After spending all afternoon in the Aus-1 channel looking for a good game to obs, and failing about a billion times, I finally happened onto a game that did not consist of a three minute whooping of one player. This is the story of that game.

WARNING: If you are looking for a game with super gosu new tactics, an exciting climactic final battle or are offended easily by the sight of blood (albeit fake computer generated blood), turn away now. The game is also horribly one sided. I wrote this report soley for the comedy value involved in seeing so much death for so little purpose.

Now that you have read and heeded the warning, I will continue. As I was saying, I finally found a game to watch. Preparing myself for the task ahead (which consisted of deleting about a thousand useless screen shots and making sure I had a ready supply of CC's and Pepsi) I settled down to observe the "Blood Bath at the Temple"

The Players

The combatants for the game were crap187 aka War, a member of the super gosu crap clan. All the crap players are highly skilled, with members representing their clan at the highest levels of competition. (if you want to check it out, drop in to the Aus-1 server sometime and have a game.) He brings to the game a record of 191-63-0.

His opponent for the game was to be Crazy~Dave. I have talked to Dave a few times, but have never seen him play. his record for the game is 11-14-0.

The map for the game was to be a new map for me, a four player map called Lost something.. Church, no wait, maybe Lost Shrine... What, Lost Temple you say? Overplayed you say? Never. Just in case you have it mistaken for another Map, here's a picture of it.

As for races and start locations, both players randomed their choices. Crazy~Dave drew Zerg and morphed a hatchery at the 12 o'clock starting position.

His opponent crap187 landed his Terran Command Center at the 3 o'clock main.

Both players set to work on thier initial build orders, which went as follows.

From his build order, it looks as though Crazy~Dave is going for Lurkers, while crap187 slaps down a Factory to support his M+M build. At about the same time as he was adding his Hydra Den, Crazy~Dave sent off his initial Zerglings on a scouting mission to recon the Terran Base. They died.

Both players build up thier forces a little, then set out. As his first Lurkers are hatched, Crazy~Dave musters twelve Zerglings just beyond the base of his ramp. At the same time, crap187 sends out his "smackdown" squad of eleven Marines and two Medics to inflict a little suffering on the Zerg Menace.

The Zerlings and the M+M's clash and in the end, it is the Terrans who come away victorious, despite losing all of thier number bar one Medic and one Marine. However, they are quickly reiforced by more troops in red armour.

At the same time, crap187 has his first tanks which set up shop on the edge of the plateau, where they can hit the base of the 12o'clock ramp, and they begin raining death on the zerglings and Lurkers musterd there, forcing Crazy~Dave to retreat back up his ramp.

Crazy~Dave decides that he doesn't want to be boxed in at his main and sends a drone out to the 9o'clock natural to begin a Hatchery there. At the same time, he adds a Spire to his base to change production to Mutalisks.

At the Terran main, crap187 adds an extra Barracks, and with the tanks on overwatch, begins to set up a choke just beyond the bottom of Crazy~Dave's ramp.

With his Spire completed, a Queen's nest is added and soon Crazy~Dave's Lair is being upgraded again, this time to HIve level. As his first Mutalisks burst from thier cocoons, The new Hatchery at the 9o'clock position comes under attack from two Marines and two Medics. (well the Medics don't actually attack, but you know what I mean.) However, some quickly hatched Zerglings and the timely intervention of those Mutalisks saves the expansion.

Crazy~Dave begins the upgrading of his Spire to a Greater Spire at the same time as another squad of Marines, larger this time, attacks the Zerg expansion at 9o'clock. This time, the Zerglings are quickly dispatched ad the Hatchery is destroyed.

Feeling flushed with power from his easy victory over the Hatchery, (pity it didn't fight back) crap187 orders his troops into the attack. With the tanks in support, Marines and Medics stream up the ramp into the Zerg defences. The Alien creatures do not shy from the fight and wave after wave of Zerlings and Hydralisks pour into the breach driving back the attackers. The result is lots of blood spilt and little ground gained by the Terran forces of crap187

Crazy~Dave has also just hatched three new Guardians, and these go on the offensive now, attacking the two towers and tanks at the base of his ramp, effectively removing the Terran blockade. They push on to the Terran Base, but crap187 counters with a newly made Wraith. The Guardians are soon reinforced by a pair of Mutalisks which make short work of the flying tin can.

crap187 is determined to crack the Zerg defence and sends out another team of Medics and Marines. Some get cut down by the waiting Guardians, others push up the ramp again. The scenes of bloodshed and slaughter are much the same as again the Terran assault is halted by swarms of Zerg defenders.

Crazy~Dave adds another Hatchery next to his Lair to increase troop production and begins massing forces inside his base. You may have noticed that despite having efectively containing his opponent, crap187 has not bothered to expand. Suddenly, he reveals why, and his plan becomes clear.

after crap187 reveals his master plan, Crazy~Dave decides to make an effort to get himself back into the game. No longer being contained to his Main, a lone drone makes its way down the ramp and begins morphing a Hatchery at the 12o'clock natural.

At the same time crap187 sends in his "super mega Wraith squad of Doom" consisting of five Wraiths into Crazy~Dave's main. In a brilliant display of skill they kill one Guardian before all but one of the Wraiths is destroyed by Hydralisks.

crap187 decides that he hasn't killed any Marines lately, so he masses his force of nineteen Marines and and six Medics and sends them against the Zerg ramp again. The result... "Blood Bath at the Temple"

This was by far the most violent clash in the game so far, with casualties on both sides totaling around 95%. crap187 lost all but two Marines, and Crazy~Dave was reduced to two Guardians.

But Crazy~Dave has a trick up his sleeve. A group of Zerglings was held in reserve and now the begin to make thier way into the Terran base. This is Crazy~Dave's first real offensive move all game. The Zerglings tear through the six Marines defending the ramp at crap187's base and charge in to attack the SCVs. Three Marines are defending the Base, and all the available SCVs are pressed into service. crap187 also recalls his Wraiths to help with the defence.

The fighting is fierce and all the Marines and almost all the SCVs are killed, but before the Zerglings can finish the job, the Wraiths terminate them.

crap187's Wraiths go on the hunt again, hitting Overlords and then running before Crazy~Dave's Hydralisks can catch them. At the same time, having mined out his Main, crap187 floats his Command Center to his Natural and send all his SCVs there to mine instead. Crazy~Dave's Main is also dry, but his Natural expasion is already runnung.

crap187 makes his move. He masses all his remaining forces, six Wraiths, a squad of Marines and some Medics and strikes out towards Crazy~Dave's base. However, having learned his lesson the three times before he does not attack up the ramp. Rather, his forces attack the Expansion defended by the last of Crazy~Dave's Hydralisks, totaling thirteen. The Hydras put up a good fight but are no match for the stimmed Marines and Wraiths (the Wraiths weren't stimmed of course) and the Terran forces destroy the expansion.

With no troops left and out of Minerals, Crazy~Dave offers a GG and concedes the game, leaving crap187 the victor.

Final Scores

• crap187 wins the "who need expansions?" award for his super gosu plan of not expanding. Ever.
• Crazy~Dave gets the "You can't come in" award for rejecting those Marines, not once, not twice, but three times.

While this was not the greates game ever, it was certainly very entertaining to watch, and quite amusing to see all those 'Rines die at the ramp like that. An interesting point to note is that apart from his Wraiths, not one of crap187's units ever made it into Crazy~Dave's main. On the other hand Crazy~Dave only made one real offensive all game and that almost carried it for him.

As always, feel free to comment. I am always looking for ways to make my BRs more entertaining. Stay tuned for my next report.

[ScV] signing out

This has been an