OP UNDERCOVER IV

THE UNDERCOVER SERIES IS PART OF ANA ASSOCIATION’S YEARLY EVENTS, AND PROBABLY THE BIGGEST ONGOING ROLE-PLAY AND AIRSOFT GAME IN PORTUGAL! IT’S A SERIES THAT FOLLOWS GENERAL PESTÁ IN HIS CONQUEST OF DIFFERENT TERRITORIES AROUND THE COUNTRY, WHILE FIGHTING AGAINST COVERT SPECIAL OPS GROUPS AND LOCAL MILITIAS! MIGUEL TELLS US MORE…

Iwant to point out that this introduction is an oversimplification; the game has been going on for four years, in different fields, with different characters, and the story follows the outcome of the previous event, as much as it can, of course.

In this 4th edition, General Pestá set his sights on dominating the Estreito area, in Oleiros, Castelo Branco, a location filled with several militias fighting for domination, but lacking the means to do so. But, his movements are under the watchful eye of Special Forces groups, trying to find a chance to “take him out” and put an end to his wave of “violence”. And this might be the perfect opportunity, with General Pestá moving most of his forces to a new location, where he will be busy fighting the local forces, while trying to expand his territory.

This year, the guys and I, went as militia forces, so this article will be mostly focused on how story as part of the “Cabelo de Rei” militia group. Each of the four groups had a real village to call home, which they had to defend and empower. The game also consisted of OpFor Forces, under the control of General Pestá and a Special Forces group who are undercover in the region. Each faction’s story would easily make a different article, because of how unique each one’s objectives and gameplay were. During the event we joined forces with our friends from the F.O.E. team, so... Let’s go Militia!

We made our trip North Saturday early and arrived at our village around 0800; each faction and each Militia had different check in points, so there was no mingle. It’s a great way to create a different atmosphere from most games, where you interact with teams and players from enemy factions before the game. Here you start the game only meeting who you will play with, everyone else is a potential enemy. After arriving, we set up our camping site in the village, geared up as militia and gathered around our leader and fellow militia members to learn about our next steps. All four militia villages had one goal for the whole event, gather as much money as possible, by any means necessary; gathering “drugs”, selling information to the Special Forces or OpFor group, gambling, finding secrets, and any other chance that presented itself. And, at the start we were in direct competition with the forces from the Povoinha village, because the other two militia forces were kinda far away, and by far away I mean almost 4 km away (in a straight line), because the game area was just huge, it’s probably one of the biggest fields in the country!

Priority Mission

Our first mission was to control a “drug factory” that was abandoned after the OpFor group made its presence in the area felt, and find the remaining “drug packages”. The “drugs” had to be handled

“THIS YEAR, THE GUYS AND I, WENT AS MILITIA FORCES, SO THIS ARTICLE WILL BE MOSTLY FOCUSED ON HOW STORY AS PART OF THE “CABELO DE REI” MILITIA GROUP. EACH OF THE FOUR GROUPS HAD A REAL VILLAGE TO CALL HOME, WHICH THEY HAD TO DEFEND AND EMPOWER” with a gas mask, and we could only take one package each 30 minutes, so with this information we started moving towards our objective.

In our diverse militia band, we also had a couple of players role-playing as priests, who had a personal objective of gathering collections to build a new church in our village. And to confuse the enemy who was also moving on the “drug factory”, the priests went to meet them halfway and get us some time to move freely. The plan worked, we found the factory and controlled the area with no opposition, and before the enemy even showed up, we already had our first “drug package” on the way back to our village.

From here onwards this part of the event was little more than the normal morning skirmish, with both militias fighting for a single objective; we went back and forward controlling the abandoned “drug factory”. But we had control at the right times, and got to extract most of the available “drug packages”. With all packages gone, we returned to our village and had a little lunch break, while we waited for the afternoon scenario.

After refuelling our much-needed energy, we rejoined our leader and learned that the OpFor group from General Pestá were snooping around, but we didn’t want to wait around, so we pushed our leader to give us a mission. After waiting for a bit, with calls going back and forward, we got the objective of controlling the main crossroads that led to our village, as well as our main rival’s, and radio back any major movement in the area.

