The morning rain is fresh in the air on the Korean Peninsula as the troops wipe their eyes clear from their slumber. Dreading the day that lies ahead on their trek into unknown territory with little more than some rice they found at an abandoned village they wandered into days ago. Communication with headquarters is spotty at best, with transmissions here and there but nothing they can count on if they were to get ambushed. The soldiers eventually rise to their feet to take on the task at hand, to free the people of South Korea was their goal. For the North total domination and control of the entire country is their dream. Who will win?
The day started off with the first few missions being a complete and an utter routing of the American/South Korean side. The North walked all over the south as they just appeared to be stuck in some sort of trance or perhaps they had not yet woken up from the slumber of the night before. With respawns of the North Koreans utilized with much more effectiveness the South folded like a cheap folding chair. There were some effective holds and pushes for the South but it was just not enough, the North held the south to a measly 8 points for the first two rounds. A shock to the South as they had FEAR and Band of Brothers, two well established teams from western Pennsylvania, on their side.
Then the skies opened up and to be honest this writer sat out a mission to hunker under a pavilion. Unfortunately I did not feel like being soaked to the bone and the rain was so thick visibility was little to none for about 45 minutes when the downpour entered the area.
With a few missions left after the lunch break the South started to rally. Led by Jason Ballard of Band of Brothers the south sent flankers out to both sides of the field while team FEAR dominated the middle ground. A line was formed in the mud and those that dared come near it from the North were sent packing in short order.
With screams of “Push!” and “Take the field” and South pushed with a effort not seen every day. They pushed so hard they eliminated each and every last person from the North Korean side two missions in a row. Needless to say the point spread that was being relished by the North Korean side was being chipped away with each and every well place shot by the South.
In one of the aforementioned missions we, the South, were tasked with capturing two enemy strongholds where we had to hang our flag. We dominated the field so much we were shooting our own players. The energy level was high for this mission. The players played a smart game and I shot each and every paintball I had carried out on the field with me, but I stayed in to become a target and to call out positions to my team mates. With no paint in my marker I watched my left flank work up the field to eliminate player after player with cross shots. With a minute left in the game we had one flag up but the second flag was lost. With a mad dash and screams of “get the white flag here” players searched for the second flag to capture as many points as possible. With about 30 seconds left in the mission out of the dense foliage came a young player carrying the flag with pride and fleeting feet. The flag was hung in time and the South celebrated our missions victory with raised hands and congratulations to other members of the team.
The final mission was upon us with thunder rolling over our heads. In the hopes we would beat out the impending storm we took the field. The North held a slight lead of about ten points so the South was charged with energy to get the job done. The South lost a lot of players who went home but those that were left were going to do their best to capture their objectives and win this event. The whistle blew and the game plan for the South fell apart. You could hear me yelling and shooting trying to motivate the team. But alas the guys could just not move up as the North had great positions on us. In a last ditch effort to get the team to move up I raised my marker at a fort, starting firing off shot after shot and charged. Unfortunately I was the only person whom did this but at least I went out in a blaze of glory.
The game was called due to lighting in the area, player safety will always come first at Mission Masters events. The final score gave the North Korean side the victory but every player was smiling and happy to have had a great day away from the real world. Paintball at a Mission Masters event is based on having fun, about getting out there with your fellow paintball player and enjoying the day. Between games laughs are shared, stories of the previous mission are shared and everyone is friendly. This is the true meaning of paintball.
If given the chance to attend a Mission Masters event I strongly recommend you check it out. You will have fun!
Paul Forcier
