Post by Rekkon on Jun 11, 2012 20:09:18 GMT -5
Well another Rice Paddy has come and gone. Thanks to the Falls Moto Club for the use of their field, Adam and Eric for helping setup and run things, Tony for bringing the “Huey” and of course all the players.
I encourage everyone to post any comments they have on the event. I can only improve things so much without player feedback. Let me know what you liked/hated or would like to see more/less of.
The good:
We had 17 players. By no means a record, even by Rice Paddy’s modest standards, but better than last year and better than I feared given this year’s unusually slow registration. The weather was also not horrible. We beat heavy rains by a day, and while it was plenty warm with significant humidity, it was most cloudy and breezy. I never had a mosquito problem. I also did not hear of any sportsmanship issues with one possible exception where time, tension special rules and adrenaline combined in a perfect storm. It is possible someone did not call a hit there, but we will never know from sure. No one seemed to get upset over it at least.
The bad:
It was plenty warm, and the heat wore people down. By the third scenario several people were sitting out, and we had to abandon the fourth scenario when there were not enough VC to run it. The event got started a little late because it took Adam, Eric and I longer than anticipated to set up the firebase. Registration and chrono opened much later than intended, but fortunately neither took very long with only 17 people. I had some buffer time build into the initial schedule, so we only started the first scenario about 15 minutes later than intended. But the rest of the day ran further behind, and the third scenario ended about the time I had hoped to end the fourth scenario.
I know we had a few command and control/ informational issues regarding several of the scenarios, particularly the last one. Some of this was intentional; I deliberately did not inform the players of certain things, but several were the result of haste and forgetfulness on my part. I think I also tried to split up things a bit too much, which was a problem when the VC were not allowed to carry radios. We were fortunately the first scenario got started as seamlessly as it did. I failed to recognize some of the synchronization difficulties when planning the scenarios and was then forced to try to correct them on the fly during the game. In the future I will have to plan for improved communications and/or have the teams start in a single location more often.
The ugly:
This was our worst Rice Paddy ever for injuries. One player wrenched a knee, which is always a risk when running around the woods. Another player chipped several teeth, and that is never, ever fun. And Tony tipped the Rhino onto his foot. Fortunately nothing was broken, and he was not carrying any passengers at the time. I would like to thank Eric for taking the time to drive Tony into town to get his foot looked at.
And now for my personal/event organizaer AAR.
The first scenario was titled Firebase Relief, and was intended to be a US relief force attempting to deliver supplies and reenforcements to the besieged firebase. One US player (Josh) was started in the firebase to represent its garrison. He could not be killed, but he could not leave the firebase perimeter either. The intents was for the garrison player to rotate out when someone else made it to the firebase, but this did not happen until the very end of the one hour scenario. The rest of the players would start near staging and attempt to “break through” the VC encirclement. The VC were additionally tasked with moving six “mortar” crates from a side trail near staging all the way across the field to their respawn point. Here I must throw a giant thank you to the two VC players that first volunteered for this thankless and tiring task. Not only did they accomplish their mission flawlessly, they went back for a second trip.
As I set up my players for the start of the game, I began to worry about our ability to interdict the American team. We had a numbers advantage (10 to 7), but two of those were initially pulled off to transport mortar crates. The Americans also “lost” two players to operate as the Huey pilot and gunner, but they were free to concentrate their forces at will, while we were spread across field trying to defend the entire width. And with radios, the US could shift their axis of attack must faster than we could probably respond. Oh well, this was an experimental scenario in many ways, so whatever happened it would be a learning experience.
I sounded the horn for game on and heard the Huey take off down either the center trail or one on the west side. When it came back, there was AEG fire, and I heard Eric screaming hit. First blood seemed to have gone to the Americans and their triple-damned air cover. A few minutes went by as I kept watch on the east ridge, but I never saw any enemy infantry, just long silences punctuated by brief exchanges of distant gunfire. With the wind picking up, I decided I had better check on my crate bearers in case they had not heard the starting signal. When I arrived at their starting flag, they were gone and two of the crates with them. Good good. I grabbed another and made my way back toward center field. The Huey was concentrating on the west side, so the American infantry were probably over there too. I checked in with my sentries as I passed, then made the tension filled crossings of the central trails. I had no clue if anything resembling front lines existed or where they might be. The Huey passed and I made myself one with, then quickly emerged behind a dead American (Alpha11) and covered the open ground to the east ridge, which sheltered me the rest of the way to respawn. I encountered my crate bearers there and asked them to take Alyce to get the remaining ones since they knew where they were (and I thank you again for that).
