Paintball Virginia April 25th The Phoenix Project Options

[Esquire]

ALERT! ALERT! THIS JUST IN!!!!

The General of this event (U.S. Special Forces), in order to increase attendance and to entice more players, has agreed to offer FREE BEER! after the game. PM Noah for details...

must be 21 and over...all standard rules and conditions apply.

[Noah]

I thought we said that we were going to try and entice drunk women...

[Esquire]

MAN...you are on these forums WAY TOO MUCH! your response time was 11 frackin' minutes...

[Severe]

hehehe....'Frakin'.... at least I'm not the only BGS geek/fan around here.

[Esquire]

The old lady and I are netflixing the last season. I heard it was a GREAT ending. My wife can’t stand sci-fi but was hooked on BSG big time. I think that speaks to just how good the show is.

[Tombstone]

Maybe one of you guys can explain the last episode of BSG to me.... Left me with several questions.

[RaleighPaintball...]

Today is a sad day. Free BEER and I cannot play. I am now booted from Team Rooster.

[Esquire]

Maybe one of you guys can explain the last episode of BSG to me.... Left me with several questions.

i'll be happy to Tomb. I have a lot of experience explaining difficult and obtuse concepts to police officers...

[Tombstone]

i'll be happy to Tomb. I have a lot of experience explaining difficult and obtuse concepts to police officers...

I do not wish to engauge in a "colloquy" with you Mr. Esquire sir....

[Severe]

If anyone is planning on going and has not paid yet, please catch me at the field. One of the RATS, who will remain anonymous **cough**Ares**cough** has come down with the cooties and can not make the game. So I need to sell his registration and paint so that it's a happy ending for everyone.

Otherwise, we'll see everyone tomorrow. It's looking to be a warm day!

[Bartman]

Sorry I haven't been on all week guys we where getting prepped tofor the game , and what not, we had a fun day today the pictures are up

http://media.pbuprising.com/gallery/800312...520777712_o67NU

1200 from the game, I am waiting for the after game report, I would like to see what we need to change and improve on.

Thanks everybody

Bart

[Tombstone]

The Phoenix Project AAR by Tombstone


First, I want to thank the teams that came out to help support Paintball Virginia (Dogs of War, Lost Boys, The Rats, and Virginia Tech Crew). I hope everyone had a good time and that more players will give the field a chance in future events. Paintball Virginia has a great field owner who puts the games and players first. And Bart is always open to new ideas and player feed back. So in time I expect Paintball Virginia to be a must play a couple of times a year for everyone.

[/size]To the RATS, nobody in North Carolina does it better. You guys do it the right way and have earned the high level of respect everyone has for you. We will continue to learn from you guys and pick your brains.

To the Dogs of War, a new team full of veteran players, with nothing but a bright future ahead. We are looking forward to continuing the friendship between our two teams and playing along side of you at the UWL and other events to come. It truly has been fun playing paintball with you guys, and the building of good chemistry between our two teams continues. I deeply respect what you guys have put together.

To the Lost Boys, nice to finally meet you guys. You guys did a great job of pressuring the Rats Nest from the Hyper Field. Looking forward to you guys attending a Smack Down later this year or early next year, and seeing you at Paintball Virginia again.

The Game:

The Rats, Dogs of War, and River Rats had originally planned on playing together as the US Special forces, but for the betterment of the game The Rats got drafted to the Cartel….. and Noah's greed took the Dogs of War over to the Cartel when Severe presented him with a brief case full of money . So with Noah went the US general… and we had 20 minutes to select a new general and come up with a battle plan.

The game having settled on the two teams being the US Special Forces, made up of the River Rats and the V Tech Crew, and the Drug Cartel which was made up of the Dogs of War, The Rats, The Lost Boys, and any walk-ons that were there. Noah from Dogs of War was the head of the Cartel and I was the general for the US Special Forces team (my one and only time as general I hope). So with about twenty minutes before the game I brought the US Special Forces together to review the map, re-insertion rules, and the game plan I wanted to implement (same plan I wanted to give Noah before he took that money….. lol). With the re-insertion rules being that a player had two choices when they were hit. A player could either go to their team's Dead Zone and come right back into play, OR you could go the parking lot area. If you chose the parking lot area you had to find a base your team held and tag back in. Each base had a flag station to notify the players and the refs who held which base. So if your color was flying on the flag you could tag back in and go after returning from the parking lot. If the base was not held by your team, then you had to find a base that was flying your color, or tag back in at the Dead Zone. The only exception to the tag in rule was that you could not tag in at the Air Bunker Field or the Hyper Ball Field. Those two fields of play being so close to the parking lot it made this rules exception necessary. So if you needed HPA / CO or extra paint… you needed your team to hold the Devil's Den, Oil Field, Rat's Nest, or Old Fort to tag back in. If your team did not hold any of these bases you had to tag back in at your assigned Dead Zone.

