The Yamato Memorial

By Bixyl Shuftan

Although the age of the battleship has passed in naval history, they still have quite an impact on people. For Japan, the battleship that is the most symbolic to them is the Yamato. It (along with it's sister ship the Musashi), was the largest and most heavily armed battleship in history. In April 1945, with the war going badly for Imperial Japan and islands near Japan threatened with invasion, the ship was sent on what was essentially a suicide mission to stop the American offensive, or at last cause as much damage as possible. But the ship was spotted before it could make it's way to it's target area, and after repeated bombs and torpedoes hit, the ship finally sunk, taking with it all but 280 of it's crew of about 3300. The Imperial Navy would never again launch another major operation. After the war, the ship's loss was remembered as a brave but futile act by sailors trying to defend their homeland. As the name "Yamato" is sometimes used as a poetic word for Japan, the sinking of the ship was seen by some as a symbolic end for the Japanese Empire. The ship remains part of Japanese culture, appearing in film, anime, and magna, such as in "Space Battleship Yamato" or "Star Blazers," when the Yamato is rebuilt as a spaceship.

The ship was written about in Second Life Newspaper in March 2009. Maddy Gynoid would later state that the ship was built in 2007, entirely with "classic" prims. But by March 2012, the ship was gone. But on September 2013, it was back. That would be the last the Newser would hear about it for a while. Recently, the Newser was alerted to a story in the "Real Virtual" blog by Maddy Gynoid that the ship was returning after it was apparently gone for a year. So I decided to stop by.

The SURL I saw in Maddy's story took me to the Yumix Ocean sim at (66/173/21), which borders the place where the Yamato is just to the north. Appropriately enough, the sim is called "Yamato Memorial." To my surprise, I saw the owner of the Yamato's neighboring sim, Yumix Writer. "Sim of a battleship restored two days ago," she told me. She pointed to Maddy's article, saying when he found the ships, the sim had just been created and was still inaccessible. But heading over, the area could be entered without trouble. The only limitation was that one can't teleport onto the battleship or any other ship in the sim, but only onto a small island in the northwest corner at the sim at Yamato Memorial (25/222/21)

The ship takes the length of the sim, and it's nationality is clearly distinguished by the Imperial Japanese flag, and the chrysanthemum symbol mounted on the bow of the ship. The ship is heavily armed with nine 46 cm (18.1 in) 45 caliber Type 94 naval guns on three turrets as the main armament, the largest kind ever mounted on a warship, Each gun was 21.1 meters (69.3 feet) long and weighed 147.3 metric tons (162.4 US tons), and could fire shells at targets 42 km (26 miles) away. The ship also had six 155 mm (6.1 inch) guns in two smaller turrets, and 24 127 mm guns. There are also many anti-aircraft guns on the ship.

There's a good amount of detail, such as the rifling of the main guns.  And one can make their way to the bridge with ladders. The inside of the bridge is somewhat lacking, but the detail elsewhere makes up for it. The Yamato can only be called a first-class build.

The Yamato is joined by other ships in the area. Next to it is the Imperial Japanese carrier Akagi. Both the Yamato and the Akagi were part of the Imperial task force in the Battle of Midway, but the battleships never saw any action while the carriers were sunk. The carrier has a small tower and bridge, and a number of planes on the top flight deck, a mix of fighters and torpedo bombers.

Besides anti-aircraft guns, the Akagi also has cannon: ten 50-caliber (23 cm) guns, six of them located in swivel mounts in the back. Why would a carrier have big guns? The ship had been built in the 1920s before it was fully realized how much of a disadvantage a carrier would have in a ship to ship duel without planes. The ship's main smokestack is located in an odd position: mounted on the side of the ship and angled downwards.

There are three other smaller ships in the vicinity. Also in the Yamato Memorial sim is a cargo ship and a Fubuki-class destroyer. These ships have been called the first modern destroyers, dangerous opponents in a fight even against much newer ships. The ship has both guns and torpedo launchers. To the north in Yumix Small Town is a Takao class heavy cruiser. Besides a distinctive bridge, the ship has five turrets with ten eight-inch (20.3 cm) guns.

