Turnout: 20

Game 2. {Coke can game: Yellow starts a Log Fort, Red starts at Bridge} (Joe): Mike came up with a new game. He placed a Coke can with a note in it, in full view, somewhere on the field. The object was to find it, read the note, and take the can to the fort written on the note. The team that could do this would win, sudden death. Mike had had told me about this before the games started. The problem came when I was taking some new players on a tour of the field before play started. As we were walking up the "Hill Trail" we all saw a Coke can stuck on a tree next to the trail. Knowing what was up, I told Mike when we got back to "Staging". So before the "Coke Can game" I went out a hid it again. The other problem with the "Coke Can game" is, the guy that hides it knows it's location, giving him an advantage. We solved that by making the rule that I , the guy in the know, had to attach myself to another player and just go where he went. Honor system rules work fine at the Backyard.

We had a plan to stay in one big group hoping to maul them if they split up into smaller units while searching for the can. When we started I hooked up with Jeff, and we headed for the field. At the edge we encountered yellow players moving around the Bunker. Mike and a large group of reds had gone into the "Reeds". We started firing long ball volleys at each other. I moved off to the left, toward the "Reeds", because Jeff and myself were joined by Jeremiah Boyd and it became crowded behind the one pallet we were all trying to use for cover. Brandon (our resident tournament player) was blasting away at me with his Impluse at about 13 rounds a second, but it was so far away I was able to dodge them. I was delighted when Jeff (my firstimer friend) scored a hit on Brandon with his loaner Spyder classic (Mike's first gun). Brandon's friend (another tournament player) popped out near the edge of the "Reeds" and pinned me down behind a bush. I received a bounce or two. I was lucky they were coming from so far away. I figured it was about time when our guys took him out from the "Reeds". Jeff and I moved toward the "Dead Man Fort". Adam who was on the yellow team began firing at us from the top of the "Bunker". While Jeff pinned him I moved to the "Cedar Tree". I could tell the way Adam was acting that he didn't know I was so close. As Jeff fired another volley, forcing Adam down I ran toward the far side of the "Bunker". It was then, when I was about 30 feet from it, I saw Adam's camo showing through a small hole. The hole is only about the size of an egg, but I was feeling lucky. I knew my third shot went through when Adam yell out in pain and surprise. Just at that moment the "Game Over" calls rang out. We had won the second game. I turns out Mike's group had crossed the creek, found the can and took it to the "Old Fort" to win.

Inside the Staging Building (Craig complaining about the sides)	Brandon and friends in foreground (is that kid bored?)

Game 3. {Attack/Defense: Yellow defends Bunker, Red starts at Bridge} (Joe): After game 2 Craig, the yellow team captain, decided he wanted to switch the teams around because he felt the red team was to dominate. At this point, I would like to point out that it wasn't because of Craig's leadership decisions that the yellow team had been losing. The other yellow team guys told me they never listen to him anyway. I told Craig to hold off and we'd see after the next game, which was going to be the reverse of the first game. Attacking the "Bunker" in Attack/Defense game usually results in a defeat. The new "Bunker" is a hard cookie to crack. I figured the first game had gone that way when yellow was the "Bunker" attacker, and the second game was just the luck of finding the can first.

This was a great game. We decided to make the main push from doing an end around. We send Mark and Larry as decoys straight at the "Bunker", with orders to shoot a lot but not to get shot. The rest of the team would cross the "Bridge" and down the "Hill Trail". After the "Crossing Fort" I split off with Jeff, Doug and Reeve, crossed the creek and went into the "reeds". The main effort, Mike and the rest, continued to the "Old Fort", crossed the creek and headed toward the "Corner Fort" and the "Bunker's" backdoor. Our hope was that Mark and Larry, and then My group's frontal attack would distract them while Mike group could sneak in and back shoot them.

Well, it worked, kinda. My group did get a lot of attention (Brandon told me after the game he shot about 900 rounds just at me) as we took up positions and started long balling the fort. Doug got hit while we were still in the "Reeds". Jeff and I made to pallets and blasted away, as Reeve fired from the "Reeds". All this time we were taking a tremendous amount of fire from Brandon and his tournament player buddies who were in the "Bunker". At that time Mike's group arrived, I could see the panic of the "Bunker" defenders as fire was coming in from three directions. With all the the chaos I called for cover fire, once again Jeff was there for me. I dashed for a closer position and made it. The tournament player in the bottom of the "Bunker" pinned me behind my cover. I started pop firing. To keep him honest. I think Brandon up top had gotten hit. I then felt my GT2000 running out of CO2. I knew I didn't have many shots left, so I needed to get closer for a surer shot. Hey, I remembered, I could throw my smoke grenade that I been carrying around in my web gear for about a year. I did, and after it got going, and calling to Jeff and Reeve who had moved up, for more cover fire, I made it to a closer pallet and started firing my last few shots hoping to do as much damage as I could. About this time Reeve and the yellow guy in the bottom of the "Bunker" got hit. The next thing I knew it got really quiet. I think we shot them all out. Mike went into the lower level raised the Red Flag and we won!

