Joining a group of 10 for some paintball action on Sunday.

Think there is going to be 100 or so playing. Professionally organized site at local woodlands, loads of different scenarios apparently.

Been told to take some wipes for the goggles, decent boots for the mud. They are going to supply everything else, overalls, goggles, paint marker, etc.

Any other tips from anyone who has done this before & am I going to come back covered in red round blisters?

Ta. 😉

stand next to the tall guy….
sounds awesome love to be there, either conceal yourself and jump out on unsuspecting victims or in capture the flag scenario pop smoke and run in.
Its not that painfull really

Wear gloves, long sleeves. Mud makes it more fun. Don't wear bright colours

get a cricket box….

soma_rich – Member

get a cricket box….

Nice tip Soma, noted 😉

Remember PJ and Duncan.

Nobody wants a "Geoff Man, a canna see" moment.

Team work is fine if the team comes up with a good plan. If it's a shit plan and they won't listen to you go maverick. There's a lot to be said for sneaking up the side and round the back of the opponents fort while the rest of the team go for the 'straight up the middle' cannon fodder approach. You can then shoot everyone in the fort while they are concentrating on thinning out the approaching cannon fodder and win the flag.
🙂

(I AM usually a team player but the rest of the team thought they knew better than the girlie…)

Oh yeah, and if you DO dive over a big log when you are running away (!) make sure there's no one else already hiding there because they get a bit peed off when you land on them from a great height…

And take spare, dry shoes and socks.

What sort of range do the markers work over?

usually 300fps (feet per second – this is the legal limit). Some sites however run at 280fps just so it's slightly friendlier.

TomO

Takes lots of cash to if you need to pay for extra paintballs, I think I blew £100 the first time I went (that was on top of the £30 or so it cost which included some free paintballs). That said my style is more Rambo than sniper :p
Beanie hat my be a good idea, especially if you're bald, I gave someone I work with a great looking welt last time after an accidental headshot, he had to give a client presentation the next day…

mtb gloves with padded knuckles are very useful

basically dont be a pussy just go for it, its not real war so you cant really die

and the more you leap over barricades do combat roles and scream with your war face the more you will enjoy it

also sit up the entire night before watching band of brothers, generation kill,full metal jacket and apocalypse now

oooh-rah!

Shoot one of your own team in the bollocks from very close range then say "oops, I thought the safety was on".

If you drop your pellets don't pick them up and reuse them. The gun will jam.

Wear padded mtb gloves.
Wear a buff around your neck as you WILL get hit there.
Wear a beanie or under-helmet skullcap to cover your ears – it fekkin' hurts being hit on your lugholes.

I found a light fleece with a high collar and a beanie to be invaluable, along with the mtb gloves.

Little tip i found. If you find you have a sniper, look out for the puff of CO2 as a round is discharged and you have your shooter. Aim just above the muzzle 'smoke' and the little bastard gets shot right in the kisser 😉

Going 'rambo' spraying rounds everywhere is fun but gets expensive. Best to actually aim the weapon and fire short 2 or 3 round bursts and you'll get your man.

Take on of those collapsible plastic knives and tape it to the barrel – the sight of a bayonet makes grown men scream when you leap into their trench screaming like a Viet Cong……*

*allegedly 😉

Take on of those collapsible plastic knives and tape it to the barrel – the sight of a bayonet makes grown men scream when you leap into their trench screaming like a Viet Cong……*

😯

getting worried now 😉

Muddydwarf fights pretend wars for a living. Not all men are as 'core. 🙂

Does everyone actually enjoy paint ball.

I've been a fewtimes and the only time I've enjoyed it is when I've had a practice session. If I remember right there was me and about 4 good mates against 5 of them.

With these sorts of numbers it was good fun and we actually managed some decent team work.

Last time I went I went with a group of students from Imperial College who were all a bunch of pussies. We got destroyed everytime. Also there were too many people, I cant remember how many definitely over 25 a side. Probably alot more.

Personally I'd limit the sides to about 10 a side unless the pitch is massive.

