could be attacked from several staircases
(including from the floor above) the
defending Blue forces had to control and
coordinate their team carefully. While the
principal Red attack kept coming up the main
staircase, using about 15 team members,
others had fanned out in the building and
were probing the Blue defensive choke
points and causing a great deal of confusion
as to where the main attack was coming
from.
Although the main staircase was the
number one area to hold (as a whole
horde of enemy could move up this if
lightly defended), it was breakthroughs in
other areas and subsequent regens that
caused the main staircase to be lost to an
overwhelming Red charge. As an observer
it seemed that the Blues’ clever tactical
deployment of their team and hard work was
lost as the Reds dug in on top of the main
stairwell, but a Blue counter attack swept
them back to where they had come from!
Over lunch I picked up my torch and
headed out to explore. I wouldn’t get to
see some areas ‘in game’, as it’s such a
large urban site. The buildings are a mix of
light and airy office space with both large
open-plan and corridors of smaller offices.
The connecting corridors are well lit and if
you have decent comms you can actually
watch and pass information on enemy team
movements through these areas.
Most of the ground floor is boarded up
so it’s pitch black and a torch is a must. I
wandered around old kitchens, R&D areas,
SITE REVIEW
large storage rooms and plenty of smaller
offices. This really is a site for the sneakybeaky player who can move quietly among
the shadows and wait patiently in the dark.
Because of its shape, even those who
don’t know the site intimately will quickly
get to understand how the various floors
mirror each other and where the main points
of contact will be. With a friendly bunch of
regular players you will also have plenty of
insight into the best tactics and strategies.
As I was exploring the nooks and crannies,
players back in the Safe Zone were taking
advantage of the on-site charging facilities
and retail store SWAT 24/7 to stock up. One
of the most in-demand items was the hire of
BFGs (blank firing grenades) as SWAT offers
a package of the grenade, the loading rod
and 10 9mm cartridges. SWAT Urban doesn’t
allow the use of any other pyros, believing
no manufacturer has sufficiently proved that
its brand is safe. So these BFGs are highly
efficient in this venue as the percussive
blast from the 9mm blank will shock the
opposition within five metres. It was also
good to see how quickly marshals would
retrieve the BFG for further use.
Some needed to top up on BBs for the
afternoon’s session but I had hardly emptied
a low-cap magazine. SWAT Urban is that sort
of site: you can loose off a couple of hundred
BBs and play close-up and personal each
mission, or hang back in the shadows and
take out the next silhouette that appears in
the doorway. Just hope it’s an enemy!
The main slogan that you see throughout
the site, on ID patches and other insignia is
‘You’re either SWAT or you’re not’ – and I
think I can answer that question honestly by
saying “I definitely am!” ■
SWAT URBAN AREA 51
Shotton, Deeside, Flintshire, CH5 2RW
Site type: Urban office building complex
Prices
Non-members: £30
Members: £25
Rifle hire: £20 (M4 Stubby or AK47,
includes combats and gloves)
BFG hire: £10 (includes 10 cartridges)
Contact: Paul Knaggs, 0151 644 1611
or 07703 177756, www.swaturban.com
www.airsoftactionmagazine.com
079