The
characters not assigned to a team were more or less neutral.
They might give you a paddle for the Castle Anthrax maidens,
or they might shoot at you, depending on their mood, and the
results of their last encounter with any given team. Most notable
among the characters, was the father of the scenario game genre,
Wayne Dollack, who played the role of the bridge tender, or
"bridge troll." He guarded the "Bridge of Death"
which spanned the "Gorge of Eternal Peril," and would
ask paintball trivia questions of those that wanted to cross.
If they answered correctly, they could pass. If not, then the
person who wanted to cross, and everyone with him, was eliminated,
and packed off to the hospital to await the next insertion period.
Questions ranged from the ridiculously easy (How long was the
first 24 hour game?), to tricks (Who did Grant surrender to
at Appomattox?"), to agonizingly difficult (Name the 12
people that played in the first recognized game of paintball
in 1981.) Again, the question depended on the mood of the troll,
and previous experiences of the troll with others of the same
team.
 |
Most Viper games start with both teams
trying to obtain "fuel." But in 932 AD, there was
no fuel, so the teams headed out looking for coconuts that could
be used for "transportation by horseback" throughout
the field. The catch was, that the coconut halves had to be
"clopped" together, and the "rider" had
to "prance," just like in the movie. As long as the
"rider" was "prancing" and banging the coconut
halves together, he could not be shot. But if he stopped, then
he had "dismounted," and was a fair target.
Once the coconut halves had been found,
the next thing was recon. Teams were sent out to determine
the strengths and weaknesses, then report back. After that,
missions went out, and the battle began in earnest.
Initially, the repressed peasants overwhelmed
everything in their path, and were two thirds the way to King
Arthur's castle. Then, depending on who was telling the tale,
the peasants either took the base and shot it up, or they were
repelled by King Arthur and his knights.
A bit later, Arthur's forces seemed
to improve their field position, advancing all the way up field
to the area of the French castle, and the Bridge of Death.
They did avoid the three headed giant, as at least two of the
heads were perpetually in a foul mood, and anyone coming in
range was promptly shot.
Arthur's knights seemed to have problems
advancing past mid field, but the peasants did get downfield,
and did take over Arthur's base at least twice, according to
a peasant spokesman, who related the story on the condition
that his name not be used. The terminology agreed upon, was
"a highly placed source within the peasant hierarchy."
Late in the afternoon, Arthur's castle
was under siege again, and this time, it was clearly visible
from the safety of the registration trailer.
Meanwhile, encounters with the rabbit
and some of the other characters were taking their toll on players
from both sides. And the rabbit seemed to be interested in
evening things out, so he decided a "peasant hunt'"
would be in order. Earlier, the rabbit had been more or less
ignored by both sides, with the "Don't make him mad"
theory holding sway. After he had taken out a sizable number
of peasants, then they turned into a multitude of "Sir
Robins," and "ran away" whenever the rabbit approached.
The knights thought they had found
a new ally, but someone must have annoyed, irritated, or aggravated
the rabbit, as he turned on the knights, and sent them on their
way, as well. From then on, the rabbit was something to be
avoided.
No one knew what to make of the Frenchmen.
They acted as if one hand did not know what the other one was
doing. At their castle, there were peasants all around, but
the Frenchies were flying King Arthur's colors from the ramparts.
They were also tossing small stuffed animals at whoever was
around their castle. If a player was hit, it was meaningless,
but it was annoying to be crouched behind a barrel, shooting
at the enemy, and suddenly get hit in the back with a stuffed
cow.
The day wound down with the peasants
again laying siege to Arthur's castle, and Arthur grinding his
teeth in aggravation over the course of events. Still, his
knights were keeping them out, so it wasn't a total loss, and
besides, they'd have a second chance at the big battle that
would take place right around 4:00 PM.
