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CHAPTER 5

ROLE PLAYING

AND

SCENARIO GAMES

ALIENS ATTACK EARTH!

Is it later than you think, fellow Earthlings? From the dark recesses of the universe, an alien army is poised and ready to make the human race an endangered species. They have descended like a plague of locusts to devour everything of value on a planetary scale: all natural resources, all foodstuffs and, finally, all life forms.

Human beings throughout the world are putting up a valiant resistance as they realize defeat means annihilation for the species. The infrastructures of governments and their armed forces, with the exception of rudimentary communication, have ceased to exist. Pockets of humanity are fighting with all the fury and tenacity of a last stand.

His Excellence, Emperor Zan, Supreme Commander of the Planet Nebula, has studied this inferior race and expects an easy victory. He has promised to wrap up his attack in only 24 earth hours! One of the last vestiges of resistance is in this secluded area of southern California. Surveying the rebels, His Excellence snidely commented, “These Americans, as they call themselves, don’t know when to give up to their superiors.”

Text taken from: Viper Paintball Production Role Playing Scenario Game Script Jungle Island Paintball , Lake Elsinore, California June 21-22, 2003

Lincoln Hawke, a former commando who, by sheer force of will, survived the initial attacks, has found himself as leader of what remains of the human race. He knows this is a fight for survival, but this is the kind of fight he now believes his forces can win. It is no longer a battle of the big guns; it has become mano-a-mano, man-to-alien. “Those swollen green brains of theirs look about as soft as the rest of their bodies,” Hawk confidently told his troops.

Watch for aliens! The portal to another universe is lighted at the lower right corner. A flare ignites the night sky over a scenario game in the U.S. Southwest. Looking directly at a flare can kill your night vision, but a flare can be extremely useful in re-orienting yourself and spotting the enemy in the dark.

The portal through which the aliens pass is lighted at night and leads to a new scenario dimension.

Players who raise their arms and markers during a game are hit and should not be shot at. Elimination in a scenario game usually lasts less than 30 minutes and can be a welcome break.

Join the force of your choice in the battle to end all battles. Who shall be the victors and what is the future of planet earth? It all comes down to one final weekend, June 21 and 22, in the hills of California.

PLAYING THE GAMES

Role-playing scenario games got their start in the late ‘80s (as did most of the rest of paintball) and as they have developed, they have become extremely popular, mostly because they are extremely fun. If you have never played in a scenario game, you haven’t experienced one of the most exciting things you can do in the outdoors.

Scenario games are fun because they stretch everything you normally do across a very large canvas. The difference in playing a 10-minute capture-the-flag game with a dozen buddies at your local hyperball field and a 24-hour assault on the king’s castle with 700 of your closest friends is practically indescribable. And there are several other aspects to scenario play that you won’t find at your average recreational game. These include the use of motorized tanks, mortars, bazookas, mines, night vision scopes, grenades, Ghillie suits, snipers, lasers, helicopters and special effects! The sky is the limit, but because of the suits and the charts and graphs running paintball insurance carriers, there are often very careful special rules about how, when and where such things as tanks, mortars and rockets can be employed.

Scenario games are often based on a story line, either historical or fictional. A historical story line, for example, could be a replay of the battle of Gettysburg in the U.S. War Between the States. A popular fictional storyline is the great castle assault that takes place in The Two Towers, book two in J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic trilogy Lord of the Rings, or even a situation from a comic magazine (and movies) like the X-Men. Sometimes, the scenario director develops an all-new storyline that gives players great freedom to assume special characters and develop roles. A game based on a Vietnam situation or a terrorist incident may even incorporate air assaults, helicopters, booby traps, snipers and spies.

Now, all this doesn’t come cheap, says New Jersey’s Steve Cranmer, a member of the team Joint Fury. For a good 24-hour game, you can expect to pay $50 or more to register, he says. Paint is almost always “Field Paint Only” and, yes, field hosts do overcharge for the paint, sometimes as much as $90 for a case.

Sure, this is a lot more expensive than you can buy it at a local paintball retailer or over the Internet, but a 24-hour scenario game that draws hundreds of players is very expensive to produce. The field will have added more referees than normal and they have to work around the clock under pressure to enforce safety rules and make decisions they don’t normally have to worry about.

The field owners will have to add extra portable toilets, food concessions, extra rental markers and air/CO₂ fill stations. They will have to worry about zoning permits, noise ordinances, liability insurance, staff radios (dozens of replaceable batteries), game organizers, special game props, real medics on site and perhaps even off-duty police for traffic control. Then remember they need to make a profit, too, because without making a profit you won’t have a scenario game to play in next year. It’s the American way.

Allied armies storm ashore at Skirmish USA’s D-Day recreation and run for cover from the intense “German” fire, just like their parents from the “Greatest Generation.” Plenty of referees dot the playing fields to make sure that all players keep their goggles on and that no markers exceed the 280-fps limit in a scenario game of this size.

Nevertheless, whether you are a newbie or an experienced player, when you storm a Nazi bunker or are part of a gang holding up a train for the mine ’s payroll, you’ll never forget the experience. A scenario game can’t possibly be beat for getting you hooked on extending your paintball knowledge and experience.

Scenario games don’t last just 10 minutes. If you get involved in one of these, expect to spend your whole weekend hustling and shooting. Actually, games can last from six to 26 hours. The event typically begins with a party and early check-in on Friday. Actual play begins on noon Saturday and ends around noon Sunday. There are scheduled breaks for dinner and A FEW hours of sleep at night. You will be tired, dirty and happy.

