Deadwood '07

Deadwood was a two-day Paintball scenario game that was one of a series of Cowboy/Western themed games at Strategy Plus known as "Frontier Wars". There were poker games at the saloon, horse auctions, horse thievery, stickups, kidnapings, cold-blooded murders, Posse roundups, duels and too much tomfoolery to begin to mention all in one place! On the red side there was the Swearengen gang and on blue, the Tollivers. There were actually two "third entities". The Law wore green armbands and the Indians (or Native Americans, if you prefer) were in green bands and headdresses.

Team Extreme Measures played the Law with several of our members playing specific roles. On Saturday, the bulk of us spent time responding to threats to our lovely town of Deadwood. Right at the start of the game, Swearengen's goons chose to come into town to knock off a couple of orphan girls. That put the red team at a disadvantage for the early part of the game as the Law could not let such a heinous act, that devastated the peace and tranquility of our little town, go unpunished. First point of order was to lock down and purge the town of any of Swearengen's men. Push them out and exact retribution with extreme prejudice.

During most of the time that I spent at the town, on one end of town we were constantly being harassed by Swearengen's men and on the other side, Swearengen men (who were obviously unaware of what the other men on their team were up to) were walking right up to us. They would realize that the Law was returning fire at their own teammates. Before they could say, "what the ...!" and raise their markers, they were being barrel-tapped or opened fire upon. This certainly made for an interesting dynamic. At the same time that the Law was trying to protect our town from would be raiders, we were also trying to be open to players acting roles and trying to barter goods and favors.

One of my personal highlights was after chasing some of Swearengen's men out of deadwood and down to the neighboring village. After being shot out, myself and some Lawmen had to pass through Swearengen's men to reinsert. On our way we realized that we had backed them up against our reinsertion point. First thought was 'GREAT, how are we going to get back in without getting lit up'! Then it occured to us that their attention was on the ridge where we had come from, not behind them at our reinsertion. Once we had made it to our reinsertion, myself and two other Lawmen decided to barrel-tap as many people as we can till we're found out and then just start shooting till we're eliminated. The idea was that we would weaken the line enough for our teammates over the next ridge to push through. We spread out and snuck up behind the opposing force. We worked our way from back to front, barrel-tapping as we went. I personally tapped about 15 people as I made my way through the most dense pockets of players. All told we eliminated about 25 of our opponents. In fact, we made it back to our guys on the ridge to tell them all was clear. As I looked back behind us, I could see only one of Swearengen's men out in the woods. I have never barrel-tapped so many people! much less all at once! Priceless!

On the second day, I mostly tried to help out the field and see where I could be of use to the field manager. Several times I ventured out into the game to deliver messages and missions. It was really cool to help create a mission and help put it in motion. Also staying at "mission control" gave me a chance to change perspective and gain a birds-eye view on how the game was running. While I did not carry a marker at any point during the day, I included the day in my brigade page play log because I was shot at and in one case pegged by a few paintballs!

One highlight of the day was delivering a telegram to Marshall Bullock that called for the capture and detainment of Francis Wolcott for murder. Upon delivery of said telegram, the marshall began reading it out loud... ...while Wolcott was standing right next to him. All Props to Shadawg of Team Ragnarok who played Wolcott because I have never seen a man in full paintball gear take off and run that fast! EVER!

What a great weekend! The weather was beautiful and the field was great! I don't think there was ever more than 1 person in front of me in line for air and every tank fill was a full one. Although the paint was accurate and didn't cause any breaks, it seems that the fill in the RPS Premium paintballs seemed to be staining more than usual. I'm not really sure what to attribute that to? While I missed Friday's meet and greet, potluck dinner and poker game, I was there for the Talent show, the performance by local band "Hit and Run" and several other impromptu Poker games. The food served up at the field was also good. How could you go wrong with grilled steaks and sausage?! - Oh, and good company.

Another Invitation...

I'm really looking forward to his one. Deadwood is all about having a good time. Time to let out your inner cowboy/cowgirl. If your up for some role play, there still appears to be some roles available too. You can tell people are getting excited about a game when there's a YouTube trailer for it! see below...

Check out the itinerary. There is a Poker game friday night and a Deadwood talent show Saturday (At Gem Theatre?). Both, I believe, are for points. Go to the Strategy Plus website and the Deadwood PBN thread for more info. There is limited camping at the field. I'll be there for sure. Come on out y'all.

