SE Tour Review: Bramley Training Area (Hampshire) - Battlesim

[Asomodai]

Site Name: Legion Airsoft Events: Bramley Training Area

Contact details: N/A

Website Address: https://legionairsoftevents.com/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/LegionAirsoftEvents/

Site Address: Campbell Rd, Bramley, Tadley RG26 5XG

 

Back in February my battle buddy and I attended our first and til now only Battlesim day. Battlesim matches the realism of a Milsim, but only lasts for a day. 

 

The venue was Bramley Training Area, which is MOD territory, you require a car and you will be escorted onto the premises. 

 

Not a lot of previous reviews on this one, so we went in blind. 

 

This is a very very large 160 acre woodland site with smatterings of large warehouse like buildings. Engagement distance is pretty much all long range. It is mostly flat with some tall man made earthen works which are very steep. 

 

Good:

 

Size of site: At 160 Acres it is very easy to get lost in this site. You need to get to know the buildings so you have a chance at working out where you are. Bring a map and compass and learn how to use it. 

 

Site quality: You can tell that this site is used for BattleSims and not standard skirmishes. There are few buildings, but what they have are large and imposing mostly brickwork buildings. There is the occasional bunker and ammo store. Firefights are medium to long range even inside the buildings due to their size. Woodland is nice and varied, no true trenches, but man made earthworks, unkempt woodland and some manicured sections means interesting gameplay. This site really makes you think about the sort of silhouette and camo you are running. 

 

Marshaling: A very hands off approach as Milsims should be. The original overview was very good and gave us most of the information we needed. 

 

Player attitudes: Everyone knew they were there to play and call their hits. There were no arguments, little fanfare and people just got on with the day. It was refreshing. 

 

Average: 

 

Shop: Was well stocked with gear. Lack of Rifs but you had pretty much everything else you could want. 

 

Bad:

 

Food: There was none that I remember, it being on MOD land it would probably be hard to order something in, I just ate what I brought. (The lack of food facilities is pointed out beforehand on the legion website I had forgotten about this).

 

No Chrono: Lack of chrono can easily kill a game. I tend to bring RIFS that are under 330FPS and that day was no exception, but when no one gets chronoed and a fair few HPA rigs are on site then it can feel a bit unfair. 

 

Regen zone: The regen zone was a very dark ammunition store. By dark I mean pitch black, you had to have your torch on store your stuff, it was open to the elements with a raging cold wind blowing through it. Maybe it's to get you more immersed in a battlesim, but I didn't like it much. Easy to trip over other peoples gear! 

 

Conclusion:

 

It was a decent introduction to the world of Milsim, it was a large but simple site that did the job. There was some really interesting moments and I was incredibly tired by the end of it. You clearly need to be fit to do this sort of thing! I only wish they would Chrono and check that everyone has the correct amount of ammo before heading out. I think there are some better Battlesim venues out there on paper but I cant really tell you one way or another this being my first Battlesim experience. 

 

Personally I wouldn't go back. Mostly because of the distance from London and not enough redeeming features to put it above playing a skirmish at some sites closer to home. I am not saying the site is bad, but not quite worth the extra effort to get their. 

[L3wisD]

But the Bramley in Surrey doesn't have any MOD ground...?

 

The Bramley in Hampshire does...?

[Asomodai]

1 hour ago, L3wisD said:

But the Bramley in Surrey doesn't have any MOD ground...?

 

The Bramley in Hampshire does...?

 

Quite right! I have no idea where i got the Surrey bit from! I'll just edit it in Cheers!

[L3wisD]

[clumpyedge]

On 03/07/2018 at 16:04, Asomodai said:

Negatives: 

 

Food: There was none that I remember, it being on MOD land it would probably be hard to order something in, I just ate what I brought.

 

No Chrono: Lack of chrono can easily kill a game. I tend to bring RIFS that are under 330FPS and that day was no exception, but when no one gets chronoed and a fair few HPA rigs are on site then it can feel a bit unfair. 

 

Safe Zone: The safe zone was a very dark ammunition store. By dark I mean pitch black, you had to have your torch on store your stuff, it was open to the elements with a raging cold wind blowing through it. Maybe it's to get you more immersed in a battlesim, but I didn't like it much. Easy to trip over other peoples gear! 

 

 

 

Who was running the event?

[Asomodai]

1 hour ago, clumpyedge said:

 

Who was running the event?

 

Legion Airsoft Events. 

[Legion Mike]

Asomodai,

 

Thanks for the feedback, but I'd like to address a couple of points you've made, just for clarity.

1) This wasn't a MilSim by any means, and it isn't just the fact that it is only 1 day long that differentiates it from our Immersive MilSim series. The BattleSim events that you attended are halfway between a skirmish and our Immersive MilSims in terms of time played, rule set, player organisation, mission sets, and rules. They are also no-where near as demanding (our last Immersive MilSim event required one force to march 2km with all their kit for the weekend, and move 60metres down a river up to waist depth, just  to get to the gaming area). Just wanted to clarify that.