If you can, you certainly want to arrive at the field early on Friday, because the usual pre-game player party on Friday night will be one of the event’s highlights. If the game organizers are at all on top of their game, they will make sure everyone has a chance to mix and meet each other, not just hang out in their own little groups. Anyway, you’ll make dozens of new friends and meet the organizers and the specialized role players. Unless you are shy, you’ll feel like you are a vital part of the event. Sometimes the party includes a barbecue, maybe a beer tent (if you are above the legal age) and possibly even a band.

After you register, you’ll probably be given a packet that identifies who you will be in the scenario and what you must do for your side. Certainly, this varies with the scenario producer and by game, but a packet contains something like this:

1. A laminated badge for you to wear around your neck to show you have registered. It assigns your player number and attests that you have chronographed properly.

2. A “character card” that assigns you to a squad and gives you a particular role (a demolitions technician or a spy or a medic, for example) and lists any special gear you can carry. Your character card is the only proof of your game identity and your side affiliation. Without it, you may not be allowed to enter your home base, so keep it safe and on your person at all times.

3. Inside your packet will be a basic field or situation map that gives you an idea of the relative locations of objects on the field.

In a well-managed game, when the generals are really up to the task (and it can go both ways, unfortunately), players are divided into teams of several hundred people each. Each side or team has a headquarters or base of operations that consists of a command post and usually some other assorted buildings. Trenches, bunkers and special obstacles may surround these buildings.

Skirmish USA Paintball Park in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, hosts a D-Day Europe re-creation in July 2003, paintball style. At the horn, Allied players storm out of simulated Higgins boats and assault the German cliffs and trenches. With more than a thousand players involved, action is super hot and paint fills the air for more than 24 hours.

Before any scenario game, the field owners and producers brief players on safety, game rules, special effects and especially play at night when the rules often change.

Sides are organized into multiple task teams, five- to 10-player hit squads, each with a leader whose job is to communicate with the team’s ultimate commander. The ultimate commander is conveniently referred to as “the general.” Depending on the size of his force, the general will likely have a command staff to help motivate and direct the various squads. Typically the general will have an executive officer (XO) and several company commanders. Squad leaders receive their missions through this chain of command and then direct their squads as needed to accomplish assigned missions.

Most events begin Saturday by noon. So, Saturday morning you prep your gear, buy your paint and get ready to get your bang on! Just before the game officially kicks off, there is always a player briefing to review safety, game rules, and the game’s theme. In addition, special role players are introduced and everyone is briefed on the powers these players have. At this last minute get-together, you will meet the opposing generals and referees , too. When the starting horn blares, it’s Game On!

Play Begins

When a coded mission is called in to your general, get ready. A radio operator will decode the message before the general must begin making decisions. He consults with his staff, and if he accepts it or decides that it is feasible, he then assigns the mission to a squad. Given the nature of scenario play, you can assume that a squad of enemy players is probably being dispatched to attempt the same mission or even an intersecting mission, at about the same time. The scenario director, who is responsible for the unfolding plot line, calls in missions regularly throughout the game.

A mission can be as simple and straight-forward as sending all available players to storm the enemy base. Or, a mission can be as specific as giving Company A, Platoon C 30 minutes to capture Hill 66 and find the treasure that is buried there.

Missions are given point values and, ultimately, points are how the game is won or lost. Teams can only increase their points by accomplishing these assigned tasks. Obviously, the more missions you complete successfully, the better the chance that your side will win. Taking or successfully defending a bunker, for instance, may require at least 20 players to start and at least one of them must be at that location within 30 minutes. This mission could be assigned 10 or perhaps 100 points, depending on its strategic value in the game. If the mission is completed successfully, points are awarded to the aggressor team. The players who are most focused on accomplishing missions are usually the ones who win.

While missions are being run by both groups of players, any special characters are running missions of their own. These are also worth points. And spies for both sides are trying their best to add unexpected complexities to the game. Of course, both sides need to stay alert and defend their prospective base camps from attack.

The general receives a mission from game control.

In scenario games , there is often a chance to capture another player. In fact, if that member of the enemy team is a spy, he could actually be setting you up so that he can plant false information. The “no shooting at close range” rule applies, and if you suddenly find yourself in position to shoot someone at close range, you can offer him the capture/shoot option and he must answer immediately. If he chooses “shoot,” he is out until the next resurrection. (You do not actually pull the trigger on anyone at close range!) If he chooses “capture,” he is out for 15 minutes. In a capture, he puts his gun on “safe” and follows you to your base for interrogation. Typically then, a referee will help you release your captive at a safe distance.

According to Wayne Dollack of Wayne’s World Paintball in Ocala, Florida, the man often referred to as the “father of paintball scenario games,” you may never physically touch a captive (or any other player) at any time.

The beauty of the scenario set-up is that both sides are “multi-tasking.” Some squads are out on attack missions while others must be kept at hand for defense and special assignments. The task for the command staff is to keep track of everyone and manage the team’s resources.

This may leave a hundred or more team players between missions. Use the time between missions to get paint off, fill the hopper, squeegee your barrel, check your gear or take a catnap. Some of the time, you will be in a defensive position somewhere on the periphery of your team’s territory, because the other side will be trying to penetrate your team’s defensive perimeter, put you out of the game and accomplish their goals, too.

