Alright...uhh...where did we leave off? Oh that’s right, you just got your gun chrono’d and your all ready to play! The next thing that is going to happen is what’s called a “players meeting” which is exactly what it sounds like, all the players gather around the head ref/field owner/event promoter, and all the rules are explained and any questions can be asked. The player meeting is one of those things that you will want to be at, because it will answer any of those questions or concerns you’re not sure about. Player meetings can last anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the scenario. When the player meeting ends, the person who was leading the meeting will tell you how long it will be until game on. The game usually starts pretty quickly after the meeting ends, so head back to your base camp and get ready.

This is crunch time! Your hands are probably a bit sweaty and you are starting to get a bit anxious, well first things first, RELAX! You’ve played paintball before; this is no different just a bit bigger. So once you’ve geared up, head over to your teams insertion point and get ready to lay some paint! Depending on the fields size there may be one insertion point, or several per team, just head to whichever one you feel like and just play the waiting game again. Another word of advice would be to go back and find your parkin’ buddies and ask them if they mind if you run with them for a bit. I’m pretty sure they’re not going to say no, if they do, you may wanna move your vehicle...ha. Anyway, you’re standing at your insertion point, look around for a clock; most insertion points have a clock. This is a key thing to knowing when you can reinsert. Most fields do a 15 minute insertion time. This means that once you’ve been eliminated, you simply walk back to your insertion point and wait for the next 15 minute marker, and then you’re back in the game.

Now that we’ve got all that covered, what can you expect when you hear that ominous game on horn? A lot of commotion and a lot of people moving very quickly. The first 15 minutes of the game is usually about establishing lines and then fighting for control of certain parts of the field. When that horn rings, you’re going to want to haul ass as fast as you can as far up on the field as you can, and be prepared. Because when you have 100vs100 and they finally meet on that glorious battle front there is going to be a lot of paint flying. That’s one of my favorite things about playing this game is the fact that when you reach the front lines you just hear hundreds of guns laying paint back and forth. Oh what a glorious sound! So you’ve pushed up the front line and you’re helping your team hold ground/advance. What’s next? Once your nerves are settled and you’ve been taken out a few times, you may wanna get more involved in the game. Hopefully you spent the 10 minutes to read over the scenario and understand what’s going on and you understand what you need to do for points. If you haven’t read through that bunch of papers that tells you all that info, now’s a good time to take a 15 minute break, head back to your base camp, hydrate and enlighten yourself to the game details. Once you’ve done that and if you think you’re up for running a few missions, gas up, refill your paint, and head onto the field to find your team commander.

Most fields, not all, assign team bases on field. When you go up to the base be prepared to be questioned whoyou are, and asked for identification. When asked this just pull out the player card that you were given when you registered and you should be let into the base without a problem. If you don’t have this on you, you may get shot. People take base defense seriously because it’s BIG points to eliminate an enemy base or take out a commander. Once you’ve gained entry to your base, head up to your commander and ask him if there is anything you can do for him. Tell him this is your first scenario and you want to get involved, tell him you’ve read over the rules and you understand what has to be done. He will be more than willing to give you a mission if he has one available. Some missions are given at time intervals, and some are available at all times. If he has a mission available for you, read it over, ask him any questions about it that you need to. Before leaving your base make sure you get your map out, again this will be supplied when you register, and plan your route to your destination. Know where you’re going so that you don’t get lost and all turned around on the field. Some fields are HUGE! 30+ acres of playable terrain, it’s easy for a seasoned veteran to get lost without a map! Trust me...I once played a game at Sherwood Forest in Laporte, IN. This is a massive field, well it was one of my first big games and I went onto the field without studying the map, it was just past midnight, my only source of light was the moon and I got lost. I walked around aimlessly for about 30 minutes in the dark, behind enemy lines! This all could have been prevented if I had studied the map better.

Okay so you’ve ran a mission, you’ve survived the first big push of the game. What’s next? Lunch time! Usually about half way through the day there will be a break where all play will stop, and you’ll be able to head off the field and get yourself some grub. This is an important time, because you don’t have a lot of time! The game usually breaks for an hour, which means in that hour, you have to get off the field, make your lunch, hydrate, refill your tank, pods, and be ready to be back on the field when they call game on! My suggestion is, if you’re still on the field, 5 minutes before they call the start of the break, start heading off the field. Now before you go and get your food, head to the fill station and top off your tank. Then when you get back to your base camp, fill up your pods and get that all ready to go. This is going to allow you more time to relax and cool down before having to rush to get ready to go back on the field. During the lunch break go around and try and find the guys that you met while on the field! Go up to them and just make small talk, nothing a ‘baller likes to talk about more than his gear. So ask a way...they’ll answer and you’ll make some friends!

So...you’ve pretty much got it all. There isn’t much more to a scenario that needs to be talked about, after the lunch break there will be another big push to re-establish lines, and then there will be more missions ran. It’s pretty much just a big repeat process. Another thing you may not know about is giveaways! At the end of the scenario, there will be one final player’s meeting to discuss who won, and the commanders will often times give out awards like sportsmanship, best player, etc. Well after that’s all been taken care of there will usually be giveaways. Now the price and type of giveaways depends on the size of the event. I’ve been to games with several thousand dollars worth of giveaways. We’re talking about people walking away with brand new Invert Mini’s, Tippmann X7‘s, 98‘s, A5‘s! Remote lines, masks, pods, vests, candy, and a lot of other things! So make sure you’re at this meeting, and make sure you bring your player card. The player card has a number that corresponds to you, and will be what they will call when they draw your name!

I hope that I’ve given you a little bit of insight into what to expect at your first big game. The main thing is to talk to people, ask questions, and read up on the event. Remember to stay hydrated and energized, and most importantly...have fun!