Tippmann Challenge 2012 - Official Launch - www.tippmannchallengeuk.com
 

Tippmann Sports LLC (USA) and Shoreline Events Ltd (UK) are pleased to announce the launch of the spectacular Tippmann Challenge 2012 scenario paintball event.

The TCUK 2012 will be the worlds longest rolling paintball game!! A 54 hour non-stop event covering three days and two nights to be hosted at one of the most outstanding paintball venues in the world - The Sennybridge Military Urban Training Facility

The event will be held over the long weekend of 13/14/15 July 2012 (Friday, Friday night, Saturday, Saturday night and Sunday).

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Background

The Tippmann Challenge came to the UK two years ago. The first two instalments were hosted at the Holmbush Paintball Centre, a fantastic facility near Gatwick Airport. The first Tippmann Challenge UK event was the UK's biggest ever new event and the second instalment earlier this year saw numbers grow futher pushing the event into the top three biggest paintball events in the UK.

The Tippmann Challenge is a Scenario Paintball Festival run on behalf of Tippmann Sports by Shoreline Events. All players are welcome to take part, no matter what gun you shoot and no matter what level of experience or ability you may be.

The Tippmann Challenge UK has attracted more European players to take part than any other UK event and the weekend always has a fantastic multi-nation atmosphere throughout the festival.

The 2012 event

The 2012 TCUK will have all the bells and whistles that players have come to expect from a Tippmann Challenge..........but much much more!

The game itself will set a new world record for the longest ever continuously running paintball game - 54 hours in total.

The venue for the game is jaw dropping, and easily the best place in Europe to play paintball - possibly one of the top 5 best locations in the world. Sennybridge is an entire town, constructed by the Army and used to train troops in the techniques of urban warfare. The town is a battalion sized training area, meaning that it is designed to be attacked by 500+ troops.

The town hosts a hotel, town hall, church, grave yard, shops, houses, storage buildings, sewer systems, crawl throughs, sniper holes and the entire venue is dotted with the hulks of Russian tanks and APC's which we set alight during the night games to create atmosphere. It is a truly awesome place to play.

The entire venue is equipped with night/day CCTV and an audio system so loud it can make the floor shake, with simulated battle sounds - all of which is controlled via a central control room at the top of the church.

The Army has several such towns in the UK that it uses for training and over the past couple of years whilst researching venues we have toured most of them. In our opinion, Sennybridge is the best. It offers the most flexibility and scope for a paintball game. None of the other facilities allow the use of sewer systems for players to use to attack behind enemy positions, none of the others use crawl through tunnels between buildings, none of the others allow use of the audio and CCTV systems and none of the others allow rolling night games and none of the others have burning tanks!!!

Sennybridge's remote and atmospheric location means we can do what we want. We can blow up what we want, we can make as much noise as we want, we can play when and for how long we want............in short...........its a paintballers paradise.

What will be going on?

Clearly there will be plenty of paintball on offer. But the event will have other activities going on to keep players amused during downtime.

We'll be running several rounds of the world famous Tippmann TPX Pistol Challenge.........except this time it'll be in an urban environment (i.e. chasing each other around a hotel!!!!).

There will be new Tippmann products on display and available for free loan during the event. Can't say much more on this at the moment :wink:

There will be trade stands and also a full compliment of Tippmann Technicians offering tech support for the Tippmann product range.

There will be two nights of Player Parties and a fully licensed bar onsite.

Catering will be provided by Nightingales, Shorelines event catering partners (the same guys from Staargate - the best in the business!).

There will be prizes and competitions and of course the entire event will be covered by a team of professional photographers.

The Game

For a long time, Shoreline have wanted to design a game that rewards strategy and tactics as much as achievements in the field. We've always wanted to create an event that was a hybrid of paintball and chess - now we have!

The game will start on Friday morning and will run continuously until Sunday....it'll run through both Friday and Saturday nights without stopping.

However - players can choose to play as much or as little as they want. Players can choose to arrive WHENEVER they want. Players can choose whether to party, or play, eat or fight, shop or shoot.

There will be four factions, two on each team. Each faction will be led by a faction leader (see details below).

At the main admin area, each team will have a command HQ tent which will be equipped with plasma screens displaying rolling and constantly updating real time game maps. The HQ's will be equipped with military spec radio equipment for comms, an updating game management system (where game updates are displayed on plasma screens), maps, whiteboards, coffee machines, heaters and sleeping space for the two faction leaders on each team to try and grab a nap when they can.

The game area will feature electronic scoring flags, props, pyrotechnics and in-game resource centres.

The game design will be totally new, with one team attacking from the surrounding countryside and the other team defending the town. The windows in the buildings will be opened out allowing access to each building and the tunnels, crawl throughs and sewers will be 'in play'.

Special Missions and objectives will be delivered to each teams Commanders 24 hours a day, testing their organisational skills, communications and problem solving ability whilst under extreme pressure and under difficult and sleep deprived conditions.

Each team will need QRF's (Quick Reaction Forces). Teams of players who whilst not playing are eating or sleeping fully kitted (without mask) in the admin area but ready to react and spring into action with just seconds of notice.

Factions will have their own camping zones, so that Commanders know where to find troops when they need them.

There will be vehicles involved in the game.

There maybe air assets involved in the game.

For the game design itself, Shoreline have teamed up with our friend Al Murray, who has put the technical game design in place........no mean feat when you are looking at a game lasting 54 hours!

The night games

Anyone who played the night game at this venue previously will atest, its something special!

We'll have burning tanks and APC's, ear splitting in-game audio, hundreds and hundreds of parachute flares floating above the town and a brand new paintball invention from Tippmann........that we're not allowed to say anything about at this stage - but it'll be spectacular!