Most events run until chow time. At five or six o’clock they take a one- to two-hour break for food and rest. There are usually prize giveaways and drawings at this time, but you should get off your feet and even take a catnap if you can, because you won’t get much sleep during the night. And drink plenty of fluids.

Once night play begins after the dinner break, some of the rules change. Most events have you chronograph your markers down from the daytime 280 fps to 250 fps or even less. The reason is that at night, shooting action is often much closer than when you can see clearly during the day. On most fields, grenades or mortars are not allowed at night and most events count any hit, whether it breaks paint or not, as a valid elimination hit. Missions continue in the darkness along with the task of defending your command and protecting your general from assassination. These days, it is the rare event that continues play all the way through the night, though. Games generally suspend activity between midnight and at least 3:00 A.M. Most players have come to have a good time and by the early morning hours, everyone is worn out. It’s time for players to return to their campsite and get some shuteye.

Night play is especially exciting, though. There are the standard dangers of falling on a poison punji stake and dying an agonizing death alone and in the dark (just kidding!) or getting whacked by a tree limb, but just distinguishing your team members from your opponents is the hard … and exciting … part. Someone in your squad will need a flashlight with good batteries.

Most teams devise secret passwords and responses for night missions or practice an audible but secret drill. “Pittsburgh!” someone will call out in the dark. The obvious answer can be “Pirates” or “Steelers.” Answering correctly will mean the difference between a face full of paint and a welcoming pat on the back. Working with a partner makes this especially fun if one person does the challenging and the second person prepares to cut loose immediately if the response is wrong.

Regardless of whether the game was temporarily halted during the night due to lack of players on the field or even if some hard-core players continue the game until daybreak Sunday morning, most events schedule a breakfast break sometime around 7:00 A.M. At this time, some prizes are usually given away and the field commander or scenario director gives the players an update on how both groups fared the day before and on the respective point standings.

After breakfast, it’s Game On! again! This is the final four to five hours, because most scenarios end at noon on Sunday. These final hours can be very fast paced because both groups are trying to make as many points on missions as possible.

About an hour before the game ends, Joint Fury’s Steve Cranmer notes, many scenarios put on a final great battle. Both groups are “herded” to the center of the field and given an objective. Usually, it is to hold or seize a certain location or object on the field and teams are given the final hour to accomplish this. The final battle is often worth a large number of points, so a group that is behind in points can sometimes win the final battle and take the game.

When the final horn sounds and the game is over, everyone meets with the scenario promoter to hear the final point tally and receive player and team awards from their respective generals. At this time there is usually a final, grand prize drawing and it is frequently an expensive and desirable gear item donated by a paintball manufacturer, a new electronic marker, for instance.

Elimination

Eliminations in a scenario game don’t have any effect on a team’s score although they may affect your squad’s ability to accomplish a mission. When a player is shot, he must check in at his team’s “hospital” and await the next insertion window, which is usually every 30 minutes. This way, eliminated players only have to sit out for a maximum of 30 minutes at a time. When they go back into the game, they must enter through a “safe passage” entrance to their side’s headquarters.

One of the roles most valued in scenario games that incorporate it into the script is that of “medic.” If a medic tags an eliminated player within a certain amount of time from the moment of his hit—sometimes 90 seconds—the player is “cured” and may keep playing without leaving the field. Of course, the medic is vulnerable to being hit, too.

Elimination in a scenario game usually requires that players accept an honor system. With hundreds of players, numerous special “missions” taking place at any given time and play throughout the night, it is impossible for referees to rule on every hit. This may be a challenge for tournament players who often don’t consider themselves “out” until they are flagged by a ref. But since “resurrection” normally takes place within half an hour, many experienced scenario game players don’t mind taking a little time off the field to take their goggles off for a good cleaning, squeegee their marker and adopt the prone position briefly for some inner eyelid review.

Nevertheless, scenario events follow regular paintball rules of elimination. If you are hit anywhere on your body or equipment and the paint mark is the size of a quarter, or you accumulate a quarter’s worth of paint splatter, you are eliminated. An eliminated player holds his marker high over his head, shouts that he is “hit” or “out” and walks off the field to a “dead zone” or the team hospital. But remember, in a 24-hour scenario game you can get reinserted in about a half an hour. So, don’t fret. You won’t be out of action for long.

ROLE-PLAYING

Role players such as this Scottish warrior at Sherwood Forest Adventure Games, LaPorte, Indiana, in May 2002, have a special status in scenario games. This particular game, “The Quickening,” was produced by Mackz Xtreme Sportz . (Photo by Ted D’Ottavio .)

In certain types of games, players take on popular roles from fiction or perhaps even from history and then compete to see who can accomplish objectives within the overall game. You might play Gandalf, Tolkien’s wizard in the Lord of the Rings, or Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Confederate States’ Army of Northern Virginia or even Ho Chi Minh in a Vietnam scenario. The possibilities, says Ben Torricelli, owner of Millennium Paintball Productions , are practically endless, but competition for the well-known roles is tough.

When you take part in a scenario game and especially when you accept a special role, play will not be predictable, certainly not as predictable as it is at your local field on an average Saturday afternoon. Expect surprises. Expect sudden air assaults. Expect espionage and even hostage-taking. Depending on the scenario director’s inventiveness and the host field’s capabilities, the sky is really the limit.

