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That was a pretty cool april fools

FYI Battletech Alpha Strike is available for PDF purchase and physical book preorder...

Preview 1 - http://bg.battletech.com/?p=5117
Preview 2 - http://bg.battletech.com/?p=5128

Purchase - http://www.battlecorps.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=alpha+strike&x=0&y=0


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Example of unit card:

I just got the PDF and am giving it a look over. I play BT every month or so and we've been talking about switching to something a bit faster.

 judgedoug wrote:

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Example of unit card:

Thanks for posting that. I didn't realize it had gone up for pre-order. Those new stat cards are quite a visual upgrade (though functionally identical) to the old plain ones. Very Pretty!

The old ones (front and back shown here):

Not bad, but not as nice.

I have the pdf also and I like what I read. But not including the mechs is a pain in to Rear-Center-Toros! The book claims you only need dice, minis, and a table. But stats would've been nice. (Grumble)

-K

I thought the PDF included around 60 mechs?

I couldn't find the cards, but I did fine a list of stats for a variety of mechs starting on page 135 (using the page numbers printed on the page if anyone as the physical copy).

For now the Master Unit List http://www.masterunitlist.info/ has the Battleforce original cards - just double the Movement for inches and ignore some of the special rules that don't apply... from what I understand the MUL is having a big update in time for the hardcover release that will add in all the cards for all the mechs for Alpha Strike. I think they're about 2/3 done right now.

EDIT: Ninja'd by judgedoug

So it turns out all the BattleForce QuickStrike stats will work fine with Alpha Strike, you just need to double their movement and turn it from hexes to inches.

You can go to the master unit list and just type what you are looking for into the search field. Find the unit you want and scroll down for the stats.

http://www.masterunitlist.info/

Alpha strike is a great setup. My buddy got whatever they referred to as their "beta", we tried it, and it was a solid, uncomplicated ruleset. BT players should be quite happy with what they're getting.

Here's a very thorough review of Alpha Srike from the author of the Goalsystem (Supersystem, Chaos in Carpathia, Delves, etc...) series of games.
http://www.playunplugged.com/2013/07/review-battletech-alpha-strike-pdf-version/

Also, anyone interested in either BT or Alpha Strike should check out Solaris Skunk Werks. I just found out about it from a guy on Facebook. It's a free mech designer program and if you download the master library files you'll have the stats for tons and tons of mechs and vehicles. It also generates the BattleForce stats talked about above if you want to use them for Alpha Strike (just double the move to make it into inches).

it is java based and executes as a jar file, so it should work on any platform.

http://www.solarisskunkwerks.com/

The master library files are found on the downloads page under reference sheets.

Thanks for the great reponses. I have looked on the Master Unit List and there are some mechs in the book, but not many. The original Battleforce 2 had stats for every mech in print at the time. Thus eliminating the need for buying other products like mech cards or looking up each and every mech you want to use. I'm glad for the game and am planning to use the huge pile of Robotech models I bought on the KS. Just need to figure out that MAC-II.

-K

I don't know if it was mentioned earlier, but check here:
http://www.pryderockindustries.com/dl_game_aids.php#BFC
For alot of Alpha Strike cards in a format/size that matches playing cards with pictures.

I just want to throw one thing out thereabout the stat cards that are currently available for Quick Strike, and using them for alpha strike. For mechs with large missile batteries or high damage AC's the damage isn't quite right as far as alpha strike is concerned. On the quick strike card for example, a King crab KGC 000 has a damage profile of S1/M1/L1 and the special ability of AC 2/2/0. For Alpha Strike, you need to add the AC damage into the basic damage stats thus giving it a damage output of S3/M3/L1. Same thing would apply to another mech if it had more than one special ability weapon in the notes.

Purely for example and I am just making these numbers up... say you had a mech with base damage S2/M2/L2 and the special abilities of AC 2/2/0 and LRM 1/2/2 on the quick strike card. You actual damage output in AS would be S5/M6/L4.

This is because the alpha strike system has moved the damage that the special ability weapons do into the main damage profile, BUT keeps a notation of where some of that damage comes from for things that might affect it like different weapon ammunition in the case of missiles and ACs or anti missile systems which can reduce missile damage.

Another things that does not carry over from the quick strike cards is the new Alpha strike ability of overheat long. As it stands right now in alpha strike, when you overheat it only effects the damage for the short and medium bands but not the long band. If a mech has the OVL special ability though it can apply the overheat bonus to the long band. So far the only mechs known to have OVL are the few printed in the AS book.


All in all though I really like this book. I have always had a love/hate relationship with battletech. I like the universe, but I can't stand the basic game. It is way more detailed than I want a game to be. It also really breaks down if you try to do anything larger than Lance/Star/Level II This gives me the type of system to do the types of battles I read about in all the fiction I read. I don't want to play random lance out on patrol duty... I want Tukayyid. I want Luthien clan invasion. I want the big fights that always seem to happen. Regular battletech is fine if you really need a small detailed fight but I want the larger engagements, and with this I can finally do it. To put my money where my mouth is on this I did buy the PDF when it hit on Monday and with get the book when it comes out. This is something I don't mind supporting. Now if they could just get away from Iron Wind Metals and get some better minis going at a more reasonable price.

