THE STRATEGY OF THE OFFENSIVE

These are some very simple and easily remembered equations to help you determine your actions. Many times, defeat comes from not knowing what to do, with your available players.

IF YOUR FORCES ARE TEN TIMES THE OPPOSITION'S; COMPLETELY SURROUND THEM AND ATTACK FROM ALL SIDES.

You have the manpower to completely overrun your opponent. Attacking from all sides will make it impossible for your opponent to effectively defend themselves. Example: Ten of your players against one opposition player. All of your players are coming in at the opposing player from all sides.

IF YOUR FORCES ARE FIVE TIMES THE OPPOSITION'S; CONCENTRATE YOUR FORCES ON ONE LOCATION AND ATTACK.

With five times the number you do not have the luxury of completely surrounding your opponent. However a massive assault on one particular area will be successful due to your concentration of forces. Example: Five of your players against one opposing player. If five players attack from one direction, how is that player able to defend?

IF YOUR FORCES ARE TWO TIMES THE OPPOSITION'S; DIVIDE YOUR FORCES AND ATTACK FROM THE FRONT AND FROM THE REAR (OR A FLANK).

In this case, you do not have the luxury of numbers on your side. There are not enough of your players to completely surround, nor do you have the strength to attack one area. Example: Two of your players against one opposing player each coming from a different side.

IF YOUR FORCES ARE EQUAL TO THE OPPOSITION'S; BE CLEVER IN YOUR DEPLOYMENT.

With even numbers, you lose the luxury of being able to handle eliminations in your forces. You must not be rash in attacking, unless you have an advantage (like surprise, key terrain, etc). Example: A one on one situation. You will have to be more clever and will have to outsmart your opponent. One player will be successful and one will be out of the game. The more calculating of the two players will be the one who stays in the game.

IF YOUR FORCES ARE SMALLER THAN THE OPPOSITION'S; MAINTAIN AND PROTECT A DEFENSIVE POSITION.

You do not want to attack. Defenders have automatic three to one odds over the attackers. This is due to the fact that attackers must expose themselves to move against the defenders. Example: Two of your players against five opposing players. If the two players stay behind cover, they are not exposing themselves as much as attackers who must cross open ground to move on them.

IF YOUR FORCES ARE FAR INFERIOR TO THE OPPOSITION'S; AVOID CONTACT, EVADE, WHEN NECESSARY STRIKE, BUT ONLY ON YOUR TERMS.

The smaller the number of players you have, the less you will be able to handle eventual eliminations. These "hit and run" tactics may not seem to be very effective, at first glance. I am reminded of the Zen Buddhist question, "How do you eat an elephant?" The answer is simply, "one bite at a time". Example: Five of your players against fifty opposing players. Wouldn't it be better to engage them on YOUR terms?

THE REASON WHY YOU NEED SUPERIOR NUMBERS.

No military tactician or strategist ever really explains this concept in much detail. Few have ever explained why you must have greater numbers to attack. Everyone knows that you should attack with superior numbers. Most armchair tacticians can quote that easily. The problem is that no one really grasps the reasoning behind it. The reasoning is simple, but somewhat disturbing. The advantage in numbers is important for one single reason: WITH SUPERIOR NUMBERS YOU CAN AFFORD LOSE MORE PLAYERS TO OPPOSITION FIRE.

In other words the more players you have, the more you can easily absorb the devastating effects of losing your players through eliminations. The more players you have the more you can afford to sacrifice to obtain the objective. Example: If the Red Team has ten players and the Blue Team has one hundred players, who will feel the loss of one single player? By the simple elimination of one player the Blue Team has lost only one percent their over-all strength. The Red Team, however, has lost ten percent of their numbers by losing one player.

CONCLUSION

Bear in mind that these formulas may not work in your standard capture the flag game, but with the popularity of large format and scenario games, these formulas will come in handy. The whole idea behind Shi-Tamajutsu is to make you a more well-rounded player. This is the reason why I included this section on the Strategy of the Offensive.