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MML

Bradley O'Dell (Hooligan)
Sep 7, 2015
3 min read

When I was offered a spot on a team playing in the 2nd annual Maritime Magfed League I was hesitant but decided that it was something I absolutely had to experience for better or worse. The MML, like any competitive sporting event, had its incredible highs and its intolerable lows.

The MML is a competitive paintball series consisting of three separate events over 3 months. Each event runs similar to a speedball or pump style game in speed and aggression. The differences is markers are restricted to only Magfed style markers and points are scored based on eliminations as well as three colored flags and one centre objective that must be retrieved from centre field and returned to that teams starting point all within a ten minute time limit.

Playing in the MML was a breath of fresh air for me from the typical big game or standard scenario day. I really enjoyed being part of a small tight knit team that effectively communicated to create and execute some intense plays. If you have not had the pleasure of working with a team that, when you shout an opponent’s position, your teammate actually moves to a better angle based on that info, you have not experienced true paintball.

An interesting thing about joining a paintball league is it forces you to fields you never really thought about visiting on your own. If it was not for the MML I don't know when I would have gotten around to playing at Camp Debert Army Paintball in Nova Scoatia or Crossfire Adventure Paintball in Prince Edward Island. Both of these fields, while I knew they existed and had spoken to players who had both good and bad to say about them, I hadn't given any thought to making the four hour trip to either of these fields for a walk on or scenario. I should point out I have played an event in PEI that was hosted by the Crossfire Adventure but the event was on a decommissioned air force base.

While every game was, a good time with good people there was definitely a distinct under-tone of stress and tension. This tension was mostly a result of disorganization and a lack of proper reffing . During each event I attended, there were accusations of cheating, missed points and refs not understanding the rules specific to the league. All of which could have been avoided or at least limited in scope by having designated league referees and a designated head ref with an understanding of the league rules in their entirety.

A significant but easily missed detail causing frustration among all players was the fields we played on. While fantastic for your typical scenario or walk on day, and nicely balanced when you have 100's of paintballs per player and respawns, these fields became unbalanced when you added elimination style play and a centre objective that was often closer, or less obstructed from one side over the other. Don't get me wrong, I know a paintball field can't just rearrange a section of field for a single day but perhaps more thought should be put into which portion of the field is used, or altering the field by adding or removing one or two key bunkers.

At the end of the series, even with the brutal lack of structured reffing and less than perfect fields, I had a hell of a time. The crazy blend of competitive paintball and tactical Mag-Fed markers is something that is impossible to find on a regular paintball field. Even with the typical competitive drama that comes from these kinds of a events I still enjoyed playing every game with my team and fist bumped the player that got me out the previous game.

Let’s be honest, that's really why we play this game.

If you enjoyed reading this check out my weekly podcast, The Maritime Milsim Podcast, every week we discuss topics relating to not only the Canadian Maritimes but also the paintball industry as a whole.