BT Series Rules
Competitive Woodsball Tournament Series
RULES
2012 BT series Rules
For the 2012 season there is no marker restriction you can use any marker, but all markers must be Chronograph at 280 feet per second or below. See Chronograph Speed section in the rules for all the details.
Objective
Score the most points during the duration of the game
Game Times
Games are 14 minutes in duration. Games will start on the sound of a horn or whistle. Games will start on time, as per schedule teams are expected to be prepped and ready, games will not be held for late teams, but rather will commence without them.
Games will be a 4 players vs 4 players format. Only if the “5th man” card has been activated may a team have 5 players on the field.
Dead boxes will be labeled for either black or white teams. Team colours will be assigned by the head referee on each particular BT field. Teams must start at their respective dead box with their paintball gun barrels touching the mesh. Often the BT series will have 2 field of play per event. Players are expected to report to the proper field aka Field 1 or Field 2 as marked or assigned at the captains meeting.
Both captains MUST sign the score sheet. All disputes must be resolved on the field; there is no higher power than the head ref on the field.
Any game discrepancies MUST be taken up with the head ref directly after your played match. All decisions are final and cannot be changed.
Any video/photography cannot be used as “evidence” and be used to try and sway any decision made by the reffing staff.
Any video/photography is property of Flagswipe Paintball. Use of any material in slander against any business, team, and individual person can be dealt with criminally.
Team Size
Teams may roster up to 6 players. 4 players will start the match. It is the advice of the BT series management that you try to roster at least 5 players. Remaining players will stay in your team dead box and may provide valuable assistant in prepping for reinsertions or may replace players at the time of reinsertion. Only registered and waivered players may enter the team dead box or field area, Captain must ensure that their rostered players have filled out the necessary registration information prior to the start of play. A team may elect to have support staff in lue of rostered players, the maximum number of staff/ players cannot exceed 8 people total in the dead box/playing field. Support staff must be waivered and have any necessary paintball safety equipment to enter the field/dead box.
Team photography and videography is allowed subject to approval by the BT series management, and subject to the consent of both teams participating in the match. Photographers or videographers are subject to penalties that will be served by the team they are associated with if a referee deems them to be interfering with game play. Team photo and videographers will be considered as part of a team’s support staff and must be counted in the 8 person limit. This will be strictly enforced for the 2012 events.
Teams will not be provided arm bands. Teams are expected to be aware of their players and opponents.
Substitutions and Reinsertions
When 2 players have re entered the dead box and have been recorded as eliminated by the dead box referee, the players or substitute players may take their position behind the start banner and reinsert onto the field of play. Players must start behind banner, and wait for all players to tag up players leaving early is consider is activating the reinsertion, players left behind are hereby considered eliminated and must wait till next possible reinsertion.
Field Layout
3 flags will be positioned running down the center of the field (aka 50 yard line) with equal distance between flags. Flags will start at a neutral position and will operate on a pull cord, teams will need to pull the flag cord in order to place their coloured flag at the top of the flag pole in order to be scored at the scheduled times. Points for flag pulls are only awarded at the timed intervals. The black team will need the black flag to be raised to score a point and likewise the white team will need the white flag raised to score a point. If no flag is raised at the timed interval then neither team will score a point. Flags must be fully pulled to score a point; a half pulled flag will remain neutral. At a referees discretion the referee may announce that a flag has not been fully pulled and thus is a “neutral flag”. Any team tampering with a flag with such actions as tieing off the cord, removing the flag, hiding the flag will be assessed a penalty.
Each team’s dead box located across from the center flag on either ends of the field. A BT Series banner will be at every dead box as a start station and a crease. The safe crease will be marked with white spray paint. The safe crease is like a no fly zone for paintballs, players cannot be shot at when in this area unless they have shot from the area themselves, if they have raised their marker and made a shot from the safe area all players in this area will be deemed to be in play and thus can be shot and eliminated. Players who re enter the safe area without being eliminated will be deemed eliminated as such players should carry enough equipment, paint and air to supply them for play on the field. Dead boxes will be marked as black or white for ease of distinction for teams. Dead boxes will be wrapped in safety mesh and require barrel sleeves on within the dead box. 1 table will be provided within the dead box for teams to prep and hold their equipment. Goggles must be securely placed on before leaving the dead box. Any safety infraction will result in a penalty as listed in the penalties section
BT series staff will place a total of 6 canisters on the field, 3 for each team. The canisters will be placed approximately 25ft from the centre flags. Each team will have 3 clearly marked boxes that will be placed on the opposite side of the field from their start station. The cards inside the canisters will be rotated from match to match at the fields head refs discretion.
