RANGERBALL

LZ-Xray
After Action Report:
Location--Vicinity Kanarraville, UT
Date/Time--29 May 06, 1030 to 1300

This was the biggest Rangerball scenario yet. We had around 30 people show up, so I ended up basically administering/refereeing the scenario and wasn’t an active player (bummer). I did learn a lot about putting together a larger game, however.

Everyone I’d talked to wanted to get out of the summer heat in St. George, so the Friday before I went up to Kanarraville to scout out places. The place I found was great and offers a welcome change from the rocks and desert we’re used to down here. There are acres of open land with groves of trees, lots of tall grass, AND SHADE. The terrain is mostly flat, with hardly any rocks to bang your knees on or twist your ankles. Kanarraville isn’t too far from St. George, and really close to Cedar City.
(see directions to LZ X-Ray)

Best of all, it was pleasant and cool all day. When my sons and I got there just before 0800, it was actually a bit chilly. I suppose it will heat up as summer wears on, but it will still be cooler than St. George and will have shade. The groves of trees are separated by wide open grassy areas. I don’t know what kind of trees they are, probably oak, but they stand about 8 to 12 feet tall. There is also an area with your standard Utah sagebrush, interspersed with clumps of trees.

There is one very large grassy area at the front of the area, which reminded me right away of a helicopter landing zone (LZ). So, I’ve dubbed this place “LZ-Xray”. For those into military history, LZ-Xray was the focal point in the 1965 Battle of the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam. This was the battle featured in the book, "We Were Soldiers Once and Young", and the great movie, “We Were Soldiers”.

I figured most of the engagements would happen in and among the treelines as players moved from one grove to the other, and I was right. This put an emphasis on covering teammates as they moved across the open areas, and on hunting for the enemy in the trees. In some spots, where the groves are close together, it's like a maze. We had several close-range shootouts in the trees where players walked right past the enemy hidden inside the dense foliage. The area is probably a mile square, maybe a bit more, with fence lines and the highway defining the boundaries.

The plot line I had in my head was kind of a combination of Vietnam and maybe Colombia. I didn’t really have time to flesh it out for the players (one of my lessons learned), but I’d like to do it again and prepare the “backstory” much better. I think it would add to the experience for everyone.

The premise was that the blue and yellow teams (nominally U.S. troops and their local allies) were on a “search-and-destroy” mission, moving into an area where guerillas/insurgents (the red team) had a base camp (marked with a red flag). Blue & yellow teams were to advance into the treelines, sweep them of the bad guys, and then capture the base camp.

The red team’s mission was to delay the blue sweep by sniping, ambushing and counter-attacking. Then they were to pose a vigorous defense of their base camp. However, once the base camp was clearly going to be overrun, they were to try and evade back to their “sanctuary” on the far side of the area. At that point, blue was to press them hard and cut off their escape route.

I figured the scenario would last for two hours. Originally, we were going to kick it off at 1000 and end it at 1200. So, it was supposed to be a race for the blue/yellow team to capture the red base, and cut off red’s escape before the time ran out. We started at around 1030, so I shifted the endtime to 1230.

The rules for regeneration were a bit more thought out than previous Rangerball sessions. I established three “dead zones” ahead of time, with surveyors tape. When a blue or yellow player was hit, they were to move to a dead zone and wait for regeneration to come back into the game. Regenerations were on the hour, and the :15, :30, and :45 minute points. So, the most someone had to spend in the dead zone was 15 minutes (although it would also take them time to catch up to the fight).

I think blue had 7 players, and yellow had about 13. Red had 9 or 10 players. The red team players--since they were outnumbered two to one--were supposed to regenerate almost immediately after getting hit. What I wrote in the pre-mission brief, and said verbally several times, was “When red team players are killed, they pull back out of the fight, and then regenerate immediately.” But, for whatever reason, the red players really didn’t catch onto this, so there was confusion. Another lesson learned.

Anyway, we kicked off the Rangerball scenario with a simulated helicopter insertion of the blue and yellow teams. This was really a bunch of guys in the back of my truck, and in an SUV, driving out across the meadow and dropping them off. It wasn’t a “hot LZ” (which would have been cooler) since I didn’t want anyone pelting my truck--but if we ever have a couple of older vehicles out there, and the owners don’t mind, I could see allowing red to fire up the “helos” as they come into the LZ.

