Haggard

I thought they did very well

lot of new faces, most happy only grumble i heard all day was some of the germans didnt think there was enough action in the early morning 'patrolling' phase of the game but we always have folk who just want a blat fest.

Lots of new converts to wwii, made some good contacts.

Wet weather meant a few folk (including us left sunday morning)

I think they did very well but need to remember they are 'running' not 'playing' the game, i think they coudl do wiht being a little more 'high command' and less in the firefight.

twice i saw Neil just chatting about in the safe area when the game was on
and he woudl have been far more useful on site/

I wasn't expecting much which was just as well! Great site and the zelt tent worked a treat (even in all that rain).
If I hadn't wanted to support Andy's effort then I would have spent £100 in other ways...

OK, more constructive analysis.

The WW2 newbs thought it was fantastic (well, they would wouldn't they?) which was just as well - a few more converts, which is good.

Mistakes: Lack of planning on gameflow, poor command and instruction, lack of urgency and positivity, poor site preparation and no props other than a road barrier. And it cost £50! Having both organisers on one side - having four commanders who can't command (Andy, Neill, Webby and Pete).

What happened:
Sat - started very late, game on wasn't until 12noon (annoyed those that got up very early to drive to site in time) .
SAS were given objectives on a map which they had to blow up - Fallshys were supposed to hunt them down but didn't know where the explosives were nor where the SAS were so next to impossible to find them on such a huge site, let alone defend the explosives - no one on the Axis site knew where they were. SAS had an easy time avoiding Germans and blew stuff up!

Heer defended the road block which was attacked by the US, re-taken, re-attacked. Road block removed by the US to their CP which we weren't allowed to attack - yet later in the day attacks were put into the CP! Andy shrugged his shoulders when asked if CP's could be attacked or not...

SS were led by Neill to defend an emplacement - he kept disappearing back to the safe zone so had no choice but to sit there for 1.5hrs watching the US on the other side of the road who were watching us. Turns out the Emplacement sign was on the US side but the objective was on ours, we were both defending the same thing on both sides at the same time - bizarre! SS being bored and Neill having returned we went on to the next objective (objectives not having any particular time to be taken nor any way to say they had been taken). Objective undefended so 'taken'. Got bored waiting for someone to turn up to fight. Moved on to the next objective - no one the there so 'taken'. Returned to previous objective as there was a melon bomb there (melon bomb? WTF??). Sat there waiting for someone to turn up.
All commanders were on the same radio frequency so no chance of outwitting the other side! It was clear the main game had gone to shit so they called the whistle at 2.30 and returned to the SZ for two hours for 'lunch' while Andy and Neill tried to reassess (with little urgency). They moved radios so different channels for each side and put time clocks in objectives (which counts up, flip the switch and the other side's time counts up. Heh, at least we now knew who had occupied what! Also objectives were timed and had to be taken in sequence. Neill fannyd about making plans while the US legged it to the objective and occupied it! At last we were told what were supposed to be doing (I lost count of single of pairs of players on both sides wandering around on their own trying to fiend their own troops of just finding someone to shoot at!) and Neil had said Gadge needed rescuing at 5.30. He had clearing forgotten so I grabbed some bods at 5.15 (Blaggers, Locutus and Hopeless among them) and set off to the pond to pick up Gadge. One neat rolling up of enemy surrounding our target later had us extracting Gadge within 30 secs of 5.30. Withdrew and took him to Neill at the Village. I stayed there with three others to water and reload while Neill whisked Gadge away somewhere. Were we supposed to defend the village? No one knew to we trotted in the others direction only to find Gadge in the hands of the enemy. Why wasn't Gadge defended? Dunno! I was shot along with Leigh, neither of us were medic'd not intel asked for. Gadge had been removed to US CP (that we had previously been told not to attack!). After regenning and having no instructions was at a bit of a loss - snuk about with Leigh ambushing random US and ended back at the village. Small and occasional attacks - one by Webby who threw one of his 'you didn't take your hits' paddys, when he regened he walked on top of my gun as I lay in ambush three feet away from him - a short burst into his legs was met by a reactionary burst of fire from him two round of which hit my arm despite him not knowing where I was. I tutted a disapproving 'Webby!' upon which he said he hadn't felt anything. He did walk out though, to a regen, while I returned to the safezone for the rest of the game having come to the conclusion a cup of tea with grass floating in was prefereable to this skirmish!

Germans had no real need of the partisans (I never actually saw any). A few Germans had shot them only to be shouted at and told to return to regen, so they were ignored from that point on. Partisans walking about aparently undefended and then whipping out a gun was silly - our Arnhem armband was a very elegent and foolproff solution. Converesly the partisans had a great time 'being sneaky' but as the Germans largely ignored them it wasn't difficult!

Webby was so busy preferablefightapparentlyelegantfoolproofConverselying and hiding in bushes and running about he didn't control his men unless he was given a radio instruction. The only piece of 'advice' I gave to Andy months prior was that commanders must know what is happening (or due to happen) at all times and not expect to play (play like a paying punter I mean). Commanders run the game for the benefit of other players - not play it themselves.