ION '07

French action began at 1200 on Saturdy as we assisted in helping defend our beaches along side German forces, against the invading Allied forces. While the French were defending the left beachhead against the landing Allies in front, the 101st Airborne division was knocking on our back door. At about the same time that the Allies had punched a hole though the middle of the beach, word was spread that German forces were attacking our French base at “Le Grand Bunker”. French forces were now fighting Opfor on three sides with our backs to the tapeline and I was personally running out of ammo. I even borrowed a pod before leaving the beach to resupply and reinforce our base defense.

As I was walking off the field, the French forces appeared to have started falling back to protect our base and keep the Germans outside the base perimeter. Seizing the chance to rid our lands of the German occupiers, we resupplied with air and paint to join with the Allied forces. Together we pushed the Germans away from our base back to Benouville (aka ‘the hood’) and prevented German movement into interior France. The fighting at Benouville was fierce as the Germans had a strong hold of the town. The French MASH unit was nowhere to be found and Refs to punch medic cards were scarce. Our French contingent regrouped at our GP tent. Armed with fresh pods and full tanks we took to the field at 1700 to try to intercept German mission teams. A capture of one of their flags would drive the message home to the German leadership that the French no longer wanted their occupation. A counter-clockwise sweep of the field around the centrally located French base indicated that the French controlled about 2/3rds of the battlefield at the time. At around 180˚ of our sweep we came across one squad of Allied forces running a mission. For all intent and purpose, German misson taking was shut down.

At nearly 270˚ we came to the town at Benouville again where the Germans were still maintaining their tight grip despite being almost completely surrounded by Allies. They weren’t running missions but they were flying a beautiful German flag. One that if caught would send the message to the German command loud and clear. With eyes on the flag, our group of 10-12 sprinted around the outskirts of the town till we found a good place to push in. As we rushed in, we drew in and rallied a handful or two of the troops in the immediate area. Markers up and paint flying we provided a base of fire for each other as we took angles on the opfor and advanced into the town. The town had been surrounded for some time but our war cry had resonated through all the attacking force and the town folded like a deck of cards. Unfortunately the flag was taken as the Germans made their hasty escape from the town. Unfortunately as well, when the flag carrier was pursued and eliminated he did not drop the flag. Instead it was rolled up and carried off before we could bring it to any ref’s attention. We may have not gotten our flag but I think the message was sent. At this point, the Germans were pushed to and contained at the Beach and their Base at Normandy. With some paint left we decided to make an attempt to capture the German MASH unit. That proved a bit difficult when the stretcher of the Mash unit was being used as a shield that was healing the people shooting from behind it. (read painball instead of paintball! Not ‘are you hit?’ but ‘Have you had enough hits to cry uncle?’) From our position at the edge of the Beach, we decided that what we actually just accomplished was giving points to the Allies for possession of Benouville as opposed to reaping any reward for leading the assault that made it fall. We did not end up with the points we were looking for with a capture of a German Flag. We did have the satisfaction of knowing we pushed the Germans ‘right outta Dodge’ so to say!

While resupplying at our GP tent, word had gotten to us that the Germans were losing the beach and were on the verge of being cornered in their base. French command had decided that a platoon-sized mixed detachment would be sent to bolster the German defense and help defend the beach. (‘mixed’ from a few of the teams within the French forces) I’m not sure what we gained in return other than, honestly, a few hundred Germans that might’ve decided to stay and play a second day of paintball!

Upon arriving at the beach with literally a truck-full, AND TRAILER-FULL, of troops, it was obvious that the Germans had lost the beach. The Allies had rolled all the tube bunkers to the edge of the treeline and the German forces were pushed into Normandy. Once cleared by German command, we inserted at the German insertion point and spread out along the treeline. After we covered a few angles and eliminated some of the players hidden amongst the tube bunkers, I jumped up to the tubes and began to push. Following the lead, the whole front lines took to the tubes and before long the we pushed 100 yards or so and the Germans were starting to gain a foothold back on the beach. Having helped turn the tides and running out of paint and air, the French reinforcements started withdrawing as German replacements came forward. The drive still had momentum as we wlked off the field.

By the time we were back to our tent to resupply, night had fallen. We headed out to our base at “Le Grand Bunker” to provide base defense. While I cannot say things were quiet, base defense for the night was largely uneventful. Shortly after 2300, gameplay was halted and we exited the field.

