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[Death or Glory]

I'm going to be running a large scale combined arms double blind game for my brother and one of his friends sometime in April or May (I'm aware this will almost certainly require multiple sessions to complete).  By large scale, I mean that a grand total of 36 battlemechs, 72 conventional vehicles, 32 platoons of conventional infantry, 16 squads of battle armor, 4 aerospace fighters, and 1 dropship will be involved in this scenario (not all active at the same time obviously).  The battlefield itself consists of 9 mapsheets in a 3x3 grid.  I'm pretty sure that I've given the players solid enough incentives to engage in combat on all 9 of the mapsheets instead of all just coagulating into one giant melee.  I've decided to run this game for the following reasons:

1. To test out the double blind rules.
2. To participate in a truly combined arms game.
3. To participate in a large scale game.
4. To see how good I am at scenario creation.
5. To see how good I am at eyeballing scenario balance.
6. To test out a lot of the designs from TRO: 3085.
7. I really wanted to see what an amphibious and airborne assault in battletech would look like.
8. To try to as accurately as reasonably possible model what an actual battle in the battletech universe would look like.

With the introduction out of the way, does anyone here have any experience running or participating in a similar game (by similar I mean double blind, combined arms, and/or large scale)?  If so, do you have any useful advice to offer?  Additional details about the scenario will be provided if anyone is interested.  The scenario is currently entitled "Cappies Don't Surf."

[agustaaquila]

I will talk about the double blind part of this equation, having run those games.  You really need three copies of everything, one for each player, and one for yourself.  You also need three copies of the units, so that you can know where everything is, and also show what each side can see.  I never really had problems with the sensor rules.

I just had one slight problem with the LOS rules, as something may or may not have clipped a wall in Ishiyama.  So my biggest piece of advice is to check and double check LOS.

[Darrian Wolffe]

For double-blind, you REALLY need assistant GMs.  The Tactical Handbook has rules for running BT double-blind games, and some pretty good advice for doing so.  Honestly, for a game that size, I'd expect to play it for 8-10 hours per day over a 3-day weekend.

[serrate]

Sounds incredible.  If you can really pull off double-blind at that scale it will be impressive, it's gonna take a gaming space with no less than 3 separate rooms, 4 would be ideal (Player A room, Player B room, GM room on which all units are visible on map, and Combat room in which mutually visible units are placed on the map and combat can be resolved with both teams present).

Most of us have some experience with games that large, considering we've had at least a couple like that in our Cincy group (the finale of the Clan campaign comes to mind).  I really like the mix of mechs to armor/infantry you've got listed.  That sounds more realistic in terms of what would actually hit a battlefield.  Sure, there'd be as many mechs as possible, but for every mech you should see lots of conventional forces rolling up the beach alongside of them.

At this scale, with or without DB, it always seems that time can really get away from you during the movement phase.  If movement will be simultaneous, have a loud kitchen timer ready, set for 5 minutes (or less), and anything that isn't moved by the end of it gets 6'ed.  Look to use any possible shortcuts:  visual spotting only, simultaneous movement, might even want to use the Battleforce/Quickstrike rules.

Good luck, I look forward to seeing the AAR.

[agustaaquila]

Because I forgot earlier, for large games, it sounds like you will be sending in reinforcements like a cannon game.  The reinforcements need to be deployed 2-3  turns before they are needed, so they have time to get into place.

[Death or Glory]

We're currently playing the game, due to double blindness people are now living in fear of Crow Scout VTOLs.