Paintball rules (thing)

Here are the most common paintball rules found in various paintball fields and parks. You will see that some rules vary from place to place while others are always the same. Sportsmanship is usually enforced because tempers can flare up quickly. Cursing and such might just get you kicked out. If your looking for documentation on how to play paintball, check out paintball tactics.

Most places you play, the number one concern of the people taking your money is liability. Because of this, safety is usually stressed. The following rules are pretty much universal.

1. Never take off your protective mask and goggles.
2. No alcohol or drugs allowed. :(
3. Touching other players is not allowed.

This means no grabbing anyone's gun either. Fairly obvious.
4. No knives or weapons allowed.

Don't mix gun happy marines playing paintball and knives, its a bad bad combination.
5. No shooting closer than 5 feet, (without the option to surrender).

This rule can be different but is usually something similar to this. Surrender is when you get really close to someone and yell "SURRENDER" which they usually do, because if they don't then you shoot them repeatedly.
6. No constructing traps
7. You cannot leave the field of play without being eliminated from the game
8. No dead man talking.

Once you are out, you cannot talk to players who are playing.
9. Referee's decisions are final.
10. Once you call yourself out, you are out.

If you think someone shot you, call yourself out, and then find out the ball bounced, YOU ARE OUT.
11. You have to be looking at what you are shooting.

This rule prevents blind firing, which can hit referees, wildlife, and some idiot with his mask off.
12. Bounces don't count, dime size paint or larger does.

You are only out if a ball BREAKS and leaves a dime size or larger area of paint on you.
13. Wiping gets you kicked out.

Never wipe your hits off. It breaks the whole meaning of the game and will get you banned from places.

The rest of these rules are fairly subjective depending on where you play, however most of them I see everywhere I go.

14. No climbing into or onto anything.
15. No altering the bunkers.
16. Automatic paintball guns and other variations on the classic paintball gun aren't allowed.
17. No overshooting

This rule is occasionally enforced. If you shoot someone far more times than is required to get them out, then you are out too.
18. No head shots

This one is rare and rather ridiculous, but I have seen it a couple times. Aiming for the head is not allowed, hitting it is.
19. Bunker tap out

In games where the majority of the players are inexperienced this rule can be used. If you and your opponent are on opposite sides of a wall or bunker, the person who showed up last can knock on the bunker and call you out. This prevents those point blank shots that can leave huge welts.

I probably missed some, and there will usually be a lot of different rules depending on the type of game that you play. Games like capture the flag have various rules as to what you should do. I will quickly list the most common and basic capture the flag rules.

1. If your shot while carrying the flag, then the flag gets hung up in sight in the nearest spot to where you were shot.
2. Shooting down the flag is not allowed
3. You cannot touch or hide your own flag
4. In order to capture the flag, the referee must check you over for paint.
5. To win you must take the enemy flag to your home base within the time limit.

Other games include: elimination, center flag, speedball, president, hide and seek, and others. Different fields also have different procedures for what you should do once you're out, and what to do when you think you have shot someone else.

Note:There is no explicit nor implied warranty, always follow all safety rules and use proper safety equipment, and follow the rules provided to you whenever your playing paintball on a private field. These rules are provided for the sake of documentation only.