In the past, there was a seaplane on the Yamato that could be boarded and launched from the catapults in the back. There was also a display of photographs in the interior, though could only be seen by panning around. Unfortunately, neither is available this time. But the ship is still very well done. The island to the northeast does have a gun that can be fired if one wears a HUD, as well as a small balloon launcher. It has a seaplane that can be boarded, but not flown. The northwest island has an Imperial tank, another anti-aircraft gun, and a bunker.

It seems that the Yamato has been used for some events. Maddy once found the ship all decorated for someone's wedding. He himself felt a battleship as the setting for a wedding was a little odd, "a wedding in front of the mouth of a 46cm gun is a bit brutal, but who knows."

The Yamato, and the other ships, were made by Masakado Allen. Besides his ships, he also has a page on Marketplace selling warplanes.

Mentioning the ship to friends, some wanted to see the vessel, fans of the "Star Blazers" anime, history buffs, and others.  So if you and your friends have a love of history, ships, and especially both, head on over and see the builds for yourselves.

Yamato Memorial (25/222/21)

Sources, Wikipedia, Real Virtual 

Bixyl Shuftan

The New Bastogne WW2 Combat Roleplay Celebrates Five Years

By Bixyl Shuftan

On March Friday the 13th, the New Bastogne World War Two Combat Roleplay officially turned five years old. The occasion was marked with a hunt with a dozen crates hidden around the area for people to fine, each containing a vehicle. Plus there was a party at the "Sporthalle" in the Caen sim. The event began at 5PM SL time.

The building itself was drapped with flags with both the German cross, and the double-lighting bolt "SS" symbol. The three German teams, Heer (army), Luftwaffe, and SS, were the majority of those attending, but there were some from the Italian and Russian groups. A German band performed "Big Band" music and other tunes for the crowd.

Most of the people there were in uniform, though some chose formal civilian wear instead. Vickster Khun, the head of the combat roleplay, was there in a red gown. The people danced, chatting about old times.

At one point, Vickster had an announcement concerning one of the Heer officers, Sunra Saenz, whom while one of the leading officers simply had the tag of "officer" up. Vickster told him in front of everyone, "I actually have an honor I wish to bestow on you on behalf of Oberbefehlshaber West at the command of Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and officially promote you to the rank of Generalmajor." Sunra was at a loss for words, "I am speachless Generalleutnant, and very honoured indeed." Others toased and saluted him. One joked, "It's a custom that new generals have to buy a round of beers."

Vickster continued, "You deserve it very much, more than any member of this command I've served with, you've kept the faith and served as a model soldier for all branches." After some more talk, she turned to the others, "let me now tell you a little story about Sunra, and its something you don't know about him unless you were there, and you weren't (laughs), how Sunra got fired from First Armee by Octavian, who was commanding, remember? It was the second D-Day battle we had." Sunra Saenz answered, "Yes when I previously served with the Heer as Hauptman." "That's right, and you were executive officer as well. One of the best officers."

"And what happened? I can tell the story, it's funny. Well, funny and not funny. Sunra wasn't having fun. It's more complicated. What happened was we had our second big D-Day battle. It was sort of an annual even then. Sunra had been training with the Luftwaffe the night before. So the invasion starts, Sunra shows up in time, the battle goes great. He was doing panzers, but he still had his Luftwaffe uniform and title on. So octavian fired him. And Sunra had basically repelled the Allied armor after they landed. He won us the battle but Octavian fired him." Sunra mused, "I was all over the place. That battle lasted around 7 hours flat out (laughter)."

"Well, it always bothered me," Vickster told him, "Then I wasn't Oberkommando.  But I kept you in the Luftwaffe and recognized your awards. I don't think octavian really thought about what he was doing. Perhaps he was a frustrated. You say yourself he was a good commander." "I always wondered why he was so hard on me, yes," Sunra admitteded. "Anyway," Vickster continued, "what impressed me was you didn't give up or really demand anything. You just carried on like a real soldier, and did everything I ever asked you to, and took good care of the people you were placed over." She then chuckled, "Okay enough embarrassing you. ... I just wanted people to understand you paid your dues, you earned that rank and then some. You might meet a lot of group owners who are generals, but how many do you know who earned their rank from enlisted to officers in three branches?" One other German combatant commented, "I knew Allied fighters who when they saw that Sunra was participating....just left...out of fear of his prowess."

