Welcome Photon readers! Dust off your copy of Thieves of Light by Michael Hudson as the Photon Book Club discusses and reviews the standalone Photon novel on this week’s episode of Laser Unfocused Tag Talk.
I can honestly say I have never had a laser tag experience quite like I did at a farm in the southern part of the Catskill region. I am omitting the name of the location, only because I get the impression they may not particularly be looking for publicity, and I think this is one case where we can just use the power of the imagination. Just picture me playing outdoor tag in a woodsy area on a sunny day while holding an iCOMBAT Barracuda.
FYI, these photos of a Barracuda box were NOT from our visit to this farm, but are rather an illustrative example from another site. I clarify this because of the VERY clear policy they have put forth regarding photos, which I will respect. But if you’ve never seen one before, this will at least give you an idea of what we used during this game.
This stop will not count on my arena list simply because there is no actual laser tag arena on the premises. However, I called ahead (as the website says “reservations are necessary”) and was ready for whatever game experience they had to offer.
After purchasing the game, the young woman behind the counter handed me two iCombat Barracuda units attached to Tippman paintball markers. She told me we could take them “into the woods over there” while pointing across the lot to a section of lawn and trees and then she said “just bring them back in about a half an hour.”
Um…huh? Well, ok. That now qualifies as the shortest briefing I have ever been given. This was definitely not what I was expecting. However, the equipment was handed to me ready to go and this is apparently how laser tag is handled here (and it’s obviously not my first time using this gear), so we ventured over to the wooded area to trade a few tags.
It had been a while since I’d played with a Barracuda, so I was pleased to get a chance to experience this equipment again, which I have always found to be simple, but enjoyable. It’s also a very easy option considering the lack of marshal or briefing.
I refamiliarized myself with the unit and the data in the self-contained game box, including the number of hits and ammo. It’s an easy enough system to understand, although I have never played it in quite so basic a manner. This is not at all a typical laser tag experience, though we enjoyed it for what it was and for the fun for which it was intended.
We explored the terrain a bit. It felt like there was probably ample space on the grounds for playing a decent game, but it somehow felt more appropriate to stay close to where we started.
This is a location that appears to primarily serve the local summer vacationing community and I suspect that I am not exactly their typical clientele, but I always appreciate having interesting and unique experiences with laser tag and this visit definitely qualifies as that.
Following a beautiful morning in the Poconos that started with a trip to a Harry Potter themed coffee cafe and a train ride through the Lehigh Gorge, we stopped to run around and play Runner at Costa’s Family Fun Park in Hawley, PA.
This is a cute little amusement site with a huge menu in the concession area! Not usually the first thing I’d notice, except I found my way into the food building first, then we headed over to the side building next to it that housed the laser tag. Note to self…read the signs, lol!
I bought the game tickets and we proceeded into the building.
Inside we vested up for a 1v1 game of Lazer Runner using what appeared to be nicely maintained, new gear. The game played incredibly smoothly. I really liked the new style of phaser, which makes a BIG difference and is very comfortable to use (in comparison to my more recent experiences with the older-style phaser)
Inside the arena was a standard looking LR set-up with two bases and a center sentry target.
The space really maximized the use of a smaller footprint and felt like a larger space than what it was. However, I did locate a spot where sight-lines allowed me to keep rotating through the sentry, a base and my opponent all without moving. I don’t like to play that way, but I do like to identify the sweet spot.
I probably played a bit harder than was necessary for this game, but I was really getting into it. At the end we were handed scorecards, which was notable because I cannot actually recall ever receiving a printed card for Runner before. That’s the only reason this one goes in my permanent collection.
We finished the visit with a return to the snack counter for some ice cream, having enjoyed a fun experience continuing the tag trek through the Poconos. :)
No question, taking a trip to the Kalahari Resort in Pocono Manor, PA was largely decided based on knowing this resort had a game room with laser tag right on the premises. I didn’t know until getting there that we would be taking time for Tron.
I have played several arenas at other locations that are part of this family of resorts, but there were different laser tag systems in use at the others, so I am guessing that each location must be independent in their equipment purchasing decisions. So, I registered using my game card and got ready for the game.
And I must say, this may be the best photo I’ve ever taken at a Tron kiosk. Can I use this pic on my driver’s license please?
We suited up for a 1v1 game of solo free for all.
The arena was a tightly packed, single level space with a LOT of targets packed in there!
I took note of the bonus targets because whenever the notification announced them to be activated they ALL activated at the same time.
Those targets are what largely account for me racking up a respectable number of points in what was only a 1v1 game (or really two, as the session was made up of two five minute games).
Respectable score? Well, it was enough to make me the high score of the day!
So, that was the start of our Poconos adventure with more tag on the way, but next it was time to enjoy the rest of the Kalahari Resort. Nice start to the day!
This is the return of Museum Collection Monday. :) When this came out of a mislabeled box I almost fell over! It’s a Phasor Strike pack accompanied by a first-generation phaser.
