It's been more than a year we have been waiting to play this adventurous game: Paintball.
Earlier this year Alpana was planning to throw a treat on her birthday by taking the whole group for a game of Paintball. But then after the Rajasthan trip, she had to fly to Philippines the next day so we couldn't do it then. Now that she is back from Philippines, she has conveniently sneaked out of that treat saying the birthday is long gone and now it's no point. So we were still yet to have our first hand at it.
Last month, we finally decided that this time we will definitely plan and go for it. The whole group was supposed to join in as everybody had time when the plan was made. But then just an hour before we met, half the group dropped out. That really pissed us off, but we so much wanted to play the game that we all just didn't let it spoil our mood and go ahead with the plan. So finally we were six guys (Me, Pedro, Nanu, Manish, Danny and Mhatre) and two girls (Rasika and Vinita). The game can be played with a team of minimum three players on each side. We could make two teams of four players each. Cool!
When we reached at the gaming area, a game was already on and we took our time to watch, analyze and build up a strategy. We were already feeling the intesity of the game and the talks between all of us had suddenly got serious. Just then some bullets splashed color on the nets that were put up for safety. The impact was so hard, firstly it made a big sound, and then splashed the color on to Pedro and Nanu who were standing a good ten feet away from the nets. We all got more serious and the girls were already changing their decision of playing the game. I noticed some hoardings put up outside the nets that explained the rules of the game, some points were written in bold:
DO NOT REMOVE YOUR MASK NO MATTER WHAT. THE BULLETS CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURIES TO YOUR EYES.
DO NOT FIRE FROM A DISTANCE LESS THAN 10 FEET.
ALWAYS POINT YOUR GUNS DOWN AND KEEP THE FINGER AWAY FROM THE TRIGGER BEFORE THE START OF THE GAME.
I looked at the girls and pointed towards the board. Enough to make them pee in their pants. Both the girls decided to stand out peacefully and safely and watch the guys take the hits. So now the teams dropped to three players each.
We went into the room to put on our gears. It consists of a one piece soldier outfit, a chest guard and a face mask. I was a bit shocked as there was nothing to protect my groins. If the bullets hit so hard that they can damage my eyes, it would definitely keep me gasping for air if any bullet hit my testicles. I changed my strategy, keep your balls safe throughout the game.
As we were waiting for our turn to play the game, we also decided our teams. Pedro so wanted to be in my opposite team so that he could hit me with as many bullets as he can. So Pedro, Nanu and Mhatre formed the Red team and Manish, Danny and I formed the Blue. Two other guys also wanted to play, but they didn't have a group, so they joined us, one on each side. So we were back to four per side. The Red team went to one corner and started deciding there strategy on one side of the gaming area "I'll come behind the tyres, you cover me up, you go into the bunker, yada yada yada". We, the Blue team, saw that the other team was planning so we too planned, but just for one thing. The referee whistled the game on and asked us to pick a side. We went as planned. We took the side on which the Red team had set their strategy. The Red team was shattered.
Note:
Paintball charges at Headrush, Hiranandani, Powai
1 round - 15 mins - 25 bullets - Rs. 250/- per person
3 rounds - 45 mins - 50 bullets - Rs. 400/- per person
5 rounds - 90 mins - 100 bullets - Rs. 600/- per person
We went for three rounds of hardcore first person shooting action.
Round 1 - Kill the Opponent
Simple rule. If you are hit anywhere, you are out. The team to survive wins the round. Our plan of action was that I was supposed to get behind the tyres, meanwhile Danny would run into the bunker. Manish and the other guy would give us cover. As the referee whistled, I ran towards the tyres. My face was sweating and steaming which blurred the glasses on my mask. I didn't realize that I had reached the tyres and kept running forward, nowhere but to end up colliding head on into the tyres. It took me 10 seconds to get back to my senses. At the same time Danny slipped while running towards the bunker and landed flat on the ground on his belly. The other two guys thought we ain't gonna win any of the rounds. Just then Nanu came behind the drums right in front of me and remained flat on the ground. He kept his whole body behind the drums but left his legs unshielded. I took an aim and hit him on the leg on the third shot. Nanu tried not to show anyone that he was hit, but Danny and I started to shout saying he was hit. The referee checked it and declared him out. The other guy from the Red team was popping his head out over the drums to look for the opponents. Bang! I hit him straight on his face. Man, I started loving this game. Pedro was then hit by Danny and Manish hit Mhatre. The round ended with three members left in our Team and so the round went to us. Score 1-0.
