West Point WW2 scenario this fall.

Well, I have gone to the last 2 spring games there and they have great fields for these games. For a D-day game I think they should make use of their ponds for the beach landing. Of course they would have to be very careful if they wanted to pull that off without having any problems but if they managed to do it, that would be extremely sweet. I'm not sure if they have landing craft around that they could use for this but if they did and it wouldn't jack up the prices too much then they should do it. If it would cost too much then they could just charge extra for the people that want to land on the beach, I'm sure people would pay it (I definitely would if it was only about $10). Otherwise, they could just setup a fleet of rafts or something that could dump us right on the shore.

Other than that, there are a few things that need to be changed from last year. Number 1 on my list is the transportation. Last year, poor transportation is what killed the game for me. It was good at the beginning and then the hummvees started to take only the enemy back to resupply and our side ended up completely defenseless because of that. We had the upper hand until they did that and then we started to take a serious beating because we were all out of ammo and out-numbered. They need to get more transports and have them going back and forth consistently for BOTH teams or else the game will be affected by it. A lot of people were very mad about the poor transportation and had to walk back a few times. That shouldn't be allowed to happen again.

Chrono checks should become more commonplace as well. A lot of people were at the chrono before the game but when we were out there it was quite obvious that people were shooting hot. I watched a guy without a flatline shoot a good 200 feet or more like it was nothing. I was at about 270 or whatever the limit was and couldn't come even close to hitting him. It wasn't just this one guy either, there were quite a few people doing this and it didn't go unnoticed by the players around me but there was nothing we could do. Everytime I asked a ref to chrono a guy he would either tell me he didn't have a chrono or he wouldn't have a clue what I was talking about. That is horribly unsafe and should definitely be fixed next time. If I go back then I will be carrying my chrono on me and I'll do checks myself if I have to. Most refs also weren't familiar with the term "paint-check" which I had to yell for many times since people wouldn't call themselves out. I guess the refs just need to be trained better in general but these areas in particular are where the most attention is needed.

These are the biggest complaints I have about the scenarios at west point but tons of other people share the same views. If these problems aren't solved then there will be far fewer people at these games in the future. I believe Blue's Crew won't be returning again and a few other people have vowed not to go back as well. I suggest fixing things before more people follow them.

Thompson, good show, nice weapon.  Thompson will attest to the Major's determination to make this a complete success.

The scuttlebutt is that the set up for the next scenario will be different.  Food and ammo will be had at the field of play.  The major is bringing the food to the troops, so that will eliminate transport problems.  Only those going home will need to hop a ride.  The end of the day meal will again  be at the assembly area.

Incidentally, the scenario is rumored to be Bastogne.  Thompson will probably confirm that.  That is the Battle of the Bulge.  Do any of you know what that battle was?  Thompson, let the young people answer this one.

Also, with player referees, you will have good refs in the field and on the line.  That is an awesome development, and if it should set the standard from now on. 

If you have never played with referee-players, on my field, we have used referee-players since 1987, and it works flawlessly for us.   I am sure that those who will be acting in this capacity will do well.


Edited by Sensei---

Hmmm, I'll be able to use my 101st airborne uniform twice this year.   

Time to clean the thompson.... (my favorite)

No, I haven't. I'm very interested though because I see a lot of things that refs miss but I don't have the authority to do anything about it. I also tend to end up in areas where there are no refs quite often so it would help if I was one myself.

I think that with the changes and the enthusiasm thats being mentioned, I think I'll try and make this one. I missed the spring game, and I wasnt too heartbroken, but I'd like to get out there with forumers again....so I think I'll tentatively put it on the calendar.

I might have to check into that.

The way it usually works is the player-ref is responsible for his team only. The good thing is the player refs will be armed with chronos. That means if any player asks you to shoot over a chrono, you do it or you could be sitting in your car early.

And from what I understand, the roles of player-refs will be by invitation only. Which I think would be a good idea, this way we don't have an influx of people who want to be in charge but have never reffed before.

If you do want to be a player-ref, you're in for a long haul. I think there's going to be an extensive briefing for all the refs this time. They are really cracking down on safety this time.

Edited by whitney1

whitney1 wrote: The way it usually works is the player-ref is responsible for his team only. The good thing is the player refs will be armed with chronos. That means if any player asks you to shoot over a chrono, you do it or you could be sitting in your car early. And from what I understand, the roles of player-refs will be by invitation only. Which I think would be a good idea, this way we don't have an influx of people who want to be in charge but have never reffed before. If you do want to be a player-ref, you're in for a long haul. I think there's going to be an extensive briefing for all the refs this time. They are really cracking down on safety this time.

Ok, that clears things up for me. I personally wouldn't become a player ref to spy on the other team because that's cheap but I know others would if they weren't only supposed to watch their own team. You wouldn't even have to give me a chrono cause I have one of those yellow handheld ones so that's a plus. The idea of doing it by invitation is good as well. Who will be picking the refs, the Major? I've never officially reffed a game but I've been playing for years so I know the rules for fair and safe play extremely well. I'll try to get some actual reffing experience in anyway though. I'm glad to see this extra effort to improve the game though. If they can manage to succeed with all of this then I'll be very pleased and I'm sure many others will be too. I'm sure I won't be one of the first picks since nobody really knows me and I don't have any experience as a ref but if you have a shortage of people then I'm more than willing to help out, just let me know. Whether I can make it to the game or not, I hope everything works out for the guys at west point.