Vickster commented, "This is the first time we celebrated since the 1st anniversary. It's been so crazy all these years. It is till crazy after all these years." Sunra commented, "I miss the weekly dances Angus used to put on. Maybe this should become a weekly or monthly event." Vickster added, "Yes, I miss those too. We had a lot of fun even if we were sometimes bombed (laughs). That was in Seaone's sims." Sunra thought back, "Yes yes, so it was. That was another beautiful sim. But we saved the cathedral to use in New Bastogne at least. Heh heh." Vickster agreed, "We had a lot of fun there. It was a blow when those sims closed. But I understood."

Vickster concluded, "I'm really proud to have lasted this long when so many people said they would see us fail. Guys like Sunra who put up with a lot of crap and still kept at it, it really made the difference."

Vickster had to take care of something, and she bade everyone farewell and left the party, leaving Sunra and the others to continue on the celebration.

For those interested in the New Bastogne Combat RP, contact Vickter Khun, or the other team leaders. Besides the three German teams, Luftwaffe, Army, and Waffen SS, there is an Italian team, and several Allied teams, including Soviet. The Luftwaffe also has been having weekly scraps with an Allied air group.

Bixyl Shuftan

The Yamato Memorial

By Grey Lupindo

     The Yamato was the lead battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.  Along with her sister ship, Musashi, they were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever built.  A replica of the famous battleship is being constructed at YAMATO Memorial (223, 56, 22). The note on the LM states that this is a realistic tribute site.  Along with the Yamato, there is the Akagi, a Japanese WWII era aircraft carrier, and an aircraft factory. 

 The Memorial is owned by the Yamato Factory, a private SL group.  Its founder, resident Kody730 Radek, has been in SL since 2007.   Another long-time resident, Kundali Jun, is also involved with the project as a builder and as owner of the aircraft shop.   

       The landmark places you across the road from the ship yard and in front of a visitor’s center.  Inside the center are photographs of the RL Yamato.  The SL replica is an amazing replica of the huge battleship, including its armament.   

       The Yamato is placed as it would have looked while being constructed at Kure Naval Arsenal in Hiroshima, Japan in the late 1930s and early 1940s.   In real-life, the dock had to be deepened and a huge crane installed. The gantry crane is in place at the SL site.  The scale of the SL site is huge, too.  I quickly tired of walking and began flying in order to see the Yamato and other ships and planes that are here.

     The point of having a massive warship is that it can be heavily armed.  The real-life Yamato had nine 18 inch 45 caliber naval guns, the largest ever used on a battleship.  There were also twelve 6 inch guns that were placed in sets of 3 in four turrets, as well as anti-aircraft and other guns.  Similar weapons are also on the SL Yamato.

      There are also replicas of many WWII era planes, some of which are for sale.  There is also a Macchi M33 on display, which is an Italian racing sea plane of that era.  Inside the aircraft factory are some uniforms for sale too, plus a freebie sailor's outfit.  

      On the second level of the Visitor’s Center is a garden area with tables and chairs, a juke box, and dance balls.  Interesting aircraft are on display here, too.

     The real-life Yamato was commissioned in 1941, shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.   Although it was present at some battles, it only engaged in battle one time during the Battle of Leyte Gulf in Oct 1944. In April 1945, The Yamato was sent to help defend Japanese forces on the island of Okinawa in Operation Ten-Go. American planes repeatedly bombed and torpedoed the ship, until it finally sank. After the battle, what was left of the Imperial Navy was unable to launch another major operation. "The word Yamato was often used as a poetic name for Japan. Thus, the end of (the) battleship Yamato could serve as a metaphor for the end of the Japanese empire."

The sim is part of a group of sims, some also having aircraft, ships, or both. South of the battleship is mostly empty land. So maybe there is more to come for the Yamato in Second Life.

     Note:  Information used in this article came from Wikipedia.

YAMATO Memorial (223, 56, 22)

Grey Lupindo

New Bastogne: WW2 in Second Life

By Grease Coakes

 

Second Life has endless ways to make use of a sim. You can have a rocking dance club, or others use a sim to hold prayers and build an ashram or church. Native Americans use a sim just to hang out at and express their culture and heritage. Another way to use a sim is for fun filled combat. Had a bad day at work? Blast your friend’s head off with a submachine gun, or even better use a bazooka.

