Game Variations for small groups

SNIPER
(TWISTED SEARCH AND DESTROY)

Sniper rules offers a chance for players to improve both teamwork and individual skills, while enjoying a unique playing experience. It’s basically an all vs. one game, but can that too can be modified. The idea is for a sniper to bury himself in the woods, and the rest of the group to hunt.

The sniper is allowed time to set-up and hide before the hunters are let loose on the field. The win conditions are set before the game starts and depend on what kind of challenge both the sniper and hunters want to take. For example, the conditions might be that the sniper wins if he eliminates only one of the hunters. This offers more of a challenge to the hunters who must operate in a fashion designed to protect everyone. The conditions could also be that the sniper has to eliminate a specified amount of the hunters to secure a win. This obviously puts more of the challenge on the sniper.

A variation is to limit the ammo capacity and rate of fire of the sniper (such as using a pump gun). In return, the sniper gets to shoot at a higher velocity than everyone else. For example, while the sniper is allowed to chrono at 300 f.p.s.,  other players must chrono to a maximum of 260 f.p.s.  This gives the sniper some advantage in range.

TAG

In Tag, the group of players are divided into two equal teams, and switch teams when they get eliminated. The game is over when everyone is finally on the same team. When a player gets eliminated, he becomes neutral and must first tag up with the player who shot him before he becomes a part of that player’s team. It is the eliminated player’s responsibility to go to the player who shot him. The neutrality rule keeps the eliminated player from immediately getting shot again by his former team mates, and the tag rule keeps the eliminated player from immediately switching sides and simply shooting people around him.

Tag can end very quickly or can go on indefinitely depending on how events transpire. A 3 on 3 situation can quickly deteriorate to 5 on 1, then within minutes go right back to 3 on 3 with a completely different combination of players from the original teams. The situation can continually change with no apparent end in sight, which means it may require a lot of paint and air, unless a time deadline is set. In Tag there is no clear cut winner – the game isn’t about winning. It’s about playing time. No one sits out on the sidelines while others continue to play, and players get a chance to try out a variety of team combinations.

MACHINE GUN NEST
(WEIGHTED ATTACK AND DEFEND)

This game is a fairly common theme in paintball, but there are several variations that can be applied to keep it interesting. The way we play this game is to put a smaller amount of players on the top of a hill with better cover such as a fort, while the larger group tries to advance up the hill and take the position. The defenders up hill also have the advantage of altitude which means less lobbing for longer shots. Since they are stationary, they can also keep more supplies in the fort. The goals for each team can be set in one of several ways, such as elimination of the opposition, or reaching a certain point on the field of play. Restrictions can also be set on where the teams are allowed to go, such as prohibiting the defending team from traveling outside the immediate area of their fort.

Our field is set up where despite having smaller numbers, the defenders definitely have the advantage and sometimes enjoy a situation in which they are shooting fish in a barrel. The attackers have a challenge to face and absolutely have to use team work to achieve their objective. It’s not easy, but that’s part of what makes attacking a favorite among some of us.