Equipment Failure, Malfunctions & Contingency Rules

Overview

Rule-based procedures for handling equipment malfunctions or failures during regulated play, with emphasis on safety and consistent officiating.

Key Points

• Safety-related failures require immediate removal from active play
• Non-safety malfunctions are handled according to event-specific restart or continuation rules
• Referees determine whether a failure affects point outcome or requires adjustment
• Players may not intentionally exploit malfunction claims to gain advantage

Details

Equipment failure rules define how officials and participants should respond when gear stops functioning as intended. Failures that impact safety—such as a damaged mask lens, leaking tank, or uncontrolled marker firing—require immediate intervention. Play may be stopped or the player may be removed until the issue is resolved.

Non-safety malfunctions, such as loader jams or marker misfeeds, are generally treated as normal risks of play. Unless rules explicitly provide for replays or stoppages, points continue while affected players attempt to correct the issue within the boundaries of legal conduct.

Officials may decide that certain failures, especially those caused by field conditions or structural issues, warrant a reset or replay of a point. These decisions should be documented and applied as consistently as possible.

Deliberately misrepresenting a malfunction to obtain a replay, time extension, or other advantage is considered misconduct and may be penalized under general conduct or sportsmanship provisions.

Related Topics

• Rules, Safety & Player Conduct
• Refereeing & Officiating Standards
• Penalties & Infractions in 1v1 Paintball
• marker-regulations