The Wild World of TB!

So as promised, it is time to add a little meat to the sauce. I am of course referring to putting out there the reality of the website and the people behind it and the fact that the only reason so many people are for it, is well they are using all the "right" words that people want to hear. But let's get on it and see if the thinking people still agree with the thoughts.

So let's move on shall we? As I stated before, Pam "Cookie" Robertson, is the 'owner' (I put that in quotes because technically Viper owns the site legally since he used his name and such to register it). Now why have some of you never heard of Pam "Cookie" Robertson? Well that's simple, up until the end of last year; she had never picked up a paintball gun and played a scenario game. However, she has now played two 8 hours games and the Grand Finale and is now an expert in scenario paintball. Oh wait, PB Woman is for all grades of paintball that includes woods ball, rec ball and tournament ball. And of course she is an expert in all of that.

But TB, she never said she is an expert. Ahh, she doesn't have to. See as the owner of the site (Much like Ed Rieker's punk ass) she will get to be known as the 'PBWoman" Even though I have been told that her skills are below sub-par, even for a beginner. Seems she grew up on too many Viper legends and how he used to be the man. What this will equate to is 'status' and that is one of the things that the owner of any popular forum can get. It is one of the issues I have always had with Mods/admins of forums getting their asses kissed when they showed up on the field. I mean no one vetted these people; the PB Mods really suck, for the most part, at playing paintball. They aren't that damn great at being a Mod on PBNation either (Don't believe me, take PBWoman and Viper's words for that).

But most people, especially those who might not have played, are going to assume that her advice has some merit, the fucked up part is that her advice comes from other fucking people she has spoken to over the years or she can always look over the desk and speak the true source of her knowledge, Kerry 'Viper" Rosenberry. Now, I must admit, that Kerry has done a lot in scenario paintball over the years. But the game of paintball has also done a lot for him. Most everything he gets is free or close to it, and he makes his living at putting on games. If he managed his money better, he would be having a nice car and a nice house I am sure. But it is either feast or famine with Viper (or did you really think that he wanted to help 20 players out with super early pre-reg prices?). But Kerry doesn't have a fucking clue what challenges women face in scenario paintball. In fact most of the people he is talking about coming up to him are people associated with paintball to start with. Or they were brought to the game by other women or they are established players who talk about their first time playing and the challenges that faced them.

But regardless, Pam has no experience to fall back on. And while that may not in and of itself be bad, who the hell is she to pick who the PB Woman of the year is? By what grade do they hold women accountable to? If you read their rules, as I pointed out, it is all relative to whom she likes or who is in favor. But what that award truly is a way of playing politics. It is a reward to people who will support her/Viper in more than just a PB Woman website. Have no fear that the PBWoman website will be holding Viper is a very high regard. , in fact there are several posts already about that if you are smart enough to read between the lines. But what promoter's schedule is stickied up there? Viper and Sherwood. Now Viper is on all the forums and on several there are allot of promoters listed, ( http://www.pbjunkie.com/forums/2010-scenario-schedules-222/ ) and that is just one site. Oh he allowed some others to be posted up, like OK D-Day but considering what Viper really thinks of Dewayne and his safety amongst the smallest issues, I am sure that is all politics. Oh don't get me wrong, that story will be coming to be sure. But just realize that Viper really doesn't like to share, even with Wayne (regardless of what he spouts in public). So why is that? Why are those the only games listed for all of the PB Women?

But back to PB Woman of the year, I think I posted out that Diane of course isn't eligible. But there are others. How about Barrie "Nudi" Reid? I mean, most people who know her would say that if there should be a first one, she should be in the running. What are the reasons she isn’t there? That’s simple enough, envy. Pam envies Nudi her skills, her position and the respect she has gained in her 8+ years of playing and well over a hundred games and her multiple awards. And she doesn’t want to be out done on her website by someone of Nudi’s stature and intelligence posting and keeping things really neutral. See someone like that is a threat, when she could be a huge asset as a shining example of a superior female player, she is relegated to outcast status because she isn’t ‘eligible’ for Viper/Pam’s little award.