There was on particular course were there was a flag in the middle. I ran out to get in which I did then I hid in this like big tube waiting for back up.

No one followed me at all. The opposition just peppered the tbe tube until they hit me.

It's just a lot more fun when you get 'up close and personal' like!

I was banned from taking an axe, and my mates searched me before we started (didn't find the toy knife though)

1. If it moves, open fire and dont skimp on the paint.

2. If you thought you saw something move, open fire and dont skimp on the paint.

3. Not sure if a person is on your team? no problem. Open fire and dont skimp on the paint.

4. Person is out of the game and walking back with their gun raised signifying they're out of the game…a.k.a target practice! so open fire and dont skimp on the paint.

5. When you've shot someone once, it's just a flesh wound. Keep firing and do not skimp on the paint.

6. Take lots of money

It was my mate's stag-do and i was the best man.
The groom, best man and two ushers had to defend a position against the rest – some 20+ of them.
Fekkin' groom ran out of ammo halfway through and wandered off to get more without telling me, leaving my flank uncovered. Of course i got overrun, so i shot the sod in the bollocks for going AWOL! 😆

1) Don't wear a flowery dress.

2) Do the exact opposite of whatever the taking-it-far-too-seriously-SAS-wannabes tell you to do

"Get down men, in the ditch" – piss off, it's full of water.

Winding them up was as fun as shooting people.

Gloves are a must, as is the recommendation of buffs/beanies/balaclavas and whatever else. Getting hit in the head hurts. I will definitely be remembering my beanie next time to stick on my head, probably along with my MBR buff for neck protection.

Do your googles up as tight as you can. They fog more if they are loose as your breaths gets in and mists them up.

I always wear trackie bottoms and a jumper under the overalls they give you as a bit of padding.

Oh and as already suggested, take some spare shoes/socks/clothes for afterwards.

Have fun!

Ok, so no:

Bright colours
Dresses
Knives
Axes 😯

But remember to pack:

Cricket box
Spare footwear
Tracky bottoms
Jumper
bike gloves
buffs/beanies/balaclavas
Loads of cash

Watch out for groin shots deliberate or not, avoid jumping over anything and shoot everything that is moving, or looks as if it could move.

Plus, if it gets down to just two of us, don't rely on the the other person to back you up.

I think I got all that, wish me luck……..

😉

Go naked, no one will want to go near you if they think you're that hard core.

Try and get on the team with little kids on it, I did once on a stag do a few years ago and they were like fricking Ewoks. They won every game for us.

You should get a hood for over your mask, if not use a beenie, I wore a couple of pairs of shorts, it's painful if you get in the soft tissue of your arse, MTB gloves and a box are useful. Use a Buff for round your neck, if you get shot there they look incredibly like love bites.

Wear gloves and several layers of clothing. It really hurts when you get shot in the knuckles.

If you follow Muddydwarfs & Dave_r's advice you'll be about right. A couple of rolls of kitchin towel would also be useful to wipe off the paint after each game.

Personally I wouldn't bother with a cricket box, found them to cause more pain when superman-ing into bunkers.

Which Skirmish are you going to?

Which Skirmish are you going to?

Cookhill, near Alcester in Warwickshire.

One more thing – obey the safety directions – NEVER remove your facemask til you are well clear of the free-fire area.

As a general rule, ensuring you are wearing a little padding and covering all exposed flesh/bone will most probably mean you are relatively bruise-free at the end of the day.
Of course, this means you won't be able to take part in the 'most terrifying wound' competition in the pub afterwards! 😆

Last time i went was for the brother in laws stag do… maybe going paintballing with a load of armed response police officers wasn't the brightest idea!!!

Ba a man and go topless, just like my mates and I did. The results:

Speaking as someone who has played more than a few times and worked at a site as a safety marshall prior to uni (way back when) … wear a hat, wear gloves, don't wear a box it'll really pee you off.

When aiming, keep both eyes open and look over the top of the marker, and adjust your aim according to the flight of the paint. Don't try and aim it like you would a gun. When firing from cover try and expose as little as possible. Aim to expose people on an angle, rather than just trading shots head-on the whole time. Firing a few shots at someone to put them in behind the barricade, then moving up or sideways can work wonders.