Each team started the game out in their respective HQ and the mission for the first hour was to seize as much territory and hold as many bases as possible. Holding bases on the hour was worth points. The Rat's Nest was the HQ for the US team and the Devil's Den was the HQ for the Cartel with each HQ being worth 25 points if either of them fell to the other team. They were also work 25 points on the hour. So if either team was able to capture the other teams's HQ and hold it on the hour that was a total of 50 points. The Oil Field and Old Fort were each worth 15 points (I believe), and the Air Bunker and Hyper Ball fields worth 5 points each on the hour. So each hour a total of 115 points was possible if one team held all 6 bases (Points of Interest) on the field.

Our objective at the start of the game was to cut off the parking lot as a re-insertion point for the Cartel and thus bottling them up near the Oil Field. This would cause the Cartel to have to walk a long way to put any legitimate threat onto our HQ and wear them down as the day went along. After seizing the Devil's Den and collecting the 25 the US team could then us the Devil's Den to "tag back in" and keep pressure on the Cartel on their side of the field.

At the start of the game only having 17 troops to use on a 40 acre playing area I decided to send two large groups (large group being 5 and 6 players in this game) towards the Devil's Den to attack it in a "pinch move". One group (V Tech Crew, 5 players) was to move thru the Hyper Ball field raising the flag there to Blue and then thru the Air Bunker Field raising that flag to Blue then to attack the Devil's Den from right. The second part of that large group (group of 6) was to move thru the Forest area protecting the V Tech Crew's left flank from the wood line and moving towards the Devil's Den to attack it from the front and left. Sending out 11 troops left me 6 to seize the Old Fort and secure the Rat's Nest. I put two players on the tape line to the left of the Rat's Nest near the creek to brunt any movement the Cartel might make on our left flank. The creek only having a few crossing points two players with radios could give me plenty of warning of a large group coming from that direction and stall them enough to get our area reinforced. Plus our Dead Zone was behind their position so they could do an instant tag back in play at that dead zone, while any Cartel player would have a 500 yard walk to get back into play. I then sent my final three troops to the Old Fort to raise the flag there to Blue and set up a defensive line near that location. The last thing I wanted was for the Old Fort to fall early in the game and the Cartel to be able to use it as a "tag back in" location from the parking lot.

Much to my surprise my troops met very little few Cartel Players while in route to the Devil's Den. They were able to raise our flag on the Hyper Field, Air Bunker Field, and capture the Devil's Den in about 30 to 40 minutes. Once notified of the little resistance they had met and knowing the base points did not count for about another 20 minutes I had had the V Tech Crew stay at the Devil's Den and secure that area for the 50 points it would bring. I had the other 6 troops return thru the Forest towards the old Fort to set up a defensive line between the Old Fort and the Rat's Nest. If they had met little resistance on their way to the Devil's Den, then that meant the Cartel was looping around the field to attack from our left and front. And attack they did with several Dogs of War taking out my two left flank protectors and moving up the tape line to attack the Rat's Nest from the left. We were able to hold them off to collect 100 points in the first hour. The only base we did not control at the end of the first hour was the Oil Field. So at the end of the first hour the score was 100-15.

The mission to start the second hour was that my XO had defected and had a briefcase of money (Karen was referring to Noah but at the time I didn't know who she was calling my XO). If he was able to get the brief case to one of his bases and remain alive for the next hour the Cartel would get 150 points. If we killed the person with the briefcase they got 75 points. And if we captured the briefcase we would get the 75 points. I made sure we had enough defenses at each base we held (5 bases so we were pretty thin) and sent 4 troops to find the briefcase and bring it back. Knowing that the only place the player with the briefcase could go was the Oil Field, I directed them to move that way. We didn't get the briefcase, but managed to hit Noah. So 75 points to the Cartel on completing half the mission. After Noah was hit it was getting close to the hour again and base points would again count. The Devil's Den had been re-captured by the Cartel so I went with the V Tech Crew to make sure we could hold onto the Air Bunker Field and Hyper Ball field. With about fifteen minutes to go five of us set up a defensive line in the Air Bunker Field just past the flag station. We got into a long ball exchange with some of the RATS and Lost Boys. Severe bounced two off my head and Lurker bounced one off my chest. I yelled out to the V Tech crew to just keep the Cartel pinned down for another ten minutes. I figured with about three or four minutes to go things would get very interesting so I topped off my hopper. About that time I looked up and Severe had charged out of the woods and eliminated the US player in the bunker ahead of me, but I was able to get off a couple of quick shots (man I love my new Ego) and get back behind my bunker. This just left Lurker and a few Lost Boys (I believe that is who was with Lurker) off to my left. We still had three defending the flag station and I thought we were going to make it, but then the guy on our left flank was taken out. That left two of us and after some more long ball I took one to the left side of the mask. I guess a fourth bounce would have been too much to ask for. So the Air Bunker Field and Hyper Field fell at the same time. While we had lost the Devil's Den, Air Bunker Field, and Hyper Field, we had captured the Oil Field. So at the end of the second hour the score was 155 to 125.

