Runners Continued

Lastly get your runners together and talk shop.
Most important they need to know how to find those platoon and squad leaders. If they are wondering around the woods calling names, then they are going to get whacked.
What do the leaders look like (if possible pick someone who already knows them) are they wearing something distinctive.
Make sure they know the recognition signal(s)… Matter of a fact have them make up the signals based on what they have, not what you want.

You also need to discuss how the messages will be transmitted.
If verbal, you should make them repeat the message back to you, if they can’t repeat it two seconds later and to your face then they will forget it later. This should be automatic on their part. If not, then show them how. Either way make it one of your expectations.
If you are a letter writing fool  then make sure your couriers have a good secure way to carry the documents.
Do they get a ride? If so talk about the field rules for vehicles first, and then talk about your rules. Within the field rules, you should lay out routes, security, and whatever other tricks you can think of. Remember that runners are common sense, but don’t let the Admins shut down your Pony Express riders because they found a cool way to break the rules.


The above are things that I have used to set the stage for my runners to succeed. I will NOT claim that it is the end all solution, or the last word. As noted earlier nobody really writes about runners, because they are so simple. That said the simple things are often hard. In some small way, I hope this helps the community grow. All it takes is a little forward planning and common way of looking at it.
All to often at airsoft games we don’t set things up beforehand. Instead we try to save ourselves once the game starts, we try to grab some poor SOB and make him a runner.
How many times have we read an AAR where the commander complained that his comms sucked because the radio failed him? Every now and them somebody tries to use a runner.
Then we send him to his doom, like the Charge of the Light Brigade, and think its not our fault then he fails. To make things worse if my some miracle he succeeds we attribute it to our ‘great leadership.’ Meanwhile our real hero gets a “thanks you player X for running all over the field for me.”
When we should be saying,
“player X saved our ***, when the original Comms Plan failed, and there was no-one and nothing else to save us. His skill got the message through despite the whole mess being my fault.”
I’ve said those words…. Many times!
Eventually I learned from them. And since I’ve been a runner too, and probably will be again, I hope you learn too... it'll save me some trips.


Here is an "ant farm" that failed transmissions just a 1000meters away. Despite directional arrays, high power (40watts), and variable frequencies from HAM bands to GMRS.
Sometimes traveling is the only way to communicate.