The people in my office are organizing a group of about a dozen people to go play paintball in the woods.
How do I prepare myself?
I was in the reserve, is it any use trying to get people I know to use some tactics or is it pretty much always chaotic?
Do you get a kit or do you have to get your own gear? A face mask will probably be mandatory, but if you can get a neck and throat protector as well, that’s nice to have. Please be aware that with cheap masks, the inside will get fogged over really quickly and if you’re not used to using a face mask, breathing may be awkward so you’ll want to pace yourself until you’re used to it. (For instance, mine has vertical slits on the side of ridges over the cheek and mouth, so I don’t get paint on my face, but it can make it a bit tough to breathe if I’m running full pelt.) You can also treat the inside of the mask with anti-perspiration spray so your visor doesn’t get foggy.
Knee and elbow pads are nice to have, but not a must.
Pay attention when they teach you the rules. Most clubs has a “no less than five yards” rule, which is absolute in my club. Violating it is an instantly bannable offense, at least on paper.
It’ll be chaos. No one on these types of casual impromptu outings will have anything resembling coordination. It’s like asking people who have never even watched a basketball game to run an effective pick and roll. So quit the strategy and settle more for effective communication (i.e. cover me, you take the high ground, look out on your right), though honestly that might even be too much to ask. People tend to get pumped up and either run around willy-nilly or spend way too much time seeking cover with their head down, unaware of their surroundings.
I highly recommend getting the best anti-fog treatment you can find. You will fog up otherwise and it’s pretty much the easiest way to ruin an outing. You can’t take your mask off to clean it, and the second your headgear comes off you’re considered “out”. Wear heavy, baggy clothes. Even if it’s warm, because those paintballs hurt like hell on bare skin. Loose clothing is probably more critical than heavy, but having a couple layers is really nice. I bought a pair of cheap camo/tactical fatigues at the local Army Surplus. It’s not really required, but the loose fit of those pants and the pleats and pockets really help soften the impact compared to jeans. Plus it looks the part and the pockets are handy, but mostly it’s to protect from the welts. If the terrain is mixed, especially if there’s a somewhat gravely or urban course get some gloves. You’ll be crawling around and you hands are pretty delicate, I’d rate a decent set of gloves as more important than elbow pads. Knee pads are probably a good idea if there are hard surfaces, but if it’s strictly a soft forest/grass setting you might be OK.
Just to confirm, you are going to a paintball facility right? Just going out into the woods might be illegal and dangerous. Paintball guns are not toys.
Are you playing at an official facility or just heading off into some local woods?
Rule #1 for paintball is NEVER take your mask off until you are off the field of play.
Rule #2 is ALWAYS put your barrel condom on before leaving the field of play.
Following these two rules will prevent nearly all possible injuries. Be an ass if you have to but make sure that the others you are playing with follow the same rules. I’d rather be considered a rule nazi then see someone lose an eye. If you are a male some sort of coverage for the family jewels is well advised.
Seconded. I got shot in the hand the last time I played paintball and it hurt like a fucking bitch for a few days. Gloves are a must.
I’ll second the neck guard-a hit in the throat region can be painful as shit at best, and could send you to the hospital at worst.
Another vote for gloves…preferably the armored kind. Getting hit in the finger hurts.
And a vote for anti-fog stuff. You can likely buy it anywhere that sells paintball masks.
As for the game itself, I would strongly suggest going to a commercial field for a first session. Maybe the first several sessions.
Private games in the woods can be fun, but they are very dangerous for people that don’t know much about paintball. It used to be called playing “outlaw” games.
For an outlaw game, straight up do not play if nobody has a machine that checks the muzzle velocity. I have not played in years, but I think I remember commercial fields limiting muzzle velocity to about 270 feet per second. Outlaw games may go a little higher. Guns should be rechecked every time you re-enter the field of play.
Muzzle plugs…always in the gun when off the field.
There are many different ways to play paintball. Commercial fields often offer “speedball”—a smallish area, maybe half a football field or so, with some barricades and a flag in the center. Teams compete to grab the flag and return it to a base. This is the style sometimes shown on TV as “tournament paintball”. It’s expensive. You spend lots of ammo in a short but intense firefight. Guys that run commercial fields love speedball, because they sell lots of ammo. Teams have different colored armbands.
