On Sunday, September 28, Chicago Force will be hosting a costume workshop at the Mokena home of Phyllis Schulte (Schph_Gochi). We’ll be working on Jedi tunics, tabbards, and sashes. For more information, including what materials you’ll have to bring, check out the posts by Schph_Gochi and Nostradamus on this thread. For directions and any other questions, send Schph an e-mail. For the latest information on Chicago Force events, visit www.chicagoforce.org or our FanForce forum.
Category Archives: Outings
Paintball 2003
On September 20, 2003, Chicago Force had it’s Second Annual Paintball Extravaganza! OK, maybe it wasn’t ‘extravagant’, but it was a great day for paintball. Not too cold, not too hot, nice and sunny.
There was a good turn-out, with 27 people showing up to shoot Hawk…er, to play a rousing game of paintball. And how about those Star Wars scenario games, eh? Boy, we really hyped those didn’t we? That was going to be a lot of fun, we’re a Star Wars group, we’re playing paintball, we should play Star Wars paintball games…
Well, they sucked. I admit it, they didn’t work at all. Not even a little bit. In retrospect, I think I was making the rules too complex, and in the heat of ‘combat’, the fewer rules you have to remember the better. Also, there was a bit of friction with the management (we don’t need to go into that now; it’s a quality field, run by professional people, but everyone has their bad days), and we were only able to try one scenario: the Geonosis Arena. It seemed that the material I chose to make the ‘impenetrable’ Jedi lightsabers out of…well, let’s just say that paintballs went right through it. The armor of the AT-ATs was the same stuff, even if we would have been able to use them. The moral of the story is either keep the rules simple, or stick to tried-and-true paintball games.
That’s not to say that we didn’t have a good time. Everyone that I talked to whole-heartedly gave the day a thumbs up. Blast Camp is a great field, and Nate was an excellent ref. He was able to keep a rowdy group in check and had some great games for us to play.
Most of the post-game talk was along the lines of “Can’t wait until next year!”, and I think it’s safe to say that Chicago Force will be back at Blast Camp on the third weekend of September, 2004. Who knows, we may even drag along some Trekkies to shoot at.
Have I talked enough? You just want to see the pictures already? OK…
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- Nate explains the rules. Pay attention!
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- The long walk to the field
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- The mad rush for the center
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- The first casualty
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- The teams take up positions
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- The Goal
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- Sithman hides in the grass
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- Richie waits for his next victim
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- Thom fall down, go boom
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- Mark shoots me in the groin area
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- Reds clean up opposition around the fort
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- Nate gives us the run-down. Keep those goggles on!
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- You start with one hand on the wall
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- We could also use one side of the building
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- Red team returns fire
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- Preparing to make a break for it
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- What does he mean, cover him?
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- Bien and Hawk-boy get within spitting distance of each other…and don’t know it.
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- With Hawky eliminated, Bien sprays paint at the enemy
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- Carrie takes a point-blank shot to the hand. Ouch!
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- “We’ve got the flag! Let’s go!”
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- Bosh provides cover fire…
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- …only to be met with furious opposition
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- Go! Go! Go!
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- Ray gets a good angle
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- Daylan makes a break for the flag
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- Theresa shoots Daylan AND gets the flag
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- (insert Tusken roar)
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- Game on!
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- No, you need to be on TOP of the hill
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- Mark is eliminated early. Serves him right for shooting a ref.
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- Losses on the Red team are heavy
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- Adam waggles his behind at the other team. Insult, or invitation?
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- Sithman begins his Reign of Terror. He’s in that bush in front of Richie.
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- “Come out, Sithy…”
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- Sithman’s second victim
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- Sithy bags number 3
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- Number 4 falls to Sithman’s ninja powers
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- Sithy finally falls as he raises up to claim his 5th kill
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- “What’er you lookin’ at, boy?”
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- “Now, if I only had a grenade…”
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- Kevin draws a bead on Mary…
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- …who is unaware she is about to be done for the day.
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- Get back in the window!
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- “OK, this’ll be great. You cover me, I’ll crawl under the window.”
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- “They’re going to be so surprised.”
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- “Doh! They got me.”
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- Vengeance is swift
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- Panic in the Embassy
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- Boba Welt
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- Just be glad I didn’t take a picture of the welt on his butt
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- Motley Crew
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- Merely a flesh wound, he’s had worse
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- That’s gotta hurt
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- The soothing nectar of the Dew makes the pain go away
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- Our excellent ref, Nate
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- Mark tries to run Hazmatt off the road
Chicago Force Collector’s Club Meeting
On Sunday, July 20, at 4:30 P.M., Chicago Force will hold the second meeting of its Collector’s Club at Graham Crackers Comics in Wheaton. We’ll be able to help each other gain that rare acquisition or just admire the treasures we’ve gained. Graham Crackers is at 1207 Butterfield Road in Wheaton. If you have any questions, send an e-mail to Carrie Favela (Jedi Autobot). For the latest on Chicago Force events, log onto www.chicagoforce.org or come to our FanForce forum.
