Paintball
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Wikipedia-Article "Paintball"
Paintball is a sport whose participants use compressed-gas markers to shoot paintballs (roughly marble-sized, .68 caliber, gelatin capsules of non-staining water soluble paint) at other players. Once marked by a paintball, a player is eliminated from the game.
The first paintball game was played in New Hampshire in 1981 by Bob Gurnsey, Hayes Noel, Charles Gaines, and nine others, who used markers built to tag cattle or trees. The first tournament with a cash prize was held in 1983.
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Basic Paintball Games
Capture the Flag
The classic schoolyard game, with a paintball twist. Teams start on opposing sides and attempt to acquire the opponents' flag while protecting their own. Victory is achieved by being the first team to hang the opponents' flag on the designated location at or near their own starting location.
Center Flag
Similar to Capture the Flag, except the game starts with a single flag at the center of the field instead of one at each end. The winner is the team that brings this single flag to the opponent's end of the field.
Elimination
The team that eliminates all of the players on the other team first wins.
Styles of Play
Woodsball
Woodsball (also "Bushball"), paintball's original form, is generally played in a wooded area large enough to hold dozens of players. Woodsball games generally take more time than speedball games.
Speedball
Speedball is a faster, closer-quarters game than woodsball and is played on a field about the size of a basketball court or two. Artificial barriers are placed throughout the field for players to move between and hide behind. The close quarters foster a lot of movement and "bunkering", or running up to an opposing player's bunker and eliminating them from close range. Most national and local tournaments and leagues are built around speedball.
Scenario paintball
Scenario paintball games are often larger-scale re-enactments of historical battles involving hundreds of people, such as the Battle of Normandy, or modern scenarios such as storming a building and rescuing hostages. Scenario games can last hours or even days, and bigger games often have player re-insertions at set intervals. Skirmish Paintball in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania holds several every year, including The Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Normandy, which drew more than 3,000 attendees in 2005. The largest is probably "Oklahoma D-Day" which drew more than 3,500 in 2005, plays across 700 acres of land and includes some 15 "paintball tanks" and pontoon-built landing craft.
Tournament
Modern tournament paintball has developed in earnest since roughly 1990. Woodsball tournaments, the original and once the most popular format, have largely given way to speedball fields, whose inflatable bunkers can be moved between matches or tournament stages. The most common tournament formats pit two teams of three, five, or seven players against each other. Teams play several other teams, accumulating points in each game for acts such as being the first to get the flag, bringing the flag to the goal, eliminating opposing players, and having uneliminated players left at the end of the game.
'X-Ball' X-Ball is a newer tournament format which is typically played at the national level, although variations are increasingly being adopted for regional and local competition. The chief goal of X-Ball is to extend the length of a tournament paintball contest between to teams, which is done by playing several centerflag games in succession. Teams of up to 18 players field 5 players at a time, earning a point for each game in which they bring the flag to the opposing team's goal. The length of the match is controlled by the game clock, and is usually split into two halves, typically 16 or 20 minutes long each. Unlike most tournament formats where players are not allowed to communicate with people off the field, communication with the sideline is encouraged in X-Ball, and each team has a coach on the sideline during play for this purpose. The last key difference in X-Ball is that instead of players being permanently removed from the game for penalties, players are placed in a penalty box for a period of a few minutes, similar to hockey, and may reenter the game as soon as their penalty expires.
Reball
A "reball" is a solid, dense-foam substitute for a paintball. Reballs are approximately the same size and weight of a paintball, but do not contain a paint filling. While they do not break open to leave a paint mark on players, the lack of filling makes them useful for indoor locations where accumulation of paint from broken paintballs would be a problem. A reball is more expensive than a paintball, but since they can be reused, they are cheaper over the long term. Some paintball parks have added dedicated reball fields.
Organizations
Current professional and semi-professional leagues, such as the NXL (National X-Ball League), NPPL (National Professional Paintball League), NCPA (National Collegiate Paintball Association), CFOA (Carolina Field Owners Association) the NEPL (New England Paintball League), and the SPPL (Scenario Paintball Players League), regularly hold high-class, well-organized events. These aren't the only leagues, however, as most regions both inside and outside the USA have leagues. The Millennium Series, the Nordic Series, the former European X-Ball League, the Centurio Circuit, the XSPL, the Paintball Association in the UK and many more leagues exist and draw large numbers of teams and fans. Tournament paintball is played by the same rules as normal paintball, but in a more competitive environment. There is a set number of people on each team (commonly three, five or seven), and modern tournament play is primarily speedball. Due to the competitive nature, most tournament players use high-end markers capable of higher rates of fire. The major leagues are National Professional Paintball League (NPPL), Paintball Sports Promotions™ (PSP), and Millennium Series. The leagues consist of a whole circuit of paintball tournaments, but smaller regional and locally-sponsored tournaments are very common.
Types of Players
Players usually fall into three categories: recreational, scenario or big game, and tournament.