I moved wide right, ending up in the “mortar pit” from last year. From here I covertly observed the Huey as it moved back and forth. I was thinking I might be able to pick off a few Americans just as they were almost home free, but the range was too great and no targets presented themselves. The Huey left, and I made my way into the brush where several other VC lurked. I continued onto the east ridge, intending to find a position from which I could watch both the east and center trails. I found and joined our sniper just before the Huey changed patrol paths and came around behind us. We went flat and motionless. The danger passed, but I heard Tony talking and thought that perhaps we had been spotted, so we scrambled down the ridge, then back up again as the Huey came back center. I moved up the ridge a bit to broaden our base of fire. About then the three crate bearers arrived in the area, and I joined them as scout and pointman. The way across center was clear, but as the last one crossed the middle trail, they said they saw a US player. I moved to engage and buy them time, slinking up to a mound overlooking the center. I caught a glimpse of Alpha11 and ducked down, hoping to lure him closer for a sure kill. He must have seen me however, for he moved off the trail, then Curt popped up for the kill.
I returned to respawn to check how people were doing. Adam was not answering his radio, so I had to get status reports directly from his players by switching briefly to the US frequency. It sounded like they were having real difficulty, and no one had made it to the firebase thus far. Additionally, the Huey had to sit out for a spell due to overheating. It was back in play however as I headed back into the field. I was crossing the open ground below the east ridge near our respawn when the wind shifted, allowing me to hear the approaching Rhino. I looked over to see it coming around the corner directly toward me. I sprinted for the nearest bushes, expecting at any moment the caress of Brute’s BB laser, but all that came my way was pistol fire from Tony. I got into cover and went to ground. The Huey doubled back and came down the center trail, searching for me. I went as flat as possible, and the Huey passed nearby, oblivious to my presence. Curt was not so lucky. He neglected to go prone and was gunned down. I have said it before, and I will say it again. I really, really like the dynamic that the Rhino Huey brings to the game. No doubt Tony and his gunner drove around plenty, knowing there were VC in the bushes, but unable to find anyone to engage. On the flip side, we VC always moved with one ear cocked, listening for the engine approaching, ready to dive into the bushes and hug dirt until the danger passed.
I went back to the west ridge, and out sniper warned me of danger as I approached. He had just seen someone near my position. My gun came up, and I moved to better cover. As I made my way down the ridge, I spotted another player. In the shadows of the trees, he looked full black and thus VC. I whistled and waved to make my presence know, but he responded with several single shots. I shouted “friendly fire! VC! VC!” and was rewarded with a full auto burst that killed me. Turns out my “friendly” was actually Connor. IFF failures suck. Dead rag on, I walked out past our sniper and another VC player. The later must have taken more fire from Connor because several BBs hit me in the leg. I walked to the firebase to check on things there. Poor Josh had been stuck on garrison duty the entire time, though at least he got to whack Eric, who strayed too close once. I respawned and mounted the west ridge. The Huey was just below, with Brute and Alpha11 attempting to move forward behind it. A large number of VC were walking back dead, so their tactic must have been working. In just about any airsoft game, the players will find a way to subvert the intent of the rules while still following them to the letter. Tony was inching the Huey forward very slowly, never fully stopping (for rapidly switching from forward to reverse), and thus never making himself vulnerable to BB fire. I would have to talk to him about that. For now I just fired on the US infantry. They made a break for it, and I managed to tag Brute despite wind that required extreme deflection shots. The other imperialist American invader escaped into the brush. I decided to let him go. The scenario was nearly over, and I wanted to talk with Brute to see how things were going for the Americans. After that conversation I went center field and managed to catch Adam (dead) and check in with him. Endex arrived, and we started shepherding people toward the firebase for scenario 2. Final tally: The VC managed to move all six mortar crates to their respawn. The US managed to get one player (Connor) and one ammo can to the firebase. Not good for them. Both sides got to open all six of their containers and enjoy the Gatorade and snacks within.
During the break between scenarios, Tony tipped the Rhino between the VC and US respawns. Several of us righted the vehicle, and I drove him back to staging. Eric volunteered to drive Tony into town to get his foot checked out, and Tony said I could operate the Rhino for the next scenario. The whole incident put us behind schedule, but I never heard anyone complain about an extra long break, and in any event safety and health concerns always come before fun.
