TSSOC News
12/21/09 - PaintballX3 Magazine sponsors Tri-State Special Operations Command!
Scenario powerhouse Tri-State Special Operations Command is thrilled to announce a sponsorship agreement with
PaintballX3 Magazine for the 2010 season. Recognized as the fastest-growing paintball news and information resource, PaintballX3 has selected Tri-State as the only scenario team to enter this exclusive partnership. Together, TSSOC and X3 will create exclusive content, including coverage of TSSOC's entire 2010 schedule, gear reviews, interviews and more. X3 will also provide the team with space to share information about TSSOC-produced scenario games, sponsor products, and schedule updates.
Josh Silverman, Associate Editor of PaintballX3, is excited about the deal.
"After meeting and getting to know the members of TSSOC, it became clear to me that these people love paintball, are able to play intensely and be successful on the field while keeping fun and camaraderie at the forefront and are well respected in the scenario paintball world. These are qualities that we at PaintballX3 Magazine feel are great for paintball we are thrilled about the opportunity to craft a relationship with the TSSOC!"
"Over the last several years TSSOC has become more than a team of scenario players, and this partnership gives us the opportunity to showcase that," says Chris "Topher" Matsinger, TSSOC's team captain.
"The coverage Paintball X3 offers allows us to give exposure to new sponsor products, promote TSSOC-produced scenario events, and share our love for the game with our community. We could not have wished for a better opportunity than to work with PaintballX3."
PaintballX3 offers unbiased and professional coverage of the three major parts of the paintball world: gear, tournament paintball and recreational/scenario paintball from some of the most respected names in paintball journalism. For more information, visit
www.paintballX3.com.
11/21/09 - Tri-State Special Operations Command takes Most Valuable Team at SplatBrothers' Mask of The Red Death
TSSOC once again took to I-95 southbound to play in the "Mask of the Red Death" presented by SplatBrothers Paintball in beautiful Hopewell, Virginia. Based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story of the same name the game pitted the plague-infected Peasants under the command of Team BeBop's "Jet" against Prince Prospero's sequestered Nobles, led by Lufen, also of Team BeBop. True to Poe's tale the Nobles have sequestered themselves inside of Prospero's abbey to protect themselves from contracting a terrible disease that has devastated their lands and Peasantry. The Peasants have something else in mind as they race towards the abbey seeking shelter from the oncoming pestilence. Can the Nobles keep the diseased rabble of commoners at bay and survive the great plague? Will the Peasants penetrate the inner cloister of the abbey and infect the huddled Nobles with the dreaded Red Death? With such a unique and fascinating game ahead of them Tri-State's warriors eagerly stood ready for the start of the coming battle.
Playing for the Peasant side TSSOC took to the field and received their first orders of the day: Move into and secure Maze City, an area of the field notorious for its dense foliage, vicious ambushes and intense, close-quarter firefights. Led by Captain Chris "Topher" Matsinger, Tri-State's shooters hoped to reach the objective before the forces of the Nobles could. Arriving to find the Maze uncontested Tri-State quickly established a perimeter and secured the objective accomplishing the mission and earning the first points of the day for their team. In a matter of seconds a massive contingent of Noble forces arrived on station and began attacking Maze City. Having already achieved their mission and wanting to maintain Tri-State's combat effectiveness, Topher ordered his men into a fighting withdrawal back to friendly territory and awaited further orders. From that point on Tri-State moved quickly accomplishing a large number of missions with near impunity while also turning back Noble attacks on the Peasant base. Running alongside Assault and Battery and SoVa made life a lot nicer for Tri-State with each team leading coordinated attacks making the Peasant side run with efficient precision. On the other side of the field the Death Dealers gave TSSOC fits all day with superb play. It is a rare treat to play against a bunch of guys committed to fair play and good ol' fashioned southern hospitality.