So, we gathered those who wanted to join us and moved out. A bit after we reached the crossroads, we got a call from our leader, a new objective just dropped, and we were the closest group. We were ordered to form a small group of three members and recon the enemy Militia village by taking photos of any important structures and anything noteworthy. For this task I selected Maximus, JMX and 3D, and they moved down, following the road that lead to their target. Meanwhile, the rest of the group stayed in the crossroad, following the previous objective.

Not long after, the group that was sent down started radioing in, informing us that the General’s forces were in the area. From the looks of it, they had control of the enemy militia village, which was one of the OpFor’s objectives, controlling the militias, to control the territory. So, it was not hard to guess that we were probably next. We called our leader to relay the news and got the order back to hold the crossroads for as long as possible.

AIRSOFT MEMORIES MADE!

Now, this is where one of my team’s most memorable moments in airsoft started! We got into position to hold the area for as long as we could, but knowing

“AND, AT THE START WE WERE IN DIRECT COMPETITION WITH THE FORCES FROM THE POVOINHA VILLAGE, BECAUSE THE OTHER TWO MILITIA FORCES WERE KINDA FAR AWAY, AND BY FAR AWAY I MEAN ALMOST 4 KM AWAY (IN A STRAIGHT LINE), BECAUSE THE GAME AREA WAS JUST HUGE, IT’S PROBABLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST FIELDS IN THE COUNTRY!” that the biggest faction in the game was on the way, in addition to being a motorized force.

Not long after we heard the first engine sound, approaching fast, it was a 4×4 ATV, probably doing recon ahead of the main motor pool. They stood little chance against the ambush, and didn’t even have time to warn those who were coming behind them.

But, less than a minute after, we started hearing the rest of the vehicles, and oh boy... There were more vehicles than people ambushing! We always knew that it would be impossible to stop them completely, so our goal was to hold them and cause as much “damage” as possible, by sending them to respawn. And we succeeded! I don’t know how many, but many vehicles were forced to stop, and players had to go to respawn. But it doesn’t end here, after being eliminated, we moved towards our village to respawn, knowing perfectly well that it was the OpFor target.

Back at the village, everyone was warned about the upcoming attack, so it was time to get into some defensive positions. As predicted, soon the enemy players and vehicles started appearing all over, trying to encircle us. And of course, they started pushing into our village, knowing that they had a major advantage in numbers, and we had no respawn (while the village was under attack). Sooner or later the defender would fall, but this isn’t the main part of this story.

Remember those three guys that I sent down in the recon mission? They stayed hidden through all this, and after the OpFor started their attack, I ordered them to come back and attack them from behind, even if it was to pressure the attacking enemy. But, that’s not what happened, when they arrived at the crossroads, before starting to head down, they found the enemy leader, General Pestá, and part of his personal guard, and were able to catch them by surprise! In a fast strike they eliminated the guards, captured the enemy General and radioed informing me about it. While in the middle of defending the village I just gave them the order “Disappear”, because we just got the biggest target in our hands, while his whole force was busy attacking us, and had no idea what just happened!

Even after our village defence failed, and our leader was “in chains,” we couldn’t help but laugh. The enemy forces were all “puffed out” while controlling the village, searching high and low for anything of interest and almost “bullying” the eliminated militias. They also tried to radio their leader, but with no answer.

Meanwhile, my guys handed Pestá to the Special Forces group who arrived in the village of Povoinha, just after the OpFor left. They paid a heavy sum to get the enemy General under custody because in the end, that’s what the Militias want, money.

Meanwhile, back in our village, the OpFor were still around, trying to know what to do next, but remaining unaware that their leader was in the custody of their main enemy. But, to get the game flowing, the information of their General’s capture appeared, and the whole force left our village in a hurry, but not without offering us a lot of money to help them recover Pestá. Little did they know that it was us that captured him from the start, and got money for that as well! Our pockets were getting quite filled!

