Hey Fergus, what's the model number on the Lancer.  I can see LT but can't make out after that.

Just wanted to post an AAR on the 82nd's field for the REC game this weekend.
Overall, once again, the event ran very well. At first teams were a bit unbalanced but that was due to RR showing up in force and a lot of newer players on the opposing team. After a discussion (thanks Steven J. Smith) with the admins, we did a "school yard" pick-em type of team balance. Worked very well and we had some really good firefights after that.

Player base was once again respectful and I heard of little to no issues with problems on the field. Events rolled off on time and there was basically no idle time waiting for the next round. In fact, I had to sit one out because I'm 38 and I can't run with these young guys as much as I used to.

Honestly this field is only getting better and I hope to see more people come out. I know it's just REC games but it's a field worth being supported. I know there has been some drama lately on the FB page, but don't let that stop you from getting out and supporting this place. It truly deserves it.

Epic play of the day: Getting surrounded by enemies in a small squad vs. squad game. Hid in a foxhole and heard multiple tangos around me. At one point an element of two tangos walked up on me, unaware. Despite my shitty HFC M9 doing it's best to suck it up, I managed to get the drop on, scare the crap out of, and kill one of the tangos before being pinned down and having to surrender. Totally made my day getting a pistol kill.

Hey Centurion, welcome my man.  I've been to the 82nd field and let me tell you, it's a great place to play.  It's well worth checking out this Saturday. I'll be running around there as well.  Come say hello if you want, I'll be wearing my Darcness patch.

As for the field, it's a great place with a ton of potential.  It's still being built so it's only going to get better.  The woods are dense enough to hide in, but not so dense that you can't move around.  There are well groomed trails, 3 building areas, lots of little dugouts and plenty of space to play on.  It's going to be medium to long range engagements due to lack of hard cover.  However the owners/hosts are planning on adding a large CQB area and more buildings.

The events are organized well and run on a pretty tight schedule.  You aren't sitting around waiting forever to get back onto the field after an event or after a lunch break.  Objectives are clearly defined and different game styles keep it interesting.  Overall it's a great place to shoot some bb's.

Definitely a beautiful gun my friend.  I do believe you had it out for the REC game last weekend at the 82nd's field correct? 

Check your KM10 posting, but I'm also interested in this.  Perhaps we can work out some kind of combo deal. 

Yutani and Luke, you both bring up some really good points here.  I'll try my best to respond to each of them.

I wholeheartedly agree that the newer crowd isn't getting the support it needs to thrive in the sport.  I remember back when I started playing we got a warm welcome and generally were accepted by the other players on the field.  Whether it was a rec game, an open game, or an operation as we used to call them, people were helpful, present, and accessible.  The old forum also helped tremendously with this because often times you knew people before you ever hit the field.  That takes a lot of the "anxiety" barrier down which can often lead to problems on the field.  If you don't know anyone and your already uncomfortable and then you're getting lit up with bb's on top of it, you're going to have a bad day.  That spills over into gameplay and then that attitude becomes contagious with the other players.  As veterans of the sport we have to do a better job representing ourselves and also do our parts to make these newer players more comfortable.  Teaching and leading can often be the most difficult job one can take on, but it's merits and results are unquestionable.

I agree that we need to support our local fields and hosts.  I've been to MCA's outdoor field and the turnouts are low and the atmosphere is more of a stroll in the park rather than an excitement about putting some rounds down range.  I want to see that excitement come back and see bigger amounts of people turn out for these events.  I know a lot of us who are veterans don't want to put up with the bullshit, but we might have to put on our big boy pants and wade in the mud for a bit if we want to clean this shit up.  It takes some real participation and some real work to fix a community as large as Michigan Airsoft is, but it CAN be done.  We just need the right people to maybe sacrifice a bit and put in the work to show these guys how it should be done (how it USED to be done).

I do notice that we also have a bit of an issue with a divided community.  This is nothing new, as it's always been this way.  I remember being on the green team at the beginning and being pissed off because we constantly were getting demolished by the more experienced guys on the field.  To fix this I got 3 color desert BDU's and never looked back, lol.  Honestly it's how the progression goes most of the time.  However, that doesn't mean we have to be arrogant assholes or look down on people for being new.  Look into what you can do to make the experience better for EVERYONE.  Not just the new guys and not just yourself or your team.  You can talk to even organizers about evening up the teams, try switching up sides, suggest different game styles, work with the new guys, etc.  If you start to fix the issues while they are still solvable, you avoid getting to huge blowouts that end up causing all kinds of chaos when it boils over. 

Lastly I'd just like to say that we can't forget what all this is about.  It's a bunch of people running around playing dress up, shooting bb's at each other.  Everyone is going to do things their own way and no two folks are going to want the exact same thing out of the experience.  We can't blame players or even hosts for issues that are simply out of their control.  When we start throwing around blame on venues, player base, or hosts, it ends up being a bitchfest to no where.  Instead we need to address the CORE of the issues like we are with discussions such as this.  It needs to be an overall culture change if we want to make airsoft great again.  From the veterans, to the teams, the event venues and hosts, and the new guys coming down the pipes.  All of us need to make an honest and meaningful effort.

Thanks for the reply Gimpalong.  I agree that Facebook has it merits.  Then again so does the forum.  That being said, we don't have to be mutually exclusive.  We can still utilize both of these tools.  We can use each one in such a way to maximize the efficiency and productivity of both, which only benefits everyone in the long run. 

I do see positive signs to the community just in the short time I've been back in the game as well.  Just the fact that we are HAVING a discussion about this is a huge first step.  As I said on facebook, you have to discuss, come up with a plan, and execute that plan.  It all starts with talking.