At the end of the day the Peasants were able to get the best of the Nobles and securing the win with a score of 55,000 to 48,000 points. This was one of the best games all year for Tri-State with fierce competition, excellent camaraderie, and extremely fair play. For their efforts Tri-State Special Operations Command was awarded Most Valuable Team for the Peasant forces. General Jet stated "TSSOC, what else can I say you guys ruled the field, stuck with me and stayed on the field walking up and down those dang hills all day long, you guys earned MVT hands down, thank you again for all the efforts." And perhaps best summing up TSSOC's day at Splatbrothers, John "Thunder" DePaolantonio added "I've heard it before and I'll say it again. WOW!!! What a great time playing at Splat brothers. I think it was one of the best games I've played in the last 2 years and a great way to end the season."
10/24/09 - Tri-State invades Plattekill, NY for Black Market War's Battle for Heartbreak Ridge
TSSOC made its first, and certainly not last, trip to the famous World Cup Woodsball fields of Paintball Sports Inc. to take part in what shaped up to be one of the finest paintball events the team has ever attended. Hosted by Daniel "Barney" Alamo the "Battle for Heartbreak Ridge" was based upon the Korean War battle of the same name. The game pitted two of the game's heavyweights as generals featuring Eric Engler heading up the U.N. Forces while Sean Scott led the K.P.A. into battle. The game also featured an all-new format emphasizing role play and encouraging players to think before they simply pulled the trigger. The two-day event proved to be nothing short of spectacular as Tri-State fielded the Tippmann X7 Phenom for the first time in a public scenario game.
True to history, the game started off with the U.N. forces attacking the K.P.A. from the bottom of a steep ridge. In a drenching downpour on Saturday Tri-State continually pounded the opposition from the steepest part of the ridge alongside the rest of the U.N. forces over and over again despite getting pushed back repeatedly from well entrenched K.P.A. Over the ensuing hours and with intense fire fights back and forth the ridge was finally controlled by U.N. forces. TSSOC was ordered to provide base security for the U.N. general midday and were tested by a rogue enemy force who had managed to make their way through much of the U.N.'s side. Tri-State held off any advance the opposition made towards them before giving way to U.N. reinsertions. Pushing the battle line back towards the base of the K.P.A., the U.N. forces slogged through the mud for much of the day. Alongside fellow U.N. teams such as Blue's Crew and Wild Cards, Tri-State eventually found themselves at the door step of the enemy base and in a crushing maneuver dismantled the enemy side and overran their base.
On Sunday the weather was near perfect for paintball and TSSOC hit the field tasked with holding the right side of the ridge. Both sides took heavy losses as the ridge was assaulted early before the U.N. side once again pushed onto the K.P.A. base. Tri-State spearheaded an assault against an opposing enemy insertion freeing up the rest of the U.N. line to capture the base and recover props for the winning effort.
The U.N. side earned a well fought victory and Tri-State was pleased to have played a part in it. The X7 Phenoms proved their worth performing admirably given the playing conditions on Saturday. Many players approached the team's base camp to get a look at Tippmann's new marker as they left the field. The game lived up to all of the hype and the field and it's host truly made the weekend all that it was.
10/21/09 - TSSOC Review of the new Tippmann X-7 Phenom!
The secret is out and Tri-State Special Operations Command is here to confirm that the next evolution in marker design is here with Tippmann's new X-7 Phenom. On the surface the new marker closely resembles the X-7 but looks can be deceiving. Under the hood of the all-aluminum receiver of this mil-sim beauty features a completely new "Flex Valve" technology that offers the smooth, kick-free, regulated low-pressure operation of a high-end electro. Now before you get concerned that this will make things more complicated let us put your fears to rest as Tippmann has completely maintained it's legendary reliability and simplicity. The Phenom delivers everything a hard core paintballer or someone new to the game could ever want and more. Performance, reliability, and customization all blended together for pure paintball goodness!
9/12/09 - West Point Fall Combat Classic
The morning of September 12, 2009 started out like any other for the players of the West Point Fall game. Both sides awoke to the concussive scream of artillery blasts and hiss of machine gun fire at 6 AM on a cool rainy morning eager to see what the Cadets from West Point had in store for them.
