Tagging at the Castle

When I pulled into the parking lot of Castle Laser Tag in Bowie, MD there was a group hanging outside and I hoped they would be joining in the game...this guy wasn't one of them!

At first there were seven of us who entered the briefing room before vesting up with Helios Pro packs and deciding that free for all was the way to go.

However moments later another group double this size joined us and teams formed, which set the scene for a really enjoyable tag experience. Kim called me over and said "you're on our team" and I was happy to join them. The teams were a little unbalanced in numbers, but I definitely wasn't sweating that.

The arena was a pretty good size space with double level stations on each side. I found a sweet spot for sniping right away. I got to play hard against a good sized group and the whole game felt great. At the end of the game we went out front and checked out the scores. One of the guys on my team "you legit held it for our team" and I smiled when I saw the margin by which I took the top score.

I had a great time at the Castle. Excellent equipment to play in an impressive arena. I'd be up for this again for sure!

Comments or questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com

Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com

PHOCON 2016

The main reason for my trip to Maryland was to attend this year's PHOCON, a celebration of all things Photon held at XP Lasersport in Laurel, MD.

I wish I had longer to stay, but I enjoyed walking in to a fun atmosphere when I was greeted by Photon Chris saying "I wondered when you were going to show up!" :)

You know I wouldn't miss the chance to suit up in the vintage Photon gear straight out of 1984 (with some restoration to get the system back on line thanks to Marc Mueller and all the volunteers who work so hard for this event) and getting into a game.

And I always love taking home new tag swag from Phocon!

But what really makes this event special is watching all the old school players bring Photon back to life for a weekend out in one of the last arenas where it is really possible. I love the view from the observation deck as you hear the iconic female computer voice starting the game.

And while I was up there I also enjoyed meeting the gentleman who launched the Broken Arrow facility in Oklahoma some years back. When Jim walked in I greeted him by introducing myself and saying "I've sent you a lot of money over the years" as he is the person who I order all my Photon hats and shirts from. And before I left he was kind enough to send me off with one more souvenir that he had made.

Although I couldn't stay for more than a short time on Saturday it was still absolutely worth making the trip around this fantastic event. I can't wait to go back next year. The light still shines!

Comments or questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com

Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com

Red Zone Adventures

By the time I had detoured in this direction I was close enough that I wanted to pay a visit to Red Zone Adventures in Timonium, MD.

These guys were great. They organized a game for me to play against several staff members and a couple of casual afternoon players. Using Nexus packs we got to play a fairly competitive round in their double level arena using Nexus.

I must say, this was better competition than I was expecting! Thanks to Matt and Eric and the whole group who made it a real game and then chatted with me afterwards about the competitive scene, both my experience and Eric's experience on Baltimore B in the past. Although this was not my best game by far it was really cool to play against staff who gave me an excellent run. I wish I had more time to play here longer. Maybe team potential guys? Had a blast!

Comments or questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com

Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com

There's No Monster Under These Black Lights

At Jamie's suggestion I detoured to check out an arena at Monster Mini Golf in Parkville, MD. I probbly wouldn't have thought to stop here because I would have perceived it to be more about the golf, but this was a really cool location that is thoroughly immersed in black lights! This makes the aesthetic of their arena particularly attractive with dayglow colors and artwork to match their nuclear fallout theme.

From the party room you can see everything that is happening inside the arena.

And I looked forward to the chance to play this arena using Helios packs.

Before going in we watched the standard briefing video and I found it really amusing that in this atmosphere where there were monsters painted on every wall one of the little kids looked at the cartoon girl in the video and commented "that's creepy." LOL!

However, the group I was sent in with was a family of young kids (which was the ideal group for this space) and I was NOT going to go in shooting at kids. So instead I adopted a different strategy.

I decided not to shoot at the players at all and only to shoot at the bases and gems scattered throughout the arena. That way I get to enjoy the arena without becoming the monster under the black lights!

And this is where something interesting occurred. When we came out I had to laugh because I had won the game, but I did it by shooting the LEAST number of players possible! And when they handed me 25 arcade tickets for coming in first I gave them to the dad so the kids could have more fun. Meanwhile I took home some more tag swag before continuing along.

Comments or questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com

Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com

Ultrazone: Baltimore - One of the Best!

