[NARRATIVE] Sensei

A play-by-play of how to conquer lands while winning hearts and minds.

Here's the game setup. Of course I ally the best of the best (a very hard computer), the best ally money can own. Insane allies are too volatile, so while the extra resources is nice, they are not the best choice. You need something you can control. Otherwise things get out of hand.

The first thing you should do is disable allied colors. Yes, it's a 2v2, but if you're not careful your teammate will stab you in the back, and that's the end. I've learned the hard way. If you don't keep an eye on the ball, you'll soon regret it. So, my allie spawns top-left and I'm just beneath. Our opponents are hard. However, we have the edge.

The enemy race is unknown. The safest thing to do is to cannon, and wall with the cannons. I prefer air-tight. It's a fact that you cannot anticipate every rush. They could 6-pool. If they do then air-tight is the only way to go. If you leave a gap then they could arrive before your Zealot. Worse still, they could come in numbers and without Force Field you'll be left barren; your wall will be unpowered when they destroy your Pylon. Even if you build 2 Pylons it won't be enough if there's a double 6-pool. So wall up tight.

To my dismay my allie is utterly confused by the presence of the wall. While some players know how to deal with enemy walls, a friendly wall seems utterly baffling. He is contained. And yet he can in-base Command and carry SCVs. He doesn't do it. It seems my allie's ability to adapt is completely stymied by the presence of a friendly wall. I'd go so far as to say he doesn't even detect it, as though it is so unexpected that he didn't even know it was there. As you can see his SCVs are walking around willy-nilly. We're losing time. This isn't good. Also, you can see he's committing to infantry, and this is a mistake. I've already ensured we're defended against the rush. He needs to be teching, and he's not. It seems that I just can't get through to him.

Minutes pass. He's still not adapting. The friendly wall is as a phantom to him. His SCVs, despite the failure of the initial scouts to pass through the wall, still maintain the mindset that I have not set our defenses in place. Undoubtedly this is an expansion attempt, and yet it is doomed. He is trying to get out of the main, and yet the time is not yet. There is still no main Command.

I can't get through to him. He insists on producing Infantry. It's time to add emphasis. I kill a Marine. Still no response. He continues to produce Infantry, wasting valuable resources and time. The Infantry will be trapped behind the wall, just like his other units, and yet he persists. I take aim and fire a second time, killing a second Marine (although because they are allies these kills don't count).

Things have rapidly devolved from bad to worse. My ally still has not adapted to the presence of the wall, and now a great quantity of valuable resources are tied up in his barracks units. We don't need Infantry. I am forced to adapt and take a hidden expansion just above the enemy base. Realizing the situation is perhaps futile, and that communication may indeed remain impossible, I retool, teching directly for Dark Templar. If I catch our enemies off guard, it will compensate for my allie's idiocy.

I won't abandon him, so I make another appeal to his rationality. If he sends me resources, my rush will be twice as deadly. Unfortunately he declines.

There's no sense in continued slaughter, so I make an effort to shore up my new expansion. Unfortunately, an attack comes too soon. I'm forced to cancel my defenses. If only my allie had listened. If we had Banshees or some kind of tech units he could help, but instead, his army is useless, sitting stagnant and impotent in our base.

The Dark Shrine is constructed. I only hope that the delayed Dark Shrine will be enough. I know our enemies are fast approaching and my allie is yet to secure an expansion. I'm headed for the standard 4-Gate Dark Templar Warp. Unfortunately, in the chaos ensued from my fallen expansion, my only free Probe has been sniped. I'll have to take the long way, warping in from the main and walking the distance.

Knowing the attack is imminent I reinforce the defenses. 3 Cannons should be sufficient to defend any rush.

The rush arrives too soon. There are only 2 Cannons defending. The other is yet to complete. My ally remains poised among his own buildings and the wall is being breached. The situation is desperate.

The wall will fall. There is no way around it. I can only pray my Dark Templar arrive in time, and that there is no detection. Otherwise, all is lost.

Miraculously I hold the rush. The Dark Templar will be here any minute. The tides have turned.

At narry the 10-minute mark my allie finally expands. The wall has fallen and we are exposed.

In an unwise and futile gesture my allie attacks, sacrificing all of his Infantry and achieving nothing. I attempt to support with 1 Dark Templar, however after garnering 3 kills, I'm forced to slip away. An Overseer has arrived and due to my allie's petulant and over eager attack we are badly outnumbered. 3 more Dark Templar arrive (the rush having destroyed the Gate at the wall), however, it is obvious that I cannot salvage the situation my allie has created. Wisely, I retreat and lick my wounds, preparing for the next engagement. It is clear I cannot depend upon my allie. I will have to take matters into my own hands.

My allie has lost all of his units fighting 2v1. By necessity, I've taken the forward gold expansion with high-yield crystals. If I'm to win this fighting alone, I'll need all the resources I can get. I warp an army of Dark Templar to my forward post, and prepare to defend. I'm not a moment too soon. Just as I reach a crucial number of Dark Templar, the swell of the enemy ranks is upon me. My warriors charge into battle and thanks to our superior technology and training, we are able to defend the forward post. The day is ours, and my allie is nowhere to be seen. Fortunately, with the additional resources of the high-yield crystals, we may yet have a chance in this fight.

