| ~ What
is Paintball About ~
Paintball is a competitive game played like any other competitive game, to
win. It is like a more challenging, high-stakes version of tag,
hide-and-seek, or capture the flag. Because you shoot at other people (and
get shot at!), paintball requires specific equipment (goggles, a
gun/marker, pressurized gas, and paintballs). Beyond that, paintball is
hard to describe. It can be played indoors or out, with as few as two
people or as many as 500; a game can last 5 minutes or 24 hours; it’s
objective might be to take something, bring something, find something, or
to simply be the last person standing.
Depending on the game play you play, tactics will be vary as well -- from
being quiet and sneaky and picking your shots carefully, to being loud,
fast, and shooting constantly. A paintball game can be different every
time, but there’s one thing that stays the same: it’s an adrenaline rush.
~ What Type of Game
Should I Play ~
There are probably hundreds of variations
of paintball. But the basic two groups of game are rec-ball and
tournament. Most people are introduced to paintball through rec-ball and
then move on to tournament if they so chose. Rec-ballers and tournament
players are often seen as having distinct personalities, so it is up to
you to choose what fits you the best. Some people are dedicated
rec-ballers who aren’t interested in tournament competition. They feel
tourneys overemphasize winning to the point of making the game stressful,
not fun.
Other people are dedicated tournament players. If they’re not competing,
they’re practicing. These players believe rec-ball is too casual and that
tourneys are the way to showcase talent and teamwork. Still other people
like to mix it up and play both ways.
Rec-ball and tournament are distinct, but those differences appeal to the
player’s own differences. Of course, the best thing is to try both types
of games various times and see how you feel. You might end up surprising
yourself about your paintball playing tastes! In the end, it doesn’t
matter what kind of player you are as long as you remember to be safe,
have fun, and stick to the rules.
~ What is Rec-ball?
~
Rec-ball, short for recreational paintball, is a catch-all phrase meaning
just about any paintball game that you don’t play for money (ie,
tournaments). Rec-ball can include big games, scenarios, walk-ons (where
you just show up at a field and get put with other players to form a
team), etc.
There are a wide variety of rec-ball playing fields. It is often played in
the woods, but can also be played in outdoor concept fields (ie, urban
assault, village) or in indoor fields.
Rec-ball is the kind of playing you do for fun, without permanent teams,
and where the slate of wins and loses is wiped clean at the end of the
day. Dedicated rec-ballers usually think tournament play is too serious.
~ Paintball
Assault Tactics ~
Successful paintball assaults require that teammates take on two very
different roles – suppression and invasion – to accomplish one goal.
Suppression
Suppression is not a tactic meant to eliminate the enemy, but instead to
distract them and shake them up, so they fail to notice your side’s
invading team. Paintballers must be very good at concentrating and
controlling their fire if they are to be good at suppression.
A suppression team should consist of more than one person. They should
realize that their job is not to get the other team’s players out. (That
is just an occasional bonus.) Their job is to make the other team keep
their heads down when the invading team is trying to move past them.
Suppression fire should be concentrated on one target at a time, it must
be accurate, it must be steady, and suppressing team players must be
willing to move around in order to keep the enemy feeling trapped.
Two or three suppression players constantly harassing one enemy position
will make the people hiding there so flustered that they won’t even have
the chance to see the invading team sneak past. Don’t get so distracted by
carrying out this tactic that you fail to see the enemy’s invasion teams
come down your flanks!
Once your invading team is out of danger from one position, forget it and
move forward. Either the enemy will retreat or they will be eliminated as
your suppression team gets behind them.
Invasion
A paintball invasion team should focus first and foremost on concealment.
The team should be made up of a pretty small number of players that are
good at being quiet, playing tight, and have patience to pass up shots
that will give away their position. This tactic requires you to get to a
position where maximum damage can be done, rather than to get a nice shot
on one enemy player that didn’t see you coming.
Once the invasion team has made its way downfield and is in a position to
take out multiple targets, or get the flag, or whatever the objective is,
they should do it with full intensity. Paintball guns are not a quiet way
to do anything. Once you fire, people will know where you are and it is up
to you to do as much damage as possible before getting taken out yourself.
If your damage is bad enough, you may find that the other team is too
shocked to mount a counter-attack, and you can make a hasty retreat. But,
that option will only present itself if first you unload a bunch of paint
into the other team. |