 

Vickster Khun created a combat area in a sim owned by her, New Bastogne, which recreates a World War II environment based in France during German occupation in 1944. Nydia Tungsten and JessicaBelle Dayafter gave me a tour of the sim in a 1940’s armored car. When I first warped into the sim I saw a realistic room like a 1940’s office. Walking out, I was in an underground bunker. Jessica was a Lt. Colonel and Nydia was an under officer as a 1st Sergeant. Nydia played as her attaché being the driver while Jessica explained everything.

 

As I was in the back seat I saw destroyed buildings and old posters and cafes in giving the player or myself a historically accurate and terrible war like environment. The builders behind the sim did a great job in creating a realistic World War II recreation. In fact Nydia ran into an old style lamppost on purpose and it actually fell over and the same with chairs and table on an outside café.

 

 There are also sewers to go underground if you wanted to be sneaky and not be in direct combat. The goal of the sim, or rather the combat, was to capture flags and change them to your faction or nation. But of course as a combat sim you need firepower to overwhelm those nasty Germans, or you could be playing as the Germans trying to take control of Europe.

 

Nydia and JessicaBelle showed me where to pick up weaponry and a uniform so I’d be ready for battle. When I got the hang of it, I shot Nydia "killing" her by surprise. Sadly for me she came back and killed me several times going around the sim in fun filled combat. The combat scripts you put on only give you 25 hit points and allow you to put a flag above your head to show you’re an American or another allied nation. The low hit points add realism to the combat sim. Instead of taking 20 bullets before you die you can only take a shot or two before you die and respawn. To not be offensive the German sign is a red field with a cross, not the infamous Swastika used in Nazi propaganda.

 

A SMG isn’t for you? Well good news, there’s more. Unlike the first person shooter "Team Fortress 2" where you can pick a class to use certain weapons you stick with the basic rifle, however you can still use bazookas you just don’t start with full ammo like the solider in TF2. You have to pick up ammo crates to load your bazooka. That way not everyone is going around German occupied France with a bazooka you have to earn it by grabbing the ammo crates.

 

There are also vehicles to use as well to blast other players. You can grab a tank or even a fighter plane to blast away with. The tank gun made holes in the ground with a fiery after-effect and a sound effect of voices yelling German commands to fire. The plane itself was tricky to fly and I crashed into the sim next door. I had to laugh at myself in good fun.

 

JessicaBelle Dayafter wanted to show off the sim she likes roleplaying in and she wanted to vent some frustration at a group of people abusing the sim by bending the rules and not playing fair. Like Blizzard’s game "World of Warcraft," lots of players picked one side overwhelming the other faction. The game loses fun when this happens, in Jessica’s words. In fact when I brought up WoW she mentioned a lot of these unfair players may be also WoW players.

 

JessicaBelle Dayafter: “And all too often people would not use common sense of fairness. Like if you are fighting 3 enemies, coming over with 12 soldiers and 2 tanks is wayyy overkill, and totally unfair.”

 

Also people can become abusive getting too seriously involved in the sim. JessicaBelle Dayafter told me,  “Going back to the topic at hand of insults (sort of), another thing that drove many people off, is certain people take their RP waayy too serious, and bordering on being down right offensive/breaking rules of conduct set in place by LL.” 

 

As an officer, a Lt. Colonel, JessicaBelle tries giving orders, however her orders are often ignored by the other players. So by those upset by the cheating players she suggests going to LL to complain. Part of the problem is however is the managers and owner of the sim aren’t always sure what to do and her suggestions fall on deaf ears. I used the analogy of the NFL how when refs make bad calls against the home team you’ll hear boos resounding from the stands.

 

JessicaBelle Dayafter, "Some examples of shenanigans: spawn camping gathering large a large amount of troops, and waiting within line of sight or right outside the spawn areas, so anyone trying to re-enter battle gets massacred. A lot of it too was slinging insults to each other in combat, and not in a playful/meaningless way."

 

Sounds like some people want to ruin the game for others and bend the game to their will beyond reason and cheat. Which is sad when instead of enjoying the WW II sim in a fair way, they made the sim not fun anymore. This is just common sense or something you learn as a kid that other people do not like it if someone else cheats or plays a game whether a video game or a board game in an unfair way. Or if someone is winning by roll of the dice or just good shooting not to take offense and be a sore loser. That’s something to be reminded of in the holiday season when fairness and kindness show good holiday spirit. 

 

Check out the WW II sim when you get the chance readers of the Second Life Newser I had a fun time goofing off with Nydia and JessicaBelle.  That’s certainly part of the Christmas season just having fun.