Round 2 - Bring the object back
An object would be kept in the middle of the two areas. The teams have to grab the object and bring it safely back into their corresponding area. The rule of round 1 still holds true. It was a difficult task since the paintballs guns are heavy and running with it and then picking up the object would be really tough. But the guy who had joined our team was very athletic. He put his gun aside and asked Manish to cover him up. He ran towards the bump on which the object was kept, jumped over it and picked it up while he was mid air into his jump. He quickly ran into a bunker next to me and handed over the object to me. I took it and ran back into our area. The task which seemed difficult was completed within 3 minutes. The Red team didn't even get to take proper covers and they did not understand when we reached the bucket and took it back. We won. Score 2-0. On top of that the winning team is given 50 extra bullets as bonus. We checked our guns for remaning bullets and divided the bullets accordingly.
Round 3 - Blood Shed
Rules? There are no rules! Go on firing at your opponent as if you are on a rampage. The team with most number of hits wins. This round was just a formality for us as we had already won the match by winning two rounds. But we still wanted a clean sweep. We knew that Mhatre and Nanu are rampage speciallist and they did stand to their reputation. Nanu came running towards us firing non-stop. But fortunately he was out of bullets soon after that and was hit by Manish's bullet. Mhatre came running towards me from the other side and stood right next to the tyres where I was hiding. I objected and told the referee that the distance is less than 10 feet. He was disqualified. Somewhere during this rampage, Danny and the other guy from our team went out of bullets. Now it was two per side. We could feel the adrenalin pumping in our bodies. Just then Pedro was out of bullets, but he still pretended he had bullets and kept firing. He was given a big 5-6 rounds of firing all over his body. He was completely exhausted and started panting. The last man from the Red team was brought down soon after that. The referee counted the number of hits on each side. The difference was spectacular, 8 to 3 in our favor. It was a clean sweep. Score 3-0.
The girls cheered all of us out of the arena. We were sweating from every pore of our skin. Everyone was panting now. Pedro had gone two shades lighter from his original tan due to steam and sweat. But he was still cursing himself for not hitting even a single bullet to me. It was a memorable game for all us, since after a long time we all had behaved like teens again and enjoyed every moment of it. Moreover, it also made us realize how tough it must be for the soldiers who do this not as a game but as a duty on the battleground, where you don't have extra lives but it's a matter of life and death, where bullets splash color but that's your blood, where if you are hit you are dead.
The day ended with Chicken Tandoori, Chicken and Mutton Masala, Naans and loads of water and beverages.
Earlier this year Alpana was planning to throw a treat on her birthday by taking the whole group for a game of Paintball. But then after the Rajasthan trip, she had to fly to Philippines the next day so we couldn't do it then. Now that she is back from Philippines, she has conveniently sneaked out of that treat saying the birthday is long gone and now it's no point. So we were still yet to have our first hand at it.
Last month, we finally decided that this time we will definitely plan and go for it. The whole group was supposed to join in as everybody had time when the plan was made. But then just an hour before we met, half the group dropped out. That really pissed us off, but we so much wanted to play the game that we all just didn't let it spoil our mood and go ahead with the plan. So finally we were six guys (Me, Pedro, Nanu, Manish, Danny and Mhatre) and two girls (Rasika and Vinita). The game can be played with a team of minimum three players on each side. We could make two teams of four players each. Cool!
When we reached at the gaming area, a game was already on and we took our time to watch, analyze and build up a strategy. We were already feeling the intesity of the game and the talks between all of us had suddenly got serious. Just then some bullets splashed color on the nets that were put up for safety. The impact was so hard, firstly it made a big sound, and then splashed the color on to Pedro and Nanu who were standing a good ten feet away from the nets. We all got more serious and the girls were already changing their decision of playing the game. I noticed some hoardings put up outside the nets that explained the rules of the game, some points were written in bold:
DO NOT REMOVE YOUR MASK NO MATTER WHAT. THE BULLETS CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURIES TO YOUR EYES.
DO NOT FIRE FROM A DISTANCE LESS THAN 10 FEET.
ALWAYS POINT YOUR GUNS DOWN AND KEEP THE FINGER AWAY FROM THE TRIGGER BEFORE THE START OF THE GAME.
I looked at the girls and pointed towards the board. Enough to make them pee in their pants. Both the girls decided to stand out peacefully and safely and watch the guys take the hits. So now the teams dropped to three players each.
We went into the room to put on our gears. It consists of a one piece soldier outfit, a chest guard and a face mask. I was a bit shocked as there was nothing to protect my groins. If the bullets hit so hard that they can damage my eyes, it would definitely keep me gasping for air if any bullet hit my testicles. I changed my strategy, keep your balls safe throughout the game.
