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What paintball costs

Tom

Tom
Nov 27, 2006
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Following from a recent thread, please see as below for a rough budget on different types of paintball

£50-£60 per person for a punter game with 1000 paintballs
Again around £50 per person for a walkon game - but thats 2000 paintballs
For a scenario event budget about £80 with 2000 paintballs

You might shoot more or less paint. I found on my transition from punter to walkon I would still play to the same budget, you can also share a case with a mate, or some places will split cases

I tend to be a light shooter, at some events I will go to an additional case
However this year I have mainly played pump so had an excess of paint to take home
I also never want to run out, and can also pass paint to team mates
If you are trigger happy then you may be looking at planning at least 2 cases for events


Punter paintball
This is how the majority of people begin, you turn up and play.
99% is supplied - overalls, goggles, markers etc. Most sites provide free lunch with a full day booking
You need good footwear, comfortable light clothes and fingerless gloves are a good idea

Ignore the ticket sellers in the street telling you it is £9.99 for a full day, you then have to pay the site
Even better - go direct to the site and book in, bring a group and start getting discounts or a free player

Entry starts at around £10, but I recommend going for a package

A good amount is 1000 paintballs for a day, packages are around £55 entry & paint
If you are not intending to shoot a lot or are on a budget then look for packages around £35 for entry & 500 paintballs
For a half day packages tend to be around 400 - 500 paintballs £30 entry & paint, but no lunch inlcluded

Extra paint on the day is always on variable price scales starting with 100 for about £7, 500 around £30, 1000 around £55

Do your research for local sites and their packages, also phone them up





Walkon paintball - usualy once a month at the sites that host them
This is the next stage, you want more of a challenge, want to take advantage of cheaper prices, have your own gear - or are startign to acquire your own gear

You meet a friendly bunch of people and get to see much more about paintball.
Walkon games are similar to punter games, howeve the players usually get the option to adjust rules, play the game zones in different ways

Expect a mix of woods play, and a form of speedball play possibly with inflatables (the competitive style)

Walkons are cheaper because the sites may reduce the ratio of marshalls to player then required for the unknown entity of punters, and walkon players are more likely to be repeat customers

If you have not got your own gear yet, or only some then you can still play at walkons, but expect a charge such as £5 for the rental items, sometimes free

In general we recommend not rushing out and buying your own gear, look around check out other players gear etc


Walkon price structures vary. Usually a larger entry fee but vastly cheaper paint prices. You may also be able to bring your own paint. However unless you have a good discount somewhere then you will not get decent paint for less then walkon prices

Entry alone around £25
Entry with a case of 2000 paintballs around £50
Additional paint at around £25 - £30 per case of 2000





Scenario events
Scenarios range for small games to vast games and could be a day, a weekend, or on occasion a trip around the world

An average scenario has a higher entry fee, and you may be able to bring your own paint, use traders on site, or have paint included in your booking.

BYO paint is fairly common but there are now less events that you can do this. When traders are on site giving tech support etc then it is better to buy from them

At certain events you can only use event paint, this particularly applies to those run at unusual venues where clear paint is a requirement

For larger events I have found that even though game time tends to be longer then walkons (even when a one day game) due to constant play, that there is more to a scenario then just shooting. Weekend games tend to have a chilled day and a main day, so may not make a significant difference in paint fired, but there can be longer and more intense games
Only you can decide whether you should allow for more paint, or if you need to be disciplined to meet your budget
If your budget permits then you can normally buy extra on the day when required, however sometimes paint must be pre-ordered and there will be no spare paint on the day. If that is the case I would rather order an extra case or half case depending on the event then run out part way through

Food is usually provided by caterers, and should be at fair prices

Some example event prices are:
At Battle of Britain tickets were £30, paint was £25 to £30 for a case of 2000
(This was intended to be a cheap event, but turned into a free second event due to extreme weather)
Angels & Demons is £80 all inclusive with clear paint
Our last TFD game was £30 - £40 entry depending on how far in advance you paid, and paint between £24 & £32.50 for a case
The Super6 Staargate gate is £55, with paint from £25 to £32 for a case

