2003 - Aliens Miniature Battle - Year 5

After five years of running the Aliens Miniature Battle (AMB) event, we started to see the usual suspects signing up to play at local gaming conventions.  They enjoyed playing the game, and we enjoyed throwing large numbers of aliens at them in an attempt to keep the game enjoyable but still challenging.  

After successfully winning the game, veteran players knew the right tactics to use - always keep your squads working together, don't wander off by yourself, and by all means, never, ever step in front of a Colonial Marine with an incinerator shooting at an Alien!


In March 2003, we decided to up the ante and introduce a new element into the AMB scenario.  Killing the Queen each time was becoming too predictable.  It was time for something more sinister and deadly to start hunting the Marines besides plain aliens.

    Figure 1.  To help players decide which Colonial Marine squads to play, we displayed the miniatures and reference cards in the hive area located at the far end of the mine.

    Figure 2.  In a bold move, the players decided to perform an "end run" maneuver and sent two squads sprinting down the side of the mine complex to reach the hive.  This hazardous move worked, but imagine their surprise when they didn't find the Queen waiting for them.

   Figure 3. A squad of Colonial Marines defends the mine entrance, using a combination of smart gun, pulse rifles and incinerators to keep the Aliens at bay. 

    Figure 4.  An overhead view of the entrance to the hive located on the left side of the fourth and fifth terrain boards.  The white and blue poker chips represent cover fire (e.g., the direction they have their weapons pointed) in case of Alien attack.   
 

    Figure 5.  After canvassing the mine complex without finding a Queen, the players weren't sure what to expect.  After losing several Marines under suspicious circumstances (e.g., the last Marine in a squad disappears unexpectedly), they finally discovered what had been stalking them - not just one but two Predators.

    Figure 6. As expected, a fierce firefight broke out between the Colonial Marines and the Predators.  With a few lucky strikes, the Marines were able to take out the first Predator shortly after combat began (note miniature in top left of photo above).

    Figure 7. The second Predator proved more difficult but a combination of smart tactics and a little bit of luck helped the Marines prevail.