Start lines

[Reverend P. Babcock Chase]

Howdy Fellers,

 

My favorite line is from the Long Riders: "because you're a whore, Belle". I just have a hard time fitting it in to a stage write up.

 

Rev. Chase

[Totes Magoats]

For me, it depends.  If I'm super focused, say for a sweep I am not 100% confident in, I'll just use a default line like "let'er buck" of something short.  If not and there is a really long starting line, I'll abbreviate it.  I don't like saying really long starting lines.

 

When I write stages monthly and for our annual, I ALWAYS write very short starting lines.

 

Totes

[Wrangler Bob]

Our club, Eldorado Cowboys, have had the starting lines posted at the loading table and at the starting position [which really helps], but more often than I care to admit I "blow it" and say "Shooter ready". I'm trying my best to compete in the SOG, but sometimes it just doesn't happen.

[Captain Bill Burt]

53 minutes ago, Possum Skinner, SASS#60697 said:

I feel like we have lost a big part of the fun of our sport in our pursuit of speed.  However, the participants have spoken and I will ensure brevity.

Respectfully I hope your enjoyment of  CAS is not in any way dependent upon what another shooter says when starting a stage.

36 minutes ago, Jack Spade said:

I was afraid I might be opening a can of worms lol!  No I am not advocating for penalties to be assessed.  But there is some thinking involved in our game and saying a whole starting line may or may not disrupt or slow down the shooters mental process of shooting the stage where just saying one or two words may not disrupt the process giving an advantage to the shooter not saying the line.   Maybe relate it to football in that saying the starting line is like taking a time out to "ice" the kicker.  It is meant to add another element to the stage.  

Are we engaged in a shooting sport or auditioning for an acting role?

[Sixgun Seamus]

14 minutes ago, Captain Bill Burt said:

Are we engaged in a shooting sport or auditioning for an acting role?

Yes, but if it's a Doc Holiday line from Tombstone, ROIII rules state that it must be in Doc's drawl.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Shooter Ready? . . . Nod or yes from shooter . . . Standby . . . . . Beep.  

 

Note, It is NOT Standbleep!

[Hoss]

Another of go-to lines are anything from Blazing Saddles. 

“They said you was hung”

”It’s twue,  It’s twue”

”Mongo love (insert TO name)”

[Shooting Bull]

1 hour ago, Jack Spade said:

I was afraid I might be opening a can of worms lol!  No I am not advocating for penalties to be assessed.  But there is some thinking involved in our game and saying a whole starting line may or may not disrupt or slow down the shooters mental process of shooting the stage where just saying one or two words may not disrupt the process giving an advantage to the shooter not saying the line.   Maybe relate it to football in that saying the starting line is like taking a time out to "ice" the kicker.  It is meant to add another element to the stage.  
 

 

 

 

The bolded sentence above and the last sentence above are fighting each other. And they’re the perfect example of why I hate long starting lines. Creeker’s attitude toward starting lines is why I think he’s one of the best stage writers/match directors I’ve ever met. 
 

I love starting lines. Starting lines I can ad lib I love even more. But when they become a memory contest they severely hurt my limited mental capabilities and therefore negatively affect my ability to shoot a good stage. That doesn’t “add another element to the stage”. I reduces my enjoyment of the match. 

[Shooting Bull]

1 minute ago, Hoss said:

 

”Mongo love (insert TO name)”

DANG! Why have I never used this? 🤣

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

7 minutes ago, Shooting Bull said:

DANG! Why have I never used this? 🤣

Philly Slim would have.

[Possum Skinner, SASS#60697]

2 hours ago, Captain Bill Burt said:

Respectfully I hope your enjoyment of  CAS is not in any way dependent upon what another shooter says when starting a stage.

Are we engaged in a shooting sport or auditioning for an acting role?