As the players jumped out of the vehicles, they spread out and advanced towards the treeline. When I looked back at the scene it really did look like something out of Vietnam, and my two sons (on the red team) said it felt pretty tense to see all those guys jump out and start sweeping towards their position. Kind of like, “Oh crap, here they come!”

A few of the red players were actually in cover behind the blue/yellow forces as they were inserted, and blue/yellow made a big tactical error in not establishing 360-degree security right away. One of the red players walked right in among them, without anyone noticing, and shot 9 of them right off the bat! Big battlefield lesson there.

To make a long description shorter, the fight progressed pretty much as I planned/expected, with blue and yellow moving from treeline to treeline, pushing the guerillas ahead of them. There were short, sharp firefights in the trees, and gradually they moved to where red was defending its base, deep in a thicket of trees and brush on the far end of the area. We ended the scenario about 1130.

Oh, I should mention that there were also some “wildcards” that I set up that would have changed things up significantly (I won’t divulge exactly how). Besides the red flag marking the guerilla base, I also had set up a blue and a yellow flag, each one deep in the trees. I taped notes to them, giving “scenario clues” for the players to read. If the right team found either of the clues, it would have put a big wrinkle into the scenario--but in this case the other team located them both first. Another lesson for me, then. Even though my instinct is to keep things as free of artificial constraints as possible, I think I should have made sure these wildcards were put in play.

The other big lesson for me was to make sure that the red team really understands their role, and their regeneration rules. Because they were confused as to how soon they could regenerate, in the initial engagement they basically milled around after getting getting shot--and just kind of wandered back towards their base. So, the blue and yellow teams advanced far quicker than I’d thought they would.

Also, the red players (who were mostly teenagers) didn’t really get the word that after the red base was captured they were supposed to try and escape over to their “sanctuary” and egress the area. Basically, after their base fell, they were all either dead or just stopped playing. This shortened the scenario significantly.

Looking back on it, I should have put the more experienced, older players on the red team, and briefed them much more thoroughly on their role. That would have meant a much tougher defense, and would have drawn the scenario out considerably. Although it might have meant a route of the blue/yellow teams, it probably would have been more fun for everyone.

After the Rangerball scenario, we played three games of capture the flag, and I did get to play in two of those. For me it was nice to play in a bigger area (I hate boundaries), but it did slow the games down. Even with 30 players, it took a while to get the teams engaging. To me, that’s exactly what makes for more interesting play, but others thought we should have narrowed the field more.

Everyone knocked it off around 1230-1300. I had a chance to get input from quite a few players before they left, and most thought it had been pretty cool—both the Rangerball and the capture the flag games (I should put up a separate page on how we did capture the flag).

There were two main complaints though. The red players felt frustrated, because they didn’t understand what they were supposed to do. I think if they had listened/read closer, they would have gotten it--but I also should have spent more time explaining things, so I’ll take that hit.

The other complaints came from 3 experienced speedballers who were pretty bored by the whole thing. Not enough action, not enough shooting, and too much hiking. I can understand that. Rangerball isn’t for everyone, and it’s definitely NOT speedball. These guys heard about the game by word-of-mouth, so they had no way of knowing what to expect. Not sure what I could have done in their case, but in the future I can try harder to make players aware of what Rangerball is all about before they try it.

The guys who came knowing it would be tactically-oriented, scenario paintball were pretty excited about it and want to try it again. Actually, I’d like to try that same scenario again, with minor modifications, at LZ X-Ray. I think the next time I could have things better prepared, and make sure everyone understands their roles ahead of time.

I even think I could work out a role for players just walking on that have no idea (or don’t care) what’s going on in the scenario. With the right structure, they could be worked into a smaller area where there’d be more action for them. They wouldn’t really be part of the scenario—just rogue elements to be “dealt with”.

Anyway, if you’re interested in Rangerball, contact me.

