Water War Recruiting - Need Advice

Water warfare game types, ideas, rules, organization, etc.
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cobralex297
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Post by cobralex297 » Tue Aug 14, 2007 11:27 am

Over this past summer I have drastically increased my interest in Super Soakers, with my collection increased from around 5 to around 65.
With all these soakers, it's kind of important to me that I have people to battle with.
Others that have posted here have shown that they have had many other people to battle with, definitely upwards of at least ten people per battle, sometimes far more.
For me, I have only been able to organize consistently 2v1 battles, with me being the '1' side, as I'm the more experience, and sometimes, if i'm lucky, 3v1/2v2, or ONCE, 3v2.
Having 60+ soakers and only a consistent participant body of <4 just isn't cool.

Any advice on how to invite/recruit a few more friends, (bear in mind I'm in high school, with potential social backlash ... :-P)
to increase my battle-base?

I'm sure that others are in a similar predicament~

forestfighter7
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Post by forestfighter7 » Tue Aug 14, 2007 11:48 am

I would suggest telling all your closest friends about your wars. Chances are that at least one of your friends will join. Then they might tell a couple of their friends and so on. The method of telling mainly your close friends only could help prevent people thining you are some wierdo for "playing with squirt guns".

Now bear in mind this is just an idea.
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cobralex297
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Post by cobralex297 » Tue Aug 14, 2007 11:52 am

I think that that's a good idea. For now, I will definitely make my closer friends aware of my collection/war plans, and I'm sure they'll only tell allright people.
My goal is to get more people to join me for battle, even if it's just a one-time, casual thing, without alienating anyone.

I think it can be done, however I will report as things happen.

Any advice/comments appreciated.

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isoaker
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Post by isoaker » Tue Aug 14, 2007 1:30 pm

Recruiting new people can be one of the most challenging things. It's taken me awhile to actually rally enough of my co-workers together for a waterfight. In the end, only got 3 of them to have a blaster-testing soakfest. Was a lot of simple, childish fun, but fun nevertheless. However, now that I managed to arrange one, I now have supporters to help try to convince others to make time. It has never been quite a lack of interest as many I've talked to are open to having a water fight; one of the biggest problems I've found is simply co-ordinating when people are willing to make the time for an activity they typically don't do that also likely involves needing a change of clothing. Good, hot summer weather helps a lot, of course!

I should also point you to the page Water Warfare: Basics for other ideas (don't mind the various spelling mistakes I'm only noticing now. :goofy: )

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cobralex297
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Post by cobralex297 » Tue Aug 14, 2007 1:57 pm

Well, if you can do it as an adult, I should certainly be able to do it, being in highschool with so many people available. I will review the 'Water Warfare: Basics' guidelines, and attempt to apply them as thoroughly as possible, as they do seem to be very helpful.
Will advise upon application with results.

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isoaker
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Post by isoaker » Tue Aug 14, 2007 2:15 pm

As an "adult", it's actually probably a little easier for me than were I in high school. In some ways, there's less peer pressure in ways and those I deal with are, well, generally more mature when interacting with others of differing interests. There are many interested partly as it is a sign of still being "young" even though we are older in age.

High school is a rougher time ensuring one stays true to oneself while fitting-in enough not to be alienated. Then again, I was part of the "cool" kids, though the real "cool" kids didn't think so. :goofy:

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Post by HBWW » Tue Aug 14, 2007 2:34 pm

I haven't found the "little kid with squirt gun" to be too much of an issue. I recruit just by asking/talking about soakers in general, and/or if anyone owns any. Those who do improperly use the term "squirt gun" often get a nice surprise too.

Overall, for me, it's typically quite simple. Just about any friends or just anyone in class that I know gets asked about it. I also try to ask people who'd be less likely to say anything stupid about it, and if anyone would, they're simply not friends nor worth asking. But I haven't came close to such, most people who play paintball and/or airsoft still go with it.

Other ways of promoting would be online postings, IM'ing, email invitations, etc. That may work a bit better than posting flyers around (I sometimes find flyers annoying myself), and what not.
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Post by DX » Wed Aug 15, 2007 12:29 am

Your situation is interesting, for I was between freshman and sophomore years in high school when the CFM/RM was created. I started out small, with one co-founder. Since Waterbridge's two founder system worked so well, we used it ourselves.

The structure of the team was critical. I only asked 11 of my best friends, making sure that the connection to me was very well entrenched early on. Now what attracted them was our style of warfare. The CFM inherited the same fighting conditions as Waterbridge, serious OHS woodland combat. Friends stayed because our wars were anything but casual or childish. By the time the fledging CFM became the stronger RM, membership had doubled with minimal effort. As Forestfighter 7 said, friends tend to talk with other friends about wars.

With the advent of the Douchenator, then Douchenators, powerful modded guns, and new tactics, each war contained events that were worth re-telling again and again. By this year, both teams exploded in membership. People made taunts in the halls, drew up strategy during lunch, and talked about the intensity of past wars, especially the huge RM night battle. Membership continued to rise even after we stopped active recruiting. I'd purposely talk about water wars during classes and track practice, enticing people to inquire about what all this was. Hooked like a fish! They'd then ask more about the guns, tactics, etc. and some would ask to come to a battle. Those who came to one battle tended to show up for the next one, and the next one, and the next.

The wars here developed some kind of aura that made them "cool" even to people who ordinarily wouldn't play with plastic guns. Since this was high school, the modded and painted guns, launchers, and huge forested battlefields must have made a difference in the cool factor. That, and our ranked game type that requires immense teamwork and a wide variety of skills to excel at. No war has ever been easy, even with steep odds in favor of one side.

Basically, do whatever you feel is best for your particular friends. However, do not be afraid of more organized warfare if that seems cool. Almost no one would suggest what we have done here in Ridgewood for the past 3 years, but our style has involved more than 62 people in wars, has kept them yearning for the next war. There is still considerable bias against serious water wars, whether admitted or not, in the general community. Always remember that the casual route is not the only way to play/fight.
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