Recreational players encompass occasional players like those in church groups or bachelor parties up through more regular players who may own their own entry-level equipment, but usually play locally. Recreational players may play at commercial, insured paintball parks, or on private land (often referred to as "renegade".)
According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturer's Association, of the approximately 10 million people who participate in paintball annually, about 1.5 million of them play at least 15 times per year. These frequent participants can generally be divided into two groups: Scenario players and tournament players. While each's preferred style of play and appearance is quite different from the other, the most devoted of both groups may spend thousands of dollars per year not only on paintball equipment, but also travelling around the country to various paintball events.
Types of Playing Locations
Most players play, and most scenario games and tournaments occur, at commercial, insured paintball parks. A paintball park may be an area of woods, a complex of speedball fields, or a combination. Commercial fields adhere to specific safety and insurance standards and have employed staff (often called referees) whose job is to make sure players are instructed in proper play and play in a manner that insures all participants' safety.
Some players play on private land, often refered to as "renegade" play. While less expensive, and often less structured than play at a commerical facility, due to the lack of standards, instruction, and oversight, the vast majority of injuries incured by paintball players occur in a "renegade" setting. Private landowners may also be liable for injuries sustained on their property, especially if there are any fees for play.
Major scenario and tournament events may sometimes occur at other locations like fairgrounds, military bases, or stadiums, essentially creating a temporary paintball park, including the trained staff and insurance found at permanent commercial paintball parks.
Common rules of play
When playing at a field for the first time, be sure to check up on the field rules. Variations of the following rules are in effect at most fields. These are the most common regulations, and do not include tips for playing. For information on tactics, see paintball strategy.
How to know if you are marked/hit/tagged
Generally if you are marked (hit) anywhere on your body, or on anything you are carrying (marker, hopper, pods) and the paintball broke upon impact, you have been marked. If you believe the paintball broke before impact, or if you cannot see the area to confirm a hit, then you should call for a paint check (by yelling "paint check"). A referee will come over and make a judgment call. Usually, if there is any spot that isn't clearly a hit or larger than a quarter, it will not be considered a hit. In some cases, depending on the field's rules, being checked by a referee does not make you invulnerable.
The X foot/meter surrender rule
Some fields require that if you are within X feet (or meters) of an unaware opponent, you must demand their surrender (by yelling "Surrender!") before you may open fire. If your opponent complies (verbally, see above or by raising their hand or marker), they are considered marked and are out of the match. Sometimes, if they attempt any hostile action (such as turning to fire at you), do not fire back at them, but wait until they stop and tell the referee about the player's hostile actions. Some arenas will let you return fire if you are fired upon after you demand surrender and they do not comply.
In almost all tournament play, there is no surrender rule. If you catch an opponent off guard, you are free to fire at him. Moves such as a 'run through', where a player sprints down the field shooting as many of the opposing team as he can, have developed over time and are now very important plays. Another popular move is "bunkering". This refers to running/charging up to the bunker or barricade that an opposing player is behind and tagging them at very close range. The idea is to get as close to the opponent as possible, as fast as you can, so that you can catch the other player off guard, giving them little to no time to react, and giving you little to no chance to miss due to the close range. If you think you may have been hit the ref of the current game will run over and complete a "paint check" to evaluate whether you have been marked or not.
Safety
Safety is paramount while playing paintball and is strictly enforced. This means players must wear only paintball-specific goggles and facemasks at all times while playing, even if they are out. Under no circumstances should eye protection ever be removed on a live field.
If you find your mask is covered with paint, sweat, or dirt, and you cannot see well enough to safely get off the field, stand with both hands in the air and yell (usually "Fogged!") for assistance. A ref or another player will lead you to a safe area.
If your mask falls off during a game, drop to your knees and cover your eyes with your arm or hands while yelling for assistance and/or a ceasefire repeatedly. Players or refs will come running to help. Do not be surprised if you are pushed down or otherwise covered by players and/or refs.
Besides mandatory use of masks, fields require that markers don't fire above certain speeds. This reduces the possibility of mask failure, and will leave less of an injury when you are hit. The allowed speeds usually range from around 250 Feet Per Second to the highest allowed speed of 300 FPS. Many players involved in outlaw games will tend to have their guns firing "hot" or above this speed. It is recommended that everyone playing outlaw games, get their guns "chronoed" or speed check before playing. Chronographs or "Chronos" can be found from $60-250 and can greatly help the safety of everyone playing.
Paintball has proved to be an extremely safe sport and its good record comes from the uncompromising emphasis on safety.
Paintball-like alternatives
- Airsoft
- Lasertag
- Nerf is a hobby/sport similar to paintball in that many of the game types are the same, however instead of using marker it uses modified Nerf toys.
- V ammo Cheap Alternative
Common Misconceptions
Various common misconceptions are present both among players as well as people who have never even seen a paintball marker or field.