-- Ajax

	LZ-Xray After Action Report: Location--Vicinity Kanarraville, UT Date/Time--29 May 06, 1030 to 1300 This was the biggest Rangerball scenario yet. We had around 30 people show up, so I ended up basically administering/refereeing the scenario and wasn’t an active player (bummer). I did learn a lot about putting together a larger game, however. Everyone I’d talked to wanted to get out of the summer heat in St. George, so the Friday before I went up to Kanarraville to scout out places. The place I found was great and offers a welcome change from the rocks and desert we’re used to down here. There are acres of open land with groves of trees, lots of tall grass, AND SHADE. The terrain is mostly flat, with hardly any rocks to bang your knees on or twist your ankles. Kanarraville isn’t too far from St. George, and really close to Cedar City. (see directions to LZ X-Ray) Best of all, it was pleasant and cool all day. When my sons and I got there just before 0800, it was actually a bit chilly. I suppose it will heat up as summer wears on, but it will still be cooler than St. George and will have shade. The groves of trees are separated by wide open grassy areas. I don’t know what kind of trees they are, probably oak, but they stand about 8 to 12 feet tall. There is also an area with your standard Utah sagebrush, interspersed with clumps of trees. There is one very large grassy area at the front of the area, which reminded me right away of a helicopter landing zone (LZ). So, I’ve dubbed this place “LZ-Xray”. For those into military history, LZ-Xray was the focal point in the 1965 Battle of the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam. This was the battle featured in the book, "We Were Soldiers Once and Young", and the great movie, “We Were Soldiers”. I figured most of the engagements would happen in and among the treelines as players moved from one grove to the other, and I was right. This put an emphasis on covering teammates as they moved across the open areas, and on hunting for the enemy in the trees. In some spots, where the groves are close together, it's like a maze. We had several close-range shootouts in the trees where players walked right past the enemy hidden inside the dense foliage. The area is probably a mile square, maybe a bit more, with fence lines and the highway defining the boundaries. The plot line I had in my head was kind of a combination of Vietnam and maybe Colombia. I didn’t really have time to flesh it out for the players (one of my lessons learned), but I’d like to do it again and prepare the “backstory” much better. I think it would add to the experience for everyone. The premise was that the blue and yellow teams (nominally U.S. troops and their local allies) were on a “search-and-destroy” mission, moving into an area where guerillas/insurgents (the red team) had a base camp (marked with a red flag). Blue & yellow teams were to advance into the treelines, sweep them of the bad guys, and then capture the base camp. The red team’s mission was to delay the blue sweep by sniping, ambushing and counter-attacking. Then they were to pose a vigorous defense of their base camp. However, once the base camp was clearly going to be overrun, they were to try and evade back to their “sanctuary” on the far side of the area. At that point, blue was to press them hard and cut off their escape route. I figured the scenario would last for two hours. Originally, we were going to kick it off at 1000 and end it at 1200. So, it was supposed to be a race for the blue/yellow team to capture the red base, and cut off red’s escape before the time ran out. We started at around 1030, so I shifted the endtime to 1230. The rules for regeneration were a bit more thought out than previous Rangerball sessions. I established three “dead zones” ahead of time, with surveyors tape. When a blue or yellow player was hit, they were to move to a dead zone and wait for regeneration to come back into the game. Regenerations were on the hour, and the :15, :30, and :45 minute points. So, the most someone had to spend in the dead zone was 15 minutes (although it would also take them time to catch up to the fight). I think blue had 7 players, and yellow had about 13. Red had 9 or 10 players. The red team players--since they were outnumbered two to one--were supposed to regenerate almost immediately after getting hit. What I wrote in the pre-mission brief, and said verbally several times, was “When red team players are killed, they pull back out of the fight, and then regenerate immediately.” But, for whatever reason, the red players really didn’t catch onto this, so there was confusion. Another lesson learned. Anyway, we kicked off the Rangerball scenario with a simulated helicopter insertion of the blue and yellow teams. This was really a bunch of guys in the back of my truck, and in an SUV, driving out across the meadow and dropping them off. It wasn’t a “hot LZ” (which would have been cooler) since I didn’t want anyone pelting my truck--but if we ever have a couple of older vehicles out there, and the owners don’t mind, I could see allowing red to fire up the “helos” as they come into the LZ. As the players jumped out of the vehicles, they spread out and advanced towards the treeline. When I looked back at