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by Ben Paynter PFiSTS6RAPFIS BY SK*ATSFIFIHE SquadleaderMichaelMarks knleels,hidden by trees, surveyinq his tarlef lhroulh the niqht-vis_ioTr scope6n his weapon,apaintball qud moddedto look nke an M4 iifle, He'swatchinq a cluster of concretebuildinss-about5Oyards away.SiqnalflarEssoutter in the stre6ts. Armed men dart between shadows.Marks toucheshis neck to activate his throat mic.'A straiqht depooulation,'he radios to hi5men.LSbekand destroy.' With that, the squad creepsout ofthe forest, three men decked in combat fatigues, riot-gear helmets, and flakjackets emblazoned withtheir unit name,Deadby Dawn.It's a referenceto the 1987cult horror flickEyiI Deadll.Yes,theyknowthis datesthem. Each soldier also carries a thin layer ofnatural padding, the kind that comeswith middle ageand a daily commute from suburbia to a deskjob. They all have macho caII signs they probably don't use around the office, though. Marks, a counterterrorism expert who writes training programs for the Department of Homeland Security, goesby Marksman. Ted Deeds,the COOofthe nonprofit Law Enforcement Alliance of America, is Gunslinger.Mike Harris, a computer systems engineer wearing thick glassesand a breathe- per second,half as fast as a bullet from a .38 special.And players aren-tjust running aroundundevelopedland in the exurbsan1rmore: easynosestrip, is Dr. Doom. Staccatogunfireripsthe air; DeadbyDamrchargesinto one ofthe buildings for cover.The guysflattenthemselves againstthe interior wall as paintballs rain through a window, exploding in wet pops behind them. Deedsdrops to the ground, rolls to the opening, and rises to flash short pulses from a retina-burning white-LED tacti- Cruisepast ESPN2at the right time-wee hours are good-and you might seethe National ProfessionalPaintballLeagueplayits version ofthe sport, a sort ofspecialops adaptationofsoccerthat confines the play to sevenminutes and an arenajust 180 by 100 feet. Deadby Dawn is playing something called scenario paintball ln this latest splatter-sport spinoff,players go on 24-hour missions cal flashlight. Marks and Harris unleashtheir ovrnbarrage ofsemiautomatic flre on the biinded hostiles, but they are outgunned. Thwap! Harris' world goes gray as a lead-colored paintball explodesacrosshis face mask. Then Deedsgets shot in the hand. acrossbattlefi eldsdrarnrnfrom Vietnam,Iraq, or11a1o. A behind-thescenes"producer" scripts all the action, assigningranks and duties Marks raises his arms in surrender. You already know about paintball, a sort oftactical game oftag playedwith nonlethal-but really quite painful-ammo. In the early 1980s,men stalked eachother through the New Hampshire woods with single-shot,pump-action paint gunsusedbyforesters to mark terrain. Now the game has gone professional.Modern guns have piezoelectrictriggers and pneumaticmuzzlevelocitiesof 280 feet J U N E2 0 0 7 with the verisimilitude of a Civil War reenactment.The result is RambomeetsBobaFett: Grenadesspraypaint 15feet in every direction, paintballguns getmoddedinto M16s,andhomemadePVC-pipe bazookaslaunch Nerfrockets the length a football field. Thesevicariouswarfare experiencesnowattract hugenumbers of fighters-I"20O of them cameto the National Guard'sJoint Training Centerfor Military Operationson Urban Terrain at Camp Blanding, Florida, on this cold Saturday night in mid-February. Scenario gameshavegotten so popular, in fact, that the samebig companies Diane Howe and Patrick McKinnon (above) use walkie-talkies to control the battlefield action from a trailer east of town. They give each team specific missions to accomplish,from gathering intelligence to launching assaults, t ' tournamentpaintball havea compellingnarrative-the stakesof the gamedi&r-t