If you’re not rolling to D-Day, you should really consider heading over to Adventure Beach for the next MPP game.  I love playing this field, and MPP always puts on a good show.  It’s like chocolate and peanut butter - two great tastes that taste great together.  If you want to get the insider scoop on this expedition, you can throw down some ideas in the game forums.

Here’s your chance to give me some help. I’ve written several articles on paintball travel, both by car and by plane, but this year I’m going to my first Oklahoma D-Day, and I’m looking for a few packing tips. I’ll be flying, but my gear is traveling by car in a single footlocker. I’ll be packing all the usual gear (and then some), but I’m looking for some advice from those D-Day veterans out there. What’s the item that I should bring that I wouldn’t have thought about? I’ll be staying in the TACAMO campsite in their large conex tents. Help me out here vets - what’s the secret item every D-Day player needs to remember to bring? Post your suggestions as a comment. Also, if you’re not registered as a user, go ahead and sign up. It’s free!

Here’s the first article in my new “Getting Started” series.  Most of you reading this blog, if someone were to squeeze you hard enough, you’d exude scenario paintball from your pores.  That’s the way to be, but for paintball to thrive, we have to bring new players into the fold.  You know, hook ‘em up with a few freebies until they’re addicted, then turn ‘em loose to run around the country playing scenario games.  This new series is designed with the newer player in mind.  I’ll cover things like paintball lingo (so those newbies will understand what the heck people are saying at the field), basic equipment, and essential techniques.  If you’re a regular, you know this stuff already, but if you know somebody who would like to try paintball but might find it a little intimidating, toss them a link to my Getting Started series, and that might take some of the edge off those first few times out.  This first one is a basic primer on the scenario scene.

Paintball comes in a variety of forms with scenario paintball standing out as one of the most fun and cost-effective ways to play the game. National scenario producers like Black Cat Paintball, MPP, or Viper travel the country bringing scenario gamers a weekend loaded with nonstop paintball action. These events begin with a storyline, which could be based on anything from science fiction to cartoons, from spy novels to horror movies. Players who register receive individual character sheets which detail the background, appearance, and secret information their character knows, but not every participant chooses to get into character. Those who only want to trade paint with other players have plenty of opportunity in the target-rich environment of the scenario game.

The fun starts on Friday night when the early arrivers set up camp. The majority of games offer free camping, and some producers also throw a complimentary dinner. Staying up late into the night swapping stories of past games is one of the allures of this type of paintball. Although the game is competitive, the losing team has just as much chance of taking home the prizes in the end, so players typically show up for the camaraderie and the fun of the sport, which makes for a friendly playing environment.

Saturday morning finds people filling out paperwork, topping off air tanks, purchasing paint for the event, and attending the players’ briefing, where the producer goes over all the game’s rules. When the scenario begins, both teams start their mad scramble to obtain props, complete missions, and advance the storyline. For instance, in a sci fi game, players might have to collect computer components to build an android or repair a mainframe that holds crucial data. In a spy game, missions might require commando teams to break into structures to capture enemy agents or collect valuable artifacts. More specialized missions could call for specific characters to interact with role-players on the field, and until you’ve done it, you can’t imagine the thrill of trying to negotiate a truce or barter for goods in the middle of a battle field!

Besides role-playing and missions, certain players will be designated as characters with abilities beyond the average player’s. Medics “heal” those who have been hit by paintballs, saving them from having to return to their starting stations to reinsert. Demolitions experts set explosives or defuse them, as the case may be. Of course these aren’t really explosive devices, but take a block of clay and stick a digital watch on it and you have a hunk of plastic explosive. When the timer on the watch goes off, the bomb eliminates all players within 40 feet, that is unless a demolitions expert manages to get to it first. What can be done in the game is only limited by the imaginations of the producer and players.

During Saturday night, both teams hit the field to play in the dark, a style of paintball that requires honor (you can’t really see if you’re hit) and promotes sneakiness. When stealthy players crawling the field bump into each other, the action heats up pretty quickly. Then Sunday’s portion of the game ends with a final battle that pulls every player into one massive shoot out. Finally, the sponsors for the game provide the prize package, which the producer gives away in a random drawing at game’s end. Sometimes these can top $10,000 worth of paintball gear – everything from markers and hoppers to airtanks and clothes.

If you’re interested in trying scenario style paintball but don’t want to commit to an entire weekend’s worth, some producers offer single day, 12 hour games. Another local option is to attend a theme day at Line-of-Fire (www.lofpb.com). These afternoon-long events, held on Saturdays, mimic the scenario format in an affordable, shorter version. When you give scenario ‘ball a try, in whatever form you choose, you’re in for 8-24 hours of pure paintball bliss.

Patton Rolls

I hope to see some of the great east coast paintball teams at the next MPP event this weekend at Command Decisions.  With 17 tanks at the last throw-down and hundreds of players, this one should be a slobberknocker to remember.  I’ll be running with my buddies from DC, Capital Offense, and praying that the gently rolling hills at Command Decisions don’t kick my butt this time.