Paintball Basics Article

How To Play Paintball….
Here are some very general basics about an easy game to get started with….

Step 1.
Establish a fort, or base camp, that is to be defended.  A building or paintball bunker works best. The area must be something that gives the defending team an advantage, perhaps the top of a hillside or some place behind a lot of obstacles.
Step 2.
Place a flag in a central location within the fort.
Step 3.
Divide all your players into two teams. The teams should be even. If one side must be stronger, it should be the attacking team. Make sure everyone is wearing their paintball masks.
Step 4.
Decide which team will attack and which will defend.
Step 5.
Determine the length of each game and make sure each player knows. Also decide how the games will be started and finished.
Step 6.
Send the attackers to a predetermined place while defenders set up their defense.
Step 7.
Begin the game. The attacking team must penetrate the fort, capture the flag and return it to their starting point. The defending team must stop them or hold them off until time runs out.
Step 8.
Switch sides. Attackers defend, defenders attack.
Here is an excerpt from our blogsite….. www.choicepaintballgunsblog.com about beginner games of paintball and how to play…..
How do you play paintball? 
Most paintball games last from five to forty minutes. The objective of most paintball games is either “Capture the flag” or “Elimination”.  In Capture The Flag, a flag is placed on either end of the field and each team tries to grab it and return it to their base.  A variation of Capture The Flag called “Center Flag” where a single flag is placed in the center of the field and each team must capture it and take it to the enemy base.  Elimination is simple: shoot or “mark” every player on the opposing team to win.  Other variations include “Attack and Defend” where only one flag is in play and “Mutant” where a small group of “mutants” are chased by “hunters”.  Whenever a mutant is shot, he is eliminated from the game.  However, when a mutant shoots a hunter, the hunter becomes a mutant and switches sides.  The type of paintball gun you use is not important but most tactical players want military paintball guns.

Unlike the game of “cops and robbers” you played when you were a kid, in paintball there is no question about who shot whom. Anytime a player is hit by a paintball and the ball breaks on the player’s clothing, skin, or gun, the player is “out”. Paintball is at its core a game of honor and integrity.  A player who has been shot is required to call himself “out” by raising his paintball marker in the air and loudly calling “Out!” or “Hit!”.  Once out, a player must immediately leave the field and head to a safe area sometimes called the “dead box”. Eliminated players are not allowed to communicate with their teammates who are still in the game.  Often a paintball will strike a player but not break. This is called a “bounce”. Generally, a bounce is not considered a hit and the player is allowed to remain in the game.  It’s always good sportsmanship to let your opposing player know a shot has bounced.  You can do this by yelling out “Bounce!” or tell him after the game.

When you're just starting to play, you'll also need to know what to do when you get hit…..
When you get hit during a paintball game, you should immediately call out "HIT!" in a loud voice and continue to do so while putting your BBD (barrel blocking device) on the end of your paintball gun. Leave the field by the safest direct route while continuing to call out your status as a dead player. If you are in an area that is taking heavy fire – such as a paintball bunker with other players or in your base while it's under heavy assault – get your paintball marker up as high as possible and get out of the way fast! Do not talk, hand equipment or ammunition to your teammates and do not continue to participate in radio chatter about on-field events. You are DEAD and dead men can no longer help their team. If you are holding a mission card and you have teammates nearby who were on the same mission as you, you MAY hand the mission card to one of them so that they may complete the mission. Proceed to the hospital zone to await the next insertion time, or to the staging area to reload on fluids, ammo & air/CO2 cartridges.