Some Typical Scenario Roles

Look around at all the new faces. Scenario games welcome walk-ons and will usually rent all of the playing equipment you will need. The player meeting before any game, scenario production or a tournament, will orient you to the rules. This is the best time to begin psyching out your opponents!

A Demolitions Technician (demo tech) is certified for missions or developing situations that require the placement and/or activation of demolition charges. Sometimes these charges will just be “Action Cards” that need to be placed, but they can also be physical objects resembling sticks of dynamite or satchel charges. Demo techs may be given simulated rockets to add realism to their roles.

Engineers are needed to help a team recover from the actions of demo techs. Engineers carry “Reconstruction Cards,” enabling them to rebuild demolished structures. If the Mongol Horde, for example, demolishes a key bridge that the Teutonic knights need to accomplish a recon mission, the knights will fail unless they have their engineer play a Reconstruction Card to a referee and restore the bridge.

Each side has a few Medics who can heal non-lethal wounds in the field. The medic has a tablet on which he records the ID numbers of the victims he heals. Typically, a medic is given a limited number of healings, so this, too, is bound by an honor system. If a medic tags a wounded player within about 90 seconds of being hit, the wounded player can resume play right away. If a medic is eliminated, they can no longer heal others until they themselves are resurrected at the next player insertion.

Some character cards contain fascinating clues telling the player their role may include being a Spy, Secret Agent, Double Agent, Saboteur or even a Traitor. For example, look for a line that describes your character saying, “You have become disillusioned with the war effort and, given the right opportunity, you will be inclined to switch sides.” Sometimes, only the double-agent with a special “License to Kill” card can take out the opposing team’s general.

Game organizers will often recruit players to act out Special Fictional Roles. These help bring the unfolding scenario to life. You can see space aliens, wizards or historical figures roaming the field in full costume and acting out their parts. These roles are not for beginners, but can be a lot of fun when you have the opportunity to play something special.

And if you don’t dress the part when you are asked to be The Gunslinger, you’re not going to have all the fun you can. Here’s your chance to strut!

Sometimes you can make up your own character. This is referred to as “going creative.” But switching back and forth between characters in a single game is confusing. It won’t endear you to your teammates and may not be appreciated by the scenario operator, either. You could end up with no one trusting you and, in that case, don’t be surprised if you get shot in the back every now and then. (Shooting a disrespected officer or NCO in the back was called “fragging” in Viet Nam.) Some games allow you to bring your own props, like your homemade rocket launcher that shoots soft nerf balls, but you need to check with a referee or the scenario operator before you spring them on the field. Remember, if you are thinking about it, so are others; don’t be surprised if some of the more experienced players try to go solo or operate outside of their assigned character.

Scenario Tips for Newbies

“Halt! And give me the password.” A scenario team can’t be too careful protecting their general and the headquarters.

First, the huge crowds and the really experienced guys who have fancy equipment and who can talk the “in” paintball jargon can be intimidating. Sure, everything is new, but remember that every player starts at the beginning and generally knows little or nothing on their first day. Just think how much fun it will be when you eliminate that know-it-all.

Second, don’t let yourself be forgotten out there guarding the perimeter, especially after dark. Make sure your squad leader knows where you are and you stay alert to any call-up to a mission. Your leader probably doesn’t know you personally, so if you don’t like something, speak up! You are on the field to have fun, and if you’re not having fun, do something about it. Don’t be a pain, but don’t be a pansy either.

Walk-ons, by the way, are welcome at all games including scenarios that are not filled to overflowing with people who have pre-registered. It is fun to go alone … and fun to go with your buddies, too. When you enter by yourself, you will get to meet a lot of interesting players and you will definitely learn some new tactics and make new friends. With a group of friends, you will feel less like an outsider and more at home playing with people you know and whose play you have learned. Beware, however, that as an individual walk-on, you may have to prove yourself to your team before they trust you completely because everyone is on the lookout for spies and saboteurs!

A SCENARIO EXAMPLE

The following is an example of a typical scenario game that was produced and hosted by some of paintball’s greatest champions. While typical, the attention to detail and strong emphasis on a player-friendly environment make it non-typical, too. Nevertheless, this is what you may expect when you attend a first-class scenario game.

Scenario Game at EMR Paintball Park:“Return to Wolf’s Lair” P.O. Box 728, New Milford, PA 18834 (570) 465-9622 www.emrpaintball.comOctober 25-26, 2003 Produced by MXS and PMI

The Story

The Chronicler pauses in his address to the science and technology representatives. The auditorium is silent, as the members see their taskmaster hesitate. “It seems that your kind is obsessed with control at all cost,” he continues. “The information you are soon to witness is scattered at best, but should be enough to aid you in your simulation research.

“Sometime in the 9th century AD, a Saxon prince by the name of Henry the Fowler – also called Heinrich – sought to separate from the Frankish dynasty and form his own Germanic power. During his conquests, Heinrich stumbled upon some ancient texts, much like how I retrieve data from the Ancients. Upon translation of the Eastern scripts, Heinrich convinced himself that his people were direct descendants of the Thule, a race of pure consciousness who were unknown to The Leaders, or myself, however. Heinrich was determined he could tap into the power of the Thule.”

CHEN powers up to display a man chanting prayers. The image flashes to an army of human-looking creatures, but there is something wrong about them. “These beings are called zombies,” CHEN reports.

The Sherwood Forest castle by day. The battlements are manned and defended. A definitive scenario set-up.