At game start, TSSOC, alongside the rest of the American troops, climbed the mountain side they were to fight up for the weekend. Japanese troops came crashing down at TSSOC from the mountain top with an intensity nearly unmatched. Immediately the American side knew it would be a hard fought battle for every inch of dirt and mud that they could earn. But even with all the efforts the American side could muster, the Japanese side pushed the Americans back down the mountain all day Saturday. Despite every last ounce of effort and constant bombardment of troops to get to the top of the hill the Japanese held a decisive lead in points at the end of the first day.
Artillery and machine gun fire once again cut into the cool air Sunday morning readying both sides for the battle ahead. Tired from the arduous combat and the dreary weather on Saturday, TSSOC and their stalwart American allies once again clambered from their racks to recommence the attack on the Japanese held hill. Sunday brought a new life to the American side who, with renewed effort and determination, continued to push with all the strength they could muster and fought back to close the point gap. By the day's end and the sound of the final horn the Japanese forces came out victorious.
This game was well fought and executed from both sides of the battlefield. As usual, cadets of West Point put on an awesome event, taking the time and effort to set up a truly realistic and historically-based game, and Tri-State salutes them for all of their work. The terrain at West Point is second to none in the paintball world and TSSOC will be coming back for sure in 2010.
8/30/09 - TSSOC has a "Phenom"enal weekend at the Tippmann Extravaganza!
Over the weekend of August 29, 2009 this year's edition of the Tippmann Extravaganza, produced by Viper Scenarios, was held at EMR Paintball Park in New Milford, PA and TSSOC was there to take part in all of the fun. It was a rare game from the general standpoint as both were first timers in the role adding more intrigue to another quality paintball event put on by Kerry "Viper" Rosenberry and his staff. Tri-State played on the Delta Force side for Jason "Wyrm" Rossow and was immediately put to the test by the opposition. Lt. Chris "DeathX" Crawford remarked, "I never had such a good time getting destroyed as I did..."
Indeed the Russian forces beat back the Delta side all weekend frequently overrunning the Delta Force base. With superior numbers, the Russian side kept Wyrm's forces contained but they continued to fight hard throughout the weekend. Rephy, captain of Ambush Alpha/Joint Fury said, "DeathX, you did your team proud. I was done for the day at the final battle and watched you time and time again run out under heavy fire, never giving up, as well as many others." TSSOC never quit bringing the heat time and time again in a valiant effort to turn the tide on the Russians. In the end the Russian side prevailed in a well earned victory.
All was not lost for the TSSOC's in attendance as they were asked by Tippmann to wield the brand-new Tippmann X-7 Phenom markers while they shot video footage for the upcoming Tippmann X-7 Phenom launch video. It was Tri-State's first foray into video production and the results came out fantastic. Check out the X-7 Phenom launch video on
Tippmann.com for more details and to see TSSOC in action.
7/18/09 - Tri-State wins Sportsmanship Award at ION 2009!
Skirmish's Invasion of Normandy is one of the largest annual paintball events and this year was no different as 3500 players gathered for the one amazing weekend of paintball! TSSOC took a command role in the game and First Lieutenant DeathX stepped up as Bravo Company Commander for the Allied forces - working heavily with the Allied General on the battle strategy in the months leading up to the game.
Tensions were high Saturday morning as Tri-State and their Allied brothers prepared for the most intense two hours of pure chaos found in paintball - the Beach Invasion. When the boat gates dropped, the Allied forces pushed hard on the German front and did not stop until they were at the tree line. Allies concentrated on one section of the front and coordinated wave after wave of attack until the line was broken.
After a successful beach invasion, the Germans stuck it to the Allied forces - almost crushing their resolve. The battles were hard-fought with the Germans maintaining a solid lead throughout the day. However, night play marked a turnaround in the momentum of the game, allowing the Allies to scratch and claw to within striking distance to the German point total.
After hearing news of our night play success, the rest of the Allied forces came out strong on day two. The battle turned for both sides all day until the final hours of the game. The Allies fought valiantly but in the end the German forces were too overwhelming and scored a victory.
At the conclusion of the scenario, TSSOC was honored to receive the
Sportsmanship Award for the Allied forces. The team sincerely appreciated recognition for playing with honor and fairness throughout the game - not an easy task at a game like ION.
