MAA OFFICIAL RULE BOOK
RATIFIED AND CURRENT AS OF 2010/01/19

Airsoft is a sport that involves an inherent sense of both danger and a sense of honour amongst all players. The Manitoba Airsoft Association is a pioneering legally recognized organization, leading the way for airsoft becoming a legitimate sport in the eyes of the public. As such, players are expected at all times to conduct themselves in a dignified and respectful manner. The rules are broken up into three sections: Safety, Honour and Game Play elements. All players are expected to follow all rules as follows.

SAFETY

PERSONAL SAFETY:
Ignorance is never an excuse. It is assumed that all players understand ALL rules before playing and by signing up for a game indicate that knowledge.
-EYES ON AT ALL TIMES! Goggles or masks must be worn at all times while on the field, regardless of time of day or current status of play! During major operations where players may opt to sleep on the field, you must sleep with your goggles on.
Goggles or masks must be of a minimum ASTM F1776-99 or ANSI Z87.1+ rated. All mesh masks or masks of other questionable construction are to be tested and subject to inspection prior to any game and may be rejected from use.
-SAFETY YOUR GUN PRIOR TO ALL GAMES! Guns are to be transported to and from games uncocked, chamber empty with magazines removed and batteries unplugged. Guns are only be loaded upon entering the field, and until that point should be safed and kept pointed in a safe direction. Under no circumstances are guns to be fired, either dry or administratively in any Safe or No-Fire zones.
-BE RESPONSIBLE! Game organizers, field owners or commanding officers are NOT responsible for your own safety! They have taken measures to maintain a safe environment of play while providing a realistic and fun game play as possible. However, this in no way guarantees your absolute safety. You should understand that the only person responsible for any injury you may suffer is yourself. Being also an honour sport, a sense of chivalry must be present at all times. You should not only be concerned with your own safety but the well-being and safety of all other players. Always choose your actions accordingly.
Additionally, being a violent sport in nature, there is inherent danger in close range props, traps, vehicles etc. Unless you have prior training and are permitted by game organizers and field owners to operate any items, you are not permitted to activate or utilize any such items in play.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE:
Under no circumstances will any mind altering substances be consumed before, or during the game. This includes drugs or any kind of performance enhancer, as well as alcohol.

BLIND FIRE:
Blind fire is the act of firing your weapon without visually viewing where you are shooting or knowing where your BB's are going. Reaching through and firing through ports, windows or over obstacles is an example of this. The act of blind-firing is prohibited for safety reasons. Anyone caught blind-firing may be subject to severe disciplinary action including being removed from further gameplay or barred from any further games.

“NO-DUFF”
If a player is seriously hurt or if a critical situation such as a fire occurs, “NO-DUFF” will be called out as loud as possible and all firing of weapons must cease. All players within earshot and within radio range must repeat the call of "NO-DUFF" call, and must ensure that all players within audio/visual range acknowledge the NO-DUFF signal and cease play immediately. All weapons should be slung or holstered and all guns should be safetied by removing the magazine and putting the gun on safe. Game play will immediately cease for the time being until the situation is resolved. Anyone close to the incident should render assistance in any way possible, especially if medical assistance is required.

“EYES OFF”
Similar to the above but reserved for non-players who may wander into play by accident or players who may have malfunctioning eye protection. Should anyone enter the field without eye protection or should any player have immediately defective eye protection “EYES OFF” will be called out and all firing of weapons should immediately cease. Weapons should be put on safe and the closest MAA member should render assistance in either escorting the player to the nearest safe zone or explaining the current situation to any non-player.

PYROTECHNIC DEVICES:
All pyrotechnic devices involve an inherent safety risk. All pyrotechnic devices, whether it be smoke grenades, signalling devices or illumination flares MUST be approved by both game organizers and field owners prior to use. Under no circumstances should home-made or illegal pyrotechnic devices be used! When transporting to and from games, they should be kept in a safe, dry and separate container and should never be placed near fuel sources.