Catering

Catering services will be provided by Nightingales - the same catering company as was used at Staargate and the CPPS. We'll be working with them to deliver a catering plan that will take into account the uniqueness of the event. We'll be attempting a 24hour food and drink service if possible.

There will also be a bar onsite, serving beers throughout the event.

Paint

This event will be clear paint only, and strictly event paint only. Due to the conditions imposed as part of using a military facility, this rule will not be negotiable.

However, the good news is that BZ Paintball will be supplying the clear paint at this event from a temperature controlled facility. BZ request that you provide an indication as to how many boxes of paint you will require when you purchase your ticket by typing the amount into the 'Comments' box during the ticket purchase process. You will not be held to that amount and there will be additional supplies onsite - but an indication would be very useful.

Pyro

PYRO's WILL KILL!

Pyro's will kill at this event. So if you want to clear a room, simply throw a flashbang through the window or door and clear out the occupants. Pyro will be provided by Shoreline and this will be an event pyro only game. Prices to be released prior to the event and team/bulk deals will be available.

Parking/Camping/Access Times etc

Don't forget, this is just the launch, full event information will be issued via a Player Pack before the event.

Parking will be located at G-Range as per the last time we used this facility. However, a kit taxi van AND minibus will be on hand to ferry players and equipment between the car park and admin/playing area.

Camping will be available onsite and all players are recommended to camp onsite for the event. The camping field will be split into zones, one for each faction. There will be no sleeping in the buildings as these will be within the playing area.

Access times and routes will be released in the Player Pack.

The Generals

For many events, the role of the Generals or Faction Leaders is to recruit and then come up with a vague plan to be implemented on the day. This game will be totally different. For a start, there will be no recruitment requirements as the tickets are likely to sell out very quickly.

For this event, the role of the Faction Leaders and Generals will be much more that of a chess player or board game player. Organisation, communication and the ability to think quickly and solve complex problems whilst tired and under pressure will be key as will surrounding themselves will a Command Staff who will be able to assist them.

This is not a job for youngsters, this is a job for mature men, who can play the long game, can think and act coolly and can sit and outfox their opponents before any players have even set foot in the field - this is a job for serious thinkers. For strategists. For tacticians.

Red Army - Filip Renard - France - Dragon Pack Paintball Team
Filip is an experienced paintball player, team captain and event organiser from the Dragon Pack Paintball Team based in France. As an event organiser, Filip is used to organising large numbers of staff and players, designing games and blessed with the personality to push through his plans, even under pressure.

Spetznaz - Barry Holden - Dog Soldiers
Barry was born for this role. As a manager in civvie street, he's used to running a large team of staff and overseeing the organisation of a large operation. However, it is Barry's other hobby which will put him in good stead for this role. Barry plays strategic board games at a competitive level and even founded his own competitive strategic board game club which numbers over 40 people. A mix of organisation and obvious flare for strategic thinking will make Barry a formidable Faction Leader.

Citizens - Andy Sables - Talkpaintball Thunder
I can almost hear Andy licking his lips at this challenge. In recent years, Andy has led many of the UK's Big Games and has always brought a level of enthusiasm, organisation and planning that few others can match. This event will all be about strategy and moving units around the venue like pieces on a chess board, which will appeal to Andy's strategic approach to the game and his competitive nature will see him drive his team forward relentlessly.

Wolverines - Rob Gell - Rebel Renegades
In civvie street, Rob runs an organisation where customers, suppliers and staff all rely on him deliver the goods day after day, week after week, month after month. The mentality to do this is almost tailor made to lead a faction at this event. When Rob has Generalled paintball games in the past, two things have been noticeable: excellent communications and a solid tactical plan well executed on the field......both these skills will be put to the limit at TCUK. Rob has the benefit of being part of a very large, but close knit team.......each Faction Leader will require help and assistance, the Command Team they surround themselves with could be a game winning decision.


Quotes from Shoreline and Tippmann

Ticketing

Ok.....lets not mess about - we expect tickets to sell fast.........very fast.

The last time we run a game at this venue, all 400 tickets sold out in 13 minutes, leaving some very disappointed paintballers.

Each faction will have 100 tickets allocated to them.

Players can book into any faction they choose. You can purchase as many tickets as you wish in one go.


There is a Paypal option available, but player paying by Paypal will not get a choice of faction - you will be randomly allocated. If this does not suit you, then pay by card.

In order to maintain fairness and equal opportunity for all, we will not take telephone bookings. Bookings will be via card or Paypal on the website only. If for some reason you are not able to access a PC at 7pm next Wednesday, ask a mate or family member to make your purchase for you online.

Tickets will cost £60. This is a little higher than the average ticket price for a paintball event, but MOD facilities and staffing a 3 day, 2 night game is eye wateringly expensive, so we make no apologies for increasing the ticket price to partially cover those costs. An normal event at 6 hours for £50 is a per cost hour of £8.33 per hour. This event at 54 hours for £60 is a per hour cost of £1.11 per hour!


Conclusion

The Tippmann Challenge UK 2012 will make headlines around the world. It will be the worlds longest ever running game. It will be played at one of the best locations in world paintball. The game is a Tippmann event, Tippmann being one of the worlds great paintball companies and organised by Shoreline Events, a ground breaking paintball events company. The game will be designed by Al Murray, the man who literally wrote the book on Scenario Paintball. That is a lot of boxes ticked!

Tickets will sell fast, very fast. Maybe it'll take 10 minutes, maybe an hour, maybe a week.....who knows. But what we do know is - this will be a seminal paintball event, talked about in the same tones as Call To Duty III in Croatia and the last event at Sennybridge. This is be a defining game in UK scenario paintball and one watched with interest and envy by players from around the world.

This will be....................

The Tippmann Challenge UK 2012!