My Phaser Valentine

This week I received something really special…My Phaser Valentine! Actually, this is a one of a kind trophy that arrived on my doorstep, my belated prize from winning last year’s Laser Trooper Valentine’s Day Tournament. Talk about totally worth the wait!

Let’s hop into the “way-back machine” and remember back to a much happier point in time...I’m talking about February of last year, right before the world really started to change. I had taken first place in the very first Valentine’s Day Massacre solo laser tag tournament at Laser Trooper in Topeka, KS and had one of my most memorable travel adventures that weekend. This was actually the very first Laser Trooper tournament to ever take place in the United States. I remember making the spur-of-the-moment decision to rent a car and drive to Kansas when all the flights were cancelled due to bad weather on the east coast (and I arrived with only a half hour to spare before the event), making new friends with the other players which amazingly included someone from my hometown (what are the odds!), meeting up with friends in Kansas the next day and then proceeding on to even more laser tag sites and another tournament in Missouri before returning home. Sigh...those are some of my best memories of how life and travel used to be for me pre-pandemic.

 

The night of the tournament I was told that they were having a trophy custom made and they would send it to me in the mail...and then the pandemic happened. Obviously with lockdowns, temporary closures and the availability of the trophy to be customized during this time the arrival of the award encountered a bit of a delay, but I can honestly say that this was absolutely worth the wait! This trophy is a really special addition to both my trophy shelf and my laser tag collection. :)

 

Thank you to Kip and the team at Laser Trooper for having this completely original trophy made for me from an actual Laser Trooper phaser shell. He informs me this is the only one of its kind in the world. That is in no way an overstatement considering his business location remains the only place in the entire country where you can play laser tag using the Laser Trooper system and (at last I knew) is one of only three such locations in the world. So beyond commemorating the achievement of that night, it is also a remarkable addition to my collection of laser tag gear.

 

I notice and appreciate the little details like the addition of the souvenir game token from that event being added on the back.

 

Thanks also for the other special goodies included in the package. 

 

To me this trophy represents more than just the tournament event itself. As we are coming up on Valentine’s Day once again I am remembering back to that night nearly a year ago and all the things I was able to do just before everything changed. It makes me appreciate all those positive things that happened last year rather than only focusing only on the challenges we faced in 2020. I am thankful for the souvenirs and the wonderful memories of the laser tag experiences I have had including this very special one from Laser Trooper.

 

Comments or Questions?

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

Laser Trooper and the Latest Data

While I was in Kansas I looked forward to the opportunity to visit with my friends Miranda and Elaine and also return to play some tag with them at Laser Trooper in Topeka. At Laser Trooper Kip and his staff operate using a LaserMaxx product line that can only be played in a few select locations and the last time I was here I enjoyed trying this system out in their arena in the West Ridge Mall. Since then they have moved their arena…and yet, they are still in the West Ridge Mall, now on the downstairs level.

We arrived on a quiet day so Miranda and I had the whole arena to ourselves for a 1v1 game (Elaine sat this one out).



With this system there is no need to “suit up” as the entire game is contained in the phaser with sensors down the front and on both sides. So we just picked out our taggers, which are an interesting hybrid between traditional and tactical laser tag…

…and we headed into the arena.

A simple space is transformed by a movable arena that Kip plans to build upon and modify every season. 

Because Laser Trooper is such a rarity to get to play I will look forward to returning to see what they do next.

I debated whether or not to count this site again (making it my 301^st arena) simply because it is the same arena walls inside the same mall as it was the last time, but ultimately I decided that I will count it as a new arena because the design, layout and specific location (i.e. the suite address) have all changed. The general consensus of those I have asked is the same. How ironic that (at last I knew) there are only five places in the world where this specific system can be played and I’m now claiming to have played it in two locations in Topeka, Kansas. It’s a judgement call because everyone I know who has an arena count into the triple digits maintains their list a little differently and I want to be consistent with my own criteria, which is predominantly leaning towards only counting actual physical location once…but going from upstairs to downstairs in the mall did give me something to ponder.