We moved out toward the village of Povoinha, and during the walk there was talk of us backstabbing the OpFor while they were trying to save their leader. But, although this was a role-playing event, some aspects of the story had to follow some directives leading to the next scenario, so the organization “ordered” us to help them and keep our word.

When we arrived at Povoinha the confrontation was already underway, so we asked for our payment upfront (no fooling us!) and headed towards combat. The village was heavily defended, since the SpecOps members present had the help of the local militia, so it was difficult to push forward, but, little by little, our joint forces were gaining ground. Of course the OpFor were using us as the tip of the spear, but we couldn’t care less, we had one extra respawn via medic, and if we all died, our goal was already fulfilled. In the end, the OpFor were not able to reach their General in time and were forced to cut some sort of deal. But by the time, our militia forces were already eliminated and moving back to our village.

FIESTA TIME!

location, filled with the people who live there.

It was now time for the night scenario, which was the “La Conquista” party, an event that involved all factions and even the townsfolk, in a big party, with food, drinks and role-playing still on. So we changed our “garments” and head back to Estreito, a real

The party staff was composed by our friends from the USAC team, who were co-hosting the event, since this was their “home” and the game field was also theirs, so it was great to see so many known faces. So how was a party related to an ongoing airsoft game? Even more, a party where the townsfolk would also be present? Well, it’s quite simple... and elaborated at the same time!

“IN A FAST STRIKE THEY ELIMINATED THE GUARDS, CAPTURED THE ENEMY GENERAL AND RADIOED INFORMING ME ABOUT IT. WHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF DEFENDING THE VILLAGE I JUST GAVE THEM THE ORDER “DISAPPEAR”, BECAUSE WE JUST GOT THE BIGGEST TARGET IN OUR HANDS”

While the party was going on, the players could try to sell or buy information, create connections, “smuggle”, gamble, etc, all under the watchful eye of the OpFor members, who were there protecting General Pestá and investigating suspicious activities, this because members of the Special Forces were infiltrated in the “La Conquista” as militia members, also completing their own objectives. During the party, we were able to gather more money selling information to SpecOps members, and we even bought and “smuggled” an “anti-personnel mine” that would be used in the morning after. We had some fun as the party went on, a lot of people were dragged off by OpFor members for interrogation, General Pestá was still struggling to control the area, and every bit of information was crucial.

My three team members who captured the General during the afternoon were dragged off for almost an hour as punishment! But the damage was already done, and our pockets were filled! A bit after we all witnessed a speech made by El Presidente, the person who ruled Olérus (Oleiros), and that’s when it happened... during a toast between him and General Pestá, El Presidente falls to the floor, due to poison in this drink... and to make things worse, the person who handled the cups was a member of our militia, Liliana Beatriz (fake name). We knew that she was ordered to do it, but it was time to flee, before OpFor came for us! So we got into our cars, and drove back to our village! It was time to rest. We knew that there was a night mission going on, but it was mostly thought out for OpFor and SpecOps, so we decided to call it a night.

Rested And Revved Up

The next morning we relaxed a bit while having a good breakfast and laughing about the previous day, but soon we got the call, and it was time to gear up once again and meet with the militia leader. At our leader tent, we got the information that the SpecOps group were going to visit our village, but their purpose was still unknown. So, we waited a bit more, and even grilled a couple chorizos to share around!

A bit after, the first contacts with SpecOps members started to come via radio, and the order to let them pass was given. They joined our tent and after some mingling we learned about their goal, which was a raid to the OpFor home base. Since I’ve played that field a few times, I sold some intel to the guys in charge, like the best ways to approach the area where their target was. Remember, our goal was to make money! With that information, the SpecOps group departed, and it was the last time we saw them in-game.

While we were still waiting to learn about the morning scenario, a lone vehicle with a white flag appeared on the road leading to our base. It was a vehicle from the OpFor, trying to visit our base and talk with Liliana Beatriz, the militia member, who on the previous night handed the cups for the toast to General Pestá and El Presidente, but their intentions were different. They tried to push for more and in the end wanted to take her to General Pestá.