Scenario 2 was supposed to be the big one. I had scheduled it as a two-hour VC attack on the firebase. Last year’s firebase was basically a point position. This year rather than make essentially one elaborate point, we made over a half dozen smaller ones spread over the entire depth of the field’s “Florida” peninsula. This made the firebase much larger and gave it numerous defensive positions for players to fight over. In addition to the Huey air cover, the US had other tricks up their sleeves. Several landmines were planted on the “enemy” side of bunkers, and near the front of the firebase was a “beaten zone” for registered artillery. This was simulated by a remote fireworks unit connected to packs of firecrackers. The US commander could call down up to six barrages, which killed everything within 20 or so feet. Everyone on the VC team can thank Adam, the US commander, for being late to the field. I had warned him that I would take away one landmine for every five minutes he was late. When he showed up a half hour behind schedule, half his landmines disappeared. If you were on the US team and feel the need to “thank” Adam for this, PM me for his e-mail address.
The VC team had infinite respawns. The US team could respawn in the firebase by burning tokens or by catching a Huey ride back to staging. If the respawn tokens ran out, the firebase would have to be abandoned. Each reenforcement from the first scenario gave the US another token. At game on, I led the VC team in a frontal attack. I figured eventually the VC would trend toward the flank, and I wanted the mines and artillery to have some chance of getting used. We traded initial casualties and managed to take the outermost firebase positions. Seeing two of the six US players dead, I headed back to the Huey to provide their air-based respawn option. It was quickly apparent that I had badly underestimated how many initial tokens the US needed to make a “fair” scenario, so I told Adam to give his team as many extras as they needed to keep the fighting going and let them ignore their reloading restriction. I “air lifted” Alpha11 back to respawn, taking pot shots at VC players with my pistol. Returning to the firebase, I picked up others for the same treatment. I will admit it was a lot of fun seeing people scramble away from the Huey while I shot at them. During one pass I had Alyce dead to right, but after two shots my slide locked back. Curses. By now the US had been pushed back to their rearmost positions. I had intended to made several gunship loops to hopefully give them cover to regain lost territory, but the temperature light on the Huey came on. I parked and returned to the VC spawn, where I told my players to take a brief respite. I wanted resistance to slacken so the US could regain ground because it was almost time to bring out the next evil. In the meantime I attacked on foot, hoping to get Adam to use an artillery barrage. Instead, I advanced unopposed to a half-collapsed central bunker. I held for several minutes, gaining several kills, including the US commander (AK snipe), while I traded fire with 2-3 people. Eventually I caught a BB with my goggles and headed to spawn.
I gave Curt a radio and set up the mortar well back from the firebase. Using his fire corrections, I began dropping indirect NERF rounds on the US positions, scoring several kills. The VC infantry had orders to attack after the mortar started clearing the way. Eventually I had to move up the mortar to get range on the rear positions, and the wind was constantly messing with my aim. Apparently I even managed a direct hit on a US player (Eric #2). Adam was on both radio channels to help with command and control and call mortar casualties, though I hear he abused his power when Curt shifted my fire onto the left bunker, prompting Adam to flee from it. The US commander would soon demonstrate further cowardice as the battle moved into its final phase.
Given how things were going, I decided one can of mortar rounds (21) was enough. I also saw Brute getting uncomfortably close, and he must have killed my spotter, so I rapidly cycled the last three shots and moved to safety. The original firebase plan had been to make the US players do an evacuation if their respawn tokens fell to critical levels as marked by a number of red tokens. My botching of token counts make this impossible however, so Adam and I decided to just make the evacuation a set-piece. I drove the Huey back to respawn and waited for the evac call. It came in promptly, and “Sky Taxi 1” sped off to save the final defenders of a crumbling firebase. I arrived and there was some confusion about who was going to evacuate first which resulted in us sitting around for an unnecessarily long time, which worried me because a stationary Huey is a vulnerable Huey. As if to underscore my point, the VC sniper emerged from the woods behind the firebase while Adam tried to get in the helicopter.
“Uh, Adam, that is an enemy player.”
“It sure is.”
Despite sitting in the gunner position, the US commander was content to watch his men die until someone else noticed the threat and ended it. I was unconcerned; without an AEG the sniper could not shoot down the Huey. Looking around I saw Connor running to the Huey. For some reason I thought he was VC running up to axe kill us, so I took off without a full load. About 30 feet later I realized my mistake, stopped and motioned for him to board. Now full-up, we made the trip to staging while the remaining half of the US team tried to hold out long enough for their bird to return. Over the radio I told Curt that the VC could see the cowardly Americans evacuating so he should press the attack. Apparently a bunch of them walked through the artillery zone, but the firebase commander had felt the need to be on the first chopper out and took the fireworks remote with him.
