(Continued From Above.)   The team reached out and got the support of Dewayne Convirs, the owner of D-Day Adventure Park and producer of Oklahoma D-Day, and Bill Bailey, the owner of Bailey’s Battlefield and producer of the WWII Tour of Duty series.  Convirs assumed the role of U.S./NATO General and Bailey became the General of Russian Forces.  Scott “Mad Max” Maxson of Team Fugazi accepted the role of Convirs’ Executive Officer (XO) and Sean “Dropzone” Fisher of the Green Devils came aboard as Russian XO.  The Hellions would fill every administrative/staff position as well as serve as role players for the event.

The team decided to design a scenario that was completely different from anything that CPX had ever offered.  First, there would be absolutely no bases to guard and nowhere for generals to hide. The entire event would utilize the fluid battlefield concept popular at many fields down South but never experienced in the Midwest.  The next concept the team wanted to try out was the scheduled breaks between phases of the game.  The story was built upon the premise of a war in the Russian Republic of Chechnya in the very near future.  The scenario would unfold in three different phases, each taking place on a different part of the 143-acre facility at CPX.  There would be a one-hour break between each phase for players to get paint, air, concessions and regroup.  A short brief would be held just before the next phase to introduce the primary mission.  Secondary missions would unfold during the game.

Over 200 players hit the field on May 17th.  Phase I was entitled “On the Brink” and set in Alkhan-Kala (the Wastelands and surrounding fields).  The Russians captured six American journalists and NATO was tasked with recovering them alive.  Points were awarded for control of the hostages and, to give NATO a chance, scoring did not begin until after the first hour.  Both sides gained and lost ground throughout the morning.  The Russians decided to fight a war of attrition and simply melted deep into the woods and whittled down the NATO Forces that came in to get them.  In the end, NATO only ever found one hostage.  Unfortunately, it was the one that the Russians wanted them to find--their FSB Secret Agent.  No one searched her before taking her to General Convirs.  She said her ‘Intel’ was for his ears only, so everyone backed away.  Then she pulled out her paintball grenade and scored one for the Russians.

Phase II was entitled “Oil Rights” and was set in the Staropromyslovsky District of Grozny (Temple of Doom and all fields to the North).  The premise was that both sides wanted control of the rich Chechen oil fields.  Points were awarded for holding the Distribution Facility (Temple) and three pumping stations.  The dead boxes were situated on adjacent corners of the field which allowed for quick respawns. According to several players and referees, the fighting around the Distribution Facility were some of the fiercest that anyone had ever seen at CPX.  The secondary mission featured a downed reconnaissance plane with its pilots on the run behind enemy lines.  They were portrayed by team members wearing flight suits and even custom flight helmets.  In the end, NATO held more territory for more time and were able to recover the pilots and their intel.  After a disasterous start, the battle seemed to be swaying back toward the NATO.

Phase III, the “Battle for Grozny” was just what it sounded like--a hard fight for the capital city of Grozny (Bedlam and Armageddon plus all of the fields to the North).  Points were awarded for possession of key sections of the cities and central berm.  The secondary mission was focused on a disabled convoy along the upper road.  From the outset, the Russians had the edge.  Their players made it to the berm first and raised their flags.  NATO fought long and hard but could never dislodge them from the central area, let alone the Russian end of the field.  The tank wreaked havoc on both sides, strafing dozens of players at a time through windows and doorways.  By the time the final minutes ticked away, the Russians had pushed the NATO players all the way back to their dead zone.  Though hard pressed and up against the wall, they never surrendered.  The points were enough to give the Russians the win.

The Hellions would like to thank all of the teams and players that came out to support them and make Red Storm Rising a success.  Despite the outrageous gas prices, there were players and/or teams that traveled all the way from Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa.  The fact that so many came from so far away and have all expressed how much they enjoyed the event, the Hellions feel that it was by all accounts a great success.  The team would like to receive feedback from anyone who attended the event that would like to offer constructive criticism.  If the Hellions ever decide to take another shot at producing an event, those critiques would prove invaluable.  Thanks!

** Indicates photos provided by Team Fugazi

Hellions photos contributed by Mark “Quette” Eggleston, Lonnie “Grendel” Colson and Kevin “Kevlar” Quinn.