Extending Your Play With A Scenario Paintball Event

If you think paintball events should last all day and should involve many people, even hundreds of people, then scenario paintball may be an exciting and thrilling paintball activity to try. A paintball scenario adds a theme or a story to an event to spice up the usual paintball objectives such as capture the flag or elimination. Many scenario paintball events are either historic reenactments or a movie or holiday theme. Scenarios also make extensive use of props, gear, and specialized fields of play to enhance the atmosphere. Paintball scenario players tend to create large lasting networks of players, even more so than the typical camaraderie found between traditional paintball enthusiasts. The amount of planning and organizing that goes into large paintball scenario events creates a strong bond that plays out over years of continued event participation. In this HubPage, we'll explore the concepts of a scenario paintball events and examples of how they are organized and run.

Scenario events stand out from normal paintball with the use of objectives and victory conditions. Instead of an elimination game where the goal is to mark the opposing team, scenarios use a scoring system to determine a winner by who achieves the scenario goals, and not by kill count. The event organizers assign missions to a general for each team. The general directs the team’s actions and communicates with the scenario staff. The goals coincide with the scenario event’s theme. For example, a popular yearly scenario event is a recreation of the D-Day invasion of Normandy during World War II. The goals in this scenario would be for the “German” team to defend the simulated beaches of Normandy, where the “Allied” team has to stage a successful invasion and liberate Paris. There are also scenarios based on movies and TV shows, such as Stargate SGU, where teams are humans and “aliens” in a foreign world, and the human team must reach pre-determined timed objectives to allow them to return home.

Missions are typically given to opposing teams in pairs to create exciting scenarios. For example in a WWII scenario, players on the German team would be given a mission to carry fuel barrels out to a given fuel dump and defend them for a set amount of time. A mission would then be given to the opposing team (the Allies) that would have them searching the area for enemy activity. In this way, teams can score points and are directed to make engaging conflicts in a natural, fluid way.

These objectives are typically achieved through a long day’s worth of play, rather than a quick capture the flag or elimination. Because of the long nature of a paintball scenario event, players that are marked are typically allowed to rejoin play after a set period of time so they may enjoy the entire day’s play. Eliminated players go to a zone off of the field of play for a set amount of time to clean up and resupply while waiting for a short timer to expire to return to play. Missions are handed out by the staff and coordinated by the general in intervals throughout the day, giving players returning to the game the opportunity to pick up new missions.

The team leadership ensures that the paintball scenario team is completing goals to earn their team points. Since many games allow an “assassination” victory where the marking of the opposing general wins the game, leadership usually operates out of a defended command center, which is often a set of bunkers. The command structure and hierarchy adds a new level of play to paintball and adds another layer of camaraderie and teamwork between players. The leadership needs to be protected and being able to infiltrate the command structure can also gain valuable intelligence for the opposing team. Trusted players are used as guards, and crafty players can attempt an infiltration.

Leadership and teamwork are key in scenario paintball since the objectives are not known prior to the event. The teams have to gather intelligence and develop a strategy on the fly and apply it to a changing environment and changing objectives. For example, a scenario may involve controlling a territory for a set amount of time. The terrain will be unknown before the event and the defending team will have a short amount of time to prepare their defenses before the attacking team will start to probe and attack the area. Both sides need to learn the area and determine each other’s formations in order to make an effective attack or defense. A variety of player types are needed and more skills are required than simply being a good shot.

With elaborate missions and long play sessions, players will take on or be assigned a role to fulfill in their squad or team. Player roles add another dimension to the game. For example, one such role could be a demolitions expert, or demo tech. A demo tech would have a special explosives prop that can be used to complete objectives or remove bunkers and props from the field of play, or even the ability to “diffuse” another team’s explosives. Another possibility would be an engineer who could rebuild structures that were destroyed by a demo tech. In a WWII scenario, the German team might want to destroy a bridge to prevent the Allied team from reaching Paris, where the Allied team is trying to protect or rebuild the bridge. These player roles help teams accomplish their goals.

Other roles allow even more specialized play and rules. Medics are prevalent in scenario events. Medics have the ability to heal a certain amount of players. If the Medic can reach a player after they have been marked in a certain amount of time, they are considered healed and not eliminated. Some events also have wounded rules, where a mark on a player's arm or leg can be wiped off by a medic to prevent elimination.

Not all roles are assigned such as the above roles. Good teams require scouts to gather intelligence, guards to protect certain areas, or snipers to eliminate specific players. The choice of marker can also determine your role, such as a custom paintball “machine-gun” or paintball tank and anti-tank weapons. Some people will play as double agents or spies and try to sneak behind enemy lines to gather intelligence or sabotage enemy positions. If the event has a science fiction or fantasy theme, some roles will include aliens or wizards. Creativity is allowed and often required for the elaborate scenario events.

The field of play in a paintball scenario event is one of the best aspects of the day. The fees for joining an event are used to construct a field to play on that can range from a few acres to over a hundred acres. Bunkers, obstacles, buildings, bridges, tents, towers, barrels, forts, and anything that can be improvised will all be a part of the paintball scenario event. Props will be more than just obstacles to hide behind; they will become part of the scenario.

Caution tape can represent barbwire; only engineer players can remove it and anyone who tries to cross the tape will be eliminated. Barrels can represent supply areas that can be held for points and used to allow players access to extra gear. The props can also be the goal of a scenario, for instance, at EMR’s Castle Conquest XXI big game, in which 200 defenders defended a three story castle against upwards of 800 attackers, the removal of any four (out of ten) props from the castle resulted in victory for the attackers. By taking the time to organize and plan an event, the field can be prepared for any type of scenario desired.

All of the usual paintball gear and equipment is required for scenario event play. Paintball guns, paintball barrel covers, paintball goggles, paintball vests, a paintball harness, and spare paintball tanks are a must. Since events can last all day or even multiple days, you will need some extra gear as well. Staying hydrated is essential and the best way is to buy a water bladder with a drinking line that can run under your mask so you do not have to remove your goggles in order to drink. You will need gear to keep your marker in working order and keep it clean, and bringing a spare marker is also a good idea. Playing at night can be a whole different game, but you will need a sturdy flashlight or even night vision goggles if you can spare the expense. Extra changes of clothing, especially socks and shoes are vital for long events. You also have to be prepared for all types of weather conditions and a good poncho is worth its weight in gold. If you plan to play a special role, a sniper paintball gun or paintball grenades will be invaluable. By organizing all of the necessary scenario paintball gear ahead of time, you'll be ready for any mission thrown your way.

After you’ve mastered woodsball or speedball, a scenario paintball event is simply the next step in enjoying the diversity offered by this thrilling sport.