Traveling with a parent or friend that isn’t playing, but wants to get involved? The Allied TOC is the place for you! These people track the battle and relay information to the units in the field. Without this group of people, we would be flying blind. If you, or someone you know, is interested, please message Farris and we’ll get you more information.

The newest revision of the rules has been posted. Please take a few moments to read over them as there are changes from previous years.

D-Day 2012 Rules

I talk to a lot of people throughout the year about big/scenario games and one of the biggest responses I get is, “I like paintball, but I have no idea how I would even start to play that”. So, I decided to begin the How-To section of this site with where to begin. This list is meant to be universally applied so there may be things left out that are unique to certain games. However, this will get people started in the right direction.

HOW IT’S DIFFERENT
There are several aspects of the game that you will have to know going into this.
1. Getting shot has little consequence: When you are shot, you are not out of the game for the rest of the time. Depending on the field/promoter, you will either go to a “dead zone” and wait until a specific window opens up to re-enter, or you will go to a point near your base to “tag in” and then reinsert at your base. The only thing shooting an opposing player will do is get them to move off of the objective.
2. Points: These games are scored by each side accomplishing objectives. Usually, missions are given to each side’s general to be handed out to other players on the side. You win by accomplishing more objectives than the other side. These objectives usually involve controlling an area or finding an object within an area of the field and bringing it back to base.
3. Shooting other players DOES NOT score you points: The biggest thing that players fail to understand is that shooting players is not worth points.  Shooting players can help you accomplish your objective. However, if you see a random group of players in the middle of the field while you are moving towards your objective and they aren’t in your way, going to shoot them WILL NOT HELP. The opposing team will more than likely be at your objective anyway (that’s usually how a good game designer does things), so save your paint.

GEAR
There is a difference in the type of gear that is recommended for these games over shorter games. This gear can absolutely mean the difference between enjoying yourself and being miserable.
1.  Hydration bladder: This is AN ABSOLUTE MUST HAVE. If you take nothing else from this list, take this. Games aren’t over in 15 minutes any more for you to get a drink from your truck. If you intend to stay in the game for the long haul, you need a hydration bladder. They come in brand names, such as Camelbak, and they come in random off brands, which can be found at Walmart or any sporting goods store. They are worn on your back hand have a hose that reaches to your mouth. Without this, you will get dehydrated. Water bottles and canteens are NOT A SUBSTITUTE because they require that you lift your mask in order to drink from them.
2. Radios: Consider carrying a radio to communicate with your team. The old standby is a FRS/GMRS radio.
3. Broken in boots: The terrain will probably be rougher than your home field and you’re going to be on your feet all day. A good pair of broken in military-style boots will keep your feet from blistering and help prevent rolled ankles. Along with that, a good pair of boot socks will also help protect your feet.
4. Paint tubes: If you’re going to be on the field for 8-24 hours, you will need to carry more than just a hopper on the field. The ability to carry extra paint on the field will keep you from having to run back to camp and refill every few minutes.
5. Vest: So you’re carrying water, paint, a radio, map, ID card, snack bar, grenades, squeegee, and whatever else on the field. Your pockets are going to get full very quickly. How can you carry all of this? A paintball vest is your answer. Several companies, such as SpecOps, make vests specifically designed for paintball players. These vests have several pouches and clips specifically designed to carry all of these items on your body in an organized fashion. They are also easily customized so that you can add/remove features that you want. These are an investment into your enjoyment. If you want to seriously play, even if it’s just a few times a year, you should purchase one.

PLAY THE WAY YOU ENJOY
Are you a leader type? Do you want to be involved in the story? Or do you just want to go out and shoot somebody and win the game?
1. Standard: If you  just want to go out and shoot something and play to win, simply hang around your base and wait for a mission to come in. At certain times, usually every 20, 30, or 60 minutes, a mission will be given to the general and the general will get people to follow a mission leader to complete an objective. The mission leader that you’re following is essentially your guide to finding people to shoot at.
2. Leader: If you have the personality, drive, and knowledge of the field, volunteer to lead missions. You will be responsible for things like making sure you have enough people for the mission with the right skills and directing the team that you bring with you to complete the objective.
3. Role player: Scenario games have a story that the game is based on. Many scenario producers have characters that players are allowed to play. These involve accomplishing several missions that are specific to your character. This can be fun and give you a chance to stand out from the crowd.
4. Specialty roles: These include demolition, engineer, medic, etc. You become a utility player with special abilities, such as destroying tanks/buildings, healing players,  and regenerating buildings. These are assigned by the general. If you want one of these roles, simply ask. However, you should be willing to commit to playing the rest of the game because these roles are limited in number.