As it turned out, our "decoys". (Mark and Larry) did most of the whacking when the yellow team abandoned the rise to meet the backdoor threat. Mark and Larry just moved up unopposed and back shot most of the survivors. We only lost two guys cracking the cookie.

Game 4. {Capture the Flag, Red - Bunker, Yellow - Old Fort} (Joe): We changed the teams up. Mike, Jeff, Reeve, myself and Doug were now on the yellow team. Mark and Jeff were going to guard the "Log Fort". Adam and a group decided to take the long route and tray to back door them. I slowly crossed the creek to hear Mike and two of the young guys get hosed and trying to get to the "Log Fort", I moved to my right and hid by a stack of rail road ties for most of the game waiting to swing around behind their attack that never came. It was getting late and I was getting tired of hanging around in one spot. I heard some yell "two Minutes". I had heard shooting down the "Reed" trail toward the "Crossing Fort", so I started that way. I then heard firing back behind me, I figured maybe the Red attack on our fort was started and ran back to spoil it. As I rounded a bend before the stack of rail road ties, I saw a enemy player, Brandon now on the red team. I got the GT2000 up first and pulled the trigger! NOTHING!! I then remembered I had forgot to cock my gun after getting my tank refilled after the last game. Brandon whipped the Impulse up, pulled the trigger, nothing! He told me after the game his gun (being electronic) had turned itself off because he hadn't fired it for a while (a very thoughtful feature). Well, we both quickly got our guns working and traded some fast a furious fire. Unfortunately for me, I was no longer hiding behind the stack of rail road ties, Brandon was. As I was putting my barrel plug in, walking into the field, I saw my new yellow teammate running (very fast) with the red flag toward me. I yelled loudly "OUT, OUT" hoping he would realize he was running straight toward trouble (Brandon). He paid me no attention and flew past me, toward the stack of rail road ties and Brandon. I heard "pop". Ten shortly after "Game Over". It was a tie. Afterward, I told Adam how I was trying to warn him, and he told me he had forgotten (after switching teams around) I was now on his team. When he saw him, he even thought that Brandon was still on his team and yelled for him to get out of his way. Brandon shot him in the butt as he ran past. Funny huh, about as funny as my gun not being cocked. Oh well, it was a funny game.

Game 5. {Capture the Flag, Yellow - Bunker, Red - Old Fort} (Joe): In this game Jeff and I decided we were going to take the long walk from the "Bunker" to the "Bridge", cross and come in the back way. When the game started we jogged all the way to the "Hill Trail". I told Jeff to stay about 30 feet behind me and watch me. At "Pinch Point" I was halfway expecting opposition, but moving cautiously we made it all the way to the "Crossing Fort", when I heard Craig, giving instructions from the "Old Fort" area. Looking back at Jeff I could see he knew what was going on and was into it. With me still leading we hugged the hillside in the deep brush moving toward Craig's voice and the "Old Fort". Craig was talking to Brandon somewhere across the creek. Some shooting was going on over there across from the "Crossing Fort". I could now see Craig through the brush. He was pacing around yelling stuff to Brandon and to people behind him in the fort. Keeping as much junk directly between him and me I moved when he move and when he talked. When he turned our way, I crouched or knelt if I had time. When I looked back at Jeff he was always there, 30 feet back and kneeling. How did he get so good in a couple of games? Good instincts I guess. I was now getting very close to Craig, and almost out of the cover. Whoever was in the fort had never answered Craig. Maybe they were ignoring him? I figured it was one or two of the kids. Kids usually like to guard the fort. Time must be running low, it was now or never. When Craig turned toward the fort, I jumped out and shot him. I now figure I'd run up to the nearest cover, plaster the front of the fort, scare the kids, and hope Jeff would slip farther down the hillside, pop out and take them out through the doors. It would have been a pretty good plan if Mark had not been in the fort! He took me out easily because I was being to overconfident and not staying down behind my cover as I blasted away. Credit to Jeff, he did slip down and take out a kid that was in the fort with Mark. Mike showed up about the time Jeff and Mark got into it. Mark got them both after a brief shoot-out. Time ran out, another tie.

Mike and Adam in the Staging building

Game 6. {Capture the Flag, Yellow - Corner Fort, Red - Log Fort} (Joe): We lost Mike early in this game, I went down to the "Tri Bunker", then came back up. After we lost more guys. Adam, Doug and I was watching our fort, waiting for time to run out. It seemed it was going to end in another tie, when I heard Doug yelling that someone was running through the field to the "Bunker". I ran into the top of the bunker and saw Larry hiding behind the "Cedar Tree" About the time I got him I heard "GAME OVER"! It seems after Doug and I got distracted by Larry's move on the "Bunker", They Red team pinned Adam down, sprinted in, grabbed our flag and won the game. Good job, beat us fair and square.

It was a fun day!!!

Larry, taking a drink between games. Doug in the foreground, Jeremiah in the Background.

That kid is still Bored!!! Jeremiah and buddy smiling.