Rules

The 2012 Rules and Regulations!

Note: The only rule changing so far for 2012: We are going to lower the rate of fire. In 2011 the cap was 12 but this year it will be lowered to 10.

The Ultimate Woodsball League promotes safe, fair and competitive paintball games. The UWL efforts aim to make paintball more attractive for players and to help the unification of world paintball.

The UWL encourages all participants to use proper care to make our sport safer ‚ to wear approved goggles, block the barrels with barrel socks, keep the ball and muzzle velocity within safety limit, maintain gas cylinders in prescribed way and follow all additional safety rules on the playing fields, players area and around.

The UWL considers safety and fair play as our top priorities.

The general idea of the UWL format is below:

10 man game in the woods

Objective: to score as many points in 30 minutes by capturing objectives and bases.

30-minute game divided into three 10-minute periods.

Eliminated players will reinsert 10 and 20 minutes after game start.

General Information

The UWL website www.PlayUWL.com is the main source of information regarding whole league and each event in particular – Rules, Fees, Prizes, and Locations etc.

Field Size and Requirements

Fields will be wooded or built to create an enjoyable environment. No inflatable bunkers will be used.
All game fields shall be free from anything that would pose an unnecessary risk to players, including cliffs, areas with jagged rock. Etc.
Taking into account terrain, cover, ability to move, fire lanes and topography, game fields shall be balanced so that the better and more talented of two teams will usually win starting the game from either team flag station.
Fields shall be between 100 to 150 yards wide and 150 to 200 yards long.
Staging Areas will be located at each end of the field near the team‚ base. The staging Area is the area that teams will keep extra gear and alternates during the course of the game. It will be netted so players can take off their goggles.
Start Line will be located near the Staging area and the team‚ home base.
The ‚objective flags shall be located on the left and the right of the field and roughly equal distant from the two home bases. The distance between the objective flags and the bases will be approximately between 85 yards and 125 yards depending on the field and terrain. The distance between the two objectives should be far enough so that visual contact cannot be made from one objective flag to another.
Bases will be at each end of the field located near the start line and staging area

Entry Fees

Entry fees are:

Open Teams- $800.00 per team or $80 per person if registering individually.
Tactical Teams- $650.00 per team or $65 per person if registering individually

*Events in the US will be Bring your own paint events.

Player Cards and Classification

Each player on the roster will receive a position card prior to the start of the game. This card will be worn on the players goggle strap. The card will contain the player number used to track his personal stats. The card will also show what position the player is playing. The card is non transferable during each game.
No player will be allowed to play without the card.
There will be two divisions: Open and Tactical. Only 1 Pro or 1 Semi-Pro players allowed in Tactical division.

Rosters

Teams may have up to 15 players on their roster, but may field only a maximum of 9 players in any one-quarter, 10 with the addition of a sniper. A minimum of 6 players is required to field a team and avoid a forfeit.
Any player can be substituted at the re-insertion time.
A maximum of 4-pit crew are allowed in dead box. The pit crew is there to assist the team getting players ready for re-insertions. Pit crew cannot wear playing gear or substitute in the game
Players may appear on more than one team roster.
All players must be legally allowed to play in the country where the ongoing tournament takes place.
All teams must submit complete rosters at the registration. A team‚ rosters cannot be changed after the start of the tournament.
Each team must have 1 Captain, 1 Scout, 1 Heavy Weapon
Any team can field 1 Captain, 1 Scout, 1 Heavy Weapon, 6 Infantry + 1 Sniper

Positions

Position	Min Qty	Max Qty	Marker Class	Hopper Restriction	Abilities
Captain	1	1	C and lower	9 volt only	Set the roster, call in use of Special Weapon, communicate with officials
Heavy Weapon	1	1	D and lower	No
Scout	1	1	C and lower	9 volt only	Start 10 sec prior the rest
Sniper	0	1	A only		Additional player
Infantry	3	6	C and lower	9 volt only

Ranking and Seeding

Teams will be awarded seed points for placing at UWL and UWL sanctioned events. Seed point will be used to determine the UWL Champion as well as the UWL World Champion.
Teams will be awarded seed points based on their final finish at each event. The following chart illustrates the point system.