In previous posts we have discussed the various criteria that determine whether an arena is an entirely new site or a modification of a previous version. The moment to pause on how to classify this one got me thinking about the last time I shared my list. Actually, there are two lists I keep. One is a list of all the arenas I have played which is updated regularly and can be found here on my website…



https://www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com/arenas-i-have-played



However, my other list is one I was curious to update and that is a system count list of how many arenas I’ve played using each laser tag system. The last time I updated this list was about a year ago when I played my 200^th arena, so I was curious to see how the makeup of my system count list has changed with the last 100 arenas I have played. So let’s take a look…



Here is the system count list from when I reached my first 200 arenas side by side with how it looks after 300 arenas.

So here’s what this data comparison tells me…



The systems I had already been playing the most like Zone and Laserforce continued to stay highest on the list. Can this be attributed to personal preference, proximity during my travels or overall volume of sites available?



Laser Quest, not surprisingly, made the biggest jump since I’ve been making a deliberate effort to play them all.



Final analysis of the results?  I just play a CRAZY amount of laser tag! :)





Comments or Questions?

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

Laser Maxx Laser Trooper in Kansas

When I learned that the only site in North America to play Laser Maxx Laser Trooper was in Topeka, Kansas I knew I had to plan a visit with my friends Miranda and Elaine and go try this out! Fortunately they live right in town, so we got to visit over a nice lunch before heading over to the West Ridge Mall to meet up with site owner Kip Walker and his family and learn about this system that I have never before had an opportunity to play.

Upon arrival I learned just how few places currently have this system, but hopefully Kip will be a part of expanding Laser Trooper's presence in the U.S. For now, these are the sites identified on their poster.

Although I do not play a lot of tactical laser tag, I learned very quickly that this was more of a hybrid between tactical and traditional. There is no vest or headband with Laser Trooper. The entire game is contained within the phaser unit itself.

Unlike most tactical I have played where a reload station is the busiest spot in the arena, there was none here. For each game a player would get 50 mags of 20 shots equal to 1000 shots total. You had to be aware that shots did not stack, so if you shot three and then reloaded you would have wasted 17…and as Kip told us “once you run out you’re playing a new game…hide and seek” because you can’t shoot any more once you run out. But if you knew that and played accordingly you were not likely to use that many shots anyway.

To reload you would push the teardrop shaped button on the side.

There are sensors on both sides of the phaser and the front of the barrel. When you are shot you are down for 6 seconds, HOWEVER you are able to shoot again in only 5 seconds, so there is a moment where you can shoot, but not be shot, which is a valuable thing to know. Another useful tidbit is how to hold the phaser. There is a red button in the front that must be pressed down to shoot, however if you hold that down and turn the phaser on its side you can better protect the side sensors from being hit.

Although the phaser is intended to be held with two hands Kip was able to adjust the settings so Miranda’s would work with only one hand. Her arm is currently in a sling from having dislocated her shoulder. However this flexibility was really great because it meant she was able to play a light game after all. I’m told they have had customers literally from two years old to 100 years old try this out and they can adjust the settings accordingly.

If someone wanted to bring their own optics/site to attach they could. Thanks to Kip’s son Mitchell for loaning me his.

Although as a traditional tag player I haven’t really a clue about using these (as anyone at Baltigeddon can attest to!) it was still cool to see the possibilities if you were inclined to use a site. If not, you could just select your phaser from the wall.

They say necessity is the mother of invention and in the case of this arena I am really impressed with the ingenuity. This location is much larger than you might expect from the outside. It’s about 4000 square feet in what used to be a DEB clothing store (and if you can believe it, this is the third arena that I’ve played which was formerly a clothing store!) so there are some unique challenges to building in there. They have figured out a really unique way to have a temporary and movable arena design…walls made of coroplast.

If you had told me this first I might have been skeptical. However, this really works. From an aesthetic standpoint with the all white walls and the lighting effects inside (not to mention the atmospheric music recorded locally) it really has a cool vibe. There are mirrors inside as well (which I assume were already there in the storefront) so you have some extra reflective areas where your sensor can be targeted. But what was especially interesting from a practical/competitive vantage point is the flexibility of being able to change the arena map at any time. In fact in Kip changed it on us so quickly between games while we were out checking out the scoreboard that we would not have even realized until going in and finding that the walls were suddenly not in the same place they were before. I am constantly noticing and commenting on the artistry I see in various arenas, but I don’t comment as much (as I probably should) on the maps. In this case I was totally cool with the lack of art on the walls as a trade off for an ever-changing arena structure.