6/6/09 - TSSOC's Ram earns most valuable player at BioWars 2 at Skirmish
MECKESVILLE, PA - Tri-State ventured once again to the fields of Skirmish to participate in BioWars 2, a G-Force Production continuing the battles of the Villagers, Mercenaries, and Mutants for the island of Thorpia. Joined by members of Help Nelson, Team Infamous, and 13th Legionnaires, TSSOC took the role of the Mutants, led by Grazi of The 13th Legionnaires.
The skies were cloudy and grey in the early morning, but the weather cleared for a fantastic day of paintball. Fighting odds of 2 to 1 or greater, TSSOC took the field with a commanding presence from the first whistle, which was evident as the walk-on players fell in line with the team and made some very good pushes to secure flag stations around the field. Good communications and the new Multicam uniforms helped the team consistently be a thorn in the side of the Opfor throughout the day.
TSSOC was a major force to be reckoned with in the final battle of the game. Paint rained down on the opposing forces as the Mutant forces scored a decisive win. In the end though, it would not be enough, as the overwhelming numbers facing the team prevented an overall Mutant victory. The day was not a complete loss for Tri-State though, as Corporal Ralph "Ram" Mastrangelo scored his first
Most Valuable Player award for his role as the Mutant team Ambassador.
Although bruised and exhausted at the end of the day, TSSOC looks forward to once again being a dominant force at the conclusion of the BioWars trilogy next year!
5/30/09 - Tri-State Special Operations Command Takes on NVA Regulars at New Jersey NAM
With its brutal ambushes, grueling trench warfare, exhilarating tank engagements and ferocious night fighting, New Jersey NAM is one of the most anticipated and well-attended games in the mid-Atlantic region each year. Hosted by USANA shooting club, NJ NAM is the high-water mark of the spring scenario paintball season, and Tri-State came out to battle in this excellent arena. This year, the playing field was quite different than in years past, with an unusual horseshoe-like shape that contained a wide variety of terrain features. This setup would be sure to put their training and tactical thinking to the test, Tri-State was eager for the battle to begin!
From the start of the game, Tri-State seized the initiative, moving rapidly toward their objective and leading the American forces into battle. It was the area of elaborate trenches and dense foliage at the field's most narrow section, known as Firebase Charlie, which was Tri-State's primary objective. Charged with pushing the flanks while their allies held the center of the American line, Tri-State arrived to find Firebase Charlie already in the hands of the North Vietnamese, who were heavily dug-in and supported by several armored vehicles. Undaunted, Tri-State pushed forward, assaulting under heavy enemy fire and outflanking the entrenched NVA regulars, establishing a base of fire and dispatching their elite anti-armor units to destroy the enemy tanks. The North Vietnamese, now facing an onslaught from three sides, fell back to secondary defensive positions to slow the American advance. With Firebase Charlie secured, the American forces consolidated their foothold on this vital objective while Tri-State continued their push toward the enemy base.
Throughout the battle, Tri-State's warriors were in the thick of the battle, disrupting enemy reinforcements, leading American units, and completing missions assigned by American command. One such mission in particular would throw Tri-State into the middle of a genuine, large scale tank battle! Ordered to take and hold a vital crossroads for use by American armor, Tri-State secured the objective as numerous American armor units rolled past. The North Vietnamese, however, had armor units of their own, and were not going to allow the Americans to own this vital position without a fight! With vehicle after vehicle joining the melee and tank rounds flying, Tri-State members set about eliminating the enemy's infantry, leaving AMerican armor free to engage the enemy tanks and open up the road to the enemy's headquarters. By the end of the second day, Tri-State and the American forces had secured enough points for a victory in the battle, and Tri-State salutes the North Vietnamese forces for their fair play and tenacious opposition. Tri-State had an excellent game, and will be eagerly awaiting next year's exciting New Jersey NAM!
5/3/09 - Tri-State earns MVT and scores a win at Junkyard Wars 2!