match andsmartengineerswho professionalized arestartingto payattentiontoscenarioplayers,too,Sportsequip- t}televelof ultraviolencemostplayersseemedtobringto thefield. mentmanufacturers,p,rivateentrepreneurs,andtownamenttypes FromhisranchoutsideHouston,McKinnonposteda 24-pagesce\ areall vying to build weaponsandtechfor the most activemem- nariorulebookonthe Web.In1999,heandHowelaunchedMackz XtremeSportzto producegiant, scriptedbattles;they saidthey crowa. u',bqrspr.t4l6te$lay wantedto make"blockbusters." Hqfe sitsinthe country-themedkitchenof Thisweekendthe scenariois TheBattleoflron Forge,loosely gamefrom basedon the onlinerole-playinguniverseof Worldof Warcraft. this weekend's , overseeing areato the eastof town,Iike a minor Howehasdividedthe field into two factions:the Horde,amalicious jumpsuit,she's mobofgoblinsandorcq andtheAlliance,abenevolentbandofelves of war. Cladin a camouflage -smokingBenson& Hedgesmenthollights andhumans.Players.geta charactercardwith their name,role,and t\napofiireUattlegroundandradioingcodeddeploy- motivation.DeadByDarmis assignedto tJteHorde.Accordingto 'Mike, Juliet-Nine,Paul, thefirearm-friendlyCO0 is nowBloodPoint,ar orc Quebec,"she hiscard,Deeds, on the field,that meanssomething.Speciflcally,shehas who has"swornto do anythingrequiredto protectthe CIanfrom Warrior,whosehideis Alliancesquadtotakeandholdthedilapidatedrow enemies."'You area huge,green-skinned prowling. resistanttojust aboutanyattack" the cardreads.'Yot;jrered-eyed where,it turnedout,Deadby Davunwas hasbeena paintballerfor 20 years;shemet herhusband, with fury andcan'twait for thebattleto begin."Deedsis coolwith whileplayingagainsthim in 1996.Theyeventu- beingan orc aslong ashe still getshis assaultrifle. But he won't ally decidedthe biggestproblemwith paintballwasthat it didn't dressup.Thefewguyswhogoall comic-conanddonghoulishcos- tumesjustturn themselvesinto easytargets,he says. HoweandMcKinnonset up their gameslike a moviecrew on Iocation.Theychoosebig,emptylocationsandtruckinprops,sets, andpyro-lots ofpyro. A typicalMXSproductionfeaturesflares, smokebombs,andnoise-making bird bangers,all detonatingin a kindoforchestralcacophony. Howelooselyscriptsaplot,thenstays up all night directingit overwalkie-talkie,callingout missionsto opposingfieldcommanders every20minutes.Fieldrefereesreport in regularly,andHoweaddsplot twists per their intel. McKinnon claims,perhapshyperbolically, that hisproductionshaveactually inducedflashbacks in Vietnamvets. Towin,ateam-Allianceor Horde-hasto scorethemostpoints, whichaccruewiththe completionofspecificmissionslikeassaults, patrols,or photo reconswith digital cameras.Or playerscango questing,trying to retrieveobjectswith meaninginthe game(like the WarAxeof the Tiger,hiddenin a buildingcalledMaeva,sMystic Apparel).Thougheverygamehasahigh-scoringMVP,individualscan'twin on their ovrn.As in realwar,they arejust cogsin the machine.Somebecome demolitionexperts, empoweredtofireNerf rocketsthat "destroy"buildingsand"kill" everyoneinside.Others -designatedengineers-repairNerfedbuildings by touchingthem; playerscalledgriffnsgivecharacters safetransitacrossthebattlefield (because, Vgrknow,griffinscanfly). Oryoucanjq/gopenfire.Gethit with a paintballandyou,reout; youcanreinsdrt20 minuteslater. I{4ll runspretty muchaccordingto Howe'swhims.Backin the furfs herhands overher maps and codebooksandlights & Hedges.'You tell me where you want it to hap"and I can make a fight." Sundf mdiningr lg hoursinto thegame,the of DeadbyDawnraly. Having "died" and s_qrte_tl sqveraltimes (andtakena four-hour they roll out the Necronomicar, a tank ;.hriilt from an ll-horsepower Jacobsontwf hauler I andparts fromHome Depot.Ithas aweldedsteelframewithwindows screenedinnetting to provide 360-degreevisibility