Speaking of ammo, most commercial fields in my day would only allow you to use paintballs sold at the field.
Games in wooded areas can include lots of scenarios…attacking/defending forts, capture the flag, kill everybody (also called elimination), or more complicated things…even multi-day scripted battles between teams of hundred of players. If you are going to play in the woods, you want to be wearing cammo. Military surplus BDUs will do, or hunting clothes, but better stuff is available.
Depending on the game format, when hit you may be expected to exit the battleground until the game ends, or for some period of time before being allowed to re-enter play. A day of paintball usually includes multiple games, and pretty much everybody is gonna score some kills and get killed a few times.
Since the safety issues have mainly been addressed - here’s a couple thoughts on tactics:
First, situational awareness.
It’s incredibly easy to get tunnel vision in a game like paintball. You’ll pay attention to the one or two players in front of you and not keep an eye on the rest of the field. For this reason, it’s usually incredibly easy to flank new players.
Don’t let this happen to you, but use it against your opponents. See if you can flank new players by moving outside their field of view, and similarly, keep alert for the same thing being used against you.
Second, use your cover.
Most new players will consistently pop up in the same location from behind cover. Don’t do this. Come out from the left side, pop off a couple shots at your target, and move back behind. Then come out from a different location. Rinse and repeat… Predictable movement makes for easy targets.
Similarly, don’t sit with your marker on the cover… Sit behind with your gun at the ready. Use your eyes and then pop up when you’re ready to take a shot. Most anytime I’ve played a marker shot counts as much as a body shot, so don’t leave your gun hanging out.
It makes a BIG difference whether you’re using rented guns or somebody’s personal weapon…generally rented guns are lower-velocity and personal guns are tweaked to the highest velocity the field or organization permits. Another big difference-maker is whether you’ll be using full-auto or semi-auto (one shot at a time, but repeating) fire.
Regardless, my personal advice is to “look the paint in.” When you shoot, don’t flinch or squint, but watch the paintball travel. Adjust your fire based on that.
I know the guns are smoothbores and the paint does not always travel the same exact arc – nevertheless, consciously keeping my eye on the paintball really helped me. First time I ever did paintball, I racked up 12 kills before I was even winged (and that one didn’t break open).
In rental and/or stock guns, this is true. High end players typically use after-market barrels, which are rifled to a certain extent.
Ah, that would explain the performance difference.
It’s organized by a company but it does appear to be in the woods. I will have rented equipment.
I have eyeglasses. Do paintball helmets usually allow one to also wear eyeglasses?
Where do you get anti-fog stuff? Any easy to get products that can be substituted?
In the military, we used spit to prevent gask masks fogging up so some people must do that. Are the masks usually washed?
Is the paint easy to wash off clothes or is it there to stay?
From what distance does trajectory curve have to be taken into account?
This is very true. The mask doesn’t help, though some allow better peripheral vision than others. Folks often just look straight ahead and not around. They lose situational awareness.
I’ve had two memorable moments in games were we ran up to the line quickly (both teams started at far ends of a wooded lot so an “line” of sort forms the area were teams usually meet the first time). We go there early and hunkered down behind some cover. A group of 5 or 6 folks walked right by us (maybe within 20 feet). We shot them all in the back before they noticed what was going on.
The second time was when I got separated from my group, or they were all killed off (staying in small groups helps). I heard some folks coming and squatted down where I was, not even behind cover. The group was from the other team and, never looking directly my way, passed within 25-30 feet without noticing me. The adrenalin was really going that time.
Not all games are fun, but the fun ones are really fun!
I wear eye glasses too. Most helmets work fine with eye glasses. I’ve never had an issue.
Mask are probably not washed if they’re rentals. They fit pretty loosely though. They cover full face, but usually not the top of your head. A brimmed hat worn backward sometimes help. (Some of us have no remaining “hair padding” up there.)
Most of the time paint comes off pretty easily with water, and almost always in the washer. Still, don’t wear your Sunday best or your favorite shirt. It may also get muddy, ripped, bloody (scratching yourself on terrain), etc. I got an old pair of camo pants/shirt at the Army/Navy store to wear. Boots/shoes depending on how rough the woods are. I second all the votes for gloves and neck guard. Paintballs sting. They can leave some good bruises even through clothes at safe velocities.
