Squad Respawning

Background - Videogame Respawn Metaphor

One of the challenges of playing airsoft with respawns and mixed levels of experience is managing units on the "battlefield".

Traditionally, we use the videogame metaphor for respawning players. Each respawns individually and is randomly either sent as reinforcement for his original squad or assigned a new squad.

What if we used battlefield reinforcements as our metaphor instead?

Alternative - Battlefield Reinforcements

Battlefield reinforcements occur as entire units because they are sent based on timely need. Following the videogame metaphor is consistent with long term wars with new recruits replacing casualties, but we play on a much smaller time scale. At our scale, new recruits are unavailable.

At our scale, the replacements would more likely be another unit sent to help out the dying unit.

To apply the battlefield reinforcements metaphor, we need to:

• set up a scheme for naming squads
• set up atmosphere of assigning squadleaders and RTOs (radiomen)
• respawn in squad-sized waves

Squad Naming For Battlefield Reinforcements

The best way to name your squads so that you can keep using "new" ones on the radio net is to use generic terms rather than individual player call signs. Let's use a simple example:

Jsae, zRampage, Airmax, Dizzy and Whiskey start out as a unit on their team. Call them "ALFA ONE". zRampage and Jsae are hit and forced to respawn, leaving ALFA ONE.

Deep6, Switch, Jethro, Char, Bushman start out as a unit under the same team. Call them "BRAVO ONE". Deep6, Jethro and Switch are hit and forced to respawn, leaving BRAVO ONE.

zRampage, Jsae, Deep6, Jethro, Switch respawn as a new unit, call them "ALFA TWO". As a respawn unit, they radio in as "BACK IN ALFA TWO" to announce their presence to the team.

For the team strategy, you have now a second wave on the field, but still consistent squads you can use clearly on the field. Once each squad is completely decimated, the team retires that call sign for the game.

I propose that teams divide up into squads at the start and then assign alphabetic designators for the available squads and only use that same set of designators during the game.

Example

Squad	Initial Designation	Respawned Squads
		First	Second	Third
1	ALFA ONE	ALFA TWO	ALFA THREE	ALFA FOUR
2	BRAVO ONE	BRAVO TWO	BRAVO THREE	BRAVO FOUR
3	CHARLIE ONE	CHARLIE ONE	CHARLIE THREE	CHARLIE FOUR
4	DELTA ONE	DELTA TWO	DELTA THREE	DELTA FOUR
5	ECHO ONE	ECHO TWO	ECHO THREE	DELTA FOUR

You could use different segments of the alphabet or alternative words like cities or foods.

Conclusion

Once you use this naming convention, you can easily set respawn wave size or respawn times and have clear squads.