Gameplay was very informal, which was proper given the turnout (around 30-40 that I saw) and the low cost (only $10).
I really liked the idea of starting the day with a warm-up game (about 15 minutes) while we waited for all the players to walk from the parking lot to the field. This is something that I think even larger games can start doing: have a short elimination game that players can "jump in" and get lazy players off their coolers and chairs. Teams weren't really assigned, Star and Eagle just said "join the side that looks like it's losing."
The idea is REWARD punctual players with extra gameplay rather than the old "BE ON TIME OR ELSE" that has been going on for as long as I can remember. (This is not to cast game reps in a bad light, late/lazy players are really annoying all around)
Another huge plus at this game was the fairly constant "taxi," thx to BaldEagle, carting players to and from the field to rehydrate and rearm. It did have an effect of lowering the amount of players on the field at any time, but I think that players might have dropped from dehydration without it. Kudos
However, my favorite part of the day was the search-and-destroy mission which took place around 2:30. Players were divided in a 2 to 1 split. The smaller team (mostly team Fox and a couple extras, including myself
) was given about 5 minutes to set up and spread out in the central wooded area of the field. At the start of the game, the larger force had 20 minutes to hunt them down: no medics and no respawn. Twenty minutes of great gameplay with excellent flanking and teamwork (and one six-round GML suicide ambush) later, one "hunted" player remained alive to secure an ambiguous victory.
For their ruthless tactics during the hunt, horrible table manners, and general tomfoolery, the leaders of Task Force 1 were executed without warning by yours truly (courtesy of a Madbull King grenade fired from about 20 feet). Video is on facebook.
Lessons from this game:
Clean your PTW cylinders every once in a while (ESPECIALLY after Blue Hole games)
Always pop more than one smoke
Grenade rushes on entrenched players are scary
You have not hidden yourself well until another player trips over you
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