This is easily the worst or second to worst war I've had. There was so little true action that posting this as a war report would be absolutely pointless, so I'll just describe what happened.
First, I spend the whole afternoon of the day before filling balloons. 3 bucketfuls. I had nothing better to do anyways.
Attendance turnout was pretty decent. About 90-100% of expected attendance shows up. One of those attendances has it's consequences... Here's how it happened: Most people arrive and get to business, fill up guns, pump, fill again, etc. I quickly think of a starting game to kick off - a skirmish game with 3v3v3. One more person arrived and we decided on 5v5. Light weapons only, a rule that worked effectively at the season opener, was very troublesome here. One clown kept asking if the Monster was "light", and others were carrying 10k's, 12k's, 2100, etc. so I decided to screw it and go with the 2500. (which ended up pissing them off) It wasn't even a matter of people knowing anything about water guns, as we skirmished just fine before w/o people taking high-range weaponry. There deliberation of taking the medium CPS's was obvious.
So that goes out the window, we continue on and actually get in half a fight. My team is being sluggish and wouldn't prep and move up, so I decided to just go alone until one of them finally decides to organize a fireteam and help out. By this time, I'm dealing with several targets at a time while in the line of bushes. ( really need a name for that. The dotted green line perhaps?) After several shots, dodges, and close call, I am half hit with several droplets to my left hand as I dodge into a shrub. (it was difficult to determine whether this would be a full kill or not, and I'm still unsure; I may be being biased) I continue on and caught their team "leader" as he moves along the way I predicted. I clearly got him first, then he fires right when my stream lands on him. The dispute was settled quickly when the other guy who almost killed me charged up and got a full shot. It wouldn't have been any use trying to negotiate w/ them anyway.
Later on we continue and I try to get more games in; assault and zombies. I would constantly call everyone to assemble together for rules, then the other team would move to the base before we could get anything. There's not much I can do; if I run to the other base to get the rules in, they'll probably dispute it or get pissed, and it'll waste energy. Plus my team would start goofing off due to boredom, so the only choice was to continue. I "successfully" bomb the assault target after they would just sit their asses in their base and not have a clue what's going on. Spawn points to the assault game (which cannot be the same as the typical points due to the fact that each base is a bombsite) were not followed and there was nothing I could do.
We got a second assault going; we had to attack their base. Since it would be nearly impossible to effectively hit, I pick up the 50mm, power it up, and load it for a one shot deal. I eventually took the shot and the balloon burst before landing. (I never tested my new "advanced" sabots but they were supposed to work better by cradling the balloon.) We continue and fight, me being outnumbered most of the time due to lack of team support, then they took me out and got all the others. (some of them were using low range weaponry such as the Orca and FF, against medium k-modded CPS's and the Monster)
Next was zombies. Yes, I couldn't even try to get them to cooperate with the current games, so I try something more lighthearted. People were still stuck to the team vs team, base vs base mentality and no one wanted to be alpha zombie, so I went up for it. The human team completely split up and I got a ton of zombifications on people at our base who were not paying attention. (despite numerous times where I asked if they were ready and they said yes) After assimilating the whole base (except the base's hoseman who cheated somewhat because he supposedly didnt know the game started even though I said so twice and went around shooting people already), my new zombie team moves up. I have no clue how or if anyone acquired proper zombie weapons, but I continued anyway. I get some soaks off those who weren't paying attention again, and they were completely flabbergasted when they finally figured out what the rules were. Sometime along, they took my 50mm without knowing how to use it. It was pretty funny; they set it up on the playground pretty high as a turret emplacement. It was only because I used the 50mm earlier in the assault game. (since we needed it anyway; I fired a shot but it broke before exit)
By this time, all the balloons were wasted. Many were lost to people throwing them at each other between games. Oh well, if I need one that badly, I'll make one.
After this, I actually got a chance to negotiate a game whilst in their base. We go for 1HS, place their spawn point, and the rules were 1 minute spawn intervals, with markings required on each spawn. The game was suppose to end at 3:15 (which I had to extend to 3:20 due to organization being slowed down). But everything was all set, and I set up my own base. We expect their team to try to hide and ambush based on how they were talking, and when we started, our team of 4 moved up and saw a ton of guns sitting in the open. An unsual thing for them to do, but I suspected better of them and that the guns were bait for an ambush. We move up and fire some shots into the trees nearby just in case. No response, nothing. We took the path to the right instead and moved into the base. Clear, clear, clear. Around the front, all clear. There were few possibilities left. They might have gone inside the house for whatever reason, or they might have moved somewhere. But then again, all their guns where there in that spot. We still check behind other places to ensure it's clear, then proceed to breach the house. My friend who lives there answered. He said that the team left to play or something, I can't remember. It didn't take much to guess that they were in the basement playing on the Wii. We decided not to breach with water guns and to return to base instead.
Fast forward. Some of my team is getting pretty bored, I'm not supposed to let people in the house, but there's no choice. We were too small to get a good game amongst ourselves (only up to 4 would participate, maybe less) We go in, get food and water, and I let energy off the drums. We then gathered around and listened to some metal. (Lamb of God and some stuff that our band wrote in a program) Later, I get nerf guns, and assemble a small fireteam to breach with nerf.
And much later (after the war), I would find that the guests made a few messes, stepped in with shoes over the floor, and my mom got pissed; they were all sleeping or doing whatever at the time.
But nevermind that. We go and breach. But wait, everyone's leaving already. Most are going in the car of someone who drove there and one goes on the bike. We try to blast them with nerf, and with a modified Nitefinder (CPVC barrel + rubber band), I almost get a shot at the passenger. He rolled up the window and the dart bounced off. We ended up picking the darts off the middle of the road.
