BR Sports (formerly Black River Sports) presents G.I. Joe vs. Cobra in a paintball match dubbed “Valor Vs. Venom”  The event will be this Saturday, August 16th. The unique angle to this scenario is that everyone on the winning side will win a FREE US5 paintball marker by PCS! This marker is similar to the A5 and was originally designed by Tippman. But wait! there’s more! Along with the winning army winning a free marker, everyone that pre-registered will receive a FREE set of camos!

In one of the most original marketing ideas to come to paintball in a long time, Allen  “Buddha” Faircloth is producing the game and has arranged with his vendors to provide free markers to go to the winning sides. So if there are 180 players playing for the G.I. Joe side and they win the event, 180 Joe players will each receive a free PCS paintball marker!

Not Too Late 

The pre-registration cut-off ended last night, so if you haven’t signed up for this game yet, you are still not out of luck. You can still register the day of the event, you just don’t get the free camos or a free raffle ticket (available for a $1 or so). The price is still the same. Allen suggests that if you are registering the day of the event that you show up VERY early to make sure that you get in and contrary to earlier reports here, even if you missed pre-registration, you are still eligible for the free gun. You must be present to claim your marker.

Shields Up!

I interviewed Allen today and another unique twist to the game is that they are allowing “shields” (5 per army) on to the field. The shield can be 48″ x 40″ and must be inspected, tagged and tested under fire for safety before it will be allowed on and each army will only be allowed five on a side. Allen will also provide a couple of pugs for some light armor amongst the two sides.

Where Did These Guys Come From? 

 This games looks to be one of the most fun, if not unique, scenarios of the summer. A week before the event and already they have 350-360 players registered. Players are coming from as far as Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Tennesse, Alabama and D.C. as well as our own Carolinas.

The sides look fairly balanced at this point, but some last minute switching may be necessary to keep things as fair as possible. A slightly larger portion of the organized teams seem to be going to the Cobra side, led by Robert “Spectere” Flowers of the Carolina Sabers. The Joes will be led by the Black Knights’ Lew “Canis Major” Ashmore. If you are registering the day of the event, you may have to be placed on whichever sides needs it numbers balanced. Teams that are participating are too many to list, but include some of the local notables: Team Boxer, the Black Knights, East Coast Executioners, ODX, E.P.I.C. Unit, Shadow Vipers, the Devil’s Escorts and Team:Tango Alpha2 among others.

 Changes in Lattitude

The field map has recently changed due to some last minute changes courtesy of the North Carolina Dept. of Transportation. The D.O.T. cleared some of the land on the field to make way for a new highway. Due to this change the field map has now changed and can be found here.  You can find the full sized version at http://www.brpaintball.com/VVFieldMap.htm.

Safety, Fun, Innovation

When I asked Allen about the why and how of this scenario and it’s obvious differences, he said, “I was tired of the status quo. I wanted to do something innovative instead of just another scenario. I’m really just looking to keep the game fresh.” Black River has been doing scenarios for the past year and half, but this is the first he has produced and like any expectant father, he is excited and nervous. Trying to anticipate every possible way he can make the game more fun and safe for everyone is literally keeping him up at night.

Buddha asked me to make sure that everyone pays close attention to the weather, particularly the heat. Playing paintball in the heat can be dangerous and everyone needs to hydrate and monitor yourself and your teammates for signs of dehydration or heat stroke. You can find hints for dealing with the heat on this blog here and here. To ensure that everyone stays safe and has fun, Black River will have at least 38 refs on duty.

Rules are made to be enforced 

The game rules are available online. Paint prices start at $45/2000 round case and go up to $65/case.  If you buy 5 cases of paint you get $5 off the price. The event is field paint only.  Check-in will begin at 7am on Saturday, Aug 16th.  Player debrief will commence at 9AM and the battle will begin at 10AM. This is an unlimited firing mode event with a capped rate of fire of 15pbs.  Field speed limit is 285 fps.  Free camping the night before and after the event.  You don’t have to wear the free camos (green if you are G.I. Joe and urban if you are Cobra), but Buddha thinks it would make the photos cooler.

Fun is where your gun is

This game promises to be one of the more fun games this year and is already looking to be a big game. The key to this game will be everyone focusing on the fun of the game and not the prizes and keeping the integrity level high. Players will need to be vigilant in monitoring their own members to keep things honest and assist the refs in anyway they can. And everyone needs to try and make the game as much fun for everyone as possible. This is going to be a great game and regardless of who wins the guns, we all win if we keep it fun, light and safe!

BR Sports
Formerly Black River Paintball
1100 Macarthur Road
Ft Bragg, NC 28311  (Fayetteville)
910-860-4469
http://www.brpaintball.com/
Fayetteville Area Field  “Freedom”
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 12:30pm - 5:30pm
Directions