Rob Maddox
Rob Maddox is a New Zealand paintball player, writer, online community organiser and former paintball association official. Associated with the Auckland tournament team Kamo Karzi, he helped operate PaintNet, a free paintball bulletin-board network documented in 1995, and was the contact for Mordor BBS.[1]
Maddox later became associated with Paintball.co.nz, also known as New Zealand Paintball Online, and the NZ Paintball Message Boards. He wrote contemporary reports about New Zealand tournament paintball and served as secretary of the New Zealand Paintball Players Association.[2][3][4]
Paintball career
Maddox played tournament paintball for Kamo Karzi, an Auckland team whose name was also written as Kamokarzi. His membership was documented by 1995, when his article “Using the Net to Catch New Players” appeared in Australian Paintballer under a byline identifying him with the team.[1]
Kamo Karzi competed in major New Zealand tournaments during the late 1990s. At the 1997 New Zealand Paintball Nationals, held on 25–26 October at Actions Paintball Sports Arena in Te Atatū, Auckland, the team finished third overall with 818 points.[2]
Maddox returned to the Nationals in 1998. Kamo Karzi placed 11th among 14 teams, scoring 435 points. Maddox received the tournament's Best Flag Pull award for a flag pull during a game against Katipo One.[3]
Kamo Karzi also appeared in the Valhalla national team rankings between 1997 and 2000:
| Year | National position | Ranking score |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 3rd | 74 |
| 1998 | 9th | 43 |
| 1999 | 9th | 63 |
| 2000 | 18th | 59 |
The rankings document the team's continued competition but do not establish Maddox's participation at every event.[5][6][7][8]
PaintNet and Mordor BBS
In late 1995, Australian Paintballer published Maddox's article “Using the Net to Catch New Players”. The article described PaintNet, a free computer-based paintball network operated by several members of Kamo Karzi.[1]
PaintNet carried general discussion, tactical and technical advice, team messages, event listings and paintball advertising. Maddox reported that the network was used by members of numerous Auckland teams, occasional players and people seeking information about the sport.[1]
At the time of the article, nine bulletin-board systems regularly received PaintNet messages. Material from the network was also posted nightly to the OtherNet.PaintNet area on Usenet.[1]
Maddox was listed as the contact for Mordor BBS, an Auckland bulletin-board system providing access to PaintNet. He invited bulletin-board operators, field operators and paintball publications in New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere to carry the network.[1]
PaintNet was a distributed bulletin-board and Usenet network rather than a World Wide Web publication. It was distinct from the commercial bulletin-board and website services then operated by Paintball Express.
Inter-BBS tournament
PaintNet organised an InterBBS four-player stock-class tournament for members of the network. Maddox credited other members of Kamo Karzi, players from the Saints, new players and Commando One field operator Rob Tapper with assisting the event.[1]
The tournament was won by the Mordor BBS team of Psyg, Allison, Hobbit and Wolf. Maddox reported that the response encouraged plans for another tournament.[1]
Paintball.co.nz
Maddox subsequently became associated with the operation of Paintball.co.nz, also known as New Zealand Paintball or New Zealand Paintball Online.
The website published tournament reports, results, articles, interviews, playing-field information and material concerning paintball organisations and regulations. It was also associated with the NZ Paintball Message Boards, which provided an online discussion forum for New Zealand players.
Maddox contributed tournament reports and articles to the website. His surviving work includes accounts of the 1997 and 1998 New Zealand Paintball Nationals.[2][3]
The paintball.co.nz domain existed before Maddox's documented association with New Zealand Paintball Online. An October 1996 directory of New Zealand organisations connected to the Internet identified paintball.co.nz as Paintball Express (NZ), Auckland.[9] A March 1997 edition of the directory continued to associate the domain with Paintball Express.[10]
Maddox later took over paintball.co.nz for New Zealand Paintball Online, but the date and circumstances of the transfer have not been established from the surviving contemporary published records. His later association with the website does not establish that he originally registered the domain.
Tournament writing
Maddox wrote contemporary accounts of the 1997 and 1998 New Zealand Paintball Nationals.[2][3]
His reports recorded tournament results, participating teams, organisers, refereeing and incidents during play. They provide participant accounts of New Zealand tournament paintball during the period of the original National Paintball League.
At the 1997 Nationals, Maddox documented Kamo Karzi's third-place finish behind Katipo and Saints Black.[2] His 1998 report recorded a tournament won by Saints Gold, with Paint Contractors second and Saints Grey third, as well as his own Best Flag Pull award.[3]
Some of Maddox's tournament reports survive through historical transcriptions and archived Paintball.co.nz material, although the original individual URLs have not all been recovered.
New Zealand Paintball Players Association
Maddox served as secretary of the New Zealand Paintball Players Association (NZPPA).
In February 2004, he published an article titled “What has the NZPPA done for me?” through Paintball.co.nz. Maddox identified himself as a former secretary who remained a member of the association but no longer served on its committee.[4]
The article discussed the NZPPA's activities concerning paintball marker regulation, compressed-air equipment, tournament standards and communication between regional paintball communities. Maddox presented the article as his personal account rather than an official statement issued by the association.[4]
His precise term as secretary has not been established.
See also
- PaintNet (New Zealand)
- Early online paintball in New Zealand
- Paintball.co.nz
- Paintball Express
- Kamo Karzi
- New Zealand Paintball Nationals
- New Zealand Paintball Players Association
- Paintball in New Zealand
References
- Rob Maddox, “Using the Net to Catch New Players”, Australian Paintballer, December 1995–February 1996, p. 22. Identifies Maddox with Kamo Karzi and documents PaintNet, Mordor BBS, the network's nine participating bulletin boards, Usenet distribution and the InterBBS tournament.
- Rob Maddox, “1997 New Zealand Paintball Nationals”, Paintball.co.nz, October 1997. Contemporary tournament report preserved in historical research material; the individual original article URL has not been recovered. Paintball.co.nz historical archive.
- Rob Maddox, “1998 New Zealand Paintball Nationals”, Paintball.co.nz, October 1998. Contemporary tournament report recording Kamo Karzi's placing and Maddox's Best Flag Pull award. Paintball.co.nz historical archive.
- Rob Maddox, “What has the NZPPA done for me?”, Paintball.co.nz, February 2004. Historical article identifying Maddox as a former NZPPA secretary. Archived Paintball.co.nz articles.
- Mercenaries Star – Valhalla National Rankings, 1997.
- Mercenaries Star – Valhalla National Rankings, 1998.
- Mercenaries Star – Valhalla National Rankings, 1999.
- Mercenaries Star – Valhalla National Rankings, 2000.
- Mark Davies, “Internet Connected Organisations in New Zealand”, nz.net.announce, 1 October 1996. Lists paintball.co.nz as “Paintball Express (NZ), Auckland”.
- Mark Davies, “Internet Connected Organisations in New Zealand”, nz.net.announce, 31 March 1997. Continues to list paintball.co.nz under Paintball Express.