30% chance of rain turned into a torrential downfall for most of the day at LVP South in Hatfield PA, where team Hellkatz put on Junkyard Wars 2 - a scenario pitting Fred Sanford and his cronies against Fat Albert's crew in a war over the junkyard. Tri-State played for Fat Albert, headed up by JPazz of team Wulfpak, taking on the Sanford teams including the 13th Legionnaires, Barney and Friends, Joint Fury, and Ambush Alpha to name a few. Tri-State knew it would be a tough day going up against such competition and was ready for the challenge.
Tri-State hit the field and immediately and secured the right flank of the soaking, muddy field - moving up to take a key objective and complete the first mission of the day. Throughout the battle, TSSOC completed many missions and pushed the line further and further toward the Sanford base. As the rain continued, many players started having problems with equipment - however, Tri-State had no issues with their all-weather Tippmann X-7s, playing through the heaviest downpour we have seen in years!
The final battle pitted Fat Albert's crew attacking the Sanford team in LVP's central fort structure. Fat Albert pushed quickly to the perimeter and in a short time, TSSOC members were breaching the structure on two walls simultaneously! The final horn sounded a victory for the Fat Albert Crew!
TSSOC members also filled some of the player-roles for Fat Albert's Crew, including Professor as Donald, Ram as Harold, Bulldog as Bucky and Keg as the Brown Hornet. Player roles were a huge factor in the game, negotiating deals with other role-players, gathering intel and buying and selling game props that contributed to a really fun scenario game.
At the post-game ceremony, TSSOC was awarded the
Most Valuable Team for the Fat Albert Crew! Tri-state would like to thank all the great teams and players who came out to play in the soaking slug-fest at the junkyard!
4/18/09 - TSSOC battles the occult at Splatbrothers Paintball Park
Hopewell, Virginia – Tri-State Special Operations Command paintball team made the journey down to Splatbrothers Paintball Park once again for one of their largest games of the season: Hellstorm of the Third Reich, fighting for the Allied forces under the command of General Nyxx Valor of Team Solace in their battle against General MJ of team Pub Crawling and his seasoned German forces. With the quality of the teams arrayed against them, Tri-State knew that this would be a hard-fought battle, and were eagerly waiting to hit the field!
At game start, Tri-State rushed to their objective - take and hold Concrete City and wait for reinforcements to hold back the German forces. TSSOC arrived at Concrete City just as their German counterparts started taking up position. Knowing Concrete City was key to the entire Allied left flank, Tri-State's XO, Capt. Chris "Topher" Matsinger ordered his men forward, with instructions to breach and sweep each structure and dig the enemy out of their positions. Despite taking heavy casualties, Tri-State was able to take a large number of enemy held positions before allied reinforcements relieved them. Through the rest of the day, Tri-State was utilized constantly by the Allied general in completing missions, strong-pointing enemy forces, and rallying Allied troops.
As the Sun faded and night fell upon the field, Tri-State was called upon once more to engage the German forces - this time in the impenetrable darkness. Using their extensive night-fighting training and tactics, Tri-State maneuvered carefully though the blackness, foiling several German attempts to break the Allied perimeter to eliminate their general. Despite the efforts of Tri-State and the Allied forces, the Germans were able to break through Allied defenses and score a number of general kills, giving them a point lead before play broke for the night.
As the game restarted Sunday morning, the Allies were determined to make up for some lost ground. They hit the unsuspecting Germans hard from the opening whistle, pushing them back to their inner defensive perimeter. While the German forces were occupied with the defense of their headquarters, Tri-State set about completing as many missions as possible. The German counteroffensive was a tenacious one, and Tri-State members were tasked with plugging holes in the line to prevent a German breakout. Through their persistence, the Allied forces were able to make up much of the point difference from the previous day's play.
Despite the Allies' courageous comeback on day two, the Germans had secured enough points on the first day to give them the overall point lead and the win for the game. Both sides fought with honor, and Tri-State salutes the German forces for their hard-earned victory. The team had an excellent time in Virginia, and would like to thank Splatbrothers and Team Assault and Battery for putting on such an excellent and well-organized scenario game.
