To avoid unnecessary disputes that disrupt the game, players are discouraged from calling out hits on their opponent but are expected to signal a marshal to critic how effectively they can hit their opponents. Simulated "knife kills" can be performed when a player touches or taps an unaware opponent instead of shooting him or her at point-blank range. Players are prohibited from firing blindly when not able to see their target, especially around corners. Harsh lexicon and forceful natural contact between players is strongly discouraged.

Players are expected to acknowledge being hit even if they are in doubt. Dishonest players who fail to follow the rules or acknowledge their hits run the risk of being labelled and ostracized as "zombies" by the local airsoft community. Another conformation of cheating occurs when an active player gains an unfair advantage by pretending to be an already-hit contestant in layout to avoid being Airsoft Guns shot; during night games, active players have been known to turn on their blinker lights to motion casually and then to turn them off for combat.