We printed out business cards with just our group name - WW2MAR - and our website and forum links on, nothing else, and then hand them out to anyone who stops and asks us about the kit and why we are wearing it. Granted, the SA public is not really clued up on WW2 heritage - "A long time ago, in a place far, far away..." - so we actually get more queries than (I imagine) from a more informed lot.
Plus, stupid as this is going to sound - nothing beats the look on peoples' faces when you walk into a room full of cosplayers, wearing your full assault kit - A-frame, spade, bayonet, gas mask case, ammo pouches, grenade bandoliers, MP28 over the shoulder - and give them the cocky little salute&grin routine. The last CON we were at, people FREAKED out (in a good way) when our German reps walked in.
Guess you have to pick your audience right - and who better to recruit for roleplaying and "serious" character/period immersion than the roleplaying crowd? 
We printed out business cards with just our group name - WW2MAR - and our website and forum links on, nothing else, and then hand them out to anyone who stops and asks us about the kit and why we are wearing it. Granted, the SA public is not really clued up on WW2 heritage - "A long time ago, in a place far, far away..." - so we actually get more queries than (I imagine) from a more informed lot.
Plus, stupid as this is going to sound - nothing beats the look on peoples' faces when you walk into a room full of cosplayers, wearing your full assault kit - A-frame, spade, bayonet, gas mask case, ammo pouches, grenade bandoliers, MP28 over the shoulder - and give them the cocky little salute&grin routine. The last CON we were at, people FREAKED out (in a good way) when our German reps walked in.
Guess you have to pick your audience right - and who better to recruit for roleplaying and "serious" character/period immersion than the roleplaying crowd?
If I could 'like' this post I would lol...bloody FB
Steve mate, im not talking about other airsofters realy, more the peeps out there that would love this if they new about it. The guns bit is an added bonus but guys that want to go on a WW2 Experince Day/Weekend bootcamp (event). Hence, sitting in a bloody shopping mall and handing out flyers and talking to GP!
lol, this is actually apealling to me for some reason... 
I might give it a go 
Heer Schmidt
sitting in a bloody shopping mall and handing out flyers and talking to GP
Works for the paintball lot! every time I go to the city centre i get stopped, funny when I give them the 'No thanks I'm an airsofter!' 
Just another one, I dont know if other organisers do this but when the games are played at established sites do you advertise to their player base? I know its a bit of a mare with kit but sure there could be interest generated that way.
And the plus factor is the whole players base for events will be increased.
You know what, I like the sound of going along to CON and Cosplay events.
Marsha does this with her Star Wars stuff, but it never occurred to go in WW2 airsoft kit. (Or Flying Lead kit.....eh Josh?)
it never occurred to go in WW2 airsoft kit. (Or Flying Lead kit.....eh Josh?)
If we all went in FL kit, it'd mainly look like a hobo convention. 
You know what, I like the sound of going along to CON and Cosplay events.
Marsha does this with her Star Wars stuff, but it never occurred to go in WW2 airsoft kit. (Or Flying Lead kit.....eh Josh?)
You thinking of a shingle springs jaunt to Yankton, like one of those special episodes of Eastenders.
whenever i have been to a open day always been treated well by modern players , thou we tend to do it in a group of at least 5 of us , so guess it a bit different , sometimes it may just be the sites and the players , and your ww2 kit at fireball is not forgotten Headshot , thou just before my time , folks have talked about you in ww2 to me many times , though apart from the 34th and now ones from stormforce as well its mainly Nam or Modern.
I know Ged and some of the midlands germans attend open days in kit as see their photos pop up from time to time
Now we staring to see more ww2 guns and coverage in the mags again it can only help us all out 
it never occurred to go in WW2 airsoft kit. (Or Flying Lead kit.....eh Josh?)
If we all went in FL kit, it'd mainly look like a hobo convention.
Speak for yourself!
it never occurred to go in WW2 airsoft kit. (Or Flying Lead kit.....eh Josh?)
If we all went in FL kit, it'd mainly look like a hobo convention.
Speak for yourself!
A typical German Mr Chellingworth. I swear, if they ever got motivated and dressed snappy they'd be dangerous.
You know what, I like the sound of going along to CON and Cosplay events.
Marsha does this with her Star Wars stuff, but it never occurred to go in WW2 airsoft kit. (Or Flying Lead kit.....eh Josh?)
Quite a few of the regular players these days seem to have come to ww2 airsoft direct from general sci fi / fantasy / LARP / history geek-dom rather than modern open day airsoft or even ww2 reenacting. That could be a source of new blood. On the other hand when we took part in a Dr Who event as ww2 tommies a few years ago, they were just all drooling over the home built Daleks. (They were pretty cool, though)
Edit - Just watched the vid again . Sorry to go off topic: [link]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBjayfj2wy8&feature=player_embedded[/link]
Thats a fair point Ranj
I wonder if having a WWII airsoft / this forum stand at a big show like detling could win over some of the living history types.
Some decent pics from the more immersive events, guys there with good kit and good promotional leaflets to take away and a chance to handle/feel the AEGs/springers.
a bit like the 'what is airsoft' stand at the national shooting show that had quite a lot of interest all weekend.
I mean its all very well having an airsoft WWII group attend something like detling and show they have good standards and match any 'blank' group but *because* they look so good most people dont realise they are from the airsoft side.
So if they went to a show like , say victory show, actively promoting the hobby perhaps we might get some new blood from that?