The zombie army destroys anything and everything that dares stand in its path. Suddenly, a man dressed in robes appears. He is resisting Heinrich’s army of the undead. The scene erupts in chaos as the zombies attack the man who appears to be a monk. Blood and bodies fly from the epicenter of action. As the commotion settles, the monk is now carrying a limp Heinrich up the side of a mountain. The unconscious prince is being sealed into the mountainside tomb, guarded by many curses of foreboding.

The images change to Germany, many centuries later. CHEN explains the imagery: “Heinrich Himmler is a direct descendant of Henry the Fowler. Himmler is a high-ranking official in Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich. He is an evil, soulless bureaucrat and the architect of some of the most horrible atrocities of the Nazi regime. He has founded the SS Paranormal Division, a collection of Germany’s most ardent occult followers, dedicated to finding preternatural ways to further their country’s war of conquest. Himmler has uncovered pieces and parts that, when brought together, could spell disaster for the free world and all mankind.”

The scene moves to a hallway, then a closed door, upon it is a sign: Office of Secret Actions. CHEN explains: “The OSA is a joint venture between two countries, Great Britain and the United States, created to pursue clandestine operations behind the German lines during World War II. Information comes in from agents in the field and contacts within the resistance movements of German-occupied Europe.”

The OSA verifies these reports to uncover Germany’s plans. Now, the OSA has learned of Himmler’s occult activities and has sent their best men and fighters to the village of Wulfburg to explore a structure called Castle Wolfenstein, The Wolf’s Lair. It is here that rumors of occult activity and cruel experiments upon war prisoners are taking place.

The images change once more to show an American soldier sitting alone in a cell. He is repeating Standing Order #71 out loud. “If you are placed in a compromising position where you might divulge information regarding your mission or the OSA, take your own life by ingesting your cyanide tablet. As always the OSA will disavow …” Upon hearing footsteps approaching the door, the man crumples the paper in his hands. He holds his breath and waits. As the footsteps pass and fade, the soldier breathes again.

CHEN explains the imagery; “This is B. J. Blazkowicz, a top OSA agent and U.S. Army Ranger. During his recon of Kugelstadt, he was captured and thrown into a dungeon.”

Blazkowicz stands and stretches, knocking his knuckles on the low ceiling. He makes his way to the single, tiny window that decorates his cell. Out the window, he can see Castle Wolfenstein across the lake. Screams of pain and terror there are not muffled. He turns to the dungeon’s door, removes his combat knife from his boot and calls for the guard.

The images shift once more. “This is the lower keep of Castle Wolfenstein,” CHEN explains. A Nazi scientist is putting a specimen – an allied prisoner – through a course of agonizing tests. The thing laying on the gurney is a severely malformed human. The Nazi can be heard chanting incantations as he hovers over the results of his twisted experiments. “This man is Heinrich Himmler,” CHEN reports. The image stops suddenly leaving the council speechless.

Key Characters

OSA/Rangers

Name: The Director, Office of Secret Actions

Bio: Not much is known about this Englishman, other than he is a capable man who puts nothing past the Nazis. He will not dismiss a report out of hand just because it may seem outlandish. However strange it appears, he believes, the truth must be uncovered, or there could be a nasty surprise for Allied forces.

Name: Jack Stone, OSA

Bio: The Director’s trusted assistant, Jack Stone is an American with a keen mind and a thorough knowledge of the workings of the German war machine. The highest officials heed his advice. He has been sent to the Malta office of the OSA and is responsible for collating much of the information as it comes in from the operatives.

Name: B. J. Blazkowicz, OSA/ U.S. Army Rangers

Bio: One of the top agents for the OSA, his talents are needed to investigate rumors of strange goings-on within the Third Reich. It is hoped that Blazkowicz can find out the truth behind reports of occult activity in the German hierarchy at The Wolf’s Lair.

Name: Kessler, Kreisau Circle resistance group

Bio: You are the local contact for OSA operatives in the field. You have been successful in partially infiltrating the SS Paranormal Division’s temporary headquarters and have valuable information regarding their activities. Finding and meeting with the OSA agents can be tricky, but you are determined to fight the Germans the best way you know how.

Nazis

Name: Heinrich Himmler, Founder of the SS Paranormal Division

Bio: An unusual interest in the occult, a little background research into the family tree and a temperament to make Hitler proud all pointed Himmler to his destiny. Gathering the most ardent occult followers and chasing down a myth—a tale from centuries past—has yielded a glimmer of light. His labs and dungeons are haunted by walking undead and monstrous creations and filled with screams from prisoners who know they will never be released from his horror.

Name: Wilhelm Strasse, high-ranking German scientist with the SS Paranormal Division

Taking the fortress means close-quarters shooting and house-to-house fighting. It’s a scenario paintball game, not the streets of Baghdad, so there will be times when you need to offer an opponent the chance to surrender rather then get blasted at 10 feet. (Photo by Ted D’Ottavio)

Bio: Hi skull-like visage and twisted scientific research have earned him the nickname “Death’s head.” Strasse is close to Himmler, but does not subscribe to any of the man’s occult beliefs. Strasse has two passions: science and machinery. He has spent years on his Projekt Uber Soldat, fusing metal and flesh with horrific results. His experiments have spawned creatures that are no longer human yet not fully mechanical. He gives credence only to that which is tangible and fights guns with guns.

