BASIC TACTICAL GUIDELINES
by Squeegie

In order to be successful in any combat situation. It is important to be able to predict certain problem areas before they become an issue. Upon entering a battlefield, one must look for both avenues of attack and retreat. This must become second nature. A good strategist will have a continuously formulated  battle plan everywhere he moves on the field. Plans are nothing more than a basic idea of what is going to happen when a situation occurs. Due to your inability to control all aspects of the game, your plan must adapt to what the enemy is doing. Knowing the area and its benefits or disadvantages will help you to formulate a successful maneuver. Here are some basic guidelines to help you along.

Supplies & Players / Objective value = Success
    Simply put, a perfect mission is one that met your objective without firing a shot, losing no players, and destroying all of your enemy. Although this is almost impossible, it does have some merit. Lets say you start with 20 players to take a building. You attack and all your players but one make it. Even though you did take the building, would you measure it a s a success? NO. Because now you have 19 players who are out of the game, and have burned up hundreds of rounds each. This means you will need more players to keep the building as well as more paint & air. Unless the objective warrants such a costly price tag, this would be a blunder. Your resources are a vital part to your success. Without players with paint and air, your building could be reclaimed by the enemy with minimal effort. 

Information is the key
    Know your enemy and what they are doing. It never hurts to send players out on recon to keep informed of  troop movements, sizes, and other nasties. This will help give you more time to prepare counter attacks. When on the move, employ players on point. Keep them well away from the main force and in constant radio communications. They can help keep your squads from walking into ambushes. 

Bottlenecks and Corners
    Look for natural funnels for players. Roads, trails, buildings, bodies of water,  and thick bushes all help to force players to move along easy avenues. Most players will take the easiest way to a firefight, so look for these areas to see the largest volume of reinforcements. These avenues should be heavily fortified to withstand the firepower moving through them without falling. If attacking, try to push players into these natural traps. Without the ability to retreat, its like shooting fish in a barrel. 

Know Your Flanks
    Most lines fall from flanking maneuvers. Not very many people make it through by fighting head on. Head to head fighting burns more paint and air, ground gained is very low while the eliminations are usually high. Keep your front lines spread out while concentrating on your flanks. Flanking players can always be called back to the front lines as reserves, or sent out ahead to break through the enemies lines. It also adds as a security measure in case the enemy tries to flank you. Your main body of the attack will have a little warning if a flank comes under fire. 

Invisibility
    See how far you can get to your objective without firing a shot. Most firefights and paintball start before players are even within range of a paintball gun. Everyone wants to get the first elimination. Unfortunately you lose the element of surprise when you fire premature, and you commit yourself to a longer fight. Longer fights cost more supplies and players. Starting the fight as close as you can to your objective gives you more of an advantage. You will have less ground to cover, fewer chances of losing players, and better odds of hitting your opponents.  Try to use landmarks to mask your movements. Follow gullies and trenches, thick tree lines, and buildings to conceal your movements.

Communication
    Everyone knowing the plan of attack & their role helps eliminate friendly fire and botched attacks. Make sure that all the squads in an attack have communications with each other to help coordinate charges or retreats.  Make sure teams know the predetermined rally points in case of separation, as well as alternate avenues of attack should things get out of hand. A simple diagram in the dirt is a great tool for getting your point across to several people at once.

-squeegie