I wasn’t talking about folks not saying line if that’s their thing or if that’s what they need to do to stay straight.  I was referring to scenarios.  A LOT of the things that made/make CAS fun and unique have eroded away over the years.  I don’t think it was ever intended to be only about speed, yet that’s the direction we have drifted.

 

This is only my opinion and has not been endorsed by any current or former POTUS.

Edited September 26 by Possum Skinner, SASS#60697

[Totes Magoats]

What are peoples thoughts on not having scenes as part of the reading of stages.  Probably 95% of the matches I shoot now, the stages either don't have scene's or the posse asks to skip it when reading stages.

 

@Possum Skinner, SASS#60697  Do you write scenes for your stages?

 

Totes

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

I remember one year at EOT where Bob Boze Bell recorded the "scenes" for each stage on casettes and they played them on a boom box at the beginning of each stage.  Damn near caused a riot.  No one wanted to wait arount for ten minutes while Bob regaled everyone with tales of the old west.  I think it lasted maybe two stages and they junked the boom boxes. 95% of matches don't have them because 95% of shooters don't give a crap about them.

[Tell Sackett SASS 18436]

52 minutes ago, Possum Skinner, SASS#60697 said:

I wasn’t talking about folks not saying line if that’s their thing or if that’s what they need to do to stay straight.  I was referring to scenarios.  A LOT of the things that made/make CAS fun and unique have eroded away over the years.  I don’t think it was ever intended to be only about speed, yet that’s the direction we have drifted.

 

This is only my opinion and has not been endorsed by any current or former POTUS.

Well for me it was ALWAYS about speed!! And accuracy!! Even when I had neither! I’ve gotten better through the years.

But who says you can’t have fun focusing on those??

I have!

[Captain Bill Burt]

25 minutes ago, Totes Magoats said:

What are peoples thoughts on not having scenes as part of the reading of stages.  Probably 95% of the matches I shoot now, the stages either don't have scene's or the posse asks to skip it when reading stages.

 

@Possum Skinner, SASS#60697  Do you write scenes for your stages?

 

Totes

I'm fine with a story line and I'm fine without one.  Either way the end result is shooting a stage, which is what I came for.

 

Having said that, if the club went to the trouble of writing up a story line I think the shooters should be willing to have it read.

[Eyesa Horg]

25 minutes ago, Totes Magoats said:

What are peoples thoughts on not having scenes as part of the reading of stages.  Probably 95% of the matches I shoot now, the stages either don't have scene's or the posse asks to skip it when reading stages.

 

@Possum Skinner, SASS#60697  Do you write scenes for your stages?

 

Totes

I actually like them depending on whom is reading them. Some really put the emphasis in them, some just read them monotone and sound bored. It's fun to have your Alias included now and then. I was bounty hunter Eyesa recently! Big matches to me should include these things as well as saying the starting line .

[Possum Skinner, SASS#60697]

40 minutes ago, Totes Magoats said:

What are peoples thoughts on not having scenes as part of the reading of stages.  Probably 95% of the matches I shoot now, the stages either don't have scene's or the posse asks to skip it when reading stages.

 

@Possum Skinner, SASS#60697  Do you write scenes for your stages?

 

Totes

No.  Never have.

 

I’m ok with them not being there.

[Lucky Lead Pepper]

36 minutes ago, Totes Magoats said:

What are peoples thoughts on not having scenes as part of the reading of stages.

AT Wartrace, our stage writer usually writes a short 2-4 sentence scenario using club member names.  They are always funny, so I never skip reading the stories when I'm the PM. 

 

My dad shoots with us at Wartrace, Wild Phil Hickok, and everyone there knows when he gets frustrated with something he says "Dadgummit!" This happens 2-3 times per match probably.  A few weeks ago, TW made the starting line for every stage Dadgummit.  It was hilarious.  I love it when a good starting line is said with vigor (Doc Pain is really good at this), but I also don't mind when someone says something as simple as "ready".  I have fun no matter what starting lines other shooters use.

