several options for dynamic gameplay. The
largest area is the Bunker 1 Complex, with
numerous single storey buildings, trenches
and permanent low cover tyre walls. There
is even a caravan (or control centre) for
the happy camper, though being inside
that while under attack is a pretty grim
experience.
After players new to the site have been
through the safety brief, teams are divided
for the first engagement – on my last
visit it was ‘Don’t forget the Alamo!’ This
is a straightforward attack-and-defence
scenario using a large fortified complex
called (surprise, surprise) the Alamo. It is
quite easy to defend, as it sits in relatively
open ground, and it’s a real BB magnet as
you can engage it from as far as 60 yards
with accurate sniper fire or ‘walking’ your
shots on from a support weapon. It is a
good opening game, and though on many
sites this would be the premier feature, at
MOA it is just one of many.
“Everybody was playing this for
real – from the old lags like me to
the youngest lads who wanted to
experience CoD for real”
One of the hardest games I’ve played
there was an ‘advance to contact’ with a
difference. As part of the attacking force
we had to advance from the top of the
site right the way down to the Kill House
at the opposite end. With plenty of space
to spread out over this would have been
a relatively straightforward exercise, but
there was a twist.
The area had been heavily mined and,
as the enemy had accurate maps of where
the mines had been laid they could operate
at-will using that intel. We, however, had
only limited maps and had to advance
down a known safe route. If we strayed
from this route we would have to take a
‘hit’ – and the marshals were watching.
We rallied at the start line and divided into
two fire teams; we knew this mission was
going to be slow moving, and although
we had unlimited medics and the enemy
just two hits before a regeneration was
required, it was going to be about putting
supporting fire down as teams edged
forward.
I think it took all of about two minutes
before the lead elements were under
contact. Thick undergrowth made it hard
to figure out if the enemy had bugged out
after the initial contact or were still lying
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Xmas 2011
in wait. For many of the contacts I was
convinced we were shooting at shadows
and the enemy had long since gone – much
as in many a modern conflict. We advanced
about 150 yards in 30 minutes, but that
was pretty quick compared to what was
about to come as we had reached the edge
of the aptly named jungle walk.
If you’ve ever experienced or read
anything about jungle warfare you’ll know
it can be very slow and arduous, with
advances measured in yards per day, not
miles. The MOA version of the jungle is
a dense area of rhododendron shrubs
and roots that reduce visibility down
to about five yards along a thin path.
Although it may not have the poisonous
beasties that crawl and slither it does
have its own swamp-like area that passes
as the site’s POW camp. Really, in these
circumstances a shotgun or moscart would
be ideal – there were a couple onsite but,
unfortunately, on the wrong team.
Progress down this section was painfully
slow and I lost count of the number of
grenades we put in after about the 15th.
Although MOA runs a skirmish site, as
opposed to purist MilSim, everybody was
playing this for real – from the old lags
like me to the youngest lads who wanted