Night Games

By G. Allman, D. Toler & T. Colton

It’s five o’clock, thank God it’s Friday
Anticipation’s drivin’ me wild
One more hour is, one more eternity...
I can’t wait just to see your smile
We can dance out on the high wire
Up so high we can’t look down
Close your eyes, dive in the deep end
We’ll go the distance baby, one more time

Let’s play, night games
Let’s do, some nighttimes things

Bright lights shine in the starlight,
We’re drawn like moth to a flame
Fly straight into the candle...
Oh, baby here we go again

Let’s play, night games
Let’s do, some nighttimes things

I am pretty sure when the Allman Brothers Band wrote "Night Games", Scenario Paintball was not what they had in mind. It is however, a nice lead into one of the most interesting parts of Scenario Paintball, paintball after dark.

Rule Changes

At night things really change and I don't just mean the amount of light. Many scenario players will tell you that while they really enjoy the day games and missions, it is the darkness of night when the real scenario paintball starts.

There are several rules changes at night. All markers are turned down to between 230 FPS and 250 FPS.  FPS or feet per second is how a paintball's speed is measured. Tournament paintball is 300 FPS; outdoor recreation paintball and daytime scenario paintball is 280 FPS for comparison.

During the daytime to be eliminated by a paintball, the paint must break upon contact with you or you equipment. Most fields and events use the quarter rule. In order to call it paint break the mark left must be bigger than a quarter. During the day if you are unsure if there is a paint break you can ask a field ref to check you. If he can find no marks you are called clean and allowed to play on. Also during the day, if you are playing with "Medics” you can call for a medic and he can "heal" you and you can continue to play (except for headshots). At night, there are no medics and it does not matter if the paint has broken or not, all hits are cause for elimination.

Night play eliminates all use of tanks, helicopters, law rockets and in many events paint hand grenades. Also, the snipers must stop using their Ghillie Suits. With the makers turned down and the limited visibility most snipers are out of action anyway.

Action at Night

The night brings a surreal almost creepy aspect to the game and more people are eliminated by "friendly fire" than any other time. That is one of the reasons when I am playing at night I prefer to play alone. Stealth and patience is the key to playing well at night. Sneaking into another teams base at night can be a real rush and well worth the adrenalin spent. It takes the same skills to guard a base at night, which is usually a job no one wants as every sound makes you think someone has gotten into you perimeter.

Because of the limited visibility, a new aspect of the game really comes into play, barrel tags. Barrel tagging is a part of the game many players live for. It requires that you work your way up close enough to the enemy through either stealth or trickery to touch them with your marker barrel and say, "barrel tag, your dead player". Most fields and promoters now require that the marker and barrel be attached. The eliminated player in return should quietly walk away form the tagger not letting anyone around them know they have been eliminated. Besides this allowing the enemy tagger to continue his game of stealth or trickery and really show respect for his or her game, it's also the rule.

Equipment

If one prefers there are no real equipment changes needed at night. The only thing I would recommend is a good antifog system as a must. Many goggle systems now have small battery powered fans to drive moisture out of the mask and keep them fog free. Designer Paintball manufactures a product called "Rabbit Fog Wax" one of the best on the market, which is applied to the mask as a cleaner and fog reduction agent.

There are some items, which while not required can make your night game, much better. Night Vision or NV can really increase the action in your game, help get you into places and past guards that you never though possible. Prices can range from just over $100 for a low-end generation 1 system to several thousand dollars for generation 4. More information can be found on night vision in our Night Vision store.

Most of the team I have played with used pump guns or something as quiet, dressed in all black to be less visible, switch to a goggle system without tinted lens and carried a flashlight for getting back to camp. Along with that, I suggest you have a good radio to stay in contact with your team and a headphone/microphone so that only you can hear the conversation.

Conclusion

Other than that, you don’t need anything except courage to face the dark and a great game to play in. See you on the field or if you are good enough.....maybe I won't :)