So before I get into how the rules of the game will work, let me explain how I vision players interacting with the game, from walking into a meeting, to their adventures. 

Its your first meeting and you roll up to the event, parking your car next to the many others nearby. You get your gear and head up to the tables where a few people are going though a check-in process with players. You walk up to the person sitting at the far end of the table who asks for your passport, or if you are a new player, to get your name to make you a passport for your character. You're confused for a brisk second and realize that the passport is just a character sheet with spaces to fill out on your character's name, role, and exp earned and perks taken. You fill out the passport and move on to the next person on the table.

This person asks to see all of your weapons, she has a chronographer that will tell if your airsoft weapons do not pass the maximum FPS rating and tests out your boffer weapons to see they are safe. She then asks to see your goggles, which you have and are checked to make sure they will protect you against the airsoft weapons. She points you to the next person.

He asks for your operator's licenses, of which you have none. and so he points you to the next officer of game sitting at the table. But if you did, he'd make sure all the devices you are carrying met the requirements they have to be used. You now move to the last person at the table.

She asks your character's name and what monthly actions you have to complete. Its a new character so you say none, since you have no idea what to do, but see hands you 50 bank notes and a list of prices for gear in game. She tells you to pick the starting gear you'd like for your character. You brought a lot of guns, and worry you can't use them all in the game; which is a downer. But you pick a main weapon, side arm, ammunition and hold the rest for a rainy day. You tell her what you want and she tells you that you might want more ammunition as you don't want to run out of that when you're out in story day field battles. You add more ammunition and she gives you operator's licenses for the gear you have, it says unlootable on it since it's starter gear and it would be a pain to lose it to some jerk first game. You fill out your name at the top and so does she adding the date to the top as well. She tells you today is a free battle day, and you can use whatever gear you have. She tells you every other game is a free battle day so you can practice with the gear you have but might not have in game as of yet. 

She also explains that your character, depending on its role, can do special actions each month. Or you can move and explore hexes nearby to your character's starting position. She points to a map on a nearby table and says you can start at any of these ETC outposts and prospect for minerals or explore ruins. She says this map and the rules are on the website and to check them out before the next free battle day is so you can declare your monthly actions.

You're a little lost as to what to do now, but see a huge hexagon marked off with tape where some people are dividing themselves up into two groups. They have their weapons and take to opposite sides of the large hexagon. Its a clear field, but you see other similarly taped up hexagons in a dense forest, another where a steep hill is, and one last one where a creek crosses down the middle. You're sure there are more about the property. 

The two groups go towards the opposite sides of the hex and when an airhorn blares the two sides are running towards the center, each firing at each other. Some of them have shields they hide behind and fire from around it as they move up. Others crouch in the high grass taking cover that way. One player underhand tosses a grenade and a few seconds later two people on the other side are sprayed with bb's from where it landed. There are a lot of different colored head bands on people and you don't yet know what they mean. eventually, the two sides close and they switch from airsoft weapons to boffer weapons. Some players get into grapples while others just parry and swing at each other until one goes down, hand on their head and shouting dead when they drop to a knee. 

At last, only a few people from the side nearest to you are left standing in the middle of the field. The airhorn blasts again, and both sides get back up and head to their respective sides and at the same time the man with the airhorn asks if there are new players to enter to the center to be distributed to the sides. You are about to move until you hear another person shout for any person who is new or has not been to at least 5 events yet. You walk towards this group.

She tells you how damage is dealt and what some of the head bands mean. She tells you what things you aren't allowed to do and what your weapons must be like. She explains the basic rules you need to know how to operate the gear you have, and you are directed to the game that is about to start again. She calls to the man using the air horn and he splits the newly added players by company and to each side of the game. 

Alright, what you came for! You walk with the group you are joined with and they're all tactics. They tell you this and that about how to play, but its all a blur. You're too excited to listen to any of it, you just wanna shoot someone! A lot of the people have armbands that are specific colors and with symbols on them. A group here or there has all the same armbands, you were told this is how to identify who is in which company. You make note of who is on your side. The air horn blares again, and a few groups rush towards the center; they have shotguns, shields, and other things more suited to close quarters combat. Other groups have a lot of rifles and machine guns suited to longer range encounters while most groups have a mix. They tend to stay close to each other, and while there isn't a lot of cohesion between groups, there is within groups. You don't have a group, but you stay near the group that was talking to you most. You've got your gun and start rushing with them. Its an open field battle, and the bb's are flying this way and that. 

You don't keep quite as low as you should, and get caught in the left arm with a bb. You recall you can't use that arm anymore with the one exception that you can use it to manually cock a spring pistol and go to your side arm. You take to a knee and look at any targets that are close to you. the closest one is another new player but he's 40 yards away. A few more bb's get close to your head and you hit the deck. You can't see much now, but you start to crawl towards that new player you saw coming towards you. He's still got all his limbs but he's running full tilt towards you. You're not sure if he saw you or what dazed by all the action going on around you. A grenade is tossed close to you, but it sprays away from you. It saves you but kills a lot of the players in the group you were with. Now with no support and a bumb arm, you are worried you don't even fire off a bb your first game.

The other new player gets close to you, his eyes getting really big as you assume he didn't know you were there. You react first, getting a knife out and slash at his arm. He staggers back from the surprise and draws his own. but he fumbles and you stab into his chest as he struggles to draw his own knife. He and you know he's mortal and he drops to the ground. instead of waiting for you to serve him his final blow, he shouts dead and puts his hand on his head. 

So elated about your first kill, you temporarily forget your surroundings and stand upright. A spray from a nearby shotgun gets you square in the face. Looking at the player you offed, you also get onto one knee and practice the ritual of death. You and he smile, comrades in a game of surprise. You do regret you didn't even fire an airsoft weapon your first game, but at least you made it 1 for 1. 

You continue in these skirmishes until day light runs out, and you are tired and hot. You return to your car, talking to the players of the first group you ran out with on your first skirmish. They offer you to join them in their company, but you have some friends you're bringing to the game next time and you wanted to start a company with them. 

So, this was the kind of thing I had in mind for new players on a free battle day. tomorrow I'll post about their first experiences on a story battle day. 

I know that first part wasn't exciting, but its necessary to operate a kind of game like this.