run a highly respected paintball operation)
but over the years have developed a number
of urban sites, including the old MOD camp
at Saighton. They moved onto their present
location, the old headquarters of the TATA
Steel Corporation, about 18 months ago.
Unlike many urban sites that hang under the
ever-present threat of redevelopment, the
site has been secured as an airsoft venue for
the foreseeable future.
Covering some 15 acres, the site consists
of six large office buildings, an orchard and
an overgrown ornate garden that staff must
have wandered around in their lunchtime.
In its heyday the site employed 5,000 staff
and was the corporate headquarters of John
Summers Steel. The main house was built in
1908, a mirror of a town hall built in Bradford.
The buildings have over 600 offices on five
levels within the main house and three
within the F-Block.
The main reception, kitting-up area and
Safe Zone is a huge hanger-like building
that can easily accomodate 80 players and
their kit, with enough room that they’re
not tripping over each other. All guns are
chronographed to ensure that they fall under
“…the great
thing about
CQB airsoft
is being right
on top of the
enemy – and
the worst
thing about it
is being right
on top of the
enemy!”
the site’s 350fps rule (externally you can use
full-auto but once inside it is semi-auto only)
and a full safety and gameplay brief takes
place before you move out.
The warm-up game was a ‘straight in-yourface’ contact scenario outside. Starting at
the eastern end of the site the Blue team
was on the offense and the Red team had to
maintain a constant fighting withdrawal. This
was a bit like a boxing match: teams eyed
each other up across the car park and there
was little time for ‘where’s my best spot’ as
game-on was called.
It was pretty much carnage from the
off and the momentum would be with
whichever team could maintain a high rate
of fire and tactically out-manoeuvre the
opposition. Wave after wave of Blue attacks
were repelled as the attackers were pretty
much exposed.
Numerous pyros were deployed, and after
about 15 minutes the Blue team pushed
through a tight walkway and drove the Reds
back into the orchard. With more cover
available the Blue team could spread out a
little more and try various flanking moves on
the defenders. It was a credit to the Reds
that although they were forced backwards
they defended every yard with a great deal
of awareness, and the game was really
tight on the ground. But the Blue team now
078
March 2012
had the advantage and move d in waves of
covering fire to finally push the Reds back
towards the building where the first CQB
game would begin.
Now if you’re a fan of CQB games you will
know that the great thing about CQB airsoft
is being right on top of the enemy – and the
worst thing about it is being right on top of
the enemy! If that’s a bit confusing let me
explain…
With most airsoft CQB fire-fights you are
pretty damn close, maybe a room’s length
away, and this makes for some adrenalinefuelled action (especially with flash-bangs
and other distraction devices going off all
around). But problems occur when you have
a choke point in the game and what I’d call
a ‘conveyer-belt regen system’ – players are
being hit, dropping back and coming back
into game a couple of minutes later at the
same point. Games become static and a
marshal has to throw something in from leftfield to stand a chance of changing the game
dynamic.
The buildings at SWAT Urban are large
enough to negate this problem – there are
choke points, but they are numerous. In
the game I was taking part in the Blues had
control of the first floor and the Red team
had to wrest it off them. With well-placed
regen points and the fact that the floor