Latest Mission Report from Jason “foolybear” Lineberger

On The Road Again

The Road to No Ends Part II: Hunt for Ruby Red
by Jason “foolybear” Lineberger
photos by Dwayne Humphries

Flashback to 2010 – as the game clock runs down, two generals scramble to unlock the puzzle, literally laid out before them in the form of ceramic tiles on a table. Put together properly, these maps would lead their forces to the location of the final object of the game, the prop whose possession would tip the balance of the outcome. Minutes later, puzzles completed, strings of paint rent the air as the sides converged on the spot where they battled over – a shovel?

At least we didn’t have to dig anything up this year, Bill “Greenman” Ford, general for the Hidden.

http://www.adventurebeachscenariopaintball.com/

The Hunt for Ruby Red at Adventure Beach picked up where the first game left off, minus any requisite excavation. Attendance swelled this year as both sides drew new scenario squads willing to make the sacrifice of driving to a competitive paintball game near a popular coastal vacation destination. Like Willie Nelson , notables like Port City Militia, Boss Company, SSK, SOVA, Assault and Battery, and Fracture (among others) got on the road again, this time to Adventure Beach to throw down in an event packed with experienced players and teams.

Funny How Time Slips Away…………..Ten years ago the swords-and-sorcery storyline of a game like this would have prompted costumed wizards and warriors to take the field, but none of the teams attending came out in scenario drag. Instead, they showed up knowing that field owner Kevin Shimwell and crew would build a prop-heavy event with interesting, unconventional missions, and no one left disappointed in that respect. Right off the break the generals had to marshal troops to control key field positions, collect gold to be used later in the game, and they had to figure out an intriguing early mission – to collect dragon eggs from the most action-intense portion of the field!

Adventure Beach Paintball offers paintballers an exciting variety of terrain. They feature one of the best paintball towns built – including a chapel with a fourth floor bell tower. There’s also a large pyramid on the field, little forts, foxholes, trenches, dirt mounds, natural woods, and trails cut through thick brush – ready for that sneaky flanking move. The most direct path between the two bases took players through an open corridor dotted with large tire and hyperball-style bunkers and a CQB SWAT house. Players looking for instant action could always get their fix in this corridor; the firefights there remained hot from the game’s start to the finish, and that’s where the teams scrambled to find their eggs, so to speak. These weren’t painted plastic spheres or Easter leftovers; these were real, uncooked, fragile eggs! The generals received gas-powered grills for their command bunkers, and in short order they had to sling some harsh like short order cooks while managing their paintball armies. The mission went over so well, perhaps it’s time for a field to step up and produce an Iron Chef scenario, and paintballers can finally bring home the bacon.

Uncloudy Day………….Digressions aside, Shimwell kept both generals guessing all day. The missions typically siphoned both teams to a location to find a valuable prop – a piece of the map puzzle, keys, shields, or large icons that would prove crucial to uncovering the ultimate prize. A secondary mission prompted the teams to control the mission location for 20 minutes. This minor aspect to the missions had some serious strategic implications. Send a small team to get to the mission location fast, and they might be able to get the prop, but they wouldn’t have the numbers to hold for the extra points. Send a large team capable of holding the field, and they might not get there fast enough to get the prop. A small change like this kept the teams working all weekend.

Adventure Beach added the rest of the normal array of scenario devices – airstrikes (catapult barrages) and helicopters (dragon riders), medics and demolitions experts (alchemists), missions every 30 minutes and four key flag locations on the field worth points. Those touches can add strategy to a game, but it’s ultimately the players that make it fun, and the crowd at this round kept the game constantly competitive and sporting. Players had the occasional fit of temper (to be expected when they’re being peppered with fast moving projectiles), but the mood in the staging area remained friendly.

The younger players drooled over the impressive prize package, while the experienced ones appreciated Adventure Beach’s amenities – close proximity to vacation destination Myrtle Beach, indoor bathrooms, quality paint, and the presence of Gerry, a Planet Eclipse pro tech. Local businesses even got in on the action – Waffle House cooked up discounted breakfasts, and players scored oceanfront vacation condos for the weekend at the tune of $35 a night!

Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning……….Sunday’s game ramped up almost immediately after the opening horn, and while Tom Roesch’s side, The Knowing, had been the more aggressive on Saturday, Greeman’s team, The Hidden, brought their A game starting at game-on. Bolstered by a pair of medics, The Hidden grabbed the Iron Tower (the pyramid fort), scoring the first mission, then used that as a staging point to launch an assault on the market. “Big T” from SOVA, playing for The Knowing, organized a defense of the market, and actually held the spot for a 20 minute mission, but once his side had scored those valuable points, they fell back, allowing The Hidden to flood in. Finally, in a brilliant bit of strategy, Greenman sent a dragon (scenario helicopter) to hover near the Knowing base while an assault force made up of Boss Company and a few others, pushed up from the market. With guns drawn uselessly on the dragon riders, Boss Company breached the base perimeter, and proceeded to beat up on their foes. With The Hidden hemmed in their base, Greenman’s forces had free reign of the field, and they took key positions and ran up the score. The Hidden also collected valuable props, including the Ruby Red, the game’s ultimate prize.

Heartbreak Hotel…….With their objective in hand, all The Hidden had to do in the final battle was to retain possession. Set in Adventure Beach’s urban field, the game’s final shootout forced both teams to charge for the buildings in some intense close quarters shooting. The Hidden had the advantage of a church steeple sniper and a medic, but a well-placed rocket from The Knowing ended that edge quickly. At that point, the fight started with 15 minutes of instant-reinsertion madness, followed by 15 minutes of elimination that whittled the aggressive Knowing team down to a few holdouts. In the last moments of the game The Hidden dug out those remaining players and celebrated their victory in the middle of the city.

Competitive teams? Check. Great terrain? Check. Short lines, good paint, field amenities? Check. Coming back for round three in February, 2012? Check.

For more phot's click this link.... PICTURES HERE !!!!

Intel just in . . . . . . . . . . .

Jason “foolybear” Lineberger next mission will be Battlefield: Bad Company 2 at Line-of-Fire paintball on March 26. Click here for more info www.lofpb.com