Balancing a 50K BV SLDF Battalion (and OpFor)

[Crow]

For an Amaris Civil War match I've designed a 50K BV RWR Amaris Dragoons battalion first (the actual OpFor), and I need help creating a corresponding SLDF force that isn't too overpowered.

RWR force:
4x Griffin-1N
4x Shadowhawk-2H
4x Wolverine-6R
4x Rifleman-3N
4x Thunderbolt-5S
4x Warhammer-6R
4x Orion-K
4x Victor-9B
2x Battlemaster-1G
2x Banshee-3M

note: BV comes to a little over 45K, allowing about 5K for tech upgrades and skill bonuses as needed. I already have these minis, so I'm a little hesitant to change this lineup

For SLDF, I was thinking something like:
8x Phoenix Hawk-2c "special"
4x Wolverine II-7H
8x Lancelot-01sl or Ostsol-2Cb
4x Excalibur-B2b
8x Crusader-2R
4x Black Knight-6b

note: BV comes to about 46K. Average weight is much lower than the Amaris force, albeit a bit faster (I prefer maneuver tactics over wall of steel). Around half of the battalion has XL engines, so it would be noticeably more fragile

Do you think that this is a fair(ish) fight, assuming similar pilot skills? If not, should I dumb down the SLDF force or buff the Amaris forces? What would you use to even the odds and make the outcome more 50:50?

[Empyrus]

Overall force value doesn't tell much, i think. If match consists of lance versus lance but one has 10k BV worth units and the other only 5k BV, then it is gonna be pretty one sided. And post-game the overall force values have been changed, possibly radically.
How do you deal with losses and/or salvage? After a match, it is unlikely force values are equal anymore.
Is there pilot experience?
Are you playing scenarios or just death matches?

For individual games, BV is reasonably accurate. Get the forces to about 1% BV of each other or so via upgraded variants (or custom upgrades, if you do those) and pilot skills to be on careful side.

If there are issues, consider adjusting terrain so that it favors weaker faction slightly, whether by letting weaker one to choose map sheets or by letting them modify terrain, or perhaps place minefields or something. Terrain impact can't be measured in BV directly after all.

[Crow]

And post-game the overall force values have been changed, possibly radically.
How do you deal with losses and/or salvage? After a match, it is unlikely force values are equal anymore.
Is there pilot experience?
Are you playing scenarios or just death matches?

Not a campaign, but just one big battle.

If there are issues, consider adjusting terrain so that it favors weaker faction slightly, whether by letting weaker one to choose map sheets or by letting them modify terrain, or perhaps place minefields or something. Terrain impact can't be measured in BV directly after all.

I was thinking that the SLDF would have the mobility and tech advantage (pilot skills being about equal) and make up the difference giving the RWR hardened Castle Brian fortifications, mines etc

[Alsadius]

Quibble: You said Ostsol 2Cb, when I think you meant Ostroc 2Cb. Likewise, the PXH-2c "Special" might be a -1c "Special" instead.

As a force balance, that seems plausible, but tricky to be sure of. The RWR mechs are more lightly armed, especially at long ranges, but more heavily armoured. I suspect the SLDF will be playing matador quite a lot if they can, with all those ERLL and ERPPC floating around, so you'll want to be careful how you design the map. If it's too open, the SLDF will dance at long range and massacre the RWR forces, as they have neither the long-range firepower to compete nor the speed to catch up. If it's too enclosed, the armor and close-range firepower of the RWR forces will dominate.

Here's a quick list of every weapon on both sides with more than 15 long range:
RWR - PPC x16, AC/5 x18, LRM-15 x8, LRM-10 x4, LRM-5 x4 = 430 max damage
SLDF - ERPPC x4, ERLL x24, Gauss x4, UAC/5 x4, LRM-20(A4) x4, LRM-15(A4) x16 = 652 max damage (assuming Lancelot and PXH-1c)

Also, you're going to need to be careful what you do with those mines and Castles Brian. Some amount will definitely help level the playing field, but the details will matter a lot. Too many minefields and the SLDF will be sitting ducks(either through fear of mines or through leg loss), and a Castle Brian is a hell of a hard target to break down. Were you thinking of giving either side any conventional assets to go along with this, or any artillery? Arty on the SLDF side will probably neutralize the Castle Brian somewhat, since it's not like it's mobile. Is the CB going to be packing long-range weapons, and if so how does that affect the battlefield? Is it going to have anything monstrous like naval weaponry that can be used against ground forces?

This seems like a very interesting starting point, but I'd proceed with some caution.

[Empyrus]

Not a campaign, but just one big battle.

How many days are you reserving for the game lol.

Seriously, in that case, nominally having equal value forces with about equal number of equally skilled pilots could work.
I would expect the game to easily become "whoever starts to win, wins more" though. Alsadius notes that the SLDF has currently considerable long range advantage. If the SLDF can focus fire some enemies down quickly enough, early enough, the game could start tipping to SLDF's side and snowball from there.

Terrain is the wild card regardless. It can make or break things very, very easily.