C-Town Paintball

"If your attack is going really well, it's an ambush."
- Murphys Laws of War

The objective of the Team Death Match game is simple, eliminate all the opposing players while trying to stay in the game yourself. All tactics are based off of a five person fire team, but the amount of players can easily fluctuate with-in these tactics.

Defensive Tactics:
Most of these basic Defensive Tactics involve you and your team mates to have a position that you wish to hold for one reason or another. Proper cover and concealment would also assist in the use of these tactics.

Active Defense- This tactic involves you making contact with the enemy as soon a possible. From solid defensive position you fire upon the enemy as soon as they are with-in range, thus drawing them into a fire fight. This strategy is not used to advance field position and is very limited in its use. Commonly used by inexperienced players but has some place on the veteran paintball field. This is useful when trying to distract or occupy the opposing team but can leave you open to flanking or bypass maneuvers by the enemy. with this tactic it is key to remember that you should never be afraid to retreat.

Lazy Defense- Lazy defense is almost the exact opposite of an active defence. Your forces hide and wait for the opposing team to come very closly to you own line. By doing this you will gain the element of surpise. This may enable you to catch some of your opponets still in the open. This will lock you in a fire fight however and this could be good or bad depending on your overall strategy.

Ambush Defense- First you have to predict where the enemy force is headed. Once that is found out you must place your team accordingly. One group of 3 men should be placed at the front of the enemy attack. The remaining two men should be place off the either the right or left flank of the enemy. By hiding all your forces and waiting for the attacking team to come all the way into the pocket which you have formed you will catch them in a cross fire. This strategy is useful when out numbered by the enemy and the quick elimination of opposing players is important. Difficulty comes when trying to predict the opposing force's movement and in hiding your own force.

Bait Defense- This tactic works much like the ambush defense. You start by placing four of your team members into an L shape, as in the ambush defense. Once they are in cover and ready for the attack you send out one man to draw the enemy in. By running and baiting your opponents to follow you, you can catch so opponents with an itchy trigger finger off guard. Once they think they have you in a flight you can run to your team mates and they will open fire upon the enemy. This is a useful tactic when playing against inexperienced players. The number of bait runners can change depending on the size of the opposing force.

Offensive Tactics:
The key to a good paintball offense is to not be afraid to retreat. In paintball engaging in a sustained firefight will only waste time and paint. The most effective thing to do if you are attacking and get stuck is to retreat and try a different way.

Skirmish Line- This is the most basic of attacking maneuvers and often used when still unaware of the exact position of the enemy. All the members of the group line up straight across roughly 15-20 meters in between each man (distance can change depending on numbers and terrain). The idea is to cover as much of the field as possible and to stay alert. Remember to pick cover as you go as to not be caught in the open in the case of an ambush. This is a good tactic for new players and for those who want to cover a lot of ground. It is not recommended that you depend on this tactic to assault an opponents defensive position.

There are other variations to the skirmish line which are the echelon right or left. They can be executed by shifting one side of the line forward. If the right side is shifted forward it is an echelon right and if the left is shifted forward it is an echelon left.

Basic Flank- Probably the most commonly used tactic in paintball. Once your team has come into contact with the enemy you set a base of fire on them. This base of fire can be either two or three men depending on the strength of the enemy and the available cover. Once the base of fire has been place send the remaining members of your team to either side of the enemy position. Using the covering fire provided by the base men the flankers should be able to get on one side of the enemy relatively well. Once in a solid position to the side a cross fire can be brought down on the enemy position which will either eliminate them or force a retreat. This is a very good tactic to use against newcomers and also players who insist on holding one position.

Wide Flank- This is different from the basic flank in that it starts at the beginning of that match instead of waiting until you make contact with the enemy. This tactic involves designating a small unit; we will say two men for our purposes, to start far to one side of your regular force. They should then work your way up the flank of the enemy far to one side of the field trying to avoid contact with the enemy at all costs. Once the main force has made contact it is the job of the two flankers to curl in and attack the flank, or possibly back depending on how far up field they made it, of the enemy. This is a tactic that is often used when out numbered by the opposing force and is very useful in surprising your opponent.