I had a fantastic experience playing at the Ultrazone in Baltimore, MD! Especially considering I arrived at 10:00 in the morning right before they even opened. I walked in and explained that I only had a brief time passing through the area and realized there was nobody there at this hour, but wondered if there was an employee who would go in for a one on one so I could experience the arena. That was met with both approval and the best tour guide I could have asked for as the general manager Jamie showed me the really cool perks of this arena (where apparently all the new Zone introductions are made available as soon as possible).

First, I got a peek at the map of the arena. Although this space may have been technically been half the size of some places I recently played, at 4000 square feet it played as if it were twice as big! From multiple levels to just a really good maze structure this was a really impressive arena.

They have some new technology I had never seen before...game stations throughout the arena where if you got near the tablet with your phaser it could identify your pack and when you swipe with your finger (or the tip of the phaser) it would provide you with a power pickup.

And this was an opportunity to play again with the Helios Pro phaser.

I loved my time inside the arena.

...and I loved the exterior of the center as well.

But the best part was probably getting to talk tag for another hour before I left because Jamie was so incredibly knowledgeable as this site is actually operated by Zone. Thanks for the tour and the insight!

And also big thanks for the recommendations on some other awesome places to play in the area. I understand this Ultrazone will be celebrating their 20th anniversary in September and I hope to return for the festivities!

Comments or questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com

Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com

My 20th State!

You may ask why I drove 7 1/2 hours in order to play 7 1/2 minutes of Lazer Runner. I think I have an excellent reason...to check off Delaware as the 20th state where I have played laser tag!

Now, this was no easy feat because it is a bit out of the way (simply as far as my travel plans go, it was a detour). It was also a challenge because there is almost nowhere in the state to play laser tag, even in spite of being the state where the Zone laser tag home offices are located. However, I was excited to learn that I could play a round at the Family Fun Galaxy, an arcade and entertainment center attached to the Mid-County Lanes in Middletown, DE. It was not a very big or flashy arena, but the staff there were cool. I went in as part of a group of three, which was probably an appropriate size group for this location. They had seemingly never played before, so it was not a round to push it, but fun to play nonetheless.

The staff here were really cool and when I asked the game master to take a photo outside the Runner arch I mentioned that this was my 20th state.

He must have shared that because as I was leaving the girl behind the counter, Logan, caught up with me in the parking lot and told me she thought what I was doing was cool and wanted to call her manager to try to connect me with a t-shirt (which they don't generally offer to the public). That was so great of her to do, especially since you know I collect my tag swag!

So I left Family Fun Galaxy feeling like that trip was totally worth the detour...and now I have the t-shirt to prove it and a claim to having now played laser tag in my 20th state!

Comments or questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com

Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com

Largest Arena on the East Coast?

Well, I've already played at the "largest laser tag arena in the world" (although there may be an asterisk as a place in Arizona does seem to run neck and neck for that title) so this time around I stopped at a center that (according to the internet) can claim to be the largest arena on the east coast. That sounded intriguing and was a great excuse to stop for a break while driving through New Jersey. I pulled into the parking lot of the Branchburg Sports Complex and thought the building certainly was big!

It was about an hour before their mid-afternoon break (apparently they close the arena for a short time before reopening for the evening). I was hoping to get into a quick game, but it took a little while before a group could go in. I perused the space (there are a lot of other activities that go on here as well)

I got to check out the arena from the observation deck. It was a pretty good sized space indeed!

And then I got to join in with a group that appeared to be one large family with a dad and teenager who clearly had experience. The younger kids in the group knew what they were doing as well and told me they come here a lot on the weekends. OK, I'm ready!

This arena uses Laserforce equipment, however they could not do anything with my membership card. Ironically I have already gotten the achievement for playing at another arena, but I have no idea how because none of the Laserforce centers I have visited are set up for this!

They had us pick captains for the teams and I found myself picking players opposite the dad of the group. I invited the younger players first, then the teenager. However, in the briefing room he jumped to the other team. Ha...ok, now he must pay! :)

We went inside and I got a pretty competitive game from the dad and oldest son. I'm not sure the teenager expected me to be that experienced (I can tell he is clearly accustomed to winning in this arena and I think I was a surprise) but we had a good game. One of the little ones on my own team stuck to me like glue, which was sweet. Then a photo for the road before getting back on the road and heading towards Delaware.

Comments or questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com

Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com