If we do a yanks versus germans only game are you going to refuse to help with it rich cos there are not brits?
It did cross my mind for a moment... but I can't do that. I might be interested in doing Russians I suppose, but don't expect me to make too much effort with the kit. For instance I have a greatcoat that I'd be willing to use.
And its that which puts me off to a degree. I'm a perfectionist at heart and know full well if I want to do an impression I'll want to do it right. I'm really not that willing to buy much more kit as I already have enough. I do have the self control to say no and that's one reason why I'm saying it.
I also feel that we might start to look like we're taking the piss a little. People are buying kit with the promise that it will get used at multiple WW2 events. To then tell them that they have to get more kit and not use the stuff they have bought is going to be a kick in the teeth. I hated that we had to do this to the yank players at Arnhem, but it had to be done that way. I can't see it happening again so easily.
I hate to say it, but its all very well for the Germans... as the players who do them will be able to just transfer over their kit. Promise me a far east game with Japs, then I might reconsider the Stalingrad game. I view the move to stalingrad as almost the same scale of change.
Also, I am trying to build up interest in the British kit. That is my obsession (yes thats the right word). I want to increase interest in that (its our fecking history ffs!) not be sidetracked on to other things.
Definatley the latter or we shoot oursleves in the foot.
Basically we all do this on a non profit basis to make the sort of wwii game swe want to play happen.
If we purely 'organise' then we altruistically make a lot of people very happy but fail in our initial objective as we dont get to play the games we want to play we have to go to other peoples wwii days!
I'm all up for leading patrols out ot point a to ensure firefight no.15 happens but i'd hate to spend the whole weekend moving players and not get stuck in every now and then.
Perhaps the compromise is that each game has one 'organiser' per side that does not play and the other one, teo or three play in the way steve suggests.
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
Sorry, at home now.
Stephen's interpretation was almost right. For both the last games and especially the last game I took little part in the 'fighting' and just spent the time moving backwards and forwards between regen and front lines making sure players were in the right place and checking how they were - indeed I just shot one pistol mag the whole day.
Much as Guy did in this game - he did get himself into the woods at one brief point but by and large he was belting around back and forth across the site.
Now this is all very well and it has it's plus points but also it's negative points (one of the reasons why I so enjoyed this weekend - I actually got out and pointed an AEG at the enemy as well as giving the punters a bloody good time).
OK, no more pussy footing. Stephen was to a large degree unsupported in his efforts to give the punters a good time. We have a duty to paying punters to give them the best time possible, not go off and play a game of our own. If it meant missing out on a game to move a tarpaulin, help erect tents, get water on the boil for others then thats what should have happened, move to 9x9 to your camp, whatever it takes. And if there is one commander then the least you can do is listen to briefings.
In many ways, organising and playing are incompatable. Sites where there are player/organisers are few and far between and, it seems to me, to more of a club thing (like F&O and KGB) rather than large, ambitious game like ours.
Number one priority is look after your guests, keep them motivated and put their needs before yours.
One of the two boses tried to hide behind a very thin tree and my auto shots were whacking into him - Keith and Neil were dead alongside him and told him he was hit and he said he wasn't. James was to the right of me and so close to the target he used a pistol to little effect - then rather naughtily he drew up the K98 and with a single shot indisputably finished him off - hoorah, hope it hurt!
In many ways, organising and playing are incompatable
QFT!
Tried doing it myself down at Fort Amhurst. Didnt work. Tried doing it at FFR. Didnt work. Gave up on it after that, and just organised things in the "traditional" way.
When we were a Kingdom it was run by a King
When we were an Empire it was run by an Empress
Now we're a country we're run by a..........
Hmm all interesting stuff. We can debate the whys and wherefore ad naseum , however for my money
1- As above- we are organiser not players. We are "in command" to facilitate the game, not to win victories against each other
2 - The only victory to be had is happy players at end ex
3 - We don't all have to organise all the time, however we have a responsibility to think of the effect on the players all the time , hence why I was so pissed off with the diversion from the plan on Sunday morning . Had we agreed it( which I would have), I would have moved German troops around to accomadate it .