It does hurt a little bit, but the adrenalin really helps take the sting out.

Have fun!

As above
start off by executing the over enthusiastic, "I'm telling you what to do and where to go cos I'm going to take charge", SAS wanabees. There's at least one in every group.

2nd, it's a none contact game, however, I've found that grabbing someone round the neck and shooting them serveral times in the ribs at point blank range, usually pacifies them. Then, whilst holding them in a death grip, use them as a human shield until you can find sufficient cover to disappear. Repeat as necessary (or unnecessary, who cares?).

go there a few day before to buy some extra paint balls take home and freeze em 😉

Played high end competitive paintball for the last 10 years up till season before last.

Firstly remember it ain't serious you're there to have fun, laugh at anyone taking it to seriously.

Never under any circumstances remove your goggles whilst out in the playing area, you might not see very well for that game but it's better than never seeing well again!

Don't pick up paint even if it looks ok, the moisture will instantly get to any paint on the ground, causing it to swell and at best jam in the hopper feed neck (no paint feeding) or at worst jam the marker or explode in hopper (goo in hopper can't be fired, will cock up your accuracy and ruin your game)

If you have some low profile soft knee pads you will do well wearing them, an adrenaline induced dive onto roots/flint will smart some.

Thin full finger gloves are a damn good idea

very baggy jersey (doesn't have to be thick so a dh longsleeve shirt would be good) you'll probably be given some form of coverall or old army kit so this may not be that usefull.

I hope you have a blast, i played my first game at a site and it led to some amazing times over the last 10 years.

Al

I went on sunday for the first time in 10 years… it hasnt moved on much.

still expensive as ****!

still full of cheats who rub the paint off when they get shot and carry on

(i imagine its is alot more fun when its played a bit more serious and not with hungover knob ends on a stag :wink:)

does anybody know if they have actually invented a new modern day 'lazer tag'????

As a paintball site manager, I'd say make sure you wear decent boots, clothes you don't mind getting mucky (mud etc will soak through overalls) and a hat.
Your gogglwwes will steam up, most sites use single layer lenses which are cheap, but a bit rubbish. Take them off as sooon as you're back into the Safezone, dry the rubber bits, and use the spray provided (washing up liquid & water usually) to clean the lens. Make sure they are as tight as possible, with the strap running across the 'flat' bit on your crown not the back of your head to get as good a seal as possible around your eyes.

Average spend on paint at my site is £48 for a half day, £80 for a full day. To be brutally honest, take as much cash as you can afford. Paintball games are designed for the customers to use as much paint as possible, since that's where the site makes their money.

Follow the flight of the balls and adjust aim accordingly rather than 'aiming'.

When behind cover, stay a foot or so back, to make it easier to bring your marker to bear.

Be friendly and polite to the marshals, and don't be a prat, they will be much more likely to help you out. Simply ask them how to win that particular game, mose will give good advice, they see the same game run over and over again.

Take great pleasure in shooting the 'Rambo' type who is guaranteed to be there, and remember it's supposed to be a laugh. Don't take it too seriously!

Airsoft is the fiture, my airsoft site, in a WW2 underground bunker, is far busier these days than the paintball site. It's cheaper, not as painful and the games tend to be much more immersive, rather than simple 'capture the flag' affairs.

Oh, for 'modern laserquest', check Warfighters out. Pretty slick operation with an amazing site. (Not as good as mine, of course!)

Cant really add much more to what others have said, dont take it too seriously and have fun. When you reload make sure your hopper is closed properly.

kids on your team make good expendable cannon fodder and can be used as decoys or to draw the enemy out

wiping off paint is not cheating, not if you don't get caught

Lummox which team did you play for?

Outdoor lazer tag is becoming way better with much better equipment. Check out mayhem Essex, they are one of the longest established and professionally run sites in the country for paintball or lazer tag.

I always thought the airsoft thing went beyond a laugh into the realms of NATO potatos.