Woodsball

Woodsball

Woodsball marksman in combat
First played	June 27, 1981, Henniker, New Hampshire
Characteristics
Contact	No physical contact between players (contact can result in penalties)
Team members	Varies depending on game format and level of play (recreational or professional)
Type	Extreme outdoor
Equipment	Paintballs, paintball marker, CO2/HPA (High Pressure Air), goggles, hopper

Woodsball (also known as woods paintball, hillball or bushball) is a format of paintball gaming, in which players compete in a natural outdoors area (contrasting with inflatable bunker-based speedball format) using paintball guns to mark opponents.

It is recognized as the first format of paintball ever played, and is often used in conjunction with scenario paintball, allowing players to enact parts in a story or historical battle. This is due to its effectiveness in allowing players to simulate military situations using realistic weaponry and equipment; all of which are customizable - allowing each player to fulfill a tactical role. The types of games playable are infinite, and include mostly capture the flag or elimination.

The first game of paintball was played in Henniker, New Hampshire on 27 June 1981, with players using a "Nel-spot 007" pistol; normally used by farmers and ranchers for marking trees and . The term woodsball was a simple concatenation of the woods where games were originally played, and the ball from paintball.

Woodsball is a style of paintball that can be played in natural terrain, including wooded areas - limited only by the availability of land. The basic rule of paintball still applies; players must attempt to eliminate opposing players using a paintball marker filled with paintballs. The format is flexible and is played at both the recreational level by enthusiasts of any skill level, and at the tournament level. The length of games is roughly determined by the expanse of the playing area and the number of players involved - generally it takes 5 to 10 minutes before players make contact with an opposing player. Woodsball features large teams, in competition to obtain various goals and objectives. Large Scale woodsball games are commonly referred to as "Big Games" or "Scenario Games". Popular examples of this format are Cousin's Big Game in Coram, New York (on Long Island) and Hell Survivor's Monster Game just outside Pinckney, Michigan and Invasion of Normandy at Skirmish U.S.A in Pennsylvania which draws in about 3,500 to 4,500 players a year and lasts for two days. Another variant of the Big Game is the "Attack and Defend" format where large numbers of attackers try to overrun a fixed, but well defended objective such as a compound or large building.