the scene it really did look like something out of Vietnam, and my two sons (on the red team) said it felt pretty tense to see all those guys jump out and start sweeping towards their position. Kind of like, “Oh crap, here they come!” A few of the red players were actually in cover behind the blue/yellow forces as they were inserted, and blue/yellow made a big tactical error in not establishing 360-degree security right away. One of the red players walked right in among them, without anyone noticing, and shot 9 of them right off the bat! Big battlefield lesson there. To make a long description shorter, the fight progressed pretty much as I planned/expected, with blue and yellow moving from treeline to treeline, pushing the guerillas ahead of them. There were short, sharp firefights in the trees, and gradually they moved to where red was defending its base, deep in a thicket of trees and brush on the far end of the area. We ended the scenario about 1130. Oh, I should mention that there were also some “wildcards” that I set up that would have changed things up significantly (I won’t divulge exactly how). Besides the red flag marking the guerilla base, I also had set up a blue and a yellow flag, each one deep in the trees. I taped notes to them, giving “scenario clues” for the players to read. If the right team found either of the clues, it would have put a big wrinkle into the scenario--but in this case the other team located them both first. Another lesson for me, then. Even though my instinct is to keep things as free of artificial constraints as possible, I think I should have made sure these wildcards were put in play. The other big lesson for me was to make sure that the red team really understands their role, and their regeneration rules. Because they were confused as to how soon they could regenerate, in the initial engagement they basically milled around after getting getting shot--and just kind of wandered back towards their base. So, the blue and yellow teams advanced far quicker than I’d thought they would. Also, the red players (who were mostly teenagers) didn’t really get the word that after the red base was captured they were supposed to try and escape over to their “sanctuary” and egress the area. Basically, after their base fell, they were all either dead or just stopped playing. This shortened the scenario significantly. Looking back on it, I should have put the more experienced, older players on the red team, and briefed them much more thoroughly on their role. That would have meant a much tougher defense, and would have drawn the scenario out considerably. Although it might have meant a route of the blue/yellow teams, it probably would have been more fun for everyone. After the Rangerball scenario, we played three games of capture the flag, and I did get to play in two of those. For me it was nice to play in a bigger area (I hate boundaries), but it did slow the games down. Even with 30 players, it took a while to get the teams engaging. To me, that’s exactly what makes for more interesting play, but others thought we should have narrowed the field more. Everyone knocked it off around 1230-1300. I had a chance to get input from quite a few players before they left, and most thought it had been pretty cool—both the Rangerball and the capture the flag games (I should put up a separate page on how we did capture the flag). There were two main complaints though. The red players felt frustrated, because they didn’t understand what they were supposed to do. I think if they had listened/read closer, they would have gotten it--but I also should have spent more time explaining things, so I’ll take that hit. The other complaints came from 3 experienced speedballers who were pretty bored by the whole thing. Not enough action, not enough shooting, and too much hiking. I can understand that. Rangerball isn’t for everyone, and it’s definitely NOT speedball. These guys heard about the game by word-of-mouth, so they had no way of knowing what to expect. Not sure what I could have done in their case, but in the future I can try harder to make players aware of what Rangerball is all about before they try it. The guys who came knowing it would be tactically-oriented, scenario paintball were pretty excited about it and want to try it again. Actually, I’d like to try that same scenario again, with minor modifications, at LZ X-Ray. I think the next time I could have things better prepared, and make sure everyone understands their roles ahead of time. I even think I could work out a role for players just walking on that have no idea (or don’t care) what’s going on in the scenario. With the right structure, they could be worked into a smaller area where there’d be more action for them. They wouldn’t really be part of the scenario—just rogue elements to be “dealt with”. Anyway, if you’re interested in Rangerball, contact me. -- Ajax		Below are 1965 photos of U.S. troops in the actual LZ-Xray in the IaDrang Valley of Vietnam. The grassy fields and treelines are eerily similar to the terrain outside of Kanarraville. The trees in Vietnam were quite a bit taller, but the groves we played in gave the same kind of tactical problems.


			Here's a shot from the movie, "We Were Soldiers", with Mel Gibson as LTC Hal Moore.