Field boundaries will be made evident by either natural boundaries or bright coloured tape depending on the field at which the BT series event is held at. Any special considerations for field boundaries will be voiced at the morning captains meeting prior to the start of the event.
It is expected that players will make every attempt to avoid firing paintballs outside of the field boundaries in consideration of side line spectators and all around field safety.
Field size will be subject to the layouts provided by the various paintball field operations that will host events. Every effort will be made by BT series staff to provide the highest quality paintball fields for games play, which will benefit a variety of paintball play styles. In general we will attempt to have large and wide playing areas. 2 fields will be played at BT series events for the preliminary round, finals rounds may either be 2 fields or reduced to 1 field depending on time constraints. The use of 2 fields will be subject to team registration for the event, if there are less than 8 teams, 1 field may be used for the event.
Mission Objectives
There will be 6 canisters on the field at the same time. They will be coloured coded with the teams colour who is supposed to take it (white or black). If you touch the others team box you will be eliminated and a referee will replace the box to its original location.
Canisters: The team that returns the canister to their dead box may use the canisters contents at a time they choose. It is necessary for the player to return with the entire canister and not just the objective card. Objective cards must be presented to the dead box referee by the player that brought it back, and then can be put to use by one of the team mates in the dead box at a later time.
If a player carrying a canister receives an eliminating hit, they are to drop the canister in place and return to their dead box. The Canister will be left in place until retrieved by any live player,
Canister 1 – “Full Auto” instant reinsertion, When a player is eliminated with this card activated they will return to their dead box. After checking in with the dead box referee they my return to the game immediately without waiting for the normal 2 person re insert. This objective lasts for 3 minutes from the time it has been initiated with the dead box referee. The team may hold onto the insertion card and activate it at any time.
Canister 2 – “5 man” when this card is activated a 5th player is allowed to join your team until that player is eliminated. The player who is the 5th man may not reinsert. All other players may continue with insertions as normal. The 5th player will be marked by the dead referee with a colour armband of tape, when this player returns to the dead box eliminated the dead box referee will remove this armband.
Canister 3- “Air strike” when this card is activated an on field referee will remove 2 players from the opposing team of the team who activated the card. These players will be eliminated without being hit by a paintball and will return to their dead box. The referee will clearly tell them they have been eliminated due to an air strike to avoid confusion. A reinsert point will be scored if the air strike elimination causes a reinsert.
Canister 4- “Booby Trap” when the player returns this canister to the dead box and open it that player will be a dead player now and has to wait till the next reinsert.
Canisters will only be used once per game. Canisters will be randomly placed by the referees at the start of games at opposite sides of the 50 yard line depending on the color to ensure that there is no advance awareness of which card is where by either team.
Points will be awarded for every flag your team holds on timed intervals.
Every 2min from game start, 1 point will be awarded for the team in which the flags colour represents.
1 point will be awarded for every time your team forces the other team to reinsert 2 players under the 2 player reinsert rule.
Eliminations
Elimination is defined as any hit or splatter from a paintball and subsequent break resulting in a marking on the player or their active equipment that is equal or greater than the size of a dime. Any paint splatter from a paint grenade or mine or satchel charge regardless of size – results in a player’s elimination. Players are expected to signal that they are eliminated by loudly saying “hit” or “out” and then raising their hands and gun pointing towards the sky. Once eliminated players must return promptly to the dead box using the most direct route without delay or interference to game play.
Obvious hits: are those hits which impact and break on easily observable places on the body or equipment being carried by the hit player. This may include, but not be limited to hands, arms, head, mask, legs, marker/hopper or barrel.
Unobvious hits: are those which impact and break on a player or player’s equipment in those areas defined as being not easily observable. Players with unobvious hits will be eliminated but will not be penalized. This may include but not limited to pods, pod packs, remote coils and remote tank (tanks on your back).
