Moonlight game takes paintball to a whole new level
Paintball Unite celebrated Halloween with a game of Moonball on Saturday night.
The fun of Halloween was taken to a new level on Saturday when Paintball Unite combined October 31 with one of its Moonball events.
Organiser Peter Valster says they host a Moonball event a few times a year and usually coordinate it with the full moon.
Players camp on the premises and play in the dark.
“This year we took Halloween a step further by playing a game of paintball with only the moonlight as a source of light,” Valster says.
“Moonball is a rush. You use the shadows as a shield and silence as your sword. The only way for another player to find you is if they can hear you or if a random passing truck lights up the field.”
He explains that they used a stalk-the-lantern format where players can shoot at one another.
“We didn’t make too many rules. It is too dark, there is no way to police someone. Everything has to be honest.”
The lantern stalk forces players to move, and the resulting sounds they make is the only way for their opponents to locate them.
“It smuggles with your brain. You hide in the shadow, but are actually exposed in the open, and when a truck passes by you are illuminated and everyone just shoots.” But, as with all things Paintball Unite, safety comes first.
“The whole idea is for players to keep it clean.”
Saturday also afforded them the opportunity to dress up in the scariest, most freaky get-up they could muster, which added to the fun.
Paintball Unite is located across from Elmswood on the R37/Lydenburg Road almost exactly 14 kilometres outside Mbombela.
Enquiries: Peter Valster on 072-942-8525 or petervalster@yahoo.com to book a game.
