What makes a good 24 hour event?
 

This is my first thread here on as canada so be gentle. :smack:

I am doing some research on the canadian way of playing airosft. I am from the States. I have noticed alot more games in canada are played over night. At least in comparison.

I would like if you are so kind? To hear in everyones opinion; what makes a good 24 hour event. (milsim)

This thread should not be seen as a way to define night games in canada. I am sure there are alot of diff opinions on that. Just to share some information across the great lakes so that we americans might get to shoot eachother up at night.

I will share what i thought after i hear some opinions. :tup:

Here are some pics of the field to fire the inspiration.
http://battlefrontpaintball.com/

ps i like how your guys drag eachother out. We just hold hands lol :angel:

Thanks
JOHNUSA aka HNIC

IMHO - Being able to relax near a bon fire and toss a few pints back after the guns go away :D

Welcome, Well I cant speak for the rest of Canada but here in MB. We have had an even called survivor. The first one which unfortunatly I was not as much a part of lasted a week, and the second which I was out for the entire time was 3 days.

Those events last the entire span, where a few individuals usually around 5. Stay out in the forest the entire time, the rest of the community is welcome to stay out and hunt them down continually whenever they want. The experience can be alittle nuts as you are constantly on alert.

I cant take credit for the creation of that OP but I really enjoyed being apart of the second one. The nights were abit nuts especially when it was completely dark.

Here's a few thoughts, please keep in mind they are just my opinions.

-A good field: you can't have a decent game without a good field. The Edmonton field that I played a couple 24 hour games at is amazingly large and very well laid out. The Tamran field in Charlotte, North Carolina is equally huge, but also very hilly and it makes for amazing over-night games too (only played two there)

-A good scenario: Shooting & re-spawning is great, but it gets incredibly borring when you are doing it for 24 hours with no specific objectives. Get a good story-line, plot, even cast and voila, you have the potential makings of a game people will remember (and want to come back for)

-Good pricing to attend: The NC games were $40USD which at the time ('99 and '00) was INCREDIBLY expensive, while to attend the Edmonton 24-hour games was something to the tune of $25-30 at the time - very reasonable. People will lose interest if you over-charge them.

-Gimmicks: Having gimmicks is always a frill. Look at the big games in Mantiba, they went so far as to rent a helicopter to fly in troops. Blasyman (a user on this forum) has a custom made mortar, .50 Browning Machine Gun and other 'toys'. Chalcus (also from this forum) is a prop designer and has made some amazing props for his local games.

Just some munchies for thought.

Honestly? A good dose of luck and an excellent team of organizers.
Sounds stupid, but it's not.

Pyro! Lots and lots of pyro. I've only played one night game so I'm by no means an expert on the subject. That said, the game I did play in had a designated guy setting off the fireworks all night. It's been my experience that most people can't see shit in the dark. Stands to reason, since humans weren't designed with the ocular abilities of cats and owls. So, you have to let people wandering around a large playing area in the dark know where the action is taking place. Having very clear objectives and a couple very responsible and saftey oriented people on each team setting off para flares and fireworks the whole time keeps the action tight for some people. For those who want the stealth and adrenaline of sneaking up on an enemy position in the dark. Well, now they will know where that position is. What with all the shadows, bright flares destroying yours, and their, night vision, you can still get right up to an enemy position before they know it.

So to precis: A) Very clear objectives. B) Lots shit that blows up and makes pretty colours. C) People who can be trusted to blow shit up and make pretty colours in a safe manner.

Like I said, I'm new to this so others might have a lot better information to offer. Good luck.

