In the beginning -

My first experience was April 1st, 2013 at Warden Airsoft in Stone Creek,OH (wardenairsoft.com).  Anything I used that day was borrowed from Andrew, camo and all.  I had no idea what I was doing or getting into.  The only thing I did look at before hand were the directions to get there, the field layout (which didn’t make sense to me), and the field rules.  We arrived after a 2 hour drive and hauled our gear up a very steep hill.  Being April and I’m not one to go to the gym, this was a workout in itself.  At the top was the staging area and check in.  We get checked in and geared up for the first game.  In looking around there was a good age range, roughly 13- 40 year olds, average being mid 20's.  I received quick instruction from my son how to change the magazine and shoot the gun...sooo not ready.  After the safety meeting where I learned about safety kills, minimum engagement distance, keeping eye protection on and calling hits, we were off to our first game.  What I recall from that first game is I followed people who seemed to know what they were doing and tried not to get hit by bb’s.  Can’t say I even fired my gun at all that first game...or even the second.

Advise before you go -

Know the rules of the field before you get there.  Most airsoft fields will have a website with field rules listed.  These may include things like, dead rags, barrel covers, maximum FPS (feet per second) which is the speed at which the bb is shot from the airsoft gun and face protection for minors - some fields require anyone under 18 to have full face protection.

If you have your own airsoft gun, know how to use it before going.
This way you can kind of look like you know what your doing ☺
    side story: we were at our 2nd or third airsoft event at Warden and brought thunder b grenades with us.  Again, I had no idea how to use them so I ended up asking another player who had them.  He mentioned he had looked up on youtube how to use them so he wouldn’t look like an idiot at the field...I could tell by his mannerism he didn’t know what he had just unspokenly said, which (with my sense of humor) made it funny.

If you are renting a gun, make sure you ask how to use it.
It is no fun to play the game if you don’t know how the gun works.  It is even worse to return a gun that has been broken from misuse.  Reputable fields will have no issues with questions.

Look at YouTube videos of the field you are going to.
YouTube can be a wonderful tool to see how a field is layed out and what to expect during game time. 

Take food/drinks
The last thing you want is to be thirsty and hungry and trying to play airsoft.  Not all fields may sell - contact to find out or take your own.

Please see the Field page for descriptions of what to expect at individual fields.  I'm writing about the places we have been to and will add as we expand our experiences.  We have a list of fields to try out this year...can't wait!!