Maneuvers- a new sport

Orienteering itself combines a couple skills: long distance running, and an aspect of woodscraft.

In Orienteering, one is given a map of a wooded terrain, but the map may be somewhat puzzling and incomplete. All of one's fellow competitors are given the same map.

There are (I believe) timeclocks hidden in strategic locations (or flags, or areas to make a mark, etc). And each competitor must run as fast as possible through this vague, semi-hidden course, find all the places on the map, and cross the finish line first. Hence, the name "Orienteering", because to win, you must keep yourself oriented at all times (or get back on track fast if you do become disoriented). It also helps to be a world class distance runner, of course, but since the time differences between world class distance runners tend to be small, the map reading and place finding talent can more than make up for being a little slower than your opponent.

BUT, what if you combine this with being able to shoot at your opponents with paintballs? This could introduce aggression, and a whole new level of strategy to orienteering.

The way I see this working is that several hits would each add to one's time (or alternately, could force one to have to run back to the last place marker). Finally, getting shot enough would eliminate you (perhaps being hit 3 times, or 5, or perhaps being hit in vital spots, like chest, back, or helmet).

Of course, SCORING hits would remove seconds OFF a players time (or again, alternately, perhaps allow him to skip a placemarker).

The way to introduce maximum chances for the orienteering aspect of Maneuvers to become a mock bloody battle would be to start everyone off at the same time, but at a different point, on a course that everyone most go around once, but that crosses back over itself a few times.

So there'd be three or 4 points on the course where you'd likely cross each other's paths, plus each player would have one opponent directly in front of them and directly behind them at the start. The staggering could be perhaps a hundred yards between each runner, so that no one could hit anyone when the race started, but within seconds, one might get close enough to start scoring hits, depending on foot speed, or how each player weaves through the course.

There might also be 3 or 4 places on the course (or 3 or 4 times, signalled by a siren) when each of the Maneuverers could decide to run off the path of the course, purposely sacrificing time in hopes of making it up through shooting people. This would introduce another strategic element, since you'd have to decide whether it made more sense to concentrate on running or shooting at any given moment.

I dont think this could be a spectator sport at the event itself, but with a few dozen well placed cameras, plus player cams on the gun or helmets, it would be great for TV (I've already seen paintball championships on TV, ESPN, I think, but they were trapped indoors, and spent most of their playing time frozen, hunched behind a wall and pulling the trigger 30 times a second, it seemed like. Not much action for a war simulation.)

In my version, though, the players would, as a rule, be constantly on the go, since there'd be long stretches where they'd be running alone. But they'd always have to be ready, on guard, for the next encounter with an opposing Maneuvers player.

There could the extra drama of a competitor trying to cross the finish line, but we (the spectators at home) know he's out of ammo. Bluffing could become involved, since his opponent(s) might not know that. And there could be a deal where knocking out an opponent with a fatal shot lets you seize their remaining ammo.