After dropping off the first load, I told the remaining Americans to hold on; I was en route. VC were getting close, and the last three GIs were in the very last bunker. As I approached I saw the VC sniper at one of the paintball bunkers, so I drew my sidearm and fired on him. He seemed resigned to his fate, but shooting a pistol one-handed is not accurate in the first place, much less from a moving vehicle that one is trying to drive while also holding a radio. It was not particularly surprising that I missed until I noticed myself driving off the trail and had to divert my attention to that task. The trail then ran closer to my target, but he decided then that he really did want to live and ducked behind cover. I put two rounds into the bunker as I drove by. With salvation now in sight, the Americans put down withering suppression fire as the chopper touched down. I yelled “Marines! We are LEAVING!”, they boarded the chopper in record time and off we went as triumphant VC overran the position.
Tony had returned from the hospital and wanted to head home, so I shuttled people and gear back to staging with the Rhino, then loaded it on the trailer. We also had several players that wanted to sit out the next scenario. It is always good to know your limits in warm weather and not overdo it. According to the scenario plan, the loss of the firebase led to a “Behind Enemy Lines” scenario where scattered US patrols were left stranded behind enemy lines. While VC patrols hunted for them, they would have to try to make their way to an LZ and call for helicopter extraction. Now sans-Rhino Eric graciously let us use the four wheeler for this task. The US teams were shuttled out to the field, as were the VC patrols. Neither side knew where the other started, and the VC were only told that they were to hunt down and kill US stragglers. US players could not reload and had no respawns. I ran the Huey again to give Eric #1 some more trigger time. Fortunately we had enough spare radios for each VC team to have one so everyone could start the scenario at the same time.
I waited at respawn for the first extraction request, which took several minutes. When designing the scenario, I had tried to place a VC patrol between each group of Americans and their closest LZ. Of course, I had no idea where any patrol would move after game-on. Connor’s team called first, and I zoomed away to meet them. As I turned into the little side trail that led to their LZ, I spotted a VC player in the brush. Things were about to get interesting. As I arrived, the US players emerged from hiding, but I told them to stand aside while I turned around. That accomplished, they quickly boarded just as I heard an AEG open fire. I cannot speak for the others, but I did not feel any hits or hear any strike the ATV. I do not know if the VC player simply missed or perhaps was blocked by brush; I just gunned it. As we drove away, we were shot, and I had to yell not to fire on a moving Huey. I also mentioned this via radio later. I was not mad, just clarifying the rules, and the situation was so fast and nebulous that I am sure it was an honest mistake. Plus, he opened fire before we started moving. No harm done.
I was in the middle of driving Connor’s team home when Adam made his call for extraction. With Josh sitting out this scenario, he was on his own. I had to inform him that no air assets were currently available; please standby. His response: “I need extraction now!” I thought he was messing with me, so when I got back to “base” I transmitted “Sorry sir, LZ Yankee is outside our coverage area. I mean, I *could* pick you up, but it would incur a roaming charge.” I then drove to Adam’s LZ and picked him up. Turns out he had run into a VC patrol, shot them up and was afraid that they would follow him back to his LZ. That reminded me of Connor’s team, so I let the remaining Americans know that LZ Zulu had been compromised. Back at base, we waited long minutes for the final team to call in, but after a radio check we never heard from them again until they informed us that their team had been killed. No happy ending for them, but at least Connor’s team had a harrowing last-second extraction under fire, and the VC team got to listen to Adam’s panicked calls for extraction until they politely informed him that he was on the wrong radio channel and that was probably why the Huey pilot was ignoring him.
The final scenario was supposed to be both teams sending out recon teams to gather intel, but while the US team could still muster five players, the VC were down to four, and three of those did not particularly want to play, so we called it a day. The US can consider it a win by default.
Overall I liked the Huey mechanics, and I hope the players got the “air extraction” vibe that I was attempting in the second and third scenarios. With luck the US teams “behind enemy lines” got the intended feeling of tension and trapped isolation with hope resting on that slender radio connection to a distant airbase. The second scenario seemed more difficult for the Americans than I intended, but part of that could have been the avenue of attack they chose. The west side of the field was more open, which made the Huey more effective, but it also put them closer to the VC respawn. It also seemed to me that the US kept hitting that side of the field and had they tried a different trail, especially after repeated attacks concentrated our defenders on the west side, they could have slipped through relatively unscathed (like Connor eventually did). Mine is but one perspective though; I would love to hear how everyone else did.
I have the following items in Lost and Found:
• (1) Metal M4 hicap magazine. Made in China. It has the hole in the side for a winding key; JG or Echo 1 perhaps?
• (1) 5000 count container of white .20g Crossman brand BBs. I believe it was left on the trail where the last VC group started the third scenario, which would have been one of the guys with Eric Wang.