 

Grease Coakes

Changes at the New Bastogne WW2 RP

This year, there have been some changes going on at the New Bastogne WW2 Combat Roleplay area.

For one, the layout of the region has been changed, as well as the number of sims increased. Last year, there had been three sims in a reverse north/south arrangement, with the German teams in New Bastogne, the Allies in the bottom edge of the southern sim, and the land in-between as open territory. This simulated the situation with the Allies still in England, making raids into France.

Early this year, the arrangement of the lands was changed with the south sim moved west of Bastogne and renamed “Allied sim,” later changed to Perrone Airport. The German teams moved their bases to a sim east of Bastogne named Schloss Burg Eltz, with the airport to the south. North of Perrone Airport is Saint Quentin. North of New Bastogne and east of Saint Quentin is Huertgenwald, which is still being worked on.

To the south of New Bastogne is the New Fallout sim, which seems to be made into an Eastern European region. Then there’s Tataria to the southeast, which is new. For now, the action remains in New Bastogne, with the two teams staying out of each other’s “home” sim. Across the sims, some railroad track has been laid out, with a trolley occasionally moving along.

Saint Quentin has a club, the Saint Quentin Ballroom, which has two dance parties a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 PM SL time. The club plays 1940’s “big band” music the WW2 RP is known for, on occasion mixed in with other music from earlier times. The club is neutral ground, and players from both sides, and visitors, are welcome. People are requested to wear clothes appropriate for the time period, and visitors are asked not to disturb any players in combat outside the club.

Saint Quentin also has a small weapons store, next the the train station, Saint Quentin Importers, “No need to worry about oil or fuel prices,” joked Allied leader AngusGraham Ceawlin when he announced it’s opening. Then there is the Saint Quentin Cathedral. There are plans for a priest, Father Kravyn, to hold brief services every Sunday, “in addition to weddings, blessings or other types of services upon request.” The blessing of the cathedral and it’s first service is scheduled for April 3rd.

The northern part of the German sim has a large dark castle, with numerous rooms, and a dungeon. Work on furnishing the interior is still in progress (the rumors that the dungeon is not used for interrogations by the Germans but rather hot dates have been neither confirmed or denied).

New Bastogne continues to use two combat systems. The Vice system is used for most of the week, with the newer Blitz in play for Friday and Saturday. This had meant that for these two days aircraft couldn’t do more than scare ground targets, their bombs being unable to damage. More recently, a couple Blitz aircraft were offered to the pilots. For some pilots, however, the changes with the sims have posed a problem. Possibly because of the extra sim crossings, some pilots have found it difficult to stay in the air very long without crashing. Fortunately for them, the weekend raids on the Flying Tiger’s WW2 Pacific sims are still going on.

For the Germans, there has been some changes in the leadership. The leader of the Armee group had to leave New Bastogne. Vickster Khun, whom was in charge of the Luftwaffe group, assumed command. Duarte Koray was placed in command of the Richthofens. Some new players have also risen to prominence. Nohime Runner quickly rose from an entry level pilot to one of leading officers, taking charge of projects such as the construction of the German castle.

Besides the combat, there have also been some races. Last month, there was a horse race in the Saint Quentin sim, with a track set up around the cathedral. There were several contestants, including one Russian Cossack. A few warm-up laps were held, followed by a serious race, which was ran again when it was clear lag was causing some people to miss a turn. The winner was a lady from the German teams. Following the horse race, March has been the scene of tank races every Saturday from 3 to 5:30 PM at New Bastogne (71, 199, 3001).

On Tuesday March 15th, the Saint Quentin Club hosted a party in honor of the one year anniversary of the Bastogne combat RP, “Come Celebrate With Vickster Kuhn, our founder, the vision and continued growth of these wonderful sims.” About two dozen players and visitors attended, with Big Band music played, and a few prizes given out.

At one point, Allied commander AngusGraham Ceawlin spoke up, “I would like to thank all of you for coming in honor of the 1st anniversary of Bastogne. We owe much to Vickster Kuhn for her vision as well as countless others who have contributed their time and talents towards the continued success of New Bastogne and the Bastogne Project.” He asked all to raise a toast to her, and all at the party did, "Prost!" “Congratulations!" “Grats.”

