Look, you're committed to travelling, anyways. Why not travel to a scenario game? You may ask what could a tournament team get out of a scenario game, let me edify you.
Scenario game command staff is always looking for close knit teams who can perform missions and follow directions. Tourney teams have these qualities. You're a group of players who actually TRAIN to work together and have the experience to know the how to obtain your objectives. Most times when mission are assigned a number of players are randomly picked or gathered to go on the mission. These players have never even MET, let alone played together.
Going out on missions requires discipline and the WHOLE team has to be of the same mindset and must have the determination to succeed. Sound familiar?
Missions are one thing, but there are other ways you can contribute to your team's (scenario team's) success. Reconnaissance requires even more discipline, you job is to gather information without getting eliminated in the process. Your team could also act as body guards, a guerilla unit, a harassment unit, ambushes, infiltrations, spies, night operations, assassinations, sniper teams -- the list is endless.
Codes and hand signals can easily be adapted to whatever role you play in the scenario game.
If you think I'm talking out of my hat, guess again. Many tournament and recreational teams have made the transition to becoming scenario teams and have kept the majority of their sponsors. Even if you loose a few sponsors there are those sponsors who support scenario game teams. The Canadian Contingent Paintball Club has almost a dozen sponsors and we're just a recreational club! Scenario game organizers routinely give out prizes for the Most Valuable Team and that team gets their name (and sometimes their picture) in the article which covers the event. Believe me it's a lot easier to get your picture in a scenario game review than a tournament review. Another thing to think about is that tourney teams are a dime a dozen. You're going to get lost in the shuffle. No one remembers second place, so who's going to remember anyone who finished below that? In a scenario game you have the advantage of being one of only a few organized teams at the event. Do something right and your team will make the article. Not so in a tourney, you have to do EVERYTHING right. A good scenario game teams gets recognized after their second or third event.
There is also no loss of reputation should you be unsuccessful in a given mission. You just go get another assignment and go back onto the field. Your success does not revolve around a few five minute games, you have the unique opportunity in scenario games to take the time and actually PLAN, even while you're playing. There are time limits to completing missions, that stands to reason, but you'll have more than five minutes to get the job done.
You also have plenty of room to move around so if you get into a tight spot, you can always get the hell out.
Don't think you can adapt from a tourney to a scenario game? There are dozens of military publications on small unit tactics that are ideally suited for scenario game teams. You already have the requisite basis to make these small unit tactics work. You've played together, you train together, you have established leadership, you can adapt easily to changing situations, you know what to do when the odds are stacked against you. Besides, your desire to win easily equates with a desire to see the mission through.
Well disciplined teams are actually fought over by the command staff of scenario games. They know that a few small teams that will listen to orders and follow them through will make the difference between a close loss and a commanding win.
There is an urgent need for such teams and scenario game organizers are always looking for these kind of teams to participate in these kinds of events. Why? If an organizer can get a half dozen teams to come to the event, the people they want to play command staff and characters are more likely to attend the same event. The reason for this is simple, they know they'll have a core of players who they can rely on to make them points and points equals a win.
Scenario games also afford more variety that your standard "hey diddle-diddle -- run up the middle" tourney play. You can make the game what YOU want it to be. You can be stealthy, aggressive, sneaky or downright devious. I must remind you that scenario games are a recreational event and some accepted behaviour in tournament play will get you ejected from a scenario game. I'm sure you know what I mean.
Your team will be a valuable asset to any scenario game, especially if you make yourself known to your scenario team command staff. Walk up, introduce yourself and tell them what you're willing to do for them and that you have what it takes to help them win the game. Incidentally, often times characters are played by industry people -- manufacturers, retailers and distributers. Do well by them and maybe they'll do well by you. Look at it this way, if you helped the owner of XYZ Paintguns win the game, don't you think they'd be more open to a suggestion of sponsorship from you?
You're going to have to work hard. Maybe even harder that your last tourney. But there are few people or groups of people who can look in the mirror and say, "I won the scenario game last week."
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