1st place	100pts	5	60	9	20	13	16	17	12
2	90	6	50	10	19	14	15	18	11
3	80	7	40	11	18	15	14	19	10
4	70	8	30	12	17	16	13	20 & below	9

Teams will also be awarded a 1/2 of a point for every additional team that takes part in each event, rounded up. For example, if an event has 15 teams in attendance, the winning team will be awarded 108 seed points (100 points for first place, and 7.5 additional points for the 15 teams in attendance). This is to reflect the added difficulty of winning a large event.
Teams will be seeded from 1st to last according to their Division and place therein. In the case of teams that have no ranking points during the previous season, they will be seeded in alphabetical order, not taking into account city, state etc.

Games

Teams will play 4 preliminary round games against teams from all divisions.
Teams will qualify for the final rounds based on their win loss record, teams with the most wins will move on to the next round.
If there are less than 8 teams in the Division, top 2 teams will move on to Finals.
If there are more than 8 teams in the division, the top 3 teams will qualify and play in a semi final round.
In the semi Final round 2nd will play 3rd, with the winners moving on to play for first and second. The Highest ranked team will move directly to final

Referee

Each field will be staffed with a minimum of five Field Referees plus one Head Referee. All Field Referees and Head Referees are under direct management of the Ultimate Referee.
Only referees authorized by the Head Referee of each field will be allowed to make calls on that field.
All referees shall perform their duties and shall make decisions in an unbiased manner. If any referee is found to have been bias in his refereeing activities, for or against any team, such person shall be dropped from the referee staff for the remainder of the tournament.
Referees will not provide information to teams during the game, except with respect to safety concerns, warnings, neutrality, and eliminations.
Referees will not, through action or inaction, deliberately reveal or conceal the locations or actions of players during the course of a game. Referees will not impede the progress of the game.
All calls and judgments on a field are subject to the review of the Head Referee for that field. All calls and judgments made or approved by the Head Referee are final, and are not subject to further review and may not be changed except by him.

Handicap

When tactical teams play open teams the tactical team will pick one of the objectives to be swung his color and start collecting points at the beginning of the game.

Equipment/ Clothing

Players must wear pants and shirts or jackets that fit well. Players may not wear over-sized clothing. If a judge deems that a players clothing is over-sized, the judge may require new attire or make temporary adjustments using tape, pins, etc.
Players may not wear jackets and or pants, which are made out of highly absorbent material, such as felt or fleece, or of a highly padded or slick nature, such as nylon or rubber. If a player is found to be wearing such material, then he will be required to obtain and wear suitable replacement clothing. Players may wear tournament pants.
Vests and pouches may not be constructed in such a fashion that they constitute padding.
Players may use cloth, neoprene, or other material to cover the guns paint loaders. Neoprene and cloth tank covers are allowed.
Players‚ uniforms may not resemble the referees‚ shirts.

Protective Gear

Players must wear goggles manufactured for use in paintball games in good repair and with lenses that are not damaged. These goggles must meet or exceed ASTM Standards. Violation will result in an official warning given to the captain of the player‚ team for the first offense. For the second offense, the offending team member will be excluded from playing the tournament.
Players must wear full-face and ear protection as it comes from the manufacturer original form.
Players may wear forearm, elbow and knee protection, provided that the padding on such protection has not been modified from the manufacturer‚ original form. Such protection may be worn over or under clothing.
Barrel bags are required at all times except on the field or the target range.

Weapons

Markers are divided into four classes

Class Used by:

Class	Used by
A	Sniper	Pump ‚ manually cocked	Pistol on 12 gram CO2	Sniper Rifle ‚ semi-auto, hold 20 paintballs or less
C	Inf, Cptn, Scout	Semi-auto only, electronic allowed, 9v hopper only
D	Heavy Wpn	No restrictions ‚ any type, mode, hopper etc