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS
1. You do not sleep on the field. Your tent is in a camping area. If you want to sleep, go there.
2. You don’t have to be a professional/extremely experienced player to play these. Most everyone there is just a person out to have a good time.
3. You will get shot, but generally not overshot. Once you get hit and raise your hand, people will usually stop shooting at you. However, because people generally don’t fire one ball at a time, expect a few bonus balls to arrive over the next second.
4. It doesn’t hurt any more than playing normally. Paint still flies at the same speed.

As you may have noticed, there is a new tab at the top of the page. We now have a 4th ID calendar. This calendar will serve as a way of seeing where other 4th ID players will be playing. If you want to add an event to the calendar, send it to cam@okdday4thid.org. If you’re attending an event, please leave a comment on the calendar entry so we can know to look for you.

Look for more additions to the site to come “soon”.

If you can make it to Fayetteville, TN on 25-26 February, come join us for a 24 hour game at Bear Claw Paintball. It’s an excellent field with a seasoned promoter, MPP Games. Here’s the cost breakdown…

Admission: $65 (Includes admission and air for 13 and over)
All event air: $15 (For tankers and children under 13 since kids play free)
Paint: $60/case (RPS premium)

Scenario: Apocalypse 2012

If you’d like to register, or want to learn more about the game, go to  Bearclaw Paintball or MPP Games. Also, let us know in the comments if you plan on attending or have any questions.

Be sure to bring your 4th ID armband.

Alright folks, the 4th has a chance to win some paint. 20 cases a month. Here’s how it works.

The unit that has the highest percentage of registrations for the months of December and January has a chance to win 10 cases of paint for each of those months. So, if you haven’t registered yet, DO IT IN THESE TWO MONTHS.

You’re going to D-Day anyway. Register now while the prices are still low. Also, a 4th ID registration makes a great Christmas gift. So, if you haven’t registered, start asking Santa for a registration.

If we win, the players that register in these two months will receive at least one FREE BAG OF PAINT! (Up to the first 40 players each month) If only 10 players register, each registered player will receive a FREE CASE OF PAINT!

Click here and go to the bottom of the page to select how many Allied registrations you want. On the next page, be sure to select 4th Infantry Division in the Allied Registration Type box.

Register early and register often!

I have had an extremely urgent request from Ed to help for a huge favor.  DDAP needs players willing to help The Bunker with a promotional event at the Wal-Mart in Pineville, MO.  This is an emergency as the staff they had lined up will not be able to participate at the level needed for The Bunker to meet certain contractual marketing obligations.  Help is needed for

Friday September 23rd 2PM – 8PM

Saturday Septemebr 24th 8AM – 8PM

Sunday September 25th 11AM – 6PM

Anyone participating will be compensated and I am certain will not be forgotten by the DDAP.

Sorry for the short notice… but I just got this information.

Have some free time? Want to help improve the field? There will be a D-Day work weekend this weekend (17-18 September). Currently the plan is to do some demolition in the areas of the Airfield and the Valley. Construction in those areas is planned for a later work weekend. If you can make it, leave a message in the comments.

Lonnie “Icehouse” Craig has accepted the staff position of G-8: Finance in addition to his role as CO of Tango. His responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

1. Keeping track of unit funds
2. Implementing fundraising programs
3. Receiving and filtering requests for money from the G-4

We will be working closely to make sure that there is proper accountability of all unit funds and there is proper transparency in all spending done by the unit.

Congratulations to the new sucker Finance Officer

Do you think the water refill points need to be repositioned? What do you not like about Utah Beach? Is there a rule that you want to see changed? The staff of Oklahoma D-Day wants to know. However, there’s a process for this to work.

Shoot me an e-mail at cam@okdday4thid.org with a list of stuff you want to change about the game. I’ll consolidate those ideas into one big list and then shoot them up the chain. Please submit your ideas no later than the end of the day of 14 September 2011.