3/1/09 - TSSOC hosts Applicant/Training Day at PocoLoco Paintball
March 1 marked TSSOC's first applicant recruiting and training event for 2009. The team met nine new recruits at our home field
Poco Loco Paintball for a day of evaluation and training led by our Recruit Evaluation and Assessment Combat Team (REACT) NCOICs Pete "Keg" Walker and Simon "Bulldog" Nadler.
The day began with a brief introduction from each of our applicants followed by some kind words of encouragement from our senior NCO SGM Nightmare.
"You have to earn your place on this team! We don't just hand these patches out to anyone who shows up with a marker! Everything you do from here on out will be a test and we will be watching."
TSSOC broke into two squads to begin the day's drills on Poco's Deadwood field where we enjoyed a little force-on-force gameplay amongst the numerous buildings and bunkers across the field. We then moved up to the castle to practice some close-quarter combat and taking a reinforced structure. We took a short break where TSSOC's Training team reviewed some basic hand signals, formations, and movement drills and then moved the squads up to Shanghai Village to continue our evaluations and training exercises.
At the end of the day Tri-State was impressed with what we saw in our newest crop of recruits! The team would like to thank the applicants for bringing their "A" game all day and for showing us what you are made of. Some of these applicants will surely prove they have what it takes to be a member of TSSOC!
1/25/09 - TSSOC earns Most Valuable Team award at Hawaii scenario "A Royal Wedding"
For the second year in a row, Tri-State Special Operations Command made the journey from Philadelphia, PA to Oahu, Hawaii for fun, sun and scenario paintball. "A Royal Wedding," presented by Island Paintball and Oahu Scenarios was a two-day scenario game based on the film The Princess Bride. TSSOC chose to play for the vicious yet hilarious Pirate team again, hoping for a bit of a rematch from last year. Last year's trip to the Hawaii was one of Tri-State's most memorable expeditions of the season, and with this year's game promising to be even more action-packed, Tri-State's shooters couldn't wait for the game to begin!
With the bellowing sound of an air horn, the game was on. Right from the beginning Tri-State was tasked with whipping around the enemy's flanks and engaging them from the rear. Tri-State was able to penetrate deep behind enemy lines, disrupting enemy communications and allowing the primary Pirate strike force to quickly overrun the headquarters of their Goon foes. All through the day, Tri-State worked closely with their commanding officer to maximize their tactical usefulness and bring in the most points possible for the Pirate forces. Tri-State's own Sgt. Michael "Chops" Zigon used his tactical knowledge and radio protocols to act as liaison between the General's overall strategy and the troops in the field. Despite spending much of the first day defending their headquarters, the Pirates still managed to score quality points by completing mission after mission.
By the second day, Tri-State's shooters had mastered the terrain and were using it to their advantage to accomplish their objectives.
"This jungle setting is unbelievable, and is completely different from anything you would see back on the east coast," said Tri-State Private Sean "Khaos" Farley. In one particular mission, Tri-State was tasked with building a flower arrangement as a gift for the Princess Butterfinger while on the move and taking sniper fire from all sides. Though the Pirates held on to a slight lead by the end of the second day, the unrelenting determination of the Goon forces threatened that lead at every turn and forced Tri-State to remain on its guard if they wanted to hold onto it.
After two hard fought days of paintball in the Hawaiian jungle, the moment came for the final battle. In the center of the field stood the Princess, who needed to be escorted by either side back to that side's base for the win. With the point count so tight, the Pirate forces needed a win in this battle to solidify their victory. Despite a fearsome volley of fire by Goon forces, the Pirate forces were able to secure the Princess and escort her back unharmed in under four minutes.
At the end of the weekend, a battered yet resolute Pirate force scored a victory over their relentless Goon foes. For the second year in a row, Tri-State Special Operations Command was awarded the
Most Valuable Team for the Pirate forces! TSSOC salutes our opposing Goon forces and thanks them for a hard-fought and honorable game! Tri-State would also like to thank
Island Paintball for always being such quality hosts, Gary Baum of
Paintball Photography and our new and old friends from the island including Argent Force, Damage Inc, and Lockdown.
