Refs Inc
Tournament
Ruleset.

1General Information

This ruleset governs all tournament play sanctioned by Refs Inc, and any event using Refs Inc officiating services. Where a field operator licenses Refs Inc for non-sanctioned play (club nights, casual events, league fixtures), it applies in full unless a written variation is agreed in advance with the Commissioner.

A captains' meeting is held at the start of each tournament day. The Head Referee briefs captains on the field layout, schedule, event-specific conditions, and any amendments in force.

Authority

The Refs Inc Commissioner is the final authority on the interpretation, application, and amendment of this ruleset. Where the ruleset is silent on a situation during play, the Head Referee may rule in good faith based on its spirit, subject to appeal under Section 16.

By registering for a sanctioned event, players, teams, coaches, and team staff agree to be bound by this ruleset. Where it conflicts with any other rulebook a player may know, this document prevails at all Refs Inc events. Where two of its own sections conflict, the more specific provision prevails.

2Field of Play

The standard 5-player field measures 45 m long by 36 m wide, measured between the outside edges of the boundary tape, with a buffer of at least 1 m to any spectator, pit, or staging area. The Commissioner may sanction alternative dimensions where a venue requires, provided the area is not less than 1,400 m² and remains symmetrical on both axes.

The field is configured with 35 inflatable obstacles arranged symmetrically about the centre line. Layouts are published no fewer than seven days before the event. The Head Referee confirms setup is compliant before play.

Boundary, dead box & pit

• The boundary is marked with high-visibility tape at least 30 cm above the ground.
• A dead box is marked at each end for eliminated players. Players report to the dead box on the side they were eliminated unless a referee directs otherwise.
• Each team has a designated pit adjacent to its starting end. It is the only place coaching and team staff may operate during play.

3-player format

The 3-player field measures 30 m by 24 m with at least 18 obstacles. All other provisions apply with the necessary modifications.

3Markers, Air Systems & Firing Mode

Markers

Each player uses a single tournament-grade marker with one barrel and one trigger. Each trigger cycle requires the finger to apply and release force, one full mechanical cycle per shot. Double-action triggers, slide triggers, and any mechanism firing multiple shots from one finger movement are prohibited. The trigger guard must be unaltered from the manufacturer's grip frame. A marker may be inspected by any referee at any time. One marker per player on the field.

Air & calibre

Air bottles must be of original manufacture with current hydrostatic certification; expired bottles may not be used. One bottle per player, connected to the marker. Only .68 calibre is permitted; .50 calibre equipment is not allowed in any division.

Firing mode & rate of fire

Markers fire in semi-automatic only. Ramping is permitted within the rate-of-fire cap. Full-auto and burst are prohibited. The maximum rate of fire is 10.5 balls per second, with a minimum interval of 95 ms between shots. Markers must be locked in a tournament firmware mode that enforces both.

Velocity escalation

Maximum legal velocity is 300 fps at the muzzle. On-field chronographing may be done by any referee at any time.

Where a marker is found hot, the referee resets and re-reads once. The higher reading stands. The marker must be re-chronographed and certified compliant before the player takes the next point.

4Equipment

Goggles

All persons in any area where a marker may be discharged wear paintball goggle systems meeting the ASTM F1776 standard, in good repair. Goggles are worn at all times in such areas; removal is grounds for immediate ejection from that area. Chin straps are required for any player under 18.

Clothing

Up to two layers on the upper body (three if the announced temperature is below 10°C). Full-length pants and a long-sleeve jersey as the outer layer, tucked in during play. Highly absorbent (felt, fleece) or slick/padded outer materials are prohibited. No metal or sharp cleats. One pair of padded gloves and up to two items of headgear permitted. Clothing matching the paint colour is worn at the player's own risk.

Padding & barrel sock

Single-layer, unmodified forearm, elbow, shin, knee, chest, groin, and neck protection is permitted. A chest protector counts as one upper-body layer and may not exceed 2 cm thickness. A barrel sock must be attached to any gassed marker anywhere on site; a barrel plug or removed barrel does not satisfy this. First violation is a warning to the captain; a second excludes the player from the tournament.

Prohibited

• Yellow pods.
• Listening, communication, or surveillance devices on the field.
• Air bottles with expired or missing certification.
• Prohibited paintballs (subject to suspension under §12.7).

5Paintballs

All paintballs are .68 calibre, water-soluble and biodegradable, of a fragility consistent with current professional manufacture. Only paint supplied by the event organiser on the day may be used; bringing outside paint onto the field is prohibited. The organiser maintains paint supply for the full day and publishes the shell and fill colour to all teams at least seven days before the event.

6Teams

Grades & roster sizes

Refs Inc runs three grades: Pro, Semi-Pro, and Amateur. Every game is five on the field per side.

