Tactical Pith Helmet

Another Gunman game, this time at Tuddenham. The theme was the video game S.T.A.L.K.E.R.S. Loadouts were varied, some teams had matching camo, some post apocolytic outfits and one team old Russian gear. According to FB there were 55 people attending. It felt like less. We were split into teams numbering from two to seven, and each person could be assigned one of four roles; engineer, captain, sniper or medic. Engineers could collect items hidden in the wasteland, and were essential. Medics could give each player one extra bandage. Captains had a radio. Snipers sniped. The wasteland/site is a woodland site that has a Second World War bomber base on it. I imagine that it’s what is left of the accommodation, being single story prefabs. There is also a more open section of site with oil tanks and trenches and tyres for cover. I played in a team of six as Mrs TPH was too unwell to attend. The game premise is that the teams hunt for food, water, medical supplies, alien artefacts and bullets all over the site. Each player has a dosimeter that shows radiation up to 100% saturation/the fatal dose. The site has radiation emitters all over it, and especially near the drop cases that held items. Each of these could only be taken from on the hour, quarter past, half past and quarter to. You had to take from another crate before you could return. This ensured that teams would arrive at the cases at the same time at some point and weigh up whether to fight for possession or search for random items. The game started after a decent safety brief and thought through game brief. The rules were fairly complex. Questions took some time. We got underway at 10:30 after a 9:30 start of brief. Each team drew a card and were escorted to a tunnel. This corresponded with an exit coded the same colour, in the game area. On reaching the exit, gas masks were donned and guns loaded. The players had tickets that gave them 10 minutes gas mask filter life. Each player started with three tickets. The items were all over the site, in bushes and in trees, as well as hidden in the ‘village’ of buildings. The radiation emitters were in random places, and the dosimeters were regularly buzzing. We watched for the other teams and tried to avoid them. The Russian team were fairly aggressive towards other teams in game; the two man team were very active and keen to exchange info. The team in urban camo were very coordinated. The atmosphere was epic, partly due to each player wearing a thick, highly tinted coloured gel over their eyepro. You could hardly see, the rad meters were going crazy and the gameplay was completely unpredictable. Games within game were issued over the radio. At one stage, all teams were called to attack a strong point held by ‘horsemen’. These were crew that could take about fifty hits, who carried a serious amount of ammo and who were fitted out with radiation emitting devices. They would shoot you as you shot them repeatedly, and when you were sat calling for a medic (10 min bleed-out time) would irradiate you to death. We managed to win this (I think) by lobbing an incendiary into their HQ). Once dead you went to the decontamination chambers. The doctor decontaminated you in a booth and charged five bullets for any bandages that needed removal. Next came the card game. Pick any card, and red you’re dead, you give up all your loot and start all over again, black you are back. You have a new dosimeter and go out to fight/scavenge/hunt again. Items collected were worth a different amount of bullets each time. Bullets bought tokens. The tokens were deposited in boxes dotted around the site. The team with most tokens won. The whole game was a total blast. I really liked the slow gameplay, the tactical approach and the uncertainty of the play. The loadouts, low ammo counts and complex rules needed real thoughtful play; and at end of game, we had not heard one argument, bad hit call or a single moan. It was solid laughter, adrenalin and immersion from 10:30 to 19:00. With all our gear/masks/props removed post game, old faces from other themed games were recognised. We had a quiet night around the campfire, keeping warm, swapping stories and drinking a few shared beers. We managed to forget all of our fresh food again, second weekend in a row. We ended up heating up last night’s doner meat in tins of chili. The butane was too cold to light, despite being kept in our sleeping bags. The handle fell off our pan. We borrowed a stove and realised that we had no cutlery. I ate the dish with a spatula and a pair of Leatherman pliers. The lad only managed ¾ of a beer before he flaked out. We had walked nine miles according to a teammate’s smartwatch thing. A good night after a good game with filling food and nice company is hard to beat, especially after the scotch comes out. Sunday was stormy, with heavy rain. The lad stayed in his sleeping bag complaining of a sore hip and exhaustion. The other four members of the team wanted to wait for better weather. I went out alone. I stayed alone. I actually enjoyed this even more. I manged to avoid the other Stalkers and the extra crew acting as radioactive zombies. It was exciting to hide as they walked past and hope that you had judged the distance well enough that the dosimeter would not go nuts and give your position away. Stalking the other teams and eavesdropping the order in which they would visit the drop boxes, taking from those that were free and outpacing the larger teams back to base and out again was great fun. It became obvious that teams would have to hit and raid each other to win by an hour or so in. I was so successful sneaking around that I raided each box unopposed and hit, robbed and ran stragglers without taking a single shot in return all day Sunday. I got so active that the Syntex jacket was not breathable enough and I just wore a shirt. I figured that I had a towel, fresh clothes and an hour’s drive home in a heated van ahead of me so I’d crack on soaked. At 20 minutes before endex, I found a drop box that had not been found all weekend. I grabbed a long bullet belt and raided another on my way back to the exchange centre. When I got there, it had been packed up. As the rest of my team had gone home, they had taken Saturday’s entire loot home, or handed it back to the props box. I’d picked up more items going solo than as a team, but our big haul from Saturday for the horsemen game was irreplaceable. The whistle blew game over. I don’t know where my team of one was placed. I don’t care TBH. I had a blast. I’ll be back next year. Hurrahs: Meeting old mates, solid gameplay, a complex and engaging game with brilliant atmosphere and imaginative roles, settings, loadouts and storyline. Excellent playing field. Damn good social. You know you’ll have a really good time at these events and you always do. Priceless. Moans: Mrs TPH was absent. A bank system could have avoided the loss of our loot. The gel material didn’t work with mesh. That’s it. Hardly the organisers fault. Final thoughts: my kit worked excellently. I essentially wore my skirmish kit for Tuddenham. It’s evolved over several years and consists of 90’s camo in random patterns so was good for game. The social and game were spot on. I do wonder though, how the fuck are people not prepared for the weather, camping and airsofting in the UK in October? Last game I was solo player in the rain, same again this time. It won’t kill you. It’s only water. Use a t-shirt as a towel and change into your non-loadout kit, and that’s if you can’t master wearing a decent coat and leggings. If your car has a heater them turn the bastard on as you drive home. Not a moan at anyone at the game. I don't know what else people had on or commitments that they had, just a general comment; and made by someone who works outside a fair bit. Office only bods are not as used to the cold I expect! Anyhow… I’ll e-mail a few suggestions for tweaks. I know that these will be taken on. I’d pre-book now if possible. I’d not miss it for the world. See you there next year.