Capture the Flag

The objective of the Capture the Flag game is to get the enemy flag back to your base, not necessarily to eliminate all of the opposing players. Most of the tactics used in a Capture the Flag game are the same used in a Team Death Match. The tactics that are explained in this section are those exclusive to a Capture the Flag game. Remember to incorporate the tactics explain previously into you CTF game.

Defensive Tactics:
The goal of all defensive tactics in a CTF game is to prevent the enemy from obtaining your flag and holding a position. This limits you in you movement because in most cases of a CTF game retreating on defense is not a viable option. You must hold a single position, for fear of getting you flag stolen, for most of the game which leaves you open to flanking maneuvers. For this reason it is necessary to have a good solid defensive position for most of these tactics to work.

Front Guard Defense- This is a very basic defensive tactic in which you keep your teams flag to your rear and prevent the opposing team from getting to it. This involves taking all of you squad and placing them in strong defensive positions in front of your flag. The members of your team that are to either side must try and keep the opposition from working there way around to the flanks. It is also important to keep all parts of the field covered and have overlapping fields of fire. The major weakness of this defense is that you are vulnerable to a flanking attack. This is a good tactic to used against an attacking force of same size and strength to your own to exploit your set position advantage.

Rear Guard Defense- This is a similar tactic to the ambush defense explained in the previous section. You place all your members in defensive positions behind your flag. By doing this you invite the enemy to come rushing in to a kill zone. By leaving the flag out in the open it is sometimes too much for some players to resist. Some people would think that this leaves your flag open to a runner just grabbing it but with proper overlapping of fire the flag should be safe. You are less likely to be flanked in this case because most teams will focus on the exposed flag rather then trying to over take a rear position. This is very useful when facing an enemy of greater strength then yourself and also useful when the position around the flag itself has poor cover.

Offensive Tactics:
The difference between the offensive tactics used in the Team Death Match and the CTF game are that the goals of the CTF tactics are not necessarily to eliminate all enemy players but to get the flag back to your base safely. This is not to say that most of the CTF offensive tactics can be used in conjunction with the DTM offensive tactics mention before. The main focus of the tactics mention in this section will be in the moving and actual capture of the flag.

Flag Runs- A flag run is when your team has already acquired the flag and you are taking it back to your base. The keys to a flag run are speed and awareness. No one should ever make a solo flag run for this will leave them open to an attack that they may not be able to handle by them self. The fastest members of your squad should make the run for obvious reason that you need to get back to your base before the other team has time to react. One thing that most people forget about a flag run is that you might be running into the back of the force attacking your base. It is at this point that you want to move around to the side and try and sneak your way into the base. ALWAYS TELL YOUR DEFENDERS YOU ARE COMING SO THEY DONT SHOOT YOU! Defenders of your base can be jumpy about people running to the flag area so make them aware that you are on their team.

Force to Rear- This is a tactic that is used when you are trying to secure the enemy flag while under fire from a retreating defensive enemy. Most groups would force the enemy back only to the point of the flag and then run the flag back to their base. This however leaves the rear of your formation exposed which could spell disaster if the enemy is fast enough to catch up. The Force to Rear works by fighting your way past the point of the flag and set up a position of your own. By forcing the enemy past the rear of their base you give more room and a safer get away for your runners.

Center Raid- This is a risky but sometimes affective tactic that should only be used when you are confident in your paintballing skill, as well as you ability to run away. This involves you concentrating your force at the point in the enemy formation closest to the flag. Attack is basically a simple charge to the point of the flag while suppressing or eliminating any opposition. The speed and surprise of this tactic are very important to its success. The less aware the enemy is of your presence the more affective this tactic will be. By rushing in to the enemy base in a blaze of fire most new players will be overwhelmed. This is also a fun tactic to use because who doesn't want to go down in a blaze of glory.