-Should any field be dry enough to be at risk of causing a severe fire, no pyrotechnics may be used. If a fire should break out due to any uncontrollable fires; stop play immediately and call out NO-DUFF. A fire on the field takes immediate priority over any game play.
-All cardboard, self-destructing or unconfined 'hot' smoke devices are prohibited from play and may never be used.
-All players MUST know how to utilize the pyrotechnic device in a safe manner prior to him or her using it. Ignorance is no excuse.
-Under no circumstances should pyrotechnics, regardless of its design or function, be targeted at other players or vehicles. This includes bear-bangers or sound devices, signal flares or smoke grenades. Any player caught targeting other players with these devices intentionally will suffer immediate disciplinary action and may be banned from all further games.

HONOUR

CHEATING, COMPLAINTS AND DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS:
Cheating in any form will not be tolerated. As this is a game of honour, cheating can result in the immediate expulsion from the game and a possible ban from all future events. This is once again, a game based on honour and cheaters will suffer a lost of trust and respect amongst all players; keep the game clean and honourable at all times.
Should a player wish to report someone cheating, under no circumstances should you confront the player directly during the game. Notify a game organizer or field official and they will take the appropriate action.

PERSONAL EFFECTS:
Anything brought onto the field of play may be subject to damage without compensation. For example, tents or other equipment may be damaged by stray BB hits. It is highly recommended that all fragile or expensive gear or personal effects remain off the field of play. For example; if players bring tents to sleep in during larger operations, a tarp is recommended to prevent damage. If you decide, and it is allowed by administrators and field owners to bring a vehicle onto the field, any and all damage that occurs to it is your own responsibility.

Any found items on the field should be turned in to game administrators or MAA members as soon as possible.

Game administrators, field operators and commanding officers are not responsible any lost or stolen possessions. Anyone caught removing property not belonging to them permission will be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law.

PHOTOGRAPHER RULES:
Players wishing to participate in games in a media/photography role must choose one of two types of photographers before the game: Combat Photographers or Non-Combat Photographers.

- Combat Photographers: These players are subject to the same hit and respawn rules as any other player. They may or may not mark themselves as a photographer (their preference), but must be clearly identifiable as a member of a specific team, by camouflage type or other identifying gear as required by game organizers. The combat photographer may or may not carry a weapon. In this way a photographer may travel with their friends/teammates and call out enemy positions, even if they are not themselves armed. However they can be targeted to prevent them from doing so.

- Non-Combat Photographers: Players wishing to take photos in an impartial way are treated as separate from the game. They must make themselves sufficiently visible (a safety vest is optionally available), and make a point of neither giving away any players' positions nor getting in the way of combat. Players will be expected not to shoot directly at clearly identified Non-Combat photographers; it is up to the individual to keep from getting caught in crossfire. Non-Combatant photographers are not subject to hit and respawn rules. Non-Combat photographers should refrain from travelling with live players or with any team while the game is running to limit confusion or accusations of unfair play.

GAME PLAY ELEMENTS

KILL FLAGS:

Kill flags are mandatory for all games. A kill flag is classified as any sheet of bright red, orange or yellow material that can be draped over a players head or on a gun and that is highly visible to all players. Active players are not to purposely shoot at anyone with a deployed kill flag.

HITS:
-Hits count as a shot anywhere on your body and your gear and equipment on your body.
-Hits to any weapon currently out or in use do not count. Holstered or slung weapons do count for gun-hits.
-Once hit, deploy your kill flag immediately and call out “HIT” in a loud voice. Unless special rules that have been approved by game organizers are in play, return immediately to your designated respawn area.

Once you have arrived, continue to keep the flag deployed until you have returned to active play. At which point, you are to secure the flag away where it is not visible by any players.
-Thrown or non-shot BB's do not count.
-Friendly fire hits are always treated the same as enemy fire.
-Do not loiter or spy on enemy positions purposely while dead.
-Do not use dead players as active cover or use dead enemy players to sneak further into enemy territory.
-Dead players should try and take as direct as possible route to respawn and avoid walking into firefights or interfering with active gameplay whenever possible.
-Dead players do not answer radio messages, verbal or visual communications until they have respawned. You are a ghost!

