Rules of the Game

Rules in the game of paintball vary considerably from play to play or team-to-team, so players should ask about the rules for each game they play. However there are certain rules that have become standard.

Rules of actual play are that when players are hit by a paintball, they are out. They are also out if tapped by the barrel of a marker (gun). This is often preferred to ‘shooting’ when at close range, since paintball hits close up can be quite painful. If playing a recreational game as opposed to a tournament, players must be given the chance to surrender, rather than be hit at close range. It is considered unsporting to deliberately fire at close range, due to the pain this causes. However, this latter rule is interpreted widely in varying games.

Since paintballs often fly thick and fast in a game, it is quite possible that one could break on an object near to a player and he will then get splattered with paint. When this happens, he is not considered to be out, but may play on.

In a tournament, there is no surrender rule enforcement. Players are fired at until the referee calls out or the paint breaks.

While most consider a hit anywhere on the body to be out, in some games such as Scenario, the hit must be on the torso, with hits on markers or limbs not counted. If a paintball does not break on hitting a player, that person is not out. A person who is eliminated must not shoot at others.

Referees are used throughout the game to make sure of a valid hit, as a player cannot always tell if he has been spattered enough with paint to count as out. To get help from the referee, the player must call “Paint check!”. When this happens the player is called ‘neutral’ and must not be shot at nor should he shoot at others. Players may count themselves out by calling “I’m out” or “I’m hit”. They are also out if they leave the start station before play commences, or if they overstep the boundary.

The team incurs penalties if one player tries to hide signs of a hit. This is referred to as ‘wiping’ and often means that two or even three members of the team are eliminated, as well as the one who actually cheated.

Overshooting, where an eliminated player is constantly shot at, and blind firing, where a player shoots when he cannot see what he is firing at, e.g., around a corner, are both frowned upon as dangerous.

Jim The Audio Guy invites you to visit the link below to learn more about this exciting game and to listen in on a sample chapter of "How To Play Paintball"