A Reference Guide for the Aspiring Night Ops Member
Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:40 am
New and not sure what the fuck is going on around here? Not surprising, you're involved with the remnants of an online scene that has fragmented and remained on critical life support for many years. It has seen several forum revisions after a devastating crash ages ago where we lost many resources, stories, and more. Old operators have moved on and many, including myself, have deleted many of their more exciting operations for security reasons. A lot of operatives develop correspondence outside of the forum and there are operations which never get written down at all that members may know about and reference, leaving you unsure what they're talking about.
This mini guide is not intended to be a knowledge resource in and of itself so much as get you up to speed on the history of night ops, what it meant to us old users and how to best use what's left around here for the future that you may decide to create for it.
THE COMMUNITY: IT'S BEGINNING, EVOLUTION, TRIALS, AND EVENTUAL DECLINE
Starting from the beginning, the good ol' user 'infrared' brought the band together on an old fringe forum called &TOTSE - The Temple of the Screaming Electron. It was a website from the Internet 1.0 days and things were different. Communities like this centered around forums and were a place for us outcast types to meet like minded people. Between slower internet and lack of good infrastructure in video websites at the time, everything was just text and maybe some pictures. Stories were based on an honor system. You could pick up liars easily enough after you'd been on operations and just knew what worked and what didn't.
You can learn more about the old days here: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=126
The links are broken, but we've got them archived right here: https://nightops.net/wiki/doku.php?id=history
After The Way of the Shadow was out, things seemed to change. We outgrew the single post format on &T and decided to start a new forum elsewhere. It wasn't so much that my guide was that great I think because when I look back at it, it's pretty horrible now. But it helped the scene in what it was already doing - forming it's own identity. We started looking at our hobby as more than just a bunch of dumb kids sneaking around at night but a discipline that could be applied for various ends. Some of us were happy with the thrills of adventure while others wanted the rush of a successful heist where we left with riches.
This latter philosophy was taboo at the time as infrared had laid down the stipulation that night ops were all about stealth only and not stealing. The purpose was solely going unnoticed, so for a long time theft was simply edited out of many operation stories.
Eventually, the term "black op" was somewhat jokingly termed for any night op that went down the path of further crime, whatever it may be. That's why even today you see a subsection here for "Bad Ideas". They are not considered a pure night op and just as infrared would have shamed any user who did so, black ops similarly carry a similar mark of shame. Most all of my operations prior to 2011 or so were black ops, a fact that's sort of been lost to history here. Arguments over it were a common thing. That's just how it was in the community.
And the community was big! The threads on &T continued running simultaneously alongside here until the very end of the site. Meanwhile, what you are on is the second iteration of the second forum since branching off of &TOTSE. When the first forum went up, it was common to have conversations happening so rapidly that when you posted, several other people had already posted while you were writing. It was pretty busy! When that went down, our one and only Secant here grabbed the banner and waived it for everyone to rally around. In today's world, I gotta say he's the biggest unsung hero in this entire saga. A great administrator who we're all lucky to have. Unfortunately, disaster struck at the end of 2007 and a lot of content was lost. When Secant got us back online, everything you see now is from that time period. However, we were still very active in that time frame.
Some of the real magic is what you don't see on the forum. Many of us engaged in private conversations and formed inner circles of trust we'd communicate in elsewhere. It's very similar to how Discord channels are approaching this today alongside the main site chat. That's how endeavors like NOPCON would later come to fruition. Many stories remained private - more on this later.
The approach of 2010 was a rough time for fringe communities and night ops wasn't spared. &T had finally folded after the admin was tired of staving off legal issues, and the forums that harbored its scattered members failed to catch the same spark of magic. Many of the more hardcore fringe sites were also getting shut down and a collective sense of infringement was upon everyone. On top of members simply getting older and moving on.
Since then, the community had been in a very steady decline. The main problem was that there was nowhere to draw new members from. The idea of operations on YouTube back then was ridiculous and troll armies were still a thing. That meant attempts to draw from the Chans or Reddit were considered suicidal. You can see all of the calls for recruiting that went nowhere in "Suggestions" for more on this.
