Large Weekend Event

most games used to be weekend events and some still are , or are you talking the entire 48 hours in the field etc ? again has been done etc a few times , maybe not for a while

but either way , there is nothing stopping you from getting a site and putting one on if thats the case , could be added to the organisers section , which to be fair is just so our games and plans dont clash with each other

Agree with Chris, the community could do with another organising group if you want to have a think about running games.

Plenty of people happy to lend a hand and lend bits and bobs; just make sure you see this thread first: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7349

We would be up for a weekend event, makes travelling more worthwhile!

Done many that start at 0001 on Saturday and play through till 1600 on Sunday without a break.

Great fun, as you get fully immersed in the game, no breaks without a sentry! Stag has meaning, and there is less tactical bimbling.

I think we need a real(ish) time D Day event over a weekend.
As for another organising group,might not be a bad idea,how about something up North?

Be tapping into a new set of sites (and make us Southerners travel for a change!) so I'd be in favour

The fact I may be moving North in the next Year or so has nothing to do with it!

not a great deal of decent sites up this way tbh, i always end up gaming in the midlands

That's the big problem up here,piss poor venues.

I'm up for any event as long as I have the dosh and can make the date. I do very much like the sound of a constantly in the field type do, I even have an original British army wool blanket to sleep under if it's a period camping type affair!

I don't mind doing an "allnighter" in the summer, not in the winter, my old bones can't take that!

Real time D Day game would be the nuts. Start the Airborne off at night for example.

You'd have to stagger it and organise it really carefully though. Rough ground and pitch black do not for 'elf and safety make. Physically I struggle with an all afternoon game at the moment!

Yeah that's why I said "ish",start the airborne a couple of hours before the landings. Be good to do Pegasus Bridge and the relief.The Vierville scenario would be spot on for the Yank side and then maybe a link up later on.

Basically run two games on one site, Airborne and Infantry. Start the Airborne at night, have them sack off early morning. Infantry start regular morning time, Airborne rejoin mid day.

You'd have to do the same with the Gerries as well...

If UCAP Sandpit wasn't a death trap under foot at night, El Alamein... Infantry clearing and going through the minefields....

Food for thought.

thats the problem with anything at night ww2 ,its ok modern etc with nvg or at senny etc as its quite organised , most ww2 games in death trap woodland we struggle in day time to navigate loool

but nothing is impossable as they say

If UCAP Sandpit wasn't a death trap under foot at night, El Alamein... Infantry clearing and going through the minefield...

I, personally, would cack myself from excitement if an El Alamein event was on the cards. Just saying...

Right seen as I have been off for a year to do some other stuff I thought I would give maybe an outsider who knows viewpoint (don't take that as cocky or anything.)

The ideal of big games have always been floated about in recent years but there have only been a small number of organisers who have managed to pull it off and fair play to them for doing so, but the decline of interest in full weekend games has been evident over the last few years so it will take something very special to break that mindset now. In my opinion that mindset needs to be broken as it has led to maybe the smaller organisers getting down hearten with the whole thing and questioning whether they want to continue in the organization side of things, I know because it happened to me.

Things that need to be at the heart of any plan for anything like this, and it will be a lot of headache and hard work.

1) You must have your game as inclusive as possible, themed yes but as to not exclude anyone because of availability of kit.

2) Location, as above must make it as easy as possible for players to get too, some are more willing than others to travel but it has been seen that location has a strong effect on people signing up.

3) Timings, while a 24hour in field game in theory sounds awesome, to be honest a lot of players enjoy the whole aspect of the event so the social side is a big thing , also a number of players are not able to keep going for that amount of time being like me a little older and a lot unfit. Last will be the organization of it all if you have a large site which would probably be need how are you going to effectively run it because we all know herding a group of some of us in daylight is a hard enough task.

4) I think maybe it should be a collective of the organizing groups that get together to do it, maybe on the idea that's put above that it is a number of separate games with a massive combined operation at some points, think that would make it epic. Also some organisers have a bigger group of loyal players who attend their events so pooling those numbers may help to get the total.

5) also with the above if more organisers are in on it make it the only event on the calender for the part of the year. With a high number of games its great to have the massive amount of choice but some players might be "oh I wont travel to that game, but its ok there is another game next month so I will get my fix then"

6) Enthuse the players to come. The standard set up for WW2 is pretty much a tried and tested one but a lot of stuff is maybe getting a little stale (or that just maybe me) so give your players something interesting and different, the best games I have been too over the last few years have all tried to inject different things into the game, so times they didn't work, but a lot of the times they did and made them awesome.

Well there you go hopefully that all made some kind of sense. The above are just my thoughts and as such I will not argue them if you don't agree then fine thanks for reading. hopefully will be planning to get back in field with your guys next year now daughter is at school and the nursery bills have been reduced I will hopefully be able to support you all.

so to all, pew! pew! and remember its only a game...

Kieran x

What Kie said, particularly point 3.

Over the years there have been a number of 'all weekend' games and tbh the idea of playing continuously for 36 hours or whatever only appeals to a very, very small group and most of us aren't physically capable of doing it, as well as the H&S considerations. 'All weekend' generally ends up meaning piss ups on Friday and Saturday, and a few hungover survivors staggering around for a couple of hours on Saturday and Sunday (or just lying in bed groaning, or in A&E after falling over into the fire).

I've also played a few night games, and the majority were effing dangerous. The only ones which really worked and felt even tolerably safe were very restricted scenarios of short duration involving one side sneaking around the other - the prime example being the Chambois game. 2-3 hours of unarmed Germans trying to sneak through the Polish cordon and after a decent rest from the days exertions and back in bed by midnight.

I am however big fan of in-game camping in period(ish) tents, but I don't want some idiot deciding it would be a good idea to spray a load of BBs into my tent when I'm asleep at 3 in the morning, so some non-active time would be appreciated when both sides retire to their respective bases doing what soldiers spend most of their time doing - waiting for something to happen and sitting around the camp fire.

So something like mid-day to mid-day, with a night mission for those who want to do it and secure camping areas for those who don't. Even then, there are lots of people who won't camp, and won't do two days.

Cheers
Martin

All good points bigkie.

Secure sleeping is a must, as you say Martin, don't want anybody shooting people while they're asleep. Maybe some night-time patrolling, sentry duty or recce for those that are up to it? Doesn't necessarily have to be a full on battle.

I think period rations would top an event like this off too, but that's just me, I'll eat anything.

Perhaps if there's to be some large scale night action as part if the scenario it can start in the early hours during the summer when it's still "night" but significantly lighter than it would be at the same time in the winter?

the biggest thing with all these type of posts that crop every now and again, tend to be i would want this and i would want that, but no one saying hey lets get together and do this and form a new group

is basically most want stuff but they dont want to be the ones to step forward and try and organise it, they sort of expect others too, but most groups i imagine for next year at least got a rough plan , for myself 2 Pacific games - 1 weekender one 1 dayer , and now due to many requests , the Jan italian game is back on

so i guess what i am trying to say is , if there are enough to do this a few of you need to get together have a hard think and decide to go for it or not

but like a lot have said the ww2 players base is not the youngest , i cant do weekends for lots of reasons and a lot of the 34th cant, as a rule i cant even camp at our own weekenders loool though may be the 1 and only 1 i ever do fingers crossed lol and when i say camp i mean travel lodge