Force building for dummies?

[Ben]

I’ve only played AS at GenCon where the forces have been supplied and balanced by the game runner (thanks Scotty!) I’ve found a couple of local players and were trying to setup a game this weekend. None of us are experts or have huge mini collections (basically various box set plastics).

My understanding is that PV is reasonably well balanced, especially for just a last man standing type of slug fest. Will “pick an era and a point value” get us a reasonably fun game at that point? Should there be any further limitations? I don’t think anyone will try to cheese their force on purpose, but any tips for newbies to make sure that “everyone has fun” (dice-gods willing)?

Thanks.

[CJKeys]

good rule of thumb is pick a faction, pick an era, and build a force up to what your comfortable.

Usually it is a good idea to say "no unique units, no arty, no lams" when starting off.

there are forces in AS Commander edition that are premade between 450-500 point if youre looking for some forces to test the waters with.

[Elmoth]

Which translates as "it is better to start with introductory and standard rules".
I would say that balanced forces that include a variety of units tend to be better, especially if you play escenarios where killing enemies is not necessarily what earns you victory points.

[CJKeys]

Which translates as "it is better to start with introductory and standard rules".
I would say that balanced forces that include a variety of units tend to be better, especially if you play escenarios where killing enemies is not necessarily what earns you victory points.

Im not saying to just play with Mechs, one of the beauty parts of Alpha Strike is the ease of combined arms. As far as the three I mentioned, Unique units, Artillery, and LAMS, well, the second two add undue complexity for a new player, and the first is best used for specific scenarios when that character rolls out in their custom unit.