Heh, just realised the 17th is THIS Sunday 
No problem though!
Wierd site location - I think this is the building:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=SS16+4QG&ie=UTF8&ll=51.550292,0.477591&spn=0.000758,0.001859&t=h&z=20&iwloc=addr
All set for Sunday - easy enough as I won't be bringing any gunz! I'll wander about with a hiz viz, take some photos for the others to see, have a chit-chat and prob leave at lunchtime.
Site is fine - great for a 'different' one day, 20 paying player event. Owners seem very interested and compliant, so thats' good!
Jay will post up the site plans when Mo forwards them - so until then a bit of description...
Two storey command and control bunker from the 1980's (only in use for 4 years apparently). Small, sufficient car park outside. Bunker is situated on a farm reached from one direction only of the A13 - but easy to get to from the North - M1 or A1, M25, A13. Site lies between Basildon and Canvey Island.
Entrance doors open onto safezone - plenty big enough for a sleep over. Has toilets, hot and cold water, 240v 13a sockets, kit benches, kettle, chargers etc. Also has a CCTV monitor that has two IR cameras hooked into it at the mo but will be expanded to 8. They have a sound system that can play MP3, CD on linked to a laptop.
Central to the complex is the command/map room that is on the lower floor but the chamber is two stories high. On the upper floor there is an overlooking gallery with other overlooking points around. The upper floor has rooms and corridors that run around all sides of the central chamber (that would look great festooned with hanging swastikas), one side being the safezone. The lower floor is similar. All the walls are green painted and in good condition, there are some wet floor patches due to leaky roof.
They have been building up the props in each room - missiles, rocket containers, plastic drums, hinged temporary screens. No piles of tyres or pallets! One room has a prison (room divided off with a wall of bars). There are at least four sets of staircases so play on both levels is free and easy.
So, how is it different to Wotan? Smaller gaming area and not as intrinsically 'scary' (there was definitely something not right about UCAP!). It has two levels and staircases. No long corridors. It's not as claustrophobic and more than 20 players and I think it will just turn into a blattfest. It's going to be harder to come up with a scenario that will run freely on it's own so one option Jay and I discussed was having a controller outside of the game - this would make gameplay easier by feeding objectives as required to free a stalled or boring game, or relieve camping. I don't mind this and I think Jay doesn't mind either.
MK 5 grenades sounded plenty loud enough - thermobarics and smokes will be out though as it would cause long term smoke logging. Field telephones would work very well if integrated into the scenario.
Finally, I really think this one should be exclusive to CiA members - I doubt we would have a problem with 20 peeps booking instantaneously, but just in case we always have the option of opening unsold places to others.
First off, i'll start with a bitching session, then i'll put up the constructive stuff.
It has been a long LONG time since I have played at a site with such shit game planning and organisation. By 2 PM I was thoroughly sick and fucking tired of people camping on regen points, getting shot by overpowered guns (circa 400 FPS I reckon - fine for woodland, not fine for CQB) having fucktards shining high-powered lasers in my face (yes, the G&P ones - the ones that are *technically* illegal over here due to their power output) and certain people not taking their fucking hits. Down time between games was huge as well. Then there are the site organisers. "Not the sharpest tools in the box" would be far too polite a term to use.
Now thats out the way, i'll get onto the better stuff.
1: Site is interesting. Two levels, with 4 or 5 (*think* it's 5) stairwells to get between them.
2: When the lights in the sub-level are turned off, its an absolute bastard to fight through. So many corners means lots of ambush points.
3 We're fine using bangs up to mk5. Plenty of opportunities for in-game wire fired pyro (blowing the prison cell door etc etc)
4: Players will need grenades. LOTS of grenades. It's virtually impossible to take a fair part of the site without them.
5: 20 Players plus us 4 - MAXIMUM, i reckon.
6: Full facilities in the safe zone, plenty of space for 2 dozen people to crash out for the night (well, 23 people. I'll be sleeping in the car. Wont have to put up with Guy's snoring then)
7: No problems with putting up signage and set dressing
Regarding running the game, I concur with David. The site simply isn't large enough to run with just one or two objectives for the entire day - but could work quite well with the HQ "phoning in" missions. Yes, it takes one of the organisers out of the gameplay for the day, but it's a system i've used before at FireFight. The benefit is that if things are slowing down, you can pile the sides with extra missions, and if its gone mental, you can feed the missions in over a longer length of time to slow things down.