But Nudi isn't eligible because of me. Cut and dry. See Nudi isn't banned anywhere and for that matter neither is Thunderstruck. But I am sure that I am included in that 'team' being banned clause. So that also disqualifies my daughter. It isn't like Pam likes her either, being the bitch she is (Pam) she likes to take anything and everything out on people associated with me. So my daughter gets lumped in with me and her issues with me, my young gun daughter at that (Wait a minute, I thought the only thing that Viper cared more about getting women in the sport, was getting Young Guns in the sport, oh well). So I know for a fact her PB Woman isn’t got shit to do with helping women or getting them in paintball or showcasing women’s talent in the sport of paintball. It is a highly personal and political award that will give the female player that they choose the 'Viper" stamp of approval. And while they may say that the female player can travel to other games, they will steer that person to fields of their choosing. In fact, it is probably a safe bet that the female player might be offered the 'marketing' position with Viper. But how can you say that you are for all women, when you pick (based on personal likes or dislikes, not real qualifications based on merit) who can be involved in your little website, award and club? You aren't trying to better all women with real people who can mentor them, you want people that think like you or that you can control.

Don't believe me? Take a look at what Viper said on PB Nation; "Those posts would simply be deleted and the posters given their one warning. A second demonstration of attitude will get them "uninvited." and if you think that that will only apply to boys/men making vulgar comments, you have lost your mind. I didn't post anything negative on Viper's website and like MXS before him, he deleted my account. LOL, go back into a lot of those threads and you now see guest where once I posted. His argument was simple, I wasn't welcome in his community, and much like the VIP game, even though I had done nothing to warrant it, and he decided what was best for me and his forum. The PB Woman forum will be the same. We shall see the first time someone sees the bitch that Pam really is and takes her to task, that will be some funny ass shit to watch. And those that are stupid enough to think I am a mod this or an admin that or a valuable part of the community, realize that the shitty people that they are, they will use you to get credibility and build the site up and then they will shuck you like a used condom after a 3 dollar Tijuana whore.

And how the hell is this website, going to bring in more women for paintball? If you look at who has posted it is people who are established women in paintball, or people who has a boyfriend in the game or a husband or a brother. They have already played, this isn't growing more women in paintball, and this is growing a power base to control women in paintball. Or is that just TB being the negative nelly here? As Kerry loves to play behind the scene politics, this is right the fuck up his alley. Oh he can say look at the sponsors, they would never support something that was bad. Really? How many teams claim to be 'sponsored' by a company? Only to find out that they are sponsored because of their field or friend who owns a store or some crazy shit like that, People like press, and the truth is, even me posting all this about the site is good press, if you believe the old adage there is no such thing as bad press. But what is the plan to get 'new' women into the game/ I mean fuck Viper owns a production company, he could throw in a bring a woman to a game day. You know waive entry fees, sell paint for cost+$5.00 and such as that to get them out. But that would cost him some fucking duckets and well he isn’t going to go that far.

But in the end, there is still more fucked up with that website and the people who run it. But I am sure that more of that will come out when the red is licked off the lollipop a little and some of the people have departed. Not to sound stereotypical, but women are too fucking catty to be all buddy buddy all the time. LMAO, wait a tick, cat fights are cool to watch, this might be a good thing after all.

And this video is for both the biological one and the metaphorical one!

So as I wrote about a few days ago, the person behind the website PBWoman is far from being altruistic as she likes to make out. And before any of you people male or female start spouting off realize this; my best friend in the world is a female in this sport. She is one of the most intelligent commanders I know and I have followed her on more than one occasion. She is very good at anything she does from taking a mission card and getting the job done to shooting that person in the face if that is what they need. She has played in tournaments as well as more scenario games then most of the people who are on that website put together, not to mention won as many awards as they have played games. And you want to know how many were for Most Valuable 'Female' Player? NONE!

On top of that, I have a now 18 year old daughter who has traveled this country and played many a 24 hour scenario game. In fact, her call sign is G2, which is short for Generation 2. That is how much I think of her, that she is better at this game than I can be and she still is learning. She also has never won a 'female' only award and turned down several young gun awards, because she wants to be a paintball player, nothing more and nothing less. One of my most proud moments was her beating me out of the running for a MVP. So before you start spouting off about me and what I think of women in paintball, know that you don't know a god damn thing about me or my family and friends.