And that brings us to today. I imagine COVID-19 has gotten many imaginations going and channels on YouTube are helping draw new attention to the community. Unfortunately you're seeing a shell of its former self and that's why I'm writing this. I feel members can easily get the wrong idea of what night ops are supposed to be about because you're reading a lot of content that came from our operating primes when we were active at night but coming here to push boundaries with ideas to enrich our operations.
GETTING INTO NIGHT OPS: WHEN AM I READY?
You're ready right now!
Night ops was never about training and training until you feel like you're ready for the mission. It was never about waiting for the right gear to come in through the mail. It was about going out and doing what you can and learning to do better and better as your career progresses. None of us back then cared if we were ready, we were curious NOW. We wanted to go. You know when you're going to bite off more than you can chew and you learn to avoid that dynamically in the night.
My very first night ops were performed with a pair of ratty woodland trousers, a black long sleeve shirt, tan cotton gloves (yes, cotton!), a brown ski mask and some old shitty work boots. That's what I had, so that's what I used. For some operations I wore a black pistol belt with basic gear on it - a shitty AA flashlight, off-brand multi-tool, Wal-Mart brand machete in rural areas, and other cheap tools. I actually "liberated" a lot of op gear as I encountered it early on. Not the Psychlonic you read about these days, but we have to start somewhere. I wasn't always chatting about thermal cloaks and lasers, I grew up poor as fuck and had to climb from the bottom.
Again, I feel like this forum might give you the wrong idea. An old operative can only talk about the basics for so long before it bores them. It remains important, but there's no more reason to write about it over and over. What problems remain? Those are the discussions you see frequently on here. You are reading the works of several generations of operatives who've come and gone before you. Drones and alarm disabling isn't 101 where you begin. You begin with the darkest clothes you own and a little common sense. You'll learn to plan. You'll learn for yourself what you need to get and train on. Trying to do that stuff ahead of time is kind of a waste. Now, if you just enjoy the subject that's fine but if you want to be an operative BE AN OPERATIVE. It's not about forum validation, it's about you.
Yes, you see tons of talk on here of gear, techniques, and philosophy but it's par the course when you're actually going out at night doing things. That's the fun of it - you go out, come back with that feeling of success because you didn't get caught and next time you want to do even better! That's the driving heart of night ops, the ties that bound us old operatives regardless of where we were. The forum was seen as a hub, not the heart, of night ops back then. The spirit of night ops was in all of us and when decentralized we always found ways to come together. We were a strong, close knit community. That's why stories traditionally remain in word format. We are from an era of imagination and reading, we loved reading each others stories and visualizing it for ourselves. It wasn't about living vicariously through a video but being inspired to go out and experience something similar first hand! The entirety of the site in the old days was centered around the concept of you going out and operating better and better, a pre-mission prep site.
So go make some memories. Get that feeling! That rush!
THAT IS NIGHT OPS!
Not these old stories, not showing off, not making everyone think you're an expert! It's the ultimate empowering freedom, a ghost who can go anywhere and do anything without repercussion.
Night ops is the art itself. The stealth and the glory of stealth. The thrill of stealth. Learn that feeling and that's what gets you hooked, just as it did us once upon a time.
This forum exists as a resource for when you come back to base and think back on your operation. Problem? This is a hell of a resource and some of us know way more than what's been written. Writing stuff is fun. I obviously enjoy sharing snippets of things I've picked up, but it's to further the operations.
WHERE DOES NIGHT OPS GO FROM HERE?
As has been written, this is a husk of what it used to be. Xanatos has been the steadfast torch bearer on this forum while others come and go. Because the philosophy of the old crowd and posting norms of the time were radically different it may be a little inaccessible to today's world. Which is a real shame, because that thrill of stealth still exists as strongly as it ever has. The potential is right there. It probably can't continue in its existing format much longer though, and overhauling will be necessary to restore it to its former glory. How you go about that is in your hands, but remember - if you cannot spark that imagination and get people hooked on that thrill it will fail. The best old stories were written colorfully for that reason and it's a huge shame most of you won't read the majority of them, because they were really special. I have yet to see any of these new crop dudes coming even close in their videos. So you new guys have the potential to really take this shit to the next level. If you want it.
