"The Bunker did it!"
A "Dinner-for-two"-mystery featuring:
Johnny-Vegas (as the Random:d Terran)
and
SnowSquall (as the Deliberate Protoss)
Supporting rolls (Observing and cracking smart-ass comments, that is):
BuffyTheCow, DarkHawke and Rumpelstiltskin (yours truly)
Prologue
Once upon a time blah blah blah nohunters blah blah gogogogogo
And they're off...
So the stage is set, the map is Rivalry. Johnny randoms top left as Terran
(no doubt chuckling softly to himself at the sight of those bright and shiny
SCV's) and Snow gets a nice Nexus at bottom left.
Both players start scouting fairly early; Snow goes 7 Pylon and sends the
Probe counter-clockwise while Johnny goes 8 Depot (at the top of his ramp)
and sends the 9th SCV right along the top. Snow finds bottom middle and
bottom right empty, warps in a Gateway back at the Main and sends the Probe
towards the middle of the map. Johnny, having found top middle and top right
equally void of enemy activity, orders up a Barracks at the top of his ramp
and starts a Refinery to boot. Meanwhile, Snow starts warping in a second
Gateway and an Assimilator.
 Strangers in the night...
Snow finally hits upon Johnny as a diligent SCV is building a second Depot
at the ramp. The curious Probe darts through the attempted blockade, and
recons the enemy base. Somehow, I doubt that he was pleased to see that
Johnny drew Terran.
 ...exchanging glances...
But Snow isn't the only one with inside information. Johnny's SCV has made
it up the enemy ramp, and is snooping around for secrets. The snoop doesn't
last long though, as a vigilant Zealot transforms the SCV into just so much
iron scrap. Snows Probe is still alive and well though ­p and it's doing
a fair job of harassing Johnnys mineral gatherers. Before a Marine shows
up to take the dancer out, Snow actually manages to kill an SCV!
Johnny starts a Bunker at the ramp, and as Snow warps in a Forge and a Core,
the opening phase of the game is over.
BO or BS? (j/k)
Here Snow comes up with a daring plan. He sends a Probe to the middle left
epxansion node, accompanied by a lone Zealot.
 Daring or daft? More at 11.
But Johnny is going double Factories ­p the tell-tale sign of Heavy
Metal. DarkHawke notes that expanding early as Protoss against HM is more
than ill-advised, it's plain losing. What's Snow got up his sleeve, I wonder.
A lone Vulture soon arrives by Snows ramp, and starts laying mines. Johnny
is set on containing Snow on the plateau, unaware that the Protoss have
already spread: Pylons and Cannons are paving the way for a Nexus at the
middle left. Quiet building now for a time, from both sides. Snow warps
in a Stargate, Johnny gets an Academy. Snow goes for Robotics Facility,
Johnny's saving money for more units.
Snow sends a lone Dragoon up to Johnnys ramp, as Johnny sends a company
of Marines and an SCV down to Snows ramp ­p it's a wonder they don't
run into each other. The Dragoon arrives first, taking pot shots at the
Supply Depot on high ground, taking care to stay out of reach from the Bunker.
Instead of unloading the Marines, Johnny sends a Tank along the ridge to
shoo the goon away.
Meanwhile, the mining Vulture down at Snows ramp (who has been patrolling
the bottom expansion nodes to make sure Snow doesn't expand...) decides
to go in and scout the enemy base. Surprised to find no proper defense,
Johnny gets several free shots at Snows mineral line before the nearby Zealot
platoon arrives at the scene. As they cut the Vulture to shreds, Johnny
starts building a Bunker below Snows ramp. DarkHawke says this is the final
nail in the coffin ­p letting that Bunker finish is effectively the
end of the game, as the Protoss forces will be unable to beak out of the
containment withut decimating its forces while the Terrans has a free hand
to expand all over the map.
1 CC in the hand is better than 2 Nexi in the bush
But what Johnny doesn't know, is that Snow is already out of containment
­p a shining new Nexus is finally warping in at the middle left. It
is secured with Cannons and a pair of Corsairs with Disruption Web, fresh
from the Stargate to oversee operations. Meanwhile, SCV's are working overtime
at Snows ramp, constructing not only a Factory, but an Engineering Bay aswell.