The 3-player format fields three regardless of grade. Each player holds a current Refs Inc licence recording their classification, grade eligibility, and roster history; an unlicensed player may not be fielded.

Player classification

A points-based system places players in the right grade and keeps teams from sandbagging. Points are awarded per event:

The "+10" is a participation award. A player's rating is the sum of points earned over the preceding 24 months; older points expire. Rating sets the grade a player is eligible for, and a player may always declare up into a higher grade.

Roster caps & substitutions

To prevent stacking, each roster carries a combined-rating cap (its value per grade is under review, above). A team may roster at most two players from the grade above, with only one on the field at a time. A player not on the field may substitute in between points. Once a player has played a point at an event, they may not transfer to another team's roster for that event.

7Referees

Officiating hierarchy

Each match is staffed by one Head Referee, a field crew of four to six referees, and one scorekeeper. Each tournament has one Ultimate Referee overseeing all matches, to whom match-level appeals are brought. The Commissioner sits above the Ultimate Referee as the standing authority on the ruleset. No person holds more than one of these roles at the same event.

Decision finality

The Head Referee is the final on-field authority, subject to appeal under Section 16. No referee overturns an elimination call once the eliminated player has crossed the boundary. Only a team captain may approach the Head Referee to dispute a matter during a match.

Signals & the match record

Standard hand signals cover elimination (hand on head, pointing, calling "OUT"), clean (circular wave), paint-check pending (flat palm out), 10-seconds-to-start, 60-seconds-remaining, and time/towel. A yellow flag signals a minor penalty and a red flag a major, gross major, or suspension. All match events are entered into the official Refs Inc match record in real time and confirmed by the Head Referee at the end of each point; that record is the official result of the match.

8Match Structure

Race-To-N is the Refs Inc default format, one of the competition formats that sit on the officiating foundation. In it, the first team to the round's race target wins; if neither reaches it within the round's time cap, the match goes to overtime (§9.12). A field operator or series can run a different format on the same foundation. Whatever the format, the officiating rules underneath (Sections 3 to 7 and 10 to 13) do not change.

Per-point game time is five minutes for all rounds and grades. Where scheduling requires, a split-deck system runs two matches on one field in alternating points. The break between points within a deck is 45 seconds. At the end of each match, both captains verify the recorded score before leaving the field; disputes raised after that point are not appealable.

9The Game

Start of a point

Players start with barrels touching the start gate, inside the boundary. Breaking early is allowed only if the player has not moved more than 2 m or discharged the marker, and touches back. Teams switch starting sides after each point scored. All games are preceded by a pre-game marker inspection and chronograph.

During a point

• Coaching is by voice from the pit only; disruptive or position-revealing pit chatter can draw penalties.
• Paint checks are performed by referees on a possible hit or when a player cannot self-check. A penalty applies for requesting a check on a self-checkable location. A held player stays still and silent.
• Chronograph may be required of any player at any time; a reading over 300 fps is re-read once, higher stands.
• Timeouts: one per match, one minute, not in the final 30 seconds of a point.
• The Head Referee may halt a point for safety; the clock stops while halted.

Ending a point

A clean player pressing the opposing team's buzzer wins the point; the pusher is paint-checked, and a team cannot win if its pusher is found hit. A team may concede by throwing a towel from the pit, awarding the point to the opponent. In the final 60 seconds, a major or gross major penalty stops the clock and ends the point in the opponent's favour. A match is officially over when the Head Referee announces "GAME".

Overtime

A tied match plays one five-minute point at full strength; the first to score wins. If still tied, sudden-death is a series of two-minute 1-on-1 points, first team to win two takes the match. A player may not play consecutive sudden-death points.

Replay

In Pro and Semi-Pro matches, the Head Referee may consult video review before confirming a swing point (one that would change the lead or end the match), limited to buzzer-clean questions, pre-buzzer eliminations, last-60-second majors, and game-end timing. Replay is not available in the Amateur grade, and cannot overturn an elimination once the player has crossed the boundary.

10Hits & Eliminations

Definition of a hit

A player is eliminated if a paintball fired by a live player strikes the player or anything they wear or carry, breaks, and leaves a mark larger than a five-cent Australian coin. A ball that does not break, or that breaks on another object first, is not a hit. Where a solid mark is present but the referee did not see the source, and it is not splatter or a sat-on ball, the player is eliminated. If two opposing players are marked simultaneously, or the order cannot be determined, both are out. Only referees remove invalid hits.

Player responsibilities

Players are responsible for becoming aware of hits. A hit player ceases play and signals their own elimination; failing to do so is "playing on". A player who cannot self-check (visor, back, harness) stops and calls a referee. A player in motion when hit may continue only to the nearest cover that lies between them and the nearest opponent, then self-checks. Continuing to shoot, post, or communicate after that is playing on. A player marked with clearly visible paint who plays on (the "dead-man's walk") is eliminated and given a minor penalty.