This mini guide is not intended to be a knowledge resource in and of itself so much as get you up to speed on the history of night ops, what it meant to us old users and how to best use what's left around here for the future that you may decide to create for it.
THE COMMUNITY: IT'S BEGINNING, EVOLUTION, TRIALS, AND EVENTUAL DECLINE
Starting from the beginning, the good ol' user 'infrared' brought the band together on an old fringe forum called &TOTSE - The Temple of the Screaming Electron. It was a website from the Internet 1.0 days and things were different. Communities like this centered around forums and were a place for us outcast types to meet like minded people. Between slower internet and lack of good infrastructure in video websites at the time, everything was just text and maybe some pictures. Stories were based on an honor system. You could pick up liars easily enough after you'd been on operations and just knew what worked and what didn't.
You can learn more about the old days here: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=126
The links are broken, but we've got them archived right here: https://nightops.net/wiki/doku.php?id=history
After The Way of the Shadow was out, things seemed to change. We outgrew the single post format on &T and decided to start a new forum elsewhere. It wasn't so much that my guide was that great I think because when I look back at it, it's pretty horrible now. But it helped the scene in what it was already doing - forming it's own identity. We started looking at our hobby as more than just a bunch of dumb kids sneaking around at night but a discipline that could be applied for various ends. Some of us were happy with the thrills of adventure while others wanted the rush of a successful heist where we left with riches.
This latter philosophy was taboo at the time as infrared had laid down the stipulation that night ops were all about stealth only and not stealing. The purpose was solely going unnoticed, so for a long time theft was simply edited out of many operation stories.
Eventually, the term "black op" was somewhat jokingly termed for any night op that went down the path of further crime, whatever it may be. That's why even today you see a subsection here for "Bad Ideas". They are not considered a pure night op and just as infrared would have shamed any user who did so, black ops similarly carry a similar mark of shame. Most all of my operations prior to 2011 or so were black ops, a fact that's sort of been lost to history here. Arguments over it were a common thing. That's just how it was in the community.
And the community was big! The threads on &T continued running simultaneously alongside here until the very end of the site. Meanwhile, what you are on is the second iteration of the second forum since branching off of &TOTSE. When the first forum went up, it was common to have conversations happening so rapidly that when you posted, several other people had already posted while you were writing. It was pretty busy! When that went down, our one and only Secant here grabbed the banner and waived it for everyone to rally around. In today's world, I gotta say he's the biggest unsung hero in this entire saga. A great administrator who we're all lucky to have. Unfortunately, disaster struck at the end of 2007 and a lot of content was lost. When Secant got us back online, everything you see now is from that time period. However, we were still very active in that time frame.
Some of the real magic is what you don't see on the forum. Many of us engaged in private conversations and formed inner circles of trust we'd communicate in elsewhere. It's very similar to how Discord channels are approaching this today alongside the main site chat. That's how endeavors like NOPCON would later come to fruition. Many stories remained private - more on this later.
The approach of 2010 was a rough time for fringe communities and night ops wasn't spared. &T had finally folded after the admin was tired of staving off legal issues, and the forums that harbored its scattered members failed to catch the same spark of magic. Many of the more hardcore fringe sites were also getting shut down and a collective sense of infringement was upon everyone. On top of members simply getting older and moving on.
Since then, the community had been in a very steady decline. The main problem was that there was nowhere to draw new members from. The idea of operations on YouTube back then was ridiculous and troll armies were still a thing. That meant attempts to draw from the Chans or Reddit were considered suicidal. You can see all of the calls for recruiting that went nowhere in "Suggestions" for more on this.