Now with that said, let's explore this farce of a website and what 'those people' (Cookie and Ratsnake) are saying that it is. I'm here to pull back the veil, as only TB can. So you two can choose to ignore this all you want, feel free to run in and make changes on the forum when I am done, and by all means attack anyone and everyone in the hopes of catching whoever is feeding me information. I simply love the fact that you can't sleep at night worrying about what the mean ol TB is going to post next.

First and foremost; let’s take a look at the mission of the website, shall we?

Hello to all new members,

My name is Cookie and I am the Administrator of PBWoman.com. The website was formed out of a common goal of female players in paintball to have a place where they can find mentoring among their peers.

The sport of paintball has been predominately male in the past. There is a growing interest in paintball from women nationally. We hope to provide a place where they can come and learn. The goal is to further the advance of women in the sport of paintball. We do promote the concept of an All Women teams, but do not feel it is necessary to separate women from men, but to equally play along side.

I am personally very dedicated to this project by donating my personally time and money. I would like to offer my heart felt thanks to all the volunteer women moderators and sponsors of PBWoman.com. They are donating their time and sponsorship with the same goal in mind.

Please enjoy the website, come back often and let your friends know about us. Help us reflect the number of female players everywhere.

“A common goal of female players in paintball where they can find a mentoring among their peers”, wow. Ok so let's look at their statements on PBNation shall we?

From Viper: "That sort of "She's a woman, so she's stupid" attitude is probably why she has created a female-friendly forum."

From Cookie: The attitude by examples posted from some of the users above is why we felt it necessary to create PBWoman.com

From Viper again: They are simply trying to create one place where female paintballers can go and not have to deal with immature playground attitudes. I browsed the forums there. It's all really positive, actually.

From Cookie: Last of all, I am not trying to convince anyone of any cause, motive or feminist issue. There are forum topics on PBWoman that you might not find on most PB forums. Women's health for example...Sorry but we have to deal with pregnancy, periods, menopause, breast mammograms (women have to have those to make sure we do not have breast cancer), and other such things that may effect our playing ability. I can only imagine the responses from the males on most forums to those topics.

From Viper: The way it was explained to me they aren't really focused on segregating women into their own teams, but they will help promote all-female teams.

From Cookie: If you don't like it, be you male or female, then don't go there, and don't create a user account like many have done already. But all the hatred is just ridiculous, and much of it clearly illustrates the attitudes of many males toward female players. PBWoman.com will simply be a forum with a little tighter enforcement of attitudes.

And Finally from Viper: PBWoman.com is simply offering another place that female ballers can discuss things that will have a little stricter reinforcement of conduct to cut down on the testosterone-driven BS like "stay in the kitchen make me a sandwich." It's, very simply put, rude and counterproductive. Those posts would simply be deleted and the posters given their one warning. A second demonstration of attitude will get them "uninvited." What's wrong with women having a place to discuss paintball without the juvenile schoolboy BS?

So in a nutshell, it is rather simple, Ratsnake and Twinkie thinks that Ed, his mods and admins and their thousands of users are troglodytes with keyboards who only think that women are good for cooking food, cleaning house and making babies. The funny thing is that they state that Ed is 100% behind this other forum, there has not been ONE forum that PB Nation took as a threat that they allowed to remain on their forums, much less “troll’ for their users. The battles between PB Nation and MCarterBrown are pretty funny? Should I bring in Tech PB and PB Nation? And none of those people said anything worse than the above statements by Ratsnake and Twinkie.

Now if that isn’t the truth in their words above since that is what they state, allow me to postulate another theory. One echoed by Pam in this post:
If you wish to read PBWoman.com in full please do. Taking snipits out of context and twisting things around to find some hidden secret plot to rule the world one website at a time, is just plain funny. All questions have been answered. If you have any others please feel free to contact me, if you can't find the answer your looking for on PBWoman.com.

I haven’t accused you of having a secret plot to take over the world, but one of the main intentions of PB Woman is to provide an audience for Ratsnake to influence people and to help pay for his and Twinkies shrinking lifestyle since as we all know his games are shrinking. Don’t believe me? Here let me point out some things.

