What if... Centerflag, return

[Lohman446]

One of the big complaints about paintball today is offensive initiative is not rewarded, teams are not "punished" for being simply defensive. What if it was centerflag return instead, giving teams a need to push forward to prevent the return of the flag to the station the other team started at, rather than forcing them to go through them?

[BigEvil]

Anytime I have played like that its always the smallest fastest guy making a sprint to pull the flag. I have even seen somene leave all of their gear off and just bolt for the flag.

The field would have to be big enough so that no one could easily attempt that and set up in a way that promotes movement.

[Lohman446]

Careful field set up - make it so its possible to lane that sprinter from the starting station but not lane starting station to starting station, you will have to move the laner before the sprint.... Just throwing out ideas.

You could, conceivable, draw a line in the center of the field and "not cross" it, preventing bunkering, spinning, close shooting etc.

[Pneumagger]

Anytime I have played like that its always the smallest fastest guy making a sprint to pull the flag. I have even seen somene leave all of their gear off and just bolt for the flag.

The field would have to be big enough so that no one could easily attempt that and set up in a way that promotes movement.

Put the flag in the middle. Wide open.

There should obviously be penalties for disposing of one's gear mid game.

[CaptainNeeda]

Put the flag in the middle. Wide open.

There should obviously be penalties for disposing of one's gear mid game.

Well, I thought that most tournaments have some rule that says ,in effect 'if you step more than 5 feet from your marker or pod pack you are out'.

[PumpPlayer]

But you have to be able to drop pods, too.

The format has some possibility but you'd need a few rules added.


For example, suppose there was a center line that you could not cross. You have the same problem as before where a team can choose to play "defensively". Just set as many players as possible trained on the flag station and don't move. Depending on field layout, they could conceivably get one or two players "up" and simply wait the clock out to win by attrition.

Perhaps a better rule is a time limit where, for a 10-minute game, you can't cross the 50 before minute 7. Perhaps even better, you can't cross your own 40 (and thus can't get the flag) before the end of the first minute. In this way, setup and strategy would play a much larger role. The game effectively divides itself into "beginning-, middle- and end-games" where set-up and strategy is going to play a larger role. But a rule like that, while it favors strategic play, is not so friendly for fast-paced action.


There's plenty of ways to play the game and I think a lot of events and formats are just stale. New formats of any type would be nice.

[SlartyBartFast]

I always though a clock on the flag grab would be a good idea. The sooner in the game you grabbed the flag, the more points it's worth.

[SlartyBartFast]

I always thought a clock on the flag grab would be a good idea. The sooner in the game you grabbed the flag, the more points it's worth.

[robnix]

Anytime I have played like that its always the smallest fastest guy making a sprint to pull the flag. I have even seen somene leave all of their gear off and just bolt for the flag.

The field would have to be big enough so that no one could easily attempt that and set up in a way that promotes movement.

When I've played this on both speedball and woodsball fields, we always find the fastest guy on the team and make him the sacrificial lamb doing this with gear on. The basic plan is to have one person break for the flag, get it, then come back just far enough to hand off the flag to someone that's behind cover, then change direction as a diversion.

[Ratzo]

I love it when people talk about the smallest fastest guy going for the flag off the break.
The seirses I play the flag is located out in the open and it's PSP ramping.
You actually have to make a break for another bunker to grab the flag none of this hanging out and grabing the flag from the from behind the centre bunker.
I am the largest and slowest member of my team 5'11" 265lbs, and one match during the day I will use either my PGP or P68sc and make the 50 off the break.
I get the flag every time I do this, and that puts me into the snake.
Got tho love playing the snake with a stock class against ramping machines.
I am also one of the largest people at the tounament aswell.

[Lohman446]

I agree with X-ball on one thing

I would make the game 5 minutes, with hangs being the only thing of value (1 point), and a surrender option for a team to surrender a point to prevent just holding...

[turbo chicken]

played similiar games ... i use the pgp .. and sticka 10 rnd tube in my pocket ... and go for the flag... the semi stays in the staging are if speed is needed.


but most of the time if someone gets the flag that team wins ...

[RogueFactor]

Good thread Lohman.

The one thing I keep asking myself when considering CenterFlag, is...

Why did CenterFlag die?

I think BigEvil brings up a good point.

[Pump Scout]

I believe that X-Ball is a center flag event. So are most of the 3- and 5-man events around here (local stuff). Two flags is useful for larger team formats.

[PumpMag]

CenterFlag format is alive.

Centerflag is alive and well here in Southern California OSC and NSA Pump Tournaments.

You get points for eliminating players (3 or 7 per elim depends if 3 or 5 man), more for flag pulls (25pts), and the most points possible for the flag hang(50).

Total max for 1 win is 100 pts. Game time limit is usally 5 minutes.

Here is a NSA#2 video link for you enjoyment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2frQ3w5E6c

video courtesy of our pump brethren, the LA Hitmen.

My team, Omega Sector participated in this event (breakout frame 15, my run through frame 22 and some footage of my teamates also).