Renegade Paintball – A Primer for Players and Parents
By Dawn Allcot, Editor, Recon Magazine
With great power comes great responsibility…
Every weekend, Paintball players gather on private land or patches of woods to play Paintball. These are called “renegade” or “outlaw” games. As of October 2007, the Special Ops Paintball Game Locator lists nearly 600 games pending. More than half are renegade games. That’s a lot of recreational Paintball!
All the normal safety rules apply to renegade games
With no paid referees on a renegade field, players (and legally, their Parents) are responsible for policing themselves and each other. Follow these step-by-step rules and suggestions to insure a fun day of Paintball!
Choose your game site and get written permission
If you’re lucky enough to own a parcel of land large enough to safely host games, that’s great! You can even add inflatable bunkers, buildings, tires and anything else you can find to safely use as bunkers. If you’re choosing a site off your own property, look for land with natural bunkers like trees, bushes, logs and even large rocks - and no obvious hazards such as barbed wire, animal holes, poison ivy, sewer drains and such.
Do not trespass
Always get written permission before playing on land that is not your own. Also, make sure you don’t choose a place where people (hunters, hikers, bikers, birdwatchers, or neighbor’s kids) may unknowingly enter the middle of your game.
Legal Eagles?
It’s a good idea to have all of the participants sign legal waivers, just so the legal understandings of risk and limitations are clearly understood by everyone involved, and their parents.
Set a date and invite your friends
Once you’ve chosen a location, start rounding up friends to play. You can tell people about your game by word of mouth, post on Paintball forums, or use the SpecialOpsPaintball Game Locator. The size of your field should determine how many people you can invite. The world’s largest renegade game on record attracted about 150 people to a field near Salt Lake City in 2006. If this is your first game, start small. Ten people is enough to have some good five-on-five action.
Get paint and air and all your gear
Renegade fields don’t have rental gear, compressed air or CO2 supplies, paint or even drinking water on site. Players must be reminded to bring everything they need, including spare parts. You don’t want your day cut short because of a blown o-ring or a dead loader battery. Armbands or a roll of duct tape is a good idea to identify teams.
Set a rendezvous point
Give players directions to the field or determine a place where you can all meet up and car pool. Many “renegade” fields have limited parking available or are located adjacent to the host’s house.
GOGGLES ON!
Renegade fields generally lack clearly marked “safe zones” or netting. Someone should be appointed to ensure that ALL barrel covers are kept on until everyone has their Masks on, and are ready to play. At game’s end, it must be ensured that ALL masks remain in place until every last marker has a barrel cover securely strapped on. It is advised to put one player in charge of announcing “GOGGLES ON!.” Never shoot at a player who is not wearing goggles.
Safety First
Despite the informality of a just-for-fun renegade game, it is still vital to have every participant listen through a basic safety and rules orientation. Determine who will read the safety rules, and make it clear that there can be zero exceptions to the basic safety rules.
- Keeping a well-equipped First Aid Kit on site is a sound investment for every organizer.
- Knowing the location of the nearest telephone is a fundamental safety rule not to be overlooked.
- Having a fully charged cellular phone is a good idea too, but never rely only on the cellular coverage in remote areas.
- And you can never have enough water on hand to keep everyone properly hydrated. When it comes to safety, common sense is always a good place to start!
Chrono in.
A handheld chronograph is inexpensive and reliable, and an absolute MUST at every singlegame. Chip in with your buddies to buy one and use it every time you play. Set an acceptable limit, somewhere between 260 and 280 feet per second, and make sure everyone chronographs their marker, or better still, designate a Chronograph Ref to check everyone. Never fire your marker at a velocity greater than 300 fps.
Decide on a game
At an organized field, the referee tells you the rules of play. Now, it’s all up to you.
If you have something that can serve as a flag, capture-the-flag is an old stand-by that’s a lot of fun. Place the flag approximately in the center of the field and you’re good to go. If someone has a watch, set a time limit so the game doesn’t drag on. “Racing against the clock” makes it more exciting, too.
If you don’t have a flag, you can divide into two sides and play total elimination (play until there is no one left on one team).
If you have a lopsided team, or a small experienced group playing against a lot of newer players, the experienced team can be the “Secret Service”, attempting to transport a President or Celebrity through all of the less experienced “bad guys” to a safe point on the other end of the field. The catch? The President or Celebrity doesn’t get to have a gun! This game can be a real blast.
The first game ever played, in 1981, pitted five players against each other, and FIVE FLAGS had to be captured. It was every man for himself, and the ultimate winner captured all five flags without ever firing a shot! Use your imagination to create great game experiences.
Call your hits
Renegade play means honor play. Play fair and call your hits. No one likes a cheater.
Don’t overshoot
Decide on acceptable firing modes and rates of fire before you begin the game. If the game includes newer players, you may choose the lowest common denominator. Would you want to play against someone with a high-end, tricked out electronic marker shooting full-auto if you had a mechanical semi-automatic marker and gravity-fed loader? On the other hand, some players believe that if you spent the money for a faster gun, you should be allowed to use it to its maximum effect. Regardless of the decision (full auto, semi, ramping), don’t overshoot. Three breaks on a player is more than enough.
Clean up
Have respect for other people’s property and leave the land exactly as you found it, or preferably better. Paint splats on trees are okay; the rain will wash them away. Empty paint boxes, sports drink bottles and candy bar wrappers should be picked up and tossed in the garbage or carried out in your trunk to be disposed of at home.
Use common sense
Renegade games can be a lot of fun. You choose the game format, who you play with, and how long you play. You don’t pay hefty field fees and you can bring your own paint. But these benefits bring greater responsibility, too.
Know what to do in an emergency
Always let a few people at home know where you are and what time you are expected back. Follow all the safety rules, play fair, play with honor, and you’ll find that participating in a renegade game can be a lot of fun! Above all play safe, and we’ll see you out there!