At 4:00, the battle started, and here,
the "slapsticks" came into play. The slapsticks were
made from PVC pipe, and were all white. The deal, was that
if the sticks were "slapped" and the end pointed toward
the peasants' base, the king and his knights would get credit.
Should it point the other way, then the credit would go to the
peasants. Some players had no idea what the slap sticks were,
and consequently, ignored them. Others slapped them the wrong
way, giving credit to the other team.
The teams gathered in front of the
registration trailer, where Arthur's castle was in full view
from the back windows. Spectators gathered inside the trailer
to watch, as Arthur's knights and the repressed peasants, under
the leadership of someone named "Dennis," clashed.
Paintballs filled the air, and those in the trailer and behind
the netting watched, as players made outstanding moves, and
moves that might be regarded as "boneheaded." One
player made a daring move to capture a bunker on the edge of
the netting, and from that vantage point, took out a dozen or
so opponents. Another bunker was not quite as accessible, and
four times, a player tried to take it. Four times, he was shot
before he even got close, due to someone from the other team
being in the bunker.
The dinner bell sounded, and players
came off the field to their own cooking, to eateries in the
area, or to the jambalaya served up by the Paintball Command
staff. Out on the field, Tim, the enchanter, let go with a
few more loud bangs, before joining the rest of the crowd for
dinner.
First reports indicated that the peasants
had stuck it to Arthur and the knights, and later reports confirmed
the initial assessment. But the magic grail had not been found,
and in the staging area, some of the main characters and lesser
characters, were wandering around, mixing with the peasants
and knights, and giving cryptic clues as to the grail's whereabouts.
Unfortunately, they were too cryptic, and often raised more
questions then they answered.
Teams headed out after dinner while
just a bit of daylight remained. Game director "Viper"
said it was planned that way, so that the players' eyes could
adjust to the changing light while on the field in a game situation.
The players thought it was a good idea, and many commented that
it helped them make the adjustment to night play.
Tradition says that the team that rules
the day, has a more difficult time at night, and this tradition
seemed to be confirmed. The peasants had flat out kicked butt
all day, but Arthur and his knights were, by all reports, doing
considerably better once the sun went down.
Other things were made easier, too.
The bridge keeper took an extended dinner break, and for the
first hour of night play, was not at his station, allowing players
to cross without consequence, or without having to answer any
questions. The killer rabbit and the black knight also took
extended breaks, and were not out there during the first 30-60
minutes of the night game.
Meanwhile, Arthur and the knights were
completing more missions, and gaining more points, and thus,
putting a nice big dent in the lead the peasants had run up
during the day. By the time 10:00 PM rolled around, the two
teams were just about even in total points, with the peasants
holding on to a slim 20 point lead, which could easily be erased
with just one mission completion, or the recovery of one major
prop, or two or three minor props.
It was late, and the game stood down
with the peasants hanging on by their teeth. They had one thing
going for them, and that was that daylight would soon be here,
and perhaps recent history would repeat, and the peasants would
again rule during the daylight hours.
Morning, and the coffee was brewing
in the registration trailer. Players were congregating ,and
anxious for the game to begin anew, and gulped down the coffee
in great quantities. Breakfast was served at local establishments,
and at hotel lobbies one exit west on I-10. Then, back to the
field for the last leg of the game.
The knights were at almost an immediate
disadvantage. Several of their number had other commitments
for Sunday morning, and had departed after the night game, leaving
the rest of their forces a bit shorthanded. The situation was
quickly rectified, and the numbers were back to being even,
but the peasants seemed to have a greater determination, and
quickly overcame the obstacles of the black knight and other
characters present.
The peasants even took the morning
speedball game, where the ten best speedballers from each team
met on the speedball court at the northwest corner of the field.
