Time required to play scenarios

[IanBruntlett]

Hi,

How long should it take to run a scenario?

Obviously a patrol scenario will take more time than a raid scenario.

Any rough ideas welcome - we're finding it difficult to finish a battle-level scenario, "Convoy Duty" from p56 of the core rules within a couple of hours.

Are we doing something wrong? Are we too slow?

TIA


Ian

 

[Burger]

Some scenarios are quicker than others. A Blockade Run with White Stars, for example, will probably be ove within a couple of minutes.

Standard games (5pt Raid, Call To Arms or Annihilation or Space Supeiority) normally take between 1 and 2 hours, depending on the number of ships each player takes. I would expect Battle level to take a bit longer, and Convoy Duty a bit longer still since you have the civvy ships to worry about as well. So a couple of hours sounds about right, if you're familiar with the rules. If you're still looking things up regularly, then allow extra time.

 

[H]

anything is variable on ship selections too.
we played a 5 point battle anhialation last night in 2 hours, last time with same fleets but different ships took 3 and a half.

 

[Banichi]

For a 5pt raid 1-2 hours is average. But in saying that you can have games that are over quickly, or games that go on for ages.

My record for a 5pt raid is 3 hours and 50 minutes, and even then we didn't totally finish. ISA vs Centauri, we both played a huge manouvering game, and flew around and around the table. Niether of us was ready to sacrifice position for shooting.

 

[CZuschlag]

Certain fleets run battles at different tempos. One extreme is the Drakh, who need to launch all their Raiders from the Ma'cu, Amu, and Ria'vash, get them in position, close with the Raiders without engaging. They like flanking things due to the nature of their Gravitic Energy Grid, and then launch the attack run; I rarely engage until turn 3 if the terrain allows me to wait that long. Patience is rewarded. And even then, they aren't a high-firepower race at all. The vast majority of my Drakh fights in Armageddon-edition went at least 8 turns. It's a smaller number nowadays, but it used to be unusually slow going.

The other extreme is fast Dilgar. If they are going to win, they will do it early, turns 1 and 2, on the first attack run when most everything is in their F arc by weight of overwhelming firepower. If the issue is still close after the first battle pass, they are in a ton of trouble; if they are ahead and can sink a few times to get their gunships future F arc runs, the second pass will kill whatever is left barring spectacular crits.