Violation of any of the above rules are considered cheating and unsportsmanlike and may players caught disobeying the above may suffer disciplinary action. Should you at any time be mercy or stealth killed, it is strongly suggested that in the sense of honour and fair play, you do not call out “HIT”, but simply deploy your kill flag and return to your respawn in silence. This is not a written rule, but strongly suggested in a notion of sportsmanship. If at any time it is questionable whether or not you have been hit by fire, simply call hit and return to respawn.

MEDIC RULES: (OPTIONAL)
Certain games may chose to use Medic Rules. Exact rules may vary from game to game and will be stated during the game briefings. Standard variant for Medic use in games is as follows:
Whenever a player is hit, he/she has two options:
1) Immediately call yourself hit. Deploy your kill flag and immediately return to your designated respawn.
2) Immediately go to ground and act injured. Begin a countdown of sixty seconds. During this countdown a medic may heal you by having a bandage tied to a limb. During the countdown you may not move under your own power. Medics must treat your hit either in place or physically move you to a safer position to treat him or her. In the event that the medic wishes to move the injured player, both medic and player must agree to that movement. Should your countdown expire and you remain unhealed by a medic, call hit, and deploy your kill flag before returning to respawn. Once you are hit again, after being healed successfully the first time, call yourself hit and return to spawn, you may not be healed a second time.
Variations of the above do exist, normally modifying the countdown or how players are healed or how many times they are allowed to be healed. Regardless of the variation, players must still not communicate anything other than the need of a medic.

REAL HIT SCENARIO: (OPTIONAL)
Under certain scenarios, the 'Real Hit' option may be used. In these scenarios, any hit to the head or torso is treated like a normal hit and may not be healed. Deploy your kill flag and return to your designated respawn.

If hit in a limb, or an appendage, treat it as though you had been shot there. Do not call hit and do not deploy your kill flag. Those shot in the legs or the arms lose the control and function of said arms, feet and hands. Should it at any time become a grievous safety risk to the player to drop to the ground due to being disabled, players are to call hit, deploy their kill flag and return to respawn.

During certain Real-Hit Scenarios, medics may be employed to heal limbs. See the above on usage for medics.

RADIO RULES:
Regardless of the brand or type of radio being used, stick to your game designated channels. Spying on radio channels is prohibited unless otherwise noted by game administrators. Jamming channels or blocking of any communications is prohibited and severe disciplinary actions may be taken as it may interfere with game play and player safety.
Unless told otherwise by game organizers, Channel 1 (462.550 Hz or GMRS/FRS Channel 1) is always designated as an Administrative Channel.
Team channels and sub-channels may be decided prior or at the event. Contact a game organizer before using any radio equipment.

CAMOUFLAGE RULES:
Whenever possible, try and match your camouflage as much as possible. This means that wearing one style-top and a different bottom is strongly discouraged and may be restricted by game organizers. Changing camouflage without notifying and without the expressed permission of game organizers is considered cheating and players caught will suffer immediate disciplinary action.

The use of ghillie suits or other foliage camouflage may be in use in games. Game organizers are to decide prior to the game on which team these players using this camouflage are to be on. If you are wearing a ghillie suit, ensure you are wearing your game-designated camouflage underneath it should you remove your suit.

GUN, AMMUNITION AND EQUIPMENT RULES

FPS LIMITS:
No gun may exceed the following limits without special and expressed approval by both the field owner and the game play administrators. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THESE RULES!

AUTOMATIC WEAPONS:
For any gun capable of automatic fire, regardless of weapon type, muzzle energy must not exceed 1.48 joules of energy. This is equivalent to a 0.20g BB travelling no faster than 400 Feet Per Second/120 Meters Per Second, a 0.25g BB travelling no faster than 360 FPS/109 MPS, or a 0.34g 8mm BB no faster than 306 FPS/93 MPS.

BOLT/SEMI-AUTO LOCKED/MANUAL:
These weapons are classified as any weapon with a mechanically or electronically reduced rate of fire.

