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Post by Jacko on Nov 15, 2005 16:09:20 GMT -5
Planning a successful scenario requires a lot more thought than you may think. Coming up with the game setting/parameters and getting the land are the two major things people worry about but there are other factors that must be given due consideration. This thread will explore how to set up an event from start to finish and point out what pitfalls and requirements you will encounter to have a safe, fun, and exciting time. This is a collaborative effort so please feel free to post your contributions in properly formatted, punctuated, spell-checked replies to help out others with your knowledge!
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Post by xaos on Nov 15, 2005 17:05:20 GMT -5
Quoted from my post in the other thread: Here's a little list of things you (you, in this case, being anyone considering putting on an op) need to get in order: An interesting piece of land of appropriate size for your targetted number of players - having a 100 acre field is great, but it's no fun to play on if it's just a big open field. It's also no fun if there's fifteen people playing on those 100 acress. Conversely, cramming 50 people onto a 20-acre field is going to be similarly disappointing...a day-long firefight is all well and good, but the real fun of the game is the tension of sneaking around the woods, trying to achieve objectives without being seen, or laying a nasty ambush for the enemy...you can't do those things if the field is too small for the number of people you've got wanting to play. Insurance - you *must* have an insurance policy...and they're not terribly easy to come by...and I'd imagine they're not cheap, either. Props - Appropriate and convincing props can turn a good game into a great game. You never really realize what good props that fit into the scenario well can do for a game until you've played in one where they're present. Scenarios - Writing a compelling storyline is difficult...very difficult. While going out and shooting the bad guys (i.e. the other team) is fun, objectives make the game. Are they believable? Are they challenging? Do they enhance the game rather than hinder it? Do they encourage combat at times, and at other times completely discourage it? There's so much to think about, it's hard to fit it all into one post, let alone a simple paragraph. Players - why should people come to your game? Do you have a prior reputation? No? Then you need to give people a reason to show up. Oftentimes, just having a game is enough, but if you want really good attendance, you've got to give the people that live a ways away a reason to drive to your field. Tidbits of the scenarios/plot are helpful, as are pictures of the interesting features of your field. Raffle prizes are also another way to encourage people to show up, but they should not ever be the primary reason for people to give your event a chance. Rules - do you have special rules in mind? How do they work? Do they hinder the game unnecessarily? Do they make the game less enjoyable? Will they potentially foster disagreement amonst your players? Medic rules are a great example of this - some games I've played in have used very simple systems that worked exceptionally well. I've also seen rulesets that seem overly cumbersome...if the rules are a pain in the ass to remember/play within, then you might want to reconsider. Money - how are you going to pay for all this stuff? Insurance, props, raffle prizes (assuming you have them)...all this stuff costs $$. Hopefully, if you've got things in order, the cost of admission will cover all your expenses, but you've still got to pay for things (specifically insurance) well ahead of time. Big games are not cheap to run...at all. All in all, putting together a good game is a ton of hard work. It's not something to be taken lightly, assuming you want to be successful. Quoted from Canto's post in the same thread: Before my team's planned OP had fell through the cracks, we got two different insurance quotes. One from Bishop, MiA's own. The other was from the company who insured the area we were going to use. Both quotes were in the $600.00+ range. That was for a two day event. As hind sight is 20/20, I would have hoped we could have pulled this off. But, perhaps it was for the best. We've got a bit more finanical backing now, if we go for it in the future. A few other issues no one has touched upon. Parking - Ok, I would assume you plan on having a lot of people coming. A lot of people means a lot of vehicles. You would need a coordinated and safe place to have them. Not to mention easily accessable to enter or leave. Camping/Camp Sites - Two day event, usually means people will be sleeping somewhere. Unless you plan on having everyone stay at hotels or something, you would probably have them camp on site. This poses it's own challenges. You've got to keep everyone safe, while maintaining order and a fun atmosphere. Crowd Control - Let's face it... People are animals... (No offense to anyone here.) Not everyone will be behave or obey the rules. This is not something where you can have no one observing, patroling and moderating. You would need round the clock moderators. When large groups of people get together, sometimes bad things can happen. Now, not to say anyone here would, but this is something you need to pay attention to. Theft, assault, arsen, rape, etc. Not to mention use of alcohol or an illegal substances on the field/site. Medical/First Aid - Accidents happen, that's a fact. Depending on surroundings, you would need a few to say the least first aid kits. Possibily having the nearest hospital/E.R. on speed dial might be a good thing.
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Post by The Guardian on Nov 15, 2005 20:39:35 GMT -5
Thank you for the info, I found it very helpfull.
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snap
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Post by snap on Nov 29, 2005 18:43:40 GMT -5
I've planned a lot of OP's in the past (in Arizona). I've always found that people usually get too wrapped up in the scenario. The biggest mistake I've seen is starting the team too far apart, first game should be "fast and furious" people are dying to get shooting. Having a bunch of small fast games keeps the pace going, plus you need to minimize "down time" between games.
