Scenario Paintball Command, Control & Communication (C3)

Scenario Paintball Command, Control & Communication (C³)

Scenario paintball games are won by staying focused on game-winning goals and the timely communication of important information from the scenario leadership to their players.

Large scenario paintball games are not won or lost on player skill. There are simply too many players of widely differing skill levels to make a competitive difference. They are also not won on the amount of eliminations a given player or team gets, since elimination of opponents is usually not a victory condition. The team that stays focused on scoring tasks, and keeps the largest portion of players possible on the field will win the game, every time.

Scenario Paintball C³

C³ stands for Command, Control and Communication. Command is the leadership and decision-making element of a scenario team. Control involves the directed execution of tasks by units within a team. Communication is the flow of information between players and leadership.

The Problem: Typical Scenario Paintball Organization

Scenario paintball is almost universally associated with "big game" paintball. In these games, hundreds to thousands of players are present on the field. Typically, each side will have a "General" or other Commanding Officer (CO) that communicates with the scenario event staff and coordinates his team's activities. This often involves receipt of orders or missions, although sometimes the game goals are pre-set beforehand.

Most scenarios do not formally organize below this level. There are some exceptions, like the OK D-Day game, where each team develops a fairly intricate unit structure, but most leave organization (other than a CO) up to the players.

If there is no formal group/unit structure, players tend to clump into informal groups of 2 to 5 players they are acquainted with, or formal teams of 5 to 30 players if they are associated with an organized team. These groups occasionally unite temporarily into bigger groups to perform specific missions or tasks.

An unorganized team in a scenario game is much like a swarm of army ants. Players move over the path of least resistance from their base or re-entry point and seek contact with their opponents, filling up the play area and moving forward until they find someone to shoot. The communication is usually localized around the small groups or teams, and there is little coordination of movement between groups across the field.

An important factor to understand as a scenario CO is player motivation. The primary player motivation is simple: players want action. Action in paintball usually means shooting stuff. This fundamental fact drives almost all the movement within a scenario game.

The main challenge for a scenario CO is how to control this group of players that has little structure, little ability to communicate, and is constantly seeking action. The small player groups usually have no way to communicate with the CO other than face-to-face contact. Even with good radio communications, the individual nature of teams or informal groups leads them to constantly seek action on the field, rather than seeking direction from their leadership.

Be A Good Scenario Leader

Organize your team

If the scenario itself does not provide layers of organization, it is relatively simple to get some rough groups going to help manage the tasks for the day. This can be done on the fly prior to the morning meeting, but is easier if you have contact with at least some of your players beforehand.

1. Select a command staff.
These players will be to help the CO implement the plan and to provide assistance as the team and the CO need. These players should be ready to play a support role, rather than a direct "shooter" role. Usually 2 to 4 players is a good size, split between radio operators and a small security detail. The command staff can assist unit leaders, run errands, prioritize unit requests, and more. They are invaluable to the leader to help make his job easier and to the team to get priority items done.

2. Form units of action.
You can call them companies, or platoons, or teams or whatever you'd like, but the bottom line is that you should group players into units of roughly equal size. Depending on game size, this may be 10-30 players per group. For easy identification and communication, give each group an identifier. Simple names like "Alpha Company" or "Team 1" are fine, or you can use historical names if it suits the scenario. Keep the names simple to help players understand and remember them.

Start by identify existing paintball teams and using them to form the core of the units you are building. Existing teams bring organization and motivation to your team, and are usually composed of at least some experienced scenario players. They also have the advantage of having played together in the past.

Next, you should add informal groups of friends playing together. Although they aren't a formal "team" these small groups usually communicate well and trust one another, which is invaluable on the field. Add them to the existing core teams to raise unit strength to your desired levels.

Finally, fill in the remainder of the unit strength with unattached players, or players who don't mind leaving their group. This helps individuals feel like part of a unit, not just some solo paintball magnet.

Each group should have a designated leader. This leader should be responsible for communication with the command staff, either via radio or in person. He makes sure the group is put to their best use, and communicates the needs of the unit to the command staff.

Encourage players to know which unit they belong to and to seek their unit when they re-enter the game after elimination. By having simple names for the units, players can ask around and find their unit. "Anyone seen Alpha Company?" is a lot more useful than "Have you seen my team? They were the guys in camouflage..." An easy way to assist this process is to use armbands that do not conflict with the scenario rules. For example, if the scenario uses a single colored armband to identify each side, you can add a second armband of a different color, making units easy to identify at a distance.

This simple level of organization will help the CO by giving him groups that he can assign tasks to. When a mission is delivered, or if a certain task is already known (like defending a critical objective), the CO can assign his pre-made units to the task. e.g. "Alpha Company will hold objective RED for 30 minutes. Bravo Company will attack up the creek to capture enemy objective CASTLE."