[Dusty Devil Dale]

Start lines obviously are intended to let the T.O. and spotters know when the shooter is ready. But they can also add some laughs to the game, especially when shooters individualize. 

 

But (and this is a question) was the addition of start lines originally  intended as a stage "task", i.e., to level the playing field by  all shooter's having to deal with the same distraction from  their "zone" as they approach the stage?  Was the line intended to be a "Stage Direction", or just a fun and useful informal stage feature?   

 

Stage writers usually handle all of that by just keeping lines  short, fun for the posse, loosely managed, and by posting them conveniently for shooters.   It seems like it is working OK in most matches I've attended. 

 

I've seen a lot of cases where the Stage Direction just said "indicate ready".  In one case it said "Indicate ready by saying the posted line". 

 

I've also seen some really fun lines, like a stage in a Halloween themed match where the Stage Direction called for holding up a witches broom and saying, "Of course I can drive a stick!"

 

Simple and fun is most popular, but is the posted line a requirement? 

[Possum Skinner, SASS#60697]

12 minutes ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

Start lines obviously are intended to let the T.O. and spotters know when the shooter is ready. But they can also add some laughs to the game, especially when shooters individualize. 

 

But (and this is a question) was the addition of start lines originally  intended as a stage "task", i.e., to level the playing field by  all shooter's having to deal with the same distraction from  their "zone" as they approach the stage?  Was the line intended to be a "Stage Direction", or just a fun and useful informal stage feature?   

 

Stage writers usually handle all of that by just keeping lines  short, fun for the posse, loosely managed, and by posting them conveniently for shooters.   It seems like it is working OK in most matches I've attended. 

 

I've seen a lot of cases where the Stage Direction just said "indicate ready".  In one case it said "Indicate ready by saying the posted line". 

 

I've also seen some really fun lines, like a stage in a Halloween themed match where the Stage Direction called for holding up a witches broom and saying, "Of course I can drive a stick!"

 

Simple and fun is most popular, but is the posted line a requirement? 

I’m certain it was not meant as a task, but as part of the fun as they “played cowboy”.

 

Even though I enjoy them, I don’t think start lines should be mandatory.

[Captain Bill Burt]

22 minutes ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

Start lines obviously are intended to let the T.O. and spotters know when the shooter is ready. But they can also add some laughs to the game, especially when shooters individualize. 

 

But (and this is a question) was the addition of start lines originally  intended as a stage "task", i.e., to level the playing field by  all shooter's having to deal with the same distraction from  their "zone" as they approach the stage?  Was the line intended to be a "Stage Direction", or just a fun and useful informal stage feature?   

 

Stage writers usually handle all of that by just keeping lines  short, fun for the posse, loosely managed, and by posting them conveniently for shooters.   It seems like it is working OK in most matches I've attended. 

 

I've seen a lot of cases where the Stage Direction just said "indicate ready".  In one case it said "Indicate ready by saying the posted line". 

 

I've also seen some really fun lines, like a stage in a Halloween themed match where the Stage Direction called for holding up a witches broom and saying, "Of course I can drive a stick!"

 

Simple and fun is most popular, but is the posted line a requirement? 

I guess a club could make it a requirement but I've never seen that.

[Chantry]

I tend to say whatever bizarre thing pops into what passes for my mind

"Shoot the kid, Shane!"

"I see crazy people" when looking at the RO and spotters if the starting position is facing up range

"It's time for my nap"  I say that one a lot, ever hopeful I guess

"Tar & feather TN Williams and Widder" that's less of statement and more of a wish

"Eyesa, where is that money you owe me"

 

 

[Eyesa Horg]

3 minutes ago, Chantry said:

I tend to say whatever bizarre thing pops into what passes for my mind

"Shoot the kid, Shane!"