2) Regarding the food. A BattleSim is a non stop 8hr game, and it does state in the terms that you agree to when booking, that you need to bring your own food and water and self administrate throughout the event. Again, just for clarification for anyone else reading this.

3) The Safe Zone. I think you are getting confused here between the safe zone and your start/regen point. The safe zone, as pointed out in the safety brief, was the contained building with windows, doors and the shop in (that you commented on) that was right behind me when I was giving the safety brief. THAT is our safe zone, and is more than safe to use as intended is it is a sealed unit, on all sides, floors and ceilings, with only one access point through a doorway. The bunker that you were taken tom which I assume is what you are describing, was your regen/start point. I think this is important to clarify this as someone has already made a comment on this thread of the safe zone "not being very safe" which is absolutely not true.

4) Chrono. You're right, we didn't do a mass chrono of guns and I'll reiterate here what I said in the safety briefing at the time. At this event we had a problem with some travelling folk moving into the area where the normal access point is for the training area. This meant we needed to transport you across the site, which as you've described is quite large, and wasted a LOT of time, and is not something we had any control over unfortunately, but meant we were delayed quite a bit in getting the game started. To try and make some of that time back we made the decision to only initially chrono those who were unsure of the power of their gun, which some came forward and asked for. We then, as per every event we run, carried out spot checks throughout the event with zero problems of any of the guns we tested. 

Just thought I'd clarify these points as it was raised to my attention from another user who was also at the event.

Cheers.
Mike.
Legion Airsoft Events

 

[Robert James]

5 minutes ago, Legion Mike said:

4) Chrono. You're right, we didn't do a mass chrono of guns and I'll reiterate here what I said in the safety briefing at the time. At this event we had a problem with some travelling folk moving into the area where the normal access point is for the training area. This meant we needed to transport you across the site, which as you've described is quite large, and wasted a LOT of time, and is not something we had any control over unfortunately, but meant we were delayed quite a bit in getting the game started. To try and make some of that time back we made the decision to only initially chrono those who were unsure of the power of their gun, which some came forward and asked for. We then, as per every event we run, carried out spot checks throughout the event with zero problems of any of the guns we tested. 

 

I respect you for coming onto the forum and saying that but damn, i'd rather lose play time than an eye.

[Legion Mike]

1 minute ago, Robert James said:

I respect you for coming onto the forum and saying that but damn, i'd rather lose play time than an eye.

 

That's fair enough, but we were confident in the player base we had. We only had 43 players attend that game, and of those 43 players, probably half were known enough to us to trust them with just a spot check. Some we didn't know came forward, because we told guys, if we spot check your gun mid game and its over, your off site. After that, random checks throughout the day showed that those guns were well within power limits. Combined with the correct eye protection that all players sign a waiver to say they are wearing (as well as checking a check box to say they understand the terms and conditions of our event at the time of booking, which also explains the eye protection required). We are happy that the risk was mitigated sufficiently, which is why I have no problem saying it here.

If players want to cheat a chrono, at a BattleSim event on a 160 acre site, it's very easy to do. Short of searching peoples kit for spare cylinders, etc, Chrono'ing at the start of the event only really catches out those who have un-intentionally allowed their guns to go over the limit, which is never enough power to cause problems for properly rated eye protection.

To clarify as well, not chrono'ing was a decision made due to the large delay we had already experienced in starting the event, and is not something we just do on a whim, or without careful consideration.

[Legion Mike]

Horses for courses.

[clumpyedge]

Depends what you want out of games/immersion. Personally I dont mind challenging myself, you see people dress up in cosplay suits for more than 12 hours wearing sometimes heavy kit, not really much different considering the distances they can walk at places like comicon etc.

 

The fact that legion games (especially the immersive ones) are well attended says something about the people that DO enjoy this type of game and immersion.

[Legion Mike]

1 minute ago, clumpyedge said:

 

 

Depends what you want out of games/immersion. Personally I dont mind challenging myself, you see people dress up in cosplay suits for more than 12 hours wearing sometimes heavy kit, not really much different considering the distances they can walk at places like comicon etc.

 

The fact that legion games (especially the immersive ones) are well attended says something about the people that DO enjoy this type of game and immersion.

Exactly. Some are put off by the things we do, some attend and realise it's not for them, and that's cool with us. It's not for everyone. Saying that, some of our regular skirmishers were intrigued about our MilSim event at Longmoor so attended, despite warning them that it's a bit of a step up from a skirmish, and they ended up absolutely loving it, got right into their characters and their effort, along with everyone else, is what made the event. 

[Asomodai]

46 minutes ago, Legion Mike said:

Asomodai,

 

Thanks for the feedback, but I'd like to address a couple of points you've made, just for clarity.