At the third hour of the game I found almost all my troops at the Rat's Nest and Old Fort area. The Lost Boys had moved into the 4077 and were putting a lot of pressure on the Rat's Nest for the first time. I had a small group at the Oil Field that I directed to move up on the Devil's Den to check its defenses out. We had about fifty minutes until the base points counted again and lunch. I put the original game plan back in place. Objective number one was to re-capture the Devil's Den, Air Bunker Field, and Hyper Ball field while holding the Rat's Nest and Old Fort. To do this the Lost Boys had to be taken out. They had bottlenecked us for about twenty minutes. So I had four troops move out against them and keep their attention. I left one man to guard the Rat's Nest (as the day went it was much easier to find someone that wanted to do base defense…lol) and I moved out thru a trail (that I had personally cut about two weeks ago ) and came up behind the right flank of the Lost Boys. I went to take him out and my Ego would not fire. After about 10 seconds I figured out that it had turned itself off and I had to turn it back on. Fortunately the Cartel player had not seen me as I am pied my way around the curve on the trail. The Lost Boys didn't see it coming and were good sports about it. Once they had been removed I had a group sweep thru an un-guarded Hyper & Air Bunker field flipping both flags and move onto the Devil's Den. By that time the small group from the Oil Field and made their way there and the Devil's Den was back in our hands. I had not gone towards the Devil's Den but had returned to the Rat's Nest. A large amount of fire could be heard coming from the Old Fort. The calls for help were coming over the radio so I worked the tape line to the creek and down the creek to come up behind the Cartel. The calls over the radio had the US troops falling fast until the last one (Burner) informed me that he was all alone and taking fire from two sides. I was able to come up behind two Cartel players (Noah and Esquire) and get them both, and Esquire returned the favor with a well placed shot into my leg. ( I believe this battle is where the Bunker Tag rule became an issue that had to be cleared up at lunch) I am not sure where the RATS were but it was about lunch time and also the top of the hour for base points. I took a peak into the parking lot area and saw 8 members of the Cartel in the parking area. I informed my guys to leave two in each base we held and to go attack anything we didn't hold and raise our flag. We had about 10 minutes until the lunch break and at this time we outnumbered the Cartel 2 to 1 on the field. At the end of this hour we held almost every base again. At lunch time the score was 350 to 155.

During lunch the re-insertion rules were cleared up and the bunker tag rule was also cleared up. Everyone was dead tired and the lunch break went by way too fast.

At the start of the second session we informed that everyone would start out in their HQ again and have another base grab session. A mission was also given out that the Cartel would have a large container of drugs to move from the Communications Tower area to the Devil's Den. I sent two guys to watch the creek and the Rat's Nest left flank again, three to the Old Fort to raise the flag and secure it….. and with the "if it's not broke don't fix it line of thinking" kept two at the Rat's Nest and everyone else to the Devil's Den. For the Cartel to succeed they had to get the drugs into the Devil's Den. So we took the Devil's Den and set up an ambush for the Cartel players with the drugs. The US troopers were able to eliminate the Cartel carrying the drugs (two person carry) and their escort with a nice ambush. Then the US troops were able to run the drugs from the Devil's Den area thru the Air Bunker Field and Hyper Fields and down to the Rat's Nest.

We just had to hold out for about fifteen minutes and the mission points would be ours. We set up a defensive line from the Air Bunker Field thru the Forest to the Old Fort. At this point everyone was really wiped out and did not have much more to give. I put everyone on base defense for the rest of the game forming a defensive line from the Hyper ball field, 4077, The Old Fort, to the tape line. A mission came out that the Cartel had put a bomb on the bridge and we had to disarm the bomb in twenty minutes. I sent four troops to work that but the Cartel had the bridge surrounded. So those mission points when to the Cartel. At 3:50 PM it was decided to bring everyone off the field at 4:00 PM for a thirty minute break and then a final battle from 4:30 to 5:00 PM. The final battle was to have the US in the Rat's Nest and the Cartel in the Old Fort. The US would use the parking area to re-insert and the Cartel would use the US's Dead Zone. This part of the game had a fun battle at the Rat's Nest. I told everyone to stay on base defense and not to worry about the Old Fort. I just wanted to end the day without having lost the Rat's Nest. I sent a couple to secure the 4077 bunker and the road leading up to it, and also had several take up positions in the outer premier of the Rat's Nest. So this was a great give and take battle. We had markers firing from several bunkers on the outer perimeter of the base and from every gun port in the base. The Dogs of War and The Rats were working the tape line side and throwing a ton of paint thru every window and crack they could. We had a group of US troop working the road to try and come up behind the Cartel and we shot them out not know it was our own troops. And one of the US troops wondered up to the Old Fort to find it empty. So he raised the Blue Flag to give us another 60 points.