Sunday Gameplay started at 0900. I arrived at the French base at 0920 due to having to procure a third case of paint earlier in the morning. It was understood that at this point, the Germans had no way of winning the event but they could still challenge the French for 2nd place. The French might also see some action from the Allied Forces looking to secure and extend their lead. Only time would tell what the day’s event would hold.

...To be contiued...

NJ Nam '07

So the problem with waiting so long after the game to write the summary / review is that the details of the game begin to be forgotten. The Brigade play log has had my kill & death numbers posted for some time now. I usually start the write-up there and then spruce up the format and embellish when it moves here. The problem is that the Play Log composer times out if you take to long writing your entry. I timed out twice after a lengthy bit of writing and lost the will to write t over again. When I compose locally on word it just seems like forever before I get a chance to finally upload. That’s enough excuses…

Regarding this game, one thing is certain, there was certainly a lot of hype and there was much anticipation. I believe the rule about letting the hype get so stratospheric is that you HAVE to deliver. Much of the hype was centered around, what I’d call game accoutrements, non of which I’d signed up for and of which I was a little skeptical how they were going to be incorporated and effect the gameplay. The thing I did know was that I wanted to be there to see how things would play out. I had heard good things about Pyro Production’s games and this was to be my first time to one of their games.

The field (Accurate Paintball) is adjacent to an active but small municipal airport that is home to a popular Skydiving School. Spots were being reserved for skydiving insertions, helicopter insertions and plane runway insertions. I had done a tandem jump before and was not really interested in doing one with paintball equipment or wasting my paintball time with the logistics of being involved in a mock airborne insertion or heli drop, especially if it wasn’t really going to help our cause in the gameplay. Therefore, I was not disappointed when the helicopter broke down and could not make it. Nor was I disappointed when, for whatever reason, there weren’t any air jumps or plane insertions. (From what I understand there were several ‘ballers who did some tandem skydiving but it was not in an insertion scenario.)

Evidenced by the reaction on various forums, a number of players were disappointed that Pyro delivered less than was advertised during all the pre-game hype. Personally, I could only give the weekend a couple of negatives. One was that the vegetation was on the dense side for my tastes with copious servings of holly bushes, thorny vines and various prickers. The other negative was that it was extremely hot especially on Saturday (more on that in a bit). From what I understand, the brush had been cut back and grown back quicker than expected and the weather is, well…, the weather.

On Saturday there was one group of kills that I particularly enjoyed (insert evil grin and evil “muah ha ha ha” laugh). Encountering a head on battle occurring down a narrow pathway, a fellow teammate and I slipped into the brush to the left of the firefight. We crawled, pushed and squeezed our way into position. My teammate was about 20 yards ahead of me as we positioned at the edge of the trail where all the fighting was happening. As I was coming into position I could see opfor trying to advance through the brush on the opposite side of the trail. I found a shady spot next to a tree with some low-lying foliage. The opfor’s path through the brush must’ve had 2 natural and irresistible stopping points because one after another opfor filed into positions that also happened to correspond with a small but clear firing lane from my position. I racked seven kills (+7) before the escalating firefight my teammate found himself in started drawing my attention. He had found himself ON the path that was the main firing lane between our and the opposing force. I could only imagine that the woods were becoming too hot and he pushed to the path to meet the oncoming opfor.

The situation meant I could no longer enjoy increasing my elimination ratio from my concealed position. Besides, my teammate looked like he could use some support as he was out in the open at the edge of the path sending ropes of paint towards an advancing opfor. As I busted out of the brush and fast-walked my way toward the opfor, I heard my teammate call himself out. I skirted the opposite side of the path to shield myself from the bulk of the incoming paint, while three members of the opposing force ducked for cover behind a wooden structure. One of the three didn’t move quick enough. (+8) As the remaining two tried to conceal themselves, I rushed the structure knowing one or both of them would probably peek out trying to find me to. Sure enough, a mask and hopper pop out and they realized they’re losing cover with my advance. (+9) I could see +10 pop out behind the person I’ve just eliminated but, between the two of us, I’m not sure who was hit first. As I walk off, +9 and my teammate with whom I had crawled through the bush with, exchange comments on how nicely that was played. It’s good when you can see a grin from behind a mask!! I could see theirs and I know I was grinning ear-to-ear.

