Safety Rules

NITEHAWK FIELD RULES AND GAME PLAY

WAIVERS: All players must read and agree to follow safety rules and sign the Waiver of Liability prior to participating in any Airsoft activities without exception. Any violation of the safety rules will result in mandatory ejection from the field and/or premises.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY: We accommodate adults as well as children. Please refrain from cursing and crude language in the staging area and on the field.

SAFETY GOGGLES: Full face protection must be worn by Paintballers in the playing field and chronograph station at all times. Eyes, Face, Ears, Nose, Mouth and Cheeks must be fully covered and protected. NO EXCEPTIONS.  

Face protection must be worn by Airsoft in the playing field and chronograph station at all times. Acceptable face protection is as follows: ANSI rated goggles or glasses that cover the eyes completely. Children under the age of 18 must wear lower mesh face protection. 

MINIMUM AGE:Players must be 10 years of age or older to play Airsoft.

WEAPONS SAFETY: 

  • Treat every weapon as if it were loaded.

  • Never point the weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot.

  • Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready to fire.

  • Know your target and what is beyond your target. (No excuse for shooting your own team mates or the referee.)

  • Keep ammunition out of your weapon while in the parking lot and staging area.

  • Barrel Bags are required in the parking lot and staging area, and must be reapplied before walking off the playing fields. Barrel Plugs are NOT allowed. 

  • All guns must be chronographed by a referee. The chrono station opens at 9 am and will be closed down during each game when refs are on the field.

  • Mags Out: Airsoft replicas MUST have magazines removed, chambers cleared, and safeties on when exiting the field. 

  • Safe Zone: No shooting or dry firing in the parking, staging or camping areas. 

  • 30- rounds-per-second max on full auto

  • Players may only discharge their weapons at the target range or on the playing field. No shooting into or out of the staging area, parking lot, or reinsertion waiting areas



DO NOT REMOVE EYE PROTECTION WHILE ON THE FIELD: This includes when the game is over. First infraction, the player will be warned by the staff. Second infraction is a mandatory ejection from the field for the game. Third infraction will result in the player being ejected from the field.No exceptions: new players and regulars alike.

GAME PLAY:

  • Players who are found by a referee to have violated any of the rules listed here will be asked to leave the game with no refund issued

  • Do not climb on top of or over anything for example, barriers, friends, trees, etc.

  • Do not rearrange the bunkers or other cover.

  • Do not engage in physical contact without consent.

  • Do not continue to shoot a player after they have called out or displayed a dead rag. A dead rag is a bright red cloth to indicate you are dead. Failure to control your weapon may result in the referee enforcing semi-auto mode for the rest of the day or removal from the field.

  • When hit, raise your hand, call your hit loudly, stay behind coverAnd display your dead rag. This is the ONLY way an administrator will address a complaint of over-shooting.

  • Stay on the property during game play.

  • Alcohol is NOT tolerated on the property.

  • Illegal drugs will NOT be tolerated on the property.

  • Fighting will NOT be tolerated on the property.

  • Rude behavior or loss of temper is grounds for ejection for the day. This applies to new players and regulars alike.

  • Threatening another player will result in being banned.

  • If you have a genuine problem with another player (hits not being called, over-shooting, cheating, etc.,) notify the head referee IMMEDIATELY. Complaints are extremely difficult to resolve if not reported in a timely manner.

  • Any player using an HPA powered gun that is caught adjusting their gun to operate in a higher FPS will be banned from using HPA at Nitehawk, unless the player has their gun re-chronographed by a referee.

  • To minimize risk of fire, only commercially produced smokes are permitted. Do not use smoke grenades inside the buildings.

  • You CANNOT mislead the other team as to what team you are on.

  • Dead men do NOT talk or relay intelligence. If you communicate or gesture to your teammates while you are dead, anyone you relayed intelligence to will be forced to re-spawn.

  • Do not argue with a ref. Doing so may result in the player being ejected from the field. 

  • Do not call hits on players on the other team.

  • Call your own hits.

  • Do NOT blindfire.

  • Friendly fire counts.

  • Blind Man! – If you hear “Blind Man!” or “Cease Fire!” take a knee and repeat the command. Wait for the ref’s instructions.