Name: Marianna Blavatsky, Oberfuhrer, SS Paranormal Division

Bio: Madame Blavatsky has studied the black arts. She has established herself as the premier practitioner of the occult within the borders of Nazi Germany. As such, she has the ear of Himmler and vast power within the SS Paranormal Division. Blavatsky has mentored many in the occult. With patience and study, the Oberfuhrer has compiled information that could point the Nazis to a power greater than any yet known to the modern world.

We have a winner! National manufacturers like Tippmann Pneumatics will give away products as “door prizes” at big tournaments and well-attended scenario games.

Name: Helga von Bulow, SS Paranormal Division

Bio: This headstrong woman has studied under Marianna Blavatsky and does everything she can to help her teacher. Helga has become a leader in her own right, establishing the all-women Elite Guard to further the cause of the Division. While she has learned much from Oberfuhrer Blavatsky, von Bulow tends to be impetuous. She tries too hard sometimes, running headlong into situations where discretion may be necessary.

On-Site Information

To receive the discount for pre-registration, player entries must be postmarked by October 8th, 2003. The field will open after 9:00 AM on Friday to accommodate early camping, arrivals and recreational vehicles. Registration will be open on Friday from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM and re-open at 7:00 AM Saturday morning.

A mandatory player orientation takes place at 10:00 AM Saturday. “Game on” is from noon Saturday until 2:00 PM Sunday. Event admission is $50 per player prior to pre-registration deadline and $60 after the per-registration deadline and on the day of the game.

Your admission includes: official embroidered series event patch; character ID card; laminated event badge; entry into the prize drawings; a BustNBalls “Free Money Instant Win” game card; and a 26-hour event. Pre-registered-only players are guaranteed an event rocker; entry into the “Tippmann Reach Out and Tag Someone” drawing for a Tippmann Custom 98 and Flatline barrel system; entry into the Crossfire magazine FREE subscriptions giveaway and a chance to take home the “BustNBalls Mystery Grand Prize” at the end of the event!

The only paint will be PMI event paint. A 2000-round case is $80 on site.

Air fills: CO2 is $4 each fill for any size bottle or three for $10. Compressed air is $18 for the weekend with unlimited fills.

Team Joint Fury will produce “HOLLOW of HORROR II” on Friday evening. Starting with an Octoberfest-style banquet from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, free for the first 200 registered players in line, compliments of Joint Fury. The Friday night fun will continue as players participate in the “Haunted Castle Arrrrgh” game, complete with ghouls, goblins, assorted lights, prizes and killer fog from 7:00 to 10:00 PM.

At 6:00 PM on Friday evening, there will be an Armotech Zeus “Top Gun One-On-One” competition for the first 20 registered MXS scenario players who sign up for it. The winner of this competition will take home a new Armotech Zeus semi-automatic pistol! Participants must sign up with MXS prior to the competition in order to compete.

The Scenario News Costume Contest on Friday night will begin at 9:00 PM. Prizes will be awarded to the winner of the costume contest by celebrity judges.

The traditional EMR Player Party will take place Friday night as well, with the Rec. Center open until midnight for ping-pong, pool, foosball and music. A volleyball net and horseshoes will be set-up during the day. E.M.R. will also have a bonfire on Friday and Saturday nights.

Tasty Tyme Caterers, owned and operated by Rich Barchock of Team Damage, Inc., will serve the player’s lunch and dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday!

Home away from home: There are 22 bunkhouses available free. They range from 12 to 21 bunks each. These must be reserved through EMR and bunk assignments are made on a first-register, first-get basis. Players must register a group of 15 people to get their own private bunkhouse. Otherwise they will be put with other players in a bunkhouse. The faster that players pre-register, the better bunkhouse they get. There is also free camping onsite.

Players are invited to cool their heels at the field and play some recreational ball on any of EMR’s 24 fields after the awards ceremony Sunday afternoon until 6:00 PM, and are welcome to stay overnight on Sunday.

All participants need to know and/or to fill out: the story line, MXS Rules of Play, event registration forms and MXS Waivers, EMR Field Waiver, hotels/motels and directions to EMR Paintball Park. Please visit EMR’s Internet site for additional information.

INTERVIEW: BLUE’S CREW

I asked Blue how he made his choices for teammates, writes Blue’s Crew “Press Wench” Amy “The Girl” Chantry.

“Well, I was looking for a certain type of player,” Blue replied. “I wanted this to be a team of aggressive players, not afraid to charge, real paintball warriors! But I know many excellent players out there and I couldn’t choose all of them! Plus, I wanted to reward the players that have maintained their loyalty to EMR (my paintball park) all these years and helped my business grow. We really have a family here and when you get an opportunity to do something like this, you want your family with you.”

Michael “Blue” Hanse says he has been in paintball practically since “day one,” since the invention of the game. These days, he still plays the game, manages an internationally famous paintball scenario team called “Blue’s Crew” – named in a way after himself – and, with his wife, Sue, operates the highly successful EMR Paintball Park in New Milford, Pennsylvania. (EMR stands for Endless Mountain Recreation.) During his paintball career, Blue has been involved in manufacturing markers and wholesaling gear. So, as far as paintball goes, Blue is about as well rounded as a 40-something married kind of guy can be.

Blue began playing paintball in 1983 when he bought four Splatmasters and chased friends around in the woods near his home in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Eventually he became a “suit,” specializing in the office products and office design business. “I was smoking four packs of cigarettes a day,” he remembers, “had an ulcer and never saw my family. I finally asked myself, ‘Who needs this?’” Apparently, the answer was obvious.

