Most of the time when I play paintball, I play walk-on. If I’m lucky, I meet friends at the field or I drag a few with me. But typically—I go it alone. I know. Paintball is best played as a team sport, but if you don’t always have a reliable team, you do what you can. The harsh reality is, for the most part, teamwork is virtually non-existent in walk-on games. So I play, knowing I’m basically alone out there. There is no real team and I live and die on my own skills.

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At the whistle, my team of crack scenario players dropped back and loafed around behind the flag. I, on the other hand, ran forward into the center of the field, without my paintgun. This was either the dumbest plan ever, or sheer brilliance! 

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Ah, paintball in the winter. Every shot creates a pretty puffy cloud and precedes thick-shelled winter paint bouncing off the down-filled jacket of your friendly foe. The number of players at the local field swells during the fall (when it’s finally cool enough for those heavy BDUs from Army Surplus), but they dwindle when those first chill winds frost lenses. New players vanish, leaving only the hardcore crowd—those so addicted that even sub zero temperatures can’t gum up the paint running through their veins. Reminds me of my first time playing paintball.

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At a recent scenario game, I was pushing the front lines with my team in heavy woods. We could see reinforcements moving up from the opponents side, and were making a push to gain as much ground as we could before they arrived at our position. Just before the enemy reinforcements arrived, with their tank in tow, I slid into a pile of brush a few yards forward of the rest of my team. At first, it seemed like a horrible position. The bunker consisted entirely of sticks no larger than 3 inches in diameter, piled willy-nilly into a slight L shape. It seemed that whatever direction I looked, there was a massive hole just waiting for a paintball to fly through. I was in a bad place. Little did I know, it would be just what I needed.

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Every paintball player has some field they call home. Maybe it was the first field you played at, in your buddy’s backyard. Maybe it’s a commercial field that you like, where the players are friendly and laid back. Maybe you built the field yourself. No matter which field it is, it’s hard to deny the home-field advantage you find there. You know every path, every ambush spot, which logs or bunkers are good, which have holes and blindspots. You know that if Bob runs up to that rusted out bus, the only way to get him out will be to flank right and crawl next to the creek.

The flipside we all know is playing for the first time on somebody else’s turf. No matter where you go, how aggressively or cautiously you move, the home team always has a bead on you. They know just where you’ll be, when you’ll be there, and what you’ll do next. And unless you’re on top of your game, it’s incredibly hard to get ahead.

But there’s a way to turn the tables. Play smart. Have a plan. Walk the field.

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Your pre-game strategy session with the team has paid off. From the opening horn your team has been able to move into their primary positions without losing a man. You have locked the field into zones, stalled the advance of the other team, and moved onto the offence. 

Momentum and initiative are on your side as you start rolling through their lines. The fire and movement drills your team practiced have worked perfectly. Slowly and methodically you move toward the other team’s flag station.

They mounted a stubborn defense but after a pitched battle your side has secured the flag station. The other team has been pushed back. You are the kings of the field. 

A quick glance at your watch and the euphoric feeling of a few seconds before starts to fade. There are still 40 minutes remaining in the game. You look to the left, and then right. You notice that while you have secured the objective you have lost the bulk of your own side. 

Then the reality of your tactical situation sets in. The respawn is in another five minutes. You are on the other team’s end of the field. The other team’s respawned players will get to you before your own reinforcements can run the length of the field to help. 

You have stuck a very short stick into a hornet’s nest. There is a pretty good chance that when the other team respawns, they are going to want to get their flag station back. You are now almost alone and outnumbered. There is only one choice, when they other side respawns, you must hold your new position. If the other side breaks through your thin line, they will have the momentum when your reinforcements arrive. You were victorious in capturing the flag station. Will it be a Pyrrhic victory? 

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Every time you step on to the field, you’re ready to experience a new, unique adventure. No two game situations are the same: terrain varies, opponents vary, and subtle changes in your team’s tactics can make a huge difference on the woodsball battlefield. Even so, in every competitive woodsball game, you’ll find basic situations that occur over and over again. Being able to identify and react to these situations will give your team an advantage and enhance your chances of success, especially in a format like the SPPL, where your team wants to capitalize on every advantage that it can.

In this article, part three of our series on SPPL success, we’ve divided the game into logical segments--the breakout, midgame, and the final minutes--and covered common scenarios you may see during each segment. We’ve also included a special section on what to do when everything goes wrong! These simple steps to SPPL success should be part of every team’s play book and part of your team’s practices.

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In a recent RECON blog, I recounted a bit of my tale as a first-time general at the Air Force Academy Scenario game. Out of that experience, and my observation of some of the best paintball generals in the world, I was able to pick out some of the keys to being a great scenario general. As you’ll find, some will be specifically oriented toward scenarios, while others will apply to any sort of command, from a small squad, to a two hundred man unit at Oklahoma D-Day. Even if you don’t ever take charge, this list will help you find ways to work best with your commander. So, without adieu, the top ten keys to being a successful scenario general:

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This simple pincher maneuver may be the difference between victory and defeat -- There are a number of ways to attack and eliminate opponents in a defensive position. Fire and move in, move around to their side, trade shot for shot from behind bunkers, launch a frontal assault, to name a few. The double pincher maneuver is an incredibly effective way to eliminate multiple opponents who are in what they believe is a strong defensive position. To properly execute the plan you need teamwork and two players who can run and gun.

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A few simple steps to make your team an unstoppable force -- They were like ghosts. They moved through the woods eliminating everyone in their path. It was like they could read each other's minds. We didn't have a chance. On which side of that story is your team? Are you the ghosts or are you the guys in the neutral zone taking about the ghosts? Do you want to become a ghost? The key is to practice.

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