Just to help everyone out, CiA feel that we should give you some advice on lasting for the whole weekend and how to get the best from it. Anyone who was at Churchills' Revenge will remember how most of the allies (and a few Germans!) left when it rained a bit, or how people have cried off at other games through lack of preparation or resilience.
1) It may rain and, it may rain for the whole event! Be prepared for this by placing all spare kit inside seperate, waterproof bags (bin bags are ideal). This way, you will have dry, warm kit to sleep in. In July, noone should get hypothermia and being wet during the day should be looked on as a challenge, not an excuse to quit. A woolen jumper, shirt or jacket will still insulate you even if it's soaked through. Pack plenty of clean, dry socks. It can be a wonderful morale booster to put on a pair of dry socks.
2) It may be baking hot, it may be baking hot for the whole event! Bring spare water with you. CiA will have a few 5 gallon jerrycans but you should bring at least 5 litres of water with you as well. Dehydration can be a killer, so drink regularly and keep your waterbottles topped up. If you feel dizzy, or develop a sudden headache, those are the signs of dehydration and you should get some water down you immediately and get into the shade.
3) Bring insect repellent! There's nothing hard or clever about getting eaten alive by insects! (Ask anyone who was at Jedburgh!).
4) Bring enough food, ammo, batteries, gas, etc, to last the full 24 hours. Noone will be returning to their cars, except in an emergency.
5) Do NOT bring gunbags, carrier bags, or 5 spare guns with you into the area. CiA spend a lot of time, effort and money in creating as realistic an environment as possible in order to immerse you in the period and these items can totally destroy the suspension of disbelief for everyone. We ask that you stick to one weapon for the event (of course, pistols are fine too) and keep plastic bags and other modern stuff out of sight.
6) Try to think and act like a soldier. You will be given orders by your commanders and they may sometimes seem pointless, perhaps even a bit dull - get used to it. That's what soldiering is like! If you try to envisage a basic "persona" for the relative side that you're on, you will get a lot more from this event than simply trying to run round like an open day airsofter looking to get trigger time. We aim to make this as close to "milsim" or "reenactment" as we ever have and this will only happen with your help.
7) Every player must carry a whistle. This is only to be used to raise the alarm if you become a real casualty, or dramatically lost. Whistles will not be used for any other purpose.
8 - If you have any personal medication, please carry it in your top right pocket. This way, everyone knows where it is, should the need arise.
9) Bring a sense of humour with you and, remember the first rule of CiA!
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