“Today, at EMR, we’re very player oriented,” Blue says. “Whereas most of the fields in the U.S. cater to the part-time recreational player, to walk-ons, beginners and maybe bachelor parties or groups from the office, we have taken our fields in a different direction. We want the top five percent of players, the people who are serious, really love the game. We’re open to anyone, though, and we try to help newbies feel comfortable and have a good time.”

EMR holds Big Games and Scenarios on its 20 outdoor fields. Blue and crew have built a castle, villages and 35 bunkhouses. “We have 110 20-foot by 20-foot campsites and can sleep up to 600 people in the bunkhouses,” he says. With 400 to 700 players showing up for a Big Game, EMR is obviously big-time paintball. “So far, 756 is tops, but we’re still growing!”

For a typical Big Game event, players by the hundreds will show up and generals will be chosen for each side. “Tom Kaye , president of marker manufacturer Airgun Designs , was here as a general for our last game,” Blue says.

“Twin Towers” was the most recent Big Game at EMR. “We kind of imitated [J.R.R.] Tolkien’s book The Two Towers. We had castle attackers and defenders. It was a huge hoot. Obviously, with that many people, paint gets thick in the air, so if you get hit, you come out of the game, we chronograph your marker to keep you legal and then after 10 or 15 minutes, we reinsert you. This lets everyone get plenty of playing time. One of our Big Games can run from six to 26 hours, from noon on Saturday until two o’clock PM on Sunday.”

Even though he is in his 40s, Michael still stays in shape, practices and will shoot up a case of balls when he gets a few hours to himself. “I used to hunt,” Blue says, “but now I’m 100 percent paintball. A big difference in hunting and paintball is that the average hunter shoots a few times before the season to check his scope and then may get a couple shots during the season. Paintball is just the opposite. You can’t get really good by conserving your ammo. When I was really into playing, I’d go out and run and shoot up maybe 4000 balls in a weekend. Try that hunting and you’ll go through a dozen gun barrels .”

Blue’s wife, Sue, also plays. “That’s another thing I like about paintball,” Blue says. “When I got started maybe one half of one percent of all players were women. Now, they may make up five to 10 percent or even 10 to 15 percent of the total number of players. I imagine many women think they’re going to go out and get bruised and muddy and have men run all over them, but paintball isn’t like that. Size and strength really don’t matter. Endurance matters and someone of smaller stature, someone who is agile and fast actually has a better chance than some 200-pounder. Paintball is an equalizer.”

“Blue’s Crew ” represents Michael “Blue” Hanse’s EMR Paintball Park at big games around the U.S. Blue says he organized his famous scenario team to “play hard and have fun!” (Photo by Ted D’Ottavio .)

So, how did Michael get nicknamed “Blue?” And how about “Blue’s Crew ?”

“Believe it or not, that all got started when I went to an event in Paw Paw, West Virginia in about 1989,” Michael Hanse says. “Tippmann had just come out with the first really good functioning semi-auto, the 68-Special, and I went down there to try it out.”

About 50 players showed up and Michael says 50 people was a real crowd in those days. On the way out the door, he grabbed a case of Nelson paintballs and when he got to Paw Paw, he realized he was not only the oldest player, but he was the only player not shooting bright red or orange balls. The Nelson balls were blue.

“That was 15 years ago,” he says, “and I was running and shooting a lot then. I was pretty quick and a real good shot with that 68-Special. We ran game after game and … to make a long story short … at the end of the day, I had shot everyone at least one time and had shot some many times. So, there were 49 guys standing around covered with blue paint. To make matters worse – well, for them – they hadn’t hit me one time. Not once all day! The guys began to give me a hard time in a joking kind of way and they nicknamed me ‘Blue,’ then and there.”

Over the years, Blue has organized several well-known paintball teams, but his current team is named after himself, Blue’s Crew. The 31 members and 12 associate members are fully sponsored by manufacturers for their clothing, equipment, game entry fees and even some of their travel expenses.

Imagine fighting your way through an Old West mining camp in a 24-hour scenario game. With practically a dozen years of producing role-playing scenarios and big games across the U.S., the producers have the games down to Safe and Fun! There is usually plenty of camping and a good time is had by all.

INTERVIEW: THE FATHER OF SCENARIO GAMES

Wayne Dollack is considered the “Father of the Paintball Scenario Game” and a number of today’s scenario producers (Diane and Patrick McKinnon of Mackz Xtreme Sportz , for instance) originally worked with him. Today, Wayne operates a paintball field called Wayne’s World of Paintball in Ocala, Florida, and produces scenario games as well.

Paintball Digest sat down with Wayne and Jackie Dollack at their playing field and pro shop “Wayne’s World of Paintball” in Ocala, Florida. Wayne, who was 63 years old in 2003, laughed about his reputation as the “father of scenario games” because it made him sound sooooo ooold.

Paintball Digest: Wayne, I understand you had a colorful life long before you got to be the “father of paintball scenario games .”

Wayne: I played my first game of paintball in 1983 after we moved to Ocala. Paintball was mostly rogue fields out in the woods in those days. Before that, I’d been a graphics artist specializing in advertising. But in the early’80s, artists began switching to computers to do all their art, and I figured that after 38 years it was time for a career change.

