Over the hills and through the forest moves the Ranger column into the valley. They are on their way through hostile territory with the goal of establishing a new FOB; in the hopes of taking the fight to the Taliban in a sector near the Pakistani border. The mission is no small task in a steep terrain environment, which is in firm command of the Taliban, who are watching from the high ground and waiting for the right moment to strike. What the Rangers don't realize is that first contact is coming sooner than expected and much more violently than they ever prepared for. The column clears the woods into a opening near the future site of their FOB, where they can see the surrounding area. So far, the column has encountered no resistance and the locals are elusive. It is this silence that unsettles many vets as they move in formation. It is in the eerily quiet moments that they know something is coming.

First contact opens up suddenly, breaking the morning silence with a sudden IED explosion hitting the lead element. Then gun fire erupts from 12 o'clock of the column, engaging right down the middle of those in the lead. The Rangers scramble to lay a base of fire and pivot as they are shaken by a hard first blow. As they try to shift on the enemy firing, a second line of gun fire opens up on those trying to maneuver. The leading portion of the column is caught in a textbook L-Shaped ambush with devastating gun fire cutting men down and creating a mass casualty scenario that no one saw coming. Two squads are down and in disarray. The Rangers fight to treat the wounded and regain control in a firefight that claims casualties every second it continues. The harsh first lesson and first contact would not end until the Taliban fighters withdrew, melting back into the hills they clearly commanded.

This is how Operation Viper Strike hosted by RAPTAC started, a metaphoric bucket of cold water to shock the players into realizing that this wasn't just about slinging bbs. This wasn't a weekend pickup game or the popular big ops one is used to seeing on YouTube. RAPTAC excels in simulations that put players into the role of combat, not just the look of a soldier down range. This makes them stand apart from the long time, big game template that most players are accustomed to. This was an immersive experience that needed players ready to dive into a role and be uncomfortable at times; to create a unique experience in the world of airsoft. RAPTAC is not the first to go in this direction with MSW making a big slash out west, but, it is the only one in the East working to bring airsoft to a new level of immersive simulation. This is an organization in its infancy toward something new for most in the east.

Who is RAPTAC???

They are veteran players comprising members of the well known Raptor1 milsim team on the East Coast. At least 3/4 of their roster is made of currently serving and retired Marines from a wide range of combat skills. These are experienced players of airsoft and veterans of combat that milsim tries to achieve. This makes them ideal candidates for cadre and organizers of an immersive simulation like Op Viper Strike. Along with the task of cadre, the staff takes roles within the game to mentor the players experiencing the event and drive gameplay. With their background and experience, players get ideal leaders that can relate real world skills and tactics into implementation that the players can follow.

As the event developed the leaders would have objectives and the mentors instilled their knowledge of the best tactics and procedures to execute their missions. But even with this guidance there were mistakes, which became learning opportunities in a constantly flowing scenario. Everything the players did had consequences both positive and negative, putting the player firmly in the driver's seat towards deciding the event's fate. With this came frustration at times as the players learned the slowed down, often eerie anticipation that happens when you know there's an enemy out there, but the rules of engagement hold you back. Because the Taliban had no rules of engagement, they could strike at random, at any time and, they did. It was 24 hours of harassment driving those young Rangers mad, unable to engage in a sustained engagement. Instead, they would face unarmed protesters at their gate; receive a crash course in diplomacy; and learn that just going for the kill would have greater consequences to the more important objective of making friends, not enemies.

By the morning of the second day, the Taliban were in firm control of the terrain surrounding the FOB. Patrols that left the Ranger position were quickly engaged by the hit and run fighters that defined the insurgency warfare the Rangers could not adapt to all weekend. The night hadn't been any easier, with constant probing attacks and late night all out assaults on the U.S. position. It was in the final hours of the campaign, that the order was given for an all out assault on the Taliban strong hold near the Pakistani border. What the Rangers didn't know was that a weekend of fortification on the high ground left an IED-rattled approach that would make them earn every inch or real estate.

In the end the Rangers were pushed back into their FOB; forced to pull off the mountain that just kept claiming casualties as they tried to get up to the enemy position. The Rangers outnumbered the Taliban; they were better equipped; they had air support to call in on the Taliban positions. Yet the Taliban still remained a constant thorn in the side of the Rangers that could not be dislodged. This was an insurgency that proved that an annoying flea could drive any big dog crazy to the point of withdrawing. So ended Operation Viper Strike as quickly as it began.

With the Rangers still alive and the Taliban in control of the terrain there would be no clear victor in a battle that taught a lot of lessons to the young players that experienced it. The staff learned their own lessons finding the weaknesses within their simulation. They wasted no time in asking the players feedback that they wanted to hear as everything was fresh in players minds. This immediate feedback is what will continue to drive the growth and development of this new event producer, looking to put its mark on the bigger airsoft community. These kind of events are not for everyone and for a small few that was apparent. For others it was a hard lesson learned. RAPTAC is not the airsoft you get from most op producers.

RAPTAC is a challenge to the player to survive first contact and know how to recover from that first knockdown inside the ring. There is no point of breaking the wall you hit and then overcome. RAPTAC is a constant psychological and physical assault that dares you to quit because it's just easier then hanging in the fight. In this way it will never be for everyone. You have to will yourself to the experience in a way that you cannot just be the customer looking to be entertained. You have to be an immersed active part of the experience and an actor in the role you accept at sign up.

Growing pains is what the player base and the staff of RAPTAC are going through right now. But it is to be expected in the infancy stage of any great new company. As long as the staff keeps listening to  customers and customers bring up their game, then both will find themselves in a new class of airsoft, and bring milsim to a level many have craved for years. It will never be for everyone and many will never want to play on this stage. But for those looking to be pushed out of their comfort zone and more realism in their airsoft, RAPTAC is on the east coast waiting for you to sign up.

Javier "Darkhorse"

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About The Author

Javier "Darkhorse" Franco, formerly from This Week In Airsoft, runs his own Airsoft Blog on Facebook called "One Grunt's Opinion."  John Love submitted this article to him for posting. This story does not reflect an official position of Popular Airsoft and is the author's opinion only.