K2 bites the bullet in Reunification Part 96

[Baca Loco]

So I'm bored silly by all the non-happenings of the moment or at least the deafening failure to gossip about all the stuff that is happening. Dynasty restructures, Dynamics crumbles, XSV goes on the chainsaw diet, will they or won't they, Infamous Reforms (nearly) and even Joy winning an event hasn't seemed to make much of a dent. One wonders if paintball isn't becoming more parochial, instead of less. Well, I do.
Anyway, that stuff is neither here nor there as reunification remains THE topic of conversation in all the smoke filled backrooms of paintball. And as the other thread is getting long-ish and off-topic I thought I'd start us over again. Not unlike the reunification talks themselves.
As the lame duck prez I'm guessing at this point everyone is simply nodding and going yes, Chuck, sure, Chuck, whatever you say, Chuck while paying absolutely no attention whatsoever. In some quarters this move is viewed as facilitating reunification as it assigned Chuck the past position of stumbling block.
On the flip side must be the SP World Championship TV gig coming in October. What if it really is good? What if this programming (seemingly against all odds) actually makes a dent in the market and takes the next step to putting paintball on the media map? What happens to reunification then?

Beyond the speculation let's toss in the practical, shall we? How about some suggestions for resolving the sticking points to making reuni work. Stuff like format. Integration of the Pros. Organization and authority of the mixed promotional companies. Does access to TV enter this picture or is it completely separate?
There's lots more so get cracking. Do your part to save paintball. (Assuming you're a fan of the One World Paintball Order.)

 

[Robbo]

Sergey once told me something quite profound, well it seemed quite profound to me when I pondered its implications, he said, 'Pete, sit down, and really think about where you think this sport will be in 5 years time.

As you ponder that, bring into play all your experience, all your intellect and all relevant facts, and when you have achieved this prediction, get to work on bringing it about'.

At first glance it might seem like a trivial yet convenient game to play but on closer inspection, it holds a lot more ..... think about it !

 

[SPHEREPOINT]

Okay Baca, I'll bite. This is brainstorming, so don't fly completely off the handle just yet!

To reunify:

1) Drop 11 events to 8 at a maximum. This will onlypiss off pro players/teams, as they will have fewer opportunities to win money. For all other divisions, the top five events will count towards their series points.

2) Keep the venues worth having, in the right places. No one will argue HB or Disney. Chicago should remain as geographically important. Many others could be negotiated out or rotated yearly.

3)Keep semi-auto at all costs. Some will consider this regression, but *IF* TV comes into play, the additional movement semi allows makes the game more intersting. Additionally, kids who see it are apt to think that they are watching a game they can't possibly compete in because it has full auto guns!

4)The format needs to be started from the bottom and structured for the good of paintball, not TV, etc. Start over and get it right.

 

[Chicago]

It will only piss off the handful of pro teams who consistently place.

Half the pro teams are going to be mad they have to play 8 events instead of 5/6.

Remember, neither league actually pays out more in Pro prize money than they take in in Pro entry fees. As a whole, more events is just as bad for Pro teams as it is everyone else, especially when you tack on travel etc.

And most of the sponsors arn't going to want to up from 5/6 to 8 events either.

One league, one format, 5, MAYBE 6, events.

Agree that they should go back to the format drawing board though.

 

[SPHEREPOINT]

I'll go with 5 or 6 events. For nostalgia's sake, the season ender should still be in Orlando. Let's keep one tradition whole! As for format from the ground up:
1) There should be some repeatable format like X-Ball. Shortly put, you play the same team more than once.
2) The scoring should reward teams for eliminations and flag hangs. The X-Ball scoring system is like a Greek tragedy and the 7-man system a bit too involved for the average Joe to follow. Something like 7 man scoring without first pull points.
3)No flags! They are almost an afterthought at this point. How about a buzzer at each end connected to a light or something. Put something dynamic into the end of the game!
4) The number of players on the field should be reconsidered. We put 5 on the field because it has descended down from 15 man and 7 because the Europeans were doing it because the couldn't support 10 man. No one crucify me here, but has anyone thought of 6? Both leagues would be altering by one player on the field. From the local level on up teams could readily adapt to 6 men on the field. And better yet, all of those local 3 man events that fields all over have all the time could be perceived as half of a pro 6 man event, much like 5 man was perceived as "10 man lite" when paintball teams played Hyperball and Urban Assault was a NPPL tournament field.

I know this sounds crazy, but we should at least get as many ideas out there as we can. If we discuss the ideas, then we can eventually boil it down to what the best ideas for the game are!

 

[Chicago]

I think a primary consideration should be having a format that can be played with 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 players with minimal rule modification, just like most other sports where the number of people on the field itself isn't important.

Then you have different classes of play, starting at the very local level and going on up to the Pro level, with different numbers of players on the field.

3 might be best for Young Guns. National-level might be, say, 7. Or maybe Pro and D1 is 7 and the other divisions are 6 or 5. I think PSP is on the right track with 5-man/Xlite, and XBall.


As far as formats, I was thinking today, you should have two flags, one on each side of the field on the 50.

Pull a flag, that's one point. Get a flag over the end-line, that's 3 points. Or something like that.

Another thought I had, which goes with your 'eliminations' thing, is you put but 3 buzzers on each endline, one in each corner and one in the middle. One point for each buzzer you hit, but once you hit one you're out.

So, if you win with 3 bodies, you get 3 points. You win with 1 body, you get one point. You win with 5 bodies, still 3 points though.

And if you're down 2 points with 45 seconds to go, you gotta get two players all the way down the field.

 

[Baca Loco]

Okay Baca, I'll bite. This is brainstorming, so don't fly completely off the handle just yet!

Moi!? Never.
Besides, one reason I started this is because I was, yes, bored but also because I've already turned in the answer for a future column. And I'm curious to see what y'all come up with.

The only thing I wonder about you, Sphere, is if you've actually played paintball lately facing the current artillery available since you continue to insist that what currently passes for "semi-auto" is somehow more playable or egalitarian than 15 bps capped.

 

[Baca Loco]

Another thought I had, which goes with your 'eliminations' thing, is you put but 3 buzzers on each endline, one in each corner and one in the middle. One point for each buzzer you hit, but once you hit one you're out.

Hey, maybe everyone could wear clown shoes, too.

Sorry, that was uncalled for and I promise not to do it again--in this thread.

 

[Chicago]

What if we put the buzzers on the clown shoes of the opponents?

 

[Sherman]

Of all the formats I've seen and played (Xball, about every X-man from 15 to 1), the M7 by Millennium has been the best so far. Simple scoring, simple time keeping, no flags. The game lasts about 30 mins, which is also just about perfect. The mental barrier of winning the 5th point creates some interesting games.

Actually the only thing I would change is to shorten the time outs from three to two minutes.