Big Events

by Spooky

Spooky

Spooky

Background• 4+ years laser skirmish• 35 000+ customers• laser skirmish better than paintball– free ammo– accurate– automatic fire– self regulating guns

Laser skirmish• Do you play the game?

• Why not?

Hosting eventsThere are three levels of events:• Primary– standard playing sessions

or kids parties• Secondary– clan wars, skirmish

school, or advanced player sessions

• Tertiary– endurance events

Primary eventsStandard games or kids parties.

Method:• out of sight• inflatables• distance• room to move• uneven number

of games

Secondary events• clan wars, skirmish school, advanced

games• advantages:– longer time, same price– bonus income

• BFS field owners Mission Librarye.g.

Boarder Command,Vietnam era

Themes• Kokoda Trail– Australian storyline

can become• Hill 418–WW2 or present– same rules– different setting

Original missionsInclude a balance in:• number of team respawns• ammunition load• weapon balance– equal team firepower

• movement restrictions

Clan wars• tournament for teams of 5 – the clan• junior clan war: – players 7-13– single, annual one day event

• senior clan war:– 13+ – played 4 times every year– varied locations and time of day

Spooky

Skirmish school• not military training• information about playing the sport of

laser skirmish• focus on:– in-game spacing between players– remaining still – importance of high ground– roles and use of the BFS guns and scopes– teamwork, etc.

Tertiary events• endurance– 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours – non-stop playing

• the ultimate playing experience

• very simple to run• T24

Running an endurance event• food• occurrence• themes• promotion• timing• respawn area• referees• leader briefing

Food• need to supply• ration packs– high carb / tasty– lollies/sweets – glucose

• hotpack– provided– stew, burger, chicken– outside caterer?

• player count• remember:– toilet facilities – drinking water

Occurrence• long weekends• full moon weekends• school holidays

• restrict the number of events each year – keep player interest levels high

DDLS endurance eventsOver one year:• K-WAR• T24• Conflict Aus• Tribe War

When• school holidays– choose a weekday– not interfere with weekend bookings

• full moon weekends– rare–make use of them

• moonlight or overnight events– players to bring a torch– chemical light sticks in ration packs

Endurance themes• avoid military terms or abbreviations• historical setting, a small action, or a mythical

location• the Island of Junta:

– tropical island, military coups commonplace– hunting rifles with some automatic weapons– overseas international businesses dominate the

economy• event can run from year to year on same theme

– site may change and so can the storyline• keep appropriate to specific player groups

PR• promote the event for 6 months at

regular playing sessions• during the last 3 months, push the

event with information flyers• set an RSVP date at least a week

before the event • for logistical reasons, do not accept

registrations on the day

Email update• 2-3 weeks before event• story outline• basic rules of the event• what to bring • sign in times • finish times• see supplied T24

Timing• start at midday– the players in field many hours by nightfall– slows down players during the most

dangerous time of the event• non-stop play • teams given order updates every 2-5

hours • treat getting ‘dead’ as a big deal– clock a player out of the game for 30 minutes

AFTER reaching respawn area

Respawn area

• labelled:– hospital – medical –mercenary company – new hires

• referees (guards) to prevent shootouts

• centrally located or one at each team campsite

Referees• can make or break

an event• source from staff

or regular players– usually volunteer

• multi-roled:– deliver order updates– deliver ration packs and hot meals– role play characters as required– run the respawn area/s– first aid if required– act as ‘neutral’ or strike forces

Team leader briefing• held just before the midday start time• keep an eye on their players for:–medical issues– player enjoyment – rule infractions

• select– known good players –mature – responsible

Miscellaneous• balance teams– use player ratings

• batteries• hit rate• scoring– trophy

Conclusion• endurance events are easy to

organise and operate • use the T24 script and logistics – adapt to your location

• utilise the BFL forum

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