Sunday: woke up to pouring rain and as I cooked my fried breakfast i surveyed the scene outside. Andy was wandering about, newbs seemed to be preparing to game on. 8.50 and Andy was still wandering about - Neill was wandering about (he was late arriving on Saturday for his own game. Clearly the game wasn't starting at 9.00! Eventually Andy started wandering round asking peeps what they wanted to do - by the time I was asked the results had been negative so I started packing. As it got to 10.30 it was clear there were people who wanted to play and were gathering (again, no sense of urgency). I asked Andy if the numbers were OK, I'd stop and play if it would help out (my kit being packed away by then. He said no it was fine so Jay and me had a little CiA meeting about Husky plans - had a chin wag with other players in the carpark and finally left site at 12noon.

Really, this game was just a regular 'attack the flag' and 'hunt the pilot' sort of open day event in WW2 kit. Great shame 'cos the site had so much potential - the MG next was awesome (but unused).

Oh, and Barry's sister was WELL FIT!!

I'll keep this short and sweet (bit like Barry's sister )

1: It was basically a SISK (tm)
2: C&C, as CW says, was crap.
3: Piss up was great.
4: Lots of converts to WW2.
5: Didn't make best use of the site. The aforementioned MG nest is a fucking superb setup.
6: Rules weren't clear. Could you attack CP's? etc etc

Yes, never mind the game - more about Barry's sister....

Sunday morning I wander over for a chat with B&A to see what their plans were. As we were talking aforementioned godess popped her head out of the tent. With a clear view down her top I was rooted to the spot as my trouser braces took the strain. Chatted about nothing at all for as long as I could!

Unfortunately on the photos posted so far she looks like a 14 year old boy in a tin helmet - which is a bit disturbing

Well from the SAS view ... it certainly wasn't a SISK. The type of missions we did felt right for what we were and it also felt right that we didn't see the Germans much. Working with the Resistance made it perfect.

The only comment I will say is that I do agree that some of the stuff Rhys got up to was on the edge of the rules... But in the end it wasn't my place to stop it. I did have a word... but only in a nice way.

I could see that the Germans and US were a little disorganised at times... but that wasn't my problem...

As for Germans not knowing where we were going to blow up... fair enough... but there were only 6 of us SAS, so it would have been unfair to have a ton of Germans sat on top of each objective. However we did have problems at the MG Nest and lost quite a few guys there before blowing the melon up. The SAS would not have attacked a strongly defended objective anyway... If you had defended it, then I'd have gone elsewhere... and waited for you to get bored...

As to Pete... for the 2 hours he lead, I really had to keep biting my tongue to stop myself leading... I think if his IBS hadn't kicked in he would have taken over more responsibility as the game went on.. as it was for 3/4 of the saturday I effectively commanded the SAS... and they were a blinding group of lads!

Aye, I can see you had fun - I would have enjoyed your game too!
Sorry for capping you when you were dead when we retrieved the downed pilot, my attack force had already taken you out and I was flanking and couldn't see a hand up.

Bloody melons!

That's fine Dave... I was stuck in the middle of the firefight...

Good on all players for stopping shooting whilst we extricated Jeremy from where he was stuck!

You SS players didn't half take us by surprise. I literally shot Gadge, shouted "We've got him lads!" and then was hit myself by you guys turning up!

The afternoons play was definatley better. I think i got ferried across the entire site in a huge zig zag and changed hands twice.

US trooper: "we've got the fascist pig!"
me: Thats *MR* fascist Pig to you Ami.."

In the morning i have to say that being the downed pilot being taken to safety by the SAS and resistance was incredibly evocative and i really got into it, we did have to avoid one axis patrol and had a few encounters with an FJ unit.

I agree with most of Daves comments but like Rich i dont think it was an SISK, i think they had put a lot of thought into the feel of the game and had *tried* to make it more than just a wwii blat fest with the multiple objectives and the 'intel' rules.

Timings were not good and a (very) long lunch meant it was hard to get motivated to get stuck in.

Ithink it was overly expensive still if you were playing (given the cost of camping) but it was better than D-day as a weekend for me.

It certainly didnt feel rigged like D-day did.

Aye, I can see you had fun - I would have enjoyed your game too!
Sorry for capping you when you were dead when we retrieved the downed pilot, my attack force had already taken you out and I was flanking and couldn't see a hand up.

Bloody melons!

Melons ...did Barry's sister have a good pair then ? Can't understand the reference.

Doh!

No, Barries's sister's wern't melons - more like soft plump but firm peaches...

Heh, the German explosives that the SAS had to detonate (where couldn't the Germans blow their own explosives??) were embedded in melons. No, really. Yellow blummin melons.

Hmmm peaches ....do she need space in the Zelt Palace ?

Organising certainly made me appreciate what the CIA boys get up to!

Quoted from Neill. Of course he meant CiA boys, past and present. Good to know it's appreciated!

Hmmm peaches ....do she need space in the Zelt Palace ?

No, she want's to share my 9x9 as she is after a stiff.... errrr... upper lip next game

Ohhh Feild Marshall is that a pipe in your pocket or are ???...etc