Alpha Strike Companion Content Suggestions

[NeonKnight]

As this thread goes longer, and I play more Alpha Strike, I find that I refine my initial suggestions.

For example: Pilot special abilities.

I'd like to suggest that they get thrown in as an alternative to improving your skill.

Since you only get five skill slots (Skill level 4-0) improve your pilot before he has to be retried off the field, this would lengthen his career a bit. I'd suggest only doing once or twice though.

In my home brew campaign, I am playing around with the 'experience levels' so to speak. As it stands, a Pilot can star a campaign in game 1 with a skill of 4, and in 4 missions be at skill 0, as long as the player has enough War Chest points to level them up.

To me, that seems, ridiculous and can quickly kill a game if one side is winning in a two player campaign.

For example, a pilot earns 1 XP per mission/0.5 per Training session (if not on the mission), and pilot would need to expend 3 XP to advance from Skill 4 to Skill 3. This just helps to make the game a little more meaningful....to me at least.

[Josva Valdreki]

Ooo!

Rules for objectives that can only be taken and held by infantry (conventional or BA), like buildings, bunkers, &c. And simple rules to allow one infantry unit to rapidly assault and take (or fail to take) an objective. Plus more rules to simulate the infantry rigging an objective to blow. Plus rules for the infantry to shoot from the building and rules for the infantry holding the building to be engaged by forces who don't want to destroy the objective.

Rules for objectives that can be taken and held by any ground unit, like bridges and airfields.

Rules for objectives-based gameplay where one side wants to destroy an objective while the other wants to hold it, like a bridge (perhaps with random rolls on every turn if one side has held it for x turns to simulate the bridge being blown). Or, perhaps, for one side holding the objective is a primary measure of success but destroying it might be a secondary measure of success (as in the case of an overrun bunker that houses valuable data). Or, for the more morally corrupt, where one side wants to force the other to destroy the objective (where the objective might be a hospital or school), perhaps as a sort of tertiary objective.

[Kitsune413]

Those are some in depth rules. Im not sure thats what alphastrike is about. 

[Von Ether]

... Plus rules for the infantry to shoot from the building ...

I am confused. Infantry can already shoot from buildings.
But as a recap, page 84-86 give infantry some bonuses for hiding in buildings including not damaging the building when they enter/leave/move around, a damage absorption mechanic and the fact they can't be directly fired on while in a building.

[Josva Valdreki]

I am confused. Infantry can already shoot from buildings.
But as a recap, page 84-86 give infantry some bonuses for hiding in buildings including not damaging the building when they enter/leave/move around, a damage absorption mechanic and the fact they can't be directly fired on while in a building.

D'oh!

I'm still waiting for my copy of Alpha Strike.

 @p?

[jairb]

Many of the suggestions for campaign play are very good.

I believe Alpha Strike has quite a bit of potential as a competitive game in a similar style to Warmachine, Flames of War, and some of the GW games.  In order for that to be realized though, I think it desperately needs a few specific things:
1.  Points values based upon Alpha Strike capabilities (this has been mentioned in many other replies here)
2.  Standardized Missions based on 6'x4' tables and not map sheets (many of which are out of print anyway)
3.  Force composition guidelines that are easy to follow and offer faction flavor

I REALLY like the suggestion of a reference indicating Common, Uncommon, Rare, Unavailable for each unit by faction and Era.  It's simple.

I also like the suggestion of quirks and pilot abilities that can be used to modify units for a points cost.  That allows sufficient customization to keep things interesting in pickup or tournament games.

I'd love nothing more than to see our local game store hosting tournaments a few times a year with a dozen players slugging out three rounds of mayhem for a small prize and bragging rights! 

[Papabees]

One other thing I think I'd like to see is Pulse weapons broken down similar to ACs and LRMs. Maybe with only a minus 1 to hit though if they feel the minus 2 is over powered.

[Tai Dai Cultist]

Having had more time to digest AS, I'm updating my wishlist:

1. The oft-stated points revamp.
1b.  There is elegance in simplicity, so if AS points are to remain linked to BV then AS should have some force composition rules, even if only optional.  As mentioned upthread, they can even be a great vehicle for faction flavor.

2. A way to attack off-board artillery.  It seems like a very sloppy oversight that it wasn't thought of for the basic rules.

3. The often stated inclusion of scenario-driven play.  Even scenarios can be a 'soft' way to encourage balanced force composition without heavy-handed rules enforcing them.

4. A way to actually translate TW stats to AS.  (No, the QS conversion rules in SO don't count.)

5. Since BattleTech never was a minis game, it was never a priority that minis be accurately scaled vs each other.  Since Alpha Strike IS a minis game, scale disparity IS an issue.  It can be resolved by unit volume rules (ala WarMachine).  The groundwork is already in place since AS units all are already all sorted into unit sizes.

[Sartris]

4. A way to actually translate TW stats to AS.  (No, the QS conversion rules in SO don't count.)

This already exists as errata. The document can be found here. I assume it will be incorporated into the next printing of SO.