Let’s start with a quote by Viper;
Yeah, I sponsored it. I fail to see the point. I dropped over $300 out of pocket for the forum software and domain registration. I think this is a great project, and will be good for the sport. The sponsors, whom she contacted and acquired, are all excited about it, and think it will be great for the sport.

The truth is that it doesn’t cost over $300 for a website if you have all this industry support. It isn’t like that website is all that really, but then again you have fucked over several people who work on websites so it isn’t like they are lining up to work on this site any more than they would on Viper Scenarios. But you wouldn’t put that kind of money up without a sense of return. Very similar to what you wanted me to do with Commander’s Intent, if you remember. You wanted to use that site to influence people who are known commanders into why your format is better than format X and to build a cadre of commanders for your events as well as deter them from attending competing producer’s events and feeding them from your liberal agenda.
That’s right Ratsnake, I said liberal, look it up, and you like to claim you are a conservative but the only thing conservative about you is that you like guns. You want people’s money and you will lie, cheat and steal to get it. You might not do it in the open, but you do it.

From Viper: The worst thing about the Internet is the lack of accountability. I sign all of my posts with my name because I am willing to take credit for what I post on the Internet.

But then again you will get online and defend this website, which you claim you have no interests in other than hoping to get women in to the sport. You have devalued people, you have accused them of being me or being influenced by me and you have worked to change people’s mind more than any ‘sponsor’ should or would. I mean where were you when Smart Parts was being roasted? Or Tippmann? Or anyone else associated with you? You didn’t have any money or interest invested so you stayed in the shadows. Lack of accountability Kerry? Really? Have you been accountable for your actions in the last 5 years? I don’t think you have. But that is another blog to be sure.

But let’s look at the statements above shall we? Why would Ratsnake care so much about this website? To bring women into the game? Or to bring women into his game? This Segway into another part of this post, one that Twinkie changed after someone brought it to her attention and made it as it appears to be. It is for the PB Woman of the year award that they are also trying to say is a good thing.

First and foremost, they require the recipient to attend the Viper Living Legends 3 game. Now I don’t want to hurt CPX, but Ratsnake eased his way into an easy payday with this game and minimized Wayne Dollack to do it. But still, let me guess the woman that they choose is going to be put up on the stage and dallied around while all the men pat her on the head and tell her the good she is doing for the sport. And that is supposed to endear her to male players? That she is put above them? Fuck, they don’t like it when men are done that way and they are going to take it from a woman?

And she changed this last night after someone took her to task on PB Nation, but at first they were requiring to attend at least ‘PB Woman’ Sanctioned events. I thought that they were just trying to get women into paintball, not direct them where to go. But she didn’t change it by much.

The woman who wins is also required to support and pimp the sponsors of the website. That would include Viper Paintball, I can see her getting Viper Swag and when she attends other select promoters that they then try to let her in for free, promote Viper events as being much better than the current event.

Yep, you read that right, another thing she wants to do is that this person plays for free, just because some people got together (and Twinkie isn’t qualified) and decided who the best woman to promote her and her website is. Nothing to do with playing ability or anything else, just who is the best face to do what they want. Kind of goes against the whole we just want to help the girls doesn’t it? Seems to me to just be another type of exploitation.

You want to know why Twinkie doesn’t want lookers? Because according to her there are two kinds of women in paintball; the cupcakes with guns that men ogle over and fat ugly ass women like her who couldn’t play paintball if her life depended on it. She wants to be coddled and looked down own, simple because her self-esteem is so low, I am sure she is about one good insult from an all you can eat KFC buffet pig out.

On top of that, she then went to say that she wanted non-confrontational women, that’s fucking priceless coming from one of the most confrontational women I have ever met. I don’t know how many times, your own man told you to shut the hell up and let the paintball players talk because your ideas had to be some of the most retarded out there. And this was in public, and now you are putting yourselves out there as the happy happy couple? What the fuck ever! How about women who have won more sportsmanship awards than you have played games? LOL!

