When you play the airsoft game there is a specific honor system everyone is expected to know and abide by. This honor system means that you must admit to being hit when you are, no playing possum, or being a mummy. There are specific things you should do when you are hit legally in the game.
The most common game for airsoft is survival. This game is played by the last man standing wins the game. If you get hit then you are out. Many of the airsoft games eliminate a player once they are hit. However, during nighttime play or when opponents are far away it is often hard to tell if you hit your opponent. A player can usually tell if they have been hit by an airsoft pellet. However, it does occur that a player may not feel a pellet if they are running quickly, rolling on the ground, or something else. Circumstances like this are usually determined by the marshals or the referees watching the game.
A person who shoots another player is not responsible for screaming ‘I got you.’ It is up to the officials of the game or the player who was hit. If you are hit while you are playing airsoft then you must shout loudly that you have been hit or raise your hands and your gun and display your hit indicator lights while walking back to a safety zone. The hit indicators might be a bright flag in the daytime or at night a small flashing light.
Another part of the honor system of airsoft is by not playing possum. This is when someone cheats by pretending they are hit to another player to avoid being shot. Some players might turn on their blinker lights that mean they have been hit so they can move through the terrain and then turn the lights off and return to combat. The lights are only for use if you have been hit and if someone is in range and you turn them on to avoid getting shot then this is cheating.
Another thing that is not allowed during an airsoft game is to reactivate your play after you have already been eliminated. You must gain permission from a referee to rejoin the game. Rejoining a game without permission is called being a ‘mummy’.
Other honor system codes include over killing your opponent. This means when a player shoots an opponent and then they continue to fire upon them. You are not allowed to repeatedly shoot your opponent. One shot is sufficient if you hit them. In addition, you can tap an opponent with the tip of your gun which is called a ‘knife kill’ which saves ammunition when you are at close range. A courtesy kill allows the player to surrender if you are up close to your opponent.
When you play airsoft you are expected to be honest and abide by the honor system. If you are hit during play then you must admit it and leave the game or go to the safety zone and wait until you are waved to rejoin the game.