"I see crazy people" when looking at the RO and spotters if the starting position is facing up range

"It's time for my nap"  I say that one a lot, ever hopeful I guess

"Tar & feather TN Williams and Widder" that's less of statement and more of a wish

"Eyesa, where is that money you owe me"

 

 

I'll catch up with ya in a couple weeks! 

[Griff]

5 hours ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

But (and this is a question) was the addition of start lines originally  intended as a stage "task", i.e., to level the playing field by  all shooter's having to deal with the same distraction from  their "zone" as they approach the stage?  Was the line intended to be a "Stage Direction", or just a fun and useful informal stage feature? 

 

Simple and fun is most popular, but is the posted line a requirement? 

Start lines from when I began were usually a continuation of a short paragraph describing the scenario; i.e:  As you stand up from doin' your business in the outhouse, you hear the thunder of about 20 horses riding up to your ranch yard... stepping out of the outhouse you turn and draw your pistol from the hook near the door and take out the five cowboys nearest you, then grab your rifle from the hay bale and proceed to knock the 10 furthest cowboys outta their saddles, running over to your horse, you draw your shotgun from the scabbard and knock down the last remaining four.  Start line:  "all heck's gonna break loose!"

 

This would have been in the days when we only used one pistol.

 

As less imaginative folks began writing stages the extra verbiage was cut down to something like

 

5 pistol holstered with belt and holster hanging from hook outside outhouse

10 rifle on hay bale

4+ shotgun in scabbard on horse.

 

When ready the line is:  "all heck's gonna break loose.

 

There are proponents for both descriptions.  Which are you?

 

But, in direct answer to your question, I couldn't tell you... Ask SASS #94, since he won the 1st EOT and was around in the beginning.  

[Nasty Newt # 7365]

6 hours ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

I remember one year at EOT where Bob Boze Bell recorded the "scenes" for each stage on casettes and they played them on a boom box at the beginning of each stage.  Damn near caused a riot.  No one wanted to wait arount for ten minutes while Bob regaled everyone with tales of the old west.  I think it lasted maybe two stages and they junked the boom boxes. 95% of matches don't have them because 95% of shooters don't give a crap about them.

I used to write scenes for our annual, but we didn’t read them on the line. They were there in the booklet if the shooters wanted to read them. Our booklets were very well done if I say so myself. 😊

Edited September 27 by Nasty Newt # 7365

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

3 minutes ago, Nasty Newt # 7365 said:

I used to write scenes for our annual, but we didn’t read them on the line. They were there in the booklet if the shooters wanted to read them. Our booklets were very well done if I say so myself. 😊

I always read the stories in the book before shooting the match. Normally they are not read out loud to the posse during the match. I attempt to say the start lines if the are not too long. If they are too long or completely I shorten them using part of the line.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

30 minutes ago, Nasty Newt # 7365 said:

I used to write scenes for our annual, but we didn’t read them on the line. They were there in the booklet if the shooters wanted to read them. Our booklets were very well done if I say so myself. 😊

We use to do that at Winter Range.  The match had a "theme" and then each stage had a story based on that theme.  They were in the shooter's handbook but no one ever read them out loud.

[The Rainmaker, SASS #11631]

I too, used to write a small paragraph setting up the stage and had a short line, either from a movie or made up; most folks don't want to hear a story, they want to shoot. Sad. Now, my stages are themed from a movie or a story and the lines go along with that. I don't write stories anymore and try to keep the lines short. Some don't even want to say the line and just say "ready" or some such. I think it's sad but ya gotta do it your own way, I guess. I say the lines and try to accentuate and get in the spirit of it. That's just me.

[McCandless]

Whatever you choose for a start line, even if it's just "Ready".  Please, say it loud enough to be heard, or nod your head.  Remember, T.O.s are wearing earplugs, too.