Snow warps in a Fleet Beacon and dual Pylons in his Main; looks like he's
going for Carriers to aid in battling the Heavy Metal containment.
The Engineering Bay has barely finished when it lifts, and starts scouting
the ridge for the Siege Tanks; but Johnny has second thoughts. I'm not sure
when and how he discovered/understood that Snow had grabbed the middle left,
but as one man the entire containment squad (Tanks, Vultures, Marines) go
straight for the Protoss expansion, completely running it over.
 ...and don't even think of leaving a forwarding address.
During this massacre, Johnny starts building a Command Center in the top
right node. He leaves a Tank and a Vulture to take out the last remnants
of the Protoss expansion, and retreats the rest of the survivors to the
ramp to prepare what he believes to be the final onslaught. The flying Engineering
Bay scouts again, and after a quick redeployment of a badly placed Siege
Tank, the lone Cannon on the ridge is blown to smithereens. (Great name
for a map, that. Although it'd prolly be littered with broken stuff.) The
Corsairs arrive too late to D-web the tank, and they decide against following
the Engineering Bay as it drifts back from the ridge ­p there are now
2 Bunkers nearby. (Incidentally, they are empty. The only way for an enemy
to know this is, of course, to come within range. Nice idea, Johnny.)
Masada falls
But as the E-bay goes in for a third scout attempt, the Corsairs decide
that enough is enough. They quickly bring the Bay into the red, and even
though an SCV gets in under it and tries to repair, it is no match for the
determined Corsairs and their vengeful commander.
There is another Engineering Bay at the top right expansion though (along
with a fresh Barracks) so functionality-wise this isn't a major setback.
Snow knows that if he can't bide his time. If he doesn't move immediately
to break the enemy blockade, he probably never will. So after D-Webbing
both Bunkers below the ramp (yes, they are still empty...) a pack of Zealots
charge in. But it's too little, and too late. Johnny is simply too strong
here, and the containment holds.
 Toss beats Terran, Toss beats Terran... H-H, where are you!?
OK, so Snow has to accept that he is lost on ground. If any units are to
make it out alive, they need to be airborne. While a Goliath and an SCV
charges up the ramp and kills the lone defending Zealot (ouch!), Snow warps
in a Shuttle. Johnny wants more moolah, and has stuck an SCV at the bottom
right node, awaiting further instructions.
The Overlook
The ramp is down. Johnny takes all he's got (which is quite a lot; Tanks,
Vultures, Goliaths, Marines) and rolls it right into Snows base. Snow tries
desperately to buy time enough for his Dark Templars to finish by D-Webbing
the Tanks and fighting them with his Probes. This works surprisingly well;
not only because the Tanks are slow and laborious to move around the closed
strucutres of the Protoss encampppment, but the entire Terran attack force
is left wide open to counter-attack as the Dark Templars finish: Johnny
has no detection. A couple of comsats does little damage to the dancing
Templars, and against all odds the slaughter is reversed. Johnny loses what
little forces he doesn't manage to pull back down the ramp.
 Looking dire, but looks aren't everything.
Goliaths from Johnys Main meet up with 5 Marines from the Top Right, and
set off to charge the ramp afresh, but the Dark Templar is there, fending
off any attempts to get onto the high ground. A Probe (Kills: 2) warps in
a Pylon, and the duo is made a threesome as a High Templar arrives and Psi-storms
another bout of would-be invaders. Johnny starts building a Command Center
at the bottom right node, and pumps units en masse. He can smell, taste
the blood in the air; sweet victory was within his grasp, but he managed
to snatch defeat from the jaws of triumph. Snarl...
A fresh Observer helps a Dragoon on Snows ramp pick off the Mines in below
the ridge, the Cannon is up again and Johnnys Bunkers are loaded. The Tanks
are moving in, and preparing to blast; but before the comsat peaks over
the ridge, Snow has D-webbed the Sieged beasts. The comsat does reveal the
Observer, and it dies swiftly to the Goliaths missiles. Its death is soon
revenged, as Psi-storm rips the Goliaths to shreds.
