There will be a big event at Elite Dorking at the end of November, here are the details (sent in by John at EAG):
“Tour of Duty”
November 21st – 22nd Elite Action Games Dorking
Strategic Overview
Tet 1968. As had become the norm in recent years, both the US / ARVN forces and the NVA/VC observed a truce during the New Year. ARVN forces were stood down and many personnel had returned to their family homes to celebrate. US forces were on a lesser state of alert. No-one in a position of authority expected anything other than Tet fireworks and hangovers.
The North Vietnamese had other plans. Having amassed considerable numbers of men and supplies in the south of the country under the noses of MACV, they were preparing to break the truce and to bring the war into the towns and cities of the South. No longer would the struggle be confined to the villages and paddy fields of Vietnam.
As the military machine in the South wound down to enjoy the New Year celebrations, the North was poised to attack…
Force disposition
The NVA/VC forces will be predominantly formed of infantry units, whose duty is to fight and to occupy and hold objectives. Limited use will be made of specialist teams – intelligence gathering, recon, sappers etc
US Forces will be more varied, comprising grunts, MACV-SOG, LURPS and Intel experts, skilled in the use of electronic intelligence devices.
Both forces will be given company commanders, additional command roles will be allocated to team leaders and a liaison officer (responsible for communicating with game officials) will be assigned.
Basic Objectives:
Having withdrawn from the forward Command Post, the US chain of command has decided that it now has strategic value and must be reoccupied. In addition to this the Australian outpost and nearby village are of key value.
The NVA/VC will attempt to seize, control and hold certain key objectives in and around Saigon and Cholon. These will include the Radio Station, the US Embassy, and certain designated targets such as the headquarters of the Saigon Police Force. Other objectives may be assigned as the battle progresses.
US forces will attempt to repel the attack by the NVA/VC. In addition to defending all key objectives, they must re-take any key locations that fall into NVA/VC hands. Allowing them to remain under the control of the enemy is simply not an option.
Both forces will be provided with a grid-map of the site. These maps will detail the location of all key, strategic objectives. The NVA/VC map will have all targets highlighted, along with the value of each target. They should ensure that these maps do not fall into the hands of US forces lest they be alerted to targets as yet untouched. (Elite Action Games)
Click ‘Read more’ to see the full press release.
So far, so simple……
Civilians
Any Vietnamese NOT carrying a weapon or other tactical equipment (i.e. Radio, maps, binoculars etc.) MUST be assumed to be a non-combatant – as such they cannot be fired upon or shot with impunity by US forces. Any US soldier breaching these rules of engagement must remove himself to the respawn point and report the illegal killing to a marshal. The fact that an unarmed player is wearing a uniform does not de facto make them a combatant – the sole decider of their status is that laid out above.
Weapons Caches
Should the US forces encounter ‘abandoned’ weapons, for instance those hurriedly left by ‘civilians’ during a routine search, they may confiscate them and return them to the respawn point, where such captured equipment will be counted towards their points total. The legitimate owners of any such weapons must retrieve them from the marshals.
Prisoners
Both sides can take prisoners when a member of the opposing force makes it clear that they are willing to be captured rather than killed. Once a prisoner is taken they may NOT be harmed in any way. They can be questioned but are under no obligation to give any information other than name & rank. A cursory search may be made of the prisoner (not a cavity search!) and any mission related intelligence can be taken. This means specifically maps or other written intelligence. A prisoner is not obliged to offer up these items. Searches will be limited to pockets on clothing & tactical gear.
Once the capturing force is satisfied that the prisoner is of no further tactical use, they may escort them to the marshal. The delivery of a prisoner will be noted against the points total and the escorting force are free to leave immediately. The prisoner must remain with the marshal for 10 minutes before rejoining the game as directed by the marshal.
Ammo Caches
In addition to the ammo rules noted below, there will be a number of NVA/VC ammo caches distributed around the game site. If discovered, these can be distributed amongst the forces in accordance with the rules below. This is the only instance where reloading in the field is permitted.
Radio Frequencies
Both sides will be issued broadcast frequencies prior to the commencement of the game. This will include the frequencies on which broadcasts should be made from the Radio Station. These frequencies will be posted inside the radio station itself.
Specific Objectives
NVA/VC
The principle aim of the Tet offensive is to demonstrate to the US and the rest of the world that nowhere in Vietnam is safe from the power of the North Vietnamese Army. To achieve this goal, NVA/VC forces aim to attack, occupy and hold as many high-profile targets as possible. The NVA/VC forces will be issued a list of these objectives, graded in order of importance. This grading has a direct bearing upon the points value of each objective. The more important the objective, the higher the potential reward for capturing and holding it. The more important the objective, the longer it must be held in order to gain the points…
Should an objective be lost, the NVA/VC may regroup and attempt to retake the lost objective. Additional points will be awarded for recapturing lost objectives.