Due to the competitive nature of the BT series event there is no mercy rule. In the spirit of sportsmanship it is suggested to shoot a player 1 to 2 times if you are in a position that you may consider a mercy. If a player calls themselves out by saying “hit” or “out” or raising their gun and hands above their head in a fashion that normal dictates an eliminated player they will be considered eliminated and must return to the dead box regardless of the absence of an eliminating paintball hit. A player will be eliminated if he or she attempts a “dead man’s walk”.
Barrel tags will not be recognized as an elimination.
If a rocket makes direct contact with a player, thus player is considered eliminated and must return to their dead box and wait for the next reinsertion.
Players must be aware that they are required to clean off previous eliminating hits before reinserting. If a player reinserts with a previous hit and it is found by a referee they will be eliminated and sent back to the dead box.
A player will be eliminated by a rocket if a rocket hits a building, tree or solid stationary obstacle within 10 foot radius of the player. The rocket must make direct contact and may not skip, slide or roll into the obstacle or building. The 10 foot radius is subject to referee discretion, rocket launching players should make every attempt to notify a ref of a rocket use before the launch.
A player will be eliminated if he or she crosses outside of the field boundaries with any part of their body or paintball gun/equipment. No warnings will be issued. A penalty may be assessed at a the referees discretion.
A player will be eliminated if he or she climbs a tree, building or manmade structural object. Exceptions can be made on a field by field basis. Exceptions will be noted at captains meeting at the beginning of the day
“Friendly Fire” where one teammate shoots the other will be considered elimination
A player will be eliminated if he or she enters or climbs and obstacle deemed to be off limits.
Please see the penalties section of this rules document to see penalties that will result in player elimination
Gun hits do count as a player elimination
Mercy rule is not in effect and will not count as a legal elimination. If a player voluntarily calls themselves out when another player mercy’s or surrendered them this will count as an elimination.
A player will be eliminated if they re enter the safety crease.
A player will be eliminated if a referee tells them they have been eliminated by an airstrike.
Penalties
There will be NO timed penalty. Instead there will be a one for one penalty instead. This means if a ref gives you a penalty they will also pull the closes player to you and you both will be eliminated until the next reinsertion.
An eliminated from play penalty is a player being eliminated from the game at hand and my not reinsert for that round. The player must leave the field of play.
An ejection penalty is a player or team being banned from the event property for the event duration.
List of Penalties
Wiping – ejection of player from event
Playing on with an obvious hit –Two for One – You and your two closest teammates are eliminated
Playing on with an unobvious hit – One for One –You and your closest teammates are eliminated
Cursing – Player is eliminated
Over Shooting (Over shooting is subject to reffing staff) – One for One
Disrespecting a player, staff or referee on/off the field – Ejection of player from event
Out of Bounds – Player is eliminated.
Hot Gun (under 320 fps) Player with hot gun is eliminated from play and may not reinsert. A sub may reinsert at the next insertion.
Hot Gun (Over 320 fps) The game is called and the opposing team wins that game.
Unsafe play (Lifting of mask, Barrel bag missing in safe zone) – Player will be given one verbal warning. Any subsequent infractions will lead to the player being ejected from the event.
Paint checks – If a paint check is called on a player and the player is clean the player calling the check is eliminated. (subject to reffing staff)
Media – non BT series media personnel such as Photographers and videographers are allowed on the field. If the reffing staff feels that these “in bedded” media people are affecting the game in ANY way to the advantage of the team they are affiliated with the closest affiliated player will be eliminated from play.
Use of non BT series event paint – Ejection of team from event.
Shooting into a dead box – Player is eliminated
Unsportsmanlike or unprofessional conduct on and off the field ( subject to refs and staff ) will not be tolerated – Based on severity ejection of player/team from event.
Scheduling
Event Itinerary will be up the Thursday before the event. Teams should be at the field as early as possible to properly prepare, be aware of the fields and any site specific safety issues.
Teams will be provided with a minimum of 4 14 minute matches per event. The flags are checked and scored every 2 minutes during the prelim matches. After the preliminary matches have been played, scores will be totaled and the top 4 teams will commence a playoff round. The teams placing 1st and 2nd after the preliminary matches will play off for first place. The teams placing 3rd and 4th after the preliminary matches will play off for 3rd place.
In the event that a tie or ties exist teams must play a tie breaker round to secure the top 4 placing before proceeding to the finals matches. Tie breaker matches will be played following the BT series format, the only changes to the format will be that the match is only 10 minutes in duration, flag checks for points will be checked every 2 minutes, the full auto reinsertion canister will award a full auto reinsert for only 1 minutes. If a tie still exists after a tie break round has been played, the BT series management will review the scores sheets and the team with the most flag points will be deemed the winner, if a subsequent tie still exists, the team which holds the most insertion points will be deemed the winner.