So how did this system play? Beautifully. I quickly adapted to managing reloads (even if I was a bit clunky with it at first) and because I was not constantly running back and forth to a reload station it felt a lot more like a traditional tag game where all my focus was on being stealth and targeting. It was also interesting that without any lights on a vest I found myself more reliant on my ears than on looking for colorful reflections on the walls as I am accustomed to doing.

They have a scoreboard projected on the screen that alternates between the current game scores and the top score of the day. We discovered that I was tied for the top score with Player 21…that was Kip’s son Mitchell.

I think you know what I’m going to say. We had to break that tie, so Mitchell and I went in for a one on one game. This was a great time getting to play against an experienced player. And it felt even better when… 

Thanks Mitchell for a good game! And another good game was stacking up outside. A group of players had arrived in the meantime ready for a partners game. We went in with four teams of two (color coded by a light at the back of the phaser) and things got interesting! There were a few experienced players in the mix. My friends sat out of this game and cheered me on. I came out of that round in second place just behind the guy in the Army t-shirt (my friends said that as they watched they could tell we had a similar playing style and that perhaps I missed my true calling). I’m proud to say my partner and I were the only team to come out of there without having points for friendly fire.

We spent a couple of hours enjoying this game before I had to move on. Kip, Paula, Mitchell and Alyssa (and also a shout out to staffer Lane) have a great family business started here and I would have really loved to keep playing. I hope I have another opportunity to experience this system because I am now genuinely a fan of Laser Trooper.

Comments or Questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

Laser Trooper Valentine’s Day Massacre Tournament

I arrived at Laser Trooper in the West Ridge Mall in Topeka, KS just in time for the start of their first ever Valentine’s Day Massacre Tournament, a fitting name for an event that was held on February 14^th.

The owner, Kip, was the first to greet me when I arrived. When I walked up to the counter Lane handed me my souvenir token for the event, which was a very nice surprise, as I always enjoy taking tag swag home with me. I think it’s very smart for them to offer something collectible as a takeaway for participation. If I know that there is a special tag swag item that is only available at special events it encourages me to make a little more effort to get there and this is EXACTLY the kind of thing that I know lots of people collect from tag sites…just ask anyone who collects the LQ magnets, for example.

Within a few minutes players started to arrive and the first players I met were Thomas, a semi-regular here, and his friend who arrived just in time to enjoy really nice start to the evening. This tournament began with a BBQ dinner that was included with the registration. Kip invited us across the hall to another suite in the mall which serves as his party room and we got ready to enjoy a delicious catered spread of BBQ, mac and cheese, sides and desserts so the players would have a chance to socialize before the competition.

It was here that I met more of the players and took a seat at a table along with Theo, Rachel, Rufflez and Theresa. While chatting I learned that Theresa and I both grew up in the same hometown in upstate NY and that we graduated from the same high school! What are the odds of us both ending up playing at a laser tag event in Topeka?! It was really nice to get to know some people before we got started.



Kip briefed us on the games and how the Laser Trooper equipment works.

Then we prepared for what would be our practice round.

This was a first chance, even for the regular players, to see the new addition to the arena…a newly built raised platform area that had only been completed that very same day and offered a pinnacle point for players to gain height during the game.

Then the games got underway and we played in four consecutive rounds of solo format game play where cumulative scores would determine the results for the event.



We entered the arena, a dimly lit space with movable walls of coroplast and pulsing music emanating from the speakers. In order to be able to hear the feedback from the more pertinent speaker, the one located on the stock end of my tagger, I kept the phaser rifle held high and supported the back part on my shoulder. That way the speaker stayed close to my ear and I could hear the system tell me “well done” when I made a successful tag on another player or “hit, don’t give up” before a series of three “woosh, woosh, woosh” sounds to give you an aural indication of when you can take your courtesy shot. In this system once you are hit your phaser goes down for six seconds, however at the fifth second mark (indicated by the end of the third “woosh”) you can take a courtesy shot while you are still shielded, but before the phaser can again be tagged by an opponent. I tried to use this feature to my advantage.



With sensors on both sides and also down the front of the barrel, I also held the phaser turned on its side to reduce the amount of visible access to the side sensors during the game. This positioning made it a bit harder for me to make proper use of the red dot sight, which was actually not a big deal because I don’t typically play tag where sights are necessary. In fact, some players didn’t even bother using one at all.