The hero of the encounter, was Mike "Blue" Hanse,
who demonstrated that old guys almost 50, can still play. "Blue"
charged up the right side of the court and took out about half
of the knights all by himself. From there, he and the other
peasants secured the sword in the middle of the field, and carried
it to the other end. They were rewarded with an opportunity
to purchase the sword, said to be the property of the black
knight. It was called the "Sword of Invincibility,"
and would render the wielder invulnerable, except for getting
hit with another holy hand grenade. In short, whoever carried
the sword would be just like the killer rabbit, but without
the bunny suit.
 |
The peasant leader went ahead and purchased
the sword, while the leader of the knights met with a shadowy
character called by many names, most of them unprintable. One
of the more polite monikers hung on him, was the "Prince
of Prevarication," and he gleefully doled out a handful
of "gold coins" to the head knight. Maybe they would
make life easier for the knights. Maybe he would be laughed
at, if he tried to spend them on anything. Then again, there
might be others out there who would have a use for the coins,
whether they were real or not, and who would be willing to provide
something of value for them, then try and double or triple their
initial investment.
The peasants were bedeviling the knights
again, and had encircled Arthur's castle, when the rabbit appeared,
and decimated their ranks before being taken out with another
"holy hand grenade." The rabbit was temporarily out
of the way, and the siege continued to the point where the peasants
had blocked off the knights' entrance. When the insertion window
opened, the peasants were well positioned to mow down the knights
as they re-entered the field.
That lasted through one insertion
period before the referees pushed the peasants back a respectable
distance, and allowed the knights to get back into their castle.
The non team characters did their best
to help out the knights, but the peasants were strong, and determined.
On top of that, they were competing their missions, and, in
general, picking up where they left off the previous afternoon.
But then, the peasants were dealt a
crushing blow. One of the knights had found the real grail,
and had turned it in, thereby boosting his team's chances of
overcoming their less than stellar showing in the daylight game.
The grail was the end all and be all of the game, as, after
all, it was "The Quest for the Holy Grail." It was
the prop worth the most points, but just the capture of the
grail would not necessarily be enough to turn the game.
The knights' enthusiasm went up a couple
of notches after they got credit for the grail, but they sort
of knew that it was going to take more. They might have gotten
it, too, had not one of the knights annoyed the rabbit, who
responded by taking out about a dozen or so, before being driven
off under a hail of paintballs.
From there on out, it wasn't pretty
for the knights. The peasants had their number, and used every
trick in the book to take advantage. But there was still a
faint hope for the knights. A decisive victory in the final
battle of the game just might turn the tide in their favor.
The teams were recalled to the staging
area to prepare and gear up for the game's final encounter,
then dispatched to their starting points to await the start
of the last battle. For this, the slap sticks were back in
play, and the peasants, who had been in and around Arthur's
castle for the better part of the game, would get to defend
it against the knights.
Knowing what was at stake, the knights
bolted toward the castle at the signal to start. The peasants
met them with equal force, and blunted their initial attack.
The knights regrouped, and attacked again. This time, they
did not protect their flank, and several peasants were able
to take up positions on the knights' left side, and lay waste
to the knights that came up the center. The knights figured
that out, and sent in a few more of their number to root out
the flankers. The job got done, but at a cost of time and manpower,
that the knights could not afford.
Adding to the confusion, was "Tim,
the enchanter." He was out with his "bird banger,"
making a racket, and causing everyone to look in the direction
of the loud noise. There were rumors of Tim tossing paint grenades
around somewhat indiscriminately, but he vehemently denied it.
The killer rabbit made one quick appearance,
and despite his invulnerability, he was met with a hail of paintballs
from both sides. Discretion being the better part of valor,
he made a hasty exit, took off the bunny suit, and watched the
battle unfold from behind the safety of the netting.
Several times the knights pushed up,
only to be repulsed by the peasants. Then, the peasants would
push, and the knights would push back, with neither side accomplishing
a whole lot.
What was accomplished, was the control
of the slapsticks, and that went to the peasants. They got
out of the castle and into the moats and trenches, and from
there, were able to hold off any knight advance. Despite the
battle being a tactical stalemate, the peasants prevailed by
virtue of their control of the slapsticks.
