Freedom Fighters - Establishing a Rebel Base

The Next Stage In My Career As A Member Of The Resistance

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Finding A Safe Home In Everon…

So far in this ARMA Reforger mod I have been learning how to be an insurgent by doing low level jobs for The Resistance. This has mainly consisted of me spreading the word among the citizens of local towns and villages and putting up propaganda posters (which has not been without some risk). 

Above: The stark reality of being a new member of The Resistance - you control nothing and the Soviet occupiers control everything... For now!

I had escalated my activities to include some hit and run ambushes on lone Soviet vehicles and collecting the bounties on enemy dog tags. And then, most recently, I undertook my first all out offensive mission given to me to attack a small enemy encampment - which I succeeding in doing! 😊

This resulted in my receiving the go ahead to establish a FOB (Forward Operating Base) for the rebels, which marks an escalation in my career and the start of my taking on more pro-active offensive missions.

Where And How To Build A FOB?

But before I could learn how to- in this game - I go about constructing camp structures I had to, first, find an ideal location for a ‘secret rebel base’!

Freedom Fighters does give you strong hints as to where to establish your FOB in that the map can highlight where NOT to put it. The map can highlight ‘areas of Soviet control’ which are denied to you as places where you can put down roots. So you are left looking at the ‘spaces in between’ but - crucially - writhing striking distance to enemy hot spots.

The STEAM list of tip for beginners to the game does recommend a specific location that ticks all the boxes to save you from having to reccy the available spots for a suitable plot of land. But, having looked at their suggested location - although good - I decided that it wasn’t quite in line with the immersive narrative that I was trying to establish for this game.

Above: Areas of Soviet control are marked as red circles. You can see the 'free' areas outside these 'no go' zones that are available to you to build a FOB. The STEAM guide for Freedom fighters recommends pitching your tent on the north shore of Pinewood Lake.

Above: While very scenic establishing your secret rebel base inside a tourist camp site seems a little immersion breaking to me! I'd rather have somewhere a little more secluded!

In short, STEAM points you towards an abandoned tourist camp site on the north edge of a lake, but which it has all the requisite space and access near a ‘B’ road and looks pretty amazing it doesn’t really smack of ‘secret rebel base’. When I think of all the war movies about rebels or the resistance I am apt to think of isolated and inhospitable locations, like caves, or mountains of forests, where there is a modicum of privacy for you to go about your nefarious activities! …And not a holiday camp! 😂

However, I did like the general region that STEAM suggested and on further reconnaissance I discovered a place not too far away that better suited my idea of a insurgent base…

Above: After driving around and scouting nearby alternatives I eventually plumped for a nice forested area north of the lake and planted my flag!

That done, I then had to work out how to construct the camp. Well, once to chose your secret spot and plant your flag (hoorah) you can then grab your entrenching tool (you did remember to buy a shovel didn't you?) and that allows you to interact with the construction menu.

Base Building and Building Choices

One of the nice things about the forested area that I eventually chose was that the trees were not too close together and that there were patches of ground between them big enough to have tented constructions placed between them...

You have to image what a small collection of tents will look like and how they will fit together in between the trees. Looking closely at the pictures of the available constructions in the menu helps, but you have to pitch your first tent before you can really judge size.

There's plenty of choice of tents but the bigger and more complex the more expensive they are to put down. The cost is in SUPPLIES and not money, so this will entail a LOT of toing and froing to pick up more supplies to build you tented city!

The obvious starting point for me was the small supply storage tent (200 units cost) as - obviously - you'll need to start building up your stock of supplies in order to build your little outpost. Things can get pretty sophisticated to the point your can build a large armed camp with it's own defensive structures. Which begged the question for me, does that mean there's a possibility that your base could be attacked by the occupiers? 😬

To begin with, though, supplied, equipment, transport and medical tents are my priority.

Above: Hone sweet home... My first tent is the 'Basic Supply Storage'.

Consolidating My Foothold

FOB started I can now start planning my very slow campaign to take over the immediate area and control of the nearby villages. This all depends on gathering support, through my poster distribution efforts or by convincing village folk to support me.

I want to try and create a buffer around my encampment from which I can then springboard my campaign further afield. With FOB established and one of the local villages coming out in support of the Resistance I have finally made a little headway in the North Eastern corner of Everon. But the real work begins now...

Above: A small patch of freedom amongst a sea of oppression!

With a - if somewhat precarious - safe heaven it's time to take on more pro active offensive operations, over and above the small hit and run ambushes that I've carried out so far. But that will be the subject of my next post.

Vive la révolution