Front Line (paintball magazine)

Front Line was an American paintball magazine published from Huntington Beach, California, by Jasperson Enterprises, Inc. Established in 1985, it was one of the earliest specialist publications devoted to paintball.[1]

The magazine initially concentrated on the developing Southern California paintball community, publishing field reports, team photographs, tournament results, equipment features, playing advice and industry advertising. By 1987, its coverage also included major competitions and teams from elsewhere in the United States and Canada.

Name	Front Line
Type	Paintball magazine
Country	United States
Based in	Huntington Beach, California
Publisher	Jasperson Enterprises, Inc.
First published	1985
Final issue	Not established
Frequency	Monthly by 1987
Language	English
Principal subjects	Paintball tournaments, teams, playing fields, equipment, tactics and industry news

History

Establishment

Front Line was launched in 1985 during the early expansion of commercial paintball in Southern California.[1] A historical account based on the recollections of Pursuit Marketing Inc. co-founder Jeff Perlmutter describes the publication as beginning as a newsletter or magazine combining reports from local playing fields with photographs, advertising and promotional material.[1]

The magazine provided a regional forum during a period when numerous independent paintball fields, retailers, equipment modifiers and teams were developing in Southern California. Its early advertising included equipment supplied by PMI, including Sheridan-based paintball markers.[1]

Two United States trademark applications associated with the magazine were filed on 25 March 1986. One covered the words Front Line for a “magazine dealing with paintball games”; the listed owner was Front Line Magazine.[2]

Publication during 1987

By September 1987, Front Line had reached Volume 3, Number 9. The September, October and November issues were published by Jasperson Enterprises, Inc., using an editorial and subscription address in Huntington Beach, California.[3][4][5]

The magazine was published monthly. A one-year subscription comprised twelve issues and cost US$15 within the United States or US$21 outside the country in September 1987.[3] The October cover price was US$1.50 within the United States and US$2 outside the country.[4]

Regular departments included:

Mail Call
Upcoming Events
Game Results
Team Photos
Over the Line
Equipment and new-product features
Playing tactics
Classified advertisements
Playing-field and retailer listings

The publication required local game results to be submitted by playing-field operators or authorised contributors. This policy gave many of its result reports the character of contemporary field records, although reports supplied by venues, teams and manufacturers could also contain promotional language.[3][4][5]

Continued publication in 1988

Surviving references establish that Front Line continued publication during 1988.

The January 1988 issue included a photograph of the early Ironmen, subsequently used by former players to identify members of the team.[6] A February issue contained coverage of PMI's .68 Magnum, while the September issue reported on the National Survival Game Rapide.[1][7]

The date of the magazine's final issue has not been established.

Editorial coverage

Fields and regional paintball

Front Line devoted considerable space to Southern California playing fields and their local communities. The September 1987 issue contained reports or advertising relating to fields including Sat Cong Village, Southern Comfort, Field Games, Flag Pursuit, Conquest and Skirmish.[3]

The magazine's regular game-results section preserved the names of recreational and tournament teams that received little coverage elsewhere. These reports documented local challenges, field leagues, team captains and match results.

Although its original emphasis was Southern California, the October 1987 issue stated that the magazine was being sent monthly to readers in 37 states and six countries. This was a publisher claim rather than independently audited circulation information.[4]

Tournament reporting

The magazine covered both regional competitions and major North American tournaments.

Its September 1987 issue published an extensive report on the first International Air Pistol Open, held at National Survival Game–New York in Newburgh on 18–19 July 1987. The report documented the tournament format, scoring system, equipment restrictions, preliminary groups and final placings.[3]

The same issue contained “On the Road with Navarone”, an account of Navarone's journey from California and its Armageddon squad's victory at the tournament.[3]

Other competitions documented in the surviving issues included:

The 1987 Sat Cong Village Challenge Cup, won by Wolf Pack.[4][5]
The second Mohican Outdoor Adventure Paintball Championship in Ohio, won by the HeadHunters of Cleves.[4]
The 1987 Midwest Cup, won by Allied Forces.[5]
The fifth annual National Survival Game North American Championship, won by the Wild Geese of New Hampshire.[5]

The North American Championship report recorded 33 participating teams and a US$40,000 prize fund. Navarone–Apocalypse placed second, followed by Direct Hit, Land Sharks and separate California and Texas Bushwackers teams.[5]

Equipment coverage

Equipment development formed another important part of the magazine's editorial content.

The November 1987 issue published “The Avenger Story” by Tim McMurray and Dennis O'Flaherty. The article presented a first-person history of McMurray & Son's work on Sheridan-based paintball markers, including the development of the anti-blowback pump, positive-feed systems, the Annihilator and the Avenger.[5]

The same issue featured the USA Crossfire Equalizer, a proposed .68-calibre semiautomatic marker developed by John McLeod and Brian Sullivan. The article described a prototype and plans for commercial production, but does not by itself establish the extent to which those plans were completed.[5]

Later equipment documented by the magazine included the PMI .68 Magnum and National Survival Game Rapide.[1][7]

Safety and playing advice

Front Line published tactical columns, introductory advice and equipment-safety information.

Contemporary advertisements and notices included guidance from JT Racing concerning the care of polycarbonate goggle lenses. In 1987, JT also offered to replace or modify certain lenses fitted with tear-off pins following reports that pins could be dislodged by impacts from markers operating at excessive velocities.[4][5]

Technical information published in the magazine was accompanied by a disclaimer stating that it reflected the experiences of individual contributors and had not necessarily been independently tested by the publisher.[3][4][5]

Historical value

Front Line predates the nationally distributed launch of Action Pursuit Games in autumn 1987.[1] Its surviving issues provide contemporary documentation of the transition from early recreational paintball towards organised regional and national tournament competition.

The magazine is particularly useful as a historical source for:

Southern California fields and teams.
Early tournament formats and results.
The development of pump-action and early semiautomatic markers.
Paintball retailers, airsmiths and equipment manufacturers.
The changing terminology used for paintball during the mid-1980s.
Contemporary safety practices and equipment advertising.

Digitised issues and individual page scans are preserved in private collections and online paintball-magazine archives.[8]

References

Pioneering the Sport of Paintball: The History of PMI with Jeff Perlmutter, Paintball History. Historical account identifying the magazine's 1985 launch, Southern California focus, early PMI advertising and surviving February 1988 coverage.
FRONT LINE trademark, serial number 73589958, Justia Trademarks. Record of the 25 March 1986 application covering a magazine dealing with paintball games.
Front Line, September 1987, Volume 3, Number 9, Jasperson Enterprises, Inc.
Front Line, October 1987, Volume 3, Number 10, Jasperson Enterprises, Inc.
Front Line, November 1987, Volume 3, Number 11, Jasperson Enterprises, Inc.
Delta Archery, Paintball History. Includes the January 1988 Front Line photograph of the Ironmen and subsequent player identifications.
RIP Bob Gurnsey, Paintball's Creator, and the NSG Rapide, Paintball History. Reproduces and discusses Rapide material from the September 1988 issue.
Old Paintball Magazines, historical magazine archive containing a dedicated Front Line collection.

External links