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Laser Tag Tips Newsletter

January 2007 -- Issue 101

This issue includes...

1) SPECIAL ALERT: "On January 15th, Martin Luther King Day, XP Laser Sport will offer a
very special 'DOUBLE PLAY' deal!"

2) "XP Laser Sport Hosts 1st Regional Tournament For the 2007 Lasertron World Championships"

3) "World Champion Zack “Cyberwolf” Barry Makes An Appearance at XP Laser Sport"

4) "XP Laser Sport has a new game format, DEFLECTOR!"

5) "Taking It To the Next Level… Hints and Tips For Improving Your Game"

========================= SPECIAL ALERT! ==========================

1) Mark January 15th on your calendar

XP Laser Sport will be open from Noon to 8pm.

Buy one session for $15 per person or buy two sessions for $20 per person.

You get DOUBLE the play time for just $5 more!

==================================================================

2) "XP Laser Sport Hosts 1st Regional Tournament For the 2007 Lasertron World Championships"

November marked the start of the 2007 Lasertron World Championships (LTWC) season, XP Laser Sport was selected to hold the first regional tournament of the 2007 season. Over forty players attended from New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virgina, Pennsylvania, and as far away as Canada!

Competitors participated in 3 of the 6 game formats that will be played at the 2007 LTWC which will be held in Buffalo, NY in August. These formats differ from the standard formats used in public play.

Tournament games are much more strategically oriented than regular public games because of game variation as well as team size.

Pictured Above: Team "Overpower" From Left to Right Tim McGarvey Burtikus, Jim Schafer Mr. Photon, Louis Camp Scorpion, Matt Mueller Ironman, Zack Barry Cyberwolf, Jamie Tsottles Nimrod. Front Row: James Jackson Phantom, Randall Meding Bhodi Li, Heather Allen Karma, and Vinny Desiderioscioli Predator.

Although the Laurel Teams swept the top placings, competition was still high with many of the out of town players putting up plenty of resistance. It was also not a system-restrictive tournament. Players from the Baltimore Ultrazone made an appearance and their skills from their system allowed them to hang in with the seasoned Lasertron players.

XP Laser Sport has been selected to host a second regional tournament this spring. XP Laser Sport is providing practice/training sessions weekly for current as well as new players who are interested in playing in the 2007 LTWC.

To find out more about Competitive Laser Tag, head to:

http://www.lasersport.com

3) World Champion Zack “Cyberwolf” Barry Makes An Appearance at XP

On November 4th, World Champion Zack Barry aka “Cyberwolf” made an appearance at XPLasersport to sign autographs, give player clinics and participate in the 2007 Regional Tournament. Kids (and adults) of all ages lined up to have their picture taken with Cyberwolf as well as receive player tips from the 2005 and 2006 champion.

Cyberwolf earned his title in 2005, when he both played for the first place team “Overpower” and took first in the Top Phaser Solo Elimination event at the 2005 LTWC. He returned in 2006 and not only took 1st again in the Top Phaser Solo but also won the Overall Top Player award. This award was received after playing the other top 3 ranked players in 4 different one-on-one events in all of which he clearly dominated.

The Champ will be returning to XP Laser Sport to host a 3 hour intensive player clinic in February. For more info go to:

http://www.xplasersport.com/clinic

4) "XP Laser Sport has a new game format, DEFLECTOR!"

"Deflector” mode and “Super Rapid Fire” mode will be the special powers in play at XP Laser Sport starting in January and running till April. The special powers are awarded randomly by the computer to players on both teams throughout the course of the game.

"Deflector” mode allows players to bounce incoming shots back to the players trying to tag them. It provides 80 laser pulses and 30 seconds to use them. Since players are impervious to all incoming tags, they cannot be tagged out and must run out of laser pulses or time to lose the power. When you are a Deflector player, you want to stand right in the middle of the opposing team. Make it EASY for them to try to tag you! Just make sure you leave before your 30 seconds are up! :)

“Super Rapid Fire” mode allows players to fire 6 laser pulses a second. Players receive 500 laser pulses, 20 energy units and 30 seconds. When a player runs out of any of these the power is lost.

Want to find out more about special modes, then head over to:

http://www.xplasersport.com/geninfo.htm

5) "Taking It To the Next Level… Hints and Tips For Improving Your Game"
By Randy "Bhodi Li" Meding

This column will be featured in upcoming newsletters to provide hints and tips for players wishing to improve their playing ability. Having started my laser tag career in 1987, I have played many tournaments in multiple brands of laser tag against some of the best players in the world. Does this mean I know it all? Hardly.

I am always learning new things and am hoping to recruit other tournament level players to contribute to the column. Here you will find tips and strategies to improve your game as an individual as well as a team player. So, our first step on this journey is for those relatively new people who visit on occasion want to consistently place near the top. I’ll narrow it down to 3 areas of focus: knowing the format, knowing the CHIPS and knowing the arena.

It is important to pay attention to the referees when they explain the game format for your game. For example if you just got finished playing a small 20 person game where the bases were worth 100 or 200 pts and you joined in a large 40 person game, the format may have changed. You may be recharging in place instead of having to return to your energizer and, because of this, the bases may now only be worth 5 pts. Or, the refs may have decided to go with a 4 team format which could really hurt if you’ve discussed your strategy with people who are going to end up on one of the other 3 teams against you. Knowing the game format can help you plan your strategy ahead and maximize your scoring potential.

Check out XP Laser Sport’s website. Don’t just read about the current special powers(CHIPS). Learn them all and develop your own strategies for scoring the most points with them For example, if you are awarded “Super Rapid Fire” while you are near the opponents’ base (and it is worth 100 or 200 pts), unloading on the base from a safe spot is more advantageous than trying to tag out an opponent who is 3 steps away from an energizer.

Whether playing at XP Laser Sport or another facility, try to obtain an arena map if possible. If an observation area is available, spectate often (especially if it gives you a large view of the arena). Learn how players get from point “a” to point “b”. The better you know the arena, the more comfortable (not focused on running into obstacles) and efficient (able to find the most direct route to energizers bases etc) you will be. Find the safest places to tag the bases or tag the most players while getting tagged the least.

These are very broad topics and will be discussed in greater detail in subsequent issues. In addition to reading the articles, check out tournament practices and watch the pros play. Ask questions of players as well as staff. I can’t speak for other facilities, but at XP Laser Sport questions are met with enthusiastic answers (or you will at least be directed to a person who will give you one)

If you want more tips to improve your game, check out the back issues of our newsletter at:

http://www.xplasersport.com/newsletters/backissues.htm

"Tell Us What You Think!"

We'd love to hear what you think of this issue!

Please send your comments, questions, and ideas for upcoming issues to us at:

mailto:newslettersuggestions@xplasersport.com

Your feedback matters to us!

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