Nukes vs Probes
Having such problems with cloaked foes, one might wonder why Johnny doesn't
comsat a bit more. I mean, he has three Command Centers, right? Aha; the
top right expansion has opted for a Nuclear Silo instead... The Silo is
nearing completion, and a Ghost is standing beside it, whispering softly
in its ear: "Soon, Alice, soon..." Ehrm. Or something. You get
the general idea. Anyway; having grown tired of relying on comsat for detection,
Johnny sends a Science Vessel to Snows ramp. Yet another Observer is detected
and taken down, and the Science Vessel also notices that a High Templar
is about to cast a spell on a Sieged Tank ­p in the nick of time, it
is matrixed and weathers the storm (pun intended).
Finally a shuttle leaves Snows base, and makes its way to the lower right
node. Snow must've been minding other business, because as the Turret at
Johnnys expansion starts firing, he gets off many rounds before the Shuttle
is rerouted. It drops its load - 8 brave Probes - to the North of Johnnys
expansion. As a diversion, Snow has re-enlisted a Dark Templar that has
been hanging around the middle right. Johnny is trying to set up yet another
expansion there, and the Templar makes short work of the SCVs before going
after the Command Center. The Science Vessel from the ramp floats by and
irradiates the poor thing, but the manuevre has bought enough time for something
very interesting to happen at Johnny's bottom right expansion.
 The working class overthrows the enemy militia.
The Probe attack is magnificently conducted, wasting Marines and SCVs alike,
and setting the Barracks on fire. Alas, a Firebat pops out and toasts every
last one of the Probes.
Before After
Perhaps with better micro or if the Probes had been able to go around
the Barracks and attack from both sides he could have saved a couple, I
dont know.
Endgame
The story is drawing to an end. Two Ghosts are making their way from Johnnys
top right expansion, and a fourth Command Centre is forming in the middle
right. Snow, still hurting from the decisive battle in his Main, is filling
a lone Carrier up with Interceptors. A High Templar on the ramp, set to
storm the massing forces below, is Irradiated by Johnnys Science Vessel.
Rather than just keel over and die, the Templar quickly merges with its
brethren to form an Archon ­p neat tactic, Snow.
Nuclear launch detected.
The cannon on Snows ridge is the target ­p the biggest (some would
say only) obstacle for the final invasion. But the ghost is too close to
the target, and the Cannon manages to kill the assailant before the Nuke
can lock on target. As Snows Carrier floats out over the massed forces,
Johnny comes up with yet another neat tactic: the bunker closest to Snows
Main unloads its Marines, replacing them with Ghosts. Not only does this
scare the Carrier back, it manages to force the penetration into Snows base
by knocking out an important defensive Cannon. Yes, you heard me. Ghosts
in a Bunker outrange Cannons! Yet another tactical blow, this one at last
ending the fight. GG's are exchanged, and we all sit back to watch Johnny
mop up the Protoss Main base.
/animated GIF nuke?/
Always a man to enjoy a good show, Johnny tries to end the game with a little
treat. He has an Irradiated and D-matrixed SCV try to take down the very
last structure (a Pylon), but it doesn't quite work. You can't have everything,
Johnny. Nice sentiment, though.
Lessons (thanks to DarkHawke)
Johnny:
1. You should learn to clone SCV's to gain time
2. Don't macro so much - make more units instead
3. Expand quicker ;)
Snow:
1. Don't expand early against Heavy Metal
2. Don't allow yourself to be contained. The bunker did it.
3. More defense in the opening stages. Johnny could have damn near raped
your Main had he charged right in with the first Vulture.
4. Keep your units at the bottom of the ramp to stop the push. This way
you can see when you're about to be contained.
Rumpelstiltskin:
1. Bunkered Ghosts outrange Cannons? Kewl.
2. No-one thinks this game deserves a BR, but hey ­p I need the practice
3. I really suck at graphics
4. A sick-day goes by a lot faster when you're working on a BR
5. I'm gonna pout for like a week if I don't get over 4.5 this time :)
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