expected have a basic idea of team mechanics the other articles on strategy and tactics.

1.First thing to remember is the fact that although it looks chaotic, guerilla warfare within TeamFortress requires an iron discipline. I mean, you have to know what your team members are doing without them even saying it. Forget about just starting a match and adopting the normal principles. You will get overrun. Use diversion, deceit, and confusion to turn the tide.

2.Always be illusive. Your team cannot stand up against the enemy in direct confrontation and will be overrun if the game is allowed its normal linear course (attack, counter-attack, attack, etc.) Therefore, avoid any direct confrontation, which involves more then only one of your operatives. Start hit and run attacks. This will confuse the enemy, as he will expect you to make use of your attacks and gained profit. However, do not camp, as this will give the enemy the opportunity to fish you out and concentrate his defenses against you.

3.Keep a defense. In teams of less than 10 people, it might be tempting to send everyone forward to start hacking, shooting, blasting. However, this will only give control of the match to the enemy. Why? You are running after him. He should be running after you. Remember: take control over the game. Do not let the enemy force you into the reaction phase. You are the one who should be dictating what the enemy is doing. Anyway, keep a defense of at least two people in your flag/key/crystal room. (Watch out for nail-grenades though).

4.Assign the non-defenders to the offensive. However, contrary to normal strategy, do not send out everyone as a group: go in teams of two. This because you have a limited number of men, and all frags count. Furthermore, you want to hit the enemy from all sides at once. Attack where it is unexpected (in 2fort5, what about attacking from the flagbase toward the upper room?). This may sound silly, but an enemy knowing where you are coming from and expecting what you want to do is an enemy that is prepared. Use chaotic attack methods and unnecessary goals to give the enemy the idea that your team has just won a llama-prize, and bring him off guard. Therefore, in the first minutes, do not capture the flag/key/crystal/whatever. If you do that the enemy might think that you actually know what you are doing. Be like a mosquito: sting, sting, and sting. After a couple of minutes you will notice that the enemy, thinking he is dealing with a total idiot will bring down his guard and start to chase you around.

5.Do not camp or attack in the same place more then twice. Enemies, which outnumber you, will be quick to send a squad on your tail. Keep enemy defenses busy looking for you. Example: in 2fort5 attack defenders in the enemy ramproom, then retreat to your own fortress. In most cases the enemy will be convinced that you are still running around in their fortress, and start to hunt you. Fine, this means you are keeping the defense busy. If you launch a couple of attacks on the outside entrances, the enemy will concentrate some force there. In the meantime you can launch a following attack from under water on the rest of the base.

6.When you adopt the hit and run tactic then use the classes which can execute this in a perfect way: Spies (undercover), Medics (spider tactic: hit from a dark corner with bio-weapon and run), Demomen (pipebombs, detpacks). All these can hit unexpected and get out of the enemy base before any retaliation is organized.

7.Use a lot of spies. As stated before, create confusion in the enemy team. Be a spy and take up an enemy defensive position. He will walk passed you, because only someone of his operatives could stand there. Example: imagine the effect of a ten against five match and the small team uses as much spies as possible. The enemy will start shooting at his own team members and it will result in a lot of swearing and cursing at each other. Remember what General Li-Ching (571-649 AD) said " Attacking does not merely consist in assaulting walled cities or striking at an army in battle array; it must include the art of assailing the enemy�s mental equilibrium".

8.Do not give a fixed target. When using spies change the class they are emulating often. A defender will get onto the fact that there is a spy disguised as a sniper running around. Also change from spy to another class once in a while. Once the enemy is on to the fact that there are one or more spies in the game they will be looking out for them: while in the meantime you will be happily firing away as a soldier. The psychological effect is tremendous: a person killed two times in a match by a spy will be looking out for spies during the rest of the match. Again we keep the enemy busy.

9.Use bait. Lure the enemy away from his defenses. Set up ambushes and kill anything walking into them. Walk up to an enemy, shoot a few times and run away, chances are he will start to follow you, now while you run throw a few grenades. If the enemy is close enough he will run into them. Pull him towards team members who are in hiding and let them finish the job. Example: in 2fort5 you can stand on the stairs going to the water in such a way that your weapon just reaches over it. You are pointing at the feet of anyone coming through the entry hall or the ramproom. Now if a team member, pursued by an enemy clears the way, you can start firing.

10.When adopting these tactics do not be too bold. Don�t use open approaches if you don�t have to. Let the enemy be convinced that you are always in his base. However, once in a while let one of your operatives parade in front of thew base. If the enemy has a sniper he will have the idea that there will be something to shoot, so he will lay there on his sniperdeck, waiting for you to appear. Keeping the defense busy at an ineffective position.

11. Do not use standard approaches. Try to innovate in your strategy. A spy on the sniperdeck is known and tried in many games. A spy "defending" the enemy flag is new.