A Texas Storm: The first Annual TWister Big Game
Huge disclaimer here---I am writing this but also produced this game. So to claim I would be unbiased would be a flat-out lie. I am absolutely am biased but am going to try my best to give the best little snapshot that I can of the event for you all holistically but my point of view is definitely going to bleed into this.
And in some ways, that may very well be a good thing. It may give a bit of a unique perspective on the game and what all we did. I think that it may be best to start at the beginning, when I got a call from those over at Committed Paintball and they wanted to put on a big scenario game in Texas for the Texas Paintball community down there and that represented the Twister brand. Why in Houston? Because they own a great field down there called TXR Paintball. And why a scenario? Because it's an area of the paintball community that they wanted to bring their brand of the game to and elevate. That's what they do. Take things to the next level.
My first question to them was what the goals of the game were for the company. The answer was pretty simple. They wanted to do something cool for the players and for the Texas community. TXR, if you don't know, is a legendary field. In it's heyday, it was a massive field in Tomball, TX, right outside of Houston. It has been around for 30 years and hosted some of the legendary Viper Games. Those were massive scenarios that many in Texas and beyond enjoyed for decades. However, recent times had really changed the scenario scene in Texas. Viper stopped putting on games. TXR's land had shrunk. And there were a lot fewer big scenarios in Texas with the feedback from players being that some had gotten a bit repetitive. And Committed wanted and still wants to change all of that.
And in some ways, that may very well be a good thing. It may give a bit of a unique perspective on the game and what all we did. I think that it may be best to start at the beginning, when I got a call from those over at Committed Paintball and they wanted to put on a big scenario game in Texas for the Texas Paintball community down there and that represented the Twister brand. Why in Houston? Because they own a great field down there called TXR Paintball. And why a scenario? Because it's an area of the paintball community that they wanted to bring their brand of the game to and elevate. That's what they do. Take things to the next level.
My first question to them was what the goals of the game were for the company. The answer was pretty simple. They wanted to do something cool for the players and for the Texas community. TXR, if you don't know, is a legendary field. In it's heyday, it was a massive field in Tomball, TX, right outside of Houston. It has been around for 30 years and hosted some of the legendary Viper Games. Those were massive scenarios that many in Texas and beyond enjoyed for decades. However, recent times had really changed the scenario scene in Texas. Viper stopped putting on games. TXR's land had shrunk. And there were a lot fewer big scenarios in Texas with the feedback from players being that some had gotten a bit repetitive. And Committed wanted and still wants to change all of that.
Two of the masterminds behind the game in Anthony Vitale (left) and John Jackson (right)
So, the issues had been laid out. Now what exactly were we going to try and do about it?
Well, we came up with a theme and then we started to talk about how the field played and how we could breathe some fresh air into it. The fine people who run TXR and ProEdge Paintball, along with Phil Ramirez, really laid out how the field played and where it got bogged down in the past. We knew the choke points and where people got stuck---and that was the last thing we wanted to do. So how do you answer that? You look for new areas of the field to build up---in this case a creek and a forest---and new ways to play the field so you don't run into those same old problems. How did we change it? We segmented the game into different areas of the field and played them at different angles. We looked to try and add things that catered to Texas paintball and to Twister's traditional crowd. And we tried to push some boundaries in areas that favored players. Basically, we tried to do something that we thought would be cool, that WE would want to play, and that would be giving back to the people who decided to spend a weekend away from their families to spend with us. Those were the guiding principles.
And although this was named as a 'Big Game,' it was really a scenario. The difference was that in this game, there were missions to accomplish, NPCs, a storyline, and theme-ing to all of it. There were three missions to accomplish per block on average, all for points. Each team had goals and followed a story. While some of those elements may be in a Big Game, it really was laid out as a scenario for the players. Each side had their reasons for being their and doing the missions as laid out and each General was given those for each block of their missions. Anthony Vitale came up with the idea of a 'Last of Us' meets Twister for the theme and off we went.
Well, we came up with a theme and then we started to talk about how the field played and how we could breathe some fresh air into it. The fine people who run TXR and ProEdge Paintball, along with Phil Ramirez, really laid out how the field played and where it got bogged down in the past. We knew the choke points and where people got stuck---and that was the last thing we wanted to do. So how do you answer that? You look for new areas of the field to build up---in this case a creek and a forest---and new ways to play the field so you don't run into those same old problems. How did we change it? We segmented the game into different areas of the field and played them at different angles. We looked to try and add things that catered to Texas paintball and to Twister's traditional crowd. And we tried to push some boundaries in areas that favored players. Basically, we tried to do something that we thought would be cool, that WE would want to play, and that would be giving back to the people who decided to spend a weekend away from their families to spend with us. Those were the guiding principles.