• (1) plastic baggie of black BBs.
• (1) Saber radio. Josh’s I believe.
• (1) Oakley coyote tan hard knuckle glove.
I encourage everyone to post any comments they have on the event. I can only improve things so much without player feedback. Let me know what you liked/hated or would like to see more/less of.
The good:
We had 17 players. By no means a record, even by Rice Paddy’s modest standards, but better than last year and better than I feared given this year’s unusually slow registration. The weather was also not horrible. We beat heavy rains by a day, and while it was plenty warm with significant humidity, it was most cloudy and breezy. I never had a mosquito problem. I also did not hear of any sportsmanship issues with one possible exception where time, tension special rules and adrenaline combined in a perfect storm. It is possible someone did not call a hit there, but we will never know from sure. No one seemed to get upset over it at least.
The bad:
It was plenty warm, and the heat wore people down. By the third scenario several people were sitting out, and we had to abandon the fourth scenario when there were not enough VC to run it. The event got started a little late because it took Adam, Eric and I longer than anticipated to set up the firebase. Registration and chrono opened much later than intended, but fortunately neither took very long with only 17 people. I had some buffer time build into the initial schedule, so we only started the first scenario about 15 minutes later than intended. But the rest of the day ran further behind, and the third scenario ended about the time I had hoped to end the fourth scenario.
I know we had a few command and control/ informational issues regarding several of the scenarios, particularly the last one. Some of this was intentional; I deliberately did not inform the players of certain things, but several were the result of haste and forgetfulness on my part. I think I also tried to split up things a bit too much, which was a problem when the VC were not allowed to carry radios. We were fortunately the first scenario got started as seamlessly as it did. I failed to recognize some of the synchronization difficulties when planning the scenarios and was then forced to try to correct them on the fly during the game. In the future I will have to plan for improved communications and/or have the teams start in a single location more often.
The ugly:
This was our worst Rice Paddy ever for injuries. One player wrenched a knee, which is always a risk when running around the woods. Another player chipped several teeth, and that is never, ever fun. And Tony tipped the Rhino onto his foot. Fortunately nothing was broken, and he was not carrying any passengers at the time. I would like to thank Eric for taking the time to drive Tony into town to get his foot looked at.
And now for my personal/event organizaer AAR.
The first scenario was titled Firebase Relief, and was intended to be a US relief force attempting to deliver supplies and reenforcements to the besieged firebase. One US player (Josh) was started in the firebase to represent its garrison. He could not be killed, but he could not leave the firebase perimeter either. The intents was for the garrison player to rotate out when someone else made it to the firebase, but this did not happen until the very end of the one hour scenario. The rest of the players would start near staging and attempt to “break through” the VC encirclement. The VC were additionally tasked with moving six “mortar” crates from a side trail near staging all the way across the field to their respawn point. Here I must throw a giant thank you to the two VC players that first volunteered for this thankless and tiring task. Not only did they accomplish their mission flawlessly, they went back for a second trip.
As I set up my players for the start of the game, I began to worry about our ability to interdict the American team. We had a numbers advantage (10 to 7), but two of those were initially pulled off to transport mortar crates. The Americans also “lost” two players to operate as the Huey pilot and gunner, but they were free to concentrate their forces at will, while we were spread across field trying to defend the entire width. And with radios, the US could shift their axis of attack must faster than we could probably respond. Oh well, this was an experimental scenario in many ways, so whatever happened it would be a learning experience.
I sounded the horn for game on and heard the Huey take off down either the center trail or one on the west side. When it came back, there was AEG fire, and I heard Eric screaming hit. First blood seemed to have gone to the Americans and their triple-damned air cover. A few minutes went by as I kept watch on the east ridge, but I never saw any enemy infantry, just long silences punctuated by brief exchanges of distant gunfire. With the wind picking up, I decided I had better check on my crate bearers in case they had not heard the starting signal. When I arrived at their starting flag, they were gone and two of the crates with them. Good good. I grabbed another and made my way back toward center field. The Huey was concentrating on the west side, so the American infantry were probably over there too. I checked in with my sentries as I passed, then made the tension filled crossings of the central trails. I had no clue if anything resembling front lines existed or where they might be. The Huey passed and I made myself one with, then quickly emerged behind a dead American (Alpha11) and covered the open ground to the east ridge, which sheltered me the rest of the way to respawn. I encountered my crate bearers there and asked them to take Alyce to get the remaining ones since they knew where they were (and I thank you again for that).