The further away you are from an opponent the wider the splay of the IR beam, so for me playing as a sniper was a greater advantage than playing close up because the sensors are so small.



In the first of the four games I played especially hard and ended up getting the top score of the entire night with 4662 points. However, that also gave the other players a heads up that I came to play and the next game everyone else really focused their attention against me, which knocked my next score down significantly and giving the edge to Mystamaris and Push. The third and fourth games were much tighter. Mystamaris in particular was really bringing his top game and since this was going to be based on cumulative score at the end, I really couldn’t say for sure how things were going to play out. This made it much more interesting and it was great to play against players who were really bringing it!



Something interesting about the fourth game was that the staff had us take a short break, during which they rearranged several of the movable walls inside the arena. It was intended to be a surprise, however they forgot that the monitor in the lobby gives a full view of the activities in the arena. So, we knew the walls were being moved, but didn’t totally appreciate how that would impact our playing patterns until we got into the next game. I couldn’t tell you which walls they moved, but I was definitely aware of a change in the flow of the arena. This was a really cool capability and an advantage to their light walls as I have never before experienced an arena that could change their layout on the fly like that in between games. Mystamaris and I were still neck and neck and pulling out all the stops, playing hard and targeting me at every turn. Actually, the top three players for the night rotated placements in several games, which made it a very close contest between Mystamaris, Push and me. I love a good competition!

Once the four qualifying games were completed, we were invited to play a bonus game of Infection while they tallied the scores. A special award was presented to Rachel, who was named the “assassin” with the highest overall accuracy. She was given a really cool hot pink sight of her own!

Then the scores were announced.


In third place with 11,490 was Push.

In second place with 13,041 was Mystamaris.

In first place with 13,499 was Tivia!

With only a 458 point difference between first and second place I want to extend my congratulations to Mystamaris on a really close competition, Push and the rest of the players who came out for this event. I had a wonderful time playing a system that is particularly special because it currently is only available to play at this location (or if you happen to be lucky enough to attend one of their mobile events) so this was a rare treat to get to play Laser Trooper with a really great group of competitors.

I had a wonderful time from start to finish. I look forward to the next time I get to return to Topeka and play Laser Trooper again!

Comments or Questions?

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

Road Trip! …and Other Unexpected Surprises

I’ve just arrived back home from an incredibly memorable weekend laser tagging back and forth between Kansas and Missouri over the last several days. I’ll have plenty to share very soon about the entire trip and all the sites that I visited, but until I get a chance to write up all my adventures let me just give you a quick overview of some of the highlights and surprises that were part of my most recent round of tag travels.

This trip certainly had a few unexpected turns! I had spent the early part of the week covering the ECT event in Syracuse and talking with the players about why they choose to travel for laser tag tournaments, but on Thursday I was getting ready to begin my own travels to play laser tag out in the midwest. Unfortunately, weather was not on our side and on that particular day none of us were going to be able go anywhere, at least not by plane. I ran into three of the ECT players at the airport as we all navigated around the challenges of our flights being cancelled. We actually were all scheduled to be on the same cancelled flight to Chicago. They were trying to make a connection there to get back home to Sacramento and I was trying to get myself out to Topeka, KS in time to play in the first ever Laser Trooper Valentine’s Day Massacre Tournament, which was set to take place on Friday afternoon. However, a snowstorm in that part of the country prevented any flights from leaving that day. We went our separate ways in the airport after speaking to the airline representative and I hope they were able to get where they needed to go, but as for me, I had a decision to make. It looked highly unlikely that I would be able to get on any flight that would result in my getting to Topeka on time. I could take my chances and wait in hopes of being re-routed the next day, but that would be a bit of a gamble and it looked like chances were slim that I would get there prior to the event. All that was certain was that there was no flight available that would allow me to fly west that same day. So, I took stock of my options and made the decision to rent a car instead and just drive to Topeka…ROAD TRIP!



Of course, Topeka is about halfway across the country and an eighteen-hour road trip in total. I did the calculations and realized that if I didn’t commit to that decision right then and drive all night there was no way I could make it there by the following afternoon. So, I took the plunge, rented a Jeep Cherokee (a very solid vehicle in case I was about to drive right into that snowstorm) and began driving. I drove for a solid twelve hours on Thursday and stopped at a hotel when I got too tired to go any further. Then the next day I was up bright and early making the remainder of the trip. With less than an hour to spare before the start of the tournament I arrived at the Laser Trooper site in the West Ridge Mall in Topeka, KS.