Final Score:

US Special Forces: 610 Drug Cartel: 275



The Phoenix Project had a low number of players turn out. Not sure why teams are reluctant to give Paintball Virginia a chance, but this is something that I hope changes with time and word of mouth advertising. So while I was disappointed at the low number of 32 to 35 players. It did allow for a lot of room for you to maneuver on the field and do some truly stealth type work. The quality of the game itself did not suffer from the low turn out because action could always be found, the missions were creative and fun, and the play was clean and honest. The "bunker tag" rule had to be cleared up, and the re-insertion rules seemed to confuse some players, but once all that was cleared up play seemed to only get better. Fortunately by that time we had built up a pretty big lead….

Keys to the Victory:

#1. At the start of the game I think the US team had a clearer understanding of the re-insertion rules. This is unfortunate, but was cleared up at the lunch break.

#2. Local field knowledge: Twelve of the 17 players on the US team have put in at least one work day at Paintball Virginia and new the short cuts, trails, and bases locations. This knowledge is a big help in running missions and looking for props. Also helps when someone calls for re-enforcements if everyone knows where to go and doesn't have to look at a map. Plus the person calling for re-enforcements knows where their help is coming from and can guide their help into the attacking team's flank.
#3. Communication: Everyone on the US team was on the same radio channel. So if a player did not have a radio he was put with someone who did. And when the missions were given out over the radio (great idea I think) everyone heard it at the same time. Combine this with field knowledge and when one player communicates something he has seen everyone knows the area he is talking about and how to get there the more direct route.

#4. The Rat's Nest side of the field is more compact and easier to defend. A lot of work has been put into Paintball Virginia's field and we have a lot more to do this fall. Part of that work will be another Dead Zone on each side and to add two more bases in the Death Valley and Arden's areas. We also plan on adding two more bases to the Rat's Nest side on the lower end of the field which will spread out the Rat's Nest side of the field some.

[size="3"]#5. The Heat: The heat (90 degrees) was really hard on everyone. About four hours into the game everyone was dying….and that made it really hard for the Cartel to get a large group organized to put together any one solid push in force. After building up a lead I was able to put about all my troops on base defense so they could take in some water and rest a little.

[Maximus]

Just wanted to drop a line and say how much I enjoyed finally getting up to the field, and getting to put some faces with names. I won't make my AAR very long, Severe is the RATS un-official "Scribe" (nothing we have is official).

Its always fun getting to a new field and seeing the terrain and features for the first time. Nice set up. Open parking lot and location near town screams for a 24 hour event. I had a good time, but wish that more people showed up. All day, (except for 1 instance in the end of the final battle), I saw great integrity and sportsmanship on both teams. I had an eliminated blue player walk right by me and didnt rat me out to the guys in the fort as he passed by them. Also when a member of the River Rats and I eliminated each other at the same time, he even broke out the map and showed me how to get off the field. Again, I love the terrain and field. A little more air conditioning would have been nice though.


I enjoyed playing along the Dogs of War, and Lost Boys, Several times when I got seperated from the RATS, I just joined their group. We fought hard, but just couldnt seem to get things going. The other team fought some great defensive battles. Their seemed to be a couple of confusing instances involving rules and what happens when you get hit. I think the heat made everyones nerves a little on edge though. Thanks to the Refs for not clustering up and staying active during the battles.

Hats off to Bart and his wife (Karen, I think). Super nice people. I wish their field luck and we will try to get the word out. Just want to add a couple of suggestions though if I may.

1. Concessions. I'd have gladly paid for a hotdog or hamburger out there. Fire up a grill and some dogs and have at it. Good source of revenue.

2. Maps, break out the GPS and Google earth. I think Tombstone is already handling this, so disregard if so. Perhaps include a copy of the game rules on the back of the map. That will eliminate any confusion. Also, have every REF carry a copy of the rules too.

3. Dead zones with Water were a great idea. Perhaps post a map and game rules in each one.

4.Chronographing. I didnt chrono but once during the morning, It would have been nice to have everyone re-chrono after lunch, and have a portable one on the field choosing people at random. Especially with the heat.

