Depending on what style of play you like:
Walkons are more like the average pay and play 'punter' days. These tend to be held monthly at sites that run walkons
Expect to pay a 'green fee' on entry, and paint much cheaper then the 'punter' price
You may be allowed to bring your own paint, but there is little to be saved & it needs to be stored properly
Tournament play - if into this either join / form a team, or you can turn up at some and join a 'scratch' team for the day. Your marker will suffice but isn't necessarily the ideal one for tournaments
I know little about tournaments but this is the forum to fin out anything on them
Big games / scenarios / special events
Wih these buy a ticket, read the player pack, turn up and play
Most of the time you can bring your own paint as with some walkons, but in some cases you need site paint, either to support the traders who attend or special requirements depending on the venue (eg clear paint)
Expect to pay more for entry and about £30 for a case of paint.
Big games and scenarios are now held across the country and throughout the year. Some are one day games some and whole weekends. These events attract a lot of retailer support.
A big game is generally classified by numbers. NvS is clearly a big game with in excess of 1000 players each year
Scenarios are defined by a storyline, size varies from about 30+ people to hundreds
If you like the idea of playing some form of role, attempting tasks and possibly some fancy dress them scenario is for you. If you just fancy playing in the woods and shooting people then scenario could still be for you
In the last year (and still coming up every now and then) there have been a few 'special events' with play outside of the normal sites, such as an industrial estate, an island, a shopping centre, underground bunkers, active army training areas etc
These are 'scenario' styled but in many cases are once only events so attract the players go fancy something different