Paintball Rules

Before you play or compete, learn the paintball rules so you’re not disqualified before you start. No one will choose you for their team, and the girls won’t choose you either. Impress your friends before you hit the field for the first time by knowing the rules. The opposing team is counting on you to foul up- let that be their weakness.

1. Choose the boundaries for your game. If you’re not playing in an established paintball area, decide where the boundaries are. It makes no sense to play by paintball rules all day, come in for the night and discover someone’s still out there because they don’t know where the boundaries are.
2. Establish safe areas or dead zones. One of the most important paintball rules is to have a place where people can check their gear, take off their goggles for cleaning, etc., without being shot in the face. Both teams need to respect the area. Of course, players can’t sit out the game there- that’s just cowardly.
3. Agree on a time limit. Games that last forever are too boring and taxing on everyone. Establish your paintball rules to include how long the game will last- a half hour, an hour, half a day, etc. Give yourself time to get home, cleaned up and ready for your date night.
4. Decide how both teams will count victory. One of the most fought over paintball rules is victory. Will you count whose team lost the most players? Had the most hits? Took the other team’s flag? Knowing and agreeing to this before the game starts makes everything better from the start.
5. Choose the teams fairly. If you’re playing an established team, do they have more players than your team? Will some sit out so the teams are even? If the game is boys vs. girls, are they more or less experienced than you? Will there be alternates to take the place of those who are eliminated? This set of paintball rules allows everyone to have fun.
6. From the beginning, agree on how hits will be counted. This is one of the most contested paintball rules. Will a hit in the face be counted as out, or will it be counted as disqualification for the person who did it? Will hits on arms and legs count, or just those in the torso, front or back? Stop fights about this before they start.
7. Agree that the referee’s judgment is final. Decide who the referee will be. Basic paintball rules give the referee the discretion to decide points, hits, elimination, disqualification, and so on. He or she can stop the game for paint checks, to allow those hit to leave the field, and for breaks.
8. Avoid “dead man walking” tactics by establishing your paintball rules before the game. This happens when a hit player is headed to the dead zone. A non-hit player walks beside them as cover, and takes up a tactical position to gain unfair advantage while the game is held. It’s sneaky, but if there’s no rule against it at the beginning, it’s fair.
9. Set the paintball rules for your game to ensure proper ammunition. Will everyone only be allowed to have 100 rounds? 200 rounds? More? It’s not fair if one team has a limited supply and the other team comes in better equipped than Rambo. Allow the referee to watch an agreed upon stockpile- each player that is out has to go to the referee. They can be considered in or out of play while they resupply.
10. Instead of having too many cooks in the kitchen, choose team captains before the game. It’s sad to watch a team of ten people all yelling commands at each other or standing around waiting for someone to say something. Choose a captain from the start, and if they don’t step up under fire, shoot them. With a paintball, of course.