5. Great prize pack for the game too. Almost everyone seemed to get something.

Went a little longer than I intended. Had a blast and hope to come back soon. Before we return, please spray all 99 acres for ticks. That'd be great. Maximus.

[Severe]

I'm not sure I'm going to live up the "five page" standard for my AAR here. Looks like Tombstone has beat me to it and done a great job too.

First off, I want to thank Bart and crew for another excellent staffed game. The entire staff of PBVa was extremely helpful and accommodating. I didn't catch the names of everyone reffing out in the heat, but thanks for being there. You guys/gals always seemed to be where the fight was and more than willing to assist when it was needed. In truth, integrity was excellent throughout the day, which might have made your jobs a bit easier but your efforts were appreciated none the less.
Congratulations to the River Rats, V-Tech and the whole of the US forces. I had suspected as much, but after reading Tombstone's AAR, it was apparent that you had a very sound plan and made good use of the superior field knowledge. It's rare that I'll get shot in the back, but it happened on more than one occasion during Phoenix.

I was kind of thrown off when I went up to register and Bart handed me a brief case. After a quick explanation, I was brought up to speed and things started to make sense. I really thought this was a nice touch to bring some role playing in to the game and add to the story. I sincerely hope PBVa will keep up that kind of creativeness as your games grow. Following the briefing, we gathered our gear, had a quick debrief with Noah and moved out for game on.
The plan was, I would 'buy out' Noah's team to join the Cartel. He would then lead the Cartel consisting of the RATS, Lost Boys and, of course, his own Dog's of War along with any walk-ons to a glorious victory over the trespassing US Special Forces. Little did we know that Murphy was one of the walk-on. Something about the greatest laid plans comes to mind…

Really, our plan seemed simply enough and effective in concept. However, after reading Tombstone's AAR; specifically his plan to shut down the Devil's Den as an insertion point, the obvious flaw in our plan was we didn't really intend to hold bases but to conduct our missions with one element and with a skirmish element providing cover. The RATS were initially engaged to be the skirmish element; a role we happily accepted. However, in hindsight, we probably should have shifted our game plan a bit to anchor a base and then run hit run attacks from there. This would have provided our team with a common respawn point other than DZ-1.

As the game kicked off and the first engagements started to flare up, it quickly became obvious that the US forces had a MUCH better understanding of the field layout than we did. They were either already at any objective we approached or were quick on our heels. With the loss of the Devi's Den insertion point, ANY elimination of a Cartel member resulted in almost a 20-30 minute loss of that player on the field due to the considerable walk between the parking lot and DZ-1. A couple of times I was happy to find that we had recaptured a base to allow insertion but more often than not, it was the long walk. Just as Tombstone had planned, that walk would burn calories and energy that would be needed as the day went on.

When the lunch break rolled around, I felt that we had been struggling a bit. That's not to say the Cartel wasn't completing some missions; we were. I just had that feeling that the US forces were ahead since more often than not, we were attempting to take objectives away from them. Heck, during the morning segment, I must have assaulted Oil Fields, our easiest target returning from DZ-1, and Old Fort. Even on those occasions where we would push the US forces off, the time it took to regenerate our eliminated players made it extremely difficult to hold objectives.

During the lunch break we had the chance to more clearly define a couple of rules; insertions and bunker tags. I think the heat had baked my noggin because it wasn't until then that I had a good understanding of the insertion rule. No worries there. The bunker tag was also covered because anytime you have some structure, there's the opportunity of close-in shooting.

Feeling a little refreshed, we retook the field ready to take the fight to the US forces. But right out the gate we stumbled again and it cost us dearly. I inserted about 2 minutes behind the Cartel main body and just in time to see a group of 6 US troops moving across the speedball field. I picked up my pace thinking I'd tap in at our CP just in time to get in on the fight but when I arrived at the CP, there was a bit of confusion. I had walked behind the CP to tap in from behind cover and poked out just in time to pick of one of the attackers coming in for our flag. It was then that I noticed it was a half mast (meaning neutral). One of the other attackers was saying I could not insert there because we didn't own the base so I stepped out, called myself neutral and asked for a Ref to clarify. Sure enough, the base was neutral and I was not allowed to insert there. Our inserting players had inadvertently forgotten to raise the flag and we lost Devil's Den within minutes of the second phase kicking. My apologies to the player I shot running up to the flag.

So I walk back to the tape line, tap in and start what would be many walks back to DZ-1. I've got to hand it to the US forces and Tombstone. You took a good understanding of the rules and how the insertions would impact the game and leveraged it well.

