Clear and Present danger

["Runaway"]

www.yabbers.com/bb/index.php?mforum=commanddecision&showtopic=2082&st=0&#entry24082

I would like to Thank Seoulbro, Phantom Agent and Making his
Paintball debut in Leadership NinerRef....Thanks for Representing
Boxer at this event "Way to go guyz!!!"

[Werewolf]

This game calls for a big AAR from me, which I think is a good thing. Small AARs from Werewolf means he doesn't care enough about the field to think about everything that happened and what can be sustained or improved. Here goes.

First let me say that it's always very interesting (to me) to watch a field grow and overcome the initial inertia of becoming a viable location to play big scenarios. Some haven't been able to pull it off. Some fields don't even try. Wolf Creek is trying as hard as they can and I think I am willing to help them out by ensuring Rogue Cell attends as many Wolf Creek games as possible. They have a field that is not too big and not too small. There are some very good structures in place already and there is a lot of room to grow. This field has serious potential. The key will be to get them to actively and attentively listen to the experience of those of us that have been playing this game for a very long time. The instant they shrug off the opinions and suggestions of the scenario community, they are doomed. Hopefully, that won't happen.

Pre-Game
As has already been mentioned, registration was very slow (but not as slow as SplatBrothers). They could have streamlined things by creating three different registration lines. The game was supposed to start at 1000hrs, but I don't think we heard the horn until 1045-1100 (correct me if I'm wrong). Some fields choose to just start the game no matter how many people are on the field, which leads to a lot of "gamism" problems with the sides being lopsided. Rick Johnson just chose to delay the whole game, which I think worked out better for the whole game. It looked like the air station wasn't ready as quick as it should have been and people couldn't get their tanks filled right away. There was more than one chrono in the speedball field (finally, the perfect use for a speedball field, lol), which meant the lines moved fairly quickly. The player's briefing wasn't very productive, IMHO. There was a lot of humor and common sense issues stated, but the GAME rules were not explained and those that were were slightly on the vague side. I think a clear rule set should be drawn up (maybe the GSRP?) and set in place, printed out, and handed to all the refs. This goes for scenario specific issues as well. That wasn't done and we paid for it later on in the day. Maps were also not available for those ill-prepared. The ABT that was handed out was issued in five inch increments, instead of wrapping all the way around the arms for security. We found a lot of ABT on the ground during the day.

Game Time
When the horn finally blew, the game launched into a whirlwind of roleplaying activity. I have never before seen so much roleplaying, nor been a part of it. I had a blast, but I think some of the more bloodthirsty players couldn't care less about roleplaying and just wanted to shoot something (which is understandable). That, along with the communication equipment breakdowns, made for a lot of WTF IS GOING ON!? situations. The roleplaying was very fun, though and brought an imaginative spark to the game. I can see why Otto gets into it so much. The props were very cool, especially the WMD in the briefcase with the lights and switches and stuff. There were bundles of cash, bags of marijuana and cocaine, parachutes, maps, trip-mines, etc. The only prop issue we ran into was that when we hunted down D.B. Cooper's parachute, it was missing some pieces. Apparently, somebody had swept through the area and stole the props, making it impossible to complete the mission. If it was their mission to take it, then that is cool, but according to the ref, we were the only mission on that prop. I think it needs to be stressed that unless you have a mission card to find or intercept something, then leave it alone. Removing the prop from the field of play without a reason just disrupts the storyline.

There were some rules issues during the day, as well. It appears that the refs were not on the same page as the game director, for the most part. It didn;t seem that they had even been briefed, really. Pease correct me if I'm wrong. I recieved many reports from players that the rules on one side of the field did not match the rules being enforced on the other side. Three issues of admin breakdown happened to me personally:
1. Bunker tags only eliminate the players against the wall that is tagged. Just like when you shoot an RPG in a house, only that particular room is eliminated. You can't eliminate 40 players in a 500 square foot fort by simply slapping a wall. This turned into a very heated debate in one instance. The base ref made an erroneous call by emptying out the fort from a single bunker tag. The head ref caught the mistake and all was well.
2. Before the final battle, those of us standing by our CP were briefed on the rules. Single elimination and only head shots count. The objective was to take out the Cartel CP. Halfway through the battle, I see Cartel players sneaking around along the road and inserting behind the house (not the the approved insertion route). We were also being called out by refs when we got hit on the body. As I call a ref over for clarification, he says body hits count. Wha..? Mass confusion. About that time, the Americans catch up to us from behind and stomp the dogstuff out of us. I think I got hit twenty times. I stuck my hand out and took two to the palm. I put my head behind a tree, covered up and waited for a ref to stand over me and scream for a cease fire.
3. When I captured the WMD in Ft. Stafford, I was told that it was boobytrapped. I called to a ref to explain how to disarm the boobytrap and he spent a good ten minutes on the horn with RJ trying to figure out the answer. Finally he just grabbed it, yelled over the radio that he was giving it to me, and I took off running with it. Perhaps that's another rule that can be added to the hard copy and handed out.

Post-Game
The end-game ceremony seemed very rushed to me. When Ted and I had originally talked to Rick Johnson about the involvement of the Colombian Government as a swing team, we told him that we wanted to just have the side consist of a handful of small, experienced scenario teams so we could maximize the roleplaying and not have to worry about generating points. He rejected out idea and said that since the game was advertised as a three-faction game, he wanted the Colombians to have walk-ons assigned and play for points. We worked our butts off all day trying to generate points, only to find out at the end-game that we weren't playing for points at all. Twitch had a pile of props at his feet and when he protested loudly, RJ just said "Whatever, kid. Fine. The Colombians get 500 points just because." I could see some confused looks on the faces of the walk-ons. I felt pretty disappointed. A few scattered raffle prizes were handed out. No awards were given out. The faction generals were not even given a chance to speak. It all felt very rushed.

Overall, I had a fun time, despite the rule breakdowns, issues with a particular Wolverine, and the lack of any end-game niceties. I really like the field and it's playability. I think there's potential for some really good scenarios there. Hopefully, the staff gets more organized and facilitates future games as a team, with everyone on the same page.

Thanks!
Barry and Sarge for putting it together. Congratulations, guys, on your first independent scenario.
Tiny and Moose, for your efforts during the whole day and your swift adjudication of the Colombian Command Post incident.
The Hun, for letting me run wild with the roleplaying.
Ferg and Harley for going along with my roleplaying. LOL! Si, padre! Here is $500 to fund your war effort in my country!
The Drug Cartel General, for not putting thirty rounds into me when I kicked down your door yelling POLICIA! Good roleplay!
The Black Knights and B-Squad for playing fair and leaving quietly after being bayonet'd (One person playing fair is awesome. All twenty of you leaving quietly is a much-appreciated miracle).
Tombstone, for performing your own miracle, bringing the River Rats, and trying to hold them back from the nearest firefight, lol.

And of course, to my Rogues (with Severe and Assmounty). Thanks for hanging tough and not shooting a single round until at least 1300, haha! The roleplay was a blast and you guys humped all over that field for no points or reason. Good job.

See ya'll on the boards.