desperately trying to stem the tide. However, after what
felt like a very short time, word began to pass down the
Allied ranks that a breakthrough was occurring on Juno
beach, near the left side of the field. The Allies exploited
this by adding bodies to that side of the field and before
long, the German defensive line was broken and Allied
players were fighting their way into the first rows of stacked
logs, brush piles and earthworks inside the woods. Once
inside the woods, the Allies began turning the corner on
the stubborn German defense, flanking defenders further
towards the center of the beaches and shooting them
in the side before rolling forward. Aggressive German
counter-attacks attempting to regain their lost positions
were to no avail and by midday Saturday, the Allies were
clearly in the woods to stay at Skirmish ION 2016.
078
paintball.media magazine
With the epic beach landing of the 2016 Skirmish ION game
completed by the Allies, the game changed phases and
became a more orthodox scenario game, with objectives
to capture, territory to hold and points to earn throughout
the weekend to determine the winner. Inside the Skirmish
woods were villages, towns, complete themed playing
fields and some of the most challenging and storied
natural terrain in paintball, from winding creeks to massive
trees and thick underbrush. The weather continued to
provide a fascinating undertone for the event, with mist
and fog descending even inside the woods to hamper
visibility and challenge every player to keep their goggle
lenses from fogging long enough to battle their way to
their objective. Countless small-unit fights throughout the
Skirmish woods were punctuated by several big battles
over objectives and props, while both teams battled