What was SFLasertag
SFLasertag was an event producer and party organizer, hosting outdoor lasertag events in the San Francisco Bay Area from 2009-2017. My name is Ziggy Tomcich, and i proudly started and ran SFLasertag. During these 8 years, I hosted 11 public and 24 private corporate teambuilding lasertag events with between 20-200 players playing objective-based team lasertag games in beautiful outdoor park settings. My last lasertag event was in 2017, and i am no longer producing SFlasertag events at this time. I’m keeping this webpage as a memorial to the fun lasertag parties i once organized.
Where we played
I had no fixed location. All of my events took place in area parks, open space preserves, open space wildernesses, and private properties throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our events lasted anywhere from a couple of hours to most of the day. We played games in a 3-10 acre unmodified natural wooded environment. Each game was around 12-20 minutes, with no more than 24 players playing at any given time.
The most challenging part of running SFLasertag was finding suitable locations to play, which involved lots of scouting through bay area parks. All of my events were done with approval from the local park rangers who ran the park. Most parks are not appropriate to player lasertag in for a variety of reasons. I’m tenacious, and i thoroughly explored most parks in the bay area just to find a dozen gem locations usually near group campsites or group picnic areas, where lasertag was perfect for that beautiful outdoor setting.
Starting SFLasertag
I started SFLasertag because i LOVE playing lasertag, especially team-based games that require strategy and communication to win. I traveled the world playing in lasertag tournaments. I got the idea for SFLasertag after playing in the 2009 Sweden Armageddon lasertag ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpFgFIi1Rug ). Shortly after coming back, i organized “Make Love & War”, a lasertag picnic party for the poly community in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, and it was a huge success. I rented lasertag equipment from Specopsliveplay.com in Oakdale CA. I sold out this event with 6 teams of 12 players each, and i Immediately got requests for organizing private corporate teambuilding events.
SFlasertag’s format
What made SFlasertag events unique was my emphasis on teamwork and communication both within each game and for the overall mission of the entire event. Each game mattered because team victory points were tracked and added up between rounds against various teams. As an experienced tournament lasertag player, I ran SFlasertags just like a lasertag tournament.
Each team came up with their own team name and team color, the same teams were kept for the entire event, and there was a leaderboard showing how the total number of points each team earned throughout the event. Teams typically played 4 games lasting about 12 minutes in a round-robin format. Coaches briefed each team before each round to help coordinate a strategy, and they debriefed after to share with the team what worked, what didn’t, and how they can improve next time.
Teambuilding Lasertag
This format of running tournament style lasertag games for inexperienced lasertag players was unique, and i’m proud to have pioneered this. It made for the perfect team-building activity. By the end of the second game, many of these first time players start getting exciting about what team they’re playing next and what kind of strategy they’re likely to use.
Part of the excitement was the emphasis of team strategy and the use of two-way radios, which were issued for every player. The two-way radios allowed teammates to communicate during the game, but they also played game sound effects, and a play by play from the game refs thanks to a radio repeater system i rented and setup for every SFlasertag event. Two-way radio traffic was played through speakers in the picnic area, which usually overlooked the playing field allowing teams who aren’t playing to watch while enjoying the food and drinks SFlasertag provided. I tried to create a fun festive atmosphere at my events, trying to balance thrill with chill.
Running SFLasertag
My seasonal job at the San Francisco Opera was ideal for running a side-business like SFlasertag. While SFLasertag was a success financially, it wasn’t profitable enough for me to want to give up my amazing opera job.
I was excited and loved producing lasertag events, and that energy is what kept me running events regularly for 8 years. But my passion and energy for lasertag diminished in 2016. With diminishing passion, i started to neglect SFlasertag. Responding to emails with enthusiastic and elaborate event proposals was becoming rarer, and i started to let lucrative event requests go unanswered. When running SFLasertag became a source of stress rather than a source of enjoyment, then i realized it was time to let it go.
I’m keeping this website as a memorial for the events I have done. By hosting this website, i’m hoping previous SFLasertag players may enjoy a fond trip down memory lane of the fun adventures we once had.
SFLasertag Event Production 