Woodsball
Encyclopedia
Woodsball is a format of paintball
gaming, in which players compete in a natural outdoors area (contrasting with inflatable bunker-based Speedball
format) using paintball markers to tag opponents.
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 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.
s in 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
. The term woodsball was a simple concatenation of the woods where games were originally played, and the ball from paintball.
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
level. The length of games is roughly determined by the expanse of the playing area and the number of players involved - generally it takes 5 to 10 minutes before players make contact with an opposing player.
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
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
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, fog can hamper visibility, and cold temperatures can affect CO2
in the paintball marker propellant
system.
- but players also make use of other military
items such as camouflage
, combat boots, and ghillie suit
s. Additionally, a players 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.
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
by adding a telescopic sight
, stock
, and more accurate barrel
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.
is of importance for woodsball; players need to blend in to 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
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 standard format, though not as widespread. The United States has two dominant leagues, the Woodsball Tournament League (WTL), and the Ultimate Woodsball League (UWL)
The particular rules and variants of woodsball are limitless, however there are basic modes that are often played and organized by woodsball field operators.
Paintball
Paintball is a sport in which players compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by tagging them with capsules containing water soluble dye and gelatin shell outside propelled from a device called a paintball marker . Paintballs have a non-toxic, biodegradable, water soluble...
gaming, in which players compete in a natural outdoors area (contrasting with inflatable bunker-based Speedball
Speedball
Speedball is one of the two distinct game variants in the sport of paintball, the other being woodsball. It is a general term for a game in which the playing field is composed of bunkers, of the same location and number on each side of the field, that provide an equal playing field for each team...
format) using paintball markers to tag opponents.
It is recognized as the first format of Paintball ever played, and is often used in conjunction with Scenario paintball
Scenario paintball
Scenario paintball is a type of paintball game in which players participate in a scenario, or story; and may include historical re-enactments, futuristic or video game simulations. Games tend to last in the range of hours or days, and may include a large group of players...
, allowing players to enact parts in a story
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
or historical 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
Capture the flag
Capture the Flag is a traditional outdoor sport generally played by children, where two teams each have a flag and the objective is to capture the other team's flag, located at the team's "base," and bring it safely back to their own base...
or elimination.
Etymology
The first game of paintball was played in woodlandWoodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
s in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
on 27 June 1981, with players using a "Nel-spot 007" pistol; normally used by farmers and ranchers for marking trees and livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
. 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 markerPaintball marker
A paintball marker, also known as a paintball gun, is the main piece of equipment in the sport of paintball. Markers use an expanding gas, such as carbon dioxide or compressed air, to propel paintballs through the barrel. Some paintball players refer to the piece of equipment as a "marker" rather...
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
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
level. The length of games is roughly determined by the expanse of the playing area and the number of players involved - generally it takes 5 to 10 minutes before players make contact with an opposing player.
Strategic play
Woodsball players adhere to a unique strategyStrategy
Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
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
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
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
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
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, fog can hamper visibility, and cold temperatures can affect CO2
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
in the paintball marker propellant
Propellant
A propellant is a material that produces pressurized gas that:* can be directed through a nozzle, thereby producing thrust ;...
system.
Equipment
Woodsball equipment includes the standard mandatory paintball equipment, which includes marker, paintballs, and protective maskMask
A mask is an article normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance or entertainment. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes...
- but players also make use of other military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
items such as camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
, combat boots, and ghillie suit
Ghillie suit
A ghillie suit, wookie suit, yowie suit, or camo tent is a type of camouflage clothing designed to resemble heavy foliage. Typically, it is a net or cloth garment covered in loose strips of cloth or twine, sometimes made to look like leaves and twigs, and optionally augmented with scraps of foliage...
s. Additionally, a players 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 markerPaintball marker
A paintball marker, also known as a paintball gun, is the main piece of equipment in the sport of paintball. Markers use an expanding gas, such as carbon dioxide or compressed air, to propel paintballs through the barrel. Some paintball players refer to the piece of equipment as a "marker" rather...
