owns it.
You may think that I'm taking this too far, and jumping too far, but your wrong. These things have happened, and they can happen to you quite easily, and quickly. Plus, it is not worth risking yourself, others, and the sport of airsoft just for one place to play. There is always somewhere to play.