Weapons that must be cocked prior to firing each time such as bolt action rifles or pump action, weapons that are built semi-automatic only or weapons that have been modified to be semi-automatic only with a preprogrammed MOSFET rate of fire limiter or mechanically modified fit into this category. These weapons are the only ones permitted to exceed 1.48 joule muzzle velocity rating but are not permitted to exceed maximum of 2.04 joules of energy. This is equivalent to a 0.20g BB travelling no faster than 470 FPS or 143 MPS, a 0.25g BB travelling no faster than 419 FPS or 127 MPS or a 0.34g BB travelling no faster than 359 FPS or 109 MPS. For those players using high powered manual cocking or Semi-Automatic Locked Weapons, extra care must be taken to avoid injury to other players. Severe injuries may result and disciplinary action may follow the careless use of high-velocity guns.

-If at all possible, avoid aiming for the head of any players.
-Be courteous with all fire; if at all possible avoid aiming purposely at materiel that may be damaged or exposed skin.
-Should these weapons exceed 1.48 joules of muzzle energy, a minimum engagement distance of 60 feet immediately goes in effect and any targets engaged within that distance must be engaged by an alternate weapon of less than 1.48 joules of muzzle energy. Should users of such weapons not be armed or equipped with an alternate that has less than 1.48 joules of muzzle energy, they must leave the minimum engagement distance before they can fire at targets. This includes handguns that exceed the 1.48 joules of muzzle energy rating; anyone caught in violation of this rule may suffer immediate disciplinary action.

Every gun being used in any game must be chronographed and have its FPS recorded prior to the game. If any fieldwork is preformed on a guns internals, it must be re-chronographed before it will be permitted back on the field. During large scale games, players may be required to tag their guns, these tags must be present during the entire game. Should a tag be removed or fall off during play, contact a game play organizer. Game organizers reserve the right to remove any player should a tag be not present on the gun during game play until his gun is chronographed again.

WEAPON CLASSIFICATIONS AND NOMENCLATURE:
These weapon classifications may be used in division and splitting of teams or for more 'realistic' scenarios.

MG/LMG/HMG (Machine Gun/Light Machine Gun/Heavy Machine Gun):
An Airsoft Machine Gun is defined as any gun that replicates an existing real world machine gun. Examples of these are the M60, M249, RPK, PKM, MG36. During weapon-restricted or ammunition restricted games, this is the only weapon that may use a box or automatic drum magazine. Attaching a box or drum magazine and a bipod to a regular rifle does not make it an LMG.
Unless instructed otherwise by game play organizers, users of MG’s may carry as much loose ammunition as they wish. This is to signify the fact that Machine Gunners have access to greater amounts of ammunition in comparison to regular infantry.

Machine gunners using regular high-capacity magazines in lieu of the drum magazines, may only take one high-capacity magazine and the remainder must be in form of low-capacity magazines. This is to discourage players who may distribute their high-capacity magazines to other players.

AMMUNITION LIMITS (Optional):

REAL-CAP or REVOLUTION MAGAZINE
A real-capacity magazine is defined as any magazine that is capable of holding the realistic number of rounds as defined by the weapon in question. For the majority of guns this is 30 rounds. Certain MILSIM games may require the use of real-capacity magazines as this is the most realistic situation possible. Otherwise unless told by a game organizer, a player may carry as many real-cap magazines as he/she wishes into the game.

LOW-CAP (Low Capacity Magazines)
A low-cap is defined as any magazine of carrying up to a maximum of 90 rounds. A player may carry as many low-caps he/she wishes into the game. This is to emulate a real combat situation which the combatant is allowed to take as much ammunition as he/she feels is necessary without compromising his or her effectiveness on the field.

MID-CAP (Medium Capacity Magazines)
Mid-cap magazines are defined as any magazine that exceeds 90 rounds per magazine but does not require manual or electric winding. If a player decides to take mid-cap magazines, only mid-cap magazines may be used. During normal operations, a maximum of three mid-caps may be allowed, however game organizers may override this. The reason for this capacity cap is to make up for the lower times of reloading in comparison to a player using only low-cap or real-cap magazines.

