Advice for epic level battle

[piltogg]

Yah, I realy want to use every single minnifig vehickle and base I own and use it in a huge battle on my driveway (only place big unuff) but... most people in MNGG don't have very good attention spans. so does any1 know how to keep people entertained for about 4 hours while playing btikwars?

[Rody]

the promise of beer and donuts?

[pesgores]

Just the idea keeps me entertained! If i lived next to you, i would go.

[HeartOfDarkness]

Having your entire Lego collection out on the driveway is just begging for trouble. Honestly.

[Tiny Tank Rannon]

Hoping that some idiot doesn't back up into your driveway.

Maybe in your house, on the floor, like so many battle reports I've seen have done.

[Bonn-o-Tron]

This has epic potential, but having it in your drive way poses potential problems.

[piltogg]

My porch also is big enuff but funiture might get in the way.  also can't have a big battle inside without being bothered by the evil little sisters and thier sceaming friends

[doodstormer]

This has epic potential, but having it in your drive way poses potential problems.

Spontaneous acid rain, followed by tornado, followed by earthquake, followed by nuclear war?

[Gorchek]

The only advice I can give would be to keep things moving.
Try to split the players in two teams, giving each a part of the army. That way, each can move his division at the same time, cutting down the time it takes to complete a turn.
If you end up with an uneven number of player, try to have one play the referee (preferably one that knows the rules well). That alone will help alot to deal with any disagreement, and will help the game run smoothly. (Also, he can do double duty by taking some pictures, so we can see how it turns out!)
Finaly, use the bare minimum number of special caracter. Any more then 2 per player is just asking for trouble.

Hope this helps!

[feuer_faust]

Having been in several gigantic minis games before (Apocalypse 40k, Warhammer, and big 40k games before Apocalypse), I have some tips. Not all of this is necessary, and some (or all) may cost money, but it can be nice.

Do you have a back yard or porch? If so,play there with a big table. This way, nobody (and no legos) are on the ground, and walking around is easier. Depending on the amount of stuff present, you may want to use a 4' x 4', 6' x 4' table or larger (we've done both 12' x 4' and 16' x 8'). To do this, Home Depot and the like sell large sheets of plywood, masonite, or particle board for 10-20 bucks tops. Considering the mileage one of these can get, it may be worth it.

Don't play on a windy day. Seriously, having paper and minis fly around can suck.

Plan on starting early and finishing late. Even in Brikwars, being outside, joking, playing can take a while to complete. I'd guess Brikwars with tons of units on either side would take at least 4 hours to play, if not longer. Also consider daylight, and having lamps if you will be playing late.

A tent may be a good idea, like a screen one or a super-bigass camping/event tent. Why? Shade is good, and keeping bugs away is better. Failing that, those off! candles or spray stuff may work.

Make food arrangements ahead of time. Either be super-generous and buy and cook all the food and drinks... or have each player chip in (someone brigns the buns, someone brings chips, someone brings beer if you're all old enough, etc). Plan for a lunch break (depending on the time), and take 30 at halftime for a little TV and eating or whatever.

In terms of keeping the interest for several hours, make the scenario you play fun and interesting. Perhaps there are controlable turrets across the map, and the ultimate objective is to activate the big mech in the middle. Or something.

In summary, big games are usually a big deal and investment of time and energy, but can be very fun if planned out a little. And can get repeat players and make a fun event to look forward to.

[Atomsk]

If you are worried about the game taking too long (which you should be, if you aren't already), I highly suggest making victory conditional on objectives, rather than complete-anihilation of an army.  From experiance, that last enemy surivior will take 10 times as long to kill as the rest of his fallen comrades.  It's frustrating and tedious and just prolongs the innevitable.  A much more climactic ending would be a car chase to some destination, or retriving some ancient artifact which gives game-ending powers.

[piltogg]

Ok thanks to all.  A table is almost out of the question (to many things to fit/ some people have short arms)  I probaly wont make a very detailed report for this because it would take to long but I will take few pics.

also brikwars alone for a few hours probaly won't keep people entertained long. so Does anyone have ideas for lego building during the other teams turn.

[feuer_faust]

Maybe each team gets to build a reinforcement during the off turns?

[youaredoome0]

I would be a bit uneasy on my driveway, but if it's level and low-traffic, I would love to see this battle.
I find that big battles are harder to keep moving, so make sure that each team will hit combat first or second turn.

[pesgores]

Ok thanks to all.  A table is almost out of the question (to many things to fit/ some people have short arms)  I probaly wont make a very detailed report for this because it would take to long but I will take few pics.

also brikwars alone for a few hours probaly won't keep people entertained long. so Does anyone have ideas for lego building during the other teams turn.

It keeps ME entertained.

The longer it takes, the better for me.