[Brian McIlmoyle]

The whole concept of offering "Mercy" is laudable, it's based on the desire to not hurt your fellow player. In practice it is often improperly used and leads more often than not to hard feelings and a bitter taste in the mouth.

Minimum engagement distances are designed to reduce the chance of injury by being hit with a BB, as guns have been getting hotter and hotter in their stock form defining and enforcing minimum engagement distances has become a problem for many hosts.

The most common "mercy" rule is "no engagement within 10 feet" Players running high velocity Sniper set ups may have a minimum engagement distance of 50 feet or more, depending on their setup, and just how hot they are shooting.
Essentially what this means it you can't shoot someone who is inside your Minimum Engagement Distance MED.

I'm not against MED for high velocity set ups, close shots can cause real injury, and should be avoided. On the other hand, people experienced enough to run high velocity set ups ( and keep them running) are generally good enough to direct their shot to hit the gear of their target and avoid shots to the soft bits.

When I started TTAC3 back in 2005, I abolished "mercy" in my facility, and I took a lot of heat because of it. I was accused of "disregarding long standing safety rules" and promoting " a culture of violence" ( no shit this was said )

Up to that point most CQB games were little more than foolish rounds of "mercy tag" with players jumping around corners shouting mercy at each other. People who came to play at TTAC3 got a very different experience, there are no MED rules, and no mercy, shots happen at contact distances, just like the real world, and you get a very intense experience from this type of situation.

Today, No Mercy is common at games, most people have come to understand that the only way to prove that you took someone out is to shoot them. In surprise face to face encounters it is not at all uncommon for people to miss one another standing less than 10 feet away. Better training and better skilled players can take out lesser players at these distances.

"airsoft" is a contact "sport" when you grab a gun and head to the field you agree to be shot. It is unreasonable to put a condition on that agreement, such as "I agree to be shot, but not from too close" All you do here is set up potential conflicts and altercations.

That being said, we have to be respectful of our companions, and enforce the "golden rule" of "Do unto others as you would have them do to you" so if you have a player dead to rights , and they have no idea you are there, and you are very close to them, there is nothing wring with showing "mercy" and killing them with a word. In this situation I prefer to say something like. "don't move, or I shoot you" and attempt to capture them. but if they make a hostile move they get shot.

As a final note, if "mercy Rules" are in play, you have to understand that it is not possible to "mercy" someone who knows you are there. For example, you can not enter a room and shout Mercy and not expect to get lit up.

Mercy can only be applied to situations in which your target has no idea you are there and you have a clear unobstructed shot on them. Otherwise you are not in a position to offer Mercy.