I went to Old River Paintball in 2007 for a scenario game called Bloodlines. It was production being put on by Nocer, so I expected a good game.
My overall impression of the field was not favorable. It was very dense in some areas, mostly the northern end of the base, and the southern base (not 100% on the directions) was much more open. It was very easy for the north forces to dig in and ambush, but the southern forces could not see anything coming until the enemy was right on top of them. The palmettos were so thick it was like hunting wild hogs... without a dog, you had no way of knowing anything was there.
The proshop did not seem that well stocked or equipped, but I did not need anything either, and they may have inventory in the back or something.
The teams seemed even numerically, but i believe the north team had all the advantage it needed simply due to the terrain of the field.
The camping areas and prep areas are shaded and scenic. Its in a nice oak hammock.
The Safety, Staff, and Refs were the worst part of the scenario. I personally witnessed one player holding my teammate in front of him like a human shield. The enemy player had barrel tagged my teammate who was about 8-10 feet away from me. After the enemy tagged my player, I head the voice and looked over. I saw the enemy player standing behind my teammate (who had stood up) and holding my teammate in front of him. I called for the player to "call yourself out" and "take the hit" multiple times, because I could not open up without hitting my player who was unable to move. The enemy player then shot me three times. and let go of my player. Rather than confront him I went to a nearby ref and asked him to rule the other player out and punch his card for a safety violation. The ref said nothing, shrugged his shoulders, and did nothing about an egregious safety violation. The enemy shot me at a range less than 10ft when I had no way to shoot him without lighting up my teammate, who was out. (one time I wish dead men had the ability to speak...)
I approached the ref, nothing was done, I approached the staff, nothing was done, I approached the event production personnel, nothing was done. Touching another player with anything more than a barrel to tag them should be an immediate punch if not expulsion from the facility, but nothing was done. If the guy had grabbed me and used me as a shield I probably would have lost my cool and done something that would have gotten my card punched or worse.
The ineptitude of the refs in this situation may have been acceptable if he was inexperienced, but the lackadaisical attitude of the staff and event producers showed me they don't care about player safety as much as making sure they keep people on the field shooting their paint/making them money.
After seeing this and nothing being done, I packed my stuff and left, never to return.
Overall, I don't have any plans on returning. Of all my scenario experiences in central Florida, North Florida and Georgia, this was without a doubt the worst.
Last edited on Saturday, October 8th, 2011 at 5:49 am PST