I spy my allie's army out of position. He remains defending his own natural, fighting behind the lines like a coward, while all of my warriors die bravely to defend the high-yield crystals -- our only chance against the growing ranks of our enemies.

The high-yield crystals alone will not be enough. I'm forced to risk an expansion at the top right base, hoping that any enemy waves will break upon the forward defenses at the high-yield expansion. This is a risky maneuver, because I cannot afford defenses at the top right expansion. If the enemy converts to an aerial assault aimed to disable my vulnerable expansion, this gambit could be disastrous. And yet, it is a risk I must take. We are unsure of the enemy's strength, and it is possible that without additional resources I alone will not have the capacity to win the day. However, with the additional resources from this second expansion, victory is assured. If only I can hang on long enough.

Fear is mounting among the troops. There has been a lapse in the enemy advances. I am afraid we will be lulled into a sense of complacency. It seems that foolishness has already taken the heart of my allie. A lone Medivac is headed directly for the full strength of the enemy defenses. It will surely die, and all the lives of those inside will be lost. This is a grievous blunder that could easily cost us the war. Fortunately, I have anticipated this eventuality and am prepared to 'go it alone', finishing the fight myself if necessary. My fool-hardy allie has no idea the strength of arms bared against this 1 Medivac. I can only grimace as precious resources are squandered.

It seems my allie has grown wise to the futility of a headlong attack with just 1 Medivac. In an unprecedented stroke of genius, he converts an ill-fated affair into a scouting expedition. It has been some time since we saw the intent of our foes, and though this maneuver is a risk to the Medivac, the intelligence gained could be pivotal in plotting our next move.

Alas, my allie is once more possessed with the brazen glory-seeking bravado that has already cost the lives of so many in his command. Before the Medivac can complete the scouting path and perhaps even return safely to our lines, the Medivac veers off course, heading directly for the enemy choke point. This is a sure-fire death sentence to the Medivac and all those onboard. I watch in stunned disbelief at this pointless and callous sacrifice of materiel and personnel. The Medivac encounters the bulk of the enemy army, and within seconds it erupts into flames, shredded by a hail of anti-air missiles.

This act of criminal negligence reinforces my near-certainty that if there is to be a victory, it will be won with my own 2 hands. Immediately, I double the strength of my production facilities, and hope that my allie's dazzling incompetence will be mistaken for some sort of elaborate ploy, perhaps a gratuitous show of strength. If nothing else, I hope that the deaths of those involved will buy me the time I need to bring the full resources of my new expansion into play. With the combined might of the high-yield crystals and the top right expansion, victory is a near certainty. The only question is: Do I have enough time to engage the powers at my disposal.

My army is now a full-fledged legion of Dark Templar. A dozen Dark Templar can bring an Ultralisk to its knees in less than a second. With my economic might surging, and my new production capacity soon to be online, I know the time to strike is fast approaching. However, it seems that the time has come and gone for my allie. His army surges forward striking alone at the enemy stronghold. I know that if he engages the position without the help of my elite warriors, his fool-hardy assault will crash and burn. Unwilling to relinquish valuable resources, no matter how poorly they are maintained, I rush to the aid of his beleaguered troops. Although the time is not yet at hand, and our odds are slim, I cannot bare to watch this senseless slaughter. I commit my troops, although with a pang of regret at the unwieldy pressure of this fool forcing my hand.

When I arrive, all hope is nearly lost. My allie's forces are being torn to shreds by the unrelenting fire and savagery of a superior foe, armed to the teeth and fully expecting this ill-fated charade. Of course it seems that my reputation proceeds me, and while some would be flattered by recognition or high-esteem, I know that in times of war, such salutation will only find the enemy all too-prepared. And such was the case here. The enemy anticipated that I would not hesitate to rescue an allie, even one so idiotic as this. The enemy lay in wait, catching my soldiers before they could close ranks and salvage the ever-worsening situation. I cursed in vain as I watched one of my elite torn to shreds in an heroic effort to pull a friendly from certain death.

Thanks to the timely intervention of my superior warriors, the day was won. There was no time to celebrate. Though the main army had been shattered, stragglers and guerrillas still held the outer embankments. Victory must be certain. My forces swept the area, cleaning out every nook and cranny, eliminating each of the surviving enemies before they could regroup and muster a resistance. To me shock and dismay, my allie had engaged what was left of his crippled army plundering the defenseless base of our opponents. A reprimand would be required. However, there were still hostiles with the fighting strength to be a threat, should they coalesce and counter attack. With my army attacking in the South, such a counter-attack could be devastating. There was no time to reprimand the criminal acts of my allie. Before victory could be achieved, all threats had to be neutralized. My warriors moved swiftly and efficiently, culling the remainder of the enemy forces, ensuring that my victory would be absolute.

At long last the enemy surrendered, an honorable foe, handing in the news of his surrender once it was clear that defeat had settled upon his land. I rushed to accept his resignation, praying that I could end the senseless slaughter before my allie's blood thirst reeked irreparable damage upon the defenseless infrastructure of our opponents.

[NARRATIVE] Sensei

Completed

Ongoing

Upcoming