  • Do not pick up grenades

  • Respect other players and your referees.  Any decision a referee makes is final and will not be discussed on the playing field. The referee will discuss any calls in a calm manner off-field after the game is over.

  • Elimination – A player is eliminated from play if a BB strikes any part of his/her body, from the top of the head to the tips of the fingers to the bottoms of the feet, including any equipment or gear worn. Gun hits DO NOT COUNT.

  • Airsoft is a game of HONOR and Sportsmanship. ALL players strive to exemplify fair play and call their hits, regardless of circumstance. In situations where a player is not sure, they should give their opponent the benefit of the doubt and simply call themselves out. You will not have to wait long to get back into the game if you are eliminated, so please call your hits!

  • Real firearms and knives are prohibited in the field during gameplay

  • Never shoot opponents who aren't wearing eye protection.

  • Once end of play has been sounded, all players must immediately remove any magazines from their guns, point the muzzle of the gun in a safe direction, clear the weapon, and proceed to the safe area. Before entering the safe area, guns must be cleared and placed in safe mode.

AVOID INFLICTING UNNECESSARY PAIN: Point-blank shooting is discouraged. Players who encounter opponents at point-blank range (less than 5 feet away) must first demand their opponent’s “SURRENDER.” The opponent may choose to not surrender and try to escape, at which point the player is allowed to shoot at point-blank range, semi-automatic only.

The player should immediately stop shooting at opponents that have signified elimination or surrender. Eliminated players should make sure their elimination is made clearly obvious to avoid getting shot further or repeatedly.

Knives: Real knives are banned from all Airsoft Games. DO NOT bring them. You will be asked to return them to your vehicle for the duration of the game.

Training Knives: Plastic and rubber training knives are allowed during games.

Knife Kill: A knife kill is defined as making contact with an unsuspecting opponent using a training knife two-second count.

A player eliminated with a knife kill should remove themselves from the field only after being released by the eliminating player. This allows the stealth player to move on or prepare for their next step.

USE OF COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT IS ALLOWED: The use of radio/electronic communications equipment is allowed during the game. 

Only active players in a game will be allowed to communicate with each other. Anybody found to be relaying strategic and tactical information to players inside the play field will be considered a combatant and may be shot or eliminated

BARREL TAGS: (Paintball Only) Barrel tagging is allowed by placing the side of your barrel against another player. If you get barrel tagged, call yourself “OUT”. 

NO WIPING: Do not wipe paint from your person or weapon until after you have respawned.

RESPAWNING: To respawn, a player must touch the flag pole that bears his team's colored flag at the top of the pole. A player may not respawn at a flag station if they are shot within the circle surrounding that flag. If so, the player MUST respawn at another flag station owned by his team. If no flags are available for respawn the player is out until the next game or until a flag becomes available. A player is only allowed to remain in the respawn circle for 15 seconds.
PLAYER REFS: Are admins who are playing the game. They are identifiable by either an armband saying REF or by an orange or black NiteHawk patch. These players are to be treated with the same respect as any other ref and they will stop playing if you need assistance. 

SAFETY BRIEFING: Safety briefings are held at 10:00 any player who does not attend the safety briefing will not be allowed admission to the field until the next round and only after a staff member goes over the safety rules with them.

GRENADES:: Only approved grenades will be allowed on the field. Grenades must be thrown underhanded through a doorway or window. They Can NOT be thrown over the top of the building. There is a 15 foot kill radius for grenades. If a grenade goes off in the building, everyone in the room is dead. 

Hardcover does protect the player from grenades. Hardcover is defined as any solid man-made object such as a wall, vehicle, or trench wall if the grenade lands outside of the area the player is in. Rocks and trees do not qualify as hardcover. Grenades can disable a vehicle, but the occupants do not die and are still in play. 

ROCKETS AND TAGGINS: May only be used against buildings and occupied vehicles. Rockets can kill an entire building as long as it hits the building. Landing near the building does not count as a hit. Hardcover does not provide any protection from rockets. Vehicles hit by a rocket are disabled and the crew is dead. Explosive rounds are NOT permitted.

WILDLIFE: Do not shoot at any of the wildlife on the property. 

LASERS:: Do not point lasers at aircraft flying over the field. Do not shine lasers in the eyes of any player.