Chronicles of War

[Tyger]

Originally posted by JoseDominguez
To settle this once and for all, how comfortable would you be playing a world war 2 scenario game if a german team showed up? you wouldn't would you.
...
so why bother with the ww2 theme in the first place? just a lack of imagination relying on existing stuff.

Well 1: It wold depend on WHY hte Germans showed up, similar to why some people show up to civil-way reenactments. Motive is a long way.

2 : Why bother? Because it's cashing in on a theme that every 'fantasy baller' loves, and getting money off the blood of others. Tha'ts naturally, IMHO.

-Tyger

 

[JoseDominguez]

Yes, but as you said earlier, re-enactment is a history thing, the motivation is very different to a scenario. In a re-enactment you are replicating events, it's staged for education or entertainment. In a normal paintball game you are just trying to out-manouvre the opposition and take them out of the game, add the "germans vs americans" aspect and your actually pretending to kill someone.

Long live the Aardvarkians!

As for "it would depend on why the germans showed up" well if they showed up to take out some Americans, how would you feel?

 

[MrPink]

But is it worse for a 'punter' site to have so-called 'Vietnam' villages? At least a scenario has the pretence of a historical component and could be considered to have some justification for the subject matter

I personally don't like the idea of re-enacting 'War' but I do believe that restricting peoples choices is a sure-fire way to give fuel to their arguments.

 

[Tyger]

Originally posted by JoseDominguez
Yes, but as you said earlier, re-enactment is a history thing, the motivation is very different to a scenario. In a re-enactment you are replicating events, it's staged for education or entertainment.
...
on why the germans showed up" well if they showed up to take out some Americans, how would you feel?

1 ) Yeah, what you said. A lot of reenactors are doign it to keep history alive, some do it becasue it's 'fun' to shoot black powder rifles, and some do it because it's a way to pay homage to their forefathers. But it's still true to a historical occasion. Jeff was 'in' on a reenactment of the war of 1812 in Prarie du Chien, which was staged to entertain and educate the locals of their own history. Paintball "Reenactments" are not that, but I think I'm beating a dead horse here.

2 ) If they showed up to "take out some americans", are they nazi sympathisers or revivalists? Are tehy revisionists? There are a lot of variables to this, it's not all cut and dry. My feelings on war-based scenarios are not colored by a few people showing up to live the roles although the media wold have a freaking FIELD DAY if they got a paintball player in an SS uniform on film. Then again, I cringed when Mancow, as a part of the SPPLAT film, kept on talking about how this was as close to the "real thing" as you could get.

EDIT ADD : Mr Pink : SC Village in Cali has the 'war villages', including Laos, Germany, Cambodia, Vietnam, and now "Taliban City"... It's more than a little ridiculous. I'm not a fan of it, but I've played there. Not Taliban City, but I've played SC Village. IMHO, they're doing it again to make money. Casual rec-players look at paintball as a war fantasy, get over that fact folks. Until the paintball industry gets their collective heads out of thir collective asses and actually MAKE paintbal into a SPORT and not a collection of enthusiasts this argument will be constant.

**growls** I need a shower now. I feel dirty.

-Tyger

 

[MrPink]

On a lighter note

Perhaps we could persuade the people who want to promote the 'Wargame' image into having a go at the catching paintballs world record?

 

[JoseDominguez]

Mr Pink, you are now my hero.

 

[Jones the Paint Magnet]

Hiya folks - Happy New Year to y'all

Was off visiting and away from a PC so apologies if this seems to be dredging old posts. I'm glad to see that we're all of the same mind - I think anyone who has ever taken the bother to educate themselves about real warfare understands what paintball isn't about.

Baca raised a good point about the marketing of "realistic" (to a point) markers and the scenario boom. Following Tyger's example of SC, is it the case that the punter crowd are demanding this or are organisers/manufacturers making lazy assumptions as to what will sell? I'm not suggesting we start boycotting (although given a militaristic and non-militaristic alternative, I know where I'll be spending my money), but if the names were dropped would that much money be lost? I can't imagine the percentage of people who play because the game's thematically related to war outnumbers the percentage who play because they enjoy the game.

 

[Tyger]

It sells, don't kid yourself.

If it didn't, would the market support it? No. SC VIllage makes a lot of money on the walk-on market, and that market wants the war fantasy. Sorry, it's the way it is. And I fall back to my other post.

-Tyger

 

[Alien]

Happy new year to all.....

Futureball is the way to go or just stick to big games like the one held at paintball sam's twice a year.

Tyger. I was a bit miffed at those kids but they were just kids, so i'll let them off with being jerks for now. The ones that really got to me were the group that was playing HITLER speaches next to our truck. Happlily we drowned them out with a bit of Iron Maidon's Ace's high

Those are the types that should be banned from even playing ( or better yet put them all into an open field and just give me unlimited paint and air )

I got into this sport via the rec side and i still enjoy some recball (as Tyger will testify) but you won't find me at a ww2 game or similar.

Alien
Eagerly awaiting the new season

 

[Tyger]

Originally posted by Alien

Tyger. I was a bit miffed at those kids but they were just kids, so i'll let them off with being jerks for now. The ones that really got to me were the group that was playing HITLER speaches next to our truck. Happlily we drowned them out with a bit of Iron Maidon's Ace's high
...
I got into this sport via the rec side and i still enjoy some recball (as Tyger will testify) but you won't find me at a ww2 game or similar.

*I* was miffed about them too, but since they dind't "Heil" at me, they didn't get to inspect my Stroker that close.

And as for loving rec? Why do I recall crawling through the weeds and hearing from behind me in a thick accent "I WANT MY SUP-AIR BUNKERS!!!!"

Rumor has it this May they'll have an 'airball' section of field. THAT will be intresting...

Next year, I'll burn a CD of loud music to drown out even the loudest speeches, if you want it... "Crazy Train", for example....

-Tyger