And although this was named as a 'Big Game,' it was really a scenario. The difference was that in this game, there were missions to accomplish, NPCs, a storyline, and theme-ing to all of it. There were three missions to accomplish per block on average, all for points. Each team had goals and followed a story. While some of those elements may be in a Big Game, it really was laid out as a scenario for the players. Each side had their reasons for being their and doing the missions as laid out and each General was given those for each block of their missions. Anthony Vitale came up with the idea of a 'Last of Us' meets Twister for the theme and off we went.
Committed Paintball's Legendary Twisters
So where did that lead us? Great question.
TXR and ProEdge spent MONTHS building up the woods and creek bed, which were areas of the field that hadn't really ever had much love in terms of getting thoughtfully laid out bunkers. That changed drastically. Around 50 total bunkers were put into place and then play tested. We decided to do things to cater to each crowd that we could. We made speedball part of the scenario with hyperpipe matches added in. Why? Because a lot of people who LOVE twisters like playing hyperpipe. We decided to do the largest glo-ball game ever and hoped to get 100 people onto the speedball field at once. We decided to throw in a nightball game with no lights in the forest because that's what some of the hardcore scenario players in Texas love to do. And Committed wanted to take things up a notch in terms of prizes, giving away over $10,000 in prizes, which is an absurd amount, especially for an inaugural game. Again, taking it up a notch.
Let me take you back to when I was 16---time to age myself here. I grew up playing at Blast Camp in the mid-90s. Back then, there were traveling production companies putting on scenarios. I played one there and LOVED it. I played that scenario and happened to win a Revy there. At the time, that was a $100 hopper and it made a world of difference to me. I couldn't have afforded that and it made games and the playing experience much better for having it. I tell you that because that's what we wanted to give players here. Maybe they win something that they couldn't or wouldn't have bought for themselves. And what if we didn't just make it dumb luck like I had? Sure, we would do drawings to give those who came and supported the game a chance to win something awesome. And we'd give away some outrageous prizes like a Twister CS3 Pro---that gun is costs over a couple of grand and was milled from the very finest in unobtainium. But what if you could win something by finding it for doing a mission and playing the game? That you could find on the field, give your team points, AND take home? That wasn't just a prop of trinket, but something that was limited edition gear worth hundreds and that you could use in your gearbag and on the field for years to come. Now THAT'S something that rewards the players and that the person that finds it will NEVER forget.
TXR and ProEdge spent MONTHS building up the woods and creek bed, which were areas of the field that hadn't really ever had much love in terms of getting thoughtfully laid out bunkers. That changed drastically. Around 50 total bunkers were put into place and then play tested. We decided to do things to cater to each crowd that we could. We made speedball part of the scenario with hyperpipe matches added in. Why? Because a lot of people who LOVE twisters like playing hyperpipe. We decided to do the largest glo-ball game ever and hoped to get 100 people onto the speedball field at once. We decided to throw in a nightball game with no lights in the forest because that's what some of the hardcore scenario players in Texas love to do. And Committed wanted to take things up a notch in terms of prizes, giving away over $10,000 in prizes, which is an absurd amount, especially for an inaugural game. Again, taking it up a notch.
Let me take you back to when I was 16---time to age myself here. I grew up playing at Blast Camp in the mid-90s. Back then, there were traveling production companies putting on scenarios. I played one there and LOVED it. I played that scenario and happened to win a Revy there. At the time, that was a $100 hopper and it made a world of difference to me. I couldn't have afforded that and it made games and the playing experience much better for having it. I tell you that because that's what we wanted to give players here. Maybe they win something that they couldn't or wouldn't have bought for themselves. And what if we didn't just make it dumb luck like I had? Sure, we would do drawings to give those who came and supported the game a chance to win something awesome. And we'd give away some outrageous prizes like a Twister CS3 Pro---that gun is costs over a couple of grand and was milled from the very finest in unobtainium. But what if you could win something by finding it for doing a mission and playing the game? That you could find on the field, give your team points, AND take home? That wasn't just a prop of trinket, but something that was limited edition gear worth hundreds and that you could use in your gearbag and on the field for years to come. Now THAT'S something that rewards the players and that the person that finds it will NEVER forget.
330 friends and family getting ready to go!
And where else could we push things? If you play scenario regularly, you know what kind of paint we normally get. Garbage. We normally get garbage paint. Half the time it's shaped like footballs. And that blows. Not here---Anthony Vitale, owner of Committed, made sure that we got Gator Black, made especially for the game. New Glo-Ball paint. FSR made specifically for the game. We wouldn't be second class citizens when it comes to what was getting shot. And that's extremely rare for a scenario game.
