2000 Bayou Battle
The 2000 Bayou Battle was an 18-hour scenario paintball event held on 14–15 October 2000 at OFF Limits Paintball in Elm Grove, Louisiana, near Shreveport. The Second World War-themed game divided approximately 160 players between Allied and German sides and incorporated mission objectives, command structures, mock armoured vehicles, simulated aircraft operations and night play.[1]
The German side, commanded by Steve Webb, won the event. Don Weeks commanded the Allied side, while Dustin Weeks served as game master.[1]
Organisation
[edit]The Bayou Battle was organised and hosted by OFF Limits Paintball. The venue included woodland, open-ground and speedball playing areas, together with an equipment shop, pro shop and camping facilities.[1] The Elm Grove field has subsequently continued operating under the name O.F.F. Limits Paintball.[2]
The principal game appointments were:
| Role | Participant |
|---|---|
| Game master | Dustin Weeks |
| German commander | Steve Webb |
| Allied commander | Don Weeks |
| German tank commander | Tommy Leckie |
| Allied tank commanders | Dallas Weeks and Chris Clark |
| German pilots | David Tyree and James Meier |
| Allied pilots | Thomas Pistorius and Seth Butler |
The organisers prohibited the display of swastika imagery. German-side uniforms and vehicles instead used cross emblems associated with earlier German military insignia.[1]
Scenario and rules
[edit]The game began at 09:30 on 14 October. The Allied force started from the south-eastern side of the field, while the German force entered from the north-east. Locations and objectives represented places or operations associated with the Second World War, including Paris, Normandy, a German airfield and opposing command headquarters.[1]
Players wore coloured “life tape” on their marker elbows. A qualifying hit required the player to remove the tape and return to headquarters before being reinserted. Reinsertion periods were generally held every 30 minutes. Commanders, officers and ordinary players carried different elimination values, with commanders worth ten points, officers five and other players one point.[1]
Both forces received independent missions. These included attacks on fixed objectives, paratroop insertions and “downed pilot” missions in which a designated player was escorted into opposing territory and attempted to return to headquarters using a stock-class marker.[1]
Props representing money were distributed around the field. Players could return these to their commander, who could exchange them with the referees for simulated air attacks or permission to deploy an armoured vehicle.[1]
Armoured vehicles
[edit]Each side operated a mock armoured vehicle. The German vehicle was a custom plywood body constructed over a Chevrolet S-10 pickup and styled as a half-track. The Allied vehicle used a simpler plywood-covered Chevrolet pickup.[1]
Each vehicle carried three large external target paddles. Once all three had been struck, a cockpit light signalled that the vehicle had been eliminated. It then returned to headquarters and awarded 15 points to the opposing side. Vehicles were restricted to established dirt roads and the main open field, making supporting infantry important to their operation.[1]
Course of the game
[edit]The first major German objective was the capture of the position designated as Paris. The German half-track advanced with approximately 30 players, while Allied forces approached through the speedball field, past the position named Normandy and towards the German airfield.[1]
German defenders retained Paris despite repeated Allied attacks. The contemporary report attributed the German advantage to more coordinated operations and the concentration of larger groups on individual objectives. Several special missions proved difficult because their objectives were located deep within opposing territory.[1]
Night games were conducted on the speedball field. The velocity limit was reduced to 265 feet per second, and all hits counted rather than only visible paint breaks.[1]
Play resumed on 15 October. German forces conducted a two-pronged attack, while the Allies attempted an armoured advance along the field's right-hand route. The German half-track disabled the Allied vehicle and subsequently advanced towards the Allied command position. During the closing stages, the German force pushed the remaining Allied players back into their headquarters.[1]
The German side was declared the winner. The contemporary report did not publish a numerical final score.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- James R. “Mad Dog” Morgan Sr., “Bayou Battle: OFF Limits!”, Action Pursuit Games, April 2001, pp. 190–195.
- O.F.F. Limits Paintball, Explore Louisiana. Venue listing for the Elm Grove paintball field.