[ Response | Lazer Tactical Action Game Message Board ]
Posted by TagFerret
on June 25, 2009, 11:37 pm, in reply to "TagFest NW 2009 After-Action Report"
So, with the game rememberances dealt with, here are my observations about the playing field and answers to the questions/concerns some have voiced:
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First of all, this is a terrific place to play. The variety in game types that this area will support is much greater than was possible at the tree farm. These areas include:
* Speedball field (not used this time). Would be great for quick skirmish games, especially for little kids or those unfamiliar with the gear on public days. Immediately adjacent to the Dead Zone so very convenient for this use.
* Village -- awesome for skirmishes, no need to set up blockers. Even includes building structures like the Castle which Dave and Cathie used to have to set up at the tree farm. Very close to Dead Zone so convenient for quick games. Also the buildings (we should try to build 1 or 2 more) make decent zones.
* Fort -- too cool for words. Really. You just have to play here, it is fantastic. The defending team has walls and turrets, but the attacking team has cover and concealment. It is possible if one plays well to sneak right up to the walls of the fort and wreak havoc (as Leonard did to me!). This feature alone makes up for the loss of Cabin 2 at the tree farm. The large open area can easily be covered by a couple of Crystal Skulls and/or Killer Koalas to make a huge Zone.
* Assault Hill -- another place that offers options not available at the tree farm. Although I was too tired to play the assault hill game on Saturday, it is on my must-play list for next year. The defenders have the advantage of elevation and dug-in positions, but the attackers have a wide area from which to attack and a bewildering maze of paths through ferns dense enough to conceal almost any movement.
* Jungle (not used this time) -- offers the same basic type of terrain as the far outlying areas at the tree farm. Hunt The Tag Master games would be great here, Hide And Seek / Hunt The Prey would probably work very well too.
* Plains (not used this time) -- similar to the grassy field at the extreme back extent of the tree farm. Chest-high grass is the only cover aside from a few scattered bushes and small trees. Could be worked in as a great objective area for Hunt The Snipers games, VIP Escort games, or all sorts of similar ideas. A TMB cannot shoot all the way across it in daylight.
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Secondly, in terms of bugs and other nuisances, it was fine. Zero ticks and I was only bitten by one mosquito (and I forgot to use bug repellent the whole time and spent most of the weekend crawling through the brush). Just so you know, I am a mosquito magnet -- if there are two mosquitoes within a twenty mile radius, they will both find me within five minutes. Dave says the cool weather was keeping the ticks in hiding so repellent would be a good idea.
As mentioned, even with heavy rains the night before there was no mud.
There is tons of tree cover so it stays shady and reasonably cool even in hot weather.
Poison Oak / Ivy -- we did clear some of this out on the work weekend, but there was not much of it to begin with. Nobody that I heard about got any at the event. Again, I forgot to lather up with the Tecnu before playing and spent most games crawling through the brush, and I still didn't get any. I always get it if there is any to be gotten. So assuming Dave does as good a job killing it in any new areas he opens up as he did with the areas we used this time, it is not a concern.
Paintballers and ATVs -- the nice thing about this place is, it's PRIVATE PROPERTY! Even though it is normally opened to the public, if the owner (Jim) says it is reserved for Lazer Tag on such-and-such dates and there is no paintball or ATV use that weekend, it will be so. We did not see a single paintballer or ATV rider the whole weekend, though the paintballers had clearly been there a day or two earlier since there were fresh splats and balls to be seen. Oh wait, we did see ONE ATV rider -- it was Jim (the owner) who rode out to play a game of Lazer Tag with us! How's that for interest and support?
Snakes and Spiders -- not a sign of either one. There was almost certainly a spider or two somewhere, but they kept their distance.
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So in all I think this is an outstanding new location and I fully endorse it. It is closer to the Eugene hotels and pizza places than the tree farm is to the Wilsonville ones, which makes it convenient for those of us who don't want to camp at the site. For those who wish to, tent or camper camping at the site is an option. We can use it much later into the night than we can the tree farm. It doesn't cost Dave and Cathie (who have been paying a couple grand out of pocket for the tree farm every year) a ton of money. It's a heck of a lot less burden logistically for Dave and Cathie to put on at this location. And above all, the owner is glad to have us there and is eager to have us make improvements to the place, so we can customize it to our needs! Already we have added picnic benches, porta-potties, gravel pads, and such to the area.
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