4 Not sure about this teflon DRW crap , although they did have one new a/s player with them .
5 . Having a "game Director" or each side works, I met up with Steve a lot during the weekend , it helped no end with the coordination. Less would be needed for as normal day game
6 The mixture of reenactment and airsoft was achieved in the Axis camp this weekend, I would look ot do that again in a 24 hour setting but be more selctive about who came
7 We should not be encouraging people ot buy yet more kit for one off games. We need ot give all the Brit Airborne buyers at Arnhem a chance ot use it all again .
I didn't listen to the briefings as I was still sorting stuff out and taking photos. I'd read the briefing beforehand and thought I knew what was happening. In the tiredness, wetness and general confusion I know that things got blurred in my head. They still are.
If you want to demote me to grunt and charge me for events then fine. No argument here. I'm not a great leader. I'm happy to run squads though.
I would much rather play and put some work into help organise than just organise the event and do nowt else.
If that's not enough, then fair enough I'll hand my hat in and leave you to it.
I didn't listen to the briefings as I was still sorting stuff out and taking photos. I'd read the briefing beforehand and thought I knew what was happening. In the tiredness, wetness and general confusion I know that things got blurred in my head. They still are.
If you want to demote me to grunt and charge me for events then fine. No argument here. I'm not a great leader. I'm happy to run squads though.
I would much rather play and put some work into help organise than just organise the event and do nowt else.
If that's not enough, then fair enough I'll hand my hat in and leave you to it.
You're not getting off that lightly mate 
I got the feeling you were running on three cylinders all weekend , you were well off your normal form thinking back to Arnhem and the Bulge.
I think keeping it to three per side is a good idea, allows at least one ot sit back and enjoy more than run around organising. Although Gadges coments about meeting the opposition is a good one . TBH havoing sold all the Brit kit I don't want to get more.
I got the feeling you were running on three cylinders all weekend , you were well off your normal form thinking back to Arnhem and the Bulge.
What can I say... the weather is really getting me down at the moment. Floods... etc.
I've airsofted in rain plenty of time and usually found its fucked up the game and meant that a lot more players have dropped out than at CR. Its usually meant that player's tempers have frayed and there's been more cheating. I guess I was expecting that to a degree and it got me down.
It didn't happen. Considering it was one of the wettest events I'd been to, people just kept on going! Even when deciding they couldn't stay the night every allied player I talked to was happy and had had a good day!
This was down to your preparation and determination, Guy... as I've said before lesser organisers would have given up a long time before.
TA3 had the same problems only 20 miles from IED when it pissed down the whole event . More people stayed probably coz the event was
One thing I might struggle to borrow for German kit is a pair of boots. I don't have any black boots or jackboots, and I'm a size 11/12 which can be a bugger.
I think the germans issued brown boots some times, i know they came in brown and were polished to black.
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
Low cut boots with gaiters were VERY common from '43 onwards. Either left in their original brown, or dyed black. At CR I just wore an old pair of Brit BCH boots, with gaiters over the top. Looked alright, and as a bonus, the gaiters gave even more ankle support than the boots on their own would have done. I'm going as an officer to Wotan, so if you want to borrow the gaiters, then feel free Stephen. In fact, just gimme a list of whatever you want to borrow, and i shall deliver it...
When we were a Kingdom it was run by a King
When we were an Empire it was run by an Empress
Now we're a country we're run by a..........
I have a spare and i dont mind if it gets shredded:
Tan and water trousers
Austrian pea pattern trousers
1950s german grey tunic and trousers and field cap
Other than that you can borrow bits of my pukka german kit but i am wanting that looked after 
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
Likewise - looks like I won't be needing the German kit so it's up for grabs Stephen! (Not fussed about it getting knocked about, that's what it's for 
)
BTW, you look like a flowerpot man Gadge!
In the new avatar?
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
Is that tent for Syd ?
BTW Steve I have a SS Smock you can borrow if you like . It may be a bit big but they gather in ok .
Is that tent for Syd ?
BTW Guy, loving that photo of you postulating next to the finger post. (That sounds quite rude)
