When you say“ scenario” in the paintball community, most people think of a classic big game event. Cypher Scenario Consulting is one of the few remaining production companies working hard to elevate the standard and change that perception. Committed to creating something that is more than just a trench warfare-style game played for field control and slapsticks, Cypher is developing games old school scenarios that are player-focused, experiential entertainment replete with live-action puzzles. Think of them as an escape room gone awry and elevated to a full-blown adventure game.
The Collapse, now in its fifth iteration, is an interactive fiction that has developed its own mythos. The blend of roleplaying, strategy, deduction challenges, non-linear puzzle-style missions, and the sheer volume of interactive props has overwhelmed more than one formidable leader in the paintball community. It has developed a reputation for being so challenging for its leaders and players alike that scenario commanders are legitimately afraid of this game. Add to that the legacy of waterboarding and black bagging that commanders have endured at this event in the past, and one theme proves consistently true: Commanders must expect the unexpected from the producers at Cypher Scenario Consulting and The Collapse.
This year’ s event was held on December 6th, once again returning to Outdoor Xtreme Chesapeake City, and lived up to the hype.
The Background
The story of The Collapse began with a somewhat straightforward, historical plot set in the Cold War Era. The first episode played out back in 2021 as a showdown between the KGB and the CIA over a weapon that could destroy the world. Catch the reference?
Then, when the KGB came away victorious at that event, it opened up a whole new world for The Collapse series. With the theme of societal breakdown remaining as the backdrop, Cypher Scenario Consulting began playing with global narratives to create an alternate, multiverse-style timeline, and the story became a live-action“ what-if” scenario to see how history could have evolved.
The plot of The Collapse has thus compounded year-over-year for the past five seasons, with each new game building upon the story.
Here is a not-so-brief summary: After Tedd E.“ The KGB Bear” commanded the Red army, took victory in Season 1, and ushered in this new timeline, he returned the following year to defend his title. The second game saw the introduction of the secure Site 38, a fictitious research facility that reappeared a few times, and The Artifact 73. The Artifact was a mysterious tesseract with unparalleled power for destruction.( While you may think that you have heard of this somewhere in a Marvel flick, it’ s really not the same at all. They swear.) Unbridled power seated in an object is a thing that the CIA really wanted. So they rallied up support from that global community by promising to secure the Artifact and then destroy it.
The global army did win that battle. And the CIA immediately broke their promise to destroy the Artifact, instead deciding to study it in hopes of harnessing its power. And then it was stolen.
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