Green Cloaks 2014 Event 2: The Extraction - After Action Report

After action reports always sound weird but it's something that I feel very strongly about doing. Honest and public appraisal of our products used in possibly the harshest environs they will encounter is vital to keep our product lines moving forward. It's also a chance to say thank you to the people that provide us with the space to do what we do best: show off!

First up, the event went spectacularly. The staff and players really stepped it up this event and its was frankly wonderful to see the progression. I didn't have the horror of migraines bogging me down this time and was able to fit in plenty of combat to test our equipment. From crawling through the bracken and forest floor in order to climb over walls and attack player camps to chasing fleeing players at full tilt as they attempted to warn of an attack, our kit got a full and thorough work through. Possibly the best test of was finally fighting alongside the players in their final push towards a portal into another dimension against hordes of technologically reanimated corpses. All combat experience enhances our design capabilities and this new experience taught me and the team a significant amount.

The environs were somewhat different to the last outing: there was significantly more dust while the weather was much warmer and drier than previous events. With a large metalled road covered in a layer of fine sand and dust, the clouds were pretty thick and things got pretty hazy. It played hell with the weapons and kit alike. This isn't a factor that we had considered in our design portfolio.Something we're certainly considering from here on out!

The Juliet pattern rigs performed sterlingly. With two of them in play under very different styles, it was marvellous to be able to get a true assessment of their capabilities. They both survived the dust and grit without so much as blinking. As always, we saw the 500D Cordura we have built our business model around is a steadfast and dependable fabric and won't be changing any time soon.

The proliferation of slings in the system was obvious and our 2 point quick release sling was almost ubiquitous. The design continues to be solid and I'm very happy with that. There are no plans to change it in the near future.

Things don't always go as planned... Spot the sling though! :D

Our new armour lines also began to make an appearance in the field. The MkI Cuirass saw its first real world action and it remained in one piece and there were no reported complaints of overheating. It would seem the combination of breathable 500D Cordura and 3mm spacer mesh is a winning one that I look forward to deploying to future products. I'm so very happy it worked out: we've been looking for an alternative to Closed Cell Foam we used in the older iterations. The latter configurations is only really suitable for the heavier, less flexible armour systems like the MkI Juliet.

Not joking about the slings!

It wasn't all brilliant, however. The higher level of combat intensity over a sustained period really pushed our standard rail mount design past breaking point. Traditionally, we've used 4 M3 self tapping screws to secure mounts to the rails. The reasoning behind this has always been to allow the rail to break before the person falling on it breaks. That's all fine and dandy until the plastic starts expanding or otherwise starts being variable. Belting around the woods at twilight and dusk, we lost several torches and fore-grips which is an unacceptable failure rate. From this point forward, we will be supplying M3x35 bolts and locking nuts to secure our rail systems to prevent repeated failures. All GC players who feel they want to make the transition can do so free of charge at one of our event stalls. While our current system has sufficied for office warfare and HvZ, having seen what I've seen this weekend and having built up a good bank of connections within the fledgling Sci-Fi LARP community, I think we're going to need to add a lot more weight to this player group in future designs.

So, to the future. We're already preparing for Event 3. We've shifted our work away from holsters and slings to larger armour systems and rail mounts. UKNerfWar.com will continue to carry our holsters and slings at events but without those items plugging up our production queue in advance, we're intending to be able to supply a wider array of armour systems, magazine holders and the like. 3D printed accessories are likely to begin featuring more heavily, too. We've got a large catalogue of products now and it's time we moved away from the simple holster and sling options. :)

If players are reading this and you want stuff guaranteed for Event 3 then please let us know via email. We are developing a fixed point tactical vest system directly from the feedback we have received from you fine folks and are happy to dig in and produce something just for you and your character. It'll be in the £45 bracket and be an off the shelf, battle ready system with enough stuff to carry all the bits and pieces you need to fight in the Green Cloaks universe.

Elsewhere, we're also working on generic fabric identification patches - stuff like '109th Light' and such with Velcro backing so you folks can identify yourselves on the battlefield. It was something I noticed while fighting alongside you folks that sometimes it was difficult to tell friend from foe and on more than one occasion, I nearly shot friendlies. I appreciate there are already some around but having a source on site you can purchase from is probably a good idea. Better yet, our talented folks might sew the loop Velcro tape to your shirt for you in exchange for mead or biscuits. :)

It truly was a fantastic event and you should all be very proud of what you're part of. Enys, Woj, Charley and everyone at Trinity Games, you've created a thriving system that is touching the lives of its players in ways you can't imagine while driving innovation among the makers and creators in this field. Keep doing what you're doing and it's my professional opinion that this system has some serious legs. See you on the fields of the Omega in three weeks time!



Mike Harratt
Managing Director, Blastersmiths UK

All photos (C) Ronnie Hall Photography. Reproduced with kind permission.