I'm a huge proponent of using Legos on the gaming table. I've spent years and countless dollars assembling and painting models for all sorts of gaming systems, but in the end no matter how beautiful your collection is it can never handle the myriad potentials that will be thrown at you. You will always end up substituting a goblin for a kobold, or a horse for a dire wolf. That's fine and dandy for representing objects on a gaming table, but if you are going to use your models like token then why not just go the whole nine yards and use what are essentially modular tokens?
With that in mind I began constructing my terrain:
If you happen to be lucky enough to have a Lego store in your area I highly recommend you go in and drop a few bucks. Lego stores have a giant wall full of individual blocks that you can pick and choose from. I went crazy and spent $30 on two pint glass sized containers and was able to build every model for this game I needed (with the exception of a few pieces from a trove I found in my parents basement). If you aren't that lucky you can buy individual blocks online from Lego's website. Most individual blocks range from twenty to forty cents each.
The Lego wall in Kansas City had enough weird little pieces that I was able to do funky variations on battletech vehicles for my friends to select and pilot. The streets you see in the first picture were made on the sticker-making machine at ACME custom tees, where I work. We have a printing machine that will spit out giant sheets of full color stickers, even cutting them into custom shapes if you wish. I printed parking lots and streets in an 8x23 inch area and it only cost $10. I then peeled those stickers off and mounted them on black cardstock, cutting them to size.
I have a game board which I was lucky enough to win at a charity auction at Hometown games here in Lawrence, Ks. I got it for about half of it's retail price, which was pretty bad ass. If you can manage to get your hands on one I recommend it heartily. Games Workshop was selling them about four years ago, but I haven't seen them anywhere since. They come in six 2x2 foot boards that lock together in multiple configurations, when it's time to clean up you just put them in the carrying case and stash it in the garage, taking up no more that 2x2x1 feet of space. If you find one new you'll have to paint it by hand which can take a couple of days, but I used acrylic paint from Hobby Lobby which was cheap and has yet to scratch or chip. Alternatively you can go to a Home Depot and buy pink foam insulation board on the cheap and cut it into shape. It's easy to work with, but don't spray paint it as it will melt!
Here's the board set up mid-battle:
I decided on using Battletech for the ruleset we'd play with, I'd be the games-master and each player would pilot a Robot. At face value it seemed like the perfect system to use, as it's all about giant mechs duking it out with tanks and aircraft. The system covers just about anything you can dream up, but that's probably why it's not the best system we could have used in hindsight. Don't get me wrong, Battletech is a great way to play, it's survived about 30 years of constant use, so it must be getting something right, but using it in a battle this large without anyone else being familiar with the rule set made for some clunky interactions. Had I known just how much chart referencing is involved with this game I would have just modified a system I'm more familiar with, like Warmachine or even Dungeons and Dragons. Plus, not having and intimate knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of different units, the opposition I fielded against the players wasn't nearly challenging enough and they rolled right over the planet's defenses without ever really being in danger.
We still had a great time, of course. It's hard not to if you've got your friends around the table. My wife made a beautiful antipasti platter for us and the beer was plentiful, so I'd call it a success. I did learn a few things on this one, and I'd like to pass them along for those who are thinking about hosting a game day, or have had limited success in the past:
1. Keep it simple. I had grand plans for this one that just had to fall to the wayside. I planned on using google maps for everybody to plan an intricate invasion of planet earth, with rule systems for weakening it's defenses through covert infiltrators or diplomatic subterfuge. But when people show up for a game, they ultimately want to jump right into the action. If you're planning a protracted campaign, then maybe some buildup is required, but in a one day event like this, just get to the main course!
2. Invite anybody you think will be interested. Games are a great way to bring people together. Try mixing up your social circles. Do you know a guy at work who's into Tolkein or Kaiju battles? Somebody at school always talks about Battlestar Galactica and Game of Thrones? Bring 'em in! Get them together and see what happens. On the flip side of that, don't invite people with a short attention span. If you can't keep somebody interested in a conversation for more than five minutes, they'll probably derail your game by getting bored.
3. Invite twice as many people as you hope will show up. I invited six guys over, and due to the inevitable complications of everyday life only three showed up. Big deal, four guys around the table instead of seven, but had I only invited four guys we might not have had enough to play and all that hard work and preparation goes down the drain, plus you have to eat a whole antipasti platter by yourself while you cry. And what's the worst if everybody shows up? Well, then it's a party, maybe have some jump over to your side of the table and help you crush everybody else.
4. You're the host, which means you're the entertainer, not the entertainee. If you're inviting people into your home, you shouldn't be doing it with the sole intention of gratifying yourself with your favorite game. If nobody's having fun, don't get offended, just change it up. Don't be afraid to ask your guests what they are hoping to get out the game. If you are attempting to blow up everybody's fun just so you can win, you're probably not going to be playing with these people ever again. In fact, you might want to let them win anyway.
I hope this article has inspired you to get creative with your own game day. With a little effort and some outgoing enthusiasm for your hobby you'll be hosting epic game days people will be talking about for a long time after!
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