Woodsball (also known as woods paintball, hillball or bushball) is a

format Format may refer to: Printing and visual media * Text formatting, the typesetting of text elements * Paper formats, or paper size standards * Newspaper format, the size of the paper page Computing * File format, particular way that informatio ...

of paintball gaming, in which players compete in a natural outdoors area or a recreation of a town called urban fields (contrasting with inflatable bunker-based speedball format) using paintball guns to mark opponents. The term ''woodsball'' is sometimes used to describe non- milsim airsoft games, which take place in a forest. It is recognized as the first format of paintball ever played, and is often used in conjunction with scenario paintball, allowing players to enact parts in a story or

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

battle. This is due to its effectiveness in allowing players to simulate military situations using realistic weaponry and equipment; all of which are customizable - allowing each player to fulfill a tactical role. The types of games playable are infinite, and include mostly capture the flag or elimination.

Etymology

The first game of paintball was played in Henniker, New Hampshire on 27 June 1981, with players using a "Nel-spot 007" pistol; normally used by farmers and ranchers for marking trees and

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

. The term ''woodsball'' was a simple concatenation of the ''woods'' where games were originally played, and the ''ball'' from ''paintball''.

Game play

Woodsball is a style of paintball that can be played in natural terrain, including wooded areas - limited only by the availability of land. The basic rule of paintball still applies; players must attempt to eliminate opposing players using a paintball marker filled with paintballs. The format is flexible and is played at both the recreational level by enthusiasts of any skill level, and at the

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

level. The length of games is roughly determined by the expanse of the playing area and the number of players involved – generally it takes five to ten minutes before players make contact with an opposing player. Woodsball features large teams, in competition to obtain various goals and objectives. Large Scale woodsball games are commonly referred to as "Big Games" or "Scenario Games". Popular examples of this format are Cousin's Big Game in Coram, New York (on Long Island) and Hell Survivor's Monster Game just outside Pinckney, Michigan and Invasion of Normandy at Skirmish U.S.A in Pennsylvania which draws in about 3,500 to 4,500 players a year and lasts for two days. Another variant of the Big Game is the "Attack and Defend" format where large numbers of attackers try to overrun a fixed, but well-defended objective such as a compound or large building.

Strategic play

Woodsball players adhere to a unique

strategy Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "art of troop leader; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the "art ...

amongst the paintball variations, in that players can be given the option to equip themselves with differing equipment based on their assigned role or class within the team. The make-up of a player's role is potentially limitless, and can be based upon realistic

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

roles. Additionally, these classes may grant them unique options in the game - for example, one type of player may be able to communicate with gaming officials, while another may be allowed to begin the game before the rest of the players. The natural terrain and

weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmosphere, the ...

conditions affect the strategic options offered to players in a differing way to a symmetrical playing field encountered in other regulated sports. Fields may contain both natural and artificial structures, including bunkers, barricades and bases. Weather conditions particular can affect players; wind can affect paintball

trajectories A trajectory or flight path is the path that an object with mass in motion follows through space as a function of time. In classical mechanics, a trajectory is defined by Hamiltonian mechanics via canonical coordinates; hence, a complete traj ...

, fog can hamper visibility, and hot and cold temperatures can affect CO₂ in the paintball marker

propellant A propellant (or propellent) is a mass that is expelled or expanded in such a way as to create a thrust or other motive force in accordance with Newton's third law of motion, and "propel" a vehicle, projectile, or fluid payload. In vehicles, the e ...

system.

Equipment

Woodsball equipment includes the standard mandatory paintball equipment, which includes marker, paintballs, harness/pod belt, and protective

mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practic ...

– but players also make use of other

items such as

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

combat boots Combat boots are military boots designed to be worn by soldiers during combat or combat training, as opposed to during parades and other ceremonial duties. Modern combat boots are designed to provide a combination of grip, ankle stability, an ...

, and

ghillie suit A ghillie suit is a type of camouflage clothing designed to resemble the background environment such as foliage, snow or sand. Typically, it is a net or cloth garment covered in loose strips of burlap ( hessian), cloth, or twine, sometimes made t ...

s. Additionally, a player's equipment might vary depending upon their style of play, or position. While standard paintball equipment can be used in woodsball, manufacturers may market their products as specific to the woodsball game format. In most cases, such equipment is designed to be more reliable in outdoor harsh conditions. Gloves, padding and other armor are also allowed to improve comfort and safety in rugged playing environments, such as canyons and rocky areas.

Markers

While any paintball marker may be used in woodsball, the format allows for marker customization – allowing a player to fill tactical roles while using the same marker throughout. For example, a player might fulfill the role of a

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

by adding a

telescopic sight A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope informally, is an optical sighting device based on a refracting telescope. It is equipped with some form of a referencing pattern – known as a ''reticle'' – mounted in a focally appropriate po ...

stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...

, and more accurate

barrel A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...

to their marker. The same equipment can be later replaced by fully automatic grips and/or circuit boards, which enable the player to play as a gunner. Because of the range of possibilities, woodsball markers often come out of the box with basic configurations, allowing for later modification. Markers can also include military-simulation (or "Mil-Sim") markers - which appear aesthetically similar to real firearms.

Camouflage

Camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

is of importance for woodsball; players need to blend into the surrounding environment, making it harder for the opposing team to spot the player. The exact nature of the camouflage may vary, and can include military (such as Flecktarn and MARPAT and one of the newest types of camo, multicam) or

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

styles (includes Mossy Oak and realtree). Players can also take advantage of "sasquatch" or "ghillie" suits, allowing them to remain undetected at close ranges.

Tournament play

Woodsball players can take part in amateur or professional play, with tournaments organized by leagues worldwide; the game generally considered cheaper than the speedball tournament standard format, though not as widespread. The United States has two dominant leagues, the ''Woodsball Tournament League'' (WTL), and the Ultimate Woodsball League (UWL).

Game variants

The particular rules and variants of woodsball are limitless; however, there are basic modes that are often played and organized by woodsball field operators. * Capture the flag (CTF) – Both teams attempt to capture opposing teams flag, or a single neutral flag. Depending on the rules agreed upon, tagged players may be able to re-enter the game after an allotted time period. *Elimination – Teams must tag every opponent without being eliminated themselves. * Ironman – Teams or individuals play as per normal, but a tag does not count as an elimination. The game only ends once players either surrender or run out of paint. * King of the hill – Players must either defend or capture a point of interest. *Protect the VIP – Teams must protect a single player on their team, while opponents must eliminate this individual. Non-VIP players may re-enter the field after being tagged, but the game ends when a VIP is tagged. *Zombies – One player starts against all others. But the one player is a zombie and can only be eliminated by getting marked on their head. If they shoot any opposing players they turn into a zombie after a certain respawn time. Game is over when either team is all eliminated. *Common Foe – Respawn/resurrect players as new team to come in against remaining players from both teams.

References

External links

About.com Woodsball Strategy

The Art of Woodsball - Strategy, Field Building Guide, Tactics

Blast Radius Woodsball Podcast
{{paintball Paintball variants