Potential massive schedule expansion, your opinion needed.

[Dominum]

Please read and consider the following thoroughly and in full:

Currently we play four fields every other week on Saturdays. TT in the midlands, AF in between the upstate and midlands, and RF and FP in the upstate. I have noticed that a lot of people only play the fields near them, so about once a month or every other month most people play. I am not sure if this is a matter of not wanting to invest the gas and money to go to the games further away, or if that is simply all they want to or can afford to play anyway. In other words, would those of you who only play fields within an hour drive play more often if there were more games near you? Now, I'm sure you are asking why I am asking you this. Well, several different things have recently coalesced on me. and I am seriously considering starting to run games on all the other weekends we do not currently play. This is why:

1) There are now more fields available. I have four additional fields I should be able to host games on very soon, one in the midlands, one in the upstate, one in between, and one near Augusta. This would mean we would have 8 fields played regularly. It would double our number of games and the variation of fields they are played on.

2) I think this would grow the sport a lot in the near future, as there would be more options both in places to play near people, and dates that people could play. I have always wanted to play more, even though I already play nearly every game. I know if I were younger and could only make it to the games near me, I would LOVE to see this happen.

3) I am finally at a point where I can feasibly do this, and would really like to. Yes, it will mean I will spend a lot more time than I already do on airsoft, however, I should be able to make enough money hosting these games in addition to the money I make doing tech work and hosting the games I already do to cut back my hours at my day job. I need to do this anyway, so I can spend more time on the forums and phone with airsofters, do all the AOSC stuff I already do, plus build and grow my business. Since most of these games will have low overhead, I will hopefully net something from them. No one gets rich off of running airsoft games of course, myself included. However, after all the time and effort put into planning for a game, coming up with scenarios, posting and keeping up with game details, negotiating with field owners, taking responsibility for chrono, registration, rule enforcement, the field owners property, fronting all the costs ahead of time, providing equipment, etc. hosts do make something for all their work in hosting a game. Since I will be doing it a lot more, it (combined with the money I make doing tech work) should be enough to offset cutting my hours back at work to give more time to airsoft. I don't make much money as it is, so it doesn't take much to offset what I will lose cutting back my day job. Eventually I want to quit altogether and do nothing but run SCAS, do tech work, host games and run the AOSC (last one pays nothing of course) full time.

I think this can really grow the sport, give current players more time on the field, and give me more time to spend working for you all.

[*For the sake of full disclosure I explained #3 in detail. I think you all have a right to know who gets your money, and that there are also monetary reasons for me wanting to host more games. At all airsoft games the field owner obviously gets most of the money, but a few bucks goes to the host for all of the reasons mentioned above. Usually this means we walk away with something for our effort. I am posting this because I genuinly believe points 1 and 2 above, but want to disclose the other reason as well to be fair to you as the consumer. Money is always a touchy subject in an organization like this, which is why I think honesty and disclosure is the best policy. If you ever have any questions or concerns about money in the AOSC or from AOSC games, feel free to PM me and I will answer any questions you have. Remember, I and the other Reps always work for you, the player.]

The average field fees at these other fields would be comparable to the other ones, nothing will be increased any time soon and I don't want you to think I am talking about raising field fees at all. More games means more varied scenarios, more MilSim AND more non-MilSim games, more special training type scenarios, and a larger variety of places to play.




So, the question for the poll: (IF you have read everything above) Would you play a good bit more often if we doubled the fields and doubled the number of games to every weekend, bearing in mind that this would mean more games without a long drive for you? If you WILL play more often, vote for "A", if you WILL NOT play more often if this happens, vote for "B".

[Bushmaster]

I, personally, won't play more often no matter how many games are held. In my case, and I think the case of many others, I can't afford to play more than once a month.

[Hotspur93]

Being a younger player with friends who are younger players i know that our biggest obstacle is traveling to games, so games that are nearby such as TT we almost never miss because they are close. I am a worker as well so the only other reason i can only make TT games is because work almost always has me working weekends which means traveling is out of the question for most games

[Dominum]

This is exactly the feedback I need. Keep it coming, I just want to know what percentage of you are in Bushmasters position, or Hotspurs.

[Diesel]

As it stands right now, the weekend we have games scheduled are the weekend the ex gets the kids. So any other weekends I will be at home being a father.

[Star_folder]

Well, I'll say this, I am one of those players that is more likely to play a game when it is close than when it is far away. Mostly because farther away means I have to wake up earlier to get there on time. The gas doesn't really bother me, but I'll have the same, tired drive back. I like playing at TT because it is close and easy to get to, same would go for the new midstate area field.

[blackout]

Yes I personally would play more if the games were more local to me. Setting up a tent and doing stuff like that on a regular weekend going to TT and having to go the night before is a hassle. (this is excluding TDC since its one of the biggest of the year and worth it.). But to just go have fun for a day on a weekend like Saturday, a 20 minute drive there and 20 back would be great. Having to drive home tired is easy when it is less than 30 minutes. As for the gas that I would normally spend to go every now and then, that would be cut back but I would be attending more games, which just makes it balance out as if it were the same money before, yet I am playing more airsoft for that money. Anyways I would be one to vote for having more games which means more local for me. I am much more happy with a 30 minute drive than an hour and 30 minute drive anyday. Just my 2 cents.

[2nd Ranger]

i say the more games the better and i will feasibly try to make it to every one of them

[Rev]

I still say someone needs to do a field down this way of the players who have to drive 3+ hour to a game. We want to come more often but when its a 3 hour drive one way it really is hard for us to come out.

[Felix]

When you make the games every weekend, you will have a more strung out player base at each game. If I was to tell my parents that EVERY Saturday I would be going 30minutes to 2 hours away to play airsoft, they would take my car! My parents usually allow me one to two games a month, as long as I pay for gas. If more games are available, my parents wont change, but say choose one. And I think those that have weekend jobs, or normal social outings, will agree with what I'm basically saying.