Of course, we didn’t stand for it, so after push came to shove and the OpFor members tried to grab our replicas and force their goal, but they ended up as our prisoners. We all knew what would mean; soon the whole force of the OpFor was back in our base, trying to get Liliana Beatriz and rescue their captured members. But this time we were not alone, before leaving, the SpecOps left some members just in case, probably trying to spring a trap against their enemy. Unfortunately, General Pestá also had a big card up his sleeve; he recruited members from the other captured militia villages to bolster their numbers greatly. A big confrontation took place, with militia forces trying to push back a much bigger force. While we were able to keep them at bay for a while, every defender eliminated was a heavy loss for us, and with no respawn we were destined to lose. As the chaos of the fighting went on, the General himself appeared and tried to put on a show of force, but at the last part he was injured by an unknown figure, and had to be escorted out. And so ended the 4th game of this series!

The game ended in a big lunch in a local festival called “Festa da Espiga” (Cob Festival), with the game staff, players and even the local population. We listened to a few speeches while eating, laughed about some situations in the game and of course, mingled a lot with players from everywhere. And to conclude, here are some words from the game staff!

“Undercover Uncovered! This game went wild! With a new location, in the amazing and populated Estreito, Oleiros, a region at the heart of Portugal.

This year, we wanted to give the Undercover to the players! Everyone was required to create their persona. Their Cover Story. We gave everyone their fake game information. A true ID CARD with all relevant info about that persona. Your cover story was to be put to the test. Study it well, or you might get your cover blown, and sent to the Prisoner of War Camp. A POW run by professional Spec Ops Sergeant from Portuguese Military Units. Let’s just say, comfort is a word that has a lot of meanings there. And that’s all we will uncover from it.

This year we moved to a new setting, a multi- village setting in the mountain countryside of Portugal, fee to use as a huge airsoft playground, packed with roads, small villages, population, and their routines. And we had a cool option once again, into an ANA Event; a parachute experience was made available. Your cover insertion: jumping from an airplane, fully equipped, to kick-start your Undercover Experience.

Weeks before the game, all players received a covered letter on their mailbox at home; key information on the mission, the region, news, and their cover stories. We were free to play a true Role-play Game for 2 days in “Olérus”, the Fictitious name of a new region. OP Force, led by Gen. Pestá, started an Aggressive Expansion for TANGUS into this Mexican style new area. 4 Villages, habited by Militia Players, where Role-play was key. Players using their Cover Story Persona was huge fun! Their goal was to make the most “plata” and compete with other clans.

Op Force was on a path of Conquering these Villages, with some defending successfully and Spec Ops sabotaging the invaders and supporting locals. That was the engine of the game dynamic. With militia engaging back again into this series conflict.

Saturday Night we did what no other airsoft game has done; a village festival with local population engaged and inserted on the game, “La Fiesta de La Conquista”, a Mexican style day-ofthe-dead party. Players were there, covered doing covert missions. Locals were involved with music, fun “plata” activities, interacting with the game’s characters and interacting with airsoft.

Overall, a FUN weekend with great people, working together to try to create new #AirsoftMemories. A new identity for Undercover. An immersive role-play game, with an engaging boost of cover stories. Undercover became Uncover.

If you want to check the Official Recap of this game, check the ANA Airsoft YouTube channel. You will find contents related with ANA Portugal Airsoft Experiences. We invite you to check us out, sub into our social media, check our podcasts and activities and hopefully we will meet soon!

Love, from Portugal. Pestana.” AA

“SINCE I’VE PLAYED THAT FIELD A FEW TIMES, I SOLD SOME INTEL TO THE GUYS IN CHARGE, LIKE THE BEST WAYS TO APPROACH THE AREA WHERE THEIR TARGET WAS. REMEMBER, OUR GOAL WAS TO MAKE MONEY! WITH THAT INFORMATION, THE SPECOPS GROUP DEPARTED, AND IT WAS THE LAST TIME WE SAW THEM IN-GAME”