You will eventually be shot/hit while in-game. It’s a fact, but who said you can’t get your milsim boner on in the process? It has always been, and always will be, my belief that milsim is all about immersion. For those not in the know, milsim immersion is basically playing the role of a unit or NPC (non-playing character) as accurately as possible, immersing you and your fellow players in the game, mission or scenario. Immersion is quite easily achieved using such tools as uniform/weapon standards, tactics, language and for the sake of this article, even simulated death. In this article, I will be exploring all facets of theatrical simulated death in airsoft. I speak from personal experience, no more, no less.
Points of Interest
The Basics
Theatrical death can be summed up pretty easily actually. When you are hit, make it look as realistic as possible. Shocking, I know, but you’d be surprised how many players just toss up a hand, yell hit and walk off. Where’s the fun in that? I mean, you just spent upwards to $500 USD on kit, AEG, pistol, radio, GPS, etc and you’re willing to short change yourself by calling your hit as if you were in paintball? Total party foul! I urge you, remedy this immediately! Grab the spot you were hit, rag-doll (safely) to the ground and writhe in pain for no more than 30 seconds and milsim-die like a man! Read on for the how-to.
Getting Hit
First and foremost, if you even think there is a 5% chance that you are actually hit, just call it. Don’t be that guy. Ok, enough of the PSA, onto getting hit. When you feel you have been hit, the trick is to grab the spot where you felt the first hit. Doesn’t matter where, just put both hands there as to apply pressure to halt the imaginary loss of fluids. Second is to scream… not like a little girl, but a scream that will be heard by those within a 30-50 foot radius. Loud and distinct enough that no one will second guess what just happened to you. Optional, but when I get tagged in the head or neck, I usually don’t say a thing. I just rag-doll to the earth in a lump. It’s very important for immersion, filming and just plain out-right fun that you let out that scream. I don’t think I can stress that enough.
Falling
So you’ve been hit, grabbed your ‘wound’ and screamed accordingly. Good job. This may sound stupid, but falling (I feel) is an important function as well. A general rule of thumb, while you are hamming up the hit, scope out the immediate area around you and pick where your corpse will spend the next few minutes. Things to avoid, nasty plants (stinging neddle, poison oak/ivy, etc), insect hills/hives, fecal matter, rocks, sharp pointy things, vehicle-traveled roads, etc. Talk about ruining your weekend. It doesn’t matter if you are on a path, or in the deep bush, you need to plant your corpse where your life switch was flipped. Walking even 3 feet to a more comfy spot (unless obviously dangerous) kills the illusion. Just be mindful of that fact and you should be good.
Red Rag!
Kinda basic, but the very second you are hit, you should have that red “death” rag ready to go. The red rag signifies that you are out of play and are nothing more than a piece of the scenery now. The red rag will also keep you from being lit up by every passing member of the OPFOR, so get that thing flying the second you hit the earth. I usually put it in the front sight of my AEG or on my head. On occasion, I still get hit even though that red rag is flying but it happens and doesn’t require the hulk-like rage that we’ve all witnessed. Save yourself further pain and going hulk on your fellow players and fly that red rag ASAP.
Protection
You’re now on the ground, red rag in place but there as still BB’s zipping overhead from the exchange from the bastard that zapped you and your surviving teammates. Getting shot while dead sucks, but it happens, so let’s protect the vital bits, shall we? I normally roll over on my side TOWARDS my teammates or go flat on my stomach if I can’t ID where the shot came from. This protects my face, groin, throat, etc from the accidental or less-than-observant player sending a double-tap in my direction. Technically, the red rag should be all you need, but let’s be real, that ain’t happenin’ son! I have seen players loose teeth and get other nasty wounds while wearing red rags simply because the opposing players didn’t see their red rag or notice that they were a corpse. Protect yourself. Please.
Ham it up
This is where it gets fun. Once you are on the ground, ham the fact that you are dying up. Grab the wound and apply pressure. Cry out for ‘mommy’. Pray to whatever God/Deity your character believes in. Curse your country/commander for putting you out there. Call for a medic (doesn’t really matter if there are any in the game or not). Sell it but don’t over do it. Remember that you are bleeding out and have a time limit of about 30 seconds to 1 minute before you expire. So don’t make it a marathon of a death, but be graceful and bleed out in a relatively short amount of time. Don’t tempt your teammates to put a mercy shot in your dome to shut you up!
Death
Death is easy. Lie there and count down until you can regen. Don’t load mags, take pictures, swap batteries, gas-up mags/grenades, talk or even move. You are a corpse. Save all that for the walk back to the regen/safe-zone. Don’t nullify your amazing theatrical death.
Conclusion
Theatrical death, if done well, can add volumes of fun and stories to a game. Don’t get discouraged if you can’t nail it on the first try. It takes practice and the ability to lose your fear of making an ass out of yourself in public. Not easy for most, but once over it, it’ll become second nature. Have fun with it and comment below with a few after action reports of your attempts, successes and fails at Airsoft Theatrical Death.