Exotic Weapons are permitted for use in the UWL. The following is a comprehensive list and description of all allowed Exotic Weapons for the 2011 season. No other Exotic Weapons are allowed during the 2011 season.
Rocket Launchers. Rockets must chronograph under the speed of 230 feet per second. Rocket launchers must have a device for plugging the barrel.
Rockets may only be fired at the obstruction used as ‚cover‚ by the opposing team or player. Obstructions may consist of either trees or bunkers. The point at which the rocket first impacts is the center of the elimination area. All players (from either team) within 5 paces of the impact point will be eliminated. Once a rocket is shot it is no longer ‚in play and cannot be used again in the same game. Rocket launchers may not be fired directly at individual or groups of players, and may only be directed at non-human objects. Doing so will eliminate the offending player. Players using rocket launchers must inform a referee prior to the shot. The player must call the shot and a referee must witness the shot hitting the target or the shot will not count. No team can use more than 10 rockets in any given game.
Grenades: All non-pyrotechnic, hand-thrown grenades shall be allowed. A player is considered ‚eliminated, if a dime size or larger mark of paint from a grenade is found on his person or equipment.
Grenade launchers: Grenade launchers shall be permitted. A player is considered eliminated if a dime size mark or larger of paint from a grenade is found on his person or equipment. Grenade launchers may not be fired directly at an individual or group of players. Doing so will eliminate the offending player.

Other Equipment

Players may carry any number of pouches, clips or loaders.
Teams and players may use radios
Players may carry extra constant air tanks.
For all Class C markers a 9-volt or non electronic loader must be used. A 9-volt loader may not exceed a 15bps feed rate. See Attachment 1 for an approved list of loaders.
Two live players may exchange equipment.
Vests and pouches may not be constructed in such a fashion that they constitute padding.

The Game

Game Start:

Flag stations for all preliminary rounds will be determined by coin toss prior to the start of the game. Coin toss winner will be able to decide on side of field or instant Re-insert. The loser of the toss would then get the remaining option.
Each team is expected to report to the Staging area for the applicable game field at least 20 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the game. Each base will have two staging areas to allow the on deck team to stage.
Teams may restock while in the staging area. Teams may take as much paint, and extra Co2/HPA tanks
Teams may not take refill stations, such as scuba tanks or bulk Co2 tanks into the Staging area
Each player playing the period will be given an armband in his teams color. Armband is to be worn on the left arm above the elbow.
Teams will be called out of the staging area several minutes before the start of the game.
When the teams are assembled at their respective bases, the ultimate judge will give a one minute warning countdown, as in, ‚Three, two, one, one minute.‚ Such countdown will be heard by both teams. One minute later the ultimate judge will announce the start of the game, heard by both teams, by blowing a whistle. The game will begin on that signal.
Fifty seconds after the one minute warning and 10 seconds before the start of the game the base judge will yell ‚Scout start‚ for the Scout to start.
Players must have one foot in their start zone prior to the start of the game. Any player without one foot in the start zone at the start of the game will be eliminated.
In the case of a false start teams may be called back and game start procedures started over.

Game Stoppages

Game stoppages will only occur in the event of an emergency.
Only the Ultimate Judge has the authority to stop or end a game.
If the game can be restarted, the clock will resume where it left off, and the game will begin with a re-break. At the start of the re-break, teams will remain in possession of any flags accrued before the game stoppage.
If the game cannot be restarted, teams will receive credit for the points earned before the stoppage of the game, as well as points for flags owned at the stoppage. These flags will continue to accrue point’s equal to the reaming amount of time (games will run 30 minutes in length).
Game stoppages will be indicated by the referees calling ‚Freeze! ‚ Every player has to remain in the position he was in when the freeze call was made.

Game End

Games will end 30 minutes from the start of the game
Games will also end with the elimination of all players on the field and capture of all flags during the last quarter of the game or, one team surrenders. In such case all remaining points available will be awarded.
Teams may elect to surrender at any time. The captain would need to notify the head judge that he would like to surrender.
A game will officially be considered over when the Head Referee announces ‚Game over! ‚ after the occurrence of any of the game-ending situations. However, players and their equipment can still be inspected even after the ‚Game Over‚ call until the score sheet signed.