I’ll fill in all the details from that event in a separate post, but that was the beginning of an amazing weekend that included playing at eight more laser tag sites, a nice visit with friends and the chance to play in two fun, local competitive events. The second of these was a charity laser tag tournament in Missouri raising funds for the Whitney Kate Wells Memorial Foundation in honor of a young girl who had recently lost her battle with a rare form of cancer. For those who don’t know, my brother passed on from cancer so this is something I care about deeply and I have been involved with several laser tag fundraiser tournaments that have raised money for similar causes. I commend them for putting on an excellent event and raising around $1000 in support of the Fight for Whitney. I’ll also post in more detail about this event as soon as I have a chance to organize all my thoughts, photos and memories from this weekend.



When all of my adventures were over (almost) I got the very last seat on a plane bound for Charlotte, NC where I was going to have to make a connecting flight back to Syracuse. However, my flight was delayed by about an hour with us just sitting there on the runway. I thought I was sure to miss the connection, but by an absolute miracle the Syracuse flight was delayed by ten minutes. This was EXACTLY enough time for me to exit the first plane and rush across the terminal as they were just finishing boarding the last of the passengers. I got there with absolutely no time to spare, but in just the nick of time I boarded the flight that got me back home. Whew!



As the plane took off, I sat there contemplating how many wonderful experiences I had this weekend. I got to play Laser Trooper at the only current location in the U.S. where this system is used. I experienced some unique arenas ranging from a ninja turtles themed design to one of the most amazing mazes ever (and even a few that gave me a sense of déjà vu). And one of the very best parts of the trip was being able to play Helios with such an enthusiastic group of players that really reminded me of my early days playing laser tag. Let me just say that the highest compliment I can give is that playing at this site with these guys felt a lot like playing Zone at FJ back in the day. It might have been my first time visiting this particular arena, but the experience really brought back some great memories! As I think back on all the tag sites I got to play in between, this was a full and fulfilling journey. I’m so glad that I made the right decision. It was absolutely worth making the long drive at the beginning of the trip in order to be able to experience all that I did along the way. I’ll be posting the complete stories of all these adventures very soon, but for now let me give a big thanks to everyone who was involved with making this such an amazing weekend for me to enjoy so much great laser tag in Kansas and Missouri.





Comments or Questions?

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

The Results Are In!

Congratulations! The results are in from the first ever Tiviachick Loves Laser Tag Top Ten Arena Contest. I posted the results immediately on the contest page right after the voting concluded, but I’d like to take a moment now to recognize all the winners and participants once again.

I’d also like to thank everyone who took the time to vote. Every arena got votes from their fans! We received ballots from across 21 states and five countries!

 

The idea behind this contest was to spark some positivity and appreciation for the laser tag industry while showcasing some really impressive laser tag arenas. The top ten arena finalists in each category were determined by www.TiviachickLovesLaserTag.com. The final results were determined by audience submitted votes by ballot in August 2020.

 

MOST VISUALLY STUNNING ARENA:

1^st Place: Q-ZAR Toledo – Sylvania, OH
2^nd Place: LASERTRON (Rochester) – Henrietta, NY

3^rd Place: Loveland Laser Tag – Loveland, CO

 

MOST DISTINCTIVELY UNIQUE ARENA:

1^st Place: Laser Trooper Topeka – Topeka, KS
2^nd Place: Arena 51 Laser Tag – Middleburg Heights, OH

3^rd Place: Battle Blast Laser Tag – Las Vegas, NV

 

PEOPLE’S CHOICE (most write-in votes from among contest finalists):

 

Laser Trooper Topeka – Topeka, KS

 

PEOPLE’S CHOICE (most write-in votes from among audience nominated arenas): TIE

 

Ultrazone Laser Tag – Bensalem, PA

Belt Entertainment – St. Joseph, MO

 

You can see the video announcement including photos of each of the winning arenas here:

 

Thank you once again to all who participated in this contest and who continue to show support to the laser tag operators, arenas and industry.

 

Comments or Questions?

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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