Has it truly been THAT long since I published anything? Shame on me... I blame social media for the distraction!
This last Sunday, my local gaming group (well, myself, my sons, and two of my wargamer friends) all got together and played a modified Alpha Strike (a streamlined Battletech game allowing for more mechs on the table without taking three weeks to play a company level combined arms engagement...) scenario. I took the Alpha Strike: Commanders Edition book, and the King of the Hill scenario, and modified it to fit our local lore.
I will be adding this to my files section here shortly (Phantom of the Usurper!).
Above is the "Hill" objective, well, okay, the center marked "1" is the actual objective. Around it, are three 'anomalies' that need to inspected real close to figure out what they are (markers "2-4"). There are some narrative elements in the scenario, so it's best run with a Game Master/Referee. I think this would make a perfect party game, especially in October.
Here is the set-up, and the player's first move. I had four players, each commanding a 300 point force and forming two teams of 600 points. So, there was some interesting player dynamics going on as my two sons faced off against my two very experienced wargaming buddies. Part of the modification was the elimination of the 12" deployment zone on the ends of the table. I wanted the first move to be onto the table. It added some extra time, and didn't allow any one side to get too close to the Hill on the first turn with speedy light mechs. Also note the manner in which the hills were placed to prevent easy access by non-jump capable mechs, and any ground vehicles. This was an important part of the scenario!
We ended up going six full turns! I took a few hours, about 4 or so, however there loads of tangential sidebar giant robot science fiction conversations, so it was all good and fun!
