Avenues of Escape

What Do You Do When Shit Hits The Fan

When you’re fighting, and especially when you’re defending, think about how you’re going to get out of a bad situation. We always want to expect the best to happen, but it's often more prudent to anticipate the worst and plan for it. The enemy wants to kill us just as bad as we want to kill them, how are they going to do it?

If you’re not sure about the terrain, ask a more experienced player if they have any insight. It's always okay to lean on the strengths of your team. Good leadership knows how to use their subordinate's abilities to accomplish their goals.

When you’re waiting in a defensive position you need to know how you’re going to leave your position when you get the call to bail. It’s good practice to decide how long you’re going to sit after first contact, or if there is a certain line of advance for the enemy to hit before you have to immediately move.

The same principal applies to an attack, however. It’s great to be aggressive and press your opponent’s flank, but if you’ve crossed an open field in order to do it, you’ve cut off your one chance of escape. You can’t rule out the possibility that they’re bigger than you, that they’re closer than you expect, or any number of factors where you suddenly find out you’re the little guy against a much meaner force— there's always a chance you'll need to beat feet to keep your meat:

If I suddenly have to stop and run, am I going to have to pull through a field or is there a tree line I can use?

Is it better to exercise some tactical patience and wait for the enemy to pass a little further so I have more options on my side?

That means that even if you’re pressing in, be thinking about what hills can shield you from counterfire, what gullies you can evade through to get to your next position, what buildings will give the enemy pause as they press you.

You always want to be giving yourself opportunities and taking them away from your opponent.