Paintball Digest: So, tell us about your first scenario games.

Wayne: It was back in 1986, I think, and the field was quite large. We called it “Operation CIA.” We put in $2 each and buried the money in a cash box in a hidden tower we’d built in the middle of this field. The object was to find the money and keep from getting shot. If you found the money, you got to keep it. We had a ball.

The next year in “Operation Stealth,” we built an airplane out of plywood that looked like a Stealth bomber and tried to get all 38 players in the mood. Then we looked up, and honest to God, we had police department helicopters circling overhead taking pictures. They were watching that black-painted Stealth bomber, I guess, because they never did contact us about it and we couldn’t figure out what they wanted. Eventually they just flew off. What we didn’t know was that the real Stealth bomber was about to be unveiled and it was real Top Secret stuff. How about that! Since then, we’ve had a lot of law enforcement people come out and play. That game, “Operation Stealth” in 1987, was our first role-playing scenario game.

Paintball Digest: So, your very first game drew a lot of attention, but it wasn’t necessarily the kind of attention you wanted. How did the idea of playing roles in the game come up?

Wayne: I swear that story is true. But a buddy of mine , an army engineer who had been in Vietnam named Gaylan Lancaster, came up with the idea of character cards, and we got together and made up roles for some of the games. Gaylan, of course, wanted to be the “Game Operations Director” and called himself GOD for short. We soon discovered that the more you become your character, the more you get into it, the more you enjoy the experience and that’s what it’s all about.

Paintball Digest: Was that your first 24-hour game?

Wayne: Yes. In those days, a 24-hour game actually played for 24 hours. Today, most games shut down for dinner and then from about 2 to 7 on Sunday morning. Give everybody a break, including the referees . You get 300 people out on the field and with a 1:15 ref-to-player ratio, you’ve got a big staff to worry about, maybe 25 people.

Paintball Digest: How does a scenario game differ from tournament play?

Guards provide security for a shipment of gold in Nocer Productions ’ “Great Train Robbery” at First Strike Paintball in Newberry, Florida.

Wayne: Tournaments are very fast and involve small teams that are sponsored by manufacturers. Team members are usually fast and athletic, so play can be much more aggressive. And with lots of money, often thousands of dollars, riding on the outcome of some 5-man shoot-out that barely lasts 5 minutes, tempers can get out of hand. The refs have to be on top of the play all the time. You almost never see somebody losing their temper on a scenario field. In scenario play, the emphasis is on sportsmanship and enjoying the game.

I mentioned that tournament teams are sponsored. That means manufacturers provide equipment, clothing or travel expenses to a high-profile team like Michael “Blue” Hanse’s Blue’s Crew or the Jacksonville Warriors from Jacksonville, Florida. The team gets its gear free, gets its picture in magazines, travels to tournaments or big, high profile games and sometimes even part of their expenses (meals or motels) will be reimbursed. A manufacturer gets visibility because the guys on the team wear the manufacturer’s name on their clothes and let the manufacturer use their pictures and maybe do some PR stuff.

Paintball Digest: So where do you go from here?

Wayne: Jackie and I travel all over the country now putting on scenario games and there are a lot of other good groups doing it, too. We’re headed up to Wasaga Beach Paintball in Canada to help put on “Stars War” (didn’t want to get in trouble with anyone in Tinsel Town) soon. Paul has a great operation. He gets 60,000 players a year at Skirmish and he’s into white-water rafting, too. We did the only, or at least the first, 48-hour scenario game in the world at Skirmish. It was based on the movie “Blade Runner” and practically everybody had a great time. I had no idea that movie was such a hit.

Wayne Dollack (left) with his field and business manager Eddie Williamson at Wayne’s World of Paintball in Ocala, Florida. Wayne says he never thought much about being called the “father of paintball scenario games.” He just thought he was having fun and making a living.

Lying in wait!

People don’t realize it, but planning a game and building props and scripting character cards and missions for 500 people takes from 4 to 6 weeks. Then you’ve got to haul everything to the field and hope for good weather. If the weather is great, you could have twice the turnout you expect and that leaves you scrambling for more Porta-Potties and referees . If it turns rotten, maybe nobody will show up and you can lose thousands of dollars.

But everything in paintball is changing fast. The equipment, especially. Paintball is on television now and then and lots of people out on the west coast are trying “air soft.” It’s like paintball, but you shoot little plastic pellets instead of breakable balls so, obviously, it is more of an honor-based game. You can’t tell when someone else gets hit. But the air soft guns (they’re not markers , because they don’t actually mark anything) shoot faster and farther. Air soft hasn’t caught on here in the east or the south, yet.

I’d say that even in regular paintball, though, the markers are much faster than they used to be. They shoot further and straighter, too.

Paintball Digest: How do you like being thought of as the “father” of scenario games?

Wayne: It’s a compliment, really, but I never looked at it that way. I’ve always just had fun and my business is helping other people have fun and play this game the right way, with sportsmanship.

Paintball Digest: What are your favorite foods?

Wayne: I like a good cheesecake and there’s a restaurant not far from here that serves a wonderful marinated octopus salad. [The noise in the background is Wayne’s World field and business manager Eddie Williamson turning green.]

You can learn more about Wayne and Jackie Dollack’s playing field and scenario games at www.waynes-world.com.

Packing paint and carrying a prize! If you don’t carry extra paint with you, you may run out in an intense fire-fight and that can mean time off the scenario field.