-Lots of planners and game admins. You can never have enough help espically @ a 24 hour game, people running the show need to rest as well. Make sure the planners know exactly what is going on as much as possible, as well they always have the means of contacting each other (Good radios, runners, etc)

-Backup plans / Alternative scenarios. All operations fail on first contact. The scenario you planned to last for a good 4 hours of movement/contact was just completed in 30 minutes due to some good luck.. So what now? Better have a plan B scenario or a way to bump up the schedule and tack on games @ the end.
Alternatives are always needed in case of something going wrong or plans not working out. If it's the first time for a big game and something isn't working right - Something like the spawn points/extraction method is working well, better setup an alternative before things get ot of hand and the whole scenario falls apart.

Ya, the field has to be good, and if you're organizing a game make sure there is no chance of rain.

FNG is spot on about having qualified people do your pyro for you, especially if there's invitees playing. It will cost you a little more but they carry liability insurance and have training and experience to make sure people and property stay safe. Very important considering how litigous America has become.

Whiny punk: "Ouch I got an ember in my eye and I'm blinded for life!"
Judge: "The defendant is ordered to pay damages in the amount of 25 million dollars."

Established objectives are also critical. A plot isn't really necessary but definitely helps out.

Props are a huge bonus, especially functional ones. I picked up a 4-channel radio remote control relay box for $30 CAD, has a small keychain remote with four buttons and a 12 volt relay board with antenna. Hook up a battery and wire up a simple circuit, and you instantly have remote controlled devices of all manner. Anything electric powered can be controlled by it such as mines, alarms, lights, noisemakers, directional cannons, etc. :)

1) Organization. Laid out well in advance, months or years even. Detailed maps of the environment, complete with mil grids. Release monthly or randomly released intel reports to build the story and develop the atmosphere before players hit the field. Teams identified well in advance, with strict uniform guidelines so that players have lots of time to aquire the uniform that corresponds to their team of choice. There should be a strong, believeable plot that allows for total immersion, not just "rescue the downed pilot".

We do it be writing a short story. Then we translate the story into a screenplay of sorts, and we assign actors to fill key roles. Then we open up the other roles to the population. That way, there are players on each side who know the score and know what to do. They're "in character" and fighting, but won't give away the surprises. The actors help to lead the players in the right direction in case they get off track, but mostly let them do their own thing.

2) Organizers are NOT players. They are not actors. Organizers are running the show, not playing the game. They must all understand the objectives, the fall back objectives, the fall back fall back objectives, etc.

3) There must be contingencies for any imagineable situation. If you plan the operation with the expectation that force A will be able to hold onto Item 1 for 8 hours, but force A pulls a fuckstick on you and secures item 1 in 10 minutes, you have to be READY.

Players need things to do if things go bad, i.e. what to do with the troops if a no-duff comes up, etc. Things they can do without losing the immersion, suc as sending them on another "FLASH TRAFIC" objective or something so they're not sitting around for hours waiting for instruction.

4) Places for each team to hole up seperately in case of inclement weather or for meals / rest periods. Both teams need to be kept seperate at all times unless they're exchanging plastic. Otherwise, strategies get leaked, objectives get discussed, information leakage occurs.

5) Supplies. People are stupid, and they never bring enough supplies. Stock the bases (seperate bases, remember) with water and food, as well as a power source and battery chargers. Players shoud ruck out to their base, and that's where they'll operate from for the duration. They won't be returning to the safe area, or the their cars, so there should be latrines dug and TP / wetnaps available. a Blue Rocket is always a nice touch, for those who can't get a handle on shitting in the woods.

6) Props. Buildings. Bridges. Vehicles. Trenches, bunkers, towers...all as reaslistic as possible.

Start with that.

one thing no one has said yet; actual player participation and encouragement.
IC's game in August could have been amazing, unfortunately no one wanted to spend money to try and get authentic and have a good ol Vietnam game (shut up sean I was working! leave me alone!).
Greg

Gas powered generators to power flood lights around a base camp. The defenders can't hear and the attackers can go through blind spots. We had to use smoke to cover our approch to the camp in the middle of the night!

The essencial was said.

