deadly accurate on those that dared stick their heads above
the edge of the road. They dropped back to consider a
different strategy, as clearly, this one wasn’t working.
Wave after wave stormed the castle with just over an hour
to go, but it was here that the advantage of re-inserting
at the castle, paid off for the defenders. It took several
minutes for the attackers to mount another wave attack,
and when they did, they were met with a hailstorm of paint.
The attackers were growing desperate, and the defenders
were smelling victory. The clock ticked down, and the
attackers’ desperation was apparent. Now, instead of
waiting for an infusion of fresh players, they charged with
what they had, and that did not work well, either. Finally, the
horn sounded, and for the first time in many defenses, the
defenders had held the castle for the allotted five hours.
Attackers and defenders trekked down the hill to the
recreation lodge, where congratulations were offered all
094
paintball magazine
around. Players hit the lodge for a bit of relaxation and
tale-telling, while others moved among the tents of the
event sponsors, set up in the parking lot. Others, who
had not had enough paintball for the day, hit the fields
for some rec ball. Later, there was the traditional cookout.
Sunday offered a preview of Castle Conquests to come.
The new castle would be the large one north of the rec
lodge, and a preview was ready for staging. Once again,
ten props were scattered throughout the castle, this one
a bit smaller. And a bit more difficult to defend, since the
surrounding area was flat. No hills to climb. It was a bit
more open, giving the defenders fields of fire that were
greater, and more clear, but with a numerical advantage of
4:1, this new venue went down in under two hours.
Several players offered varying comments about the new
castle. Some said that the 4:1 ratio was OK, but others
wanted it tweaked a little bit, maybe upping the ratio to
3.5 or 3:1. All agreed that this was one event that ranked