Suffice it to say paintball such as it was back in the day is very much different than it is today. The inspiration for this article comes from a short video clip posted by Bad Revrend on his You Tube channel.
In years past all we had were the semi automatic Splat Masters or the Brass Eagle markers. Big, bulky heavy markers with a slow rate of fire. In comparison we now have technology that allows markers to fire roughly anywhere from 10 to 32 balls per second. While this can be fun… it does pose a few problems. To begin with back in the day you fired at your target and if the paintball hit and broke the player raised his hand and was eliminated and that was that. Today you fire your marker and that first paintball splats into your target but is followed closely by another 12 paintballs quickly resulting in an overshooting incident, simply by having touched a sensitive E Trigger and releasing a barrage of paint.
Another aspect of years gone by involves the “Mercy” rule, if a player succeeded in getting close enough with a clear firing lane, it was a given that a mercy was used and again that was that, the player raised his hand and walked off the field without argument. Altogether to often I have attended big games where players of today opt not to accept the “mercy” resulting in shooting in close quarters and tempers flaring. I consider a mercy as another player doing me a favor and sparing me a world of hurt. If a player is able to get the angle and be close enough…it should be automatic and without argument. As Bad Revrend states, it should be a field standard everywhere.
While many of us are respectful of each other… there are oftentimes behaviors that are unacceptable, and its unacceptable anywhere, not just the paintball field. I prefer speaking to others as I would like to be spoken to and that extends to everywhere I travel.
Its up to all of us to adhere to the rules and the way that the game is supposed to be played…the way it was originally intended. Sure there is a bad apple in every crowd. Again it is up to us to maintain our own code of honor and respect. Ignore the actions of others (to a degree) and police ourselves. If perhaps we all took the stance of educating others by playing the game correctly ourselves, and taking those opportunities wherever possible to council the younger generations, our game….our sport would be much better off.
Speaking at length with
Bad Revrend, his “One Foot in Hell” tour which is taking him across Canada is meant to address some of these issues. Through his own style of game play it is his intention to show all those in attendance at each leg of his journey the idea of honorable game play and how to play paintball skillfully. Equipped only with Tac 8 pistols, there will not be any overshooting incidents or other poor behavior as mentioned above. In short the “One Foot in Hell” tour will demonstrate to others a “back to the basics” style of game play. To follow Bad Revrend and learn more about his tour and tour dates and locations please check his website at www.badrevrend.com
In a time of darkness, one player has come out of the woodwork to show the world that in the game of over-powered high rate of fire markers… that one player with one pistol can make a difference.
One player has shown the world what the rules of paintball once were… where mercies were accepted, shootouts were hand, and laughs were heard from all around.
That one player is BadRevrend.
Be sure to visit BadRevrend on his Canada-wide tour playing some of the most epic big games and fields that Canada has to offer and remind the world… it only takes one ball.
Bad Revrend would like to extend special thanks to:
Tiberius Arms – www.tiberiusarms.com
Full Clip – www.fullclipusa.com
Remember “Paintball does not build character, it reveals it” …personally I prefer being known as an honorable paintball player with perhaps just a hint of skill.
