Paintball Birthday Parties

March 29th, 2008 - Category: Party Themes Add comments

Paintball is heart pounding, great exercise, adrenalin rushing fun. It helps improve leadership skills and teaches people how to work well together under pressure. Find private painball indoor or outdoor fields near you and introduce your friends to an exciting woodsball or speedball Painball Birthday Party. You’ll find here everything you need as equipment and important rules on how the game is played.

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To really have a great painball birthday party, do not forget this is also an extreme sport, and fun for everybody is guaranteed only if you play a safe game and stick to the rules (see below).

One main advantage of having a paintball birthday party is you’ll very likely have a private game, renting the field (for few hours, half day or the full day) to your own individual group. You can eventually play several games on multiple fields. A minimal attendance of 6-10 players is required and you get also important rabates. You do not have to worry about playing with strangers. And the group organizer usually plays for free.

Group games are usually monitored by referees. You get personal attention and they will work with you to ensure you have the best time possible.

Safety

Teammates in a woodsball game, in camouflage

Each player must be at least 10 years old to be allowed on a paintball field. Some field owners require minimal age 14. Under 18 players require signature from a parent/guardian + notarized/accompanied.

US owners are required to take a third party insurance for eventual injuries occurred on the fields. All players are required to sign (picture ID/driver license req) a waiver/consent form (+ Medical Release), a release of liability + auth to provide emergency medical treatement just in case. They confirm they are aware paintabll activities are physically and mentally intense and the risk of injury is significant, despite the protective equipment and personal discipline. They must assume full responsibility for their participation. They will obbey the rules of play and inform the nearest official of unusual and unnecessary hazard.

Fully-equipped player, hiding behind an inflatable bunker, on an outdoor speedball field at Cobra Command

At any time on the filed, make sure you have your goggles on and that your body is fully protected. Do not alter your equipment. Immediately report all injuries or equipment problems, and a referee will temporarly stop the game.

When game is stopped or off the field, your barrel plug must be off. Never shoot outside field’s boundaries, at anyone not wearing goggles or who’s been already shot.

Don’t shoot blindly or too close! Balls can cause serious injuries when shooting from less than 20 feet. Should you sneak up to the enemies back, ask him rather to surrender or touch him with your hand (and this will count for a kill).

Never shoot blindly or at wildlife, referees or field signs. Or you may be required to leave the field and never come back.

Don’t jump out of the building, use doorways only, do not climb trees and be permanently aware of your surroundings. Do not remove obstacles.

No smoking, food, beverages, cell phones, firearms, hand or smoke/paint grenades, claymores, tripwires, red filled paintballs (like blood). No swearing, abusive language, hand-to-hand combat. No unsportsmen like conduct, cheating, wiping paint or not calling yourself out when hit. On most fields, not respecting these last requirements can lead to total expulsion from the fields and requirement to never come back again.

Paintball Game Rules

Two evenly divided teams (five to ten players) compete one against each other. You hide behind ridges, forts, mounds, bunkers, trees, walls and buildings, and shoot at the opposing players with paint balls, trying not to get “killed” yourself.

When a player is hit (”killed”) by a broken ball, he/she is considered “dead” and required to immediately stop shooting, put the barrel plug on and prepare to leave the field. Make sure first your opponents know you are hit or surrender (hold your gun up, yell, rise your hand). Never remove any part of your equipment until you rich a safe area out the field.

Dead men and live men do not talk to each other. Live men cannot use or steal ammo or equipment from dead men.

Woodsball (paintball in the woods) is usually played in open spaces, buildings or outdoor large fields

Speedball (fast paintball) is played on a small indoor or outdoor field, the size of two tennis courts, with inflatable bunkers, generally sized for teams of three to ten. Each team starts from an opposite side. There is a lot of movement and elimination from a close distance. A game can take only several minutes and can eventually be played with time limit (such as one minute per man), tournament style.

Rec-ball (recreational paintball) is very good for beginners or those who want to relax and relieve stress.