For the rest of the afternoon, I felt like we were giving as good as we got. I know I was on no less than 3 missions that were completed successfully. There was one mission where we had to transport a large cargo box back to the Devil's Den which failed. I don't know who the shooter was, but he was very patient. The Cartel was five strong moving up the road when I decided to move the box up to a junction which appeared to offer some soft cover from fire coming down the road. As I moved up, someone laid a nice line down on me and the cargo box from behind a wall of briars and bushes. That was a very well laid ambush. Rather than taking potshots and targets of opportunity, you wanted for a target of value. I just hate it was me. Off to DZ-1 went.

The last hour of the game was probably my best. We had just wrapped up two missions; one to defend the bridge and ensure that it was destroyed and another to recover a briefcase in the vicinity of the Oil Field and transport it to the Communication Tower. At this point we had just over 15 minutes of regular game play left in the day. With all of the RATS together with one or two more, we decided to get in to a fight before the final whistle.

In the next 10 minutes we managed to walk to, and clear, the Old Fort. Finding no opposition there, we started towards the Rat's Nest finding two defenders at the top of the hill in a bunker. After about a 5 minute firefight with them, and taking no losses, we turned our attention on the enemy CP. Approaching it, it looked to be defended by 3-4 players. The closing minutes of the game spent in a pitched firefight with the Rat's Nest. When the game was finally called I think 8 or so defenders appeared. That was a great fight.

The final battle was a very quick 30 minute battle between Old Fort and the Rat's Nest. I figured I get in two insertions before the game was called and that was about how it went. My first attempt on the base was from the creek side. However, once I reached the burm it was obvious there would be too much open ground to cross to get to the objective. A couple of US forces managed a nice flanking attack and one of my several 'back shots' sent me walking. My next attempt had slightly better luck attacking the back of the objective. I managed to get to within 20 yards of the objective before I was eliminated again. At this point there wasn't enough time to respawn and started the walk to the parking lot.

Overall, I had a really good time and I definitely look forward to more games up at PBVa. I just need a LOT more cardio training to prepare for the summer heat.

I know Bart and Tombstone are looking for some suggestions so I'll throw these out there…

Rules: There really weren't any major issues here, just some minor misunderstandings. One thing I would like to see more fields do is include the game rules on the back of their provided maps.

It might be worth it to come up with a core set of rules that your field uses for all your games and then have the appropriate modifications to support specific story lines. The more commonality there is between games, the more knowledgeable your player base will be with the rules.

Insertions: While I understood what the goal was with the capturable bases, I really think there should always be one base, fairly close to the parking lot, which is always open for insertions. It probably wasn't something that could have been anticipated, but on several occasions the Cartel only had DZ-1 to insert from and that was painful. Literally!

That being said, I like to see new things tried and hope that PBVa will continue to explore different ways for bases to change hands or be destroyed.

Missions: Just like Scorched Earth, I liked the mix of missions I saw and participated in. I really love/hate the physical missions like carrying the cargo box and what not. It adds a new element to the game and is definitely more challenging. I was happy I didn't have to open an exploding brief case.

The Field: The amount of work being put in to the field is very obvious. Everything is looking great and I really can't suggest any specific changes as far as adding structures or what not.

The only structure I can add any comment on is the Rat's Nest. It's a great CP which is extremely defendable. It might be too defendable. I couldn't really tell as the only time I played against it was the last couple of regular play and the final battle. It might be worth running a few attack/defend games on it to see if some more bunkers need to be added. Otherwise, excellent work.

One other thing you might want to do is check on some safety issues. There was some coiled wire in the ditch on the way to the Devil's Den and some nails sticking out around the Old Fort. Mostly minor stuff that can be fixed in 10 minutes or less.

That's all I've got!

Thanks again for a great game everyone! To our fellow Cartel members; Dog's of War, Lost Boys, walk-ons and my fellow RATS. To the US opposition; River Rats, V-Tech and others, thanks for a great fight. Let's do it again soon.

[Tombstone]

I have reviewed the photos and while the day of the game I don't think anyone ever did a head count or made sure the teams were evenly split.... best I can tell we had 18 (might even have been 19) and you guys had 14 (no walk-ons there that I know of). And a 4 or 5 man advantage in a small game is really big. Not sure how we could have gotten around the numbers thing without breaking up a team. If we had switched the V Tech guys and Lost Boys it would have made it 17-15 which would have been the most even we could have made it. We did have two RR leave after lunch..... something about a NAMBLA meeeting

Maximus:

"All day, (except for 1 instance in the end of the final battle), I saw great integrity and sportsmanship on both teams."

I saw this from the Rat's Nest and spoke to the Ref and to my guy after. They both said the paint on his leg was an old hit (assuming this was the hit you are refering to). But I did see him get hit, go 1/2 up the hill and come back into play. I talked to him about that already. He said he was walking out and heard the Ref say two minutes and knew he couldn't get back in time and just wanted to keep playing. I talked to him about representing the RR and doing it right.....He is a good player and a honest guy. I know he will not do that again. Glad you guys thought the RR played honest. That is really important to me. In our Out Law games we play "lethal hits only"......so I was concerned that the guys would get caught up in the moment and not think about the any hit rule while in a good battle. But if anyone did it has not come to my attention.