Re-Insertion and withdraw

Regular re-insertion will be at the 10 minute and 20 minute mark of the game. Players will be allowed to reenter or substitute into the game to bring the team back up to 9 players, 10 with the Sniper. All roster restrictions will still apply.
Players can line up at the start zone at any time after the start of the game or after the last re-insert.
Players in the dead box have 30 seconds to re-insert after the re-insert whistle is blown. Players who miss the re-insert must wait for the next re-insert to enter the game. No Exceptions
All players must have at least one foot touching the start zone at the re-insert.
In the event that all of one team has been shot off the field or a team’s start line is under attack at the time of the rebreak.
A horn will be blown to signify a rebreak. At the time of the horn all play will stop
A 3 minute timeout will take place while all players head to their start lines
No players may shoot or pull flags during this time
Points will continue to accrue during time out
The next period will be reduced to 7 minutes to make up for timeout
Teams cannot intentionally avoid shooting the last players of the opposing team.
Two instant rejuves are available for use during a UWL game. One will be picked at the coin toss and the other will be placed on the field before the start of the game. The on field rejuve will be placed somewhere in the middle between the objectives so as to give each team a reasonable chance to recover.
The coin toss rejuve will be used on the first two players eliminated. Once the first two players are in the dead box the rejuve will be ready to use.
If a player finds the rejuves he must give it to the team‚ flag judge. The teams Captain may then at any time during the game use the rejuves. The rejuve can only be used by the Captain and is considered alive until the flag judge receives it. This means that if a player carrying the re-insertion is eliminated he must drop it. The opposing team can then retrieve it. Once the team‚ flag judge receives the re-insertion it is considered dead and can only be used by the team that found it.
On field rejuve allows the captain to bring 2 players out of the staging are at any time as long as the team on the field does not exceed 9 players, 10 with the Sniper.

Checkout Procedures

Eliminated players have to wait in their dead box till the re-insertion or for the direct release command by their base marshal, even after ‚Game Over‚ has been announced.
After the game all live players must proceed directly to the nearest referee for inspection. Players are allowed to turn off their loaders but not their markers. At this time, a referee will inspect the player for hits and if any are found the Head Referee will be notified and proper penalties will be assessed. Players who are not present at the live player inspection are subject to being counted as eliminated.
Players may not re-enter the playing field without the permission of a Referee.

On Field Chronographing

Chronographing on the field may be done at any time at the discretion of any Field Referee to determine if a marker‚ muzzle velocity has risen above legal limits. Referees will seek to perform on field chronographing in a manner which least interferes with play.
Players with markers chronographed during a game at 300 feet per second or less will continue to play without elimination or penalty.
Players with markers which velocity within 300-310 feet per second will be eliminated from play.
Players with markers, which velocity is over 310 feet per second, will be eliminated from play and given a One-for-One penalty.
Players who are observed working on their markers during the course of a game, with the exception of cleaning paint out of barrels, loaders or feed ports will be immediately eliminated from play. Operating buttons in any way will only be allowed with agreement by a referee.

Flags

There will be four total flags on the playing field. Two of these flags will be Objective flags and will start the game a neutral color unless handicapped. One flag will be the team home base and will start the home teams color. One will be the opponent‚ base and will start the opponents color. The flags will consist of a pole with two flags of opposing colors attached to a rope.
An objective or base shall be considered captured as when that team‚ flag color is in the top position on the pole.

Paint Checks

Paint checks are performed by judges for the purpose of determining if a paintball has broken and marked a player.
Paint checks are performed by a referee when the referee has observed a player taking shots, or when shots are directed into an area occupied by a player that the referee cannot directly observe, when the physical location that a paintball may have broken on is not visible to the referee, or when the referee is directed to do so by another referee.
Judges may, but are not under obligation to make a paint check after a player has requested one.

Neutral Checks

Judges will make every effort to perform a paint check “without calling a player neutral.” A judge may declare a player neutral.
When a judge determines it necessary to call a player “neutral,” he/she will indicate this fact by standing over the player and shouting “Neutral.”
Once a player has been declared “neutral,” he/she cannot be eliminated from the game and is not longer an active participant.
A player not declared “neutral” might be eliminated while being checked or moved on while being checked. Players who moved during paint check may be asked to move back at the discretion of the judge.