Nope, that gets summed up with the next one. That neither you nor your team can be banned from an event or a field. Why would you hold a woman accountable for the actions of other people? Oh I know, to remove people who deserve the award based on merit vs. your chosen and hidden agenda. But whatever, every female I know, doesn’t want a damn thing to do with you or your disgrace as a website. Although a few said that they would run the hot water or hold the razor for you, if you wanted to move forward with those plans.

And then the last thing that was removed is that you reserve the right to refuse any nomination for any reason. Why would you say that? It couldn’t be to once again exert some control over the person who should be nominated vs. who you want to be nominated and win right?

I am going to stop for now, stay tuned for part 2 of this expose on this joke of a website. It isn’t a joke because it is supposed to be for women, it is a joke because they sold that clunker to you. You know like the used car salesman who preys on women that they think won’t do their homework.

Well Ratsnake and Twinkie, I plan on putting more up about this website and the word is spreading. And most everyone who has contacted me has agreed that they see right through you two ass clowns and your little farce. This is for the people that even you have called Sheeple to read and make up their own minds.

More in a few days, we are going to let this chili simmer some before adding some more ingredients.

I have known for a while now this craziness was coming. I had hoped against hope someone would see some damn sense and/or reason, but unfortunately, I was hoping in vain.

What am I talking about? Well, feel free to Google it. I am not sending any traffic to that damn website, but it seems certain individuals have launched a paintball site dedicated to women in paintball. I know what you’re saying…TB, what is wrong with that? That’s a good idea! Yes, on the surface, it seems like a great idea, but I plan on delving way deeper than just the surface. And while I’m doing that, I am going to have to post my thoughts about what we find…and what I already know. So, I will be naming some names and pointing some fingers, so sit back; fasten your seatbelt; keep your arms in the car at all times and get ready for one hell of a ride. Hope you are as ready for the ride as I am to take you on it!

So the ‘creator’ of this brainchild is one Pam 'Cookie' Robertson. Who is that, you might ask? Well, if you’ve played any Viper games in the last few years, you know she is the 'fiancée' of Kerry 'Viper' Rosenberry of Viper Paintball. Of course she is much more than that. But a PB Woman? Having a website where people tell you how great you are and pictures of you in a T-shirt doesn’t make you a paintball woman. And neither does a cute little tagline.

What else is she? Little-known fact (about to be very well-known): Pam ‘Cookie’ Robertson is the main reason one of the most prevalent and recognized women in scenario paintball, Diane 'Mother' Howe-McKinnon of MXS and Blitzkrieg fame is no longer in the sport (either as a player or a promoter). Yes, you might want to read that again. Still with me? While most of the paintball community at large thought it was me, I’m going to have to finally set that particular record straight: the mean ol’ TB WAS NOT the one who looked for or found the information about Patrick ‘Pacman’ McKinnon. And while we’re at it, I didn’t pay anyone to go get it, I didn’t post it on any forums and I didn’t mail it out to sponsors or prominent people in the paintball community.

Why would she do this? Because Patrick McKinnon had the audacity to sue Kerry Rosenberry over Viper Enterprises, that’s why. Pam got mad and was looking for anything they could use against Patrick. She did the first thing anyone does when they want some dirt: she Googled him. Now, Patrick was at one time synonymous with scenario paintball, so I’m sure that Google session turned up hundreds upon hundreds of pages. I’m also sure she spent hours upon hours going over each and every one of them until she finally found what she was looking for: a link to a rape case where one Patrick McKinnon raped a woman in Oklahoma in the 80’s.

Now, I won’t deny I was involved. I was told what she found almost immediately. I knew the implications of something like this, and what it would/could do. I was told the exact plan for the release of this atomic bomb. Pam and/or Kerry made copies of the documents retrieved from the Tulsa courthouse, put them in little envelopes and mailed them all to a friend of hers (to this day, I don’t know who) on the East Coast, so the postmark wouldn’t be from Texas. I commented on the situation on my own website (because it is my world, bitches!) and watched while people crawled out of the woodwork to either attack or defend Patrick and/or Diane McKinnon. Yes, Pam hid behind the scenes while others took the brunt of the shit storm she created. And Viper even feigned ignorance and disgust when in fact they were the masterminds behind the release. (Read the link at the bottom to see for yourself)

Now, I understand completely Pam felt her ‘family’ and livelihood was being attacked. I’m sure Diane felt the same way too.