I must add: A scenario that is as realistic as possible, yet, leave some rooms for fun. Even if people tell you that they are hardcore milsimmers, most come in unprepared and wine when they have to assume defensive position for a long time with no action. So the senario must allow a mix of action and more realisme like sentry duty and shits like that.

A GOOD comunication network is also very important. Shitty talkabout radios are NOT good communications tools.

Give a range of frenquency to each teams, and leave channel 1 for admins and emergency (example).

and it cool when playin to randomly hear something over the radio like emerg medivac and maybe squads would be cool like if theres the right amount of people so five or ten men squads with a leader of some kind to bring that added amount of realism to the game and with good radio conversation can make or break a game.

Wow, I'm flattered. :grin:

We just want to see the Eagle CIRAS vest you got off Batman, that all. ;)

Whores and liquor :D

Players that know their limits and sleep when they can so the game CAN GO 24hrs.

Very good thoughts. Thank you.

Before you even get into plan b or c problem is having an event that is wrapped around a story line that lasts 48 hours.

I was thinking; adding alot more of the reenactor elements into the game.

The event has to be carried out as a war instead of an engagement.
Slow it down. Give Commanders sand bags and other surplus to help them build up defenses(pitch tents). So picture yourself being inserted and staying out all day and night, Having dug a fox hole. waiting orders to search and destroy the mortar team attacking your base, or recon a forward position to do the same to the nme.

I also feel keeping the regular elements or classic BF2 style objectives is important. Take out the fake Cardboard Tube artillery etc.

Mix it all up with some advanced role play for special classes. Realistic ivs and penalties designed to encourage your team bring all their men home; dead or alive. Rather than " we have to keep moving... You walk back 1/2 a click and catch us some time after the event". Engineer roles (BF2 style) Support gunners dishing out ammo, linguists (local speak) , squad leaders , rto ( the 2 radio wonder)

I also like to give the commander more influence over the game. add simulated napalm with smoke grenades used by non combatants(yes you have to have grids these days on your fields). When regen i like to make people wait till they have a squad leader, rto and a medic. I then have the rtos assign them a callsign to the commander . The penalty to your team in a respawn rather than a medic heal or a drag out to inbound hospital is a ticket loss. the tickets vary but usually i like only 2-3 per person/day.

My favorite thing to do is prisoners. My rule has been get healed by an nme medic and become prisoner(medics only have so much gauze) Players keep their guns. Visual inspection of the prisoner is done. Any weapon not pointed out by the engineer/ security officer can be used in the escape. Prisoners must answer all questions but does not have to tell the truth. 3 ways to get out 1 execution (cap gun/mini airsoft gun) 2 escape/shoot your way out 3 get rescued.(if prisoner. the other team CAN listen to your radio)

As you can see all this will slow the game way down...........

I think of 3 safety issues when i think 24 hour game. blind fire/fallingdown and people needing to wipe thier goggles. So i feel it is important the pace gets slowed. extra solutions to these problems helpful (i know auto tracers for one but that is asking alot)

All your points are valid. Some i knew some you helped me on( iam going to check on the price of renting trained fireworks people tomorrow). I can't put everything in here (it will ruin it). So the system isn't the concern. I am trying to give you an idea of the mood i am trying to create.

I plan to have alot of toys.
I did call about a helicopter today. weow baby is it steep. 4 thousand US for a day.

so, is my theme too off base with airsoft today?


I wonder if you all agree with my assesment?

Some asked about the field. i have a link above. :xmas:

Not Directed at any one. Have your field completely sorted out before the game. Dont have yout players humping out your props. If the field is flooded either change fields or postpone. Safety. Make sure you have qualified emergency medics around(not the 2hand-30 sec types) Lots of stuff to do that can be spread out for the whole time. Players that are willing and able(fitness) to hack 24 hours. Players that have done the research on dealing with night ops ie sleep shifts, force movment in the dark ect. Cool props any pyro are always a plus in any game.

