Paintballer's Almanac Review

The Paintballer's Almanac is the largest and best collection of different paintball games available, though it does have a few problems. Not all games are really feasible but there are enough variations of classic paintball games to keep the adventurous paintballer experimenting for many days on the field.

Many people love paintball but sometimes they get bored with the typical variations (capture the flag, elimination, etc.). While many different variations exist, the typical way of learning about new ways to play is through word of mouth or generic Internet searches. In response to this lack of a large compilation of paintball game variations. Ron Smith and Parr Young made a book of their favorites (including many they invented) and created the Paintballer's Almanac. For the first time, paintball players can have one reference for games ranging from "Crossfire" to "Predator: Alien Invasion".

The Paintballer's Almanac is simply formatted where each page features a game type. A title identifies the game and necessary equipment is identified with small pictures. Following the necessary supplies there are sections explaining the setup, the rules, some tips and any variations on the basic game.

The Paintballer's Almanac excels in two areas: variety and clarity. The many variations allow for players to focus on many different aspects of the game (shooting, moving, etc.) and the instructions clearly explain what is expected. The area where the Almanac struggles arises out of the attempt to have a little bit of everything - some games are simply not practical (too much preparation, too confusing, too long to play, etc.). Despite being forced to wade through some impractical game ideas there are enough interesting game variations to give an intrepid paintballer many days worth of new games to experiment with.