PaintballX3 Magazine June 2014 | Page 86

86 The second major change in the Mission Masters’ proven formula of mission-based scenario paintball games is the “Command Team.” Once chosen, the Command Teams begin their own recruitment campaigns on various forums and their own team websites, if applicable. Mission Masters aids the campaigns by promoting on Facebook and other social media outlets. It generates a lot of buzz and fuels further player immersion into the fantastical experience of scenario paintball. In this way, Mission Masters passes control to the Command Teams to recruit, plan, strategize, and implement field orders themselves on the field, enabling them to fulfill their destinies. The Command Teams don’t sit off the field making changes, they interface directly with their recruits and fight alongside them. The day at Steeltown Paintball Park started off in usual Mission Masters’ style – scattered rain in the forecast with wind gusts hitting 25+mph. And considering it was the first game of the Mission Masters season – and first game ever at a new field – confidence was high. Players were placed into their respective teams and walk-ons were divvied up for balance. The Blue Team was made up of U.S. Army June 2014 forces; the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong comprised the Red Team. After prepping the young referee staff and briefing the attending players on the rules and field safety, the game launched. The first “mission” of seven – “Battle of A Shau” – tasked both teams with capturing/defending the Special Forces Camp bunker location at the top of the main hill where the main feature is a dirt road intersection never before played upon. Additionally, the U.S. Army had to recover supply drops from various locations while the NVA/VC were tasked with setting up mortars at marked locations. The close quarter field layout afforded teams a realistic jungle-style of play, bringing a tug-of-war element to the mission. Red pushed Blue back only to lose their flank and get pushed out themselves. In the end, the first mission score ended with five points for Blue, four points for Red, a balanced start to a day that would end up being a wild ride for both teams. Mission two – “Tunnel Rats” – bolstered the Blue team because of their adaptability and communication, a testament to the leadership style of Pittsburgh