3:39pm Thursday, Apr 19, 2007 | Edit Note | Delete
NOTICE!!! I'M GOING TO EXPLAING ICARUS FIRST FOR DAN SO YOU CAN SKIP THIS FIRST PART IF YOU WANT!!!
Kk Dan, ICARUS is the team sport we play here at ASBC (Air and Space Basic course). Also, really quick, I'm here in Alabama at the AU (Air University), and ASBC is kind like being a freshmen at AU. When I make Captain I will apply to come back for SOS (Squadron Officer School), that's kinda like being a Sophomore. Then you have ACSC (Air Command and Staff College), Junior, and Air War College, Senior. That aside, ICARUS is a game that we play to emphasize certain air war principles, like OCA (Offensive Counter Air, or in other words F-15E, and F-16s and all that going in and blowing stuff up in enemy territory). And DCA (Defensive Counter Air, or F-15Cs and F-22s killing there planes that come into our territory). We also use SAMs (Surface-to-air Missiles), Loggies (or Logisticians) and The AOC director (AOC is Air operations Center, it's really complicated.)
K, are you with me? The So, there is a field we play on that is split into halves and it's like 90' across and 180' long. It's not very big. But big enough. I'm going to describe one side of the field, because each side is mirrored. 15 ft or so from the center line you have 3 SAM sites spread across your front. Then you have the DCA track that looks kinda like a "Y." The DCA is restricted to movement and throwing ordinance (doge balls) from the track. Then you have an air base on either side of the Y track where you pick up balls and behind each base and in the middle of the DCA track is a com node, for a total of 3. about 10 ft behind the DCA track you have the AOC. Now, I know that's hard to visualize, but bear with me. Each side has 4 red balls (OCA), 4 green balls (DCA), and 4 yellow balls (SAMs). The SAM sites can only use yellow balls, the DCA can only use green balls, and the OCA can only use red balls. The AOC also counts as a SAM.
Still with me?
At each SAM site is an orange cone. At the top most corners of each base is one orange cone, for a total of 2 cones. Each com node is represented by one blue cone. And the AOC is represented by 3 orange cones in a triangle that's like 3 ft per side.
The object of ICARUS is to gain air superiority, that means you win the round and play stops. You win air superiority if you knock down both bases cones, all 3 com nodes, or all three AOC cones. While you are trying to knock their cones down they are throwing green dodge balls at you and yellow ones. If you get hit you die for the round until air superiority is won and then the field resets. And it's real time, so they could be trying to knock your cones down while you are knocking theirs down. The AOC director tells you what your current assignment is. So, if the AOC thinks the team needs more DCA, he/she yells, "DCA!" and you have to run and touch a com node, and then go to the base and pick up a green ball and get in the track so you can throw it at someone and get them out.
It's possible for one person to be DCA, OCA, and a SAM all in one game. Each time you throw your ball you go back to the AOC and you get reassigned.
If you kill one of their bases, then they have to restock it before they can put balls in the other live base. And they can't use those balls from the dead base for the rest of the round. So, it's really nice to kill a base. It cuts their capabilities in half.
The loggies run around and pick up balls and bring them back to the base. They are super duper uber important. They have to be fast and on the ball. They can only carry 2 balls at a time or it's a foul. So, if you don't have fast loggies you don't have balls to throw, and your team dies.
That's ICARUS in a nutshell, and a very long drawn out explanation. It's very fast paced and really fun, at least I think so. Oh yeah, it's 2 five minute halves with a 1 to 3 min half time.
The points system:
com node = 1 pt
base (both cones) = 1 pt
AOC (all 3 cones) = I think it's 5 pts, but I can't remember, we never went for it, we always killed both their bases to win. It's a championship winning strat
; D
Air superiority = 3 pts
SAMs = 0pts
So if you kill both bases you get air superiority (3 pts) and (2 pts) for both bases totallin 5 pts for the round. Then you go agian until time runs out.
Any questions?
NOTICE THIS IS WHERE THE EXPLINATION STOPS!!!!!!!
Now, on to the important stuff.
So, through out all of ASBC they keep track of what your flight does and how they perform. Well, Our flight did so well, that we earned Top Flight in our squadron, The ORIONS. That was really cool. Those of you who have been to ASBC know that ASBC is not that big a deal, but it's still kinda cool to win Top Flight. Then, on top of that, we played in the tournament today and went all the way to the top and beat the Gryphons in the final game making us the ASBC ICARUS champions of this class. =D We have a 6 - 0 record for regular season and post season. The tourney was 3 games. I played We are the Champions by Queen afterward. It was cool.
Also, because we were top flight we had to compete in the final challenge against the 3 other top flights from Eagles, Mustangs, and Gryphons Squadrons. Well, we still don't know who the ultimate winner of ASBC is until tomorrow at graduation, but I think we have a good chance. We got almost all of the academic part correct, we were really quick on the PT part and we completed both LRC challenges (Leadership reaction course). It's like a team challenge where you have a few boards and some rope and you have to get across a pool of water and there are fake landmines and crap. It's really cool.
So, I'll update you tomorrow what the results are.
WOOT!!!! WE ARE TOP FLIGHT AND ASBC ICARUS CHAMPS!!!! =D
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