SPEEDSOFT - GEAR & GAMEPLAY
ENDING HIS LOOK AT SPEEDSOFT, FRENCHIE TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO WHAT TO WEAR AND HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED. OVER THE LAST TWO ISSUES, with the able assistance of Harry McSwain (Haribo 57) of Steel City Airsoft (SCA), we’ve taken a look at the rise of speedsoft in the UK, it’s genesis and the relationship some of its adherents have to “traditional” airsoft. In this final piece we’ll turn our attention to the gear and the game. How does the gear used in Speedsoft differ from that used for skirmishing and how is the game itself played? As you might expect, some things are similar, others not so much. I am indebted to Harry once more for his willing assistance and patience in answering the various questions of this long-time skirmisher! AA: What gear do you wear? Obviously a fully loaded plate carrier would slow you down a bit! HM: “In terms of gear, I’d say the majority of speedsofters will purchase a paintball mask straight off the bat. It gives us full facial protection as well as being incredibly lightweight, comfortable
72
xmas 2018
and depending on what mask, a very good field of view, the only thing you really need to accompany a paintball mask is a hat of some variety. Having a paintball mask, in my opinion makes your responses much faster, unlike helmet rigs which have many different attachments piled on, making your head movement more sluggish and slower because of the added weight. Another piece or pieces of equipment that are adopted by speedsofters are neoprene knee pads and/or arm pads. These make crawling and kneeling down comfortable, not to mention acting as a large layer of protection when sliding into cover. Anything else a player might wear such as tops, trousers or overalls is completely up to the player. I personally have custom made paintball jerseys from Anthrax Paintball for SCA and I combo them with some Planet Eclipse Paintball pants or shorts and knee-high socks depending on the weather.” AA: Ok, so you’re looking suitably sporty, what about the guns? This is still airsoft after all!