Backyard Airsoft - Tips, Game Types, Etc.

I am going to try to make this straight to the point; this will be short and subtle. This Instructable will include tips, game types, and recommendations for backyard airsoft.

Step 1: It's Fun!

Airsoft is the best thing ever. EVER. Period. There's no competition. There's also a lot of different kinds of airsoft, which are all fun, but some will be more fun than others. There's CQB/indoor, field, forest, desert, and backyard airsoft. Most people will start out in backyard airsoft, like me. Backyard airsoft is fun, but it can get boring after a while. My friends and I stopped doing it after a while because we discovered the wonders of desert and forest airsoft, but we found a few unique ways to spice up backyard airsoft. In fact, twice a month, we do some airsoft in the backyard just for fun. So, let me give you some tips to backyard airsoft based on experience.

Step 2: My Suggestions

Don't go overboard. I know that airsoft is the coolest thing ever to be made, EVER, but with backyard airsoft you definitely shouldn't be spending too much on a gun. I would say that a gun costing over $150 is not needed for backyard airsoft. If you are really interested in airsoft and wish to get serious about it, go to an indoor (CQB) or outdoor playing field. But honestly, you're gun should not cost you over $150 if you're only doing backyard airsoft.

Set limits. Limit the FPS on a gun, or limit the amount of ammo one can carry at a time, things like that.

Don't cheat, ever!

Don't be scared! The more ballsy you are, the better you are (if you do it correctly, that is).

Step 3: This Should Be the MAXIMUM for Your Loadout

$150 AEG
9.6v NiMH or NiCd battery (no LiPos!)
Smart charger
Foregrip (angled, vertical, whatever)
Rail covers
Red dot (under $40)
Sidearm (I would say a spring pistol is fine, but if you want, get a CHEAP CO2 or gas pistol for under $60; electric pistols SUCK unless they're Marui or CYMA)
Two high cap mags, one box mag, or one fat mag (there's really no need for low caps or mid caps for backyard)
.20 gram BBs (you don't really need the accuracy of anything higher, and .12 are bad!!!)
Rubber knife (I use it a lot, personally, but my friend's don't use theirs)
Knee pads
Speedloader(s)
Mask (we use goggles, glasses, and shemaghs, but masks are better for backyard)

You don't need what I have for backyard, that's for sure. I have an electric sniper, an electric rifle, and electric carbine, a spring sniper rifle, a gas sniper rifle, a spring pistol, and gas pistol.

Step 4: Good Guns and Bad Guns for Backyard

You're in a backyard; you do NOT need a sniper rifle! If your backyard is anything like mine was when I did backyard airsoft, the best guns to get would be CQB rifles or sub-machine guns (SMGs). With a shorter gun, it's a lot easier to run around, and it's a lot less likely that you'd be hitting your gun's barrel against walls and cover.

Step 5: Game Types

In each game, getting once hit anywhere means your out unless stated otherwise.

Team Deathmatch (TDM) - This is played with two teams. Each player has a certain number of lives (generally one). When you lose all of your lives, you're out for the rest of the round. The team to have all of their players out first loses. This is pretty much the most basic game their is, and usually the fastest. There's no real objective, just kill. Objective games are kind of hard in backyard airsoft.

TOUCH the Flag (TtF) - There's two teams. Each team has a flag. Your team has to touch the other team's flag, not take and bring back to their flag, but touch it. Sounds too simple and easy, right? WRONG. You have no idea how hard it is to get to that flag with other's defending it. Wanna make it real interesting? Place them so there's no cover around them, and make it so that players respond every minute (whenever a new minute occurs, they spawn. Say if they get out at 2:38:20, they can get back in at 2:39, but they have to start at their spawn). This will create massive mayhem!

Juggernaut - Pretty simple. One team has less people than the other, that team being the juggernauts. Juggernauts take multiple hits to get out; you decide. We usually did three hits.

Headshot the Juggernaut! - Also very simple. Same as the original, except that you can only get them out from shots to the head or neck. It only has to be one hit, though.

Riot - One team are riot shield-wielding, the other team has guns. The riot shields can use a small secondary with the shield, such as a pistol or sub machine gun.

Spring Wars - Personally, one of my favorites. Only spring guns! Pretty simple. You can do Spring Wars with any of the above game types.

Step 6: Please Please Please.....

PLEASE DO NOT CHEAT!!! If you know you got hit, please call yourself out, or else you are wasting a lot of people's time. Sometimes, someone's gun might be kind of weak, and you won't feel that you got it; if he/she says that they hit you, please call yourself out. And don't lie and say that you hit someone if you didn't!!!!!

Remember, airsoft is for fun. There was one guy that I used to play it a lot, but he started cheating and doing other buttholey things, so I stopped playing with him. Please, don't let that happen to you.