For some players, it’s all about the team. Showing up with the latest, best, fastest and coolest paintball guns and accessories is a huge part of the excitement. In the Woodsball setting, realistic paintball rifle replicas, camouflage uniforms, and tactical vests definitely add an element to the game that is appealing to many. Active and ex-military, law enforcement officers and all the men who enjoyed playing “army” as children are drawn to this type of paintball. Dressing like a soldier and wearing totally authentic gear makes it possible to fully immerse yourself in the setting, adding to the fun and intensity of the game. While all of the cool gear is great for sparking interest, it’s the intricacies of the wooden ball that makes players want more. If you want to win, you will quickly find that there is much more than just accessories; Woodsball is a game of strategy and skill.
As in speedball competition, your team will be defeated each time the opposing team has a better strategy. Even if your players’ skill level is better, you’ll still have a harder time achieving your goals if you can’t tie it all together with a winning strategy. If you play on the same field all the time, it is easier to develop specific game plans that you can practice and do well. Strategies include player movements, different attack plans, and methods to get the opposing team to react and keep / keep it on the defensive. When you play a familiar course, you can incorporate aspects of the course into your strategy; for example, forcing the opposing team into an ambush or bottleneck trap. When you are playing on a new field and you are not familiar with the layout of the field, it is very smart to arrive early and walk before playing so that you can develop strategies as you go and prepare. If you don’t have the opportunity to do this, the minimum basic strategy you should have anyway is for your team to be organized so that players have specific roles to play. Once this is established, they can react to each other and strategize on the fly if necessary.
Playing on a field you’ve practiced on and considering your “playing field” will give you obvious advantages. Regardless of this, you should have known strategies that your team has developed that can be used wherever you go. An example of this would be a maneuver called ‘flanking’. Flanking occurs when your team goes up and down the field and huddles so your opponent has nowhere to go. This strategy is most effective when your team has more players than the other team. If your opponent has the same idea, flanking won’t work, but the idea is to be well versed in certain moves like this so that you can try it out on whatever field you play. Another move type strategy is ‘rush’. Running your opponents is effective in Capture the Flag games. There are many ways to rush your opponent and the exact way may depend on the layout of the field. The general idea is for the majority of your team to spread out and run towards the target (flag, bunker, fort, etc.), overwhelmed with fire from all directions. Meanwhile, one or more members of your team pursue the main objective while the opposing team deals with the rush of your players.
In most paintball games, moving towards the opposing team or a desired location is a necessary procedure. However, sometimes (but rarely) it is better to purposely adopt a defensive stance on the field. This plan is most effective when defending a fort or if your team is outnumbered. If the opposing team has 4 or 5 more opponents than you, sometimes it is best to catch them by hiding and then wait for them to reach your location. Going to defense will sometimes allow a better visualization of your opponent’s movement, but this can also depend on the layout of the field. Keeping a view of your opponent will help prevent your team from being flanked or cornered. Defensive strategies don’t mean staying in the same place for the entire game; moving around is another key element to keep in mind for Woodsball. Staying moving is important to maintaining an advantageous position over your enemy, whether you are playing offense or defense.
For most movement strategies to be effective, your team will need to have some kind of communication procedure in place. Unlike speedball which is played on a smaller enclosed field, stage paintball is played on a much larger open field. Once the game starts, if your team has to part ways, they will need a way to communicate with each other so that they can work together to accomplish their mission. Without a good communication system, you will no longer be a team, but a group of loose individuals who go and do what they think is right at the time. This is easy to overcome by an opposing team that has a down system. Whether it’s a series of calls, messages streamed back and forth by a specific player, or even a silent throat mic system, they’ll need some way to talk to each other when / if they’re spread out or spread out in different locations. Whenever possible, it is best if your communication system is silent so as not to attract the attention of your enemy. Walkie talkies and / or throat mic systems work best for woodsball games played on large fields (and they make your game much more realistic too!).
While establishing a system of communication with your teammates is crucial, the method you choose should not compromise stealth. In Woodsball, stealth is a key element that must be incorporated into your strategy. Stealth movement is key to getting a better position and surprising your opponents so they are not ready for your attack. From silent communication to markers and silent paintball equipment, stealth should be a priority for as long as possible during a stage game. If your enemy can’t see you, he can’t hit you. Camouflage clothing to help you blend into your surroundings and stay invisible will keep you alive longer and allow you to hide better, even when coverage is poor. For this to be most effective, the correct type of camouflage will be important. Finding information about your playing environment is a good strategy so that you can match the correct camouflage colors / patterns to the local wildlife / playing field background. If you play in the fall, wear a red-brown camouflage. If you play in the spring, wear a lighter green camouflage. If you play in the summer, use a darker greenish color and depending on your area, for the winter use white camouflage or a very dark camouflage, if it is not snowing.