[Captain Bill Burt]

26 minutes ago, The Rainmaker, SASS #11631 said:

I too, used to write a small paragraph setting up the stage and had a short line, either from a movie or made up; most folks don't want to hear a story, they want to shoot. Sad. Now, my stages are themed from a movie or a story and the lines go along with that. I don't write stories anymore and try to keep the lines short. Some don't even want to say the line and just say "ready" or some such. I think it's sad but ya gotta do it your own way, I guess. I say the lines and try to accentuate and get in the spirit of it. That's just me.

Part of the beauty of SASS is that it appeals to different people for different reasons.  Some really like to dress up and enjoy the fantasy aspect of it, including the story lines and the starting lines.  Some like the camaraderie and the time spent with friends.  Some like the opportunity to shoot warthog loads and BP.  Some like the chance to shoot as fast as they can.

 

I started out really into the dress up and fantasy aspect of it. Nowadays you can count me in the spending time with friends and shooting as fast as I can groups.  But there's room in my world for those who like different aspects of the sport than I do. 

 

I don't feel sad when I see someone shooting a clean 50 second stage and walking away smiling.  

 

It's a big tent with room for all if we keep open minds. 

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

Stage writing is a LOT of fun.

As much as I enjoyed my time guiding the Eldorado Cowboys - the thing I miss the most is writing stages.

 

My thought is everyone SHOULD be allowed to enjoy their match experience while partaking in OR disregarding "the voluntary fluff" as they see fit. 

 

This game is a big tent and encompases a lot of differing approaches - just as we have shooters that enthusiastically embrace costuming; there are others who do not.  As long as they meet certain standards - neither side is wrong.

 

The same can be said for those who enjoy props, stories and clever start lines versus those who "just want to shoot" - neither is wrong.

 

The stage writer should strive to provide an enviroment that allows and encourages all to play as they wish.  From Wooly chaps and silly scenarios/ start lines to Wranglers and "Shooter Ready".

 

No one should ever be forced to say a stupid line or immerse themselves in a fantasy - but no one has the right to take that away from another who enjoys it.

 

SHORT stories that evoke certain feelings/ environments and theme enhancing start lines SHOULD ALWAYS be made available to improve the experience for those who enjoy it.

 

But nothing BEFORE the beep should be a MANDATORY exercise and imposed upon those who do not enjoy it.

 

After the BEEP - the shooter is subject to the direction and whims of the stage writer.

Before the beep - provide all possible options; but let your shooters decide what makes it most enjoyable to them.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Where is the thread on Finish lines?

[Possum Skinner, SASS#60697]

12 minutes ago, Creeker, SASS #43022 said:

But nothing BEFORE the beep should be a MANDATORY exercise and imposed upon those who do not enjoy it.

Are you saying a shooter shouldn't have to start holding a coil of rope and after signal, hang it on a post?  Or start with a bouquet of flowers in their hands?  etc.

 

Now I'm not talking about throwing a hat on a weather vane and it being a time-bonus if you make it or anything that makes luck change your time.  But, I think we should certainly NOT cut out all mandatory before-the-clock (or after) prop manipulation.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Possum Skinner I think you have extended this thread by at least two more pages.

[Captain Bill Burt]

16 minutes ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

Where is the thread on Finish lines?

It's R rated and in the adults only section of the Wire.

2 minutes ago, Possum Skinner, SASS#60697 said:

Are you saying a shooter shouldn't have to start holding a coil of rope and after signal, hang it on a post?  Or start with a bouquet of flowers in their hands?  etc.

 

Now I'm not talking about throwing a hat on a weather vane and it being a time-bonus if you make it or anything that makes luck change your time.  But, I think we should certainly NOT cut out all mandatory before-the-clock (or after) prop manipulation.

I think that depends.  It's been a while but I shot a match where you started holding a lasso and at the beep tried to throw it over a fence post downrange.  If you made it you got a 5 second bonus.  I did make it, but thought it was a bad idea.  Sometimes the 'cutesy' ideas end up determining who wins the match, which I'm not fond of.