2 cents CDN haha which is damn near 2 cents USD :)

SockMonkey

KISS theory!

What makes a good 24 hour event? Make sure the players who signed up stay for the ENTIRE game. There are few things that suck more than having your team spanked because 5 guys decided to pack it in and go home.

Make sure that everybody has a tent/basha so they can sleep at the field. It sounds like common sense but this summer at Kelowna's 24-hour milsim, some out-of-towners actually drove back into town and rent a motel. This wouldn't have been a problem except the driver woke up late, took a hot shower etc. and as a result these guys arrived waaay after the game had already started.

But Kelowna put on a kickass milsim this summer. They had generators, lights, porta-potties, shuttle service between the camp and field, large laminated maps at each of the command posts, and well built sandbag bunkers.

If you have people going 24 hours (or close), FORCE them to sleep before letting them drive. Last thing you want is someone crashing and dying on their way back home. Or ask them to organize for carpool with designated drivers who do get some sleep.

Actually all things considering I found the game to be quite entertaining. It didn't turn out as expected but it was worth the drive from trenton.

yeah it was just too bad we didn't get as many players as orignally hoped for.
Greg

Too bad you didnt get alot of good era kit at your Nam game, but it is a niche type of event. Canada Day there was a Nam game in Edmonton and there was fantastic kit out there! From a set costume from "We were soldiers" to real issue US kit. Really helps suspend disbeliefe when every one is into it like that.

once you have the event sorted out, make sure to plan a meal of the two main food groups (steak / beer) for the end of the game. Wolfpack hosted a weekend game 2 years ago and the game was awesome but the food was even better, plus it gives players the chance to mingle with EVERYONE not just their team mates.....

MORGUE

You'll need a good storyline to keep people interested. How we've run 24hr games in the past is you have the two teams... and givew them some commanders, but you have field admins that are in radio contact with the team commanders at all times to keep the scenarios running smoothly and to do some improv if things get messed up a little. The key is to have it running smooth. Only way to do that is have VERY good communications between the teamleaders and the admins. On our field regular FRS radios don't cut it so we have a bunch of UHF radios we lend out to the admins and leaders for these types of games.

Also, some of the most fun 24hr games I've been to, we get on our teams and goto our main bases, but we get an hour or two to build up the defenses and make our "HQ" a very solid base. The games are usually planned to keep the majority of fighting away from the bases so that people who want to sleep at night, can. Those two main HQ bases should not be able to be captured by the other team. If things happen where they go through the base and clean everyone out, then thats cool cause it was probably a hell of a firefight, but they shouldn't be allowed to maintain control of that base for the whole game cause it gets pretty boring and frustrating for the team that has no base.

Be prepared for fighting to die down at night. So plan fewer scenarios for nighttime and make them a lot simpler. Unless everyone has nightvision or its a really bright night things are most definately going to slow down. I remember one 24hr game we had here in Edmonton... the enemy team had a base that was very well dug iin in a trench system and it was surrounded by fields so they had clear view of any attackers. It was night time and there want a lot going on so me and a few buddies headed out to raise some heck at the other teams base. halfway there we heard a few shots and some fighting going on like 209 feet from where we were so we hit the deck. We ended up staying there for the majority of the night in the prone, guns up and taking turns sleeping for a half hour at a time in the middle of the thick bush. About 4 in the morning the fighting stopped and we pushed forward to their base and got lit up as soon as we got near because a few guys on their team had gen3 NVG's. But it was fun. Night time fighting is very different simply because you can't see.

[QUOTE=Aquamarine] The Tamran field in Charlotte, North Carolina is equally huge, but also very hilly and it makes for amazing over-night games too (only played two there)

Did any canadians win prizes or airguns ar the event in charlotte, Aquamarine? Or has anyone been to a US event and won a prize?

