What is Woodsball?

Question: What is Woodsball in Paintball?

Answer: Woodsball is the generic term for traditional recreational paintball play and easily the most popular. It doesn’t always have to be played in the woods but it is the most common
setting.

Woodsball fields tend to have varying terrain dotted with built up bunkers, trenches
and forts. Sometimes an ‘urban battle’ type of field is built on open terrain. Woodsball has
the widest appeal since patience and strategy is just as important as speed and firepower.

Woodsball equipment tends to favor reliability over firepower to withstand the elements and
subdued colors for stealthy movement and concealment. Many players like the military
simulation (or ‘milsim’) look and feel of paintball markers dressed out like traditional
weapons with shoulder stocks, body shrouds, mock magazines, bipods, etc.

Woodsball is played in a huge range of formats.

In traditional two flag games a flag is hung at station at either end. At the starting whistle
the teams go forward to eliminate the opposition, grab the flag and run it back to their
station. Some players will be left behind for flag defense while others go out to attack.

This game requires a lot of strategy to win since so many possible moves are possible and gives
players the option to be hard chargers or sneaky ninjas. In center flag a lone flag is hung in
the middle and players battle forward to grab it and run it through to the other side.

Unlike similar Speedball formats, a team doesn’t necessarily need to totally eliminate the other team
to win.

Another popular game is simple elimination. At game start the teams move forward to hunt
down the other team and eliminate as many as possible before the timer runs out. This game
requires teams to break up into smaller squads so one can draw the other team into traps that
another squad can attack from the rear or flank. An offshoot to this is to divide the players
into several same sized teams and start them at various points on the field until one team is
left standing.

Attack and Defend games are always a huge hit. Divide the players into two teams,
Attackers and Defenders. The Attackers should outnumber the Defenders at least two to one.
Pick a location that gives the Defenders a natural advantage such as a hilltop, a grove of trees
with open ground around it or even a cluster of bunkers or fort. The Defenders are given a
few minutes to ‘dig in’ and the attackers have to take the position within the set limit of
time.