Paintball variations
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paintball is often played using different variations of its basic rules. The most obvious variations are referred to as different 'game types', and among them are woodsball, speedball and scenarioball. Some of the smaller-scale variations are allowed on most commercial fields, while others are only played in private games (usually because of the variation's questionable rules or complex nature).
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[edit] Basic variations
- Capture the Flag - A team must take the flag from the opponents' flag station on the opposite side of the field and return it to their own station in order to win.
- Centerflag - Similar to Capture the Flag, except there is a single flag at a neutral or center position on the field. Victory is achieved by capturing this flag and taking it to a designated area, usually the opponent's starting station.
- Elimination or Slayer - The objective is for either a team or individual player to eliminate all of their opponents.
[edit] Tournament formats
Tournaments may be played with teams of various sizes, although the most common modern-day formats are 3-man, 5-man and 7-man. 20-man and 15-man tournaments were common on wooded fields in the 1980s, and professional paintball teams played 10-man for most of the 90's and into the new millennium, but today tournament paintball is dominated by 5- and 7-man formats. In most tournament formats, teams play a set of games against various opponents. Teams earn points for each game, with the most points awarded for capturing and hanging the flag, but some also awarded for opponents eliminated and teammates left alive at the end of the game.
- Capture the Flag - The original tournament format, woodsball tournaments of any size are commonly capture the flag format, as well as most 10-man and 7-man speedball tournaments, but may also be used with other team sizes. The game starts with a flag at each team's starting station, and the team to capture their opponent's flag and return it to their starting station wins. The National Professional Paintball League plays a 7-man capture the flag format, which was used in the NPPL US Paintball Championship (NPPL Commander's Cup 2005 in Miami) broadcast on ESPN2 in the spring of 2006. 7-man capture the flag is also played by regional tournament series like the Xtreme Paintball Sports League and the New England Paintball League.
- Centerflag - The two flags of capture the flag are replaced by one flag located at the center of the field. The first team to take this flag to the opposing team's starting station wins the game. 3-man, 5-man and some 7-man competitions primarily use the centerflag format. Paintball Sports Promotions, a national circuit, offers 5-man centerflag divisions in addition to XBall.
- XBall - A newer format first played at the International Amateur Open in 2002, XBall pits two teams against each other in multiple rounds of Center Flag played one after another until game time runs out. A team scores one point for each game of centerflag they win, and the team with the most points at the end of the match wins. Professional XBall matches are 50 minutes long, split into two halves, while non-professional matches use various shorter game times. Although only 5 players per team play in any given game, depending on league rules, teams may roster up to 19 players and substitute them after each point. Unlike most tournament formats that forbid players to communicate with people on the sidelines, XBall teams have a coach who can communicate, along with the spectators, with players on the field. Players who receive penalties are not permanently removed from the game, but placed in a hockey-like penalty box for several minutes. The National XBall League, a professional circuit associated with Paintball Sports Promotions, plays the XBall format, which was also used for the Smart Parts World Paintball Championships broadcast on ESPN2 in the fall of 2006.
- XBall Light Like XBall, but only has one period, typically 15 minutes long. The first team to reach a set point total (commonly 5 or 7 points), or the team with the highest point total after game time has elapsed, wins the match. XBall Light is offered by Paintball Sports Promotions as well as regional series like the Carolina Field Owners Association.
[edit] Additional variations
- Back-stab - Similar to elimination. A number of lives is given to each player and a timer is set. Each time a player is hit, they go to the other team after moving to their starting point and subtract a life. When a player runs out of lives, they are out. The team that either eliminates the other team or has more players at the end of the allotted time wins.
- Foxes & Hounds - Players are divided between a small group, called the "foxes" and a much larger group, called the "hounds." The foxes enter the field of play first and are given a limited amount of time to conceal themselves. After this preparation time has elapsed, the hounds enter the field of play. If, after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed, the hounds are able to eliminate all foxes, the hounds are considered the winners. If one or more foxes have not been eliminated, the foxes are considered the winners.
- Paratrooper - Players are given a token (such as a colored arm-band) and paired off. Each pair constitutes a team. Teams enter the field of play sequentially, each team being given a couple of minutes to take a position in the field. Once all teams have entered the field play begins. Any time a player is eliminated he must give his token to the team that eliminated him. At the end of a predetermined period of time, the team with the largest collection of tokens is declared the winner.
- Protect the VIP - One player is designated the "VIP." Different variations may or may not provide the VIP with a marker, or may give the VIP a pistol and all other players a standard marker. One team is assigned either to escort the VIP to a particular location or to keep the VIP alive for a designated amount of time, while the other team attempts to tag the VIP. In some variations, both teams have VIPs. In such these games, a draw is forced if both VIPs are eliminated.
- Street Fighter - A regular Elimination game played in an interior field, with the exception that players are not allowed to enter bunkers, castles, or any other "hole" in the field. Usually played in teams, this variation often forces opposing teams into choke points.
- Alamo — Similar to Assault, Alamo pits two opposing teams against each other. However, this time, the defenders only have ⅓ or ¼ the number of the attackers, and there is no time limit. The objectives are the same as in Assault.
- Overnight game — An overnight game is a game that is played through the day and night, and can be formed around any other game variant. These games can be relatively hard to set up and come with many difficulties in preparing. Some of the problems with setting up these games are: where to keep refill propellants; what rules should be played during the sleeping hours; and whether or not to continue during the night (relatively few players own night vision equipment). These games can go on for days or weeks at a time.
- Mercenary — A less common variant of woodsball played is called Mercenary woodsball. Two different players start on opposing sides of the playing area. All the other players (the "Mercenaries") are scattered about the middle wearing some sort of blaze orange (generally a vest or shirt). When one of the two players finds a mercenary, they can recruit them. Once recruited, the mercenary removes the blaze orange and exposes his clothes underneath, thus making custom teams.
- Hostage - Similar to CTF except the "flags" are actual human beings. One team defends the hostages for a set amount of time or until the other team is eliminated, while the other team attempts to rescue the hostages. The hostages will only move when nearby or in direct contact with one of the attacking players and are not allowed to use any equipment aside from the required goggles.
- Civil War — This is a rule variant that can be added to any of the above game variants. Participants forgo a traditional hopper-style ammunition container and load each of their shots manually. Depending on the size of the teams, a certain amount of players may have an 8-round magazine to simulate a repeating rifle and one person per team may have a full hopper in order to simulate a Gatling Gun. The start of a Civil War game, like its namesake, usually begins with both teams opposing each other across an open field where each team will fire an opening salvo and then fire at will from skirmish positions.
- Fugitive - A variant of woodsball played with a small amount of players and a marked off field in the woods. The fugitive in case has no weapon or an underpowered weapon (such as a pump marker vs semi auto) playing against an entire team. The fugitive is decked out in camouflage while the other players (the hunters) wear orange vests. The objective is for the fugitive to stealthy make his way to a base point (usually outside the woods) while the other players actively hunt him. Because of the odd nature of the game it's usually played with two to four players as any more players would make the game extremely difficult and more than one exit as only having one would promote camping.
- D-Day - Played at specified fields because of required terrain. The field is a steep hill. Usually has man made bunkers, as opposed to the more commonly used inflatables. One team starts at the top of the hill and another at the bottom. The objective is for the team starting at the bottom of the hill to make it to the top. D-Day refers to the Allied effort to liberate mainland Europe from Nazi occupation during World War II, which was mainly composed of amphibious landings performed on the coast of Normandy (thus the uphill fighting and bunkers).