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..........
Not the sharpest tools in the box
Errr, this is Essex... 
Yup, strange people! (One of the rooms is locked and is full of music recording gear and one of the other rooms has his dogs locked up in it. Made me jump when they scratched on the door!
Glad I didn't bother to take kit 'cos your bitching would have been nothing compared to mine!!
Still, when you both staggered out of the door after the first game (I have never seen Jay sweat in a game before 
) you both had ridiculously silly grins on your faces!
Oh, finally worked out why my satnav directions was a 'tad' off - I had forgotten the meridian and was set to W not E 
* frantic scramble for map when I hit the M25 and posh bird was sending me the wrong way. I hadn't bothered to look at a map before I left but guessed M25 East and if I hit the Dartford Tunnel I'd gone too far! *
Still, when you both staggered out of the door after the first game (I have never seen Jay sweat in a game before
Of course we were happy and sweating like John Leslie in a police station - Cos, you, David "Love Plums" Pratt had finally turned up
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..........
How much would we be looking at charging for this one?
@ Kermit - My Love Plums haven't seen much action of late so thank you for the relief. OK, it was dark and a bit clumsy, but welcome nonetheless. Shame Scott just watched though - I think when you told him we were just playing piggyback he believed you...
@ Stephen - their day game rate is £25. I told Mo of our normal arrangements with sites which he was happy with (we take bookings and cash in advance, sites don't have anything to do with except receive a bunch of cash on the day).
How about we issue each player with some Mk5's as a little gift, on the provision that they use them or give them back at the end of the day.
TLSFX Mk5's are £1 a piece to us.
20 players with 3 Mk5s each is £60 which we can easily afford.
S
I don't have a problem handing pyro out but on an 'as required' basis rather than 'gift'. It does add something to the game (like the grenade range at Eagle which was a giggle). If they are handed out in bulk chaps will put them in pockets, not use them in game and not return them either! (I've been to two games where pyro was issued on sign-in - I never used them and kept them for a better occasion!)
Hmm, was just thinking about Jay's comments regarding the need for pyro to get around the site effectively.
S
Aye, absolutely, that's fine, but no point handing stuff over that won't be used.
Right, let's get this road on the show and get this tied down.
People were asking about it over the weekend and were keen to know more and get booked on it. Che reminded me that, as it's his birthday that weekend, we HAD to organise something! 
General thoughts above perhaps point to a members-only special game/mammoth social where we can take maybe 30 (even perhaps 40) players and rotate them in and out of the game using either a rotating regen, or shorter game styles.
Perhaps a staggered storyline using 30 minute games that changes direction depending on the outcome of it all.
Thoughts?
S
Seven weeks away now and getting a bit anxious - getting constant requests for game info!
I'm investigating another site at the moment. Put bluntly, CQB Bunker is Plan B, as quite simply im not getting ANY "buzz" from the place at all. I will know on Monday whether i'll be able to get hold of the place or not ('tis down in Kent - and not actually open as a site yet!) If yes, then i'll stick details up, if not, then its Bunker CQB.
Still havent got a bleedin' clue how to use bunker CQB for a game though....
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..........
Right, let's get this road on the show and get this tied down.
People were asking about it over the weekend and were keen to know more and get booked on it. Che reminded me that, as it's his birthday that weekend, we HAD to organise something!
General thoughts above perhaps point to a members-only special game/mammoth social where we can take maybe 30 (even perhaps 40) players and rotate them in and out of the game using either a rotating regen, or shorter game styles.
Perhaps a staggered storyline using 30 minute games that changes direction depending on the outcome of it all.
Thoughts?
S
bit a Gucci / PBI ...not my preffered way ...not very milsim ...more LARPY IMHO ....
If you win turn to page 32 .....if you loose go back three squares :rofl:
Wotan worked well because there was no real story at all !