Have A Plan

A basic plan of action for each mission or goal is essential to leading effectively. It does not have to be overly detailed, just a simple summary of actions you'd like to see happen. The simplest plan can be in the "5W" format:

"Alpha and Bravo squads capture the fort by 1300 hours. The fort is located at map location K4, on the north side of the field. We score 150 points for success."

Information	Example
Who is performing that action?	Alpha and Bravo squads
What action needs to happen?	capture the fort
When is the action supposed to happen?	by 1300 hours.
Where should they go to perform the action?	The fort is located at map location K4, on the north side of the field.
Why is the action important?	We score 150 points for success.

Try to do this for every mission or goal of the game. The difficult part will be re-forming units of action later in the day. If you take the time to plan just a little, and re-organize your groups when needed, you will be much more effective as a leader and as a team.

Focus on leadership and the success of your players.

Your goal as a CO is simple: win the game by ensuring your players have as much fun as possible. Winning is fun. Action is fun. Remember the primary player motivation. Keeping your players in the action and accomplishing game-winning tasks is the key to scenario command.

Be prepared to set aside your own motivation to shoot stuff. Focus on your players and what they need to accomplish the tasks you set for them. These may be tasks directed by you, or may be specific mission goals from the scenario event staff. Groups may need reinforcements, a chance for off-field rest, refills of paint or air, or even just a mission to perform. These are all valuable needs that a CO should be focused on for his team.

Communicate the game winning tasks to your players. The more they know about the situation, the more they can stay focused on the goal of winning. Maps are critical to units knowing where you want them to go. Label them with simple objective names and points of interest to make communication of goals easier.

Be A Good Scenario Player

Be prepared to follow your leadership's orders.

The advantage to having a good command staff and some team organization is the ability to coordinate resources on game-winning goals. In order for that to work, players must be willing to follow instructions and cooperate with the team leadership.

The independent streak of many paintball players can be a hindrance to this process. Good scenario players will do their best to find out what their leadership needs and make sure their group is available to the leadership as much as possible.

If you are a unit leader, limit your leadership to the players in your unit. Leave command of other units to their own commanders unless your CO asks you to issue a command, or the other unit leader is eliminated.

If you aren't a leader, try to avoid telling other players what to do. Too many people giving orders cause confusion for both players and leaders. Be helpful when needed, and point players who lose direction to find their unit leader.

Stay focused on game-winning goals.

Scenario paintball is all about the mission. Sure, there are LOTS of targets to shoot, but winning is a function of getting the mission accomplished. Shooting the opponents who get in your way is the fun part. Good scenario players realize that action is not the only key to success. Sometimes, the mission requires staying put and protecting something, even if no one is attacking it at the time. (They may just try it in a few minutes!)

If you aren't working toward a mission goal, you aren't helping the team. Stay focused on the mission assigned to your group, even if there is more action to be had elsewhere. Make sure you understand what the mission details are so that you can complete the tasks assigned to you. Don't be afraid to ask for details or ask for help if needed. If your unit is shot up in a vicious fire fight, call for backup and get the job done.

Communicate important information in a timely fashion to your leaders. Information flow is critical to scenario team performance. Make sure you have a way to communicate with your leadership. Usually this means a radio on the proper frequency, but it could mean knowing where the command post is to make reports and receive information in person.

Make sure you have a map and that you know how to read it. Understand where the important locations on the field are. Keep track of where you are on the map. This can be difficult if you've never played on a particular field before, but it's an important part of communication.

Game information is often useful for a limited time. The fact that there are 6 guys defending a creek bed will likely change within minutes. This type of information has little value for the CO, since often he cannot react to the information before it is no longer useful. (What the military terms "perishable intelligence.") Thus, reporting every contact and firefight will only bog down the C³ system.

What pieces of information are important to communicate with the command staff?

• Success or failure of your mission.
• Presence of large enemy groups at mission-critical locations.
• Requests for assistance/reinforcements needed to complete a mission.
• Discovery of props or other game/point-valuable objects.
• Special events observed (usually scenario-based).
• Loss of unit cohesion when tasked with a specific mission.
• When a significant number of players in your unit need paint, air, water or rest.

Whenever you communicate with your leadership, you should always NEED something. You may need instructions, or reinforcements, or confirmation that a leader knows something important. If you don't need something, chances are you shouldn't have to communicate with the command staff. (This keeps their communication task manageable.)

What information is important for the command staff to communicate with their players?

• Task assignments to units of action.
• Overall game progress.
• Arrival of new missions or tasks.
• Critical game/mission information (times, places, etc.).

Conclusions

With a little forethought and organization, scenario paintball can be much more fun for both leaders and players. A simple, effective C³ system, along with players who are willing to follow leadership, can make a huge difference in the success of your scenario team.