[t9nv3]

I've been playing quite a bit of Alpha Strike lately, and I think that the game really needs one more "hard counter" to high movement modifiers. The AC precision ammo is fine, but one other option would really make things click for me. As it stands, I feel that arty is my best option for dealing with high Mov. and that just doesn't strike me as a balanced way to deal with the issue... at the end of the day, arty its more of a "soft counter" anyway. Simple is always better in these cases, so a mechanic that would allow you to deal less damage, (like with an AC or LRM special), but negate movement modifiers, would be an excellent tradeoff. That way, it wouldn't necessarily be desirable in every situation...and you wont be doing enough damage to "one shot" every light that crosses your path. We could have the AC precision for a universal -2 modifier, and something else (pulse laser?) for a variable boost based on Mov. values alone.

Also, I think that infantry needs a bit more nuance. I'm all for suggestions that involve having them interact with terrain and objectives in interesting and deeply tactical ways.     

[Neo-Tanuki]

I'd love to see expanded Alpha Strike rules for aerospace combat, so you could play full space dogfights with AS.

Would also like to see Protomechs tweaked so they can be tracked individually rather than calculating them as a combined unit.

[Saint]

May have missed it in a earlier post, but how about mechs like the Rifleman, Jagermech, etc have the ability to fire into the rear arc?

[WarChicken]

I know we are talking about a AS Companion, but how about redoing some of the scenario packs for AS. Maybe adding more scenarios and providing some of  the unit breakdowns as well.

[wolfspider]

I think Vtols should be giving a pop attack to reflect their abilities better.

[wolfspider]

Also I would like added a run move like the old over burn from the first battleforce.
Unit is allowed to move at twice its run mp at the cost of 1 heat point per turn. How else am I going to get my assaults to the party? 

[Neonwraith]

AS Rules for Space combat from Warship to Aerospace-Fighter.

[Ratboy]

• [size=78%]I think the hex-based tables should be a free pdf download, and not included in the book.[/size]
• [/size][size=78%]IMO adding more rules would complicate AS. AS is supposed to be a simplified system.[/size]
• [/size][size=78%]What I feel is needed is more support or foundation for the game.[/size][/size][size=78%] I would like see Era source books for AS. (e.g. "Alpha Strike - Clan Invasion" which would include Scenarios and Missions based on pivotal battles during the Clan invasion Era)[/size]

[Wrangler]

I apologize in-case this has been suggested already, but I'd like suggest the following;

I know this is properly to late to suggest, but when the companion does come out. I think it should include the abstract aerospace rules like the Radar Map.  That single handily saves a lot time of rolling, even it may appear to be separate game.

Also, I'd like to see quick conversions of units so they can be on a Battleforce lance/squadron sheet.  I've seen some AS games where there way too many cards on the table for someone new to handle, I think it be nice to reintroduce the option for players to be able out desired units on a singular sheet for sake of convenience and prevent the lost of sanity in a complex game with multiple units.

[Von Ether]

I apologize in-case this has been suggested already, but I'd like suggest the following;

I know this is properly to late to suggest, but when the companion does come out. I think it should include the abstract aerospace rules like the Radar Map.  That single handily saves a lot time of rolling, even it may appear to be separate game.

Also, I'd like to see quick conversions of units so they can be on a Battleforce lance/squadron sheet.  I've seen some AS games where there way too many cards on the table for someone new to handle, I think it be nice to reintroduce the option for players to be able out desired units on a singular sheet for sake of convenience and prevent the lost of sanity in a complex game with multiple units.

Just for clarification, how is this different than pages 158-160 of the core Alpha Strike book?

[Wrangler]

Just for clarification, how is this different than pages 158-160 of the core Alpha Strike book?

Sorry, I don't own it.  #P Least not yet! 

[Von Ether]

Sorry, I don't own it.  #P Least not yet! 

You should. Alpha Strike is a great sister system to BT  that doubles the value of you figs. Even if you don't find it "battletechy" enough, it's a full fledged SF wargame that you already own figs for and know how to play.

[Wrangler]

You should. Alpha Strike is a great sister system to BT  that doubles the value of you figs. Even if you don't find it "battletechy" enough, it's a full fledged SF wargame that you already own figs for and know how to play.

I am looking forward to buying it, but not priority since partially looks like their still sorting out.  Main reason I haven't aside from money, is there not terrible lot people into playing the game or not interesting in this format of Battletech in my area.  Couple guys at store I played, used it.  They found it was little unbalanced, lance mechs lance vehicles verses each other.  The results were one sided, even balanced due to terrain.   I think it need some bugs worked out.

Anyways, Radar Map + Alpha Strike style play with abstract radar rules fighters would help keep flying blow torches in the game. 

I want see lance cards like older BF be common, or least a little do-dad on Masterunitlist website to be able to slide your choices of units into a card you can print. That would be super cool too.

[Von Ether]

I am looking forward to buying it, but not priority since partially looks like their still sorting out.  Main reason I haven't aside from money, is there not terrible lot people into playing the game or not interesting in this format of Battletech in my area.  Couple guys at store I played, used it.  They found it was little unbalanced, lance mechs lance vehicles verses each other.  The results were one sided, even balanced due to terrain.   I think it need some bugs worked out.

Anyways, Radar Map + Alpha Strike style play with abstract radar rules fighters would help keep flying blow torches in the game. 

I want see lance cards like older BF be common, or least a little do-dad on Masterunitlist website to be able to slide your choices of units into a card you can print. That would be super cool too.

Cool. The PDF is $15, so then you participate in the Beta PV Test. As a side note, I offered to run several Alpha Strike demos at the store and they've all been popular.