Sounds bloody odd @Colin Allen!

I accidentally swallowed some maggots whilst fishing today. Now I'm sat in A&E waiting with baited breath.

I heard they're wearing the airsoft plate carriers that people asked members of this forum for a few months back. Glad to think that the Viper rig I donated is saving Ukrainian lives. The trick is to add folded up copies of Razzle in with the foam plates.

I'm not saying the bloke that runs out local Aldi is thick but, when I asked if they could open Till 3, the manager replied.. " We're already open till 10 most nights. "

'I told everyone that the Titanic would sink,' said Grandfather. 'I shouted it out loud, but no one listened.' 'I got chucked out of the cinema too...'

I just got the sack as a set designer. I left without making a scene.

The range of different TS camo on Ebay is dizzying. That that may be due to factories not knowing what the hell patterns they are replicating is besides the point. My son simply trawled through page after page until he found a pair of M65 TC that were close enough. The pair he got from Forces Kit Direct have lasted him well, but they are probably a bit too brown for you. If you don't mind serious trawling, have a look at some of the lizard designs. It's occasionally a fine line to separate the two patterns in some of the more obscure/old commercial items. Moore Militaria in the US do runs of Nam era kit in all of the harder to get camo patterns. You may have to pre-order. Russian MVD uniforms come in a modern cut and half a dozen TS patterns at least (some useless blue though). One is pretty light green and similar to Portuguese Mozambique era lizard.

Given the amount I've amassed over the years, I'm tempted to sell some of it back.

There is an ANZAC v VC game in May. You would fit right in mate! There are a few who run as a separate ANZAC unit at some regular games too. If you were the only Aussie there, I'm sure some role could be improvised, but best clear it with the organisers to be polite. Join the UK Namsoft FB group and you'll get the events advertised well in advance. Nope. I have about three East German and two Rusfor kits and nowhere to go at the mo. My last full weekend game will be next weekend and then I'm back to filmsim days up the road. Although by the time I finished writing that sentence I'm bloody tempted...

Sounds like a planned trip cancelled... Who are we talking about? No one with an inability to speak French I hope?

Gunman Airsoft. Frontline have a good rep too. If you want to tag along, I expect that @RebelScum or I would be more than willing to buddy up with you for a first game. I play VC, Rebelscum plays US. Pick a side, sign up to the Facebook group appropriate, get help with kit, meet new airsofters, get pissed in the woods. It's all good fun. Sierra Bravo Airsoft do the same type of games.

Fell into the basket like an autumnal leaf... Cheers!

'We'd like to stay in the bridal suite,' the honeymooners said at the reception desk. 'Do you have reservations?' asked the receptionist. 'Yes, I'm worried about taking it up the arse,' replied the bride.

Does anyone have any experience with these? It has a polymer body but since it's for Mrs TPH weight is a major issue. Any other recommendations for the same rifle would be welcomed. I don't seem able to find a CYMA in stock, although I've not searched that hard yet.

My house is haunted by a chicken. Not sure if it's a poultryguist or some other fowl spirit, but I'm getting an eggsorcist in.

Reports just in of a man attacking people with a chickpea and garlic dip. Police are warning people that a houmousidal maniac is on the loose.

Ceracote is somewhat flatter I think. It's a hard one to replicate. I reckon for scratches you may well be right though. Those touch up pens are damn good these days. Of course you could always use a matt lacquer to finish it off I suppose. I learned a lot about touch up paint, rattle cans, and panel beating with my first wife. Her driving was interesting...

I'm going to be a minimalist. It's the least that I can do.

What exactly do you want to do? Think mounting, range, colour/display options, battery life, etc etc. The Yukon unit was the mutt's nuts for years for bolty night shooting. Once £400-ish they are now £600+. That's night vision not thermal. NVUK do NV units that reach out to 130 yards for around £150 or so. You find them on fb. After 130 yards you're into Pulsar territory. I don't own any, but friends rate them. Good luck whatever you do.

Vevor do one for around £200, I don't know its quality. Flir units are very good and now down to £400 https://uk.farnell.com/flir/tg165-x/thermal-imager-80x60-25-to-300/dp/3513905 Fanatic squirrel hunters love 'em. Pulsar are designed for spotting game etc they start at around £1100 and are designed for what you want it for. Probably a bit high spec for searching a garden or loft/shed, but buy once etc.

I think that the breech is open. I did think that it looked bent to the side in the clip though. Perhaps it's loose where it engages the breech? He is now in prison where no one will take the piss about him getting locked up for pounding a grandmother's back door. Since its claimed that he had lost his mind during the offence, the MHA states that secure hospital route should have been followed.

How do dragons blow out candles?

I do believe that he has a reputation as being expensive. There is a section on the forum called 'Where to Buy' if you look in there you will probably find some info.