HNIC

1- dedicated players
2- a good story with a simple senario that keeps the ball roling whatever happens. ( remember that as mutch as some would like to beleive we are but kids playing soilder)
3-dedicaed players
4-the ability to adapt the said senario on the fly
5-interesting field

and last but not least

dedicated players

If you want to run a good 24hr milsim, have 72 hours worth of stuff to do.

Whats the fun in that? Games in the rain are the best.

i'm with him on that the rain makes it harder to hear your enemy cause a war dosen't take a break when it rains does it.

Not only that, you can slip on all sorts of stuff. If its raining good enough, you can mistake rain drops for bb's.

IMO a MilSim event, (which is in essence what a 24hr event is, you dont run 40 consecutive skirmishes and call it a 24hr game) has two piviotal precepts that have to be adhered to through out the entire game. They are logic and continuity. With out those two factors you have shit hapening that either makes no sense in the overall context of the event, or severely hampers the flow of the game dynamics. What does that mean exactly? That means you dont have a few poorly thought out objectives that are completed within the first few opening hours, and then cramble on the other end to fill in the gaps with mundane tactically pointless Skirmishes that have no signifigance in the big picture.

For event organizers to pull off a succesful event they have to essentially do their utmost in the initial planning phase to ensure the objectives in the game are not one dimensional, for example don't give Blue force one option in terms of tasking, in military excersizes the participants aren't concerend with one single aspect of the situation developing in the field, they are continously looking at the grand scheme in terms of the sucess or failure of one task as it relates to other critical considerations. If the COs decide to re-direct troops from tasking A to assist another element thats under extreme pressure, make sure as game organizors that decision (and every decision made in the TOC) has a direct impact on the game. The diversion of forces from tasking results in Red force missing the window for a resupply, which leads to the game in all sorts of directions, everything from the Carl Gustav M3s that were Air dropped falling into enemey hands which obviously will have repercussions in terms of the security of Red held collateral structures and vehicle assets. There could be ancilary missions springing up from every eventuallity. Running the game like this is actually far less restricting that the conventional way of giving out one mision at a time, some thing that is not only unrealistic but is also limiting for everyone from the COs to the particpants in the foxholes and bunkers. This gives the maximum freedom to operate for the COs and also allows for allmost limitless and exciting evolution of the game.

There is an excess of linear thinking in terms of mission tasking IMO for larger events. Every outcome should be interlinked, success in one confrontation between oponents should have implications that carry through out the campaign. That means if Blue Forces loses it's Air defence network, it loses a portion of the ability to defend against Airstrikes, which in turn gives their opponents the ability to call in Tac Air (and in our case that means actual muntion simulators being detonated in everything from structures, to vehicles, using coded pulses transmitted from AN/PEG LAM packs which trigger blast simulation devices attached to strategiclly important targets). That failure to defend that link in one force's assets has far reaching implications through out the engagement, thats MilSim, not some unrelated string of breif exchanges of AEG fire, spread out throught the 24hr span, with a sprinkling here and there of breaks fllowed by interludes of old tired mission profiles. Using the AD network example a game planner can use that situation to create a series of cause and effect game develpments. again as an example the Blue force now has added pressure on it to find a way to neutralize the Red force's Air superiority, that can be done in a number of ways. when you look at it logically it becomes simple to almost flowchart the entire game this way, as long as you have contigency plans set up for each outcome, again the onus is on the planners and the organizers to facilitate that.

Presently many of the games have COs who command in name only , they are really not challenged to do any more than the kid who is playing his first real game, arguably they are responsible for making judgement calls, but with out continuum parreleling the tasking they are left with little means to actually shape the game using their sense of strategy.

