Introduction
In paintball there is basically three game formats: rec games, scenario games and tournaments. Each style of game has different rules, time durations, costs and skill level requirements. You may find you like all three game formats or only one of the formats, in any case, give'em a try and see what works for you.
Rec Games
Recreational, er rec games, involve the playing of approximately 6-10 games, each 15-20 minutes long. Games are usually played during a 3 hour time span. The usual objective is capture the flag or attack and defend. TANGO tries to schedule approximately 1 game a month during the outdoor playing season. This is the primary way for new players to get initiated to this outstanding sport.
Scenario Games
This format involves 8-26 hours of paintball. You hide a lot, snipe a bit, utilize the shadows, play at nighttime if you want. Scenario games also have cool extras like paint grenades/mines, tanks, and missions to complete instead of just capturing a flag. You can choose to be a role player if you like (spies, demo, engineers, medics) or just a regular grunt. You can play however much YOU want to play, there is no pressure to play the entire time.
Many consider this to be the best of paintball. Enjoy playing on 100+ acres, with several hundred fellow paintballers, divided into two team, with a game coordinator who radios out missions to the Generals for each side every 20 minutes. Set up ambushes, or wander into them, find game props, play at night, accomplish missions as a TANGO squad (stay together and you are a force to be reckoned with), win outstanding prizes from the sponsors, etc., all make this a great time.
Tourneys (Tournaments)
Imagine taking all the anticipation, excitement, intensity, and adrenaline of a regular rec game and cramming it into just a couple of minutes on a rectangular field no bigger than a baseball infield. That's tourney style paintball. Now imagine throwing out some of the rec ball rules like no bunkering, the 20ft. rule, and no blind fire. Teamwork and coordinated fire play a big role here. Tourney games are 5 minutes max, but are usually over in 2 or 3. The format is usually 3-on-3 or 5-on-5, but there are also 7-on-7 and 10-on-10 games. It's splat or be splatted! No guts, no glory!