Post by aswayze on Jan 20, 2010 19:31:54 GMT -5
Hi guys! Since East Wind is my event I thought I would pop on in and join the conversation.
First off, thanks to the mods for understanding that there are regional differences in how rules are written. I assure you that we take safety and in particular eye protection VERY seriously at East Wind. FPS wise 400 is pretty much the max at most events in our part of the midwest with slightly higher FPS allowances for sniper and DMR weapons. That said, very few players at East Wind run any where close to the limits since at an event like this endurance counts for a great deal more than performance.
Now on to address a few specific questions/comments!
"week before finals"
I feel your pain man! We want to run in this time of year for a variety of reasons so we try to target the spring break times of **most** of the Midwestern schools but obviously "most" leaves a lot of people stuck in school. Oddly enough, many of the guys who are East Wind regulars have had pretty good luck talking to professors and working around the timing but obviously this depends a lot on individuals and where you are in schooling. Oddly enough, for these last few years Houli was in exactly your same position... If you are interested in next year, make sure to follow the East Wind boards in about Oct when we have our poll of who's Spring Break is when since that's how we make the final decision.
Weapon limitations:
Yes, we are strict. I know that may seem sort of petty but look at it this way. When you are stuck getting/borrowing/renting/stealing a completely different weapon system than one you may already have, you are doing your small part to add to this amazing event. While it is a small detail so is the correct 1990s military computer the TOC guys are using, so is the M35A2 that carries you off to your drop off point, so is the Hughes Probeye thermal imager you use to scan the border for baddies, so is the immersion heater that heats your wash water, so is the period correct PS Magazine that you read in the ready tent, so is the wonky clattery old (But restored to look new) dot matrix printer that prints out your SOI cards, so is the Mermite can that keeps your food hot while the mess guys work their way forward to your patrol base with dinner, so is the switchboard that connects your call to the the guys you need to wake up to take the next watch etc etc etc. It is the accumulation of all of these seemingly minor details that add up to an amazing experience for the individual player. Having to use period correct weapon systems is a PITA when looked at in a vacuum, when you look at it as part of the bigger picture it starts to make a lot more sense. To coin a backpacking term "Take care of the ounces and the ounces take care of the pounds"
Regarding batteries: We do have recharging stations so we can take care of you there. You will find that our maniacal focus on logistics makes sure that everyone is well cared for when it comes to this type of thing
Because I know this question is simmering in at least someone's mind right now I will point out why this event is set in the time frame that it is:
We chose the era we did because we want the event to be affordable. All of the gear from that era is dirt cheap meaning that it is easy to amass a pretty good collection of the stuff you need without breaking the bank. At the individual level PASGT armor, for instance, can be had easily for less than $50 in most cases as opposed to a current IBA or an earlier Vietnam era vest. Just as importantly, at the administrative level, I can get my hands on M35A2 trucks that are period correct where as a current LMTV or an older Vietnam vintage gas truck would be quite a bit harder to get. We can afford actual armored vehicles from this era where as obviously more modern stuff is right out of the question. Likewise on about everything else. That era equipment is still common and cheap but has not yet become "collectible". Any older than this and it is collectible, any newer and we cannot get it because the army is still using all of it. Basically, we want to do it well and we want to do it right. Pretty much the only era we can do that in is the 1980s-1990s.
Along those lines, if you really want to go to this event you will be amazed at how fast you can amass the gear you need and how little all of it costs. All of the "big ticket" items like armor, Gore-tex, and helmets that are available surplus we have worked out bulk purchase deals on. Take a look at the East Wind forums for details. Getting involved in trying to work out deals on airsoft weapons is something of a tar baby so we have kept our furry mitts off of that one.
If you guys have any more questions or comments post em up and I’ll answer them for you. If you have specific questions and would prefer to drop us a line at info@operationeastwind.com We pride ourselves in answering inquiries quickly and accurately.
First off, thanks to the mods for understanding that there are regional differences in how rules are written. I assure you that we take safety and in particular eye protection VERY seriously at East Wind. FPS wise 400 is pretty much the max at most events in our part of the midwest with slightly higher FPS allowances for sniper and DMR weapons. That said, very few players at East Wind run any where close to the limits since at an event like this endurance counts for a great deal more than performance.
Now on to address a few specific questions/comments!
"week before finals"
I feel your pain man! We want to run in this time of year for a variety of reasons so we try to target the spring break times of **most** of the Midwestern schools but obviously "most" leaves a lot of people stuck in school. Oddly enough, many of the guys who are East Wind regulars have had pretty good luck talking to professors and working around the timing but obviously this depends a lot on individuals and where you are in schooling. Oddly enough, for these last few years Houli was in exactly your same position... If you are interested in next year, make sure to follow the East Wind boards in about Oct when we have our poll of who's Spring Break is when since that's how we make the final decision.
Weapon limitations:
Yes, we are strict. I know that may seem sort of petty but look at it this way. When you are stuck getting/borrowing/renting/stealing a completely different weapon system than one you may already have, you are doing your small part to add to this amazing event. While it is a small detail so is the correct 1990s military computer the TOC guys are using, so is the M35A2 that carries you off to your drop off point, so is the Hughes Probeye thermal imager you use to scan the border for baddies, so is the immersion heater that heats your wash water, so is the period correct PS Magazine that you read in the ready tent, so is the wonky clattery old (But restored to look new) dot matrix printer that prints out your SOI cards, so is the Mermite can that keeps your food hot while the mess guys work their way forward to your patrol base with dinner, so is the switchboard that connects your call to the the guys you need to wake up to take the next watch etc etc etc. It is the accumulation of all of these seemingly minor details that add up to an amazing experience for the individual player. Having to use period correct weapon systems is a PITA when looked at in a vacuum, when you look at it as part of the bigger picture it starts to make a lot more sense. To coin a backpacking term "Take care of the ounces and the ounces take care of the pounds"
Regarding batteries: We do have recharging stations so we can take care of you there. You will find that our maniacal focus on logistics makes sure that everyone is well cared for when it comes to this type of thing
Because I know this question is simmering in at least someone's mind right now I will point out why this event is set in the time frame that it is:
We chose the era we did because we want the event to be affordable. All of the gear from that era is dirt cheap meaning that it is easy to amass a pretty good collection of the stuff you need without breaking the bank. At the individual level PASGT armor, for instance, can be had easily for less than $50 in most cases as opposed to a current IBA or an earlier Vietnam era vest. Just as importantly, at the administrative level, I can get my hands on M35A2 trucks that are period correct where as a current LMTV or an older Vietnam vintage gas truck would be quite a bit harder to get. We can afford actual armored vehicles from this era where as obviously more modern stuff is right out of the question. Likewise on about everything else. That era equipment is still common and cheap but has not yet become "collectible". Any older than this and it is collectible, any newer and we cannot get it because the army is still using all of it. Basically, we want to do it well and we want to do it right. Pretty much the only era we can do that in is the 1980s-1990s.
Along those lines, if you really want to go to this event you will be amazed at how fast you can amass the gear you need and how little all of it costs. All of the "big ticket" items like armor, Gore-tex, and helmets that are available surplus we have worked out bulk purchase deals on. Take a look at the East Wind forums for details. Getting involved in trying to work out deals on airsoft weapons is something of a tar baby so we have kept our furry mitts off of that one.
If you guys have any more questions or comments post em up and I’ll answer them for you. If you have specific questions and would prefer to drop us a line at info@operationeastwind.com We pride ourselves in answering inquiries quickly and accurately.