andto sloughoff incoming paintballs. It's festoonedwithnovelty maces,swords,and zombieheadsattachedlike macabrehood ornaments.Atop thegunner's hatchis aturret boasting two clip-fed, electro-pneumaticpVC barrels capableoffiring 30 Nerfrockets per minute. The guys onthe team pooled their money,about $200O to build the car. Sensibletransportation was worth the money, especially given their middle-aged aches and pains. There are 22 men on Dead by Daram,and few of them are as spry on the battlefleld as they used to be. "Listen, we know our age. We're not the fastest. We,re not the best shooters. We're not a lot of things," Marks says. ..Soyou sit there and you say,'Let's play smart."' When the tank sputters into the city, the sun has barely risen and the temperature is just above freezing. There,sa Diet Cokein the cup holder. The men have traded flakjackets for sweatshirts. Someonecuesup an MP3 player hooked into the 1,000-watt waterproof boat stereo and cranks their war anthem: Rob Zombie,s Dragula. The enemy Alliance troopers open window shutters like saloon doors and rain fire on them, steam rising from their muzzles in the cold morning air. Most of their shots bounce right off the Necronomicar's hull. Marks graspsthe wide motorcycle grips onthe turret cannonand Iines up his sight-avertical tab notchedwith marks for 5O 75,and 150yards-with a screw set farther doramthebarrel. Then he starts blasting launching Nerfs into eachhideout to disqualifytheplayers inside.Mike "EmeriP Cawthon,an industrial-printer salesmanwhq at age 35, is one ofthe youngest guys on the Dead by Dawn team, pokes his gun through the netting and casually picks off soldiers like he'sin a shooting gallery. Marks fires another 10rounds to take out two other tanks swiveling toward them 100 yards uprange. ThenMarks gets overeager.Ratherthanalternating flre from each barrel to allowthe cannonto recharge,he double-pressesone trigger. The air tank is nearly empty. The shot poofs lamely and drops to the ground. Premature evacuation. a=-.. All'fationaiGuardtrainingcenter (beiow left) providE$the setting for the Battte of lron Forge*mask required,orc getup optianal Originallya turf hauler,the Necronomicar(right) was tricked out by Mike Harris(fffcingpaEe)and thd other teem members" qry"' ":* _r ;t i r , . . r - a , t * B "r, i' lt mffff$mm. trknm ffiffiffiffisffiR&Hft# they pr$hffiktrgrdmmofi -/:enough.I limpedit," Marksshouts fewpaintballstheyhaveleft. It slowlyfllls with pearl-grayammunition.Afewfriends carryit to the fleld. ,,Donot beaggresIg4t tirglbia*lrrin is still a little conflicted. of beaggressive," he repeatsto himself.,.Itold my wife I wo_yldcome homein onepiece.', FromCawthon's vantagepoint in thefores! thetovmlooksriotroyalewith ous.Fighterscrisscross themainroad.Snipersrain coverfire from ball field own-ers the rooftops.TheAllianceis chargingthecenteroftown,butthey've their moneyon admissionfees;they alsomanagedto'Ffu otraflankingmovg sendingahugeforcemarchaicessories.At CampBlanding,com- ing dovrna sidestreetandacrossa smallfieldlinedby squatbuildboothsnearthe stagingareaare ings.A fewHordestragglersgivechasgbut they,requicklyforced i BeqTippmann,scionof the domi- backagainsta bunkerundera showerofpaint. you.