I moved wide right, ending up in the “mortar pit” from last year. From here I covertly observed the Huey as it moved back and forth. I was thinking I might be able to pick off a few Americans just as they were almost home free, but the range was too great and no targets presented themselves. The Huey left, and I made my way into the brush where several other VC lurked. I continued onto the east ridge, intending to find a position from which I could watch both the east and center trails. I found and joined our sniper just before the Huey changed patrol paths and came around behind us. We went flat and motionless. The danger passed, but I heard Tony talking and thought that perhaps we had been spotted, so we scrambled down the ridge, then back up again as the Huey came back center. I moved up the ridge a bit to broaden our base of fire. About then the three crate bearers arrived in the area, and I joined them as scout and pointman. The way across center was clear, but as the last one crossed the middle trail, they said they saw a US player. I moved to engage and buy them time, slinking up to a mound overlooking the center. I caught a glimpse of Alpha11 and ducked down, hoping to lure him closer for a sure kill. He must have seen me however, for he moved off the trail, then Curt popped up for the kill.
I returned to respawn to check how people were doing. Adam was not answering his radio, so I had to get status reports directly from his players by switching briefly to the US frequency. It sounded like they were having real difficulty, and no one had made it to the firebase thus far. Additionally, the Huey had to sit out for a spell due to overheating. It was back in play however as I headed back into the field. I was crossing the open ground below the east ridge near our respawn when the wind shifted, allowing me to hear the approaching Rhino. I looked over to see it coming around the corner directly toward me. I sprinted for the nearest bushes, expecting at any moment the caress of Brute’s BB laser, but all that came my way was pistol fire from Tony. I got into cover and went to ground. The Huey doubled back and came down the center trail, searching for me. I went as flat as possible, and the Huey passed nearby, oblivious to my presence. Curt was not so lucky. He neglected to go prone and was gunned down. I have said it before, and I will say it again. I really, really like the dynamic that the Rhino Huey brings to the game. No doubt Tony and his gunner drove around plenty, knowing there were VC in the bushes, but unable to find anyone to engage. On the flip side, we VC always moved with one ear cocked, listening for the engine approaching, ready to dive into the bushes and hug dirt until the danger passed.
I went back to the west ridge, and out sniper warned me of danger as I approached. He had just seen someone near my position. My gun came up, and I moved to better cover. As I made my way down the ridge, I spotted another player. In the shadows of the trees, he looked full black and thus VC. I whistled and waved to make my presence know, but he responded with several single shots. I shouted “friendly fire! VC! VC!” and was rewarded with a full auto burst that killed me. Turns out my “friendly” was actually Connor. IFF failures suck. Dead rag on, I walked out past our sniper and another VC player. The later must have taken more fire from Connor because several BBs hit me in the leg. I walked to the firebase to check on things there. Poor Josh had been stuck on garrison duty the entire time, though at least he got to whack Eric, who strayed too close once. I respawned and mounted the west ridge. The Huey was just below, with Brute and Alpha11 attempting to move forward behind it. A large number of VC were walking back dead, so their tactic must have been working. In just about any airsoft game, the players will find a way to subvert the intent of the rules while still following them to the letter. Tony was inching the Huey forward very slowly, never fully stopping (for rapidly switching from forward to reverse), and thus never making himself vulnerable to BB fire. I would have to talk to him about that. For now I just fired on the US infantry. They made a break for it, and I managed to tag Brute despite wind that required extreme deflection shots. The other imperialist American invader escaped into the brush. I decided to let him go. The scenario was nearly over, and I wanted to talk with Brute to see how things were going for the Americans. After that conversation I went center field and managed to catch Adam (dead) and check in with him. Endex arrived, and we started shepherding people toward the firebase for scenario 2. Final tally: The VC managed to move all six mortar crates to their respawn. The US managed to get one player (Connor) and one ammo can to the firebase. Not good for them. Both sides got to open all six of their containers and enjoy the Gatorade and snacks within.
During the break between scenarios, Tony tipped the Rhino between the VC and US respawns. Several of us righted the vehicle, and I drove him back to staging. Eric volunteered to drive Tony into town to get his foot checked out, and Tony said I could operate the Rhino for the next scenario. The whole incident put us behind schedule, but I never heard anyone complain about an extra long break, and in any event safety and health concerns always come before fun.
Scenario 2 was supposed to be the big one. I had scheduled it as a two-hour VC attack on the firebase. Last year’s firebase was basically a point position. This year rather than make essentially one elaborate point, we made over a half dozen smaller ones spread over the entire depth of the field’s “Florida” peninsula. This made the firebase much larger and gave it numerous defensive positions for players to fight over. In addition to the Huey air cover, the US had other tricks up their sleeves. Several landmines were planted on the “enemy” side of bunkers, and near the front of the firebase was a “beaten zone” for registered artillery. This was simulated by a remote fireworks unit connected to packs of firecrackers. The US commander could call down up to six barrages, which killed everything within 20 or so feet. Everyone on the VC team can thank Adam, the US commander, for being late to the field. I had warned him that I would take away one landmine for every five minutes he was late. When he showed up a half hour behind schedule, half his landmines disappeared. If you were on the US team and feel the need to “thank” Adam for this, PM me for his e-mail address.