Talk about shitty timing; we didn't have nerf when we were going to breach inside, and we didn't have water guns which would have most certainly blasted them good before they managed to get away. Even as ahead as they were, we could've hit them with water guns. Now, I personally want to shatter a window off that car w/ a balloon. But nevermind that, I'd have another chance to get revenge. (cuz there was nothing better to do)
So we go back indoors. Do more crap. Listen to more music. I call one of my friends a few times, and he finally answers. He even tells me where they went; to the nearby park to play volleyball at the court there. Our next assault was being planned. I get my team together (while the lazy ones stayed behind and bored themselves out to death; at least I can (kinda) trust them on my computer) and we go to the backyard again to gather some waterpower. There were a few ideas. Get my friend's Splashzookas, use small, concealable weapons, or just plain rambo on them. We go with the third option since I decided that the waterpower would be needed. We walk over to the park and keep in mind; almost the entire area is open, so no sneaking in there. We had to walk in personally. Guns behind back and down, we proceed. They don't spot us nor see it coming until a while later. I kept getting nervous, trying to make everyone look like we're heading to the playground to war. The rest of the team keeps staring at the court while I'm trying to get them to glance. I discuss my doubts to the attack with someone else there, and he simply wants to proceed. We tiptoe closer, thinking what to do, what if this and that happens, etc. We look enough like douchebags already.
Most of our targets were on one team of the volleyball court. Our informant was on the other side, which was good because I didn't want to shoot him for helping us out. There's a ton of other people all from church who are also playing. One of them gets annoyed. "come on guys, don't shoot us, save it for later, we're trying to get a game going" At the time, I didn't even realize what a good thing that was; it would make the assault easier. I ensure my team is ready, and I charge in, hitting pretty much every target with tap shots from the 2500 on 10x. I now regret not hitting the culprit with a better shot as tap shots don't even soak that much. (however, I wasn't even thinking about it, the PC size might not have been able to accomodate for a good shot to just one target so I do what I can) It happened pretty fast, I got sand in my shoes, but at least I didn't miss and no one dodged. I heard a "wow" from someone else and maybe a scream or 2, but couldn't give any less of a crap.
And then, I find that NO ONE ELSE on the team charged in with me. I thought we were on the same page, and that they'd charge as soon as I did. It's a pity; the assault worked but could've been much better. They could've been drenched to hell instead of merely annoyed at a group of immature kids who wanted to "get revenge" for something stupid. (Thats probably what it looked like to them anyways. I'm too pissed off to care) Later, we wanted to bomboard the place with WBL fire, and my friend wanted to get another friend's airsoft spring sniper rifle and some camo and pick them off. Neither happened. Our last resort is to find their IP's (or at least that of the one who ruined the war) and do something funny to it. Hasn't happened, I'll be lucky if it does tomorrow. It's up to my friend really since I don't even know any command prompt scripts. Some friends were listening to the conversation (where we exchange a ton of stories, one of my friend getting good revenge on someone who was actually annoying the living crap out of him, and never did so afterwards, and others being high school pranks and what not due to pissy technicians thinking they own everything; they actually deserved it as they go around randomly bothering people in the comp lab) My other friend actually knows coding, while the one who I was talking to found all sorts of stuff online. And why am I rambling on about this? Meh, it's 3am right now.
That's kind of how it concluded. Oh, and plus, my
VHS broke. I'll be getting pics on it to SSC tomorrow. The parts that are supposed to be the strongest shattered; 2 areas broke off. Fortunately, almost the whole thing is of threaded parts, and I'll have a chance to reconfigure and make it even better. Rest of it was as usual. Cleanup was hell, getting everything in was a pain in the ass, etc. I do get the usual help for cleaning up though, which makes things a bit better.
So... Don't invite big-ego, football player cockheads to your water wars. =) (I don't mean to apply the stereotype to ALL football players, one or 2 people I know who were on the team where not like that at all, but the majority definately fit the stereotype) Really though, that was one of people who thinks they own everything. Because their team was mostly the follower type, and because the douchebag took command over them (my authority as host and game organizer meant nothing to them), the entire war crashed. Many of the same people were part of the season opener, which turned out great despite lack of attendance.
Broken chain of command can do much worse than screw up a water war. I still want to give a little payback, and he wasn't quite that bad on the last war that completely crashed 2 years ago. Thus not being able to see it coming, the war was ruined for everyone else on my team, including a newcomer who's never been to HydroBrawl before.
Be very careful. Wars that crash aren't that common, but it can happen ANYWHERE at ANYTIME. I thought the crashed war of 2007 was the end of it after improving organization of wars. False. The best way to ensure a war won't crash is to get people you know for certain that won't try to run things themselves. (unless they can do so properly and will cooperate with you to having a good war) Then there's people that start giving the host shit about how they're too "enthusiastic" about water wars.
So this would total up to 3 crashed wars in HBWW history. The 2007 war with 20 people who just screwed around, the war last year at Boulan Park (the place within walking distance of the battlefield), and today. (or technically, yesterday from the time of this post) That amounts to an average of 1 crashed war per season (2006 was an exception because I only had one war), and some things need to change. This is most likely the last war I can have of the season (parents getting annoyed about crap coming up) and could possibly be the last I host in this style. During cleanup, I have seriously considered shutting down these wars completely, hoping I can start a team in college or at least completely re-structure our wars. We will most likely not be able to play on this field again, the place that's come to mark 4 years of HydroBrawl Water Warfare.
Long writeup. I had to vent quite a bit too. It wouldn't be fair to not repost this at SSC, but I kind of feel like keeping it here. Just a small place to throw it under.
