On 11-13.08.2023, near the town of Lipa (Podkarpackie voivodeship), the fourth edition of the staff airsoft game under the banner of MARSH - Airsoft, and the second one lasting full 48 hours, took place.
The event was attended by nearly 800 participants, who were divided into three factions: STORM, RATS and NOMAD. The infantry operations in the field were supported by over 20 properly prepared in-game vehicles. The whole event was supervised by a collective of organizers, which consisted not only of the strongly committed members of the Silesian Hammer ASG Team Śląsk, but also many volunteers from other teams. Due to the scale of the project, the families of the main organizers of the entire initiative also actively participated in its organization, and work on it has been ongoing since last year, which was regularly documented in social media and WMASG.com - the media partner of MARSH REVOLUTION 2023.
An equally important role in the course of the game was played by the staffs of each of the factions, composed of experienced players who are highly regarded in the airsoft community. STORM was led by Szturman (CKSW Parasol) with Hepan (Blackops Group Poland) and other members of CKSW Parasol. RATS was lead by Ethell (SGR MAP TEAM) and her people. The last faction - NOMAD - was led by Scary (Snow Leopard) and Scout (Lone Wolves Team), winners of previous MARSH events who have so far represented RATS. The interest in the game was regularly fueled by the aforementioned staffs, which organized people assigned to them into regular structures long before the start of the game and made plans to defeat their opponents by completing several dozen of different tasks prepared by the organizers.
Although the game itself started on Friday at 12:00, the offgame area of the event - New Haven - began to bustle with life for good on Thursday. Compared to last year, improvements have been made here. Players were allowed to set up tents near their HQs while making HQs offgame areas. The entire New Haven area became a respawn area for participants.
In the center of the offgame you could find organizers' tents acting as th "player service office", energy measurement points for replicas, event sponsors' tent, a well-equipped canteen with a variety of food and chilled drinks, as well as a whole row of portable toilets, with sinks and other means to increase the comfort of participants. However, the place of registration has changed: it has been moved to the parking area, far away from the game zone. Players were provided with the opportunity to travel to the New Haven area with their own vehicles only to deliver equipment, as well as additional means of transport for moving between the parking lot and the game zone. Arriving at the event on Thursday, registration and energy measurements could be arranged quickly and efficiently, without standing in long queues.
An additional attraction for the visitors on Thursday was the airsoft shooting competition in a dynamic formula, with the use of handgun and carbine replicas. There were attractive prizes for the best shooters.
Friday started with a short assembly in New Haven's main square. The basic rules related to player safety were reminded there. Then everyone went to finish their preparations for going out in the field, because punctually at 12:00 the staffs expected players to be available. For the next 48 hours, the sand, grass and forests surrounding New Haven became the arena of fierce airsoft battles between three rival factions.
It is impossible to list all the attractions that awaited players in the field. The tasks set before them required both navigation and avoidance skills, as well as efficiency in open firefights with loud accompaniment of all means of verbal communication between players and with their own staffs. In addition to the constant presence of NPCs in the theater of operations, many props were used - including dummies and large scale models, as well as automated systems that did not require the intervention of the organizers. During many of the larger and more important events of the game, attention was often drawn to independent game officials and other staff - including photographers who provided extensive photo coverage of MARSH REVOLUTION 2023.
As with any event of such a scale and dynamics, there were minor hardware failures in the field and issues that required game moderation on an ongoing basis. The organizers reacted quickly, leaving little room for players to dither or complain. However, there were also minor slip-ups that could have been avoided: changes of placement of strategic locations, or even the lack night markers of respawns.
The weather also played a big role in the event. Starting on Friday, it was dry and hot, which often took its toll on players exposed to the sun. However, MARSH - Airsoft was prepared for such a development, and in the densely located respawns in the game area there was a constant supply of drinking water. The cloudless sky at night, in an area remote from civilization, made it possible to observe the Perseids, whose most active period this year was during the event.
After two days of intense competition, the game has come to an end and the players and their staffs have begun preparing to return home. The last to leave New Haven were the organizers who spent over a week there.
Finally the game was won - for the first time - by the STORM faction led by CKSW Parasol. The main commanders - Sturman and Hepan - received a hefty cup, with which they willingly allowed the players to pose and take pictures with - every now and then remarking that the commitment all the players of the faction brought the long-awaited victory.
Currently, the first reviews of this year's MARSH and discussions about it appear on social media. Although it is impossible to please all of the participants, the opinions so far seem to be overwhelmingly positive, often stating that MARSH REVOLUTION 2023 was the best game of the year in Poland.
We would like to thank the Organizers of MARSH REVOLUTION 2023, as well as all the sponsors without which this event could not taken place:
Militaria.pl
Tactical MAP
Mancraft
Sniper Ghillie Systems
Perun Airsoft
Tacticat Wear
www.misecure.pl
WMASG.com
ASG - Polish Airsoft
World of Paintball Jastrzębie-Zdrój
Airsoft Armory
4war.pl - exhibition wall panels in the molle system
WENO-X
Gieściradów Forest District, State Forests
Armour Buddy</ strong>
Anthillshop
At the same time, we would like to remind you about ongoing competitions for the best photo, video and text about this game, as well as an idea for a task or mechanic that could be used in future events made of the organizers. There are - as usual - very valuable prizes to win. More details can be found here.
Photos: RQS Team – Szymon Kamiński, Mateusz Morończyk (Hamster), Bartłomiej Papla (Baatt), Szymon Jakubiec (Flynn)
