West Point Spring Combat Classic 08

This is the map for the Korean War Scenario in jpg format.

08 Invites

I’ve been lax in my duties of spamming all of you with invitations to join me playing paintball this year! I know a bunch of people from my invite list still check my blogs so I figured I’d leave the invites here. Though I’ve been told that my emails are not spam, I always feel funny sending mass emails. I’m the guy were all the chain letter and joke email forwards end.

Let it be known to all my ex co-workers, family and friends, you are all invited to join me at any of the games on my schedule. I’ve been to two games so far this year and have quite a number to go. Look at my schedule to see when and where I am playing.

THIS WEEKEND is the spring West Point big game. I mentioned the game to a few people already. For those that I haven’t spoke with, I know this post is short notice. The Cadets put on some of the best games I’ve been to. The people that usually turn out to play have been some of the best crowd to play with. I really can’t say enough about the West Point games or the men behind the scenes that make the game possible. From the beginner to the advanced player, I can’t imagine anyone having less than a great time. They have announced that they will have artillery sims, smoke grenades, and two machine guns (a M249 and M240B firing blanks) on the field during the game. There will be a Blackhawk helicopter doing a flyover and landing so that those interested can get a closer look at this awesome piece of machinery! It looks as though some of the top Northeast teams will be in attendance. Greg Hastings will be there. Rain or shine, this will be a great game. You can follow the pre-game chatter in this PBNation post.

After this game I have a little hiatus but I hope to see you at ION in July at Skirmish, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly in August at Strategy Plus or one of the many other games this year. If you just want to go out for a pick-up rec game, let me know and we'll schedule something in!

War of Attrition '08

WAR OF ATTRITION: ROAD TO PARIS

This was a fun game right from the start. A number of teams decided to split their members between the two sides. Consequently, there was much spy and intrigue action all over the field. I played on the German side with my team captain and the majority of my teammates. Whenever we took the field, we seemed to push the opfor around. Controlling much of the field, we had the chance to hold possession of many objectives and fly our flags over them. Unfortunately, we had a mole in our ranks that would flip many of the flags back over, signaling Allied possession, at the tops of the hour in order to have them recorded as points for the opposite team! The game was still closely fought and the victor was decided by the outcome of the final battle. The final score was Germans 44, Allies 35. I could see many people having a great time, regardless of what was going on in the game or should I say, despite any backstabbing or underhandedness by those role-playing.

I think the splitting up of teams between the sides was an interesting idea that added to the fun of the game. Teams usually do not do this for a big game and it was, if not original, then a novel idea. I not sure dividing teams up like this is a good idea to do too often, but it gave an opportunity for some fun espionage role-playing by players that may have not otherwise engaged in such underhandedness and it gave leadership roles to others that may have not had the opportunity to step up. Personally, I had the chance to lead a few squads under orders from our General and CO. Various orders included providing reinforcement to troops across the field, providing escort and leading a charge.

Strategy Plus continues to draw quality players (about 150 of them to this game). I am sure this is in no doubt due to how well the organizers run events. The Refs were in the action making calls and spot-checking for hot shooting markers. (btw, I did not hear about anyone shooting hot) The weather was sunny and beautiful and the paint shot well. The game format, with the splitting of teams to each side, made this event a memorable one. Another nice touch was the addition of an award for "most valuable scenario player". This was in addition to the more standard MVT and MVP awards. With all the great staff, terrain and players, I am happy to call Strategy Plus my home field. If you haven't played Strategy Plus yet, I highly recommend their field to anyone, whether you are a beginner or advanced player.