During the last several months, Columbia has witnessed a violent burst of new activity from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarios de Colombia - FARC). With US attention diverted in the middle-East, counter-narcotic operations and financial support for the Columbian government has dipped during the past year to its lowest level in nearly two decades.

With presidential elections on the horizon, the Columbian government initiated a strong offensive into the wilds east of Bogata against FARC guerilla bases, to demonstrate its authority and self-reliance independent of the United States. The operation was a military disaster without the aid of US intelligence support and over-flights, and the eastern provinces exploded in violence as government troops were forced back out of the region.

For the past years, the Columbian government had been working to capture and extradite Cali Cartel members to the United States for financial aid bounties. With the disaster of the early December Offensive already a painful embarrassment to the government, the Cali Cartel launched a series of bombings and assassinations and reaffirmed its support of FARC, which routinely provides security and transportation for cartel operations in exchange for extensive financial support. The Drug Enforcement Agency has reported large increases in shipments of Columbian cocaine into the US following the collapse of Columbian governmental power in the eastern provinces and has petitioned for renewed military assistance.

United States Special Operations Forces have been placed on alert for deployment to Columbia, estimated to occur in late-January. The White House has organized a special summit with the Columbian government in January to reaffirm its commitment that the War against Drugs has not waned in the face of Afghanistan and Iraq. National intelligence sources, however, warn of the situation in eastern Columbia and the gains made by both FARC and the Cali Cartel in the power vacuum following the failed December offensive. Meanwhile, Joint Task Force soldiers ready their gear and make final arrangements with their families as they prepare to enter the midst of a Tropic Blizzard.

Advance registration for the game is encouraged to secure your choice of teams. Each squad will be composed of up to 8 players. Please note that specific uniform requirements for the teams. We won't deny game play if someone shows up out of uniform, but we request compliance with the team uniforms to assist team identification and enhance the experience of the event.

During Registration, please rank order your top three squad choices. We will do our best to accommodate requests. Please note that Red Force players are in an OPFOR role. While most missions will allow unrestrained play, some missions will task OPFOR to field "mooks" inattentive guards, drunk or sleeping guerillas, etc. Players who may enjoy the OPFOR style role are encouraged to sign up for the Red Force team.

A new element introduced in Tropic Blizzard will be non-player character actors. Approximately 12 NPC actors will be present during the game in civilian, VIP and hostage roles. Rules of engagement will be in effect and unpleasant ramifications and shifts of public support will occur if players intentionally violate ROE or accidentally cause too many civilian injuries and deaths. While all players will be interacting with local civilians, members of the DEA operations team and Cali Cartel will have extensive interactions with the civilian population, thus are requested to have civilian attire and concealed weapons for parts of the game event.