Paintball Rules – Field Rules at Scrambling Hills

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At Scrambling Hills, the set of rules we play with follows some generally agreed upon rules that most recball (recreational paintball) and woodsball players play with (as opposed to tournament / speedball games). Although we like these rules below, we are open to variations and suggestions depending on the scenario.

• Disclaimer 1: We have no refs and play on the honor system. Please do not violate the honor system by cheating. Cheating will not be tolerated. Fighting, excessive arguing, and cocky attitudes are not tolerated. Naughty words are discouraged. Trash talk is encouraged, just don't over do it.
• Disclaimer 2: Paintball is potentially dangerous. Everyone plays at their own risk. Nobody, including myself, claims liability for your injuries. Playing with us assumes you agree to be responsible for your own injuries. Please read the safety rules below.

What Constitutes a "Hit"

1. Standard Hit. If a ball hits you, breaks and leaves paint or shell anywhere on your body, or equipment you are hit. This includes your pinky toe, gun, canteen, or your face. It is all the same. Even if it hits your clothing in a spot where "a real bullet would have passed through without hurting me" you are still hit. GUN HITS COUNT!
   (See the Hit Locations and Extra Hit Points rule below)
2. Splatter. Due to popular demand, splatter does NOT count. Below is the old rules:
   
   
   If a ball hits another object (a small branch for example) and leaves a blob of splatter the diameter of a quarter or larger you are hit. A group of small droplets that have conglomerated together the size of a quarter also counts. Or if there is any paintball shell on you, you are hit regardless of blob size. When in doubt, call yourself out.
3. Bouncers. Bouncers do not count. Bouncers are defined as a ball that hits you and bounces off without breaking. You do not have to call bouncers (unless you want to). The exception to this is if you accidentally forget and call "hit" then it counts (see rule 6). Or if it hits your back where you cannot see and nobody is around to check to see if you are clean, just call it.
   
   Please don't hold up the game going "Excuse me, excuse me, hold on, I need somebody to paint check me. Can somebody come here and paint check me?" If you have to do this, just call out.
   
   Here in humid Hawaii balls often get soggy and have troubles breaking. We have played where you can ignore the first bouncer, but the next one counts as sort of a compromise rule. Normally we don't play like this though.
   
   Note: If you are wearing a ghillie suit, or other padded clothing (more than a regular BDU jacket) any direct hit counts, break or no break.
4. Friendly Fire. It sounds benign, but it still counts as a hit. Check your targets.
5. Bunkering Rule / 10 ft Tag Rule / Surrender rule. This rule varies greatly from place to place. The purpose of this rule is to prevent people from blasting each other at point blank AKA "bunkering." On some fields you must offer your opponent a surrender, this never works because nobody ever wants to surrender.
   
   Our preferred solution to this problem is the 10ft tag rule. If you can get within 10 feet of an opponent and he doesn't see you and you have a totally clear shot, yell or say "Tag Tag Tag." If you get tagged, be a man (or woman as the case may be) and accept it. No pride lost, it happens to the best of us.
   
   Please mind the spirit of this rule. Do not try to "tag" people because it's easier than trying to actually shoot them. I had a kid once yell "TAG" to me from 50 ft away while I was blasting away at him from a fortified position. No one blamed me for continuing to fire at him.
6. Calling Hit. If you call "hit" or "surrender" for any reason you are eliminated. This is also a good safety rule if you have a problem of some sort and need to call out.
7. Hit Locations and Extra Hit Points. On occasion, to balance out a scenario, we will give an individual or a team an extra hit point(s) or note that certain locations are treated differently.
   
   The most common way we play is giving everyone an extra extremity hit. This means they can ignore the first hit to an extremity.
   
   -- Vitals vs Extremity
   Vitals are defined as anywhere on the head, or on the torso above the belt-line. Everywhere else is an extremity hit (gun, arm, leg, gear, etc..)
   
   When all your hit points are used up yell "hit." If you do this prematurely on accident you are still eliminated for yelling "hit" to avoid confusion (see rule 6). It is your responsibility to keep track of your own hit points.
   
   Note: Our preferred way of playing is to give everyone one extra extremity hit.
8. Paint Checks. Please check yourself and your teammates occasionally for unnoticed splatter and hits. You can ask for a "paint check" by a nearby buddy, but you are still in play of course an can be shot while checking. If you think you hit an opponent and maybe he didn't notice, you can yell out "hey, check your hopper" (or whatever location) and be a good sport and give him a second to check to see if he is "clean" or "hit".
   
   Please don't abuse this rule. Fights arguments and cheating are severely discouraged. Be sure to wipe off paint between games so nobody confuses an old hit for a new one and thinks you a cheater. You don't want to be thought a cheater, trust me, it's very bad.

What to Do When You're Hit.

1. Yell "HIT" be sure they can hear you so they can stop shooting at you. You may have to yell HIT several times before they hear you. And please stop shooting at somebody after they call "Hit".
2. Put your hand or gun up high (so others know who was hit and who wasn't) and leave the area. Please try to take a route that does not cross lines of fire.
3. DO NOT TAKE OFF YOUR MASK! I don't know why some people do this.
4. Put your barrel cover on. Keep your hand up or your cover on so others can easily recognize you as out. In smaller games it may be ok to sick around and watch as long as you're totally out of the way, even from flankers sneaking around. Did I mention to keep your hand up?
5. Don't give away anyone's position either by talking, pointing, or looking. (People will look to see where you're looking.)
6. If you have to cross an area that might be ambushed, keep your barrel cover on (they are usually brightly covered) and keep your gun or hand up so you can be easily identified as eliminated. It is also good practice to say "Dead man walking. Hold your fire" as you go so you don't accidentally surprise anyone.

Safety Rules

1. Never take off your mask during play. Even if you are eliminated or observing, or cruising near by. The potential for stray shots and mis-identified targets exists. Nobody will be allowed near the play area without high impact rated goggles.
2. Never shoot at any unmasked person. If your mask is off and you are fired at, cover your eyes and yell "HIT" or "SURRENDER" until you can recover your mask and properly eliminate yourself. If you happen across an unmasked enemy player tell him he is tagged and eliminated by virtue of being caught unmasked. DON'T SHOOT AT HIM!
3. Gun etiquette is a must. Always be conscious of where your gun is pointing, especially between games where people's masks are off. Keep your barrel cover / plug on and the safety on when not in play. Always assume every gun is loaded and ready to fire, even the one you just unloaded. Keep your finger outside of the trigger-guard unless actively firing.
4. NEVER do the kook / noob thing of pointing your gun in somebody's unmasked face and say "Ha ha you thought it was loaded but it's not!" This is the most stupid, immature thing you can do and it will get your butt kicked so hard you'll be able to taste it!
5. Don't be afraid to ask if you have questions about how your gun works. We all had to learn at some point and are still learning. It's better to ask and be safe, than to have something explode.
6. Whatever the situation, safety first. It's better to lose the game than to break your leg (or cause someone else to break their leg) by playing in unsafe conditions. Use common sense.
7. Recommended velocity is around 260 feet per second. We play in fairly dense jungle conditions and a lot of the fighting is at close range. Nothing above 285 fps will be allowed. We have a hand-held chronograph that can measure your velocity at the beginning of the day, and I recommend measuring again in the middle of the day. CO2 is fussy about temperature and it will affect the velocity of your gun.

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