For scenario play you also need to take into account travel around the country & accommodation (though camping at events is most often free if the venue allows camping)


In addition to the above is tournament play, but on a competitive basis you need more paint the more you are in play, and you could be ripping out streams of paint

I have been given guide prices of £70 to £100 per player for a tournament
Generally people call so called 'woodland' markers/guns tougher then 'tournament' markers/guns
But a tournament player is more likely to be running and diving thus potentialy bashing their equipment so it needs to be tough to function
They will probably be putting out paint quickly, but in relatively short games
Other equipment can be used quickly, such as pods being broken or disappearing after being dumped in game (you would expect to pick up your pods after the game, not distract yourself putting them away in game)

As with scenario you will find yourself travelling and requiring accommodation

Accommodation
When traveling you will probably want somewhere to sleep
There may be free camping, or a small fee
Motel chains, Travelodge etc offer cheap accommodation. Check out their 'saver rooms' and book at the right time in advance for the best price. You may also be able to fit a full team in one room if you get cosy in the beds, use the optional fold up beds and the floor as well.
But do check they are charging for the room and by person

Edited to add a couple of tweaks
 
Last edited:

Tom

Tom
Nov 27, 2006
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Salisbury
www.TaskForceDelta.co.uk
everything they own plus non-essential relatives (e.g. grandmothers) to sell as slave labour :D

with a slightly more serious tone, to play the cpps, my scottish team will travel together by car, stay in a hotel the night before and then go play the following day. All in this costs probably about £150 per player. if you happen to live local then you could completely cut out the £40 fuel + £25 hotel room costs. and then you could probably see yourself getting through the conference division or similar for about £80. higher divisions generally see you shooting more paint so expect a bigger paint bill.

Although you need to remember that with tournament play things generally break/wear out faster with one of the biggest ones being pods that generally get broken/stolen/lost a lot more often.
 

Tom

Tom
Nov 27, 2006
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Salisbury
www.TaskForceDelta.co.uk
My next questions:
What are the 'formats' available to the new player (or say to a scenario team having a dabble at tournaments )
Eg is it straight knockout - eg get beaten and you are knocked out, win and go on to the next game
Or guaranteed number of games/guaranteed minimum number

How do costs relate to game entry, paint costs
What are rough but fair paint requirements per day or per game
 

Kevin Winter

Well-Known Member
Dec 10, 2008
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Most Supr'air tournies I've played at UK level have a simple format - you play (usually) 8 games against other teams, 3 points for a win, 1 for a stalemate and those, plus your elimaton difference if tied, decide the placings.
At higher levels, race 2 formats may mean you play a set number of matches, with a variable number of actual games.

Never seen a staright knockout played - would be awful value for money....
 
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Tom

Tom
Nov 27, 2006
4,076
1,210
198
Salisbury
www.TaskForceDelta.co.uk
Most Supr'air tournies I've played at UK level have a simple format - you play (usually) 8 games against other teams, 3 points for a win, 1 for a stalemate and those, plus your elimaton difference if tied, decide the placings.
At higher levels, race 2 formats may mean you play a set number of matches, with a variable number of actual games.

Never seen a staright knockout played - would be awful value for money....
Cheers - You have just dispelled a myth I probably made up in my own head.
I heve seen things about formats with set numbers of games and thought they were new ideas and away from the norm!
 

MorphMann

Fb UK Big Games
Jun 5, 2012
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Kettering, Northants
There are so many myths out there. Having this stickied would help a lot of the 'ballers who want to know where and how much will the next step cost.

To all of the nice people who run sites I attend walk ons at......... My pc was P8raped.......... Honest......

:oops:
 

matj

.
Mar 22, 2013
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Thank you for this info I greatly appreciate it. I was contemplating making a thread with these exact issues being considered.

It's nice to know what to expect in the future as after my 2nd game last week I'm hooked and determined to make it a permanent hobby.

+1 for sticky.
 
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