Super Soaker Central

• Waterbridge vs Ridgewood Militia @ Goffle Park
• Game Family: OHS
• Game Type: Standard OHS
• Score: 5 - 5
• Strength: 3v5
• Length: 2.5 Hour Day
• Class: Ranked Inter-Team War
• MVP [RM side]: Dan - 4 kills

Players [Ridgewood Militia]:

• Rob: CPS 12K
• Dan: CPS 2500
• David: CPS 2500

Players [Waterbridge]:

• Nick: CPS 2100
• Matt T: CPS 2100
• Jeff: MI Flash Flood
• Ben: Dual unknown pistols
• Matt N: XPS 310

The numbers this time around were nearly the inverse of the last war, with the Ridgewood Militia finding itself outnumbered. However, that situation is nothing special for the RM, which still has never lost a war while outnumbered. I did a half-assed job of mobilizing, for I assumed that Waterbridge wouldn't be able to field a large team with the starting time so early [11 AM]. Both teams arrived 30 minutes late, so we really started at around 11:30. Since Waterbridge had a severe shortage of guns, we provided a stock 2100 and Zach's modded XPS 310. Despite stacked odds against the RM, we actually managed to hold a lead for much of the war. Had we decided to sit hidden until time expired, we could have won by a point. We could also have won by a point if David had killed someone in his final rush. I died twice in this war, which is extremely embarrassing. Last time I died twice in the same war was back on the 14th of August, 2005.

The Early Action:

The RM entered the Goffle first, to fill our guns. After filling, we forded the brook, which was unusually easy. The water level was very low since we've had virtually no rain in the past few weeks. We moved farther down the West Bank using the back path. This is an area of the park which rarely sees any fighting, but it was busy today. We had planned on holding the Goffle Island, but upon arrival found it as more of a peninsula. The bank did get steep and narrow in the area, so we decided to hold across from the island.

After ten minutes or so, Waterbridge appeared coming down the back path. Rather than fight, we abandoned the position and ran to an overgrown area where the brook bends. Someone assembled a rock crossing there last year, which worked very well for us with the low water. We crossed and began climbing the East Bank ridge, which is basically the whole bank.

Waterbridge took a while to cross. When they finally did, they split and advanced up in a wide flanking formation. I spent the waiting time explaining a few maneuvers of the Outnumbered Defense, most importantly fast tree-to-tree position changes.

Major Engagement at the treehouse corner:

Waterbridge came up as 2 on our right, 1 at our center, and 2 at our right. We went for the 2 on the left, but failed to get them. I put myself high up to hold Matt N and Ben, while Dan took the low end to hold Nick and Matt T, with David in the center against Jeff. Our line soon became perpendicular to the ridge, with an indentation in the center. I purposely moved up and out so that I could trade fire with Jeff while holding Matt N and Ben at the same time.

Eventually, we couldn't give up any more ground and attempted to hold the status quo. We were backed into the corner where the treehouse is located. When you're outnumbered by 2, a corner is a very bad place to be. Our Fluid Line kind of died once our backs were to the OB line.

Now is when it became tricky. Nick ordered for his team to press in more, which changed nothing with Matt T and Dan. However, both David and I had to hold two guys. This became very difficult when Matt N and Ben took cover behind the same tree. I couldn't shoot either from behind my own tree without risking being hit. I also couldn't keep holding Jeff from splitting our line, for Matt N and Ben were piling on the splatter damage when I turned.

Now here's an exercise in capital options. We couldn't retreat and couldn't stay in our positions. When these two options are closed, there's only one left: attack. I called for a rush down the left against Matt T and Nick. Dan shot Matt, David was shot when he couldn't get out of the center fast enough, and I died because the splatter on my shirt spread and the solid area became fist-sized. Dan also shot Matt N when he was distracted shooting at me. Parley resolved disputes and the founders set the score at 3-2, RM leading.

The Early Action Resumed:

Well, Dan was still alive, so he ran down the ridge and crossed. David and I followed him to respawn, though lost him when he took up an ambush position at the corner. We moved to our original position on the East Bank to draw off Waterbridge. After they refilled, I yelled out, "See you at the dam!" and we began to run. Instead of going to the dam, David and I dropped down behind a large log and waited for them to take the bait. It took forever, but the enemy finally left the area.

We promptly doubled back to find Dan. Reunited, we waited at the bend for Waterbridge to come back. When they did come back, we dropped down to hide. Jeff and Matt N actually managed to come very close to us, but did not see us.

The Midde Action:

When it was clear again, we refilled at a puddle and moved back up the East Bank towards the Heights. The plan was to hold the dam, though I didn't like the prospects of crossing open ground while outnumbered. This was a very dangerous plan, but Dan talked me into it. I rejected a plan to hold High Point for the same reason Waterbridge was almost wiped out there earlier this year.

Major Engagement at the open lot corner:

We spotted enemies near Corning. Instead of fight, we ran through Corning and into the open lot. There were two enemies, just Jeff and Nick. This opportunity looked too good to be true, so I had us keep running. We made a move to get down to the dam, but Matt T and friends popped out.

Blocked from the dam, we sprinted up a row of mulch to the back of the lot. From here, we should have turned left and ran the hell out of dodge. Instead, we turned right and engaged all 5 enemies. When you're fighting 5 enemies with 3 people in the open, you're going to naturally give ground. We gave it until we once again got screwed at a corner. This time it worse - the wind was totally against us.

I "held" Matt N and Jeff on the right. We fought and dodged from less than 25ft away. At that range, you can't make a mistake when dodging - you decide left or right and go for it without hesitation. When two streams are shooting at you, you're dead without ridiculous agility. I have a very impressive sequence when I dodged Jeff's stream to the left, dodged his next to the right, let the next one fly to the left, dodged Matt N's to the left, and then dodged both wide to the left when the wind took them just to the right. While I had the right under some sort of control, the left and center were in chaos. Dan killed Ben, Dan killed someone else, then he was killed. Without him, I was about to be rushed, so I acted first and rushed against Matt N. The wind sheared my stream into splatter and not enough came together for the kill.

Claims degenerated into shouting, so Nick and I met to discuss the disputes. The tally came out to 5-4, RM sitll leading. However, Waterbridge had a sort of 5v1 "power play" against David for the next minute. Instead of hiding in the reeds in the very corner like I suggested, he made a killing rush and swung the stream around. If he had focused it on a single person, we would have still held the lead. It was determined that his shot didn't get a fist-sized spot on anyone. 5-5.

The Late Action:

The RM claimed its free refill and headed off to the dam. Some insults and shouting occurred, so Nick and I tried to calm our teams. After refilling, the RM walked up to the ridge in the general direction of the entrance path. Shouting indicated that it wasn't clear. Waterbridge's internal bickering actually helped my own team cool down to normal. Evidently, Jeff and Nick were arguing about Nick's ability to command. We lay prone on the ground until time expired and then made our way back to the entrance path, preserving the tie.

Conclusions:

5-5 is respectable for 3v5, especially considering how we handled being trapped in two corners. Funny thing is that the RM visited every corner of the inbounds portion of the park - the corner with the treehouse, the corner with the bend, the corner of the open lot, and the corner on the East Bank near the dam. Waterbridge needs to analyze this war than the RM does. RM victory was a real possibility throughout the war, but Waterbridge never held the lead and trailed for much of it. It is interesting to note that Waterbridge couldn't shut down the Outnumbered Defense. Usually Waterbridge deals with it, but can't stop the Outnumbered Offense. In this war, the RM never got a chance to wield the Outnumbered Offense. Anyway, this should have been an RM victory when I think about close we were to taking it!