Paintball tournaments (tourneys) are great for teamwork and individual talent.

In the most common capture the flag game, a team wins when the opposing team’s flag (or the single flag in the game) is hung at a chosen location (which may be at the opposing team’s end of the playing field). This may or not require total elimination, of all the players on the opposing team.

Other possible ideas: Defend the Fort(s), 1-1 Duel, Save the President, Snipers, Terminator or Reincarnation themes (where “dead” men are reincarnated by referees at given times).

Cost

Most owners charge a $10..$30 tax admission to the field, but some offer FREE admission for groups.

Paintball games require serios equipment, which can be rented from the field. If you have your own, you may still have to buy and use at least their own paint. Red paint is generally not allowed (because it may be confused with real blood). 200..500 balls should be enough.

Players use compressed-gas (either CO2, N2 or air) powered semi-auto guns (or markers), to launch gelatin capsules with washable paint at players from the opposing teams

If you have your own gun, check on restrictions for maximum allowed speed/velocity (usually 280 FPS). You will need air fills.

Other than markers, paintball equipment includes various forms of protective gear. The most important is the full-face shield mask, with goggles and ear protection. Camouflage and coveralls are optional, but good to have. Always dress warmly and get some clothe for change, boots or high top tennis shoes.

Equipment rental prices vary, depending on the area, the group size and individual packages. There are all-included packages starting at $10..$50 per player (including marker, balls, air tank and fills, goggles, coveralls, belts, tubes). More people you bring, less you pay per additional player. The group organizer and any additional player for very large groups (more than 30) may play for free.

Chances are you may find all-included packages for 4..10 kids starting at less than $200. Duration is usually 2-3 hours, half-day or full day.

Conclusions

Paintball birthday parties are among the most exciting, but also require a lot of preparation. Paintball is an extreme sport, the minimal age required is 10 and the most important part of your equipment should be not the marker, but the goggles.

Because of a certain risk of injury and of the responsibilities involved, field owners will require every player to sign a waiver, as a release of liability. Make sure each of your invitee has photo IDs and everything else required BEFORE the party day, otherwise he/she will not be admitted on the field.

Checklist

Know all of the paintball rules before you walk onto the field. This can help you to keep the game moving, and will allow you to have an easier time to knock opponents out of the game in order to win. Make sure your invitees understand as well the risk of the game, the rules and regulations. Check that nobody brings beverages or other restricted items on the field.

Any player will be required to sign a waiver or a consent form, which is a release of liability for the owners in case of injury. Some owners also require a Medical Release form from each player. The waiver may eventually give them authorization to provide emergency medical treatement in case of injury.

Make sure YOU and ALL your invitees have the required minimal age of 10 (check with the owners, some require minimal age 14). Every under 18 player requires a signature from his parent or guardian, notarized if not accompanied. Download and print the specific form from the web site. Don’t forget to bring a picture ID or driver license. Come 30 mins early to choose the equipment, receive the orientation and sign the waiver.

Check for a first free pass or discount coupons. See alternative packages, such as one year membership (if you intend to come back later), for eventual better money savings. Some paintball owners include additional items in their offers, such as lunch, money back guarantee, free digital group picture, free field admission, the honoree who plays for free… See if your field has such offers or if you cannot get such deal. Check for a picnic area, party room and available snacks and food (you can also usually bring your own).

Paint Balls

Some group packages may not offer enough paint balls and you may later ask for more. 200-500 per player should be enough. Make sure you can rely on your attendance, because paintball provides indeed lots of excitement and fun, but it’s not among the less expensive birthday packages. Prices vary a lot depending on the number of players.

For private games, most fields require a fixed sum (around $100) as deposit. Due to the exploding popularity of paintball, lots of fields are in remote areas, owned by individuals with poor websites (or no websites at all). It’s good to get first some references about these fields and, if you’re required to pay over the web, make sure it’s secure and you deal with a professional owner. For our part, we tried to include in our lists only fields with acceptable websites.