The VC team had infinite respawns. The US team could respawn in the firebase by burning tokens or by catching a Huey ride back to staging. If the respawn tokens ran out, the firebase would have to be abandoned. Each reenforcement from the first scenario gave the US another token. At game on, I led the VC team in a frontal attack. I figured eventually the VC would trend toward the flank, and I wanted the mines and artillery to have some chance of getting used. We traded initial casualties and managed to take the outermost firebase positions. Seeing two of the six US players dead, I headed back to the Huey to provide their air-based respawn option. It was quickly apparent that I had badly underestimated how many initial tokens the US needed to make a “fair” scenario, so I told Adam to give his team as many extras as they needed to keep the fighting going and let them ignore their reloading restriction. I “air lifted” Alpha11 back to respawn, taking pot shots at VC players with my pistol. Returning to the firebase, I picked up others for the same treatment. I will admit it was a lot of fun seeing people scramble away from the Huey while I shot at them. During one pass I had Alyce dead to right, but after two shots my slide locked back. Curses. By now the US had been pushed back to their rearmost positions. I had intended to made several gunship loops to hopefully give them cover to regain lost territory, but the temperature light on the Huey came on. I parked and returned to the VC spawn, where I told my players to take a brief respite. I wanted resistance to slacken so the US could regain ground because it was almost time to bring out the next evil. In the meantime I attacked on foot, hoping to get Adam to use an artillery barrage. Instead, I advanced unopposed to a half-collapsed central bunker. I held for several minutes, gaining several kills, including the US commander (AK snipe), while I traded fire with 2-3 people. Eventually I caught a BB with my goggles and headed to spawn.
I gave Curt a radio and set up the mortar well back from the firebase. Using his fire corrections, I began dropping indirect NERF rounds on the US positions, scoring several kills. The VC infantry had orders to attack after the mortar started clearing the way. Eventually I had to move up the mortar to get range on the rear positions, and the wind was constantly messing with my aim. Apparently I even managed a direct hit on a US player (Eric #2). Adam was on both radio channels to help with command and control and call mortar casualties, though I hear he abused his power when Curt shifted my fire onto the left bunker, prompting Adam to flee from it. The US commander would soon demonstrate further cowardice as the battle moved into its final phase.
Given how things were going, I decided one can of mortar rounds (21) was enough. I also saw Brute getting uncomfortably close, and he must have killed my spotter, so I rapidly cycled the last three shots and moved to safety. The original firebase plan had been to make the US players do an evacuation if their respawn tokens fell to critical levels as marked by a number of red tokens. My botching of token counts make this impossible however, so Adam and I decided to just make the evacuation a set-piece. I drove the Huey back to respawn and waited for the evac call. It came in promptly, and “Sky Taxi 1” sped off to save the final defenders of a crumbling firebase. I arrived and there was some confusion about who was going to evacuate first which resulted in us sitting around for an unnecessarily long time, which worried me because a stationary Huey is a vulnerable Huey. As if to underscore my point, the VC sniper emerged from the woods behind the firebase while Adam tried to get in the helicopter.
“Uh, Adam, that is an enemy player.”
“It sure is.”
Despite sitting in the gunner position, the US commander was content to watch his men die until someone else noticed the threat and ended it. I was unconcerned; without an AEG the sniper could not shoot down the Huey. Looking around I saw Connor running to the Huey. For some reason I thought he was VC running up to axe kill us, so I took off without a full load. About 30 feet later I realized my mistake, stopped and motioned for him to board. Now full-up, we made the trip to staging while the remaining half of the US team tried to hold out long enough for their bird to return. Over the radio I told Curt that the VC could see the cowardly Americans evacuating so he should press the attack. Apparently a bunch of them walked through the artillery zone, but the firebase commander had felt the need to be on the first chopper out and took the fireworks remote with him.