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
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
by adding a telescopic sight
Telescopic sight
A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope, is a sighting device that is based on an optical refracting telescope. They are equipped with some form of graphic image pattern mounted in an optically appropriate position in their optical system to give an accurate aiming point...
, stock
Stock (firearm)
A stock, also known as a buttstock or shoulder stock, is a part of a rifle or other firearm, to which the barrel and firing mechanism are attached, that is held against one's shoulder when firing the gun. Stocks are also found on crossbows though a crossbow stock is more properly referred to as a...
, and more accurate barrel
Gun barrel
A gun barrel is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion or rapid expansion of gases are released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at a high velocity....
to their marker. The same equipment can be later replaced by fully automatic
Automatic firearm
An automatic firearm is a firearm that loads another round mechanically after the first round has been fired.The term can be used to refer to semi-automatic firearms, which fire one shot per single pull of the trigger , or fully automatic firearms, which will continue to load and fire ammunition...
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
CamouflageCamouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
is of importance for woodsball; players need to blend in to 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
Flecktarn
Flecktarn is a 3-, 4-, 5- or 6-colour disruptive camouflage pattern. The use of spots creates a "dithering" effect, which eliminates hard boundaries between the different colours in much the same way the squares in the newest digital camouflage patterns do...
and MARPAT
MARPAT
MARPAT is a digital camouflage pattern in use with the United States Marine Corps, introduced with the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform , which replaced the Camouflage Utility Uniform. The pattern is formed by a number of small rectangular pixels of color...
and one of the newest types of camo, multicam
MultiCam
MultiCam is a single camouflage pattern designed to help the wearer hide in varied environments, seasons, elevations, and light conditions. It is a 7-color, multi-environment camouflage pattern developed by Crye Associates in conjunction with U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center...
) or hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
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 speedballSpeedball
Speedball is one of the two distinct game variants in the sport of paintball, the other being woodsball. It is a general term for a game in which the playing field is composed of bunkers, of the same location and number on each side of the field, that provide an equal playing field for each team...
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
- This is a short list of the most commonly played variants of woodsball. For a more complete list, see Paintball variationsPaintball variationsPaintball is played with a potentially limitless variety of rules and variations, all of which are specified before the game begins. The most basic of all game rules is that players must attempt to accomplish a goal without being tagged with paintballs...
- 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.
- Capture the FlagCapture the flagCapture the Flag is a traditional outdoor sport generally played by children, where two teams each have a flag and the objective is to capture the other team's flag, located at the team's "base," and bring it safely back to their own base...
(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. - 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 VIPVIPVIP and V.I.P. is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:-In general:* Vacuum insulated panel* Values, Influence, and Peers, an anti-crime campaign in Ontario elementary schools* Variable Information Printing, a form of on-demand printing...
is tagged. - King of the Hill — Players must either defend or capture a point of interest.
See also
- PaintballPaintballPaintball is a sport in which players compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by tagging them with capsules containing water soluble dye and gelatin shell outside propelled from a device called a paintball marker . Paintballs have a non-toxic, biodegradable, water soluble...
- Scenario paintballScenario paintballScenario paintball is a type of paintball game in which players participate in a scenario, or story; and may include historical re-enactments, futuristic or video game simulations. Games tend to last in the range of hours or days, and may include a large group of players...
- SpeedballSpeedballSpeedball is one of the two distinct game variants in the sport of paintball, the other being woodsball. It is a general term for a game in which the playing field is composed of bunkers, of the same location and number on each side of the field, that provide an equal playing field for each team...
- Stock class paintballStock paintballStockclass paintball is a paintball game variant, in which players are restricted to use the most basic paintball markers to tag opponents with.-The rules:Stock paintball players must adhere to the following rules, in regards to usable paintball markers....
- Player positions (paintball)Player positions (paintball)The idea of player positions in paintball refers to the general mindsets and roles of play assumed by players of the sport. There are various levels of complexity used by players when referring to such positions, and there is no official or universal set of player positions.- Tournament Paintball...