How much further behind the scenes was she? Take a look at this from back in the day: http://worldoftb.com/index.php/2007/06/18/an_open_letter_by_a_woman_in_paintball?blog=1

In the letter she takes shots at MXS, Diane, Packman and the people who support them. She says in her letter for fear for her safety, but the real reason is she didn't want the heat, or be accountable. and neither did Viper.

If I may, allow me to quote a statement from that letter:

Pacman has a charismatic personality, and so did Jim Jones, David Koreche, and many others like him. Some people really know how to rally support and some people are just sheep, they need to follow directions, they need a purpose or a cause. That's how alot of cults are formed. Like it or not people tend to believe him. Unlike TB, who makes it easy for you to hate him, he doesn't tell you what you want to hear, he will tell you the truth. It's alot easier to hate TB or any other messenger of the truth, than to hate the truth. The truth makes you accountable for your actions and take responsibility. In the end, and only after the damage is done..The truth always wins.... The truth has never been told to us by Pacman. His career was based on a lie. In the end, to those that stand behind Pacman and Mother, do you really think Pacman and Mother will stand behind you.. like you are standing behind them? My guess is you will be left embarrassed with your paintball gun in hand and not feel comfortable to play at most games...That's a great loss for the paintball industry and who do you think will have been the cause?

And remember these are her words (I have the email, date and time stamped), so with that said, let's look at some truth, shall we?

My personal feelings aside, Diane 'Mother' Howe made great strides in getting women into paintball every chance she could. Regardless of whom her husband is. Diane has a legacy in paintball and is easily a legend. What she was/is to scenario paintball cannot be questioned. She was one of the first female commanders, one of the first women to win awards and was the first woman to run her own scenario production company. She was the first women on a recognized team (Marion's Raiders) and later Blitzkrieg. This is the woman who TAUGHT Viper how to play scenario (since she was his squad leader on Marion's Raiders) and is one of the reasons he even got into producing games to fucking start with.

You know up until this year, Pam had never stepped foot on the paintball field as a player, and now she is the expert on paintball and women in paintball too? How the fuck did that happen again?

I can tell you how that happened…see, it seems that Viper has a driving desire to have a female ‘equal’ in paintball, much like the duo of Mother and Packman. He has spent years trying to introduce his current ‘flavor’ to his business to the genre and to the sport. How many people remember Chaos? Or Princess? Or Shelly? I mean, he always wanted those people to be the yin to his yang, and I doubt anyone will blame him for that per se. Hobbies are best when shared, but this isn’t Kerry’s hobby; it is his business. Doesn’t matter that all the previous Lady Vipers have fallen well short of the ‘mark.’ Doesn’t matter that they’re all water under the bridge because they’re long gone. The fact remains that NONE of them were paintball players prior to life with Kerry, and Pam was no exception. She wouldn’t be in the sport at all if not for the fact that Kerry congresses with her sexually and she de facto ‘owns’ Viper Enterprises. See the last legal Lady Viper alienated a lot of the Viper player base, combined with poor business decisions such as Staff Infection and one bankruptcy later, Viper Enterprises found itself hanging by a thread.

That’s right, you heard me, it isn’t really Viper Enterprises, its Viper Enterprises sponsored by Pam Robertson. So, get used to it, boys and girls, she’s here to stay since everything is in her name. I have dealt with this ‘woman’ (and I use that word loosely) far more than I ever wanted to. But I digress, what has she done for paintball? Or women in paintball? Let me see, I have already pointed out the facts above regarding MXS, but there is so much more to see, know and learn and many more people directly affected by her involvement in the sport.

And they all have Pam to thank for Kerry’s seeming indifference these days. I mean she constantly pumps him up about how great he is and that all these people (like me) are out to get him. She thinks that Kerry should have his way and people should serve the great and mighty Viper like she does.

Again, there is more, so much more, but for now I am going to close with this: I have been quiet for a fucking year, but that time is over. I no longer have a reason to keep any more secrets for these kinds of people who roam the internet and post condescending, ‘holier-than-thou’ shit as if we owe them something. Pam, you haven’t done anything for the game of scenario paintball but keep Kerry in business by giving him access to your credit. You are walking in Princess’ shoes and have run off more people than you have ever invited to the party. Your new website will be a testament to/of your failures.

