Operation: Friendly Fire

Yeah, yeah, yeah! I was so excited about the first airsoft competition i was going to attend in Ormoc. It took me a long time to post something about (it was held last Sunday 27 May 2007). I thought i'd wait for the photos and videos that my Dark Wing Duck teammates took so i could include them in my post. Alas! None have come out yet - they're still editing and stuff. Might as well post something about the competition already with the visuals to follow (soon i hope).

Well? How was the tournament? ... WE WON! WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS! "Operation: Friendly Fire" was the first competition (that we know of ) after the May 14 elections. Dark Wing Duck's goal for the rest of the year is to grab first place in all competitions throughout Leyte (or at least get a podium finish).

Four teams participated: Tiger Commandos, Lycans, Omega Red, and Dark Wing Duck. We (Dark Wing Duck) were the only players invited from Tacloban to join the tournament.

From Dark Wing Duck, the following played: Omeng (Team Leader), Jason, Bambam, Lester, Patrick, Jeremiah, Heber, Arvin, Deo, Jojo, Brian, Raul, Rex

And of course our guests: Lennie, Gelyn, Lyrah, and Jojo's brother (who took all the videos)

There were three basic missions: capture the flag, hostage rescue, and retrieve the bomb. Team leaders of the opposing teams for each game picked their mission at random. So that sometimes, opposing teams had the same mission.

We played on a dirt field of about 120 square meters with a small kill house of about 8 square meters in the center. It was in the kill house that most mission items were located and, obviously, where the action is furious. The rest of the game area was strewn with obstacles mostly old road tires piled on top of one another to either shoulder or waist height.

Each game was fast and furious, especially those where we played. DWD is known for its fast moving games and, as expected the DWD games were over in two to four minutes. Our scorecard was five for six, losing only the second to the last game, which we played against the Lycans (another veteran team).

The four teams played against each other twice in a double round-robin system using alternate sides of the game site. Changing staging areas was necessary because each side of the game site presented its own pros and cons. One side was nearer the kill house but had only a few hiding places. The other side was farther from the kill house but had significantly more obstacles to hide behind. Depending on the side and the opposing force that were playing, team tactics and players were adjusted by the team leader.

While the actual games were fast, it was the waiting before the game started that took sooo looong. In fact, if not for the waiting times prior to actual games we wouldn't have been as tired as we were when we left Ormoc.

After the tournament, the Lycans invited us over for some refreshments and post-game "fellowship". And then it was another long drive back to Tacloban. The next day we had a de-briefing to assess our performance (especially the newbies) and to plan our next activities.