What about technology? How about missions that were emailed and more importantly, an electronic scoreboard that anyone and everyone could see updated in real-time? Done and done. The Generals could see the missions at the same time without having to find a producer and see the scores on the game's webpage. Just trying to take ideas that were things that we'd LOVE to have when playing and making them real.
What about technology? How about missions that were emailed and more importantly, an electronic scoreboard that anyone and everyone could see updated in real-time? Done and done. The Generals could see the missions at the same time without having to find a producer and see the scores on the game's webpage. Just trying to take ideas that were things that we'd LOVE to have when playing and making them real.
Our Generals Alejandro Nunez and Zoey Tankersley, who did an amazing job of leading my example
So, lots of big ideas. How did it go? Again, great question.
I'm going to start with this---Texas paintballers are amazing people. After having to reschedule the game because of a storm that shut down roughly half the country, some 330 players came out to play the 1st Annual Twister Big Game. For a first game, that's a massive number with a big leap of faith. It had been a solid five years since the last game of that size at TXR and under a new management group. That's not a small thing, and they showed up in force.
And just as importantly, they showed up with some of the best attitudes I have ever seen at a big scenario. They were all trying to win, but that fell behind the idea that they all wanted everyone to have a great time. That came from the Generals on down. Zoey Tankersley and Alejandro Nunez both lead by example, along with their XOs Phil Ramirez, Joseph Bigham, John Jackson, and incomparable Nick Slowiak, who spreads joy wherever he goes. This group really set the pace on making sure that everyone had a great time. The players at the game genuinely seemed happy to just be there and playing in a big scenario again, to be around people that they hadn't gotten a chance to be around in years in some cases (I spoke with some who hadn't been out to a scenario in 14 years and they were far from alone in that regard), and people who just wanted to play their role in making it a great game. I truly cannot stress enough how much this mattered. People there had such great, positive attitudes, and flexibility to try something new and they kept before they looked over and over again. They knew they'd stick the landing even if they weren't sure where they were going.
I'm going to start with this---Texas paintballers are amazing people. After having to reschedule the game because of a storm that shut down roughly half the country, some 330 players came out to play the 1st Annual Twister Big Game. For a first game, that's a massive number with a big leap of faith. It had been a solid five years since the last game of that size at TXR and under a new management group. That's not a small thing, and they showed up in force.
And just as importantly, they showed up with some of the best attitudes I have ever seen at a big scenario. They were all trying to win, but that fell behind the idea that they all wanted everyone to have a great time. That came from the Generals on down. Zoey Tankersley and Alejandro Nunez both lead by example, along with their XOs Phil Ramirez, Joseph Bigham, John Jackson, and incomparable Nick Slowiak, who spreads joy wherever he goes. This group really set the pace on making sure that everyone had a great time. The players at the game genuinely seemed happy to just be there and playing in a big scenario again, to be around people that they hadn't gotten a chance to be around in years in some cases (I spoke with some who hadn't been out to a scenario in 14 years and they were far from alone in that regard), and people who just wanted to play their role in making it a great game. I truly cannot stress enough how much this mattered. People there had such great, positive attitudes, and flexibility to try something new and they kept before they looked over and over again. They knew they'd stick the landing even if they weren't sure where they were going.
And what to shoot at a Twister Big Game? A Twister CS3 Pro, obviously.
The game didn't start off smoothly, with a couple of moments of confusion right off the bat. Again, the attitudes made all of the difference in the world. After the first mission finished off and issues were smoothed out, the missions really played out pretty well. The game was consistently pretty even, with teams trying out the newly built up woodsball field and those 55 new bunkers for the first few sessions. Each side really battled it out and kept scoring and piling up points. The scores for both sides never got out of reach and went back and forth throughout day one, with red and blue each having leads during the games. There were tanks, A/T, NPCs, and paintballers throwing the Gator Black all over the field throughout the day.
Which brings us to the night ball. As I mentioned earlier, Committed was hoping to see 100 players out playing Glo-Ball on Saturday night. They didn't get 100. They got 167 players, or roughly half of the people who attended. In a truly wild display that would make Joel Schumacher proud, neon green paint covered, well, everything. The entire speedball field was transformed into what looked like a 80's blacklight apocalypse and it was glorious. And people didn't stop there, playing for a couple of hours.
And they didn't just play Glo-Ball. Again, there was a true night game. In what was a first for me, there were several players and even a referee sporting night vision goggles and IR outside of their mask. And what were they hunting down? Not just other players, but an EMF 200 that had been hidden in the field for a player to walk away with. It was found and claimed, as were several vital points that brought the game to virtually even between red and blue.