I’ve always found it more successful to stick with a group of 3-4 folks and get to know each others play style and build some trust. Plus it’s more eyes for spotting trouble and lets you setup some cross fire. Don’t think you’re gonna go all Rambo on someone and storm in guns a blazing (unless you like sitting out until the next game)
A few other thoughts:
Paintballs don’t fly straight. (Never did when I played anyway.) I’ve never seen a successful paintball sniper.
Branches and leaves will break a paintball so form better cover than you might think. Depending on the rules/refs sometimes the splatter will still count you as out.
Don’t assume that just because you know you hit someone that they know they were hit. They may keep shooting until things work out. Take cover and shout out a friendly suggestion.
Usually when you’re shot you do the “raise the arms in surrender” and walk off the field so others know not to shoot you (anymore than they already have). Rules at your site may vary. Keep the mask on!!
It’s remarkably scary to be shot at and have things fly by you. I can’t imagine what it’s like when it’s bullets, not paint. A lot of newbies will take cover and don’t move for fear of being hit. For me it’s pretty eye opening about what has probably occurred in most battles over the last 1000’s of years.
Have fun and don’t take it too seriously!
At the commercial fields I played at, the rule was you could call “Paint Check” in that situation, and a referee would go and look the enemy player over to see if he was out or not. Splatter counted only if the mark was at least as big as a quarter. Think I played at one field where you could call paint check, but if you did and the ref determined the other guy was not hit, you were called out…
This isn’t true at all. Every single paintball barrel is smoothbore, with the exception of the Flatline which imparts some backward spin and lift to (in theory and, sometimes, in practice) extend the range of your shot. No serious paintballer uses the Flatline system, and anybody who uses the word ‘sniper’ on the field doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
Similarly, there isn’t a whole lot of difference between a paintball shot out of a thousand dollar marker, and one shot out of your hundred dollar tippmann. Contrary to some suggestions in this thread, people actually don’t “tweak their velocity”. Commercial fields chronograph all markers to the same speed, usually something around 270-280FPS for outdoor play. Not only is it readily apparent when somebody’s blasting you with hot velocity, but it’s a major no-no that’s going to get you kicked out really quickly. The real difference between equipment is rate of fire - modern electronic markers shoot really fast, but everybody’s rounds travel the same distance at the same speed and mostly the same accuracy.
Eyeglasses under masks can be a bitch - yes, spit and anti-fog sprays can help to some degree, as can duel-layer thermal goggles (unlikely since you’re renting.) I generally am forced to take my glasses off, but my prescription is fairly minor. It’s doable, but highly inconvenient. Since you’re renting, chances are you’ll fog up extremely quickly, particularly if you’re panting and perspiring a lot.
Getting shot is no big deal. Paintballs will leave doughnut-shaped bruises just about anywhere, and their fragments can inflict some superficial cuts if you get shot on exposed skin. Besides the crotch, catching it in the hands is probably the worst. Getting shot in the throat sending you the hospital? Not so much. Paintball is one of the safest sports, below golf and bowling in terms of injury rates.
In terms of tactics the best thing you can do is be aggressive. I’m assuming you’ll be playing with lots of other newbies; many of them are going to be extremely intimidated by the sound of paintballs smacking their plywood bunker. New players spend a lot of time hiding behind cover instead of looking around, advancing up one side of the field gives you a lot of fun angles. I should mention that getting shot in the back when you’re not expecting it really sucks. But it’s so satisfying doing it to somebody else.
My general suggestion is to not worry overmuch about what people are saying (somewhat dramatically) in this thread. Get some pants and a long-sleeved shirt you don’t mind ruining, go out and have fun. Since you’re at a commercial field, you’re going to get safety lectures like the ones in here over and over. Fields are well aware of the liability involved with paintball and tend to be extremely careful about safety and barrel covers (plugs? man, when did you guys last play?). Just relax and have fun, paintball is a singularly unique experience. Kind of like computer games in real life except you can still respawn.
