Operation Paramount 2 – 28-30/07/23
Fawkham Kent – Sierra Bravo Airsoft
A really fun weekend. We left for Kent at an anti-social 5am to beat the traffic, and ended up at Ultimate Wargames for about 7:10. We had a leisurely trundle with no stress at all. Bit much to have to leave so early, especially after a full on night in the gym, but there you go.
On arrival we parked up, got our sleeping bags out and a few basic bits of kit, and found somewhere to sleep for a few hours. Since this was a full on weekend game, we would be sleeping in the field and hopefully not go back to the car until Sunday afternoon. We found the most light tight building in the village and had a long nap.
The basic premise to this game was to build on last year’s instalment. An insurgent force, almost unchecked by a local military devoid of funds or supplies, is waging war against a US task force liberating their country with some freedom through extreme violence. A team of arms dealers possibly linked to the Kremlin add to the fun; so far so straight to DVD movie but seriously, what a set of characters to play.
The loadouts were the best of any game this year. The police team had sets of matching uniform based on Serbian paramilitary units complete with cuffs, night sticks etc. The National Army looked like they dressed by rummaging in a skip outside a Russian base and the terrorists were straight off the set Carry on Camel albeit with guns. The taskforce team were made up of a couple of groups of players who play as teams in Milsim games. They were well into their kit, but a damn good laugh too. It’s hard to take oneself seriously in such a setting tbh.
Saturday started with chrono and safety brief. This was very brief as everyone was an experienced player who knew the ruleset, but still covered the essentials. Questions were welcomed and game specific rules clarified. For one, the taskforce took a limb hit by self-torqueing said limb (loosely), being medic’d for 30 seconds for torso hits, and taking head shots as KIA.
The site is mainly woodland with a village area of buildings and a few isolated structures such as The Towers fort. There is a CQB area to the South full of rat runs and old vehicles.
As a member of the Jallal militia/insurgents, I had to locate and retrieve mines and then lay them along routes likely frequented by Taskforce or NA players. We also had to engage TF as civies in order to work out their numbers. As we camped together as factions, this was genuinely useful, as we were kept apart all Friday night. Part of the TF came into the village that we were stationed in and as one of them tripped a mine on its perimeter, we nicked as much of their kit as we could as they dived for cover/followed the bang.
The Police proved reliably dishonest, hiding our booty and then charging the TF to ‘find’ it. For our part we accepted bribes manfully and promised cooperation. We then learned that one of our team had actually tripped the mine, having forgotten where he put it… luckily he was leading two TF at the time.
The next task was to ambush the TF and blend back in with the civilian players who spent all morning and afternoon setting the story, making the game run smoothly. This accomplished with some trouble, as they were no fools and not easily led. As usual, the key to success is hit and RUN. Honestly, sticking around never works as players as good as this re-group like greased lightning.
After our hit and run and a showdown with the NA, the TF decided to teach us a lesson by raiding the village. This was a real highlight, as the organiser had arranged for a pyro expert to lay large theatrical charges all over one corner. As the TF got to the centre, a huge bang sent ash clouds about 20 feet in the air, and I opened up with the trusty RPK. Again, we legged it sharpish after a long few bursts that found their mark. The lad used his VSS with scope to good effect and the rest of the fellows had a variety of AKs that joined in the carnage, mainly, it was discovered around the campfire, of CYMA make.
Having surprised the hell out of the TF it was good to get back into the woods and hunt small sections, ambush in small squads until the next set piece, an attack on the CQB section of the site. This we had to defend and keep the chief safe. This went less well for us. As they knew where we were, and we could not hit and run, the better organised team were sure to give us a drubbing, which they did. We lost both the loot and our HVT in short time. I got a grenade lobbed neatly between my feet for one.
Next up we had to find the components for a bomb. We could not locate the last of these, despite managing to follow the arms dealers who were leaving them. These chaps had on occasion been chased by TF all over the map, and helped us when it suited them. We were searching when the whole TF showed up and I and two other players had to hit the mud. In a forest, and we had to be caught in a bare patch of dirt. We scrabbled into the mud and stayed still, unseen by a miracle. We saw that they obviously expected people to be there in good numbers and so watched them as they seemed to concentrate around The Towers. As soon as they left we ran to the Towers and found the last component! No sooner had we picked it up than we were rumbled and chased. Component dropped due to weight, we legged it and hid, only radioing for backup when a good few hundred yards away from our pursuers.