Eliminations

A player is eliminated if a paintball shot by a live player of either team strikes and breaks on that player or anything he is carrying.
If the paintball strikes the player or anything he is wearing or carrying but does not break, such player is not eliminated. If a paintball strikes another object first and breaks upon that object before marking a player such player is not eliminated. Generally, if the paint marking is reasonably solid and at least the size of a quarter, it will be considered a valid hit.
If two opposing players are hit and marked, simultaneously, or if the judges cannot determine which player was hit and marked first, both players will be eliminated.
Judges will wipe splatter or non valid hits off a player at the time they are inspected.
Players will be eliminated if their entire body leaves the playing field. Players will not be eliminated for crossing the boundary with parts of the body. The entire body, most go out of bounds.
Players are eliminated if a dime size or larger mark of paint from a grenade is found on his person or equipment.
Players may be eliminated as the result of a penalty called by a referee for infractions committed by teammates pursuant the provisions contained herein.
Players who are eliminated are expected to immediately signal their eliminations may announcing ‚HIT‚ or ‚OUT‚ at the time of such eliminations.
Such players must then remove their armbands, attach barrel condom and hold the markers in the air above their heads and exit to the team‚ staging area immediately by the most direct route or upon the instructions of a field judge. The eliminated player may not talk or otherwise communicate. Especially the player cannot shout ‚Hit! ‚ in order to let his teammates know, nor point at opponents after being eliminated. Any player who, in the opinion of a referee, is abusing this in order to communicate his elimination to a teammate will be considered to be playing on.
Players without armbands will be eliminated.

Scoring

Points:

Scoring for all games will be conducted on a time based point system and will be awarded as follows:

- A team will be awarded 1 point for every minute an objective flag has been swung to a team‚ color
- A team will be awarded 1 point for every minute the teams base flag stays on a team‚ color
- A team will be awarded 30 points if it pulls its opponents base flag the first time. Each team can only score this once per game.
- A team will be awarded 3 point for every minute the team‚ opponents base flag is swung to a team‚ color
- A team will be awarded 10 points for capture of center objective

Points are awarded at the conclusion of the game by the Head judge.

Forfeits

A forfeit will be declared for each game that a team fails to report in a timely fashion or for any game in which a team refuses to take the field.
In the event of a forfeit, the opposing team will receive 90 points, or the average of all their games in that round (the higher of the two will be taken). The forfeiting team will receive zero points for that game.
Teams will not be able to replay a forfeited game once it has been declared such by the Ultimate Judge.
Games will be scheduled so that there is a minimum of 40 minutes between start of any team‚ games. No forfeits will be given during this period.

Tie Breakers

Tiebreakers will be in this order:

Head to head
Points scored in the event
Points scored against
The last tiebreaker will be a 5 minute one on one played on Field 1 with one swing base in play.

Penalties

Unsportsmanlike Conducts
Players will be eliminated from the game if they engage in unsportsmanlike like conduct and can be subject to further penalties.
Unsportsmanlike conduct may include, but is not limited to:

Deliberately shooting at Referees.
Excessively shooting an eliminated player with the intent to cause injury.
Requesting of paint checks to distract Referees from checking themselves/teammates
Verbally abusing any players, spectators or Referees.
Throwing equipment.

Assessment of Penalties

Assessment of the one-for-one penalty (the removal of the player committing the infraction and a teammate) may take place for the following infractions:

Playing-On — A player that continues to play after an obvious hit is Playing-On, but does not materially influenced the course of the game. (Eliminating an opponent)
Physical Aggression — A player attempts physical contact with another person on the field in a hostile manner.
Affiliated Spectator Interference — Spectator that is known to be affiliated with a team or player who provides strategic advice. (Spectator is removed and player is eliminated).
Tools– Player possesses, but does not use tools on playing field.
Velocity Violation — Shooting 310 FPS up to 319 FPS.
Distraction Tactics — Requesting a paint check to distract a Referee from a hit on player or a player‚ teammate.
Freight Training — A separate infraction is called for each player participating in the freight train;
Each failure to obey a referee‚ instructions

Assessment of the three-for-one rule (the removal of the player committing the infraction and three teammates) may take place for the following infractions:

Playing-On — Player fires marker after acknowledging elimination, with the intent to eliminate an opposing player.
Wiping — Player deliberately removes paint in order to avoid elimination.

UWL approved loaders

Tippmann: SSL 200, Cyclone, AL 200, A5 200, A5 Stovepipe

Empire: Reloader & Reloader II

Spyder: Fast 9volt

VL: Revolution 9v & 12v NON force fed, Quantum

Turbo: All

Extreme Rage: Overdrive

Ricochet: AK, 2K, 2KY, Rhino

Q-Loader: Q-Loader

BT: Rip Clip