Author: Crazy-Horse[WP]

After an evening of battles, mainly on GOW, some of us in the WirePlay Clan on Battlenet like to finish off with some ‘troops only’ levels. My m8 Bondo had designed a level called Mazewar. Basically each player gets about 9 ogres, 4 trolls, 1 zepplin, 1 dragon, 2 death knights and a temple (to research all the dk spells for free). You can play it as either race. The map is covered in trees with narrow pathways through them and several large clearings and other features. We managed to get 5 players willing to do FFA battle with their fearsome war parties. They were Myself, Bondo, Takingivey, ~Lilly Monster and Machinehead.

When the game started I cast haste on my zepplin and sent it zooming round the map. Bondo did the same trick and there was some laughter from the other players. I then set my zepplin on patrol across my part of the map. Everyone began to cautiously make hit and run attacks. There were various curses and evil laughs from other players as they ambushed each other.

My dragon was chasing Bondo’s zepplin when he ran straight into Bondo’s army! Bondo’s trolls and dk’s opened fire and my dragon had to make a fast exit. However while it was in view Bondo set his own dragon after it. His dragon followed mine back to the clearing where I had my army. I death-coiled Bondo’s dragon but at the same time he killed mine. Doh! Losing the dragon can be a bad disadvantage.

My troops then intercepted and killed a couple of Tak’s ogres wandering nearby. Suddenly I spotted his knights rushing to attack my temple! I sent my death knights to cast dd from behind a line of trees. The surviving knights rushed round to attack me. I cast dd in their path, however they still managed to get my death knights, but then I killed all the knights with ogres.

By now Lilly and Machinehead had announced that they were dead (all their troops gone and only the temple left) so we gave them shared vision to watch the remainder of the battle.

Without my death knights I was in big trouble. Tak’s griffon attacked some of my ogres. I ran them towards a clearing where my last troll was on patrol scouting for enemy. But at that moment Bondo’s death knight showed up with a bunch of skeletons. In the confusion Tak’s griffon killed my troll and Bondo got an ogre. With the griffon still after my remaining 5 ogres they legged it out of there. I moved them to a safe corner of the map. I had know way of killing Tak’s griffon, all my ogres could do was stay alive and hope Bondo’s death knight would kill the griffon. However if the griffon were to kill his death knight there would be no way for either of us of killing the griffon.

At that moment the griffon appeared and attacked my 5 ogres. I tried to scatter them but the griffon was fast and killed 2 while the other 3 made their escape. Thankfully the griffon lost the scent and Tak had to start searching the map again. I then heard cheers from the players watching through shared vision. Tak’s griffon had met Bondo’s death-knight and Bondo had reacted fastest and killed the griffon. Now a victory once again seemed possible for me.

It turned out that Bondo had created 3 skeletons. My zepplin spotted them patrolling in a clearing. I moved my 3 ogres nearby and realized it must be a trap. I guessed that Bondo’s death knight was lurking on the far side of the clearing ready to blast me with a spell while I was distracted by the skeletons. So instead of killing the skeletons I ran straight through them, sure enough there was the death knight! He tried to run but my 3 ogres butchered him. Knowing it was hopeless Bondo charged my ogres with his 3 skeletons. The skeletons killed a wounded ogre but the other 2 ogres easily killed all the skeletons.

I had come back from a totally helpless position and won the game. :) We played two further games on the level, both were won by Bondo – but what the hell, it was a great laugh.