On preview this might come across like I’m calling out Oakminster and co. This isn’t true! They’ve given you excellent advice, I just want to clarify some of the things they’ve mentioned. Paintball is a much smaller deal than most people think it is. Go have fun!
The differences are rate of fire, consistency of fire and consistency of ammo feed. Important features, but true that once the ball leaves the barrel it’s mostly the same. How it gets out of that barrel is quite a bit different though.
Not entirely true. Courses test for a MAXIMUM velocity. Pros and high-end players will tweak their speed right up to that threshold. Amateurs with cheap equipment can often be firing well below that threshold, as much as 50 fps. Rental guns are sometimes tested once a day, once a week or worse and often they might be set to a consistent speed that’s well below the allowed max to avoid the need to readjust frequently. It’s common for one rented Tippman in a group to shoot much slower and less accurate than another in the same group. Good ranges will limit this, but you simply can’t know for sure. People with their own equipment are going to almost always be more consistent and right up at that speed threshold.
Again, a blatantly hot gun can be obvious. But, there’s a significant difference between a high-end gun with a clean, well maintained barrel that’s perfectly fit to the markers diameter. That high-end custom rig that’s shooting at exactly 280 fps is a much different animal than the rental that shoots at 255 fps with a barrel that’s a fraction of an inch too big allowing a lot of air leakage and a gun whose barrel velocity dips as the tank drains.
Long story short, good players with pricey equipment do “tweak”. Those tweaks are important and will go a long ways to tipping he balance of power in a game. The best games are games where everyone has identical rental equipment that’s well maintained and clean IMO.
Buy some of this stuff.
FogTech is what I use on my snow goggles and it’s the best I’ve tried. It’s a little pricey but it lasts forever and is worth the money. Fogged goggles when you ski, ride or shoot is a really miserable experience. Rental helmets won’t fit perfectly as they tend to be on the cheaper side. One-size fits all, overly rigid and with just one fitting strap. Custom stuff can be bought to better fit to the individual players head with as many as 3 adjustment straps. This is a round about way of saying that anti-fog stuff is more important for use with rental equipment than with personal stuff since the odds of you breathing into the goggles goes up.
Define no big deal. It can hurt like a motherfucker and leave a nasty welt for up to a week after. Baggy clothes are key, going in a t-shirt and shorts would be lunacy if you ask me. You won’t get injured by the paint, that’s true, but it’s not “no big deal” either. Plan for it and you’ll be fine, but don’t pretend it doesn’t exist.
The OP said he’s NOT going to a commercial field and seems to have no experience. Safety instructions are very warranted.
I’ve been paintballing a couple of times. I had bruises both times that lasted for more than two weeks.
My mum got shot in the ribs and it broke the skin.
A friend of my brother’s managed to cop a shot to the back of the head (he was heading off the field and a shot went high and whammed straight into the back of his head) and ended up with a low-level concussion for a couple of days.
It’s mad fun, and I would love to go play again. There’s a paintball field just the other side of the train line from my house. But the paintballs can cause injuries.
Sorry, but no. I was right in my original post, at least up through the time I stopped playing, which would have been late 90s. The barrels that came with most guns were smoothbore. I personally ordered and installed rifled barrels for two different paintball guns I own…a Tippman Pro Light, and an Automag. Both guns showed marked improvement after installing the new barrels. The Automag had a considerable range and accuracy advantage over any rental gun, and low-to-mid-range privately owned guns.
Keep your mask on whenever you’re on the playing field or anyone is around you with un-plugged barrels. People have been blinded, and those that shot them feel pretty bad about it.
Be prepared, when the paintballs start flying and hitting whatever your hiding behind, it is a genuinely scary experience. Keep cool.
Use cover and concealment. Rambo tactics will usually get you shot quickly (unless you’re against an opponent who has demonstrated they can’t hit a barn.)
Flank your opponents. Move sideways behind cover to get at your opponents from the side and rear. Have one teammate keep firing to keep their heads down while someone else moves to flank.
There are times to shoot and times not to shoot. Might be better to stay in the game than open fire on a group of 4 or 5 by yourself.
In my experience paintballs do stain, at least they stained my camo pants and jacket. Cover all your skin.