- Guardians IV
- Pridorozhnyy I
- Alternative Financing
- Zelenyy II
- Guardians III
- Old Men
- Cholo 2017
The best part of tonight, for me, was getting close to what Boberro and I (and others too) had envisaged when we stumbled ashore and began creating the Republic of Folk on this beautiful island. The vision has been to field a full infantry squad and some attachments, playing a handful of short and varied missions in the course of each session. All with really good people who are fun to be around (and kill). Tonight, we got a glimpse of what that might look like, and I certainly liked what I saw. I hope you did too.
We started in style with the beautifully constructed canyon in washington's ambushed new convoy adversarial, Guardians IV. Though we lost Bormanov halfway through, Boberro and I managed to fight off the Bedouin attack before having a surreal conversation with harakka-in-the-rock. There's a Rumi book in there, I'm sure. I absolutely loved the landscape that had been specially created for the mission, and enjoyed the tension of never knowing if my back was turned to the next enemy attack.
Then to the Proving Grounds, for an object lesson in the effects of terrain and range on radios. Pridorozhnyy I was another new mission, and saw 17 Рота acting as cosplay Spetznaz, attempting to destroy a stopped mechanised convoy. CO washington's plan seemed sound, but our 343s couldn't cope with the range and our elements never really co-ordinated. Finally, the survivors fell back to the gully named 'Virginia', for a last stand that was surprisingly effective ... until the T-80 appeared.
So, speaking of executions, onto yet another new mission: Boberro's adversarial, Alternative Financing. Who knew farming bitcoins could be so dangerous? Well it is, but more for the authorities than the miners as it turns out. Aqarius led the graphics-card jockeys, squirrelling us pistoleros away in buildings whilst he hid outside with his rifle. And when enemy drove up in their jeeps, he massacred them.
The theme of scarily effective COs continued in the next mission, a return to Chernarus for a second run of Zelenyy II, in which 17 Рота's favourite squad (and mortar team) fend off the US marines at Green Mountain. CO Kefirz arranged his single fireteam for defence in depth, but the real punch was going to come from further up the hill. The enemy advances over open ground, and the Kefirz instantly began calling in fire missions for the mortar team. It was a deadly rain, and with almost no casualties on our side, the attack never made it to our treeline. And then Kefirz tells us he's been on a forward observer course!
And so to washington's Guardians III, which is quite possibly the most gorgeous bit of mission design and execution I've seen in ages. The outpost is wonderful, the sandstorm is amazing, and the atmosphere as we waited for that Mi-8 to arrive was pitch perfect for some Russian film about doomed Afgantsy. We planted mines, scanned the horizon and waited (in our awesome tan uniforms). In between radio messages from the rescuing pilot, and the occasional thud of our outbound mortars, we shot at distant shadows in the whirling sand until finally the helicopter touched down. Still under fire, we checked that nobody had been left behind (sorry, Toppometer, we had to leave your body where you fell), then lifted off for safety. It was cinematic.
Perhaps a little drunk with success, and numbers, I thought we might take on Old Men. Bravely, Toppometer volunteered was volunteered for leadership; his plan calling for us to move around the north of the city. Still with two fireteams, we had the luxury of moving by bounds. Tigershark, with his tiny PP, would lag behind. Our initial movement was good - we dropped the first two sets of contacts, but as we neared the hills the very presence of the overwatching BTRs slowed us up. Although we dealt with their gunners eventually, we'd held station for too long and the enemy patrols were able to close with us. It got messy, and fast. I heard Tigershark shout "They're all around us", turned and saw him fall. I thought I'd taken out the enemy soldier that wounded him, but as I knelt to tend to his tiny PP, I was executed.
I guess at this point the theme was now executions. In Cholo 2017, Toppometer - hiding in a dark corner with a semi-automatic shotgun - did quite a bit of executing. I should know, since he filled my face full of lead. Eventually, though, he succumbed to the gang's sheer weight of numbers. Meanwhile, in the afterlife, Aqarius confirmed to me that the deadliest enemy in Arma remains ... the glitch.
Still, it was super to see so many people in the session. Thank you to everyone who came along, to Boberro for preparing yet another game server, and to both him and washington for continuing the production of new missions for our sessions. We're on the march!
PS Remember that we now have Republic of Folk patches! 
but I personally don't like seeing a mission played out the same as last time(s), so if I had known what it was about I wouldn't have taken it, sorry. 
