How major military simulation event drew army of fans to Fraser Coast

Three-day event draws players from across the nation to the Fraser Coast.

OPERATION TEMPEST: (L) Tom Rim from Melbourne and Brendan Bartarm from Canberra during Operation Tempest on the Fraser Coast. Photo: Stuart Fast

Over the weekend, roughly 50 people from across Australia travelled to Susan River on the Fraser Coast for Operation Tempest, a gel ball skirmish military simulation game.

The event was set on the fictional Isla del Ardiente with the People‘s Liberation Army of Menedeia combating the Special Intelligence Division across a border region.

Though Queensland has a large, growing gel skirmish community, players from as far away as Victoria and Canberra travelled north for weekend.

From Friday March 19 to Sunday March 21, the opposing player factions patrolled and fought over the Isle, represented by the bushland of Susan River, experiencing a mix of camping, military tactics and curated scenarios over the long running endurance game.

IN PHOTOS: Operation Tempest on the Fraser Coast

VIEW GALLERY

Combat Simulations Australia partnered with Susan River Gel Ball and Marauders Milsim to bring the event to life and the Chronicle was there for the action.

It was no secret Operation Tempest was a physically and mentally demanding event as players had to march with their heavy packs and battle the heat, humidity, rain and mosquitoes as much as the opposing team.

The game didn’t stop at night either, with players expected to be alert throughout the evening for enemy incursion through the front line, which happened both nights.

Another big feature of the event was interactivity, such as operating prop rocket launchers, mortars and drones to bring a larger level of immersion to the game and provide a step up from a normal skirmish game.

OPERATION TEMPEST: David Peters from Brisbane poses with a prop rocket launcher during Operation Tempest on the Fraser Coast. Photo: Stuart Fast

While players were exhausted at the end of the event, there was a collective feeling of success at having made it through the tough weekend.

For Combat Simulations Director Matt George, it was successful event and he congratulated the players for making through the physically demanding weekend and said he had received very positive feedback so far.

“From our point of view, we’ve got the right products for the market, we’ve got something that the players love … it shows we’ve got a platform to support the local fields and operators,” he said.

O how far people had travelled from across Australia, Combat Simulations Director Allen Law said the event showed how Queensland was leading way by hosting events like Operation Tempest.

“There’s a definite demand for it … it shows the Southern people are embracing it as much as possible,” Mr Law said.

While the event is finished, Combat Simulations Australia was already working on bringing improvements to their game for future events.

Originally published as How major military simulation event drew army of fans to Fraser Coast