Chicago Force RPG Event
On Friday, July 18, at 7:00 P.M., come on out to Edgewater for Chicago Force’s Role Playing Game Group. We’ll engage in an adventure taking place a few years before A New Hope. New players are welcome. A fine selection of delectable snacks will be provided by Chef Hans. If you’re interested in attending, send an e-mail to either Hans Aeschbacher (TheExecutor) or Michael Hammer (Master_Daylan). For more information on Chicago Force events, go to www.chicagoforce.org or visit our FanForce forum.
Chicago Force Collector’s Club to meet June 22
On Sunday, June 22, at 4:30 P.M., come out to Graham Crackers Comics in Wheaton for the inaugural meeting of Chicago Force’s Collector’s Club. The club is designed to facilitate a collector’s exchange by providing a venue for face-to-face interaction. Members will be able to help fulfill each other’s wish lists. For those who aren’t that heavy into collecting, we’ll also have lots of fun and games. For more information, check out this FanForce forum thread.
For our first meeting, we are asking that you bring in your favorite collectible (or a photograph) and discuss why it’s your favorite and how you obtained it. Graham Crackers is located at 1207 Butterfield Road in Wheaton. If you have any questions, send an e-mail to Carrie Favela (Jedi Autobot). For the latest information on Chicago Force events, visit either www.chicagoforce.org or our FanForce forum.
Chicago Force Book Club and Lakefront Picnic
On Saturday, June 28 join Chicago Force for its monthly Errant Venture book club meeting, followed by our annual Lakefront Picnic.
At 1:00 P.M., we’ll discuss I, Jedi by Michael Stackpole at the Borders on State Street. In this first-person novel, Corran Horn searches for his wife in this story that takes place concurrently with The Jedi Academy Trilogy. If you have any questions, send an e-mail to guest moderator Carrie Favela (Jedi Autobot). Borders is at 150 N. State Street.
At approximately 3:00 P.M., we’ll proceed to Millennium Park as we have our annual Lakefront Picnic. It’s a potluck affair, so please bring something to share with the group. Please RSVP and post what dish you’ll be bringing in this FanForce forum thread. Souls who are brave enough can grab something at Taste of Chicago which is a few blocks away. Those who don’t want to deal with the crowds can just come to the park. Millennium Park is located east of Michigan Avenue, between Washington and Madison Streets. If you have any questions about the picnic, send an e-mail to David Gray (Bosh Talk).
For the latest information on Chicago Force events, visit www.chicagoforce.org or our FanForce forum.
Chicago Bulls Game
Looks like the Bulls hit a nerve at LFL. When we arrived at the United Center, we were told that even though 20th Century had approved the CharitaBULLS screening, LFL had not, and that they had sent a Cease & Desist order to the Bulls hit idea on having the charity screening.
The staff for the Bulls was incredibly nice to us and the costumers spent a couple of hours before the game, walking the corridor and talking to everyone who would listen, taking pictures with people, etc. It was, as predicted, a huge hit. If we had been able to sell tickets, we probably could have sold out both showings and started working on a third. They allowed us to watch the game from a press box at the top of the stadium, and many people stayed around for the entire game.
So it looks like as long as LFL has the Bulls hit with this block, we can’t do anything towards the charity screening. The Bulls said they would fight it, so stay tuned for updates.
Chicago Force RPG Event!
On Friday, April 18 at 7:30 P.M., Chicago Force’s RPG group will meet at the Edgewater home of Hans Aeschbacher (TheExecutor). There we will embark on an adventure taking place 2 years before A New Hope. The lives of the leaders of the Rebellion are in danger. It will be up to our intrepid band of travelers to spoil this evil plot.
No previous experience in role playing is required. All necessary supplies will be provided. If you plan to attend, please send an e-mail to either Michael Hammer(Master_Daylan) or Hans. For the latest information on Chicago Force events, visit www.chicagoforce.org or our FanForce message boards.
Chicago Force Bids Farewell to AOTC IMAX
We met up and watched Attack of the Clones one last time at Navy Pier!
Chicago Force says farewell to AOTC on IMAX
Five months after its huge debut, Attack of the Clones: The IMAX Experience is leaving Navy Pier IMAX. On Friday, April 4, Chicago Force will gather during its final weekend. We’ll meet at the box office at 8:30 P.M. for the 9:30 P.M. showing. If you’ve never seen AOTC in the IMAX format, you owe it to yourself to see it on their 60-foot-tall screen with 11,000 watts of sound. Look for the Chicago Force t-shirts. Afterward, we’ll head to Dick’s Last Resort to toast its departure.
Navy Pier IMAX is at 700 E. Grand St., Suite 115. Tickets can be bought at the box office or at www.imax.com/chicago. Since there is only one showing of Attack of the Clones that evening, we strongly encourage you to buy your ticket in advance. Dick’s Last Resort is at 435 E. Illinois. Check out www.dickslastresort.com for more info. We’ll be there at approximately 11:45 P.M. For the latest information on Chicago Force events, visit www.ChicagoForce.org. Talk about this event at this thread in our FanForce forum.