Vickster responded with a smile, “Thank you all. ... Project Bastogne is a success due to the efforts of so many people! Not just our great sim owners Like Zewe Major, Seaone Bunyip, Joe Sparrow, Nohime Runner and Miss Ichi Yazimoto! Our admin team makes it happen! People like Miss Deusen Marx, Angus, Aeryn.... so many others! I'm so happy with the results of all our efforts!”

And so New Bastogne marches into it’s second year. Not completely without problems, but bigger and better than ever.

Bixyl Shuftan

New Allied Base Sim in WW2 RP Area

A few days ago, on Thursday Dec 9, the opening ceremony to the new sim in the WW2 Combat RP region took place. Made for the US, British, and Free French teams, the sim was appropriately named “Allied Base.”

Seaone Bunyip officially opened the sim at 7 PM SL time, “Welcome To Allied Base WW2 Sim. This base is created in honor of the United States Forces and Veterans that fought and died for freedom In France and other theaters in WW2 and therefore will fly the United States Flag. Allied Base Sim is Headquarters for and Administered by the 1st Allied Command Group.”

Seone continued, “Historical notes on the area of this sim represents: This airbase represents the Advanced Landing Ground "A-72 Peronne Airfield France. Bastonge is 120 miles to the North East. Omaha Beach and Utah Beach are 175 miles west. Paris is 75 miles to the SW. Vermand is 5 miles to the East. St Quenten is 11 miles to the South East. Village of Brie is 4 miles to the West. Peronne Airport was a pre-World War II civil airport, consisting of a terminal, hangar, some support buildings and a grass airfield, serving the nearby city of Saint-Quentin.”

“We want to give a big hand to the builders of the sim! A special salute to the best builder on SL, Deusen Marx! A special thanks also goes out to Vickster Kuhn and all the WW2 sim owners. The sim is here for everyone to enjoy! Respect the rules of the WW2 role playing sim and we all can have FUN!” And with that, a ribbon at the opening gate was cut, and the place was declared open. For the grand opening a truce was declared between the two sides. A number from both the German and Allied teams showed up.

Deusen Marx soon told everyone, “I added something to the sim today in secret.” And he revealed a halftrack, though one needed to be “armed” with the Vice combat tag to drive it. The main group of people soon ended up in the bar. “This pub is called Leona's,” Deusen told everyone, “It is named after Vickie's deceased Grandma. I think we should all raise our glasses to Leona. Cheers! To Leona!” And people raised a toast, “Cheers.” “To Leona.” “Health to the new sim.” “And also a toast to our host, Seaone, thank you for your generosity and sweet spirit.”

This was soon followed by some cheerful joking around, such as funny gestures, and discussing the supposed reaction one skunkgirl officer in the German air group got from the Allied side when getting a commission during a medals and promotions event, “They sent a tank to the ceremony.” Later, it was described the tank was blown up, but the driver raised a toast to the newly promoted with a glass of Guiness ale.

After a while, some of the German pilots left. It wasn’t long before they returned, in a squadron of Stukas. Fighters were called up, but the Stukas didn’t have their combat enabled. They were just circling around for photo shoots.

There will be other events for the WW2 Combat RP this December. Among them, Joe Sparrow's yearly Christmas drop, on the 21st, "Every year i take up a plane and drop boxes with gifts in them. It's random as to what theyll get but i do put retail items in. Last year it was on my sim. This year, it'll be here."

And so, the Allied teams now had a little more breathing room, no longer confined to a tiny strip of land on the southern edge of the southernmost sim.


Bixyl Shuftan

The WW2 Combat Roleplay

One of my friends recently invited me to a place and group in Second Life aimed at those with an interest in history and combat gaming, the World War Two Roleplay aka WW2 RP. With several groups participating, the 400th member having recently signed up, it is an active RP with scheduled exercises and impromptu battles with sudden invasions marked by calls for help and reinforcements rushing in. Players fight using tanks, planes, ships, and of course rifles and guns.

Players interested should head to “The Channel” sim at (120, 20, 3479), where they should appear at a sky platform high in the air. Players can find information to read up on the two sides, Axis and Allied, as well as find an American and a German uniform available for free, each with a couple weapons, bazooka, M1 Garand rifle, and BAR for the Allies, and an MP 40 submachine gun, Mauser rifle, and Panzershreck for the Germans. The uniforms also come with a tag, which is to be worm in combat.