Thats the type of planing and foresight that will cause a quantum leap in the way this game is played, not because some manufacture makes some new model of weapon, or super new digital camo. by now it should becoming clearer what I'm trying to convey here, the game will stay the same and eventually stagnate unless challenging (that means both tactically, and strategicallly), meticulously thought out game planning can be integrated into the larger games, Imagine what would happen to %90 of Olympic sports if there wasn't the Olmpiad games to aspire too, thats maybe a convaluted example but i think it has some crdibility as a annology. There is the posibility that it is more than enough for th majority of players to dress up in their "Army guy" gear and have a adult version of a Scouts campout complete with Automatic BB guns, but there is also the possibility that there are others who are willing to put in the effort and preparation to play their part in creating a more emersive experiance, one that can offer some thing for every level of player, from the Mod 1 Mark ZERO newb to the crusty Ex CF captain. Airsoft is not there yet, at least from my experiance, and to accomplish that (if there is even any desire with in this community for it to grow in that direction) it is going to take massive co-operation between provinces and organizations at a unprecidented level

It's a very neat experience to be doing a patrol, then have a flare come out of nowhere and light both you and your enemy up. Then you both realize you were 40m away from each other the whole time.

The insight that Zero Delay has in his post is phenomenal. I had to copy and paste that post into a document for personal reference.

I say, Absolutly amazing.

I think Poncho is already planning his next road trip.

According to my version of the Geneva Convention that I wrote out of boredom while on the 3-4am fire picket shift on my basic, it does. War will be fought monday through friday, 9-5, weather permitting. Weekends and holidays off, prisoners of war will be given candy instead of bread and water, and there is to be no combat during lunch.

In response to the rest of the thread...it can be safely said that the main thing that makes a good 24hr. milsim event is forethought by the organizers, followed by more forethought, followed by even MORE forethought.

You gotta look at so many factors for big games, it's almost absurd. And not to mention, contingencies. Here's a few:

Bunks / Sleep arrangements
Food and Water
Ammo
Power
Supplies
Quick Repairs
Safe zones
Objectives
Theme
Scenario

And some important things:

Location
Getting experienced organizers
Liability and insurance issues
Field fees .vs. costs
FIRST AID (very important)
What your event offers that no one else offers.

Yeah. And there is always more. Lots and lots of forethought.

Should the pace of the game be changed? How so?

Do you prefer insertion and staying 30 hours or insertion and having the ability to go back to your cars and or taco bell?

JOHNUSA HNIC

Probably should read the whole thread... so as to not replicate sentiment.

but here is my opinion.

Milsim.. is about objectives.. outside of just shooting the other guy. There needs to be an aim or goal outside of the simple task of finding and shooting the other guy.
These goals must entail the manifestation of skills and abilities beyond the ability to tote 3 highcaps and a trigger finger immune to cramping.

Navigation, observation, notetaking, communication,movement, tactics,teamwork and the ability to stick to the task with a view to the larger picture is critical. Dicipline to remember the mission objectives when in contact with opposition is key.
And sadly more often observed in its absence. This is a function of leadership, keeping players on task. Command elements must lead.. and in the context of games.. players have to agree to follow.. or the simulation devolves to chaos.

And a good story to give context to the action is important to get engagment of the participants. Players .. like soldiers perform best when they know *why* they are doing something.

to give some examples of what I mean...

The first game at EOTEC is set up as an area recce. Both teams will be tasked to perform area recce. and to avoid contact in order to ensure task 1 is completed. Task 2 will be to observe the enemy to determine strengths and dispositions. task 3 will be to conduct a fighting patrol to contact and eliminate the enemy.. using the information gathered in task 1 and 2.

And the overall point of the whole exercise is to gather direct observation of the enviroment of this new field for the creation of detailed maps for future use.

I have created a "political" framework for the actions of both the teams. A framework that I will employ again and again to provide continuety over a series of games. I have a story arc outline planned roughly for the entire proposed season of games at EOTEC so that over time missions will have historical context and previous results will affect future game development to reflect the wider scale conflict between the insurgent PLAG forces and the Private Military Contractors hired to deal with them.

