The Wild World of TB!

Got a picture to run by you guys. Some say this is the new Tippmann marker coming out in the next few months, some say it isn't.

Tippmann Phenom, any more information out there?

So this past April, we took a trip up to Missouri to play a game called Panzer Attack at Bill Bailey's field. I have known Bill for quite some time, and while we haven't always got along there has always been a mutual respect between us. After attending the game and see the awesome field he has, Thunderstruck committed to coming back and bringing some friends with us. So we will be heading back in 2010 and we will be taking over the reigns of the Allies as the command staff. While Bill is listing me as the commander, I intend to run it as a Triumvirate, with me and two of best damn commanders I have have ever played with and for in my paintball seasons, Barrie 'Nudi' Reid and Cody '^Hawk^' Lawton. We will be co-commanders, sharing the seat of power as we attempt to lead the Allies to another victory this year.

We have put the call out to some friends and we will be putting out the call to others here in the next few days. I just got off the phone with Bill and he has a lot planned for next year. Lots of work on the field and lots of things to do in the game. There is a 500 player cap on the game and the pre-reg is $65 and that is entry, air and paint. Each case after is $55.. so can you really beat that? While there is no night game at this time, We might come up with some force on force playtime in the woods so Thunderstruck and others can play with their nightvision. There is a band Saturday night and plenty of partying and hanging out. There are hotels within a safe distance of the field if you don't want to camp and Bill had some awesome vendors there last year.

I am sure that as the days go on, there will be those that try to make this personal (based on attitudes this past April and just a general dislike for me and Thunderstruck) but I say bring your self to the field and strap on the other side if you want. Want to play with us and let us show you how we command and I am sure that more friendships will be affirmed and new ones made. Stay tuned as Thunderstruck plans on doing some pretty cool things in 2010 and some things that some might not have ever expected.

Here is the link to Panzer Attack : http://www.panzerattack.com/ Rules and more should be up soon.

Flyer: http://www.panzerattack.com/images/site/PanzerAttack2010Flier.pdf
Reg Form: http://www.panzerattack.com/images/site/PanzerAttack2010EntryForm.pdf
Waiver: http://www.panzerattack.com/docs/Waiver.pdf

So I get tons of emails and links and it was refreshing to see a website that covers paintball, put some coverage on one of my favorite teams out there, Alter Ego. I have known Bryan 'Raadio' Angelo for quite some time and I have always had a great deal of respect for the man. I have never heard him whine about about game and I have seen him take his lumps in paintball and come out the other side better than he was before he went in.

Some may or may not know, but Bryan helped me put up this website. He built the original and has provided assistance from time to time and because of his involvement with me, it has brought him some issues from those in the paintball world that like to hurt those close to me. But it is real nice to see a young team that is out there kicking ass, 6 games and 7 awards plus 2 commander wins, I mean that is kicking some ass no mater what you say.

Here is the link to the story: http://www.catshackreports.com/2009/10/alter-ego/#more-2988

And Catshack isnt too bad a place, although he does tend to focus on our neighbors to the North.

Great job, Alter Ego, I hope to get to take the field again with you soon.

Their web page is: http://www.teamalterego.com/ so take a peek!

So it has been a depressing year in paintball. Anyone will tell you that there are severe issues with the economy and everyone is trying to find something that will help them stay in the game until sunnier days come back to the game. But is this the real answer? Some dressed up marketing verbage about the next chapter? You want to know what the next chapter is for a lot of these companies? Chapter 7 or 13!

I am not scared of .50 caliber paint, and I could care less in the end what they go to. If I want to play the game and they use .50 caliber paint, then I will have to make adjustments to do that. But to try and sell me on all the pro's and con's that are out there is fucking silly. Simple physics works for me and they are hoping that the carrot of less cost will draw you in, never the stick of what smaller paint will do.

Have I seen .50 caliber paint? Yep, I sure have. Have I shot it? Yep I sure have. And what was my impression? Simple, the actual gameplay will get worse. What is the biggest issue in paintball at all levels and all games no matter what format or where they are? Playing through hits or not calling out when you get a break. And second most on everyone's mind is overshooting. Now you take a smaller ball, that leaves a smaller splat and has less mass to carry and break and what do you have?

A tempest of people shooting extra balls just to make sure that they break or someone is out. Oh I am sure that they will try to regulate the amount of balls you shoot or bring back mandatory surrender rules or some type of process oriented way to regulate the amount of balls fired vs providing a good ball that flies right and breaks on target. I mean, how many years have they been making 68 caliber, and they still can't get that right? How in the fuck is going to .50 caliber going to fix that? It isnt, it is still a gelatin encased, fluid ball. To make it break easier they either have to add more paint (more kinetic energy to impact) or they have to make a more brittle shell (that works so well now in scenario doesn't it?).

Let's look at this way, I tell everyone that you shouldn't play scenario without a barrel kit. Paintballs are affected by the weather, the way that they are stored and the way that they are treated by the players. They swell, they shrink, they get hard and they just generally degrade over a period of time. How is all of that going to play into this easier, 'green' ball? Not very well, to say the least.

Is this going to stop it? Nope. Are the forums around the world where this is being debated ad nauseum going to stop it? Nope. The fact that Tippmann and Valken aren't supporting it? Nope. Richmond and the Gardners have the money to play wait and see, and with the patents that they hold, they can shut down electronic 68 caliber paintballs with just a few phone calls and filings. So what do we do? Well like the Mayan calendar, 2012 and the Galactic Alignment, just wait and see. My money is on the world not ending in either way, but they will effectively shrink the paintball market in a few months as some people will just refuse to go .50 caliber and even if the field push it they will just go renegade. And then we will see leagues that allow 68 caliber and such. Some people will take the price breaks no matter what the style or format, that's the just the human factor.

For the short term they might see some growth as they have conversion kits and new cheap markers. But in the long term, they will lose alot of the people without the dispoasable income of the latch key kids. Oh wait a tick, that might be why the industry has seen such huge shrinkage, since that was the lion's share of paintball to start with. They are existing now on the people who work 9 to 5 and pay their bills and skip a car payment to go play a scenario game. Guess those people are the next in line to get fucked by the industry right?

So I will admit I was a little sceptical about this new magazine. Magazines are failing all over the place these days and in paintball, it is doubly so. Paintball X3 seems to be doing ok with their online offering and then quartlery magazine but there isn't much left in the way of quality anymore in paintball. In fact, even with X3 I have heard rumors of writers and photographers not getting paid in a timely manner and sometimes not at all.

But I digress, the new magazine that yours truly submits articles and a column to is now out for general consumption. By all records, the launch has been huge. With it's direct slant on rec, scenario and some tourney play, it seems to be quite the hit. Dale and company, have lined up a pretty good list of writers in paintball to provide articles. The layout is pretty good, and could use some more cleanup but as someone who did all this for 3.5 years, you learn as you go. And that may be the best thing, as long as they keep their love of it going and keep the writers submitting, this might be the next big thing for magazines.

I would hope that they keep advertising content to the 25% level that I like in magazine, but we shall see. I am a writer, but I do also have to be somewhat realistic in the turmoil surrounding the industry. Couple with that the owners, and writers (including me) aren't always the most popular bunch with the industry or players. I know I will contribute for as long as they want, and I will support it regardless. All the people involved really want this to succeed and they aren't in it for the money (I mean really who would launch a magazine these days for the money?)

Want to see it, you say?

http://www.shootinghotmagazine.com/Oct09/pageflip.html

Got issues? Email Dale 'Furby' Ford and no I am not going to give you the address. If you don't know who he is or what he does, then you might need to re-think your participation in this game.