It Might Be a Trap..!

We played a game with a twist on 6/30/12.  I got the idea from here, and we ran it with a few modifications.  Basically, the Rebels and Imperial forces were each divided into 3 fleets.  Fleet #1 for each side started the game on the board as usual.  A die roll determined if / when additional fleets would arrive, and where.

Starting in round 2, at the end of the round, we checked to see if a reserve fleet would arrive.  Newly arrived fleets could act at the beginning of the next turn (which was basically immediately, seeing as how the fleets were arriving as the last even of the previous round).  It was a decreasingly difficult check, requiring a 6 on round 2, a 5 or higher on round 3, etc.  The side the fleet entered from was randomly determined, and then preferred starting position was chosen by the player (with a bit of random scattering mixed in for fun).  Fleets mustto start at the edge of engagement zone, unless they enter from the right or left (as seen here), the they could start up to 3 squares from the edge (the mat's not perfectly square).

Victory conditions are either destroy all enemy forces or achiuve unconstested space for two full rounds.

Initial placement, Round 1.

Beginning of Round 2.

Beginning of Round 3.  Rebel reinforcements appear ASAP (the Rebel admiral rolls a 6!), the Empire will show them the price for rebellion.

Beginning of Round 4.  Additional Rebel ships drop in from hyperspace (another roll of 6 for the Rebel admiral!).

Beginning of Round 5.  Imperial forces have experienced severe losses, but the captain of the Admonitor swears it will cost the Rebels dearly.  The Imp. Star Mark II makes a good showing for herself, maneuvering behind a asteroid field (blocking fire from both Home One and the Wild Karde) and closing the distance with the Sullustan Assault Cruiser, but a massed bombing run from every Rebel fighter in the engagement, combined with fire from the Haven and the Hephaestus finishes her off.

Beginning of Round 6.  Imperial reinforcements finally arrive.

Beginning of Round 7.  The remaining Imperial fleet arrives.

Beginning of Round 8.  Imperial reinforcements finally arrive.  The Haven maneuvers to block Imperial fire from the Rebel command ship (Home One).  The Manticore (the Carrack) and Hephaestus manage to destroy enough of each other's systems that they collide.  The Manticore is destroyed, the Hephaestus is disabled.  Home One takes a salvo of torpedoes from a squadron of TIE Bombers.

Beginning of Round 9.  The Strike Cruiser Talon and the Hephaestus are both now without thrust, and incapable of moving.  Talon continues to harass Rebel ships at long range, when possible, but the Hephaestus has suffered almost complete systems damage, and cannot continue the fight.

Beginning of Round 10. The Rebel commander has made a tatical error, which the Imperials gleefully exploit.  Here we can see the Haven (currently incapable of defending itself) blocking line of fire between the Home One and the Imperial Battle Cruiser Intrepid.  This leaves the Intrepid free to savage the lighter Rebel ships.

Beginning of Round 11.  The Intrepid continues to attack the smaller Rebel capitil ships as Home One moves into position.

Beginning of Round 12.  Unwilling to make the same mistake twice, the Rebel commander moves the Haven out of the line of fire, and moves Home One up to attack the Intrepid at point-blank range.  The Intrepid, however, jumps up to full speed and lights Home One up with it's rear facing guns.  Home One is later destroyed by bombing attacks from the remaining Imperial fighters.

Beginning of Round 13.  Bombing runs destroy the Haven (defenseless as it is) and the Intrepid moves in to destroy the Hephaestus, which manages to finally succeed at a system repair roll and begins firing back!

 Beginning of Round 14.  The Imperial forces soon managed to destroy the Hephaestus.

This game didn't feel as long as it in fact took, mostly because of the stress (excitement) of waiting for your fleets to jump in.