From: stedee@auto-trol.com (Steve Deemer)
Subject: Re: Non-paint toys in Paintball games
Organization: Auto-trol Technology Corporation
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 20:47:23 GMT

In article <2404@devnull.mpd.tandem.com> billc@zippy.UUCP (Bill Carter) writes:>
>   I've seen smoke grenades used a couple of times but with little useful
>   effect.  People seem to throw them mainly when they are in trouble
>   and want to cover a retreat.  The smoke doesn't neccessarily go
>   where you want it to, of course, and it can easily be a hindrance to
>   both sides.  I've heard they can start fires, but maybe that's only
>   some kinds of smokers.
>
>   I think paint grenades are fairly useless as well.  If you are close
>   enough to throw one at some guys you might as well use your paintgun
>   to mark them.  The radius of elimination is very small when you
>   use them in underbrush.  I could see using them to route out people
>   defending a fortified position, maybe, but you usually have to be able
>   to throw with great accuracy.  Anybody have a story about using
>   smoke or paint grenades?
>
>   -Bill Carter

I've never seen smoke grenades really used on the field.  There's
enough concern over fire in the mountains where I play that smokers
are banned.  

Paint grenades are useful for indirect fire.  If you have someone
pinned, but they won't expose themselves and you can't move on them
without exposing yourself to their fire, a grenade lobbed in beside
them is just the thing to end the standoff.  Also, a paint grenade
is an area effect device.  A half-dozen players bunched up behind the
same piece of cover are ideal grenade targets.  Plus they look really
cool spinning around on the ground.

Stories?  Well, once, my partner and I were moving across the center
field at Eagle's Cry.  We made contact with a lone player in one
of the bunkers at the north-west part of the field.  We fired on him,
but couldn't get a clear shot.  My partner tossed his grenade into
the hole, there was an impressive spray of paint, and the player in
the bunker called out "Missed me!".  This was possible, the bunker
was L-shaped and the grenade had taken out one end.  I whipped out
my grenade, armed it, and tossed it towards the bunker, Sgt. Rock 
style.  The grenade hit the sandbags surrounding the edge of the
bunker, bounced back a few feet, and sprayed paint back in our general
direction.  We hit the ground and escaped being painted, just.  We
ended up charging the bunker, firing wildly from the hip, to take the
guy in there out.

Then, I was faced off one-on-one with a player who held a commanding
position on the field.  We had to take him out to move on their
flag station.  He was bouncing from one end of this rock to the other,
snapping off a few shots each time, making him difficult to approach.
I tossed a grenade in with him (this time managing to actually get it
over the top of his cover), and heard him scream something inarticulate
in return.  Just then, the enemy cavalry arrived and we were involved
in an intense fire fight that captured all my attention.  I didn't
see the guy leave the field, but I saw him later, one half of his body
covered in woodland camo, the other half in a tasteful shade of blue.

Steven Deemer
stedee@auto-trol.com