On that note, I am sure some women will love it, but this blog is about Pam and not the website. I will speak more at a later date as to why I am against the whole premise (and it isn’t because I am sexist). But for now, this is more than enough to chew on.

Will the MXS faithful (and yes they are still out there) welcome you back to Houston now that the truth has come out? Guess we shall see how (a) fickle they are or (b) show short their memories are. Fairweather friends? Or will they stick to their guns, like they posted they would on the now defunct MXS website? Only time will tell…

So, for those who have been asking me to write a blog entitled “Why do women who fuck paintball players/promoters/poobahs think they’re somebody because of it?” this one was for you! More to come…

But until then, take a look at this link to back in the day and see if it casts more light on the subject than before.

http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?t=2225554

What the hell am I talking about? Well in the January 2010 issue of Shooting Hot : http://www.shootinghotmagazine.com/Jan10/pageflip.html (page 9) Sideshow makes mention that there are are two sets of people based on statistics, 95% and 5%. And the 5% are people who bitch after every game, no matter what, while the 95% just came to have fun and play the game. I wish it were that simple, Sideshow, but it really isn't. I do agree that there are some people who cannot be pleased. I will further admit that there are some people who won't say anything to the promoter and get on the forums and then raise hell. And I will go even further to say that some people who smile and shake your hand in person, engage in backdoor politics after the event is over. But I think the stats are skewed.

What do I mean by that? Well simply put, I think that 50% of today's scenario players fall into those categories that I just listed above, not 5%. Don't belive me? I am on a ton of sites, I have accounts everywhere, I get tons of alerts and I have people who email me daily. I read so much crap that by itself would be nothing, but put it through some intelligent filters and you can track trends and moods. Think of it as Web Bot for paintball, but not quite. There isn't a scenario game that goes off that someone isn't unhappy. Most of the time it is close to 50% of the players at the event.

For some it is paint, others it is air, still others don't like constant insertions. And then you have people who aren't happy with the commanders, the referees, the way the field is laid out, the way the missions come and so forth and so on. The truth is that even some of the teams and players on the winning side aren't happy with that. Seems that for the most part, the only time people are happy is when something goes that way that they want it to go. And based on statistics, well that just isn't going to fucking happen with any regularity.

See the truth is, the human condition pushes people to bitch. I have done it and so have some of you. How is it that someone like me can say the game is rigged and I can belive it, yet if I win and you state the same thing, I tell you that you are high? Well the truth is based on putting the events through a no-spin, no-bs filter and see if it comes out the other side intact. IN fact, I deal with AAR's after every event. I list the pro's and the con's. I look at what was done and why it was done. I look at past events, and I look at what could have been done differently. I am not a knee jerk person by any stretch of the imagination and I research quite a bit before I declare a game was rigged for one side or the other.

Now, after reading Sideshow and Billy Smith's articles in the issue, I do have to correct my media 'bosses' in several instances. Scenario Promoters do care who wins, they do care who shows up and it behooves them to try and minimize some people and teams in an attempt to strike some kind of balance for the 50% of people who pay them to show up at an event. Now I am not saying that Billy Smith does, I am sure he doesn't. But you cannot lump every promoter in with him or like him. Trust me, there are some promoters out there who are in deep with the poltical landscape and pull little shenanigans all the time behind the scenes. It is called 'the Magic Tree' for a fucking reason. Or the 'Lightning Rod of Lemuria' as Indy has pointed out several time.

I know promoters/field owners who have given special discounts to their home teams and stacked them on one side to influence the game. I hav know them to allow them or other favorites time to go on the field and move bunkers or build something special for them. I have known others, who in their attempt to be equal have minimized and put uniqe ideas down becuase the other side didn't think of it or there was no known defense of it. I have known promoter/field owners who fudged points or 'miscounted' missions and then didn't want to tell people that they had messed up and the scores were wrong and the team that had been announced as the loser was really the winner because it would cause his/her customer's to lose faith in his/her system. I know promoters/field owners who have allowed people who referee, personal opinions of players, cloud their judgement and their ability to be impartial at a game.