As we were waiting for our turn to play the game, we also decided our teams. Pedro so wanted to be in my opposite team so that he could hit me with as many bullets as he can. So Pedro, Nanu and Mhatre formed the Red team and Manish, Danny and I formed the Blue. Two other guys also wanted to play, but they didn't have a group, so they joined us, one on each side. So we were back to four per side. The Red team went to one corner and started deciding there strategy on one side of the gaming area "I'll come behind the tyres, you cover me up, you go into the bunker, yada yada yada". We, the Blue team, saw that the other team was planning so we too planned, but just for one thing. The referee whistled the game on and asked us to pick a side. We went as planned. We took the side on which the Red team had set their strategy. The Red team was shattered.
Note:
Paintball charges at Headrush, Hiranandani, Powai
1 round - 15 mins - 25 bullets - Rs. 250/- per person
3 rounds - 45 mins - 50 bullets - Rs. 400/- per person
5 rounds - 90 mins - 100 bullets - Rs. 600/- per person
We went for three rounds of hardcore first person shooting action.
Round 1 - Kill the Opponent
Simple rule. If you are hit anywhere, you are out. The team to survive wins the round. Our plan of action was that I was supposed to get behind the tyres, meanwhile Danny would run into the bunker. Manish and the other guy would give us cover. As the referee whistled, I ran towards the tyres. My face was sweating and steaming which blurred the glasses on my mask. I didn't realize that I had reached the tyres and kept running forward, nowhere but to end up colliding head on into the tyres. It took me 10 seconds to get back to my senses. At the same time Danny slipped while running towards the bunker and landed flat on the ground on his belly. The other two guys thought we ain't gonna win any of the rounds. Just then Nanu came behind the drums right in front of me and remained flat on the ground. He kept his whole body behind the drums but left his legs unshielded. I took an aim and hit him on the leg on the third shot. Nanu tried not to show anyone that he was hit, but Danny and I started to shout saying he was hit. The referee checked it and declared him out. The other guy from the Red team was popping his head out over the drums to look for the opponents. Bang! I hit him straight on his face. Man, I started loving this game. Pedro was then hit by Danny and Manish hit Mhatre. The round ended with three members left in our Team and so the round went to us. Score 1-0.
Round 2 - Bring the object back
An object would be kept in the middle of the two areas. The teams have to grab the object and bring it safely back into their corresponding area. The rule of round 1 still holds true. It was a difficult task since the paintballs guns are heavy and running with it and then picking up the object would be really tough. But the guy who had joined our team was very athletic. He put his gun aside and asked Manish to cover him up. He ran towards the bump on which the object was kept, jumped over it and picked it up while he was mid air into his jump. He quickly ran into a bunker next to me and handed over the object to me. I took it and ran back into our area. The task which seemed difficult was completed within 3 minutes. The Red team didn't even get to take proper covers and they did not understand when we reached the bucket and took it back. We won. Score 2-0. On top of that the winning team is given 50 extra bullets as bonus. We checked our guns for remaning bullets and divided the bullets accordingly.
Round 3 - Blood Shed
Rules? There are no rules! Go on firing at your opponent as if you are on a rampage. The team with most number of hits wins. This round was just a formality for us as we had already won the match by winning two rounds. But we still wanted a clean sweep. We knew that Mhatre and Nanu are rampage speciallist and they did stand to their reputation. Nanu came running towards us firing non-stop. But fortunately he was out of bullets soon after that and was hit by Manish's bullet. Mhatre came running towards me from the other side and stood right next to the tyres where I was hiding. I objected and told the referee that the distance is less than 10 feet. He was disqualified. Somewhere during this rampage, Danny and the other guy from our team went out of bullets. Now it was two per side. We could feel the adrenalin pumping in our bodies. Just then Pedro was out of bullets, but he still pretended he had bullets and kept firing. He was given a big 5-6 rounds of firing all over his body. He was completely exhausted and started panting. The last man from the Red team was brought down soon after that. The referee counted the number of hits on each side. The difference was spectacular, 8 to 3 in our favor. It was a clean sweep. Score 3-0.
The girls cheered all of us out of the arena. We were sweating from every pore of our skin. Everyone was panting now. Pedro had gone two shades lighter from his original tan due to steam and sweat. But he was still cursing himself for not hitting even a single bullet to me. It was a memorable game for all us, since after a long time we all had behaved like teens again and enjoyed every moment of it. Moreover, it also made us realize how tough it must be for the soldiers who do this not as a game but as a duty on the battleground, where you don't have extra lives but it's a matter of life and death, where bullets splash color but that's your blood, where if you are hit you are dead.
The day ended with Chicken Tandoori, Chicken and Mutton Masala, Naans and loads of water and beverages.
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Comments (1)
Nice one! I never knew Paintball existed and it was an interesting read