"Also when a member of the River Rats and I eliminated each other at the same time, he even broke out the map and showed me how to get off the field."

That is good stuff...... did you catch a name? I would like to thank him for the sportsmanship he displayed.

"1. Concessions. I'd have gladly paid for a hotdog or hamburger out there. Fire up a grill and some dogs and have at it. Good source of revenue"

I think you might see this with a bigger turn out

"2. Maps, break out the GPS and Google earth. I think Tombstone is already handling this, so disregard if so. Perhaps include a copy of the game rules on the back of the map. That will eliminate any confusion. Also, have every REF carry a copy of the rules too"

The GPS thing is on my "to do list" and putting the map on the back of the rules is a great idea. We also have someone making signs with the base names and for the roads soon to be named (Route #1, Route #2, etc...) to help players find their way around the field.

"3. Dead zones with Water were a great idea. Perhaps post a map and game rules in each one."

Map and Rules in Dead Zones..... another great idea.

"4.Chronographing. I didnt chrono but once during the morning, It would have been nice to have everyone re-chrono after lunch, and have a portable one on the field choosing people at random. Especially with the heat."

Spot checking was supposed to be done... don't know what happened to that.

"Went a little longer than I intended. Had a blast and hope to come back soon. Before we return, please spray all 99 acres for ticks"

Don't worry, I brought all the ticks home with me. Last time it was the chiggers, now the ticks.


Severe:

"I had suspected as much, but after reading Tombstone's AAR, it was apparent that you had a very sound plan and made good use of the superior field knowledge."

Thanks, I have put in about 35 plus hours of work out there.... and the whole time I was getting stuff done I was thinking about game plans and stuff like that. Plans usually go out the window after about twenty minutes but the guys did really well staying focused on the tasks they had been asked to do.

"Really, our plan seemed simply enough and effective in concept. However, after reading Tombstone's AAR; specifically his plan to shut down the Devil's Den as an insertion point, the obvious flaw in our plan was we didn't really intend to hold bases but to conduct our missions with one element and with a skirmish element providing cover."

I think the confusion over the re-insertion rules might have lead to this. I fully expected a slug fest between the Devil's Den, Forest, Speedball Area, and Rat's Nest all day long. I was also very worried about the Old Fort falling and becoming a respawn point for you guys. Something that the Cartel never really tried to do, but would have been a big thorn in our side if it had. But was glad that areas of the field that do not normally see play were used. I don't think the Oil Field has seen that much action in 10 years..... We are trying to add to the playing area a little at a time....and the expansion will be to the lower end of the field. More bases and more Dead Zones. Might be the fall before it is all done becuse right now the UWL with the Dogs is my first priority and we have several joint practices set up. But we hope to add two more Dead Zones and two more bases to each side before the August game. Hope to get some done before the June two day event..... just depends on how much the wife lets me out of the house.

"The bunker tag was also covered because anytime you have some structure, there's the opportunity of close-in shooting."

This is something we need to adress. I think that the bunker tag rule needs to be in effect and something I will talk to Bart about. I think that it has never been an issue before at PBV because the field had so few forts, but now it is. It is a safty issue and also rewards a stealthy play by an attacker. He should be rewarded for getting so close.... This game was the first game since all the "modifications" and as such it was kind of a ginny pig as to what needs to be done. It is hard to tell how everything will play out until you have a game. And I think PBV learned a lot..(I know I did)...and some posititive changes to the rules can be made. Bart and I will talk it over some, and I hope to have a "BIG GAME RULES" section added to his web site as well as added to the maps and in the Dead Zones.

"Sure enough, the base was neutral and I was not allowed to insert there. Our inserting players had inadvertently forgotten to raise the flag and we lost Devil's Den within minutes of the second phase kicking."

Your kidding right? Thanks for the help fellas...


"I've got to hand it to the US forces and Tombstone. You took a good understanding of the rules and how the insertions would impact the game and leveraged it well"

I must admit, I stole the idea from Wolf and X-man........and the rest of the Warsaw leadership at Fulda '08. This was my first, and only time as a general. Just something to hold over Noah's head for.... I don't know..... the rest of his life maybe?

" I don't know who the shooter was, but he was very patient."

I believe this was Burner. He was talking to me over the radio and told me how close he was. I told the ambush team to wait until you guys had carried the box up the road some. That would make your re-insertion longer, and also why carry the box 600 yards when you only need to carry it 300.