One of my memorable eliminations was when I took point in a 4-man team and pushed into dense brush to find a couple snipers. To make a long story short I slowly pushed my way in stopping frequently to scope the area. The density of the brush had us hunched over and crawling. As I threw a leg over a downed tree, WHAP!, right in the left ass cheek. As I spun around, I could see the sniper about twenty yards away against the downed tree I just climbed over. As I turn to find my way out, I spot the second sniper 15 yards down the opposite end of the tree! It was THAT thick in places. As I backtracked my way past my teammates, “WHAT HAPPENED?!”, they asked. “I GOT SHOT IN THE ASS!”, I blurted out before I could button my lip. Major kudos to those snipers!

I think the player count for the weekend was 1,700. Saturday’s heat was brutal. I believe 22 people needed help getting out of play due to heat exhaustion. A number of those needed an ambulance and a few had to be taken to the hospital. I personally drank about 300 oz. of water and lemonade with electrolytes. Sunday was not as hot but was still humid. I still drank about 150-200 oz of water. It did rain Sunday and the cool rain was a relief. It would have been nice if we weren’t trying to hold the closing ceremonies and prize raffles during the downpour though! There were a number of markers, HPA tanks and large gear bags given away as prizes as well as some marker specific upgrades. I don’t remember how many prizes were given out exactly, but it was more than I’ve seen before. Somehow I managed not to win anything or snatch any freebies that were tossed into the crowd. It was a fun weekend. I had a great time and have no problems going to another Pyro produced game.

There are plenty more stories to tell about this game but I am already looking forward to ION in a couple weeks. They’re expecting 5000 for that one.

NJ Nam '07 Pictures

My personal stats for this game and my game notes/comments can be found in the Play Log section of my brigade page.

Two top pictures were taken by Team Extreme Measures. Action Shots below by Kathie Williams of Fireworks Photography

Gallery

2008 Season
Battle of Stalingrad (Skirmish USA)	March 15
I've tried to give all proper credit to where it's due and asked permissions where I thought necessary.

2007 Season
Battle of Hube's Pocket (Hornet's Nest)	March 3
Battle of Stalingrad (Skirmish USA)	March 10
War of Attrition (Strategy Plus)	April 14
Battle of Guadalcanal (West Point)	April 21-22
NJ NAM (Accurate Paintball)	June 2-3
ION (Skirmish USA)	July 13-15
Deadwood (Strategy Plus)	August 11-12
NATO vs. Russia (West Point)	September 15-16
Hitman Paintball Challege (Strategy Plus)	November 10
Toys for Tots, Santa Vs. The Grinch (Strategy Plus)	December 8
I've tried to give all proper credit to where it's due and asked permissions where I thought necessary.

What do you need? An Invitation?!

I just sent out an email to a few friends, who like to talk about going paintballing but have trouble committing! Well here's your open invitation. My schedule is posted and updated here. If there's a weekend you want to come out. Hit up my email or pick-up the phone. Last minute is usually ok for the games listed.

Yes these are Scenario Games, AKA Big Games, based on accomplishing various missions for certain point values; like seizing and holding an objective (person, place or thing) or finding & returning an objective to your base. This differs from the typical game of capture the flag which often times boils down to a game of elimination. Elimination doesn't tend to work in scenario games due to there being healing "medics" on the feild and/or respawns on the quarter hour or immediately at a respawn location.

Whereas, in a normal recreation game the feilds are relatively small, a scenario is gererally played on a feild consisting of a good number of acres and is large. To someone who hasn't played a scenario game, this all can sound complicated and for a hardcore nut. While some may like that hardcore image, I submit that these games are usually more friendly! Bragging rights aside, the sole purpose of these games are generally to have fun. Besides when your out there with a bunch of friends slinging paint and you work together to make a plan come together, or you give 'em hell trying, how can you NOT have fun! That's enough of me trying to sell the scenario game...

If you still don't think you ready for that and want to do a rec game. Here's a short list of feilds in the area where I'm sure we could have a good time...

Closer
• Cousin's (Plattekill NY)
• Liberty (Patterson NY)
• Hornet's Nest (Ancramdale NY)
  
  Further
• Strategy Plus (East Hampton CT)
• Skirmish (Jim Thorpe PA)

(There are a couple in Jersey that are relatively close but I haven't been to them personally yet so they are not listed. There are also a few out in north-eastern Long Island but I generally detest Long Island Traffic.)

So how 'bout it?!