ENDORSEMENTS:

NPL receives a very positive endorsement from “Barney” the Purple Paintball Scenario Player, who says that the new league looks good and that he’ll be recommending it to his scenario playing buddies.

Barney has been an institution at east coast scenario games for several years now, easily recognizable in his purple gear. Recently Barney was featured in Scenario Paintball Films debut video – Basic Painting – which is now available through www.scenariopaintballfilms.com and from www.RAP4.com.

RULES:

The NPL rulebook is being finalized at this very moment.  Two developments that will be of interest to players:

Rules are based on the original NPPL tournament in the woods format (from 1992) and will also adopt a “yellow card/red card” cumulative penalty system.

In essence: a team or player accumulating more than a certain number of infractions is ‘Yellow carded’.  Any penalties incurred by the team from that point on are increased by a set amount (1 for 1 becomes 2 for 1, for example).

A team or player that is yellow carded and receives a certain number of additional infractions is ‘Red carded’.  Penalties are increased again and the team retains this status at future events – starting out at yellow card levels upon the receipt of a single penalty.

Teams and players that are Red carded have a limited number of penalties they can incur before they are disqualified from play.

SOCIAL NETWORK:

In an effort to encourage a positive playing environment and finally putting to bed the myth that there are no consequences for cheaters, NPL will be maintaining a Wall of Shame for both players and teams.

Details are not finalized, but the wall will list league players and/or teams that are charged by the league with having incurred beyond a certain number of penalties during play or who have been penalized for committing major infractions – such as wiping, unsportsmanlike conduct, fighting & etc.

Players and teams listed on the Wall of Shame will have had their penalty(s) verified and reported by a League Representative and will have had a chance for review by the league prior to being listed.

ALL penalties handed out during play will be listed in the game stats area of the web site; individuals, fields and other teams will be able to look at the cumulative information.

EVENT:

The first official event of the NPL is being scheduled for the North East and will likely take place at an historically significant paintball facility during March or April of 2010.

Details will be forth coming the week of December 13th.

LEAGUE REPRESENTATIVES:

Several individuals have already signed up to learn more about the program.  You aren’t going to become independently wealthy – but you will be able to make some playing money.  The evaluation and rules program is currently under development and will be send to those individuals expressing interest.

Contact NPL here at editor@68caliber.com if you are interested.

WEBSITE:

A new website with the name www.NationalPumpLeague.com is being constructed and will link to the same NPL forum that 68Caliber currently links to.  Game data, team data, schedule, rules, photos and stories concerning league play will be available on the site.

GRAPHICS:

NPL is looking for a graphics designer.  Contact editor@68caliber.com with your rates if you are interested.

COMMUNITY:

As things have evolved at NPL over the past couple of months, it has become clear that the “league” has not been specific about one important element:  despite the name (National Pump League) the NPL is designed more as a community or club than just a sports league.  What that will come to mean over time will be largely up to the participants, because the other thing that we want to stress right now is this: the league is ruled by the local level.  If you need a rule to change and doing so will mean you’ll play more and have more fun, well then by god we’ll change it!

Basically it comes down to this: you are already going to be playing.  All the NPL is really doing is adding a little gravy, a little credit and a very, very minimal level of organization to what you are already doing.  So why not play and get something for it for a change?