After dropping off the first load, I told the remaining Americans to hold on; I was en route. VC were getting close, and the last three GIs were in the very last bunker. As I approached I saw the VC sniper at one of the paintball bunkers, so I drew my sidearm and fired on him. He seemed resigned to his fate, but shooting a pistol one-handed is not accurate in the first place, much less from a moving vehicle that one is trying to drive while also holding a radio. It was not particularly surprising that I missed until I noticed myself driving off the trail and had to divert my attention to that task. The trail then ran closer to my target, but he decided then that he really did want to live and ducked behind cover. I put two rounds into the bunker as I drove by. With salvation now in sight, the Americans put down withering suppression fire as the chopper touched down. I yelled “Marines! We are LEAVING!”, they boarded the chopper in record time and off we went as triumphant VC overran the position.
Tony had returned from the hospital and wanted to head home, so I shuttled people and gear back to staging with the Rhino, then loaded it on the trailer. We also had several players that wanted to sit out the next scenario. It is always good to know your limits in warm weather and not overdo it. According to the scenario plan, the loss of the firebase led to a “Behind Enemy Lines” scenario where scattered US patrols were left stranded behind enemy lines. While VC patrols hunted for them, they would have to try to make their way to an LZ and call for helicopter extraction. Now sans-Rhino Eric graciously let us use the four wheeler for this task. The US teams were shuttled out to the field, as were the VC patrols. Neither side knew where the other started, and the VC were only told that they were to hunt down and kill US stragglers. US players could not reload and had no respawns. I ran the Huey again to give Eric #1 some more trigger time. Fortunately we had enough spare radios for each VC team to have one so everyone could start the scenario at the same time.
I waited at respawn for the first extraction request, which took several minutes. When designing the scenario, I had tried to place a VC patrol between each group of Americans and their closest LZ. Of course, I had no idea where any patrol would move after game-on. Connor’s team called first, and I zoomed away to meet them. As I turned into the little side trail that led to their LZ, I spotted a VC player in the brush. Things were about to get interesting. As I arrived, the US players emerged from hiding, but I told them to stand aside while I turned around. That accomplished, they quickly boarded just as I heard an AEG open fire. I cannot speak for the others, but I did not feel any hits or hear any strike the ATV. I do not know if the VC player simply missed or perhaps was blocked by brush; I just gunned it. As we drove away, we were shot, and I had to yell not to fire on a moving Huey. I also mentioned this via radio later. I was not mad, just clarifying the rules, and the situation was so fast and nebulous that I am sure it was an honest mistake. Plus, he opened fire before we started moving. No harm done.
I was in the middle of driving Connor’s team home when Adam made his call for extraction. With Josh sitting out this scenario, he was on his own. I had to inform him that no air assets were currently available; please standby. His response: “I need extraction now!” I thought he was messing with me, so when I got back to “base” I transmitted “Sorry sir, LZ Yankee is outside our coverage area. I mean, I *could* pick you up, but it would incur a roaming charge.” I then drove to Adam’s LZ and picked him up. Turns out he had run into a VC patrol, shot them up and was afraid that they would follow him back to his LZ. That reminded me of Connor’s team, so I let the remaining Americans know that LZ Zulu had been compromised. Back at base, we waited long minutes for the final team to call in, but after a radio check we never heard from them again until they informed us that their team had been killed. No happy ending for them, but at least Connor’s team had a harrowing last-second extraction under fire, and the VC team got to listen to Adam’s panicked calls for extraction until they politely informed him that he was on the wrong radio channel and that was probably why the Huey pilot was ignoring him.
The final scenario was supposed to be both teams sending out recon teams to gather intel, but while the US team could still muster five players, the VC were down to four, and three of those did not particularly want to play, so we called it a day. The US can consider it a win by default.
Overall I liked the Huey mechanics, and I hope the players got the “air extraction” vibe that I was attempting in the second and third scenarios. With luck the US teams “behind enemy lines” got the intended feeling of tension and trapped isolation with hope resting on that slender radio connection to a distant airbase. The second scenario seemed more difficult for the Americans than I intended, but part of that could have been the avenue of attack they chose. The west side of the field was more open, which made the Huey more effective, but it also put them closer to the VC respawn. It also seemed to me that the US kept hitting that side of the field and had they tried a different trail, especially after repeated attacks concentrated our defenders on the west side, they could have slipped through relatively unscathed (like Connor eventually did). Mine is but one perspective though; I would love to hear how everyone else did.
I have the following items in Lost and Found:
• (1) Metal M4 hicap magazine. Made in China. It has the hole in the side for a winding key; JG or Echo 1 perhaps?
• (1) 5000 count container of white .20g Crossman brand BBs. I believe it was left on the trail where the last VC group started the third scenario, which would have been one of the guys with Eric Wang.
• (1) plastic baggie of black BBs.
• (1) Saber radio. Josh’s I believe.
• (1) Oakley coyote tan hard knuckle glove.