And then it was done. The last screamer
was launched, and the signal given for the players to retire
from play, and gather at the registration trailer for the post
game ceremonies, which included the announcement of the scores,
presentation of awards, and the always popular player raffle.
Twenty minutes went quickly, and those
that had not already hit the road for home, scarfed up the plastic
chairs from the staging area, or brought their own chairs, to
sit and relax, and jump up shouting, should their player number
be called. The first leg lasted some 15 minutes, and some nice
prizes went out to lucky players, but that was interrupted for
another 15 minutes, as both commanders were recognized, and
called up to the stage for the presentation of the game awards.
Once the awards were done, the raffle
resumed for the second leg, and was interrupted once again,
this time for the announcement of the scores. It was no secret
that the peasants had won just about everything, but the knights
did, in fact, find the one true grail. But it was not enough.
When the props and missions were tallied up, the peasants prevailed
by a wide margin, 395-190.
While the scores were being announces
and more prizes were being awarded, some players turned their
attention to the branches of a large tree, in which one of the
toss out prizes had become lodged. One young player tried to
dislodge it by throwing his shoe, but that wound up getting
stuck, too. Then, he took off his other shoe, and got the first
one down. A few more tosses, and the prize finally dropped,
and he was able to snatch it up.
The last of the prizes went out, and
the players hit the road for home. "Viper" and his
staff, along with the Paintball Command staff, traded congratulations,
then took a short breather before wrapping up the final details
of the event. Viper Enterprises extends its thanks to Charles
and Carrie Segrave and Don Prieto, the owners and operators
of Paintball Command, and to the Paintball Command staff, who
worked overtime to get things ready for the event, and who kept
things together through the game.
Thanks also, to the game's primary
sponsor, National Paintball Supply, and to the other fine sponsors,
including Ariakon, COPS 911, Hotheads Ordnance, and Signs o'
the Times. Special thanks to Hammerhead Barrels, which not
only was a game sponsor and contributor to the prize package,
but also set up a display booth on site, and provided several
players chosen at random, to receive a barrel to use during
the game.
More thanks to the celebrities that
attended. Mike "Blue" Hanse, who originated the "Quest"
game at EMR Paintball, in Pennsylvania, and Wayne Dollack, affectionately
called "The Godfather of Scenario Paintball." Also
on hand, was the editor and publisher of Scenario News, Lawrence
"TB" Wright, and Jerry "Dutch" Schappart,
a well-known commander in his own right.
Special mention to 13 year old Jacob
Howard, who prevailed upon his doctor to allow him to play,
despite a cast on his left forearm. The doctor was accommodating,
and even cut a small portion of the cast near the wrist, which
allowed Jacob to have better control of his paintgun while playing.
"Viper" and Paintball Command
combine in extending thanks to the 300 players that came out
to play, and sends out an invitation to all players to come
out and play in a Viper scenario. For more information on his
schedule and game locations, call the office, (713) 690-4311
or the cell phone, (281) 844-4572, or check out the Viper site,
<http://www.viperpaintball.com>.
Paintball Command also has a slate
of events scheduled for 2005. For more details, check out
the website, <http://www.paintball-command.com>, or give
them a call, (985) 809-7668.
-30-
GAME AWARDS
Peasants Knights
Most Valuable Player Barrie
"Nudi" Reed J. J. Breazeale
Most Valuable Team Techno
Storm Hidden Loyalty/
Sliced Cheese
Toughest Opponent Hidden
Loyalty/ Joe "Jammer" Arcurio
Sliced Cheese
Sportsmanship Tony
McAnally Lorena Horton
Best Young Player Tyler
Justo J. J. Breazeale
Best Role Player(s)
The Taunting Frenchmen
Best Referee
Andrew Buyer
(Received a set of coconuts from the original
Quest, 1998)
™
