PRZ's Conquer The Asylum - A Weekend of Firsts

Storm Warning:

So there was a storm warning for much of the Picton / Prince Edward County area when my buddy Carden and I departed from Oshawa on Friday morning. We're not sure what happened, but I'm happy to say that despite the insane weather here in the Shwa and in parts around, Picton (and PRZ) were spared any such conditions with sunlight and ~30 degree temperatures all weekend.

Now to the good stuff!

Setting Precedents:

This was a BIG game for me on a number of levels. First off, my buddy Jay "Monk" Hebert from WCP Canadian Corps was signed up for his first-ever role as a general and he honoured me by picking me as one of his 20 lieutenants.


Off the break of a major PRZ game it's the lieutenants who're sent in as a first-strike group (action, not the ammunition) to compete against the opposing team's Lt's for control of the ever-critical warehouse slapstick and the territory around it. This position lead to two more 'firsts' for me in that I switched the warehouse flag (my first contested capture) and I shot out three players attempting to gain entry into the warehouse and its sniper tower (my first eliminations with my new Etha nicknamed "Lily").

My luck didn't last long however, as the hopper I was using took a shot from a weird angle not too much later into the game and snapped the clip that holds the lid down. I spent the vast majority of the event without a marker but still managed to thoroughly enjoy myself as I took on the role of a field commander, organizing players and calling out enemy positions.


The game itself started getting a bit one-sided with our side taking a decisive lead which was when the Dead Men Walking agreed to switch sides and support the Punishers. This act of amazing sportsmanship won them the "Most Sportsmanlike Team" award from BOTH sides. Yup, DMW set a PRZ Paintball first by being the ONLY team thus far to have been award the Mo-Spo title from both of an event's generals. In my opinion it was well-earned. The Dead Men Walking are a group that focused first and foremost on growing the sport through responsible, fair play and they pride themselves on making sure that every team member conducts themselves with the paintball community's best interests in mind. Keep an eye on them folks, I know you'll be hearing a LOT more about their exploits in the years to come.

Another couple of firsts that came about over the weekend were my first melee 'kill' and my first (successful) flag rush which both came about due to a focus on stealthy play and more importantly, a LOT of luck. I managed to commando-crawl my way to within 6' of the cemetery flag before signalling the 2nd story window gunners to open fire and cover my vault over the long 'n low concrete slab on the border of the cemetery's flag area. If it weren't for the covering fire there's no way I'd have made it to the flag much less switching it without taking any fire from the enemy team. My melee 'kill' came from patience and again, more dumb luck as I advanced alone (after my backup was eliminated) commando-crawling through some long grass before a player ran past me and slid into the bunker I'd just left which is when I jumped up and pod tagged him. The funny part? It wasn't even my pod... I'd scavenged it only seconds earlier.

The Scenario:

What is there to say that hasn't already been said about Kyle Lecuyer's scenarios at the PRZ Asylum Series events? The guy knows how to create a story and how to work that dramatic backdrop around the field which, in my opinion, is second to none.

It sure doesn't hurt to have a field unlike any other to design your scenario around, but Kyle seems to understand the pivotal concept of balance in scenario design. Missions are challenging but not impossible, scoring is dramatic but fair, and there are enough independent missions to make it possible to still be a contender if you don't manage to accomplish the linked objectives. Have there been fumbles? Sure, the season opener was pretty rough but that's going to happen as a simple part of growing and developing as an organizer. I have to give Kyle and PRZ a solid 8/10 for the overall playability of the Conquer the Asylum scenario event. There are little tweaks and changes that could be made (having two days of objectives would definitely bring out more players for the second day, especially since it was a long weekend) but overall it was a very solid scenario and I had an absolute blast.

Awards:

Every Asylum Series event concludes with awards being handed out to the players and teams that earned them that day. Here's a quick summary of the awards from Conquer and the recipients:

Most Valuable Player:

Dylan James Swann
Tanya Langlois of Omega's Curse

Most Valuable Team:

Shadow Wolves
Citrus Connection (Who later dedicated it to Omega's Curse for their efforts)

Most Sportsmanlike Team:

Dead Men Walking (Awarded by BOTH generals)

Most Formidable Opponent (MoFo):

WCP Canadian Corps
Punishers

The Wrap-Up:

Alright folks that about does it for this article. I know I haven't been on here with any new material in a long time and I apologize for the hiatus. I'll be covering as much as I can from now on as long as school allows me the time with the upcoming semester fast approaching.

It's been a pleasure writing another article and I hope you all enjoy it. Please remember to leave your thoughts in the comments section and to head over to the team pages (they're all hyperlinked and just a click away in the article) and give those guys some 'likes' on Facebook. They all play hard, with a TONNE of heart and they deserve the recognition. If you've come across this article from somewhere OTHER than my Facebook page, head over to The Noob Baller and 'like' the page for immediate updates whenever a new article is posted and to keep up with my paintball adventures.

And as always folks, until next time...

Keep calm and throw paint!

Joshua J. Taylor - The Noob Baller