2400 Points, 61 units.
Forces remaining after 4 hours of play:
-6 Ghost Bears Mechs + 3.5 Battle Armor units
-9 Combine Mechs (heavily damaged)
It was at a convention in 2018 and we had a 4 hour time slot to complete the game with 3 demo agents and I want to say 14 player (majority had never played Alpha Strike but had some knowledge of Battletech) if memory serves. We modified the rules to use hexes (ie all distanced were divided in two) to expedite play.
SECOND COMBINE-DOMINION WAR
Operation BLUEPETER - Wave 3 - Trondheim
As per their laid out plans by both Coordinator and the Nova Cat Khan to coordinate efforts against the Ghost Bears, the Pesht defeat on Itabaiana would signal counter offensive against the Dominion. Code name Operation BLUEPETER, this would be a multi-front military operation.
Targeted by the DCMS's High Command, Trondheim Star System was a Clan Diamond Shark administrated world which was being used to refit Ghost Bear clusters participating in the war. It's logistic importance to the Dominion's War effort, the Gunji no Kanrei Kiyomori Minamoto convinced the Coordinator to allow him to send a task force to assault the planet using two regiments and a WarShip.
In Mid-March of 3100, two regimental task force would arrived escorted by the DCS Draconis Drift in system. The Combine group would push it's way through Dominion aerospaces forces to enter orbit.
Play out the scenario as members of the defending Ghost Bears or the attacking Draconis Combine regiments.
Would you like to know more?
Second Combine-Dominion War -
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Second_Combine-Dominion_WarModified Alpha Strike:
To hexes - greatly accelerated player movement and significantly reduced ambiguity and need for GM involvement (players self policed after round 2)
My concern with such a large game with so many players is that you want to avoid "dead" time for the players waiting for something to do, so:
Initiative - 2 sides, 7 players per side (each controlling ~5 units) - side rolled initiative, then alternated back and forth each time every player per side moved 1 units. moved very fast and well with only the minor hiccup of the one slow player deciding on his move a bit to long (felt that it was unavoidable and once identified, stayed close to him to help move this phase along). Ensured that everyone was engaged or had to wait 2-3 minutes before being engaged in the game and had to stay focused as things were constantly changing during the movement phase.
Shooting - one of my concerns is that with such a large game you want the players to feel like they are doing something and aren't eliminated to soon (this is a 4 hours session). Therefore I changed the shooting to: for every "point" of damage on the reference card, you are able to roll to 2d6 to Hit (essentially, M 4 would mean that at Medium range they would have 4 chances To Hit) and each successful Hit would result in 1 point of damage. This removed some of the extremes (of dice rolling and luck), resulted in a more even damage curve, allowed mechs to stay in the action a little longer, was less punishing to new players or mechs that were ganged up on. All in all it worked out very well.
We started with 60 units (~30 to a side) and finished, after 3.5 hours of gaming (we did 20 minutes up front setting the scene, choosing mech and explaining rules and 10 minutes mid game to explain the situation and change of scene (mechs dropping in as reinforcements) with an outcome after 4 hours of the following units left on the board:
6 Ghost Bears Mechs + 3.5 Battle Armor units
9 Combine Mechs (heavily damaged)
Report
The Combine group would push it's way through Dominion aerospaces forces to enter orbit. The initial insertions would have the Combine Regiment dropping from the Draconis Drift onto Second Rasalhague Bear's position, while the Fifth Sword of Light conducted high-speed drop onto the Fifty-Fifth Provisional Garrison Cluster. Both Dominion clusters would be destroyed before on planet reinforcement could reach them. Two surviving clusters on planet, Second Kavalleri and First Tyr would end holding off the invaders long enough for a HPG distress call be answered by rest of the Polar Galaxy. The arrival via a pirate point would save the Second Kavalleri from charge from their in the city of Misby Flats. With the Galaxy's appearance, the Combine regiments would be forced to quit the planet. Though two regiments had failed to capture the planet, the assault postponed the Dominion's efforts to mount a counter Combine's invasion of the Dominion.[23]
Post Battle Debrief
It was a Bloody Battle with the Combine forces assaulting the Second Rasalhague Bear's position just outside the town of Stratford. The Combine forces, consisting of 2 companies approached from the south, having consolidated there forces after a hot drop from orbit, and marched on Stratford. The Ghost Bears, given little warning were not going to sit around and let the Combine forces into the town. The Ghost Bears aggressively counter assaulted, throwing the Combines west flank into disarray. There was a bloody stale mate in the center as the Combine tried to break the Ghost Bears line. Just as the Combines line began to waver, 3rd company (what was left of them after the spirited defense by the Ghost Bear aerospace fighters were done with them) hot dropped straight into the fray, surprising many Ghost Bears. This turned the tied for a turn or two... but was not enough. The Ghost Bears were able to repulse, temporarily, the Combine forces from Stratford (a Minor Victory)... but by the light of the rising sun the next morning, despair filled the Ghost Bears hearts as they saw silouetted on the horizon the reinforced Combine forces arrayed against them and consigned them selves to their fate. The noble Ghost Bear warriors sold there lives dearly in the defense of Trondheim.
