Stag Weekend, with different levels of experience, same levels of fun

I attended an event by Tombstone Airsoft on Sunday the 2nd of June 2013 with a group of 14, from mid-twenties to … well a little older and with very different levels of fitness and experience at Airsoft.

The guys showing up in full camouflage gear and with their own guns and ammo clips are a little intimidating at first but once you get your safety gear on and a Airsoft AK47 in your hands it all evens out.

Safety & Equipment: The gear provided was a little worn and on first inspection I was worried about the ability of the gun provided as there were parts missing and duct tape holding other parts together. However, it fired in a straight line and given the number of trees I ran through and the amount of time I spend diving on the ground I can understand the wear and tear on the gun and it had no impact on my ability to shoot straight and quickly on the move.
Face mask was a little uncomfortable, but the focus on safety was nice. A few times during the games someone had a mask malfunction and there was a call to stop and the mask was replaced. A brief safety instruction by our guides was given at the start and that was all that was needed to ensure we all had fun and left with the ability to see from both eyes.

The games: We played quite a few games (with a thankful break in between each) during the five hours we were out, starting with a simple “attack and defend” on a fort in the woods. Each team was given 30 minutes to take and hold the opposition’s fort (neither team did). After that we played a “hunt the stag” game, where by the 5 most experienced players teamed up and hid while the rest of us crashed around the woods making too much noise and not finding them… We then played “capture the flag” in a cabin in the woods and the switching to the quarry for the second half. The final game was a “push them back” event with the experienced players being forced to move back towards the road when hit. All great fun, similar but different enough to keep it fun and interesting for over five hours.

The staff: Differing levels of experience, one gent who obviously runs events like this all the time, and the second gent who obviously plays a lot but isn’t a regular staff member; however, this led to some minor delays but nothing more than that. Both guys were fun and engaged for the entire time and did all they could to make it fun and interesting.

It was great value for money. This included the rental of equipment and enough balls (bullets) for me anyway, but then I preferred single shot to automatic!

Final words of advice: the fitter you are, the easier it will be to run back and forth from spawn points; moving fast isn’t essential, but it will make your team win most events. Being aggressive and not sitting back is the key to success, a point our guides/instructors were clear to make and helped us with words of encouragement and strategic support (even if we ignored them!).

Thanks to the guys at Tombstone; if I am back in Lahinch I will make sure I get another run out, welts and all.

damon r