14 minute read
THE CAGE: BATTLEFIELD ROLES
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IT’S TIME FOR A BIG NEW SEQUENCE FOR DISCUSSION AMONGST THE MEMBERS OF THE AA LEGION, AND IN THE NEXT FEW ISSUES WE’LL BE CASTING THE NET A LITTLE WIDER AS WE LOOK AT DIFFERENT ROLES WITHIN A COHERENT AIRSOFT TEAM, AND THE KIT THAT YOU NEED TO PERFORM THOSE ROLES NOT JUST ADEQUATELY, BUT EFFECTIVELY!
The AA Legion “chat” is a very, very active place these days, as it’s where everyone from around the globe that acts as an “AA Legionnaire” gets together to throw ideas around and help one another with articles and reviews, and a while back Miguel piqued our interest when he posed the question as to “what makes a good airsoft LMG gunner”, and this sent the conversation down a wide-ranging and interesting route!
As in this issue we’ve devoted our space to “long guns” though, it seemed only fitting that the first “team role” to get some scrutiny is that of “The Sniper”! During my many years involved with airsoft I’ve toyed many, many times the idea of adding another bolt-action sniper rifle to the armoury. I’ve tried many, many models from different manufacturers from super cheap to mega expensive and enjoyed shooting them all, but I’ve usually found myself thinking “I wish I could get just a bit more…”, which of course means investing more time and money into a platform that I’m not personally (and in all honesty) going to use very often.
It’s not just the rifle itself that I’m talking about either as of course to get a good setup you’re going to need the accessories to go with it; an optic, decent rings or a mount, a bipod, and possibly even a suppressor all add to the overall cost of the build, and of course when it comes to optics the sky is the limit.
I’ve often fancied trying the sniper role in airsoft games but to be perfectly honest, just as in the real world, it takes a very particular mind-set to perform this even adequately. In an airsoft game, a talented sniper with a higher powered bolt-action rifle can act as a real ‘force multiplier’ (as I’ve found out time and again when I’ve come up against a very talented individual in the woods during numerous games!), reaching out beyond normal airsoft engagement distances to remove the threat of a support gunner, or take out a ‘high value target’.
Time and again though I come back to the fact that even as I get older I’m still more of a ‘in your face, take ground’ type of player and I’ll be the first to admit I just don’t have the patience or inclination to crawl around or hide away in a bush in a ‘Ghillie Suit’, waiting for that one perfect shot. I have to admit that also I don’t really have the “sniper mindset” which is really a must to be effective on the field; yes, I’ll happily hit a game with a semi-auto only DMR, but the thought of laying patiently in wait or sneaking through the woods in a ghillie suit hunting for my quarry is not really my style!
A good sniper though is worth their weight in gold though, and I do truly admire those that embrace the role fully, and over the years there are many times that I’ve taken a hit seemingly from nowhere and called out “Bloody good shot mate!”. But I have my idea of what a “sniper” is, and this is just a single viewpoint, so I threw the question at the members of The Legion to find out what they thought…
TEAM TALK
So, my specific questions to the Legionnaires this month were: “Have you ever played airsoft as a Sniper? What do you believe the role of the sniper REALLY is in an airsoft game?”
Miguel: The sniper role is always attractive, but it’s impossible for me... I’m stuck being a team leader and playing sniper forces one to have a special kind of attention and gameplay, and it’s not feasible to balance both. For example, even using scoped sights starts to create necessary tunnel vision, so from experience I end up not using them.
But I do have to oversee a sniper (just one for now) and the way I use the sniper is as a recon member; for example, if we are preparing to leave for a mission and we are still getting info from the faction commander I can still send out our sniper to the mission area in advance as a scout. It’s important to mention that our guy is “kinda fit”, so he takes off running like it’s nothing and arrives fast at any location. That way I can have an idea of how the mission area is looking. But when it comes to standard team progressions he works as a “dangling” member, always moving around our flanks, looking out for danger to the rest of the team
Stewbacca: A few years in when we were playing Vietnam themed games I spent a while getting into bolt action and even the M14 scoped up as an M21esque sniper platforms and got really into reading up on exploits of the likes of Carlos Hathcock during the real conflict. I got quite into it and enjoyed being
sneaky and crawling everywhere and radioing Intel in or taking occasional shots, and once I got into MilSim weekenders I’d take the SVD out and provide rooftop overwatch and comms/Intel for the whole team in larger operations.
I certainly think there’s a lot more to it than just long range shooting, certainly if you want the most realistic experience and to be an asset to your team rather than a lone wolf marksman. I think it’s not an ideal position for new players unless they’re really committed to the mindset and the camouflage and concealment and above all else the patience for playing a potentially longer and less action packed game.
In Taiwan I’ve seen a lot of new players come into shops and drop silly money on high-end sniper platforms with scopes big enough to do stargazing, and a few weeks later come in and just get an AEG or something more sensible and fun for somebody starting out with a trigger itch, but there are some seasoned players out here and among my team who really take their time to get their loadouts looking top notch and perform well in a larger team.
Jimmy: The role of a sniper is to unnerve, discourage, weaken and even undermine your enemy in order to collapse morale. Seeing objectives from a distance you provide intel, sort from surveillance all while staying concealed. The ability to pick off important targets at long range gives you a major advantage but you need to be equally proficient at close quarters as you will come in to close contact, so the skill of small arms must be of high standards to ensure your survival.
Training is essential, you don’t just become a sniper/ hunter and learning the art of stalking, concealment and shooting all take time to master. Snipers are trained to make the rifle an extension of themselves, the scope an extension of the eye, the trigger an extension of the fist. Sniping is an art form and can take years to master properly. When it comes to sniping in airsoft things change and depending on the game- style can alter the way a sniper approaches things. Skirmish, battlesim or full on milsim will require you to adopt slightly different methods.