Now... what would be cool is to expand this political framework and storyline to incorporate games in other locations so that this "struggle" can be province wide.. Then we are talking about games that last months.. not just hours.
I am already inserting elements of the storyline into our indoor CQB games at TTAC3.. So that regular players will start to see the story play out over the longer term.

See the game thread about this Friday's game to see the opening action of the PLAG forces

Milsim games are best planned by people who play airsoft and have been doing so for long enough to know what works and what doesnt. No offence to anyone.

you need plans so that if someone breaks there leg or gets blasted in the eye without protection.

you need to know who is in charge of first aid if it is needed, who the safty driver is to get your injured playerand the person giving firstaid to a hospital.


with piro you cant just start poping of red distress flares (if youve ever worked in ops/trg in meaford you'll know why) contact local police and fire depts to let them know that you will be useing pyro and flares.

safty is a big thing for me have all of your refs carry radios and flashlights when it gets dark. is there a atv that can be used help transport the injured to the safe zone?

yes there will be transport to safe areas and a grid to help locate injured.

JOHNUSA

I think it's best to outline and clarify the baseline requirements for your operation/MilSim - and then plan with those in mind accordingly, that way you stay on track with the scale and vison of the game, and not try and do 'everything' to appease everyone.

Also plan on losing players. You may think you've got a hardcore crew that will eat bugs and run 24 hours straight but the truth of the matter is: unless they do this every week-end, people will quit early and go home.

Well I don't know about anyone else but I got into airsoft for the milsims. I love the idea of going out to a field and staying there for 24 hours (or more). Sure I may get tired but I've pulled 36 hour days before! Of course that WAS a LAN party and there was lots of Bawls... ANYWAY about people losing interest, one would assume that they had full knowledge of the event the signed on for. For me, I figure it can't possibly be a day full of conflicts. Camping out with your unit during the night sounds like hella fun. Especially if we all take turns doing night patrolls to make sure no one is sneaking up on us.

I like the 24 events that involve Jack Bauer cutting something off of someone.

Finger, head, it's all good.

well definitely a good scenario....like break-away forces from a republic that have holed up in a remote sanctuary and LRRP's of the 'republic' that probe the enemy's defenses (thru the night) ....the guerrilla forces should dig in during the day...and i mean "dig in" for real, with shovels, form bunkers and form a perimeter, set fields of fire and whatever other devious plots u can dream up, definitely use glow sticks to throw at suspected sapper squads also u can make a lot of fun pyro's with rocket igniters, fire crackers, wire and a small 9v battery.....twigs spread out on avenues of approach is also a good idea....general field craft stuff....a moon lit night is best....but even on a dark night, after about 20 min the eyes start to see more easily.....the trick is to look just slightly away from the point of focus, flash lights r a must, when you are tagged at night u should turn on your flashlight , point it at the ground and walk out of the combat zone to re-spawn after that particular engagement.....i think that based on the range of effective fire for an aeg, night fighting is absolutely the best...because the range of your effective sight is also reduced...so as a result, what u can see u can hit and not a situation of when u see opfor but they r too far away to shoot at...the patrols of the 'republic' should move in formation and observe general field craft, using hand signals etc...a generator light station away from the combat zone is also a good idea....for battery chargers etc...food is very important....if u can get them I.M.P.'s are great, it adds to the realism of the event....all night is definitely exhausting, physically and mentally...being on high alert for hours on end wears u out more that anything but at the end of it u will never have a better airsoft experience...also, a schedule should be drawn up ahead of time detailing assault and counter assault scenarios with loose time frames ...2 or 3 hour periods and both commanders should have a copy...and designated drivers in vans or a bus should take ppl back because they will in no shape to drive home safely...

All the mentioned ideas + a HUGE opening party to get to know everybody and to get primed mwehehe... :tup:

I have just recently held a 24 hour event with 400 players in the UK.

Here are my observations and lessons learnt:

A welcome pack is needed for every player. This should contain a map, timings and places to be during the event, such as safety briefing etc. A set of rules, a free glowstick etc etc.

