Laser-Tag, what exactly is it? If your reading this then chances are you’ve already had a chat with someone who’s been telling you just a  bit of how much fun is to be had in a hobby you’ve probably never heard of before.  If not then here we  hope to answer some of the more common questions people ask.  “So it’s the same as Paintball / Laser-Quest / Airsoft?” Put like that, No, No, and No!  All those, very popular and well-known, gaming systems, differ from our  system in one major respect, and several minor ones.  The major difference is what it says at the top of this  page: Role-Play!  A typical paintball game, for example, is about 10-15 mins of frenzied gunfire, and no  more complex than "capture the flag", or "Kill everybody"!  LazerQuest tends to be very similar, but indoors.  Some Airsoft groups do simple 'mission' based games, on themes such as 'Rescue the Pilot', for example.   While it's true that LazerTag started as a 'paintless paintball' game, a typical 'simple' game will be about  90mins - 2hours or so, with several smallish teams (typically about 10-15 players), who may have more or less complex and conflicting missions;  a large, complex game may run for several 'episodes' of a couple of hours each, with a theme linking through all of them, with numerous individual  characters, who may or may not be all they appear!  It is also common for there to be hidden plots, storylines, secrets to be discovered, puzzles  and mysteries to be investigated.  Over a year of gaming, a player might find themselves as a Colonial Marine from the 'Aliens' universe, a  member of a Star Gate SG-team, a trooper of the SAS, a confused civilian, a spy, a bad-boy gangster, a  corrupt cop, a Klingon, or even a God in disguise!  And that's just for starters! Another difference is that,  because we are role-players, we don't have the 'one hit and you're dead' system common to paintball and  airsoft; we operate a highly flexible medical system, allowing a game organizer to stipulate how many Hit  Points the players have, so benefits may be gained from body armour, helmets etc.  The system also allows  for some characters or creatures to be very tough to kill!  This allows us to have Terminators, or war droids, or  very hard alien beasties, or even Daleks!  Another facet is that a squad medic (or tribal Shaman, or Wise  Woman, or Doctor) may have a supply of medicine which will diminish as the casualties mount.  Also, the  system allows for random wound results, so a player may find themselves carrying an injured limb for the rest  of the game, or blinded, or deafened or even cursed, needing to be released by the local Witch-Doctor before  they can continue!  “So who writes these games?”  Anyone who wants to!  It's true to say that the majority of games, especially the more complex events, are written by a fairly small number of the  "Usual Suspects", but anyone is welcome to come along and bring a game!  Fancy running a game based on a story or movie that fascinates  you?  Go for it!  The degree of complication, plotting etc, is all down to you!  If you want to talk through ideas, there are always experienced game  organizers, more than happy to give advice, hints etc.  We're not at all snobbish, we just want to play!  “So where do you play?”  Simply, anywhere we can!  We do not, unlike the typical paintball club, have a big site in the woods somewhere.  We play, exclusively, on private  land, most often in areas of private woodland, as these are, not surprisingly, the easiest areas to find and hire.  Over the years, Tag events have  taken place on the disused Greenham Common airbase, at sites near Kings Lynn, in hedge mazes, even in cave systems under London  “How often do you play?”  The last couple of years have seen an increase in the number of events being run, with Fiat Lux! running a  skirmish day down at Wickham (between Fareham and Southampton) on the last Saturday of each month;  there are also events run by groups further north, and of course DropZone, the big annual get-together, over  the late May bank-holiday weekend.  The Laser-Tag Forum, Firefight (www.firefight.org.uk) exists to provide a  calendar and notice board for people to announce upcoming events, typically announced several weeks or  months in advance depending on the game.  “And where are you based?”  As you probably guessed from the above, we are a spread-out hobby!  It's probably true to say that we are  based on the internet!  In recent years, email based chat groups have been largely supercedbd by the afore  mentioned Firefight by which we keep in touch with each other.  “How much does it cost?”  This is another area where we score over the paintball and, to a lesser extent, AirSoft, communities!  It is  important to note that Tag is a small hobby, not a business: no-one is making any money out of this. With  regards to the cost of playing the games, the price simply reflects the cost of running the event, including site  hire, divided by the number of players.  So, at one end of the scale, a simple skirmish day, involving 2-4 simple  games, at a site like Wickham, which is cheap to hire, with a typical attendance of about 20 players, will cost  approximately £5 a head, while Dropzone, which includes 7 games, 2-3 hours each, camping for Friday-  Sunday nights, and a barbecue if anyone volunteers to do it, will cost between £40 to £60 depending on how early you book.  Yes, we did say £5  to £60 as the fee range!  At the same time, a game in an unusual site that costs more to hire, such as the Secret Bunker at Kelvedon Hatch, which  costs a lot to hire, might be as much as £70 per head. “And how much does the kit cost?” To a great extent, that is up to you!  The guns and sensors used to be sold commercially, by a company called Worlds of Wonder, which is where  the name LAZERTAG originated.  The commercial stuff has long been out of production, though they sometimes may surface at car-boot sales,  etc.  From this point of view, some clever lads in the hobby started to make their own, compatible systems, from scratch.  Basically, you need a  gun and a sensor, assuming that you, or a helpful friend, can use a soldering iron and a mini-drill without hurting yourself, and you can lay hands  on a suitable gun body, you can be in the hobby for as long as you like for about £100 to £120, plus the occasional battery for the sensor.  As a  rough guide, a sensor battery should last a good year's-worth of gaming, while charging your gun for a weekend of gaming will cost about a  penny!  Remember, a decent Airsoft weapon or paintball gun will set you back a good £200 to £300, plus ammo every weekend; paintball, in  particular, can be about £6 per 100 shots, which gets a bit dear if you're trigger happy!  New players, perhaps like yourself, might want to play a  couple of games to see if you like it, before putting proper money into buying kit; some of the bigger clubs, like the Warlords and Fiat Lux!, have  small numbers of 'club guns' and sensors, specifically for loan to new players.  At big events, like DropZone, this may cost about £10 per item, for  the whole event.  This is toward the cost of repairs that may be necessary, as accidents can happen.  For other kit, you'll want a pair of stout  boots, and clothes you don't mind getting muddy.  Beyond that - how flash do you want to be?  A set of DPM  trousers/jacket from a market or army-surplus store, could be as little as £20; at the other extreme, if you  choose, you could spend loads on camos, webbing, helmets, body armour etc.  It's up to you!  Most events  are self-catered, so, barring your travel expenses and whatever food and drink you want to bring, once you've  got the kit, about £120-£150 will see you through a year's gaming, say two big events at £40, and several  small, one or two dayers, at £5 or £10 a time.   www.firefight.org.uk (c) UKLTA 2011 / Made with Xara