Mexar 
Mexar 
New to airsoft
Never played before? Here is your first game day, step by step. No gear needed to start.
Step 01What airsoft is
A team game, played for fun, with replica guns that fire small plastic BBs.
Think of a big game of capture the flag in the woods or an old building. Two teams play short missions, with marshals on hand to keep it safe and fair.
There is no score sheet with your name on it. If a BB hits you, you call it, walk back to your respawn point and jump back in. Most people are laughing by the end of the first game.
Woodland sites are big and outdoors, with time to sneak about. CQB sites (close quarters battle) are indoors or in buildings, and much faster. Both welcome first-timers every week.
Step 02What to bring
Not much. If you hire, the site gives you the gun, the mask and usually the BBs.
- Boots with ankle support. Woodland gets muddy and CQB floors get slippery.
- Long trousers and long sleeves in clothes you do not mind ruining. Gloves save your knuckles.
- Water, food or money for the site cafe, and a change of clothes for the drive home.
- Photo ID. Sites check age, and you will need it later for UKARA.
Step 03Your first game day
Every site runs its day a little differently, but it usually goes like this.
- Arrive and sign inGet there a little early. You sign in, sign a waiver and collect any hire kit.
- The chronoA marshal fires your gun through a chronograph to check its speed, usually on a 0.20g BB. Hire guns are already set up.
- Safety briefThe marshals go through the site rules, the safe zone and how hits work. Listen in, even on your tenth visit.
- The gamesShort games with breaks between them to reload and have a drink, usually with a lunch break, until mid to late afternoon.
- The safe zoneThe one place your mask comes off. Guns are made safe there: magazine out, barrel cover on, safety on.
Step 04Safety and the rules
Two simple rules make the whole game work: keep your eyes covered and call your hits.
Eye protection is the one rule no site bends. It has to be impact-rated and it stays on everywhere outside the safe zone, even when you are out of the game. Many sites ask anyone under 18 to wear full-face protection, and plenty of adults choose a mesh lower-face mask too. If your goggles fog, walk back to the safe zone before you lift them.
Airsoft runs on honesty. If a BB touches you or your kit, shout "hit", raise a hand and walk to the respawn. Gun hits count at most sites but not all, so listen at the briefing. Nobody minds a hit you were not sure of.
You need to be 18 to join Mexar. Sites set their own minimum age and many take younger players with a parent or guardian: UCAP, for example, takes players from 12 with an adult, and Blood Island from 11. By law you must be 18 to buy an imitation firearm in the UK.
Travel with your gun covered, in a bag or case. Having one on show in a public place can get you arrested.
Step 05Hiring vs buying
Hire for your first few games. You will soon know what you like before you spend a penny.
Hiring- Almost every site rents a gun, a mask and overalls, and many include BBs.
- As one example, Blood Island lists a walk-on at £30 and a rental package at £69.95 with entry, kit and 2,500 BBs.
- It tells you whether you like CQB or woodland, and which kind of gun suits you.
Buying- A realistic gun needs a defence such as UKARA. Shops use it to check you play at an insured site.
- To register you must be 18 or over, live in the UK and play three games at the same UKARA site over at least two months, the third 56 days or more after the first.
- Until then you can buy a two-tone gun, one that is mostly a bright colour.
- There is no buying or selling on Mexar. Buy from a shop that will check your UKARA.
Step 06Find a site near you
Every site we list shows where it is, its next game days and how to book.
Pick one close to home, check its walk-on and hire prices, and book your first day. Site rules always win on the day, so give them a read before you go.