Find fields & stores near you!
Find fields and stores
PbNation News
PbNation News
Community Focus
Community Focus

Thread Tools
Old 10-16-2009, 02:59 AM #1
HECTIC956's Avatar
Join Date: Mar 2009
HECTIC956 plays in the PSP
HECTIC956 owns a Planet Eclipse Ego
HECTIC956 owns a Planet Eclipse Ego
HECTIC956 plays in the APPA D4 division
Capture the flag???

How do you guys play capture the flag? I was wondering if you guys play with a single flag in the middle, where you would have to take it back to base or is there a flag at each base and the oponent must enter the opposing base and take their flag back to their home base? I was thinking that in order to make it a bit more challenging i would make it a big flag to where you would have to use both hands, also so the opponent will see the flag being taken. if the player that has the flag gets hit, does it stay their for a team member to move the flag back to the base or does the ref do it? if a team member gets it does he have to put it back at the base or can he move it to another point?
2gether we stand, divided we fall
HECTIC956 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Sponsored Links Remove Advertisement
Old 10-16-2009, 09:11 AM #2
Boom Master
Scenario Player
Join Date: May 2009
Location: St. Louis MO, USA, EARTH
In scenario play, the flags are often the designated mission objectives. Multiple Flags scattered and equally distributed all over the playing field
Missions involving the flags might be:

Capture, meaning all you have to do is raise the flag.

Defend, meaning all you have to do is keep your flag raised.

Frequently, One side has a capture mission for flag 4 and the other side has a defend mission for flag for. Or both Capture and Hold until 2 pm. Especially useful for night games so the opposing sides can find each other in the dark..

Capture and Hold, meaning you have to raise the flag until a designated time is completed giving the other side the opportunity to counter attack and take it back.

Flags are very useful for settling any question about WHO 'controls' the base.
At OK D Day, one minute before the points are awarded, Both sides are within the base periemeter with $100 worth of paint in the air at any second. The refs has to decided who 'controls' the base and 'awards' the points to one side or the other. They don't use flags so there is constant controversy, accusations of biased refs, and out right cheating.

I've crawled into a base at the two minute mark in the middle of a huge firefight. Raised the Flag and no one defending the base noticed. Didn't shoot anyone and let the time expire. The Squad Commander saw the flag raised and ordered a squad to charge the base to KEEP everyones Attention. Did that three times to keep their attention on defending the base. Time expired and BOTH team 'occupied' the base but the FLAG determined the points..

Destroy, meaning the flags are neutral or on the ground until rebuilt by an engineer.

Rebuild. Rebuilding a destroyed objective varies but can require nothing but a designated engineer role player being the person that must raise the flag. Other games, the engineer has to circle the perimeter and then anyone can raise the flag meaning you pretty much have to control the real estate around the objective..

A useful tactic for "capture and hold" a flag that is heavily defended is to Destroy it along with all the defenders inside it. Guarentees a TIE if they have a capture and hold too. If it is destroyed then neither side gets the points. Then control the perimeter while the engineer rebuilds it. Then occupying it and holding it until the time limit expires. Gives the RPG players, demo players, and tanks a chance to be a hero or an idiot depending on how smart they play. If you can't retake it and you are down to one minute, Blow it UP so the other team doesn't get the points either. Have to THINK and PLAY Smart out there. It isn't just rec ball capture the flag.

I've played games where the points were simply determined by whether or not a flag is raised at a specfic point in time. The game is pure tactical field control to win. Who owns the most real estate, most of the time-wins. That is determined by scoring the flags raised. Can be the quarter hour but that requires a ref to be at every flag on the quarter hour. You can have one or several refs routinely walk the same route at the same pace between designated flags. When they touch the base, they log the flag position. Blue, Red, or Neutral. They don't have to be trained refs either. Just volunteers. If the flag base is in the middle of a huge firefight, they can yell 1 minute, 45 seconds, 30 seconds, 10,9,8, etc and score the flag at zero. That way the fight gets real intense and the refs don't need body armor to walk into the flag base in the middle of a firefight.

It makes for an interesting tactical game. Especially for a local field sponsored scenario games that don't have a large number of players, tanks or bazookas. Just paintball markers. Could be a one day or half day game to introduce local players to scenario play where they have to THINK and work together as a unit.

Command and Control is critical, Recon is critical. Field Communication is critical. You don't have enough players to defend EVERY Flag your raise. Especially from an organized assault. If you did, the guys in the back, out of the action will get BORED. So if your commander doesn't relieve them periodically, they abandon the flag and sneak off to play paintball.

So your commanders ususally try to form a "Battle Front" and push it down the field to control more real estate. Reinforce the weak spots, defend the big pushes or 'diversions' while the real push is elsewhere on your line.
If they can break through, a couple of players can run down the field and turn a bunch of flags. How far they go, and when to stop is a tactical decision THEY have to make on the fly. One in a ghillie suit could just drop and hide. Let them counter attach and push past him. Then crawl back and turn a lot of flags they just THINK are theirs and hide so they can do it again if needed. One guy could tie up a LOT of players guarding flags.

Very dynamic and fluid battle. Very Tactical. Great training for Commanders, field officers and players.

Now the interesting part. You can have automatic insertions or regular insertions. Automatic means they go back to your HQ, tag the base, and are back in the game. They would need to be told where to go and what to do individually.

Insertions on the quarter hours allow you to organize groups of players for the next 15 minutes of tactical play.

Now imagine one side has pushed 2/3 of the way down the field and have turned 2/3 of the flags. They are winning. If both teams get inserted on the quarter hour, the team that owns only 1/3 of the flags get to the battle front first and can seriously outnumber the other team for about 3-5 minutes. Push them back or break through the line. Go too far and loose too many players and you run right into the other teams insertion and get counterattacked. The winning team has to know when to stop attacking and start defending the line. Very hard for players to learn to switch from aggresive play to defensive play. If it is tag and go back, the players dribble in constantly but the ones that own 2/3 of the field has to walk or run FARTHER to get back into the fight. So the farther they push down the field, the harder it is to push or hold their line. Go too far, and you get beat back.

The losing team should have the advantage to push them back. Takes playing smart and discipline to make it work.

It is TACTICAL play where the Command and Control, Field Commanders have to be aware of their tactical environment and play SMART. The players have to learn discipline, to take orders, and to work as a unit. Every player out there needs to be constantly reminded that 'winning' just means they need to score 51% of the flags for the day. They tend to get on a roll and push the side back just like in "A Bridge Too Far".

It is a great way to turn a bunch of rec players into scenaro players at a local field.

Last edited by Boom Master : 10-16-2009 at 09:39 AM.
Boom Master is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-14-2010, 12:40 AM #3
Rovert89 (Banned)
Join Date: Oct 2010
Rovert89 is offline   Reply With Quote

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
Forum Jump