Amongst the key objectives is the radio station. NVA/VC forces should take the radio station and hold it as long as possible against US Forces. While they hold the radio station the NVA/VC should broadcast revolutionary messages and suitable period music to persuade the populace to rise up against the capitalist running dogs running South Vietnam.
For the NVA/VC forces, a key secondary objective is the US Embassy, specifically the official US cipher codes held therein. Points will be awarded for capturing the embassy with additional points being earned for the capture & removal of the ciphers.
As above, the US can recoup some points by recapturing the embassy itself and will gain additional points should they recover the ciphers from the NVA/VC forces.
US Forces
Initially the role of US forces will be to retake the forward Command Post, Australian Outpost and both villages. Once this has been achieved the US forces will then take a reactive stance. The assault was wholly unexpected, both in its scale and ferocity. US forces were depleted and not fully alert. They must counter the NVA/VC assault with such personnel as are available and call up their reserves as quickly as is possible.
Once they are in a position to mount a concerted counter-attack, they should endeavour to re-take all key objectives as quickly as possible. US Forces should be aware of the importance attached to this offensive by the NVA/VC command, and although they make successfully force them from key locations, the NVA/VC will make every effort to re-take them.
Like the NVA/VC, the US should, if they hold the radio station, broadcast information and suitable music throughout their tenancy. Any music should be appropriate to the period.
The value of objectives to the US will be identical to their value to the NVA/VC. The US should try to capture NVA/VC maps as this will allow them to determine what the key objectives are for the enemy.
The US should make full use of LURPS and MACV-SOG teams to reconnoitre the wider area, communicating information about troop dispositions and strong-points to the main forces.
Hit and Medic rules
Hits WILL be taken.
All players will carry two bandages. If hit, they must call the hit and call for a Medic. ANY team member may tie the bandage on the right arm of the hit player, who may resume play after calling ‘back in’. If hit a second time, they must call the hit and call for a Medic. ANY team member may tie the bandage onto the hit player, but the second bandage must be tied around the right leg, they may then resume play after calling ‘back in’. Any bandaged player who is hit a third time must return to the respawn area where they will remove their bandage and then rejoin play once there are five or more players.
The ‘Bang!’ rule will apply, although the weapon must be pointed at the player or pressed against them. Remember, just because you are being courteous, a player does not have to accept the ‘bang’ and you should be prepared to put a round in their ass if necessary! If someone enters a room with two or more players from the other team, saying “bang, bang, bang” it will not work. Instead shoot them on semi.
Respawn Rules
A player may respawn by a marshal, but there must be five or more players in a group prior to re-entering the combat zone. Should no marshal be available or the player separated from their group they should retreat from the combat zone, wait 5 minutes and then return to the battle, having removed all bandages and reloaded.
Ammo Limits
All grunts may carry a total of 600 rounds for their primary weapons. This must be in magazines.
100 rounds can be carried for side arms or backups – again this must be in magazines.
Snipers may carry 100 rounds – either loose or in magazines.
Support gunners may fill one box mag. Support weapons will be allocated on the basis of one gun per 8 players.
If a player runs out of ammunition, they must return to the respawn area to reload. Having done so, their return to the game is determined by five or more players being ready to rejoin.
Where a player finds themselves at the respawn area as a result of being hit, they may take the opportunity to reload up to the limits specified.
The only exception to this rule is where an ammo cache has been discovered. If this happens, players may reload from the cache to the limits noted above.
Air Strikes & Mortar fire
Use of artillery in the city has been ruled out by MACV, however air-strikes have been approved. Air strikes can be called in as required, however like all the best things in life, they’re not free and there are caveats.
They must be requested through the chain of command and passed to the Game Officials via the Liaison Officer. The request must specify the grid reference to be hit. There will be a points cost for each artillery strike. This will be deducted from the team’s total.
Once a request is received, the game officials will endeavour to shell the area as quickly as possible, but just as in real life, there may be a delay…
The NVA/VC, lacking a viable (indeed, any..) air force will have to content themselves with mortar fire. The end result however will be identical, as is the nature of its deployment.
Depending on the grid size of the map, an artillery strike will be deemed to have cleared the entire grid square requested. In cities, a single building may be designated as a target. If the designated building is successfully hit, all occupants have to return to the respawn point.
Gun hits
Since ToD is a MilSim event, should a player suffer a gun hit, it is assumed that the weapon is inoperable. He must therefore revert to his sidearm or backup. Should this suffer the same fate, he must remove himself to the marshalland rejoin the game in accordance with the respawn. Ammunition cannot be transferred from a non-functioning primary to a backup. This is rarely possible in real-life so we shall adhere to that reality.
