TankLarp

The UK now has a larp involving tanks:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/159042898152733/about/

For those who can’t enter Facebook’s walled garden, TankLarp is a dieselpunk / dark future game in which regressing societies compete for power using swords, bucklers, and elderly tanks. it uses actual tanks in play, with paintball guns in the turrets! Fortunately, there’s no mixed combat, because the risk of people being run over is too great.

This sounds really interesting, especially because of the use of paintball guns. Am I correct in thinking that they also have person to person combat with paintball guns?

They use Nerf rival blasters rather than paintball guns for individual combat. But those are still powerful enough to mean designated combat areas with mandatory eye-protection, and not being allowed to use them in the faction camps.

I have heard of US and UK games which do use paintball or airsoft, and they have similar safety rules. No tanks, though.

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Do you know if they’ve ever done any write-ups about using paintball or Airsoft or Nerf rival blasters etc. and the safety precautions and difficulties they’ve had implementing these larps?

I’ve seen a few reviews, but I need to dig around for any detail (google for “airsoft larp” and you might find some stuff). Apart from local firearms laws (which is technically an issue here with airsoft, but not with Nerf), the biggest issue is eye protection, and reinforcing the constant need for it anywhere people might use a weapon. If you’re thinking of such a game, I’d suggest talking to the local airsofters about their safety standards, and adopting them wholesale.

I airsofted (as well as a little .68 paintball, and more .43/rap4 paintball) for a few years, so if anyone has questions feel free to hit me up. I was the secretary for what was the countries largest club at the time, and dealt with handling club requirements for import permits etc as well after the recent law change.

Legal requirement for owning an airsoft gun: be over 18.
Safety requirement: ANSI 1337/Z83 safety glasses. Thats the only thing you need.

You can airsoft in a tshirt. Shots will sting briefly, but it passes. In the 3-4 years I was playing, and we fired probably hundreds of thousands of BBS, I was aware of one tooth being knocked out, and you can choose to wear full face masks that will prevent that. Both the safety glasses and mesh masks are cheap.

Chronographs can be used to measure the FPS of a gun, and you can set field speed limits. I’m also aware of places that rent guns for game use.

-Michael Belanger-Taylor

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