{0 kit to modyourguninto Cawthondashes acrossthemaindragtowardthepirmedsoldiers, anAK-4 outrunninga few shotsat his heels.Strippedofhis usualtoys,he I LEDsandasiren clutches-onlya basicAKAExcalibur.Somehow,he makesit to the that it grant.AndDuaneBell, Hordehideoutunscathed.Thestragglersturn out to be a bunch of teenagers.Thenhe takesa peekarounda cornerandseesthe beer),is letting Marksfield-te$tlri\w ttS Rifle. realproblem:a line ofabouta hundredAlliancetroopsadvancing But asany arms dealerwill tell you, lsm doumthe fairway. Like real war, paintball gamesare alwayspopCasesof p4intballscontaining2,000'r $75at the with plenty of cannonfodder;this is the kind of situation door($60in advance),andlloive wordtrevealher Cawthonusuallywould pull rankanddirectoneofthe spry themwholesale,andthis weekendshesoldabout 16-year-olds to go get 'em.But Cawthonlooksat the kids around him andseesfearin their eyes.They'regreen.Theyneeda leader, a veterar!someonebraveenoughto rally a charge. money.At anMXSevent the last manstandi4gwill probablybethe Cawthonbreatlesheavily.Beneathhisfatigueshewearsabrace t guywho shelledout the mostfor paint. to protq: his left knee,whichhe sprainedplayingpaintballa few Thenthere'sthe overhead.Forlron Forge,Ho,iecuta dealwith the yearsagd.Herotateshis left shoulder,grimacing-it gets stiffin NationalGuardto useits base-shewon,tsayhoilrmuchit cost,or the coldeversincehedislocatedit in a gamelastyear whenhefell howmuchshespentto rent theportapotties,aiqfilling stations,and andplantedhis elbowin the dirt. dumpster.Eachplayerpaidat'least$45for anahvanceticket,with A sort of clarity comesinto his eyes..1 drove800 milestg play '1f thepricegoingup asgamedaycirewcloser.It was Q75at the gate. paintball,"he says. nobodyshootsme,I,ll bepretty upset.,, 'Is this a lucrativebusiness? Absolutelynot,,,How\says.Thelast Cawth0nbreakscoverandrunspastthekidsaroundhim,slantthing shewantsis to soundlike a profiteei.Butshehasnoproblem ing acrossopenturftoward a far-offtreeline.Hewaves anarmfor rampingup the carnageto boostthebottomline..,Itry to getplay- the boysto follow.Buttheydon,t.Theygawk,rootedin place. ersin asmanyflrefightsaspossible,,, shesays."Theywanttargets Thehostilesseehim; his chestglows with pinpoints of light to shoot.If there'sawayto getthemto a placewherethey,reshoot- from lasersights.Thevolleysoundslike popcorncrescendoing in ing morepaint,I'll doit." a microwave.Paintballszippastjust aheadof him,perhapswhere Toensweagrandfinalgshedispatches asetofidenticalcommands someonefaster might alreadybe. Cawthonducks,swivels,and tomultipleteamleaderqorderingsoldiersto convergeatthreepoints returnsfire.It'spointless.Theairis swarmingwithammq coming aroundthebattlefleldandholdtheir positionsat all costs. sothick andfrom so manyanglesthat roundsareactuallyslamThat'swhenDeadby Dawngetsword that for the final battle. mingtogetherin midair andexploding. tanksmustbe pulledfrom the fleld.Losingthe Necronomicar will Hefeelsa stingin his gut andreachesto coverit. Anothershot put themat a seriousdisadvantage. plus,Howehaseliminatedthe peltshim squareinthe chest. A fewmorepingagainsthislegsand 20-minuteinsertiondelay.Playerswhoarekilledcansimplycheck mask,rockinghim backon hisheels. in at a launchpointandthenresumefightingimmediately.Lotsof Cawthonstopsrunning.Heslumpsandraiseshis hand.He,sout. Marks'teammemberssimplyopt out.Theguysareexhausted. Dejected,Cawthondragshimselfbackto the launchpoint,wipAt their basecampon the sidelines,most ofthe teamhascol- ingpaht offhis clothesandtrying to avoidcollateralhits. Thesun lapsedinto foldingchairsbeneatha canopytent filledwith picnic risesin the sky.Hiskneehurts. But he catcheshis breatlr,checks goodies.But Cawthonwantsto makea stand.Hewatchesexhaus- ig andis suddenlyreborn. Herubspaint off hisgogglesandheads tion creasehis teammates,sweatyfacesanddecidesnot to offer backtowardthe Allianceline.That,swherethe fun is. EI a rousingspeech.Hejust standsup, sayshet goingbackout, and /////r'////////////////////////// asksfor ammodonations. BENpAyNTER([email protected]) wrote aboutmeteA few peopletradethis-guy-is-nuts glances.But teamtradition oites in issue15.01. For additionalimagesfrom theBattleof Iron kicksin andtheypassarounda big cardboardbox,dumpingin the Forge,vi sit vnred.com,/extras. E tr tr JUNE2OoT