Dress Codes
We would like to see as many players as possible in appropriate period uniforms. However, we appreciate that not everyone has the wherewithal or inclination to go that far. Accordingly the following dress codes should be observed:
US Force – Predominantly olive green or Tiger stripe, please note that modern camos such as DPM, Multicam are not acceptable. Please avoid light colours. Loud Hawaiian shirts are entirely acceptable for “advisers”
NVA/VC – Predominantly pale or Khaki colours. Black pyjamas are entirely acceptable for players wishing to be VC rather than NVA. Hawaiian shirts would be inappropriate here…
As we are trying to make this as realistic as possible, it is fair to say that the NVA/VC and US Forces did not have red dots or 1000 lumen torches so we will be asking players to kindly remove those items from their rifles and where possible to use period weapons and iron sights. These will include M1 Carbines, Thompsons, XM-177’s, M16’s, AK47’s and any weapon that may have been used by forces in that period. However, if you do not have a “period” firearm we would ask that you disguise where possible by using wraps and rags. This really caters for weapons like G36’s, Famas, L85’s and the like. If you have M4’s, obviously these are very similar to the XM-177’s and thus can be used without wrapping or camoflague.
Rules and guide to Elite Action Games
Hits will be taken – if you cannot abide by this rule, please stay at home and watch Apocalypse Now!
Marshalling will be a mix of visible and player-marshals. Where given, the decision of a marshal or game official is final.
Eye protection MUST be worn in any area of the site outside the safe zone. It is intended to make fullest use of the available space for game play. They’re your eyes, look after them.
Elite Action Games Dorking is a woodland site with structures. Susequently there are numerous potential hazards that may be encountered during game play. While every effort will have been taken by the organisers to ensure players’ safety, all participants have a duty to act in a manner that does not put them or other players in danger. Any player abusing such common-sense rules will be politely told to leave. Running into a wall may arrest your movement but the building will not care that you have just snapped your collar bone. Equally when entering buildings or moving around, mind your head. All buildings and structures are entered at the players own risk.
No alcohol may be consumed on site until after End-Ex on the Saturday night.
Toilets are provided in the safe zone. Trees may be peed against but out of consideration to other players, nothing else!
First Aid will be provided on site. Designated first-aiders will be made known to all players during the initial briefing. If required either contact the first-aider directly or a game official.
Marshals & game officials will use PMR freq. 8.0 to communicate. Teams should therefore avoid this frequency except in the case of liaison officers who will use it to communicate with game officials and vice versa.
Tour of Duty enforces the following fps limits:
- AEGs – 350 fps Max.
- Single action rifles – 500 fps with a 30 meter minimum-engagement distance.
- (Please not that this does NOT include AEGs which have been “locked” on semi auto. Such guns will not be allowed unless they were designed as semi-auto by their manufacturer. This is a EAG rule – other sites take a different view. You should check with each site if you have any queries)
- Pistols – 350 fps maximum.
Tour of Duty will operate a 10 meter rule – engagements at 10 meters or less MUST be semi-auto.
Head shots are allowed, however they should only be taken when no viable alternative is available to the shooter.
Pryos are allowed on site, however nothing more powerful than a Mk. V is permitted. BFGs are acceptable with 9mm blanks. All exploding pyro has a 5m kill radius unless a player is behind hard cover. Small bushes or grass do not constitute hard cover…
Loaded weapons are not permitted in the safe zone. Before entering the safe zone all weapons should be cleared by removing the magazine and firing the weapon in a safe direction. We recommend the ground, as clearing your rifle into your mates ass may result in a smack in the mouth. We allow holstered pistols to be loaded, but the magazine must be ejected instantly if the weapon is drawn for whatever reason.
Hot food will be available throughout the event at wholly reasonable prices! There are also snacks and drinks available from the shop in the safe zone. Please note that the shop may not be manned full time.
The usual range of airsoft accessories are available on site. If anything specific is required, please let us know. Additionally Soldier of Fortune will be on site as sponsors of the ToD series and providers of all your (reasonable) Vietnam needs!
Camping will be available on site from the Friday night preceding the game. Full instructions will be given well in advance and further information will be provided via the Tour of Duty web site.
For those of a more delicate nature, there are hotels & B&Bs within easy driving distance of the site. Remember – Google is your friend!
Prices
- Weekend price covers two full days of Vietnam Air soft and the night game.
- US Forces £55.00 per player
- NVA/VC £45.00 per player
- All weekend prices include camping, use of facilities associated to the event (toilets, showers etc..) Food is not included in the weekend price.
- A number of day tickets will be available on both the Saturday and Sunday. They do not include camping and any evening events.
- US Forces £25 per player
- NVA/VC £20 per player