To say that none of that happens is akin to sticking your head in the sand. Trust me there are at least two articles here about Referees who can, did and will attack again. Just search when Refs Attack and read up on real life examples. That still hasn't changed, there are at least one or two games a month I get reports on. The refs didnt like this or that and so they used field justice to influence the game. I know some people who don't want to see a team or a person win so bad that they will conspire to put the game mechanics, field mechanics, and everything else at risk to see this person/team go down and sell their very souls to do it.

I do agree with several statements made. "They lost whatever personal challenge that they faced, and rather than pick up their pride, learn and move forward, they are so self-absorbed in their own egos to realize that they probably just SUCK!" On that statement I couldn't agree more, but the amount of players who bitch is far more than 5%, there may only be 5% with enough brains to get on the internet but there are tons more bitching about it on private forums, emails and phone calls. In fact, and I mean no disrespect, even the "I understand field" that is Low Country Paintball had some issues with the amount of bitching that would have come about reading the scores out loud at the Free Finale. Sure it was dressed up as, does anyone care, but the truth is, if you don't care then don't keep score. I mean would you play the coin op basketball game if you couldn't get the score? So even one of the most, here is the game take it or leave it fields out there still has to at some point play politics to keep a lot more than 5% of it's customers happy. Otherwise those 5% who would be upset at the score could stay home right?

So in the end, what have we learned? Probably not a lot, since most people don't want to believe that they suck or that it is something that they could have done to enjoy the game better. Over 50% believe that they are entitled to more than what they got. And then there is that damn phrase the one promoter stole from the other but none truly believe unless it is their event that they are making money at of "Make sure the player you are shooting at is having as much fun as you are!" I have said it before and I will say it again, it isn't possible for you to have as much fun as I am when we are crushing your will to play the game. And the only way you can gurantee that I am going to have fun is to just shoot yourself in the nuts or the head whenever you see me. That would certainly make me laugh and give me some fun. Otherwise, just show the fuck up, play the game as hard as you can and to the best of your ability, take your losses like a fucking adult, get the scores and learn why it went down like it did. Talk to the other side, get some fucking honest feedback and then move on to the next game. And worry about your own damn fun!

But that's just me!

Happy New Year and welcome back to yet another year of the World of TB. Yep, no matter how bad some may want it, we are still here and kicking and people are still reading. This year stands to be a tad bit "Deja Vu-ish" for some who have been here before. What does that mean? Well you will just have to keep coming by and reading to see.

Where will Thunderstruck and TB be in 2010? That seems to be on a lot of people's lips. As stated we will be commanding Panzer Attack and quite possibly other venues. We certainly will be back in the SE, the NE and Midwest. We are talking of NV, OR or CA as well. And we might make a few games in Texas, granted they won't be of Crotalinae sort, but they should be fun none the less. The team is meeting soon and will post up the final schedule on the website and I will probably post it here as well.

What sponsors will Thunderstruck have in 2010? I am pleased to announce; not fucking one! After years of doing the dance and dealing with the shit, we just don't need the distraction that sponsorship brings nor the power trips that it inspires others to attempt to do when they contact them whining about the ass kicking they just received.

What will TB do in 2010? Yep some people noticed a 5 month hiatus as I took the summer and then some off. My family was quite happy with it and it allowed me to re-focus. This of course led to the Free Finale, but that is another story. To quote Thomas of Ragtop Video; "It was a typical TB and Thunderstruck game". I still plan on writing in Shooting Hot and maybe even a few other places. Commander's Intent is coming along, and it will be up soon. Granted it may not be at the scope I would like, but then again so many people don't have what it takes to lead and don't care enough to take the time to figure it out.

Of course there will be some hard hitting news and my spin on it. Commentaries by Hawk and Nudi and maybe a few other people. We shall see! But rest assured, regardless of what you have been told by some, TB and World of TB are quite healthy and happy and ready to kick this shit off. Look for some new articles here in the next few days and more as it comes about.

And on the end of the world thing; where have you been? The Mayan calendar shows the end of the world coming soon. What did you think it means? TB will be playing Viper games again in 2012?