A notecard states the administrators prefer you contact one of them. Once a player choses a side, there are teleports down to the three sim battlefield below: The Channel for the Allies, and New Bastogne for the Germans.

There are a few rules for players. Among them, only weapons compatible with the VICE combat system can be used, except on certain days in which an alternative system is agreed on (more on that later). Players are also obligated to use the respawn balls (click and select respawn). Hospitals are considered safe zones, and shooting/ bombing there is prohibited. Harassment (aside from getting shot at by the opposition) and drama are also prohibited, as are discussions about politics. For the Germans, displays of the Nazi flag and plainly visible swastikas are “verboten.”

The landscape between the German and Allied starting areas have a number of flagposts. A soldier going up to one can trigger his side’s flag going up if it isn’t already, a white star on a green field for the Allied and a black cross on a red field for the Germans. While this “capture the flag” gives some idea what areas are held by who, the real objective is to clear the area of the opposition.

Besides the weapons given to beginning players, players can purchase VICE weapons for fighting, if they are of the WW2 time period, such as light machine guns. If a tank is brought onto the field, it must be used by at least two people.

Besides the main WW2 RP group, players can also commit themselves to a side and join one of the military groups. In my case, I was invited to the game area by a friend in the Luftwaffe group: JG 2 aka the Richthofen wing. The main German group is the Armee Heer Wehrmacht. I was sent an invite to join up with them before I tried applying to anyone after the main WW2RP group, which was a surprise to both my friend and a couple officers I talked to later. Those joining the group are given some extra equipment, but are expected to be respectful and listen to officers and NCOs.

I requested to join my freind's group, JG 2. Those wanting to join the Richthofens need to have had some experience in SL flying aircraft. You'll also be asked to attend a lesson on air combat tactics. For those getting in, there’s an Me109 fighter on the ground they can sit in and a temporary plane will rezz. It will vanish when shot down or the player lands. After a while, the pilot will get their own Me109 fighters, one with light machine guns, one with heavy. Heavy machine guns overheat faster, but do more damage. One experienced pilot preferred the heavy guns for the psychological edge, “If he sees you have heavy machine guns, he realizes he can be shot down in just a few hits and may panic.”

Besides their usual three sim region, the Richthofens sometimes spar with the Flying Tiger group. The Tigers are in a place with the following sims: WW2 Pacific, WW2 Battlefield, WW2 Battlefield, WW2 Green Hell. The group meets up at a Japanese carrier in the area, the Shinano, and flies off from there. The JG 2 group also meets up there on occasion for practice flights and training.

For players whom prefer furry avatars, different RP combat groups have different policies citing “historical realism.” On the German side for example, the Waffen SS won’t take them. The Wehrmacht will take furs, but has a policy of not promoting them to higher rank. And the Richthofens don’t care if you have pointed ears and a tail or not (which brings new meaning to the term “flying fox”). Naturally this steers these players to such groups, such as one lady whom became a bomber ace.

It’s notable that the German groups have a variety of player nationalities, French, Portuguese, American, etc, but I have yet to see a German speaking player there (funny to see someone in a Wehrmacht uniform swearing in French).

On weekends, the rules in the air get bent a little with “Freaky Friday.” Aircraft from any era can now be flown in the sim, or even space fighters. Lately on Fridays and weekends, there have been some drills and battles with the new “Blitz” combat systems, which allows for medics to heal wounded players. So far, it is available only to ground units. There are also non-combat events, such as a fencing championship held by the Germans.

As for how the two sides get along, roughly about as well as two opposing sides on a sports match. There’s a small amount of “trash talk,” but not much. And although players look for a slight edge, there is a strong sense of staying within the rules. I’ve even seen a small amount of funning around, an opposing officer RPing being drunk and taken prisoner.

A first class RP that both history and combat buffs will enjoy.

The rules and basic equipment can be found at The Channel (120, 20, 3479). The administrators are: Bradyn Halcali, Albrecht Firanelli, Sephiroth Reiner, Jerrod Mai, Duarte Koray, Neckrr Swords,Hideaki Komachi, Michale Dumont, Centric Koskinen, Reinhard Hiereichter, Octavian Drezetan, and Striker Arabello.

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UPDATE: The JG 2 group just today came out with their own webpage: Jagdgeschwader 2. This includes some of the history of the WW2 RP.

Bixyl Shuftan