On a scale of one to 99, how bad can paintball be? This was the collective thought of my 10-member entourage, as we stepped into Planet Adventure, located opposite Thiruvanmaiyur beach. It turned out to be so bad that it was actually good. “The format of the game is almost like a war scene. In such a case, how do you come up with a defence mechanism? That’s paintball for you,” explained paintball trainer Amarnath G, who has been with Planet Adventures for the last four years. And soon, we were split into two teams — Team Black and Team Yellow — consisting of five each. I belonged to the former. “If the player’s hit anywhere in the body in round one, then he/she is out. However, in Round 2, there’s no rule as such and the players can play till they’re out of pellets,” said Amarnath, adding, “If a player is hit in the second round, he/she needs to get back to their respective base and start afresh.”

Calm before the storm

“Do not remove your face mask at any cost, even if you’re out,” announced Amarnath, while we tried to camouflage ourselves with the quintessential “paintball gear” — chest guards, neck guards and face masks. A word of caution, though, one may have feelings of suffocation at first, especially with the face mask on. The seaside breeze doesn’t help either. Who said paintball isn’t...breathtaking?

Players have to take one shot at a time   | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The competing teams will have to play two rounds, with no definitive timing per se. But if it goes beyond 15 minutes, then the marshal (read: referee) would stop the game midway. “Players will have to maintain a bunker gap (five feet) distance, that is, from each other before taking the shot,” warned Amarnath, as he handed over the semi-automatic guns — where the trigger needs to be pulled every time to release a pellet. Each player is provided with 25 pellets for each round and if someone gets out in the first round, the remaining pellets will be considered as a carryover to Round 2. The thumb rule is; if I’m hit in the first round, I need to raise my hand, claim my defeat, walk through the corner and exit the arena. And the most important instruction of all: “Do not shoot the marshal, for he’s not your enemy!”

The mission, should we choose to accept it, was simple: to seize the opposing team’s flag, which, again, can be accomplished in two ways; assassinate every remaining opponent coming in our way or trudge through the ground, escaping bullets, sorry, pellets. I, or rather my team, chose the latter without being considerate of the consequences that were about to follow.

The lone survivor

As both teams entered the arena, we mocked each other with the customary “see you on the other side” message, quickly taking cover in our respective bases. Once the game began, I was pleasantly surprised by my teammate, who, quite instinctively, buried herself behind a bunker; taking small, but confident steps. I pinned all my hopes on her, given her fascination for men in uniform.

The game barely began, but fire was exchanged from both ends hitting random spots, clearly indicating the vengeance we had for one another. Team Yellow had their strategy — squat and wait till the cows came home — well in place, but we had nothing of that sort, except to die another day. The first round ended on an underwhelming note for Team Black, as three of my teammates were out of ammo. We had a break for about 10 minutes, during which we laid out a plan as to what could have been done. All this happened when a player from Team Yellow suddenly blacked out. Well, what do they say about taking success to one’s head? She was advised against playing the next round, as if that would make any difference.

Players at Planet Adventures   | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The second round, thankfully, was far more engaging than the first, with players from both sides locking their respective targets. This time, though, I decided to spice up the game, opting for a suicide mission. That proud state of standing alone with rifles locked at me was a feeling that was ineffable. But this vanity, so to speak, went for a toss when I took the headshot. Equally courageous was Team Yellow’s star player, who wouldn’t just stop talking...even amidst shooting pellets! Some of us secretly wished that we aimed at his mouth, which was half-fulfilled when two of my teammates shot him right in the eye. Thanks to face masks, he escaped what could have been a serious blow. Even before we realised, our time was up and we cared less about who the winner was. Because, all that mattered was that... we had a ball.

Planet Adventure is at 8, Sri Krishna Enclave, Near Le Waterina, Water Land Drive, Kottivakkam. The game costs ₹400 on weekends and ₹350 on weekdays. For details, call 9600016350.

In this column, we hunt for adrenaline-filled activities in and around Chennai