Don’t Make Your Flag Capture a Pyrrhic Victory
by Bruce "Charon" Johnston on Mar 03, 2009
Your pre-game strategy session with the team has paid off. From the opening horn your team has been able to move into their primary positions without losing a man. You have locked the field into zones, stalled the advance of the other team, and moved onto the offence.
Momentum and initiative are on your side as you start rolling through their lines. The fire and movement drills your team practiced have worked perfectly. Slowly and methodically you move toward the other team’s flag station.
They mounted a stubborn defense but after a pitched battle your side has secured the flag station. The other team has been pushed back. You are the kings of the field.
A quick glance at your watch and the euphoric feeling of a few seconds before starts to fade. There are still 40 minutes remaining in the game. You look to the left, and then right. You notice that while you have secured the objective you have lost the bulk of your own side.
Then the reality of your tactical situation sets in. The respawn is in another five minutes. You are on the other team’s end of the field. The other team’s respawned players will get to you before your own reinforcements can run the length of the field to help.
You have stuck a very short stick into a hornet’s nest. There is a pretty good chance that when the other team respawns, they are going to want to get their flag station back. You are now almost alone and outnumbered. There is only one choice, when they other side respawns, you must hold your new position. If the other side breaks through your thin line, they will have the momentum when your reinforcements arrive. You were victorious in capturing the flag station. Will it be a Pyrrhic victory?
A Pyrrhic victory refers to a temporary victory that is so costly it will lead to eventual defeat. The phrase has it’s origin in the victories of King Pyrrhus of Epirus, Greece, over the Romans in 280-279BC during the Pyrrhic War. Pyrrhus was able to defeat the Romans in a number of battles, but lost so many men in doing so that the Romans were able to ultimately turn the tide and win the war.
Anyone can win a fight with superior numbers while fighting from a prepared position. It’s now up to you to try the same task outnumbered and fighting from a hasty defense.
All of your practice, and countless days playing woodsball have come down to this, the moment of truth. It is time to show everyone what kind of player you are, and not let history repeat itself.
With a little planning and pre-game preparation three or four players can hold back a rush of twelve or more.
Make a Small Target
Your goal is to stay in the game and delay the other team. There is no need to give the other side more of you to shoot at then is necessary. Play your bunkers tight. Never have anything more then your marker, the side of your head, and one hand exposed at any time.
Don’t get sucked into leaning out from behind your bunker to get a better shooting angle. Smart attackers will leave one player partially exposed in the hope you will try for the shot. A second attacker will be posted on your position, waiting for you to take the bait and make that fatal mistake.
Shoot and Move
Keep the attackers guessing as to where they should shoot. Fire a few shots from the left side of the bunker. Bump over to the next bunker and shoot from the right side. Approaching players seeing paint coming from more then one bunker may believe both bunkers are occupied, thus dividing their attention and firepower.
If you can’t leave your current bunker, never come out in the same spot twice in a row. Keep them guessing as to what you are going to do. If they are reacting to you, they cannot properly execute their own plans.
Interlocking Fields of Fire
Forget about sitting in the bushes and waiting for the other team to stumble into your sights. The key to holding the line is the tried and true method of locking them up, and shutting them down. You must position your players so more than one marker will be able to shoot at each advancing players, using interlocking fields of fire. Every one of your players should have the maximum field of view, and maximum arcs of fire to engage targets in any direction.
When paint is coming in on the attackers from different directions it will greatly reduce their effectiveness. The attackers will have to play their bunkers tighter and worry about what part of their body might be sticking out. If multiple markers can engage a target it also means that one player on your side can continue to look for targets of opportunity while your teammate can stay posted on the original target.
Engage at Long Range
Maximum fields of fire will also give you the opportunity to engage at the longest range possible. You are concentrating on delaying the other side not making eliminations. When you see an opponent, take a shot, even if your chances of a hit are low. Once paint starts to rain down, the other team will grab cover. The further they are away from you the better. The other side can’t move freely if they are tucked in behind bunkers. Their lack of movement greatly increases how long you’ll survive.
Short Controlled Bursts
After fighting through and capturing the objective, chances are your paint and air will be running low. When you see a target, fire only three or four balls, just enough to push the player in behind cover. Don’t empty your hopper at the first person you see, nor engage in a protracted gunfight with a single attacker. There will be plenty of other targets from which to choose.
Watch and Listen to the Bushes
Once you have engaged at maximum range the other team will realize they can no longer move freely and may try to sneak into your position. In the military, snipers can take hours, or even days to creep a few yards while making no sound. But this is paintball, in an hour the game will be over, so players must move quickly. It doesn’t matter how carefully a player crawls, there will always be a sound. Listen for any sound that changes, or is different. Twigs cracking, branches scraping on a loader or the rustling of grass are sure signs that a opponent is trying to creep up on you.
Not only will creeping players make sounds, players sneaking through the undergrowth will cause funny movements in the branches. If bushes start to shake or move against the wind and snap back, you know the other side is coming.
Whether you hear or see something in the undergrowth, fire a burst in that direction. If there is a player creeping up on you he will think he has been spotted, and will slow down. Even if your paint is not right on target, hits in the bushes close by will cause most players to pause and see if the fire coming their way is accurate.
Deception
The other team has been in the respawn. They have no idea where you are located on the field, nor how many of your team are left. Use that uncertainty to you advantage. Do whatever you can to make your force appear larger than it actually is. Yell out to non existent players on your side. If you see opposing players behind a white house yell it out. “Steve? You see the guys by the white house? If they pop out let them have it.” This deception will accomplish three things;
1. It will have a psychological effect on the other team, knowing they are spotted and that their position has been broadcast to everyone on the field.
2. The opposing players will have to divide his attention between looking for you and finding ‘Steve’.
3. If a player is alone, only a fool would give away the position by yelling. A yelling player must have teammates close by, right?
The most important thing to remember is all you want to do in a situation like this is delay the other team long enough for your respawned players to reach you. The objective is not to eliminate all of the attacking players in front of you but simply hold on a little longer.
Don’t be like King Pyrrhus and waste what you have gained. If you plan ahead, and trust your skills, you will never have to turn your triumph into a Pyrrhic Victory.