Which brings us to the night ball. As I mentioned earlier, Committed was hoping to see 100 players out playing Glo-Ball on Saturday night. They didn't get 100. They got 167 players, or roughly half of the people who attended. In a truly wild display that would make Joel Schumacher proud, neon green paint covered, well, everything. The entire speedball field was transformed into what looked like a 80's blacklight apocalypse and it was glorious. And people didn't stop there, playing for a couple of hours.
And they didn't just play Glo-Ball. Again, there was a true night game. In what was a first for me, there were several players and even a referee sporting night vision goggles and IR outside of their mask. And what were they hunting down? Not just other players, but an EMF 200 that had been hidden in the field for a player to walk away with. It was found and claimed, as were several vital points that brought the game to virtually even between red and blue.
Get ready for Glo-Ball
That led us to day two. The day involved a lot of heavy play with, again, positive attitudes and willingness to adjust on the fly to make it a great game taking center stage as both team to keep things fun for the players. John Jackson really made a massive difference here as did both Generals. They did everything that they could to balance helping their sides win and at the same time make sure that the people out there had a good time. I couldn't have been more impressed with them or the players themselves, as they repeatedly threw themselves into missions that asked a lot of them.
That brought us to the final battle on day two, with Blue needing to hold all all but one slap stick throughout the final half hour of scoring to win to pull off the victory. The Texans take their final battles seriously and it showed. Both sides pressed hard with Blue taking the territory up the 50 and just absolutely refusing to give an inch up. Led by General Nunez, they were able to pull it off. It was extremely hard-fought win and a great fight put up by Zoey and her Red side. They were all great out there and it really could have gone either way.
That brought us to the final battle on day two, with Blue needing to hold all all but one slap stick throughout the final half hour of scoring to win to pull off the victory. The Texans take their final battles seriously and it showed. Both sides pressed hard with Blue taking the territory up the 50 and just absolutely refusing to give an inch up. Led by General Nunez, they were able to pull it off. It was extremely hard-fought win and a great fight put up by Zoey and her Red side. They were all great out there and it really could have gone either way.
Glo-Ball does indeed glow!
But honestly, from my point of view, that wasn't what I'll remember. It was the players and their attitudes. If there was a prize in the mission, it was chaos in the best way. If an issue arose, it was them saying, 'No problem...let's go with a this solution and roll onto the next.' It was them attacking each mission or challenge and figuring it out. It was figuring out an old field's new tricks. They threw themselves into everything they did 100% and just seemed happy to do it. I could not have been more impressed with all of the players. The vibe out there was fantastic.
After the game ended, Committed wasn't done. In what was a highlight of the weekend, they gave an award to the founder of the field, celebrating his 30 year legacy of Houston and TXR Paintball. And then they gave away enough gear that it would make any wallet cry, as is their custom. And they let the crowd know that this was the beginning, not the end, of these events.
After the game ended, Committed wasn't done. In what was a highlight of the weekend, they gave an award to the founder of the field, celebrating his 30 year legacy of Houston and TXR Paintball. And then they gave away enough gear that it would make any wallet cry, as is their custom. And they let the crowd know that this was the beginning, not the end, of these events.
A good image of all things Twister on a player
And I couldn't write this and not mention a few people and their hard work. Brock Frieszell, Dave Patton, and Ross Wishnia put in a ton of work not only on game days but in the last couple of days leading up to it. Their work made the games better for everyone while asking nothing in return. This game, and honestly paintball wherever they are involved, is better because of them. They were integral in so many aspects of the game, and I cannot thank you all enough. Travis, the head ref, was a tireless marvel out there before, during, and after the game and his reffing crew were working their butts off. All of you did a fantastic job. So thank you guys. You're the best.
So how did the event go? The feedback that we got so far was that the players had a great time. That was 100% the goal and if we got there, then the event was a complete win. Everything after that is just gravy. Are there some areas of improvement for the event? Sure, as there are for most new things. Is there a drive to make it a destination event for those in and outside of Texas? Absolutely, From our point of view, it was a great starting point and a building block to start as next year's floor. So, to bring it back to Committed Paintball original mission statement---it's time to take this thing and raise the bar. And that includes this game. Next year's goal is to blow this puppy out of the water. Hope to see you there.
So how did the event go? The feedback that we got so far was that the players had a great time. That was 100% the goal and if we got there, then the event was a complete win. Everything after that is just gravy. Are there some areas of improvement for the event? Sure, as there are for most new things. Is there a drive to make it a destination event for those in and outside of Texas? Absolutely, From our point of view, it was a great starting point and a building block to start as next year's floor. So, to bring it back to Committed Paintball original mission statement---it's time to take this thing and raise the bar. And that includes this game. Next year's goal is to blow this puppy out of the water. Hope to see you there.
Travis, Head Ref and unsung hero of the weekend