On April 4–5, in the forests near Lubliniec (Silesian Voivodeship), the 6th edition of the airsoft game called Rat Race took place. We have already written about this event several times, and you could read about the premise of this year's edition in our article from early February. From the very first announcements, there were signals that the 2025 edition would be something special. A quick glance at the attendance list was enough to realize how popular this event is and the scale of expectations placed on Czajson and kizaRa – experienced organizers who have been delivering unforgettable memories to players under the banner of the Rat Race for a decade.
The competition in the Silesian forests involved 31 independent teams, consisting of nearly 270 players representing several dozen airsoft groups from all over Poland. This is a scale that many staff games would envy, yet the Rat Race is an event with an entirely different character – it almost requires being a member of a team, and preparation for a physical challenge. Such a large turnout clearly shows how important this initiative by RAT Scenarios is, and how much "team events" have come to play a key role in Poland's airsoft event scene.
As was the case last year, the WMASG.com editorial team took patronage over Rat Race VI. Our team participated in two roles: Weronika was responsible for the photo report, while I joined one of the task teams in the Veteran category, made up of members of the Black Wolf, Dezerterzy z 1 Maja, Company of Brothers - Żory, and RQS Team.
Due to the popularity of the event and its strong pull for players from various regions and airsoft communities, the organizers placed a strong emphasis on the informational campaign. A detailed document with rules, terrain maps, and even – mimicking the style of Black Perseus games – an audio briefing was published well in advance. This made the registration process at the venue smoother and allowed the RAT Scenarios team and team leaders to focus on planning actions based on clear information, including the locations of special missions. A peculiar decision was to allowing assult rifle replicas not to go through the procedure of measuring the muzzle energy – the relevant markings were assigned based on the owner's verbal declaration. Although trust and honesty lie at the foundation of our hobby, prior notification of such a step unfortunately opens the door to potential abuses.
On Friday, precisely at 11:00 PM, all 21 teams in the Veteran category were able to head out into the game area to reach the starting points before the beginning of the official part of the game, which was scheduled to start at midnight. Despite the large area (several dozen square kilometers), nighttime firefights were not uncommon. The unplugged mechanics – excluding the use of night vision and thermal optics – made it difficult to avoid contacts, which led to the first skirmishes and respawn returns happening just minutes after midnight. Fortunately for the less cautious, the scored pool of dogtags (i.e., "lives" assigned to teams) allowed them to return to the game and fight for high rankings despite early setbacks.
During the several hours of nighttime operations, teams tried to gain an advantage by eliminating opponents and collecting their dogtags, visiting control points, and completing special tasks.
Game's special tasks deserve a separate paragraph. The Rat Race organizers have accustomed players to their creativity (for more details, check out our reports from the 4th and 5th edition). This year, among all the attractions there were activities such as searching for a buried chest in a "cemetery," organizing an improvised airport, assembling blocks, playing casino games, analyzing radioactive props, solving puzzles and breaking codes, posing for dynamic photos, riding a wheelbarrow through the forest – and much, much more.
Maintaining continuous activity during the night was crucial for success in the Veteran category. On Saturday morning, however, the nature of the game changed – another 10 teams joined the competition, significantly increasing the density of players in the game area and the sense of danger. These rested players, despite having their own classification (Rookie), had to compete with all other participants. Due to the shorter gameplay time (just over 9 hours), they often focused on maximum mobility and combat effectiveness.
As time passed, fatigue began to set in, and the teams' vigilance waned. The unusual hour of the nighttime maneuvers meant that for many players, this was already the second day without sleep. Errors and a bit of bad luck could mean the end of the adventure – even experienced teams fell victim to more aggressive approaches to the ROE. Those who kept their pace and cool heads had to plan their return to the offgame zone between 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM to avoid penalty points. A good plan, effective execution, fitness, and luck – these four elements determined the final result. Teams that finished in the Veteran category had often traveled for over 40 kilometers on foot, with some even exceeding 50 kilometers.
From an organizational perspective, this year’s Rat Race came close to perfection. The props in the field were carefully prepared, the control points and respawns were precisely positioned and properly marked, and at the respawn points, there was water available. The event was constantly overseen by the organizers and their assistants, photographers were roaming the area, and, if necessary, medical assistance was always ready to act and responded swiftly to any calls (e.g., in case of injuries). If anything stopped working (such as transmitters in the special task "Voice of the Forest"), the game leaders tried to compensate the participants for their losses.
Being impressed by the meticulousness and scale of preparations for this event, it's hard to reconcile with what happened during the night portion of the scenario. After the game, the organizers shared some unfortunate news. Despite having all the necessary permits and having checked multiple times whether the date and area of the Rat Race conflicted with other initiatives, an unregistered group of outsiders entered the game area under the cover of darkness. Their unusual behavior ultimately led to a clash with one of the teams participating in the competition.
The situation is difficult - despite the specific nature of the game and the exclusion of optoelectronic devices, players are still required to correctly identify their targets. Fortunately, no one was injured, so this entire incident should primarily be seen as a warning, as it could have happened to anyone.
Unfortunately, due to these unforeseen circumstances, the relationship between the organizers and the District Forest Authorities has suffered significantly. Despite many years of good cooperation and joint efforts to promote the region, physical activity, and a healthy lifestyle, future plans of RAT Scenarios are now in question. The topic of this year’s Rat Race and the overwhelmingly positive reviews have been circulating on social media and in airsoft communities across Poland for the past few days. As we conclude our report, we can only deeply thank Czajson and KizaR and hope that the situation can be resolved positively — while also hoping that our adventure with RAT Scenarios events won't just end with memories of this edition and souvenir patches on the wall.
Important note: for the common good and the smooth continuation of further activities, the organizers kindly ask everyone to refrain from making any contact with the District Forest Authorities regarding the discussed events.
The winners of the Rat Race VI in the Veteran category were Special Reconnaissance Group. The second place went to Blackops Group Poland, and third place was taken by Pretorians. The Rookie classification was won by the team A-Team + Beaver Squad. The podium was completed by DS Pirates and Zbieranina Squad + Nemo. Congratulations!
Photos: Weronika Świątkowska (editing: Paweł Cięcielowski)