I like the idea have having more fields because it means there is more diversity in what you can do and different experiences with each one. We only have one, maybe 2 if you count TT, fields that can support a massive game comparable to TDC. Bigger fields arn't better, but they have a lot more playable parts and places to explore.

Another thing I like abut having more fields is that I get tired of the other ones. There are certain things I hate about fields that normally make me waver on playing at them. Redfox has a beautiful Silvarado City and Vally of Doom, but I hate Mile High and probably would sit out for that game. Its nothing more than personal opinion on each one and everyone has a different one. But If you add more fields, then you have more people becoming accustom to the field they love.

Also, will the AOSC be looking for more representatives to start to man these new fields?

thats all I can think of at this moment.

[Romba]

I can only play two games a month, because my parents and my teammates parents will spend that gas money so often. I can also not come up with $40 (approximately) a week (entry- $20, BB's- $20) every week, and my parents wouldn't LET me play that often. I have to have time with my family.

HOWEVER, expanding the number of fields would help me come to more games. As it stands, my parents are not letting me go to TT games, because they are close to two hours away from home, and my parents are paranoid (can be attested to by Dom who talked to my dad). So if there were to be another field in the upstate, that would help. For instance, I will not be coming to OP PH2 in a week because my parents will not let me stay the night so there's only a few hours of playable airsoft (until lunch). It would not be worth the gas money and my entry money to only play for 4 or 5 hours. But a year from now when I'm older, I would probably be coming to a comparable game because my parents would feel more comfortable with letting me camp with people I don't know. (I know -or hope- none of you are serial killers, rapists, child molesters, etc, but my parents are paranoid.)

I would like to see more Airfarm games. I loved the field, other than the barbed wire, and its only an hour away. It could be a little big for a small (50 or 60) group though.

Therefor I cannot and will not vote, because if this happened I could come to more games but not more than 2 a month.

[D.Smitty]

Romba, you should vote for "B" in your case, as that is exactly what Dom wants the vote for.

I still think that this is a gamble on your part, Dom. This is an investment of your time and money (more time, certainly, but there will is a monetary risk). Like any other investment, you need to have a backup plan as well as an exit strategy that will not leave you high and dry if the player base does not respond the way you think it will.

To use TDC as an example, GA was able to field a huge player base with many veteran players that were ready and willing to drive 4+ hours on a day that was slated for heavy storms (it was TOR-CON 7, I believe, for anybody what watches the weather channel anymore) and stay a full 24 hours (with excellent equipment, as their tanks and 2nd or 3rd Generation NVGs show). Next year, when the game is held in GA, I simply think that SC does not and will not have the player base to have a similar showing. Compared to states like GA, NC, and CA, South Carolina's airsoft is still a growing thing. It is more of a pasttime, in my opinion, than a competition (which is how i like it).

That is not to say that we do not have skilled veteran and well-equipped players. We do, but not in the numbers you see in other states. By all means, correct me if I am wrong. I am saying this based on what I have seen at our games. I love playing airsoft, and I would love to see more games available, but it would simply give me more choice as to which field I will play at and when. I will not actually be playing any more than I already do (~1 game/month).

Something else worth considering: if the players are given more choice as to which games they will attend, along with more fields that are closer to home, we may end up seeing a segmenting of our airsoft player base in SC. If there is a TT game every month, for example, I might be inclined to ONLY play at those TT games and never at the games that are farther away, simply to save time and money. The same could be said of players close to Newberry, Redfox, or those Savannah games that are still on the SCAA website.

[darklupis]

I think it's really going to be up to the admins, ie: getting close to full time job standards (which if they pay your bills, then I say do it! Work at what you love to do!) More fields and more games might mean a smaller player base at each game, as people like myself will stick close to home and only hit maybe 2-3 big ops over the year. Over time the player base can grow, however, as more up and coming players can start participating locally. I've talked to quite a few interested people, they just aren't willing to make a big trip involving an overnight stay. So as a business, it has growth potential, albeit slow ( hint advertising)

I've been into airsoft for over 20 years. TDC was the first real game I've been able to go to. I lived in NJ, and the nearest games at the time would involve a minimum drive of 10 -12 hours, not to mention the resources for the trip and time off from work - which is why I never went. Also the fact that I couldn't find / organize a team in the area, which helps split traveling costs..... then again, that was NJ...

btw, I'm a professional photographer who has stepped away from the professional aspect because I love photography, not the business... so if you need the skills of another one, hit me up...

[stuckmojo]

im like diesel and have my son everyother weekend. my weekend with him is the weekends we currently have games. however due to upcoming work schedule if things work out i will be forsed to work saturdays but have sundays off. i would like to see more sunday games. when i have the money and time i will goto whereever there is a game but that doesnt always happen so at times im forsed to play the games that are close to me ie tt and airfarm. if there is a sunday game in the midland area i will almost always be at it whether or not its my weekend with red or not and if its in the midland area chances are he will be able to make it to. i like this idea dom keep up the good work

[Skywalker]

Dom, I would be at almost every game. Augusta is a little too far for me from Greenville, but everything else sounds good.

I think this would actually result in smaller games though. Which I would not be a big supporter of. Even with the 2 games a month now, I find that not many people make it to even 2 games every 2 months... And these are the kind of people who won't be showing up on the forums to place a vote... So you have to take them into account.

I personally would like more games, but that is only going to happen with a large group of players that is so over-the-top airsoft obsessed, which (and no offense to anybody) the AOSC just doesn't have. Then again, with the free weekends that I have, I barely have time to keep working on my guns as much as I like to.

Could you still mix in new fields on the regular schedule?