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
I am more than happy to give a hand to anyone who wants to do the turn up at other events stuff round the Midlands. shame we didnt have this discussion a few months ago as the UK games expo is on in birmingham this weekend so could have got something together at that.
Is it too late to go to the War and Peace show as exhibitors?
Kitwhore files: S&S Lee Enfield No. 4, AGM Sten Mk. II, Tanaka Kar 98k, WE Luger P08
Wishlist: AGM Stg44, possible LE No. 4 gas project
OK, I'll be brutally honest, going on my experience of mixing with reenactors over the years (and I am a reenactor also) - 99% are just not interested in airsoft. If you put a display on, your kit would have to be 100% pukka (and then, still some reenactor would stil pick holes in it). Despite the fact that people on this forum often display superior knowledge of kit and WWII history, there is just a stigma attached to airsoft and narrow-minded reenactors will never dare to consider it.
You've got nothing to ein, zwei, drei, vier
OK, I'll be brutally honest, going on my experience of mixing with reenactors over the years (and I am a reenactor also) - 99% are just not interested in airsoft. If you put a display on, your kit would have to be 100% pukka (and then, still some reenactor would stil pick holes in it). Despite the fact that people on this forum often display superior knowledge of kit and WWII history, there is just a stigma attached to airsoft and narrow-minded reenactors will never dare to consider it.
The exhibition on something like War and Peace would rather aim at people visiting the show than re-enactors.
Kitwhore files: S&S Lee Enfield No. 4, AGM Sten Mk. II, Tanaka Kar 98k, WE Luger P08
Wishlist: AGM Stg44, possible LE No. 4 gas project
You know what, I like the sound of going along to CON and Cosplay events.
Marsha does this with her Star Wars stuff, but it never occurred to go in WW2 airsoft kit. (Or Flying Lead kit.....eh Josh?)
Quite a few of the regular players these days seem to have come to ww2 airsoft direct from general sci fi / fantasy / LARP / history geek-dom rather than modern open day airsoft or even ww2 reenacting. That could be a source of new blood. On the other hand when we took part in a Dr Who event as ww2 tommies a few years ago, they were just all drooling over the home built Daleks. (They were pretty cool, though)
Edit - Just watched the vid again
If you remember we also went to a cosplay event as characters from Saving Private Ryan.
The experience of our WW2 airsoft group, with regards to the re-enactors, has always been summed up with the expression: "those old photo farts". Put them in a situation where there is a crowd of onlookers and cameras going off, and they are in their elements; put them in the field, manning a HQ (since they all have ridiculously high ranks, and would never be fielded in a platoon), and they complain bitterly.
The roleplaying/LARPing crowd, to my mind, is the perfect place to recruit players for WW2 games, purely because it consists of a pool of people with (usually) most of the following attributes:
- they can read, and research a topic (vital for WW2)
- they understand the concept of 'playing the part'
- if they were the glory-hound, shooting-all-the-time types, they would have left roleplaying/LARPing long ago
- they are often very eager to get involved with planning
- they are often very creative, and come up with props that you never expected (we recently uncovered a guy who makes fake demo packs, satchel charges and dynamite charges that are realistic enough to send bomb-squad officers into a panic)
- they can usually process, understand, and apply rules more complex than "Shoot the guys with the blue armbands, not the red"; this is especially critical for things like medic rules, artillery rules, and such
They have their weaknesses as well - most are physically unfit, and their gaming schedules are often so busy that they cannot take time off to experience something new - but as a whole, the material you have to work with is of a much higher quality than the Call of Duty / Modern Warfare / Battlefield gung-ho types.
OK, I'll be brutally honest, going on my experience of mixing with reenactors over the years (and I am a reenactor also) - 99% are just not interested in airsoft. If you put a display on, your kit would have to be 100% pukka (and then, still some reenactor would stil pick holes in it). Despite the fact that people on this forum often display superior knowledge of kit and WWII history, there is just a stigma attached to airsoft and narrow-minded reenactors will never dare to consider it.
The exhibition on something like War and Peace would rather aim at people visiting the show than re-enactors.
Again, this has already been done, repeatedly, for years. CiA organisers went as part of a German exhibit. Josh has regularly advertised there and even had airsoft shooting ranges. As Steiner says, they're not interested.
Not quite what i was suggesting.
The airsoft shooting ranges and displays have always been 'tacticool' ones, like inflatbale CQb arenas manned by guys in multicam... the ones at war and peace were again shooting ranges with modern guns on the AI stand etc.
And being *part* of an existing display isnt what i was suggesting it was actually going out to show 'wwii airsoft', not airsoft per se but the very specific thing we do.
I dont think thats been done before.
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
I don't know how that would be done? People could stand around in kit, but that would just look like everyone else. A firing range doesn't really show anything, pics and videos universally fail to capture the feel of what is going on. A large netted of area where a couple of people are given guns and told to fight? Maybe, but without the context of the scenario and the the weekend event they would likely just be annoyed that their shot 'would have hit' in the real world.
I am not dismissing it outright as a dreadful idea doomed to failure, but I seriously cannot think how you could show 'what we do' at a re-enacting event.
I think Andy's right, the WW2 re-enactment "community" has been aware of us and what we do for years, they have shown no interest beyond the occasional friend-of-a-friend being asked/having their arm twisted to come along. Those who do both are either already here, like Poacher, or started here, like Yith. The numbers that do come along from WWII re-enactment are statistically negligible.
