Having just spent two days doing this using the Hive and the Flame here are some idea fresh from the gaming area.
Here is the most important observation!
DO NOT EXPECT IT TO BE FAST. It will take time to run each turn. You and your players will need to accept this. Board gamers often spend several DAYS playing something like World in Flames and it takes at least eight hours to play a game of Advanced Civilization. Miniature gamers often don't get the opportunity to play a large game because of space and time constraints. Even if we do get a big space for how long do we have it? Usually a day at most. If you get a big space and run a big game do you best to make certain everyone understands that this is an event to be enjoyed over a longer period of time.
More players, and even better extra referees, make things go MUCH faster.
All the various play aids really help, but make certain you have enough of them and that they don't get lost in the shuffle.
Speaking of shuffles have three decks available-Movement, Shooting AND Damage. Even with standard SWord and the Flame an artillery battery throws 48 dice per turn. That means a lot of hits and a lot of damage cards get drawn
About that mention of a lot of dice; HQC the large number of heavy weapons the humans need to survive mean a lot of dice boxes get shaken. Don't skimp on the number of the dice boxes. This is a melee dice box.
Each identically colored pair of dice indicate a pair of melee contestants. This speeds up melee considerably.
I have similar boxes for D20 for shooting. Not only does it let a lot of dice get rolled at once, it also keeps all your dice corralled and easy to read. I recommend getting boxes with fixed dividers, its one less thing to worry about. Make sure the dice can move freely in the compartments, otherwise they might get "stuck" and read the same face.
takes a look at flexible roads made from long-lasting flexible resin.