1) This wasn't a MilSim by any means, and it isn't just the fact that it is only 1 day long that differentiates it from our Immersive MilSim series. The BattleSim events that you attended are halfway between a skirmish and our Immersive MilSims in terms of time played, rule set, player organisation, mission sets, and rules. They are also no-where near as demanding (our last Immersive MilSim event required one force to march 2km with all their kit for the weekend, and move 60metres down a river up to waist depth, just  to get to the gaming area). Just wanted to clarify that.

2) Regarding the food. A BattleSim is a non stop 8hr game, and it does state in the terms that you agree to when booking, that you need to bring your own food and water and self administrate throughout the event. Again, just for clarification for anyone else reading this.

3) The Safe Zone. I think you are getting confused here between the safe zone and your start/regen point. The safe zone, as pointed out in the safety brief, was the contained building with windows, doors and the shop in (that you commented on) that was right behind me when I was giving the safety brief. THAT is our safe zone, and is more than safe to use as intended is it is a sealed unit, on all sides, floors and ceilings, with only one access point through a doorway. The bunker that you were taken tom which I assume is what you are describing, was your regen/start point. I think this is important to clarify this as someone has already made a comment on this thread of the safe zone "not being very safe" which is absolutely not true.

4) Chrono. You're right, we didn't do a mass chrono of guns and I'll reiterate here what I said in the safety briefing at the time. At this event we had a problem with some travelling folk moving into the area where the normal access point is for the training area. This meant we needed to transport you across the site, which as you've described is quite large, and wasted a LOT of time, and is not something we had any control over unfortunately, but meant we were delayed quite a bit in getting the game started. To try and make some of that time back we made the decision to only initially chrono those who were unsure of the power of their gun, which some came forward and asked for. We then, as per every event we run, carried out spot checks throughout the event with zero problems of any of the guns we tested. 

Just thought I'd clarify these points as it was raised to my attention from another user who was also at the event.

Cheers.
Mike.
Legion Airsoft Events

 

 

Thank you for clarifying with a response Mike. 

 

I did clarify myself that this was a Battlesim and not a Milsim in the OP.

 

I concede the point on food as you did make it clear on the instructions. The food situation is something that I do point out in all of my other reviews. It is good that you point it out beforehand as many sites and organisers do not. I will ammend the OP.

 

As with my other reviews I have placed here, this is coming from a rather new players experience. I stand by my comments on the regen point being pitch black and the lack of chrono. 

 

 

[Legion Mike]

2 minutes ago, Asomodai said:

 

Thank you for clarifying with a response Mike. 

 

I did clarify myself that this was a Battlesim and not a Milsim in the OP.

 

I concede the point on food as you did make it clear on the instructions. The food situation is something that I do point in all of my other reviews. It is good that you point it out beforehand as many sites and organisers do not. I will ammend the OP.

 

As with my other reviews I have placed here, this is coming from a rather new players experience. I stand by my comments on the regen point being pitch black and the lack of chrono. 

 

 

No problem. Just thought I'd clarify a few points.

[Asomodai]

20 minutes ago, Duff said:

" They are also no-where near as demanding (our last Immersive MilSim event required one force to march 2km with all their kit for the weekend, and move 60metres down a river up to waist depth, just  to get to the gaming area). "

 

WTF how is that even considered fun?

 

Experience does not have to be fun 😉

 

Airsoft is not my actual passion. For me it is long coastal hikes which I take on the South West Coastal path. Usually 180 mile stints solo with camping gear. Usually takes me about a week per stint. I can't call it fun. But I certainly feel accomplished. 

 

[Asomodai]

2 minutes ago, Legion Mike said:

No problem. Just thought I'd clarify a few points.

 

Absolutely! I do intend to be back for a weekender once I have built up the courage (And pain barrier for my arthritic toe)

[Legion Mike]

Just now, Asomodai said:

 

Absolutely! I do intend to be back for a weekender once I have built up the courage (And pain barrier for my arthritic toe)

We'd be glad to have you! 

3 minutes ago, Asomodai said:

 

Experience does not have to be fun 😉

 

Airsoft is not my actual passion. For me it is long coastal hikes which I take on the South West Coastal path. Usually 180 mile stints solo with camping gear. Usually takes me about a week per stint. I can't call it fun. But I certainly feel accomplished. 

 

This is what we're actually going for on our large immersive events. We want guys at the time to experience the utter confusion and stress of being on combat ops, and then afterwards, looking back thinking that was cool, along with that sense of achievement. 

[Albiscuit]

On 05/07/2018 at 14:09, Asomodai said:

For me it is long coastal hikes which I take on the South West Coastal path. Usually 180 mile stints solo with camping gear. Usually takes me about a week per stint. I can't call it fun. But I certainly feel accomplished. 

 

 

Actually sounds like fun to me