GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES
(DATE TBD 2023)
Graveyard of Empires is our first endeavour to create an airsoft battlesim weekend set in the 1980s and based on the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. This event will have 4 factions as shown below:
Soviets:
Spetsnaz/GRU - Kit Guide (coming soon)
MUJHADEEN - Kit guide
CIVILIANS - Kit Guide Coming Soon
CIA - (Fully Booked)
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Narrative
The year is 1978, the winds of political changes blow through the valleys of Afghanistan. Nur Muhammad Taraki an Afghan revolutionary communist has staged a successful coup and formed a government that is intent on bringing radical Socio-Economic change to Afghanistan in the form of communism.
This was a welcome change to the neighbouring Soviet Union, the previous president Mohammed Daoud Khan had purged his own political party of communists and had taken measures to distance Afghanistan from The Soviet Union, instead building ties with the west.
Early on into Tarakis short lived presidency, a 20-year “friendship treaty” with the Soviet Union was agreed, which provided Tarakis government with significant economic and military support. This was however not enough to cement Taraki’s leadership…
The changes instigated by Taraki were deeply unpopular with the more traditional rural population of Afghanistan as these reforms attempted to limit the amount of land a family could own. Along with the renaming of the country, changing the nations flag and the injection of revolutionary colors into almost every aspect of normal life for Afghans, too much change was happening too quickly. Taraki’s friends in Moscow even suggested he should slow down, seeing the unrest this was causing was quickly becoming a problem.
By early 1979 large swathes of the country that were in open revolt with violence breaking out in many provinces. Not only this, a rift was growing between Taraki and his second in command Amin, leading to a power struggle between the two that would culminate with Taraki inviting Amin to a meeting at the presidential palace, where his bodyguards open fire on Amin, who escaped albeit injured.
The following day Amin would return to the palace with a cohort of loyal ANA officers, Taraki was placed under arrest and would later die of an ‘unexplained illness’, in reality Taraki had been suffocated with pillows by men under Amin's orders. This was a brief victory for Amin who replaced Taraki, however Amin was still under threat, as jihadist groups known as the Mujahideen, who were actively working to bring him down.
At this point with the faltering regime presenting the prospect the soviets might lose influence in Afghanistan and a fear that the West would aide the spread of radical Islam inside the borders of the Soviet Union, the Soviets decide to invade Afghanistan, crucially misjudging the truth length of their involvement and the level of hostility that they would encounter.
On the 27th of December 1979 the Soviets would set a plan in motion that would see them embroiled in war in Afghanistan for almost a decade, taking over the presidential palace and executing Amin by the following morning. A stellar success for the soviets who exploited Amin's trust in them, not realizing the killing of Taraki had turned them against him and thus began the Soviet Afghan War....
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Graveyard of Empires - Operation Shaska; is set 7 years on from the invasion of Afghanistan and is set in 1986, at which point both sides are at something of a stalemate with neither side seeming to have an edge in the conflict, leading the CIA to supply stinger missiles to the Mujahideen groups in the hope this may break the stalemate and influence this war in favour of the Mujahideen.
Factions in game will have various taskings and objectives relevant to their aims during the Soviet Afghan War.
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GENERAL EVENT INFO
We will start the game by 10:30 at the very latest on the Saturday and will aim to endex at 20:00 that same day, allowing for a chilled evening social with beers around the fire, outside of game hours. We shall be starting again the next day at 10:30 with endex on Sunday at between 15:00 - 15:30.
Free camping is available - With regard to camping, this is very much encouraged with arrivals from Friday morning welcome.
Please note there are to be no cars parked on the grass camping area and all fires MUST BE OFF THE GROUND. Any rubbish/waste you generate must be disposed of at the bonfire by the car park or taken home with you, with no exceptions.