I AM FOOLYBEAR . . . Latest Report.

Spartacus:  Blood and Heroes


Words and pictures by Jason "foolybear" Lineberger

Around the farmhouse soldiers for House Solonius shored up holes in their perimeter defenses.  With thick woods within easy shot of their fortifications and a densely overgrown trail in the low lying areas, this strategically-key position might fall under a focused assault.  Lurking in the weeds on the periphery, squads for House Batiatus awaited the signal to charge.  Meanwhile, in the gladiatorial arena, the top warriors for both houses squared off in a one-on-one duel to the end.  Behind the scenes, the Lunistas for each house dispatched teams to recover bags of grain, sacks of gold, weapons, armor, and more - anything that could be converted to ready money, the lifeblood of both armies.


The game is Millennium Paintball Productions's scenario epic Spartacus: Blood and Heroes.  This battle, based on the Showtime series Spartacus, pitted House Batiatus (lead by Paul "Hurricane" Hatrel of Bayou Mafia) against House Solonius (generalled by Mike "Tinker" Bell).  Ben and Bonnie Torricelli transformed the woods and structures of Bearclaw paintball into a Roman cityscape complete with everything from markets to arenas set aside for gladiatorial combat.

Bearclaw creates a different atmosphere compared with other scenario fields.  The RV hookups encourage camping, and amenities like the bathhouse and food vendors make setting up a tent an easier choice.  Bearclaw teams expect a fun, family environment where players leave the intensity and rivalries of the game at the netting, so the campground is typically thick with smells of grilling food and full of the sounds of teams enjoying a weekend of paintball. 


Likewise, MPP Games has established a reputation for quality scenario events, usually based around recreations of historic battles.  Always looking for ways to keep the product fresh, Ben threw several curveballs into this game design.  Scenario players are used to the traditional format - running missions, earning points, collecting props, and these days largely ignoring any opportunities to develop the storyline through role-playing.  Spartacus, the scenario event, wrecked this standard formula, foremost by eliminating points.  No points for missions?  None.  Every mission in the game was simply a clue as to the location of a prop that could be sold for game cash or used as a bargaining chip with a role-player to try to finagle even more cash.  Each general knew the sum total of his cash stash, but neither the game producer, the other general, or the players had any idea who had the deeper pockets, and it wasn't until the final, post-game tally that the expectant players learned the outcome of their weekend of battles.


Torricelli also flipped the script by taking a role in the game himself.  He represented a third faction with his own clique of loyal role-players.  These unarmed characters reported directly to Ben, so trigger-happy players beware, as unwarranted eliminations would earn their side the wrath of the game producer!  This simple wrinkle boosted role-playing, making the whole game experience all the richer for everyone.  Torricelli even took the gladiatorial aspect of the setting and ran with it as a series of one-on-one matches that culminated in a single player being crowned victor (Hawk from team Nitro).


In terms of the game, House Solonius came on strong at the beginning, starting with some advantage in terms of field position, but as the day wore on, House Batiatus steadily ate up ground and by late afternoon they hemmed Solonius into their base.  Hard-gunning teams like Eclipse-sponsored Black Karma and Gun Kings, hungry for victory, moved the lines continuously forward; however, it's hard to sustain an assault in paintball.  Paint supplies run low and tired players need and break; House Solonius sensed a lull in the action and charged out of their base to recapture some essential positions. The prop placement kept the generals on their toes, sending mission squads to remote corners of the field as well as centrally located and hotly contested zones.  After a day, a night, and another day of paintball action, House Batiatus scraped together a touch more cash than their rivals, winning the game 36-35.




Foolybear on the Frontlines

Sunday morning I hit the field eager to get a little payback for the beating House Batiatus put on my team late Saturday.  I helped run missions on both tapelines, but as the morning passed the frontlines inched closer and closer to our base.  When some shooters for House Batiatus pushed all the way up our tape to our back corner, I knew that our lines stood ready to collapse for good.  The only way to dig out of this hole was to start in the corner and work up, and that meant starting with one of the lowest percentage battles - a straight up, head-to-head gunfight.  I used trees to cover my approach, and with an opponent shooting over the top of his bunker, the gun fight ended quickly.  I took his spot, worked up the tapeline, and shot their players on the tape while they engaged my teammates in head-on battles.  Sometimes all it takes is a taste of victory to fire up some aggression.  The stagnant long-balling turned to aggressive bumps up the field as my teammates saw their opposition walking away.  After emptying my last pod, I left the field, damage done.  House Solonius, pushed up field with a new confidence.  I have to give props to my the teams on House Batiatus; it didn't take long for them to shut down the surge I spawned, but the ground we gained opened some routes to valuable props in that last dash for cash.

Tough teams, friendly atmosphere, creative game - even with the eight hour drive, I'm ready for another round.

 .... Latest Intel from the front lines says that Jason 'Foolybear' Lineberger will be joining up with Planet Eclipse team Capital Offense at the Fuldagap game on 4th - 6th November.. Click here to join up !!.....


Comments

  1. Appreciate the after action report. Being XO for the Hurricane / Double D dynamic duo was a challenging assignment and I have to give props to my fellow GunKings and our brother team the Chilton County Predator team members for their support. Those spies were a handfull and then some. Still holding on to that glory though! The picture of WolfMan Patrick Accardi is a great addition to my collection. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

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