HI-CAP (High Capacity Magazines)
Hi-cap magazines are defined as any magazine that requires a mechanical winding to feed BB’s or has a reservoir to feed into the weapon. Some players may not be able to field the numbers of low-capacity magazines to be effective, therefore high-capacity magazines may be their only option. However, only a maximum of one high-cap may be taken per player, with no other magazines. On average, a single high-cap may equal up to five low-caps or twice that in real-capacity magazines.

Game administrators may restrict high capacity magazines holding more than 350 rounds. These include the AK (600 and 1000 round), G3 (500+ Rounds), G36 (470+ Rounds) and any others. These magazines may be restricted due to the ability to sustain fire for long periods of time without reloading. This puts low-capacity magazines at an even greater disadvantage and this ability of sustained fire is an attribute limited to MG’s, not regular rifles.

DRUM/BOX MAGAZINES
Drum and Box Magazines are defined as any magazine that carries a large amount of ammunition, generally higher than high-capacity magazines, and feature either electric or electric and manual assisted feeding. These magazines may be restricted to use in MG’s only. Players using weapons capable of using box or drum magazines may only use one drum magazine at any time.

GRENADES
Grenades are classified as any weapon, either thrown or fired from designated grenade launchers such as the Tornado Grenade or the common 40mm shot-shell grenades. Weapons of this type are unrestricted unless otherwise instructed by a game organizer and players may take as many grenades as they wish.

HANDGUN AND SNIPER MAGAZINES
These magazines are classified as magazines designated for use in either handgun secondaries or sniper rifle magazines. Players may carry as many magazines as they wish as long as they classify as low-capacity magazines that hold less than 90 rounds. Special restrictions may be made by game organizers for weapons that use forms of high capacity magazines. Contact a game organizer prior to using any questionable magazine.

BB RESTRICTIONS:
Any name-branded 6mm or 8mm BB’s are allowed provided they are fired at the appropriate velocity. Under no circumstances are metal constructed BB’s or any non-standard BB such as BB-Darts be used at any time. It has already been determined that these pose a significant safety risk for players and any players caught using these in their guns will suffer immediate game expulsion and severe disciplinary action including being barred from any further games.

LASERS:
Aiming and target designating lasers may be used provided they do not output more than 5mW of power. Lasers must be tested prior to being used on the field. Do not intentionally shine lasers in the face or eyes of players.

ANTI-VEHICLE WEAPONS:
These are classified as weapons designed to target vehicles using larger projectiles such as a compressed-air rocket launchers. These weapons must be approved by game organizers prior to use, and should not be used when vehicles are not part of play. Vehicles alone should be the sole target of these weapons, and players should not be targeted at all by said weapons. Generally, should the vehicle become hit by an Anti-Vehicular weapon, the vehicle will be rendered immobile and anyone within must immediately return to a designated respawn point. Game organizers may choose to change the use and roles of these weapons prior to game start, contact a game organizer prior to using any anti-vehicular weapon.

ANTI-PERSONNEL/LAND MINES:
These are classified as any weapons designed to target infantry either passively or actively. Examples include the ASC-7 Claymore, or the BB-Shower trip-mine.
For those weapons that use BB's, projectiles or powder, instant death is incurred by any player struck with said projectiles. No medic is permitted.
For weapons that do not use projectiles or powder, instant death is incurred by the one player who activates it. Note that game organizers may opt that this may or may not affect near-by players, not only the player who activates the device. Game organizers must approve any anti-personel or land mine in play prior to the game.
It is not permitted at any time to remove these devices from where they are placed unless you are on the same team as those who placed it. The owner of the mine is responsible for marking which team and to whom it belongs and where it is laid. Field operators and game organizers are not responsible for lost devices.

MORTAR RULES:
These weapons are classified as any weapon that is designed to fire over cover or rain down projectiles. These include the JSOC Air-pressure mortar and the newer 40mm grenade shell mortars. Mortars must aproved by both field owners and game organizers prior to use due to the increased danger element.
Mortars must always be fire in a vertical position and never directly pointed at players. All used shells from mortars shall be picked up by the users after use.