TAguide Morgue- Defense 2

COME AND GET IT- Phase Two

The 1st and 2nd Floors have 4 stairways communicating between them. All 4 are hard to fight going in either direction if defended. #2 is perhaps the hardest to defend, but it takes an extremely courageous attacker to venture up those stairs in the face of a defender's gun, with or without support fire. If #2 falls, it exposes any unaware defender in #3 or in the back room to possible elimination. Though you might fight within the backroom against incursion from #2, the best defensive positions against an attack up #3 are hindered considerably if #2 is in opposition's possession. Worse, access to the 3rd floor using the #3 stairway becomes almost impossible cuz #2 has a clear shooting lane into #3.
Defense of #1 is simple enough, and vital. A stealthy attacker can sneak up #1 and be well warned of your approach by sound and shadow. So Defense by intimidation is not a bad tactic.
Defense of #2 is similar, but it's vital not to be caught unaware at the right-side of the stair entry where an attacker might get a clear shot at you from what is a darker and obscure position at the foot of the stairs (back from the landing towards the leftside door.)

Field Maps of the Ward

The MORGUE

1st Floor 2nd Floor 3rd Floor

Basement Surrounding

Shadows play a big role in both directions for early warnings.
Sound is also important. Moving while someone else is shooting can mask your noise signature.

Active defense of #3 can be attempted if #2 and #4 are secure. (Both have shooting lanes open to #3) If so, then going down to the landing between 1st and 2nd floors is the first step. If you get there first, you can await the arrival of an attacker. If you go there and are not sure if an attacker is already in position, you must proceed with the utmost caution. Remember that they will see your feet and legs before you see them shooting at you, unless you take precautions. Defense of #3 in this manner is to make them fear coming up those stairs. Once they are actually IN the stairway, the attacking force has gotten past the first defense and can proceed to attempt the storming. By not allowing them into the stairway, you considerably stymie the possibility of successful storming.
Defense of #4 is perhaps the easiest of all stairways. It's the darkest and the approaches from the 1st floor are dangerous enough to slow any attacker.
Active defense of the stairways from the 2nd floor demands the secure knowledge that no attacker can gain the floor and thus surprise a defender from behind. Thus if there are less than 4 defenders, one per stairway, defense from the 2nd floor is potentially disastrous against a determined opposition.
Since many attackers will not be organized, defense from the 2nd floor can be carried out for a indefinite period if each stairway can be guaranteed safe.
The 2nd Phase thus can be an active 2nd floor defense, wherein each player turns to defending the stairways in some manner. This can relieve the attackers outside the building, so it's worth the effort to visit the windows to further hamper entry. However, do NOT forget that you've got an opposition force within the building, moving at the sound of your guns to cover their movement noises. Also there is no reason, except your shooting, that the attackers can't come in over the bridge into the front door of the second floor!
Phase 2 defense from the second floor with less than 4 players demands total control and defense of #3 and #4 stairways. These stairways are your lifelines to the 3rd floor. You do not want an attacker already on the 3rd floor during any defense. An attacker on the third floor can hamstring the defense of #3 and #4 stairways, making an assault on those stairways 2 pronged, a situation no defender will be able to survive. Being forced out of the stairways severely limits your ability to defend the building. Allowing the attackers access to the 3rd floor is the ultimate in being flanked.
Whatever the phase two plan may be it should take into consideration the defense of #3 and #4.
There are a few phase two plans I like to use. The first is for the Backroom defender upon building invasion, to immediately rush down to the lower floors. The Basement is nasty, but it allows a player to be well hidden and completely in the attackers backdoor. As more attackers invest the building, they will be less suspect of a player on the 1st floor or basement, since usually the first thing to do is secure that floor. This plan requires a ballsy player to pull this off. He must go down some nasty ass stairs and stealthily. He must stand in the darkness of the basement and bide time. Then when the attackers are committing to their assault, he can finally reap the rewards of standing around listening to rats playing cards and getting drunk, by coming up and backdooring everyone.
If there are 4 or more defenders left on the 2nd floor it's easy enough to continue the defense from that floor. If there are only 2 left after the backdoor man has gone to ground, I assign 1 player each to #3 and #4 stairways. #3 stairway shouldn't be defended from the backroom, as it will expose the defender to an attacker owning #2, likewise to defend from the lower landing of #3 means being cut off from the 3rd floor and possibly being shot out from an attacker moving into the backroom and catching you like a trapped dog.
Thus defense has to be from the upward stairs. This will give you some shooting lanes into the back room and the #2 stairway, though it's not a great place to stay if under determined attack. It also gives you some defensive position against an attacker coming up #3 from the 1st floor. Retreat to the landing between floors will give more safety from attack in the backroom and #2 stairways, and control approach to the stairway from the leftside of the backroom. You also retain some of the strong defensive position against assault up from 1st floor. Finally the move can be made to the top landing, where shooting down on the heads or at the exposed feet of the attackers can become a real pleasure.
If you get pushed out of this stairway, you can back down the hall on 3rd floor to the lefthand corner room and have a clear shooting lane at the stairway entrance and by coming out you can shoot down into the stairway. By going to the righthand side you can surprise an attacker as they come up the stairs. This is all close range stuff and can get really nasty really fast. Since righthand side has a communicating passageway, being mobile will further slow the assaulting group and perhaps opportunity will give some advantage.
Defending #4 is easier in many ways. Most people seem to do it by simply being inside the stairway. Since it's the darkest, an attacker is at a severe disadvantage. Defense of this stairway from the lower landing is possible since going back up you have a nice little shooting window onto the 2nd floor, and the shooting lanes into this stairway are less definite, so retreat to the 3rd floor is much safer than in the #3 stairway. For this reason few attack from the 1st floor up #4.
If you want to have an active defense on the 2nd floor for a while, then a player can probably guard #1 and #4 by roving and intimidation.
Defending the 3rd floor from #4 is also easier. Again the darkness helps and the amount of rubble on the ground make stealthy approach impossible.
If you're pushed from this stairway, though you may move to the big front room and still defend the last set of stairs up. Once however that's breached, you have to make your way to the back rooms where hopefully you'll have either clear passage back down #3 stairs or at least another defender to work with at holding off the attackers.
Whatever your phase two plan is, it's essential that all the defenders understand what their areas of responsibility will be and that when the word is given, phase two must go into effect quickly.
Other Phase Two tactics include immediate investment of the 1st floor, bringing the fight to the attackers. This has the danger of crippling your defensive numbers through eliminations, but you can also slow down the attacker's enthusiasm considerably as they will have to clear and secure the floor before moving on. A Cat and Mouse attack then retreat then attack again, can destroy any organized effort of an attacking group, plus every player you remove from the field increases your chances of survival considerably. I often send a player down #2 or #1 if things get too boring. They can usually come down these stairways with some stealth and by watching the shadows of #1 and partially for #2 you can see any attacker coming. #2 is harder, as there is considerably more open area to the right hand side of as you do down.
As a Defender, your main advantage is surprise and that you don't have to move in order to win. They need to attack you. Keeping mobile will therefore confuse the attacker as to where your position is and thus demoralize and stymie his efforts. The strongest position to defend is the 3rd floor from the stairways, and this option should always be retained, but since the attacker knows you'll end up there, mixing things up by being mobile can swing the game your way.