I use EM4 plastics and Reaper's CAV stuff.

Does anyone know if the new Introductory Box Set will only have different miniatures or whether there will be any chance to the other components as well?

Fallen668 wrote:
Now if they could just get away from Iron Wind Metals and get some better minis going at a more reasonable price.

You are in the same place I am here. You need to check out the N-Scale customs, that are becoming a a bit of a localized phenomenon in battletech.

http://www.lordsofthebattlefield.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=39193

These guys make better, higher quality mechs than IWM have ever seen.

I am very intrigued by this.

Manchu wrote:Does anyone know if the new Introductory Box Set will only have different miniatures or whether there will be any chance to the other components as well?

The only "New" mechs in the box set will be the two bonus mechs of Battlemaster and Mad Cat. The rest of the Mechs are the same models, based on the same sculpts except that they have reportedly made new masters and are using a new company.

GBL wrote:

Fallen668 wrote:
Now if they could just get away from Iron Wind Metals and get some better minis going at a more reasonable price.

You are in the same place I am here. You need to check out the N-Scale customs, that are becoming a a bit of a localized phenomenon in battletech.

http://www.lordsofthebattlefield.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=39193

These guys make better, higher quality mechs than IWM have ever seen.

The customs are cool, but to be fair, N scale Mechs are twice as big as IWM makes. At that scale it's much easier to add alot of detail. The real surprise is that they cost less than twice as much!

I note also that that maker is making Battletech scale mechs as well, at about Battletech prices and they are beautiful. IWM should consider buying his designs. Or shutting him down.

 Ouze wrote:
I am very intrigued by this.

So am I.
I play "classic" Battletech but every once and a while we want a huge game, this may fit in nicely.

 Eilif wrote:

Manchu wrote:Does anyone know if the new Introductory Box Set will only have different miniatures or whether there will be any chance to the other components as well?

The only "New" mechs in the box set will be the two bonus mechs of Battlemaster and Mad Cat. The rest of the Mechs are the same models, based on the same sculpts except that they have reportedly made new masters and are using a new company.

Yep, I got that. My question is more about the books, mats, etc.

 Eilif wrote:
I note also that that maker is making Battletech scale mechs as well, at about Battletech prices and they are beautiful. IWM should consider buying his designs.

You do realize that Iron Wind Metals does not design the 'mechs? They simply turn the artwork provided by Catalyst into three dimensional miniatures.

 Manchu wrote:
Yep, I got that. My question is more about the books, mats, etc.

I'm pretty sure that everything else is the same.

 Ghaz wrote:

 Eilif wrote:
I note also that that maker is making Battletech scale mechs as well, at about Battletech prices and they are beautiful. IWM should consider buying his designs.

You do realize that Iron Wind Metals does not design the 'mechs? They simply turn the artwork provided by Catalyst into three dimensional miniatures.

I realize this. I was referring to his particular 3d designs. As far as I can tell IWM and he both appear to be working from the same 2d design, yet his execution looks better to me. Even more remarkable since he probably just has the picture in the TRO and whatever he might be able to find in other sourcebooks, and IWM probably gets more detailed drawings from Catalyst.

 Eilif wrote:

I realize this. I was referring to his particular 3d designs. As far as I can tell IWM and he both appear to be working from the same 2d design, yet his execution looks better to me. Even more remarkable since he probably just has the picture in the TRO and whatever he might be able to find in other sourcebooks, and IWM probably gets more detailed drawings from Catalyst.

Not in the least bit. They're using the 3d mech files in Mechwarrior Online (and Mechwarrior 4 for the Fafnir, Vulture, etc).

 judgedoug wrote:

 Eilif wrote:

Even more remarkable since he probably just has the picture in the TRO and whatever he might be able to find in other sourcebooks, and IWM probably gets more detailed drawings from Catalyst.

Not in the least bit. They're using the 3d mech files in Mechwarrior Online (and Mechwarrior 4 for the Fafnir, Vulture, etc).

Thanks for the explanation and setting me straight. That explains the differences in style! In that case I'm even more convinced that IWM should acquire some of those sculpts. As much as I love the classic designs (and I really do), the updated Mechwarrior online designs have a look that newer gamers would probably find more to their taste.

Of course an emphasis on the "Dark Age" designs would probably have roughly the same result as they also have an updated asthetic. I think IWM is slowly releasing more and more of the newer designs as they appear in TRO's.

I agree. I wish whatever licensing deals would get worked out so that IWM could produce the MWO designs. Can you imagine an Alpha Strike box set with plastic mechs of all the MWO mechs? It'd sell out in a heartbeat.

I was surprised when so many MWO 'Mechs looked better than the originals, considering the atrocity that was the MW4 'Mech designs. For example Hunchback. That's SWEET.

That's what happens when you hire a good designer (Alex Iglesias)

Seriously. I would buy every battlemech mini if they were modeled like the MWO designs.