And that brings us to today. I imagine COVID-19 has gotten many imaginations going and channels on YouTube are helping draw new attention to the community. Unfortunately you're seeing a shell of its former self and that's why I'm writing this. I feel members can easily get the wrong idea of what night ops are supposed to be about because you're reading a lot of content that came from our operating primes when we were active at night but coming here to push boundaries with ideas to enrich our operations.
GETTING INTO NIGHT OPS: WHEN AM I READY?
You're ready right now!
Night ops was never about training and training until you feel like you're ready for the mission. It was never about waiting for the right gear to come in through the mail. It was about going out and doing what you can and learning to do better and better as your career progresses. None of us back then cared if we were ready, we were curious NOW. We wanted to go. You know when you're going to bite off more than you can chew and you learn to avoid that dynamically in the night.
My very first night ops were performed with a pair of ratty woodland trousers, a black long sleeve shirt, tan cotton gloves (yes, cotton!), a brown ski mask and some old shitty work boots. That's what I had, so that's what I used. For some operations I wore a black pistol belt with basic gear on it - a shitty AA flashlight, off-brand multi-tool, Wal-Mart brand machete in rural areas, and other cheap tools. I actually "liberated" a lot of op gear as I encountered it early on. Not the Psychlonic you read about these days, but we have to start somewhere. I wasn't always chatting about thermal cloaks and lasers, I grew up poor as fuck and had to climb from the bottom.
Again, I feel like this forum might give you the wrong idea. An old operative can only talk about the basics for so long before it bores them. It remains important, but there's no more reason to write about it over and over. What problems remain? Those are the discussions you see frequently on here. You are reading the works of several generations of operatives who've come and gone before you. Drones and alarm disabling isn't 101 where you begin. You begin with the darkest clothes you own and a little common sense. You'll learn to plan. You'll learn for yourself what you need to get and train on. Trying to do that stuff ahead of time is kind of a waste. Now, if you just enjoy the subject that's fine but if you want to be an operative BE AN OPERATIVE. It's not about forum validation, it's about you.
Yes, you see tons of talk on here of gear, techniques, and philosophy but it's par the course when you're actually going out at night doing things. That's the fun of it - you go out, come back with that feeling of success because you didn't get caught and next time you want to do even better! That's the driving heart of night ops, the ties that bound us old operatives regardless of where we were. The forum was seen as a hub, not the heart, of night ops back then. The spirit of night ops was in all of us and when decentralized we always found ways to come together. We were a strong, close knit community. That's why stories traditionally remain in word format. We are from an era of imagination and reading, we loved reading each others stories and visualizing it for ourselves. It wasn't about living vicariously through a video but being inspired to go out and experience something similar first hand! The entirety of the site in the old days was centered around the concept of you going out and operating better and better, a pre-mission prep site.
So go make some memories. Get that feeling! That rush!
THAT IS NIGHT OPS!
Not these old stories, not showing off, not making everyone think you're an expert! It's the ultimate empowering freedom, a ghost who can go anywhere and do anything without repercussion.
Night ops is the art itself. The stealth and the glory of stealth. The thrill of stealth. Learn that feeling and that's what gets you hooked, just as it did us once upon a time.
This forum exists as a resource for when you come back to base and think back on your operation. Problem? This is a hell of a resource and some of us know way more than what's been written. Writing stuff is fun. I obviously enjoy sharing snippets of things I've picked up, but it's to further the operations.
WHERE DOES NIGHT OPS GO FROM HERE?
As has been written, this is a husk of what it used to be. Xanatos has been the steadfast torch bearer on this forum while others come and go. Because the philosophy of the old crowd and posting norms of the time were radically different it may be a little inaccessible to today's world. Which is a real shame, because that thrill of stealth still exists as strongly as it ever has. The potential is right there. It probably can't continue in its existing format much longer though, and overhauling will be necessary to restore it to its former glory. How you go about that is in your hands, but remember - if you cannot spark that imagination and get people hooked on that thrill it will fail. The best old stories were written colorfully for that reason and it's a huge shame most of you won't read the majority of them, because they were really special. I have yet to see any of these new crop dudes coming even close in their videos. So you new guys have the potential to really take this shit to the next level. If you want it.