"The closing minutes of the game spent in a pitched firefight with the Rat's Nest. When the game was finally called I think 8 or so defenders appeared. That was a great fight."

I had pulled everyone back to the Rat's Nest just about. I wanted to end the game without it falling. Mainly for pride, but if the Rat's Nest fell it would have been 50 points at the close of the game (25 for our CP falling, and 25 for holding it at the top of the hour). We had at least 8 in the Rat's Nest...and paint was flying everywhere.

"The only structure I can add any comment on is the Rat's Nest. It's a great CP which is extremely defendable. It might be too defendable."

Mixed feelings here.... we took some pride in building up the defenses around the base. And we had the conversation the day of the construction of what would happen if it did fall. How would we get it back. So that is something we have talked about and some more bunkers for the attackers to work to might help. A big help will be the bunker tag rule. Esquire managed to get one on the Rat's Nest early in the day... before the "no bunker tags" was discussed. We should have a core set of rules ready for the field by the June game.

"There was some coiled wire in the ditch on the way to the Devil's Den and some nails sticking out around the Old Fort"

That wire does need to be moved into the old barn and out of play. And the Old Fort needs some "tender loving care" that can be done in a few hours.

I was not sure why the walk from the Devil's Den to the parking lot was such a long walk for you guys......and then I talked to Esquire. I had not thought about the netting being up all the way around the chrono area, and thus you guys walking all the way around that big area to get to the parking lot. What was meant to happen was that you just had to go under the YELLOW caution line and then back to the base to tag back in. It was never intended for you to actually have to walk around the chrono area and be standing in the staging area before returning to tag back in. This was something that should have been made more clear. Next time an air bunker will be stationed there just past the YELLOW caution line to tag and then go back under the YELLOW line to find a base to respawn from.

Bart and I have a goal of PBV being a "must play" for everyone a few times a year. This time next year if we keep up the work the field could have 5 bases on each side and two dead zones on each side. If we continue to use the parking lot each team will have three places to respawn from. Also 5 gallon coolers of water will be put in the Dead Zones instead of the 2 gallon ones that were there this time. The map will be better, bases will have signs with their names and the roads will be named and have signs, the rules more defined and on the field maps.... All the ticks will be home with me....


Bart has a bull dozer coming down this winter. So we can add some new paths and clean up the roads some. This should make getting from point A to point B a little easier as well.

Thanks for the great feedback guys. Bart cares about the quality of the game and wants the players to enjoy his place. So all feedback will be considered.

[Noah]

You got that right! I don't think I will ever hear the end of this one!

In all seriousness, it was a long, hard fought day and a lot of fun. I don't like taking a beating like we did with the points, but there was a lot of good to take away from that game. Even the large slice of humble pie Tombstone dished out for me. I really enjoyed the never-give-up attitude displayed all the way to the very end and more importantly, the great sportsmanship displayed by both sides.

Everyone on both sides rocked and it was my pleasure to run with you all and to get to know you all better. I look forward to doing it again soon.

All the best,

Noah

[sasquatch]

Here's how the field looked in 2007

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[Nymz]

It was a great day with good friends! Glad I got to put even more faces with names and hope to continue that trend at the next Event. Great sportsmanship from both sides makes for a great Event IMO.

[Bartman]

To everyone who supports PBV,

Thank you very much for coming to The Phoenix Project. We have had several conversations with many of you on what you liked, as well as how we can make things better. We appreciate all of your comments. We will definitely work to incorporate some of the feedback while moving forward. As we have said, we are in the process of building an empire. Thanks for getting in on the ground level! The entire reason why we exist is to cater to you, the paintball player. We have both played a lot of paintball on a budget. We have played a lot of great fields. Our plan is to make Paintball Virginia one of those great fields that everyone can come play, even on a budget. We want to give a special thanks to Tank for providing the artwork for the game. We want to thank Tombstone for a lot of brainstorming, generaling last minute, supplying the water cans for the dead boxes, and all of the hard work you have put in. We would like to thank Noah and the Dogs of War for switching sides last minute, and giving the game an interesting start. To PBUprising & Price – you continue to take awesome pictures. We love the coverage. Thanks for driving 4 hours to sit on our couch and Twitter! We would also like to thank the entire River Rats team, and the Dogs of War for the awesome new bunkers. Our field would not be getting better so quickly without all of the extra hands you all have provided. Rats, Lost Boys, & VT crew – it was great seeing all of you, come back and bring friends! And our refs – thanks for sticking by us in the heat, you guys really earned those sandwiches! We want to continue to provide each and every person who has been to PBV a great day of play each time you come out. As we have said, we are here for you. Hope you enjoyed the Gatorade, and we look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Thanks,

Bart & Karen Hardwick