Some updates: we've settled on a coastal plains with some light woods. Big water feature on the board that cuts it in half short ways with a 1 hexwode River and a couple patches of light woods about 6-10 hexes apart.
Your high mobility and jump capability will be an asset if you time things correctly.
Roc Protomech Point (5) Standard
Summoner Prime
Nova Cat B
Mist Lynx B
Fire Falcon Prime
Ironhold Point (5) Standard
Elemental Point (5) AP Gauss
Elemental Point (5) AP Gauss
Karnov Standard
Solid unit.
Given the maps, and assuming your prediction of your enemy is correct:
1. Use your mobility to generate defensive movement modifiers on your 'Mechs (and any BA they carry); this should provoke your enemy in to crossing the river at some point. Keep the ProtoMechs largely out of the fight here. (High mobility, blocking terrain, and easier targets should help)
2. The turn he does, advance forward; he'll have at least 1 turn where his Mechs will be slowed by the water, and you must take advantage.
3. As a part of this forward surge, deploy all your Battle Armor (in woods, if possible). The idea here is to hem the enemy *against* the river, reducing his mobility options while yours are unrestrained.
This can be done by having BA on his flanks while you encroach on the front, or by having the BA in a single line in front of him, forcing him to turn hard left or hard right.
4. At this stage, you should be doing heavy damage, and should have a firepower advantage. Press this by denying paths of movement with the BA, use your fast units to pick them up and drop them off frequently.
5. That river is a huge advantage if your enemy lacks JJs (kill the few JJ Mechs he has first, if able). Don't be afraid of jumping *over* the river to re-assert it as a problem to your enemy.
What should I expect out of Protomechs?
There are two key things to make use of in BT:
A. Make it hard for an enemy to kill your units; if something got hit turn 3, make it a very difficult target turn 4. This makes it likely the enemy has to keep attacking fresh army for many turns.
B. If the enemy has multiple targets, he has a major incentive to focus on the one with the lowest defensive modifiers (terrain, defensive movement). So if that Nova Cat jumped 2 hexes in to Light Woods, it's making a +2 out of those two events. If all the BA, Mechs and Protos around it make a 3 or better, they may not get shot.
Protos MUST be deployed while your enemy has cause to shoot your Mechs. if you deploy them on their own, they die. Rapidly.
They flourish in situations where your enemy has to decide between that Summoner, or that Roc. Or that ironhold point.
So, timing will be absolutely KEY for you. Do not expose your fragile forces until you have cause, and then expose the enemy to all your troops.
ProtoMechs are good for frustrating enemy movement, and for occupying their hexes so they can't shoot you with the Mech whose hex you're in. (Which disrupts the ability to focus fire). Also, the next turn, you can advance and be behind them, forcing the Wolf Mechs to choose whether to accept rear shots from the Rocs, or turn and get shot by a Nova Cat or Summoner instead.
Always keep them compact. Always use your ability to stack 2 to a hex, unless you're using them to disrupt enemy movement. Then it's OK to do 1 per hex. Don't forget that you can have a protoMech in the same hex a *friendly* Mech or BA unit.
Stacking lots of units in the same few hexes allways you to concentrate a lot of firepower in the same area.
NOTE: your enemy's path to success is to not play your game. So, he's got a major incentive to hang back and just shell you at range, as he almost certainly outguns you that way. Deny shots, and wait.
Unless you have routes to advance the BA without them getting shot (generally requires hills or dense forests, which you seem to lack), you can't really force the issue.
But whether he's playing your game or whether he forced you to advance towards him, make sure you drop the BA and bring the Protos in all in the same turn. Don't grant him free shots. And don't let him shoot Mech armor without it allowing you to advance your BA and Protos as well.