Teams must compete in a minimum 2 events to be qualified for the event finals.
Game times will be posted the day of at the field. All game times will give the teams more than enough time to gear up and check all their equipment. The first game time will be decided at the captains meeting.
There will be announcements of the game times at the beginning of the day and before every game but it is mainly the team’s responsibility to make sure they are at the correct playing field at the right time. Teams will have a 2 min grace period before every game to make sure everything is ready to go and they are set. If your team is not ready to go after the 2 min period you have a chose to start with the players ready maximum of 5 or take a 2 min penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct, if that happens you will be starting the game with 4 anyways . This is to keep the tourney running at a steady rate.
Special Props
Shield
One shield will be located at the center flag of each field each round. ONLY THE BT SERIES SHIELD IS ALLOWED. Any player can use the shield, and hits on the shield will not count only hits to the player and the player’s active equipment will count. Equal or greater than the size of a quarter. A BT series ref will try to follow the shield the best they can to make sure that when the player is hit the shield goes back to the center.
5 rockets per team may be used during a regulation BT series event. Nerf rockets must by shown to the head ref in advance of the game, proof of only 5 rockets will be required, BT series staff are not responsible for lost or stolen rockets. No grape shots of multiple paintballs are allowed or homemade projectiles. Rockets launchers must chronograph under 240 FPS to be eligible for use.
Once a rocket has been fired, it may not be retrieved and re-used.
Satchel charges, trip mines and the like must be inspected by BT series management before use. There is no guarantee that these props will be allowed for field use. If such items are being used it is suggested that no staining yellow fill paint marking material be used in the units to match with the yellow fill grenades that will be sold at BT series events. Satchel charges may only be used by live players, may not be activated remotely from the dead box.
Only field paintball grenades and field smoke grenades will be allowed for use in BT series events.
Event paintballs for 2012 will be a premium grade paintball provided by RPS. Ramp or the equivalent quality paintballs will be provided for winter and seasonally cold temperatures.
Economy grade paintballs will be available to be pre-ordered in advance of the event. Economy paintballs are subject to availability and must be paid in full, prior to the event to be received at the field.
2012 We will have a team cap at 16 teams. Registering Early is required to ensure your spot and promote a smooth and organized event. Registration can be done at Flagswipe Paintball by calling or visiting our retail store 519 642 0908 http://www.flagswipepaintball.com or register online at www.buypaintball.ca
Chronograph Speed
Field speed at BT series events is 280 FPS unless otherwise restricted by host fields. Teams must chronograph their paintball markers and launchers in advance of entering a game. Rocket Launchers will need to be chronographed to 240 FPS or lower. BT series referees will be equipped with hand held chronographs, they may at any time perform random checks to ensure that field speeds are being followed, penalties will be assessed if players are not under the 280 FPS (or host field) speed limit. Players may not make any velocity adjustments while on the field of play, they may only do so in the staging area or team dead box. Players may not carry allen keys or tools of adjustment on the field. Tournament locks for speed are suggested. All autococker pump markers must be equipped with a “beaver tail”
Player Equipment Requirements and Considerations
Players must wear ASTM certified and approved paintball full face goggles. No modifications can be made to these goggles, which will affect the integrity of the goggle system.
Paintball guns used at the BT series must shoot 68 caliber paintballs. There are no longer any manufacturer gun restrictions for the BT series.
There is no ball per second cap for the 2012 BT Series.
Bright yellow and white or stripped clothing will be restricted from use, only BT series refs will be allowed to use this equipment to keep them distinguishable.
No knifes, blunt objects, gun modifications that are sharp, incendiary devices will be allowed on the playing field.
Players’ markers must be equipped with barrel sleeves, barrel plugs are prohibited.
Paintball pistols must be equipped with barrel sleeves or be holstered in a holster that completely covers the muzzle.
Disclaimer
Amendments and changes to these rules can be made at any time by BT series management. Special rules and changes may be necessary to accommodate play at the various host fields the BT series travels to. Player input and suggestions will be taken during and after events to continue to develop rules that will make the format fun and safe.
Any decisions made are at referee’s discretion.