Having recently immersed myself into this role has allowed me to slow things down and get a better angle on things. For one my ammo count has dropped dramatically, my want to run into the fire has lowered and the thirst to shoot everything that moves has somewhat become quenched. I spent many years shooting hft (hard field targets) and this has given me a head start as I understand more about distances and accuracy and the ability to adjust according to distance and the effects Mother Nature can have on a projectile.
Having only played skirmish days up until now it amazes me just how many players are like sitting ducks which makes it much easier to take them out! You find pockets of people just stood around not really doing much and some of the tactics they use trying to get close enough to get the drop on you is comical. Using the concealment can allow you get incredibly close, allowing you to easily pick them off with a pistol and them not have one clue where It came from. At 6ft 4” and 16st you would think it difficult to hide but so far I have taken to sniping like a duck to water and I can honestly say I am enjoying it immensely, constantly learning and picking up new techniques. At the last game day while stood in all my gear, ghillied up, one young lad looked up to me and said “damn you’re big, how do you hide” and I just replied “make like a tree” lol.
It’s a good idea to interact with other airsoft snipers especially if you are new to the role you can learn so much and I recently had the pleasure of meeting “Silly Ghilie” over at one of my local sites, in my eyes a very skilled airsoft sniper. Ultimately airsoft is about having fun and being out in the elements so don’t take it to seriously!
Chris: To me a sniper should be a support element as per the real role, observation and reconnoitring first, precision application second. I think the role of sniper in airsoft is romanticised to the point of overdoing it and the original real world role being overshadowed by kill counts for likes.
When I play with a bolt action precision rifle I always play more as a marksman, someone who moves with the team and can aid in long range engagements if required. although personally I have my “long range rifle” downgraded (yet still accurate) to add a little bit of a challenge.
Boycie: I agree with Chris that the problem with
sniping in airsoft is that a lot of new players come into the sport having only played COD/MW and other shoot ‘em ups and have a totally unrealistic impression of what sniping is all about. Also they have no concept of, in some occasions, the lack of hit taking on general open skirmish fields.
Much as others have alluded to, sniping is really a one or ideally two person role and can often mean slow, deliberate movement to get into position for just a few shots. I really enjoy that side of things now, mainly as I’m not as young as I used to be!
Bill W-R: The sniper role for me has always been as a support role. Now I’m not one of the ghillie brigade and find that even with just a standard CSMO loadout good positioning can bring results!. However, the true sniper role is a long and thankless task as you may not get as many targets as a run and gun player, but like fishing patience and preparation have their rewards!
Larri: I tried few games as a sniper like 20 years ago! Patience and payong attention to the details are very important.
Dan: I think it takes a certain personality to be in the role of a sniper. You have to have the patience of a saint and possess a tacit understanding of the ebb and flow of battle and when to “get out of dodge” when the numbers aren’t in your favour. You need to be able to work independently of a team, and understand that you might inevitably find yourself outside of radio range and have to make your own decisions on the spot.
You also need to understand people and personalities: be a people watcher, if you will. You need to understand the makeup of the opposing force and how to use that to your advantage: new guys get tunnel vision hard and can be drawn away from their teams and main force into ambushes. Seasoned players will not typically give chase so easily unless they have numerical superiority or can rally up a posse to hunt you, and even then, you might not be worth their while unless you’re being seriously harassing. Regardless, try not to get cornered, always have an exit plan, and never let them get inside your MED… ideally never let them get to where they have range on you! Always leverage the superior range of your gun to your advantage. You need to know your rifle intimately, to where it’s an extension of yourself and you know exactly how it will perform and where to make your holds at various ranges, etc.
It’s not a role or play style I generally recommend to new players to the sport, as they haven’t found their “airsoft feet” yet and figured out their groove (and this naturally evolves over time too). 99% of the time, a new guy will get a COD fantasy in their head, buy a bone-stock bolty and immediately get trashed on by a 12 year old with a G&G Wombat machine, followed by a week later finding that same bolty put up for sale on Airsoft Classifieds. They don’t understand that it takes a financial investment to properly build out a true long-range setup, nor do they understand the tactics and persona required of someone involved in the role. You also need to separate preconceived or anticipated fictions from reality. There’s no such thing as 360 no-scopes in airsoft!
For myself, I’ve been long invested in the role, but I wouldn’t say I play as a sniper so much as in a supporting role. Maybe the lines are just blurred due to the vagaries of airsoft lol. We rarely have opportunity or the terrain for doing the discreet reconnaissance, as an example. I can’t remember the last time where I really had to just scout around and do recon, to be honest. The majority of time when playing with teams, I’m given free reign to do my own thing, where I’ll just travel from skirmish to skirmish taking care of issues that are outside the reach of my teammates so they can try and get a leg forward. I’ve developed some tactics that work very well for me and my play style, and have proven to be quite effective.
I’ve apparently developed a real flair for it over the years, so when people see me drag out the SVD in the safe zone, they start groaning and trying to jockey and find out which side I’m playing on. So I guess I’m instantly demoralizing without even firing a shot half the time (“job’s half done, eh!” lol).
Robbie: This is so tough, tougher than any other role to chat about, honestly IMO. I have written erased and rewritten this maybe ten times. My issue is what I feel, what I see, and what I know don’t match. Especially based on real-life past work.
I’ll say this... it so depends on the field, (especially if you can see further than you can shoot which is a big issue in airsoft field design IMO), the game rules/fps/ rof, and the basis of whether you gaming to win or gaming to LARP! AA
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