In 2017 The Fish squad attends as a team their first ever MILSIM, Force Recon’s Nightfall in Picton Ontario. Force Recon then posted a second MILSIM for that summer, called Titanfall. The Fish were pumped and all where onboard to go and play that. However, Titanfall was forced to be canceled. This left The Fish all with a rare weekend off (see all the guys booked the weekend off to go south) and the squad a little disappointed. In true Whitefish Airsoft spirit this did not prevent us from playing. Perch, the Squad leader of the Fish, (perhaps having imbibed a little too much of the spiritual beverage) had the most epic idea, LET’S DO OUR OWN MILSIM. One for local players. WFA has always been about the local players, and we know how difficult it can be to get south to play a big game. So with the permission of WFA Perch set out to create the first ever WFA Milsim. Having access to his sister’s farm, and 3 weeks. Perch and his wife siren managed to pull off an 8-hour milsim game, Operation Probe!!!
Operations ProbeOperation probe was held in late October 2017, the trees were bare, and the ground was soaking wet. Perch and Siren chose to host the Milsim on Perch’s sister’s farm, now known as the Depatie Field. (strange history this is where Perch and Siren started playing airsoft 8 years ago with their children). Perch and Siren spent close to 15 nights up late coming up with game designs, building missions and running over and over the whole game timing. The day before the game the two of them spent the day at the field setting up the command posts, safe zones, and the game control tent. Siren told Perch she would help on the condition that she have a warm place to be during the day. 4 Tarps and a few sheets of plywood and the game control tent was built, outfitted with a propane heater and all. However little did they know the area of the tent ended up being a muddy swamp.
Game day comes, and 32 players show up ready to play. One problem, the original plan of taking players to the field with an old pick-up truck will not work, to much mud. But… Perch’s brother-in-law comes to the rescue without even being asked. Getting up at 0600 on a Saturday he gets his farm tractor out attaches his haywagon and gives Perch a quick lesson, saying don’t ride the clutch. 0800 hours and the game starts. Smoke fills the air and the 2 armies fight. The Loyalist versus the Resistance battle begins. Between the rain and now muddy field players happily battle away, running spec ops missions and turning clocks hidden away in Sirens Stainless steel mixing bowls screwed to trees with garbage bags over them. The game eventually is called an hour early, some players not being prepared for the harsh environment calling it quits. Leaving the Loyalist army as victors, and a lot of cold wet players with huge smiles on their faces.
“It’s not a milsim if you are not miserable” Stingray 2017 after OP PROBE.
Operation Dawn: A new coming
2018 Perch and Siren decided that it is time to play another MILSIM. This time it is going to be even bigger and better. Perch’s sister gives the crew permission to use an old chicken coop as a game control shack, and even pull it out into the field for us. Planning begins and the banter between The Loyalist and The Resistance hits a crazy pace. 3 more players decided that they want to help run the game, giving 5 people to now run and ref the game. With this a new group emerges, a for-hire ultimate fighting force presents its head. Also, a new command staff is introduced to The Resistance. Game designers also incorporate new game aspects, Close Air Support, Artillery Strikes, and mortars. Using lasers, GPS grid squares, and mortar tubes players and commanders can use all this to there advantage, with one caveat… they must spend Vermilla Pesos to get their items. Oh ya… we add a new point system, the Vermilla Pesos, which can be earned by successful completion of missions, owning clocks, and gathering intel. Commanders can spend these on buying all sorts of stuff including the use of this new shadowy group of extreme fighters. Also oddly enough the game seems very balanced. Plus hushed whispers on both sides seem to learn of a new threat Lousium, the county that lies to the east of Vermilla, just on the east of an old wire fence. As the game ends, The loyalist holds a thin victory for a second time.
Operation Faith: Rise of the Phenoix
The second MILSIM of 2018. Starts out the same as every other. This time The loyalist have dug in and The Resistance having lost in previous battles head underground and begin fighting more like gorilla warfare. Also, it seems the mercenaries are scarce in this game but the spec ops missions are constant, and the mercs are paying top dollar for these missions to be completed. Slowly a story unravels, and both sides begin to learn that Louisum the once peaceful nation appears to be planning something. All of a sudden masked men, ones never seen in Vermillia before make a lighting attack at both command posts, taking prisoner the commanders of each team. Even worse!!! Turns out there is a spy that is infiltrated the inner circle of the commanders, pulling a pistol and helping in the kidnapping. Suddenly it all comes together, Lousium has declared war on Vermillia and has kidnapped the commanders of both factions. The very survival of Vermillia is in balance, The Resistance and The Loyalist must set aside their differences and join forces to overcome an even bigger threat. The final battle rages for 45 min between the combined Resistance/Loyalist army and Louisum fighters. Ultimately the commanders are rescued, and a Peace Treaty is signed (you can see the treaty in our warrior lodge at the skirmish field). With the signing of the treaty, The Resistance and Loyalist set aside their differences and become the Phoenix Force (pretty cool Rise of the Phoenix eh?).
OP Vegence - Summer 2019
With the end of the bitter Civil war in Vermillia comes a whole new threat. Louism, during the winter Lousim fighters have moved into the old battle ground. During this time Louism fighters being unopposed where able to build defensive bases and prepare for the attack. The newly born Phoenix force spends the winter preparing for the new threat. On August 23, the echos of battle, think heavy stench and smoke fill the air. Phoenix lunches a co-ordinated air borne assault against the dug in Louism fighters. This game sees many new additions, the old clocks that over the years have been filled with water and mice are replaced with new flag poles that can be moved for different game modes, fighting positions have been built .
8 hours of solid battle, with brand new commanders leading the way, the tides of war have finally changed. Vermilia has it first loss, by 50 points. Sending Louism under the command of Specky a win by one flag turn. We think we need to mention that Vermilia had been tasked with rescuing a down pilot. Lousim managed to capture the pilot and began exfiling him back to there command post, however….A Phoenix fighter realizing what was happening choose to silence his own pilot, a single shot in the chest. Game control staff had a great laugh, as none of the designers had thought that would happen.
TO the right, four players stand about to step off for a whole new game. RECON. You will also notice that the players are the guys who run the MILSIMs. So here is what happened. The guys wanted to play a game instead of alway hosting. So they invented Recon, 4 men small recon unit VS a 15 man larger army. All the advantage was given to the Army. For 8 solid hours these 4 players worked in the oddly hot September day, Crawling a few inches a minute, zero sounds constantly hiding, all to win small objectives.
The Recon team inserted one hour prior to game start, only permitted to use the equipment and supplies they could carry. The Army had full advantage of the field, no equipment was off-limits.
Although this game had very slow times where it appeared nothing was happening, it was a Milsim, and it actually was way better then it had expected for all players. We plan on hosting a few more of these with new players as the Recon element.