Elimination offences & conduct

Referees eliminate players for, among other things: a valid hit; going out of bounds or moving the tape; posting or firing after the start signal without a legal touchback; goggle loss on field; abusive paint-check calls; picking up equipment bearing a hit; and separating from carried equipment by more than 2 m. Unsporting conduct (disobeying a referee, shooting at a referee, shooting a clearly eliminated player, or excessive shooting) is separately eliminable and may escalate to suspension or ejection. Eliminated players signal, leave by the most direct route with their equipment, and stay in the dead box; dead-box-to-field communication is a minor penalty.

11Scoring

Points & forfeits

A point is awarded when a clean player presses the opposing buzzer; the opponent towels; the opponent takes a major/gross-major in the last 60 seconds; the opponent starts over the on-field maximum; a penalty removes all the opponent's players or leaves them unable to fulfil it; the opponent's last player takes any penalty; the opponent's buzzer-pusher is found hit; or the opponent forfeits. A forfeit awards the match with a minimum margin of the race target less one.

Round scoring

Tiebreakers

Ties are broken in sequence: head-to-head record, then head-to-head margin, then points against tied teams, then overall margin, then total points, then time remaining at wins, and finally a coin flip by the Head Referee before both captains. Once a step resolves the tie, no further steps are evaluated.

Season ranking

Teams earn ranking points by placement each event: 30 for first, 28 for second, 26 for third, 24 for fourth, 22 for fifth, then reducing by two (minimum 1). The season finale awards double.

12Penalties

Penalties are enforced in the current point if assessed before the point is confirmed, otherwise in the following point, where the team starts short by the required number of players.

The captain selects the additional players removed. A cascading major adds one further teammate for each opponent a marked player eliminated after being hit. Where three or more penalties of minor or higher fall on one team in a single point, the opponent is awarded an additional point. Collusion or match-fixing disqualifies the team and forfeits its ranking points for the event.

13Suspensions, Ejections & Fines

A suspended player does not enter the field, pit, or dead box for the suspension. Fielding a suspended player forfeits the match and may suspend the captain. A team may be suspended for repeated violations, collusion, or bringing the event into disrepute, forfeiting unplayed matches and event points.

Ejection & cross-event authority

Ejection is immediate removal from the site, triggered by assault, threats of violence, weapons other than legal markers, illegal substances, theft, dangerous goggle removal, or continued conduct after a major suspension. Ejection is not appealable on the day; a written appeal may be made to the Commissioner within 14 days. Only the Commissioner may impose cross-event suspensions, ranging from one event to a permanent ban.

14Tournament Structure

Preliminary rounds are round-robin pools of no more than ten teams, each match a Race-To-2. Pool placement seeds the single-elimination bracket, drawn to avoid same-pool matchups early where team counts allow.

Season ranking accumulates each team's best N events, where N is published at the start of the season, and determines finale seeding.

15Decorum & Conduct

Players conduct themselves in the spirit of fair competition and accept referee decisions on the field, disputing only through the captain. Abusive, threatening, or discriminatory language toward any person is prohibited. The captain is responsible for the conduct of all team members, coaches, and staff. Sideline or pit conduct that is unsporting, intimidating, or distracting can draw penalties against the team. Spectators affiliated with a team can bring penalties on that team; unaffiliated spectators who misbehave are asked to leave, and refusal is grounds for ejection.

16Appeals & the Commissioner

The Commissioner is the final authority on interpretation, application, and amendment, and may resolve appeals, impose cross-event suspensions, and issue binding rulings. The Commissioner is appointed by Refs Inc under its internal governance, which sits outside this ruleset.

What can and cannot be appealed

Appealable (to the Ultimate Referee on the day, then the Commissioner post-event): penalty assessments, suspensions, forfeits, tiebreaker calculations, and roster eligibility. Not appealable: elimination calls once the player has crossed the boundary; paint-check calls on self-checkable body parts; confirmed buzzer timing (except via replay); a match score once both captains confirm it; and coin-flip outcomes.

Procedure

A match-level appeal is raised by the captain to the Head Referee before leaving the field, and may be escalated to the Ultimate Referee, who hears it before the next bracket round. An appeal to the Commissioner is made in writing within 14 days; the Commissioner responds within 30 days, and that decision is final. Mid-event amendments take effect from the following round, never retroactively, and cannot alter confirmed results or the fundamental match format.

17Glossary & Quick-Reference

The full document includes a glossary and quick-reference cards. Key terms:

The quick-reference cards summarise the penalty ladder, the hand and flag signals, and the bracket schedules by team count for use on the field.