Basic Variations

Capture the Flag is where a team is tasked to steal or take the flag from the rival’s flag station and bring this flag to their own station. The tea who first successfully takes or steals its opponent’s flag wins.

Elimination is another basic variation where the task of the team is to tag or shoot to eliminate the opposing team members
More…
Foxes and Hounds - is one interesting basic variation of paintball game. The participants are grouped into two- the “foxes” and the “hounds.” The group of the hounds has more members compared to that of the foxes. The task of the hounds is to eliminate all the members of the fox group. Before the seeking and tagging begins, the foxes are the ones to first enter the field so that they can hide and conceal themselves. After their time is through, the hounds now are given a specified time limit to for and eliminate the foxes. If the hounds successfully tagged all the foxes they would be considered the winner, otherwise the foxes win if one or more paratrooper – participants are given token (may be a colored arm band or dog tags) and paired off. Each pair that contribute the team enters the field to their position. An open fire or the game begins when all the teams have already positioned themselves. They are tasked to tag as opposing pairs as possible. When a pair successful tags an opposing pair, their pair gets the token of the pair that they tag. By the end of the allotted specified time the pair or team who gets the largest collection of tokens wins.

Street fighter – this is played in an interior field where players are prohibited to get into the bunkers, castles or any other covering/shielding holes in the field. Players are then opted to use the game tactic “choke points”.

Woodsball – Originally, a paintball is a recreational game in the wooded or forest areas, and the usual game types were flag and elimination. Woodsball can involve a wide variety of bunker types such as trees, logs, boulders of rocks that players can use in his game tactics. But because the forest or the woods may be an unfamiliar venue for the participants, the woodsball may last for long period of time to determine whose team wins. Woodsball gives the players free option as to what game tactics to use and woodsball can be played at any time all throughout the year – whether it is winter or summer, the weather adds challenge to the determination and perseverance of the players. Since woodsball is usually held in the forest areas where non-players may probably be touring around, organizers of the woodsball should be responsible in compromising for the use of the site and the safety not only the players but the non-players as well.

Scenario Paintball games stress the themes of cooperation among the players of the team. This scenario paintball is patterned after a storyline or theme, and this require numerous of participants. And since a multitude of players are enjoined, scenario paintball may extend its game period from 12 hours to a day or may even last for few days. It was in Oklahoma D – Day at the Bunker in Wyardotte Oklahoma and Skirmish’s Invasion of Normandy in Jim Thorpe, PA that the largest scenario paintballs were held, having been participated by 3,700 and 4008 players respectively.

Tournament Paintball

In 1980’s, modern paintball tournaments were developed. The speedball is then more popular since flexible bunkers and portable set-ups are used. The usual, 3 – 7 players who compose a team compete with their opponents and at the end hopefully gather points.

>> Tournament

Capture the Flag – this was originally the paintball format used in the woods, but at the present the famous site for this is on the grass fields where bunkers are set up. The usual members of players in a team may usually range from 3 to 20 people. Aside from completing the task of stealing or capturing, teams may also acquire points when they are able to eliminate opponents and are able to keep a number of players at the end of the game.

Centerflag – the number of members in a team are usually 3, 5, or 7.

X – Ball – usually participated by teams consisting 5 players and to the maximum of a players in which substitution is allowed. The X-Ball was first performed at the international Amateur Open in 2002. The participants are divided into two teams and they are tasked to play the Center flag in multiple rounds, in which scoring continues from one after the other until the game time runs out. Score is acquired through the number of centerflags they get. The team who has the most points is declared the winner. Since the X-Ball is time bound, the game usually takes 50 minutes specifically in Professional X-Ball games. Coaching is permitted in the X-Ball tournaments. Teams may ask for advices and game tactic advices from distinguished coach or even form the spectators on the sidelines.

Players who went off-bound the rules and received penalties are not totally eliminated from the game; instead they are placed in a hockey-like penalty box for several minutes.

Stock Class

Paintball markers are loaded or reloaded by pumping or sliding. The players has to maneuver a new ball after each shot. He has to slide inside the marker’s cocking mechanisms the paintball so that a new ball will enter the chamber and it will be forwarded to a newer chamber with the use of the pump handle. When the paintball is loaded, the marker is then ready to battle the loaded arms.

The stock Class, one well-known style of pump play, refers to the markers configuration. The stock class uses 10 to 15 round table parallel to the marker’s barrel. Paintballs are slid into the marker feedtube that can be found at the top pf the marker so that paintballs will not be stacked over the chamber, furthermore the marker should be rocked forward or backward before being re-cocked. The stock Class markers are also needed to be recharged with propellant after 20 – 40 shots because 12 grams of carbon dioxide powerlets are incorporated into the rules.

Since modern technology and faster working performance of paintball become more appreciated at present, the stack class has gradually lost popularity. Despite this, some paintball organizers still hold pump-only games for the sake of the old school feel and slower pace.

Reball

A reball is a replacement for a paintball. It is soft dense/light-foam that is same size as paintballs but weighs lighter and is not filled with paint. The reball is usually used ion games held only indoors so the mess that the usual paintball leaves when it breaks is avoided. Another advantage of using Reball is that it may be re-used and has lower velocity of 250 feet per second. One probable disadvantage of the reball is that it is sold at a higher cost. Reballs are now also being used by participants who wish to practice while preparing a real paintball tournament. Aside from reballs, the lazerballs manufactured by Brass Eagle are also of high use today. Reballs and lazerballs are somewhat of the same advantages and use though the latter is higher caliber than the paintball.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 26th, 2008 at 9:01 pm and is filed under Essentials. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.