War and Violence
One common misconception found in the general public is that paintball is a simulation of war. Many people believe that paintball is a game that encourages war and general violence. This belief generally stems from the fact that paintball uses a marker which resembles a gun in many ways. Players often wear camoflauge when playing woodsball. Additionally, paintball has, in fact, been used for combat training by both legitimate law enforcement agencies as well as terrorist groups.
The paintball community attempts to dispel this negative image in many ways. Paintball fields do not tolerate any form of physical violence (contact with an opponent is usually forbidden), and even verbal abuse is not allowed. Modern day paintball markers are usually not designed to mimic real firearms and are labeled as "markers" as opposed to "guns". Although there are some "scenario" paintball games that do re-enact historic wars and battles, such as D-Day in Oklahoma, they exist to re-enact history and do not encourage violence.
Speedball and woodsball separate themselves even further by including many aspects of traditional sports. Players wear bright colors and play on open fields with large, colorful, inflatable "bunkers". Fans are able to watch the action from the safety of netting that surrounds the field. Nearly all top competitive events are filmed for DVD or TV. Increasing the public's exposure to paintball is seen as crucial to breaking down stereotypes.
Injury and Danger
Another common misconception of paintball is that it is dangerous. Recent statistics from various insurance companies have proven that paintball is actually safer than "traditional" sports, such as football. Paintball fields always require that anyone who is near the field wear a face mask. All fields also require that the paintball markers are shooting at a velocity of less than 300 or 280 feet per second. As long as the players follow the rules for safety, paintball is an entirely safe sport. Many Paintball fields forbid the use of full-auto markers, which are illegal in many countries (for example the UK).
Quality of Equipment
Many players, usually new players, believe that more expensive and higher quality equipment determines how well a person plays. Because good equipment does lend a competitive edge, few competitive teams still use "low end" equipment. However, it is possible to get good results with relatively inexpensive equipment. For example, the Spyder is known as a low end "starter" marker, but some professional teams such as "Bad Company" use them anyway, with the internals replaced with those from high end markers. It is always the skill of the player that determines how well someone plays, not the quality of the equipment.
Paintball Lingo
"""maxed""" - In tournament play, a team successfully eliminating all opposing players, losing none of their own players and successfully hanging the opponent's flag within the allotted game time is said to have "maxed" the other team (that is, they have achieved the maximum points possible in the game).
External links
Paintball Manufacturers
- Air Concepts Industries
- Air Gun Designs
- AKA
- Ben Tippmann
- Bob Long
- Brass Eagle Brands
- Carter Machine
- Component Concepts, Inc.
- Dragun
- Dye
- Eclipse
- Evil
- Indian Creek Designs - See also: Indian Creek Designs
- JT USA
- Kingman Group
- Paintball Gear
- PMI
- Smart Parts
- System-X
- Tippmann - See also: Tippmann
- Viewloader
- WDP
- Worr Games Products
- SpecialOps Paintball
- Empire
Paintball Magazines
- APG - Paintball magazine
- Facefull - Paintball magazine
- Paintball Ratings and Competitions International Paintball product review and news magazine.
- Paintball 2Xtremes General Paintball magazine.
- Paintball Games International - International Paintball magazine.
Owner Groups
- Automag Owners' - One of the more popular Internet Paintball chat sites; AO was originally formed as the official forum for AirGun Designs, though it has expanded into much, much more.
- A-5 Owners Den - An independent and informal web forum and archives for Tippmann owners
- ICD-Owners - A user group for markers manufactured by Indian Creek Designs
- Angel Owners - A web forum for Angel (WDP) owners
Misc Websites
- National Paintball Supply - Worlds largest distributor of paintball products worldwide.
- PbNation.com - The largest internet paintball forum. Features over 200,000 members, forums frequented by professional paintballers, field maps, and much, much more.
- PBReview.com - Field and equipment reviews, by players, for players. Second largest paintball forum.
- AO - Prominent internet paintball forum; created originally for owners of AGD products, now hosts discussions on all things paintball.
- PaintBallForum.com - Large online paintball forum. Great place for Rec, Woods, and Tournament players alike.
- Pump Players Internet Group - Promotes the game's history and the use of pump-action and stock class paintball markers.
- Extreme Paintball Connecticut One of the longest running paintball fields in the northeast United States, Waterbury CT.
- Warpig (World and Regional Paintball Information Guide), An older and fairly unbiased site for paintballers.
- Online Paintball Museum
- History of Paintball
- Multilingual Paintball Wiki
- R-Team - A new form of joining recreational paintball with competition (Portuguese site)
- WikiPB - A quickly growing paintball wiki.
- Paintball Nexus - Resource for paintball information.
- The Press - A paintball formum.
Newly added
- Paintball Star - One of the biggest and fastest growing paintball forums ever. Get firsthand tips, reviews on new products and so much more!
- CPPA - A website for Christian paintball players
- Oklahoma D-Day - Official website of the world's largest paintball event, a WWII scenario game.