We had a battalion command structure on both teams. This was naturally broken down into Companies, Platoons and sections. Each command element from platoon and above was issued with a 4 watt radio. Next time this would be done at section command level as well.

Regen rules are needed so the units can reform back again after regen.

We have some software that I call BATCOM. It is used in the two HQ's and is used in conjunction with a projector to project the map onto the wall. This aids command but more importantly it enables the players to see the big battle picture during regen. The map shows positions and current strength of friendly units as well as estimates on enemy units based on intel gathered from the field. My next objective is to have a wireless network setup so company commanders can have PDA's that show the maps feeding from the HQ.

Bit pyros and bangs. We used Copehill Down Village for the event, CDV is the largest FIBUA site in Western Europe. It has 88 buildings and there is a new Iraqi Village being added to it. The main entrance (for the game) to the village is Shrewton Street. This is where the main offensive began. The game started with the street being hit by Napalm. For this we used 5 fuel lift explosions. Each conisted of a 200g maroon with a uk gallon of petrol on top. They were set of 0.5 seconds apart. We then had two RPG's (line rockets) fly down the street hitting to more fuel lifts. Finally followed by a heavy artillery barrage. Again 200g maroon with a bag of peat and wood mulch on top to create flying dirt and debris. There was about 10 of them. We could of had more but CDV has an anti-digging policy and we was limited on the number of explosive chambers we had available.

In game artillery, yes commanders could call down fire-support missions. Consisting of multiple 40g maroons be used around the players. They consisted of a whistle units to make it sound like a falling shell. Absolutely great stuff and the players were terrified by them.

We had a lot of drop out by sunday morning. The game started midday saturday and finished midday sunday. I can not emphasise the need to put on your website about how to survive a 24 hour event. Sleep, eat, drink at EVERY chance you get. Most players are civies and do not appreciate these simple things. They all think they can go 24 hours non stop, well you can't, and this needs to be drummed into them.

Plenty of small sub-mission on top of the overall game objective is definately needed.

Sub-missions. These keep the commanders on their toes and creates some variation for the players.

Medic. A great add on to the game. Each section had a medic with a arm sleeve and a red cross on it. Each player had to bandages. The first time you are hit you have 5 minutes to get aid other wise you bleed out. Anyone on your team can take one of your bandages on tie it on your arm. Then you are back in. The 2nd hit requires a medic to fix you with your second bandage. Third hit and KIA. These rules kept the game flowing and stopped alot of potential cheating.

POW rules. All command elements could be captured. This would provide intel for the capturing side.

Sleeping. Most players wanted to sleep in the game area. Others did not. Make sure you have some areas of non-combatants to sleep. If you are using an urban site, then shut down some buildings after dark as designated sleeping areas.

Get enough marshalls to have a 3 shift rota. Divide them into 3 groups and shifts of 4 hours long. That way you can have a rota of 1 shift on and 2 shifts off. When not on shift they can either rest of play in the game. I used this method and did not have to pay the marshalls anything because they were getting free game when not on shift. I did however pay the marshalls that do not play.

First Aid. I had 3 x 1st aiders, 1 x Paramedic and 1 x Doctor. The Doctor was by luck, as he highlighted the fact during the safety briefing. For injuries we were lucky I guess. We had one popped knee, one dislocated shoulder and one minor heart attack. I say we were lucky because CDV has many hazard and I was expecting many more injuries.

Food. Some people like fast food at the events. But avoid a bog standard burger van. Players got totally sick of the small menu by the end.

Organisors. Try to get as many people helping you on the event. I found myself running it almost single handed, and that was a mammoth task. Try to have 5 or 6 people helping you run things (depending on the size of the event).

The event was Town Assault II and we are hoping to run it again next year. Only next time it will be much bigger with around 500+ players.

All the best,

Ian