June 30th - July 1st 2007
Two of Vaasa's better players from the Vaasa Airsoft team, Alistair and Samppa, (Samppa on the left, Alistair on the right) travelled all the way to Kemi for the 2007 Saarisoft Game on the island of Laitakari.
The players began assembling on the Ajos peninsula well before the 20:00 start time. Threateningly dark clouds began to gather as the support boat came from the island to collect the first players, and those first into the boat got something of a soaking, but after that the rain held off all night.
From the Game
The game started only minutes after 20:00, the first of the five games kicked in to motion quickly and soon the players where already engaging their enemies. The objective of the first game was to collect as many of five supply crates as possible, this game was eventually won by the Varjot team, which collected four of the five crates, the final crate was never collected by either team so this was considered a complete success for the more experienced but outnumbered Varjot team.
The second game was the Raatelijat team's attack on the Varjot team's territory. To their surprise the Raatelijat team was intercepted before they could get anywhere near the other team's territory, the Varjot team had launched a counter attack quickly and decisively. The centre of the island was the site of the battle for the second round, which was won, once again, by the Varjot team.
At the beginning of the third game, despite the fact that the Varjot team was clearly on a winner, they were desperately low on re-enforcements. They needed to do something to even the score, the answer was to destroy the enemy's stockpiles. Quickly a plan of action was drawn up and the Varjot team went onto the attack. The frontal assault seemed to be useless, but the squad assigned to flank the enemy and take control of the supply depot was slowly and quietly moving towards their objective. The squad was almost at their objective when they were engaged by the enemy. The plan was not turning out though, because the infantryman with the detonators had been cut off from the rest of the squad and could not get back to it. The experienced Varjot team had lost for the first time and this was much celebrated by the enemy.
The fourth game: Despite the defeat, the Varjot team's morale was not about to go down yet, scouts reported that the enemy was massing for an attack. The Varjot had not a clue why the enemy was attempting to seize the area at this time, but it seemed to be important for them. Fighting broke out once again in the middle of the island, it lasted for a long time and the enemy seemed very relentless in their attack. Minutes passed in the rage of the battle, then suddenly, a single plane could be heard overhead, the Raatelijat team's assault strenghtened by the second. Suddenly there were three parachutes soaring over the island in the night sky. Confused by what was happening, the Varjot team battled on. Once the parachutists had landed in the clearing in the centre of the island the Varjot team's commander ordered a push. The Varjot team pursued the enemy across the island, but just as they were about to assault the enemy's main base they where ordered to retreat, the situation was over, the Varjot team had lost the battle, the mysterious parachutists had escaped.
In the fifth and final game, the government SF team that had been on the island monitoring the situation was now in need of assistance, the Varjot team, who where now low on re-enforcements and desperately needed to win the final battle, were quite willing to assist. The government was also sending more troops to the island, the reason for this was unknown to the Varjot team, but re-enforcements where the only possible way they could win this. The final assault began, the Varjot team was met quite early by the enemy, the opposition was yet rather light and the Varjot managed to hold their ground, after some fighting the Government re-enforcements arrived, but, for some reason, they disappeared just as fast as they had appeared. The Varjot team, that was still being assisted by the SF team, decided to make a push to acquire better defensive positions, this was successful, and quickly the battle picked up pace.
For a long time the Varjot team held their ground against an enemy three times their size. Finally, the commander ordered that this position was to be held to the last man, we would not retreat. However the game was lost, and so was the war, it all ended in a massacre. The Raatelijat team had won, but soon they too where destroyed in an airstrike by the government, all that was left was the quietly rising smoke.
The Warriors Return, five at a time.
Alistair Pemberton
Link to the Saarisoft 2007 report.
Link to the YouTube video of 3 paratroopers landing during the game.
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