No backup was forthcoming, as we were told to assemble in the village for a major assault. Two of us decided that the best thing to do was become selectively deaf and ignore the order. We gambled on the whole TF leaving the area for the attack, and went back. We found the target and got it back a.s.a.p. Last objective complete.
What happened next was a perfect end to the day. We fought it out in the village in the dusk, and then dark, for about an hour and a half. I had not had time to swap my mesh or pick up a torch, so crawled around until I saw a target and let rip with the RPK. Luckily I know the site extremely well and managed to hide behind a pollarded tree as a fire position. My companion disappeared into the night and I slotted away, getting the odd strafe in along the windows of the occupied L-shape building. Despite NV and thermal equipment on the TF side, we carried on until game end at 10:30. A full twelve hour airsoft with no breaks save grabbing a pasty and a few choc bars through the day.
Saturday night was very subdued. We were all absolutely knackered and I only manged to cook our steaks with my eyes closed for rest. No pan, so spuds cooked in a stainless camping mug and a bag of salad. Honestly, one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. A packet of cookies and a few scotches later and we still stayed up till three am getting pissed and reliving the day.
Sunday dawned far too early as some daft sod forgot to reset his alarm from the weekday setting. I did not appreciate being woken after three or so hours kip. Anyhow, when we did get up, we had a surprising amount of energy once the coffee was boiled.
Today was the much loved fallback game. We fell back across the map anti-clockwise. This was a great airsoft setup and much more skirmishy tbh. Just simple gameplay for the hungover but still keen. Both sides were diminished, the opfor a little bit more. We were not quite steamrollered the first game, but despite being skilled players, we had not worked out our crossing fields of fire too well, and we lost our key position too quickly.
The next position that we had to defend, a mate and I made a decision to sit 40 yards outside the perimeter and wait until the enemy had moved up on it. Since we were the only players on that side it was a tempting target and one that was taken. The TF were well in range when they popped out of cover to have one last conflab before hitting the fort. At that point we raked them with fire. We did eventually get hit together so no medic for either and we felt that we had let the side down, only to find that we were the last defenders left.
The next position was even better. I sat on a likely inception route and raked a whole squad with one burst. Like a silly sod I sat around to pick off anyone getting a medic, and got hit by someone moving up unseen. Should have run! Anyhow, I returned from respawn and hid in some really thick cover that overlooked the final objective. At the final shout of ‘All clear,’ I opened up on three TF. Thus followed a satisfying chase until I radio’d in that I would pull back and let them have a crack at the next target. I drew them into deeper cover as they knew that they faced only one opponent. Bugging out as soon as I’d fired to a pre-seen hiding spot got the job done. Shame Mrs TPH had to stay at home as she would have revelled in this bit of play.
The last firefight was truly epic. I have never seen so much plastic get slung. Taking position in the L-shape building upstairs in the village, I could have walked on the BBs in the air. Weight of fire wore us down as we were much depleted and the TF concentrated their forces very effectively. Another grenade as we cowered from the plastic storm saw me and the lad out of action for good and game over.
What a fucking blast. A whole game of quality play, tight rulesets with no marshals required, and really good social afterwards. A quick debrief and we were going home. The return took nearly five bloody hours. I’m still knackered and still a bit wired if I’m honest. Monday morning saw me stiff as a board. Thank God work was rained off.
Cheers Sierra Bravo!
We're wondering where the legal boundary is for "farmers" to be able to shoot Deer with a shotgun, because those things can really jump; but hopefully the fence will be enough as the freezers are all full.
Land owners can shoot deer with a 12g using no less than AAA shot if foodstuffs are being eaten if memory serves. You'd have to be no more than 15-20 yards max or so though, I would have thought. AAA is around 5.5mm so pingy as fuck at 1200fps, the same as .22LR subs.
The damn thing is fantastic at suppression. The highlight of my day was the final round where we were playing an 'escort the VIP with a bomb' mission. We were tied up in the BBC base, with the bomb sitting just outside. I got a decent couple of kills on two enemies just outside the base, so thought 'sod it' and sprinted out to the best cover. Me and the VIP then pepper-potted down to the church, with me giving suppressive fire while the VIP carried the bomb. I got zapped between the Church and Ping Ping, but by then we'd all pushed on and the final step (getting the bomb to the tank) was inevitable.