The phaser was gifted from Brad Barns, one of the first players of this system, which was founded by Patrick Holmes and Frank Stace.
Phasor Strike merged into the Zone Empire, essentially making it the very first generation of Zone laser tag equipment.
Find more about this collection at LaserTagMuseum.com.
Tag 4 A Cause is back and this time we tag to benefit the Epilepsy Foundation! Join us during the draft tournament on September 21st at Skyway Laser Storm for a special Tag 4 A Cause event. Donate to the cause, receive your resin medal and play in the designated Tag 4 A Cause games taking place between Round Robin and finals for a chance to win the golden phaser high score trophy!
In case it isn’t obvious, I was REALLY into the idea of 90s night laser tag at The Fun Warehouse last night!
I showed up ready to rock my Bonne Bell Lip Smackers, my Exclamation perfume, my five scrunchies all at once and every other 90s fashion cliche I could come up with. FWH did their part by blasting the soundtrack of the era, both in and out of the arena. This feels like stepping back in time! Music is one of the most powerful tools for evoking a sense memory of the past, and this really took me back…especially reminiscing as a DJ.
The night began with some 90s tag that Beanz had customized for the event with cool flashing multi-colors, turning the packs into a party.
We played 90s Free For All and, by design or not, the scoreboard took on a 90s grunge feel. :)
Gotta love it!
The next game gave us our first 90s night challenge. The player with the highest accuracy (and minimum score of 5000 points) would win a 90s themed candy prize pack.
Ok, it wasn’t actually the prize that was driving me as much as my competitive nature, but in that moment all I could hear in my head was the one-hit wonder, Bow Wow Wow…”I Want Candy!”
Yeah, that’s technically a song from 1982, but still a track that made an occasional appearance on the Wake-Up Jam, so it would fit right into 90s night. As would my accuracy at 94% …get it, that also landed in the 90s!
So I won the candy pack, which I have to say was kind of nostalgic too, as it included goodies I haven’t actually bought since I was a kid, including a couple of ring pops…
And I didn’t even know they still made push pops!
More tag followed by more contests. It was time next for 90s trivia, so we formed teams and I knew this crew had a certain “experience advantage” so to speak. And our team name…Tiv’s Triv!
The first trivia category was 90s music. I think we’ve got this. ;)
Questions included song and artist ID including “what was the name of the 90s rapper who sang Ice, Ice Baby?” Come on, give me a challenge!
I’m sure everyone in the room had to know it was Vanilla Ice, but I think our team should get bonus points for knowing his actual name is Robbie Van Winkle.
Perhaps it was a slight advantage to have a DJ who used to have a 90s morning show answering 90s pop culture trivia questions. This got the memories flowing!
When it came to actual trivia we didn’t miss a single question. However, these were not the kind of mind-benders I used to come up with on our morning feature called “Impossible Trivia”, so several teams also got them correct. That meant it all came down to one tiebreaker question…ironically, also called the “Impossible Question”.
The question? How many taxi cabs were authorized to be on the road in NYC in 1997? The closest to the right answer would take first. Our team guessed a bit low with 507 (a nod to the Levi’s 507 jeans of the 90s …501s were the 80s, but 507s were the 90s), but the actual answer is a little over 12,000, so congratulations to the “People” team for winning. Team Tiv’s Triv was part of a three-way tie for second, which won us a $10 game card (go play some Pixel Maddie!) and that was fine because this was a really fun addition to the night.
The next contest was open to anyone who played in the next game. So, we headed back to the arena and in my Bayside Tigers T-shirt (Beat, ba-beat, ba-ba-ba beat, go Bayside!)…
…my hoop earrings still holding on and my scrunchie laden arm, I grabbed a phaser and went in to play laser tag like it was 1999!
Coming out of that game, a pack would be drawn at random to win a prize. Congratulations to Earthquake for scoring a…Bop It?!
I have to admit, this is one thing from the 90s I have zero memory about, but it looks cool and was one more awesome element to the night.
As I drove home (sucking on my ring pop the whole way) I got to thinking about all the awesome memories I have from the 90s. It was a unique era where I was a kid at the beginning and really (even though I got my first job) still a kid at the end, and it was a time when I really started to become the person I would be. I had spent the earlier part of the day first completing a Mixed Tape 5K challenge…
Then I spent some time in Syracuse hanging out with two of my best friends I have known since 1992, and we reminisced what we were doing back in the 90s.
It is truly amazing that we are all still so close all these years later!
I also contemplated how I wish I had gotten into laser tag much earlier in life, but in the 90s I was young and instead I was watching this guy on tv. Now David Lascher is one of the hosts of the “Hey Dude, The 90s Called” podcast, so any part of the 90s I missed I can relive through his stories. He even has a laser tag story to share…
This evening was full of nostalgia! So, was 90s night at laser tag a success? Like, totally!