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Post by strykerops on Jan 8, 2006 19:28:59 GMT -5
I agree with snap, StrykerOps here. I have hosted over 50 games last year and to be hoest with you, firing the gun and yucking it up off the field has been almost as fun as the battlefield. making game play events that you taylor to your goup that is playing. My nephew is a sniper, for instance, he likes the games were the teams are 30 acres apart. Seeing them coming helps his game. But me for instance, fast strike move the team and over power with speed, thats were I play!
Just be smart about it.
Strykerops.com
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Post by Canto on Mar 28, 2007 10:55:53 GMT -5
After some foilables at our last event I decided to add a few things to this list:
Fatigue - Players get tired... Which is the primary reason that Operation: Starlite died out around midnight. Please plan ahead for this.
Pyrotechnics - No... No... No... Smoke grenades only, and that is still debatable by event coordinators.
Night Play - Logistical nightmare for event hosters... Handle this on an individual basis.
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Post by operatordoc01 on Mar 29, 2007 18:02:04 GMT -5
I would have to aggre with Canto on this...
Players due get tired from constant play.. and add in thick mudd and steep hill sides you will even get raise the fatigue factor event more.
Pyro- again No. in one control source only (for effect) Smoke grenades are fine in most regaurds. I have never had a problem.
Night Play- you need to have a realy good lighting system which (MOA will be testing one out at Rolling Thunder in June). Need to have more mods in the field for this type of play
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SkyPilot
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Post by SkyPilot on Aug 28, 2007 11:23:27 GMT -5
Things to include in the event. Most of these are over looked.
Bathroom's (Port-a-john) or something. Drinking Water. Cronograph Staging Area with some sort of shelter (should the weather turn) Power Station - charging area for battery's. PA System - so everyone can hear you. Vendor Area - A section for vendors to setup tables, tents, etc.
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Post by Яoman on Aug 28, 2007 11:29:25 GMT -5
Things to include in the event. Most of these are over looked. Bathroom's (Port-a-john) or something. Drinking Water. CronographStaging Area with some sort of shelter (should the weather turn) Power Station - charging area for battery's. PA System - so everyone can hear you. PA Systems can be expensive. I can see why you would want them because the speakers can be placed just about everywhere and everyone can hear you but still there expensive. What I would like to see at an event would be a Megaphone. That way when you saying important thing you hear them over people discussing there little starts in the squads.
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SkyPilot
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Post by SkyPilot on Aug 28, 2007 13:04:14 GMT -5
PA or Megaphone - same difference. Both are forms of Public Address (PA).
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Post by Bundeswehr on Feb 21, 2008 0:23:29 GMT -5
I haven't seen this posted in this specific thread, and perhaps it's just assumed, but I feel it needs to be said.
Law enforcement. the local police dept. or enforcement agency needs to be aware of the style of game you're playing.
Road proximity. Even if you have legal access to land, it's best by far if you keep it far away from public roads.
A question to somebody who might know about insurance. Is insurance drastically cheaper if the event has higher age limits(18+ for example)?
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Post by ghostsniper913 on Sept 5, 2008 20:40:31 GMT -5
jacko is definitely right if you dont have the land and the game settings then you will be in a pickle but me i have plenty of ideas for ops no i have land to use my ideas
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Post by Canto on Sept 5, 2008 23:38:54 GMT -5
Ghostsniper, This will be your first warning from me about grammar and punctuation. I may not come off as a hard-ass, compared to other moderators here. But please obey the rules that we have set down. They are in place for a reason. We like to keep our board looking as professional, clean, and clutter free as possible. I will leave your post as is. But please see to it that you observe how things are done around here. On, a different note. Are you just commenting on your ability to "draft" events? Or are you suggesting that you would like to host one yourself? Ideas for events are awesome and land is great; but many, many more factors need to be taken into consideration for events. My company and team has hosted or helped host over 15 events since October of 2006. Needless to say, we have learned a lot about event hosting. It also has a lot of unforeseen factors involved that still throw us for a loop...
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Post by ghostsniper913 on Sept 8, 2008 14:07:05 GMT -5
well i have tried hosting many games before, but nobody ever wants to show up. For instance i sent my idea to post to jacko a draft of my idea for my upcoming event which i have posted under TAs forum, www.Swatairsoft.proboards51.com, and im awaiting authorization from airsoftohio's forums,ive also posted inder team.airsocom.com,so i put the word out there. How do i get people to come to my event? My admission is $10 for one day and $25 for 2 days and a maximum of 30 people are allowed to play,the 30 players will split up 13v13v4.I will be playing with mercenary rules and there will be 3 respawn points/staging areas for each team. I really went into a lot of details and spent about 24 hours spent thinking of the details.Im making small barracades to take cover behind and the main lot is arounds 5 or 6 acres of land on my property and im possibly gonna see if my neighbors will allow me to use their 20 or so acres of land i mean lots of planning ive put into this game.
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Post by Zorak on Sept 8, 2008 15:30:04 GMT -5
This is the third time you've been warned about acceptable posting standards for this forum. Please spend your seven day ban reading up on the forum rules.
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