Author Topic: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game  (Read 219654 times)

Weirdo

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #630 on: 04 August 2013, 03:10:14 »
If a unit moves faster than 4/6/0 and mounts a small AC or LRM rack as the long-range firepower, then it went from minor annoyance in Total War to reliable trooper in Alpha Strike. For examples, see the Dragon, Quickdraw, Clint....heck, half of TRO 3039 gained some serious utility, and it's exactly the half that the more firepower-focused players tend to ignore. A lance of Vedettes used to be a throwaway mook force, little more than an excuse to toss a couple dice and boost your salvage stores. Now, you'd best deal with them fast, otherwise they'll tear your heavy 'mechs apart.
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SCC

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #631 on: 04 August 2013, 03:43:50 »
Does that include the Vedette, Weirdo?

SCC

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #632 on: 04 August 2013, 05:15:04 »
Looking at the conversion rules the Heavy Rifle may make a come back as the reduction factor to it's damage doesn't seem to apply so massed fire will see it out perform the AC/5

glitterboy2098

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #633 on: 04 August 2013, 10:18:34 »
the MUL stats on the Kraken 3 aren't updated, but i suspect it'll be a nasty one too.. anything that can boast an LRM 7/7/7 and IF7 keyword ought to gain a lot of basic firepower under the alpha strike damage system..

Alexander Knight

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #634 on: 04 August 2013, 11:16:29 »
the MUL stats on the Kraken 3 aren't updated, but i suspect it'll be a nasty one too.. anything that can boast an LRM 7/7/7 and IF7 keyword ought to gain a lot of basic firepower under the alpha strike damage system..

8/8/8 with IF 7 and LRM 7/7/7 actually.

oh and as a tease, the Omega is a 5/6/6 with FLK 1/1/1

Dropkick

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #635 on: 04 August 2013, 11:37:56 »
Other than the Thorn and Stalking Spider, what other 'Mechs are surprisingly good?

The Dragonfly.  I've only played the prime but it seems to be the one last standing after a fight.  16inches of jump is just awesome.  If I can get within 2 inches of a target that target will never be able to evade the dragonfly as long as the dragonfly doesn't lose INI. for more than one turn.  It's the first time in 20 years of playing btech that I've considered making a star of only one mech type. 

Dropkick

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #636 on: 04 August 2013, 11:41:49 »
If a unit moves faster than 4/6/0 and mounts a small AC or LRM rack as the long-range firepower, then it went from minor annoyance in Total War to reliable trooper in Alpha Strike. For examples, see the Dragon, Quickdraw, Clint....heck, half of TRO 3039 gained some serious utility, and it's exactly the half that the more firepower-focused players tend to ignore. A lance of Vedettes used to be a throwaway mook force, little more than an excuse to toss a couple dice and boost your salvage stores. Now, you'd best deal with them fast, otherwise they'll tear your heavy 'mechs apart.

Sort of breaths new life into 3039.  Gives that era some more playability as well. 

Atlas3060

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #637 on: 04 August 2013, 11:51:16 »
oh and as a tease, the Omega is a 5/6/6 with FLK 1/1/1
You just made a few of my Blakist friends happy.

Sort of breaths new life into 3039.  Gives that era some more playability as well.
The big 4rth Succession War fights now can be viable at some tables instead of just a random fantasy.
It's not about winning or losing, no it's all about how many chapters have you added to the rule books after your crazy antics.

glitterboy2098

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #638 on: 04 August 2013, 12:31:21 »
The omega is fairly cheap for its power at 30pts, and it has c3I and mhq2...
Honestly, wobbies get really nasty due to the mhq #'s a full c3I level II can put out.. your almost always going to have a huge init bonus and be starting with hidden units.

In regards to poor designs becoming troopers.. the scorpion tank. 8 inch move, 2/1/1 fire power with a 1/1/1 turret, and can take 4 damage total. All for only 3 points.sure it dies quick, but you can carpet the battlefield with tanks. A 120pt company of mechs could face down a battalion of 40 tanks.. ouch.
And vedettes, usually the better choice, can only take an extra 2 damage and cost 2 more points, making them the inferior choice from an economy perspective. The scorpion also beats out the savannah master.. a savvy is 2pts, nill fire power (1/1/0) and can only take 2 damage. though the massive movement rate is a perk, making them still useable as a good scouting unit.
« Last Edit: 04 August 2013, 14:42:50 by glitterboy2098 »

Dropkick

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #639 on: 04 August 2013, 15:01:33 »
The big 4rth Succession War fights now can be viable at some tables instead of just a random fantasy.

I knew I would come to rue the day I sold those atlases off.

Crimson_Langur_1970

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #640 on: 05 August 2013, 05:59:21 »
Just to digress slightly, do we have a street date on the hardcopy AS book?  I know it will be at Gen Con, but it would be great if it were also in shops around that time.  Thanks!

Charlie Tango

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #641 on: 05 August 2013, 06:41:24 »
Just to digress slightly, do we have a street date on the hardcopy AS book?  I know it will be at Gen Con, but it would be great if it were also in shops around that time.  Thanks!

Street date has not been announced anywhere I've seen.
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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #642 on: 05 August 2013, 07:06:53 »
Does that include the Vedette, Weirdo?

Hells yes, it does! O0 A unit with a permanent +2 to-hit and capable of doing damage at long range? This might not seem like much, until you remember that even 1 damage is respectable, and as cheap as Vedettes go, you can easily take a lance of them for an insignificant amount of points. That's 4 points of long-range damage, and the high-to-hit numbers at that range are often negated by the number of to-hits you're rolling. A heavy 'mech that must close to medium range before it can deal reliable damage is going to be chewed up by the time it closes.
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Itinerant Hobbyist

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #643 on: 05 August 2013, 08:51:59 »
Release date: my email for the combo says expected ship date of August 20th for the hardback.  And on the Gencon coverage it advertises it will be for sale there...with the caveat that everything may not be available.

Weirdo

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #644 on: 05 August 2013, 08:56:57 »
A bit of advice: Never consider a book's release date as more than the vaguest of hints until you are actually holding said book. Weird unpredictable shit happens WAY to often to actually expect release dates to hold firm.
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Charlie Tango

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #645 on: 05 August 2013, 11:04:29 »
Release date: my email for the combo says expected ship date of August 20th for the hardback.  And on the Gencon coverage it advertises it will be for sale there...with the caveat that everything may not be available.

That may be an estimated date but it's just that; an estimate.   FWIW, what's been said before is that when Catalyst has them physically in the warehouse and knows when they can get them guaranteed from the warehouse through the distributor and out to store, that's when they announce a street date.
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Alexander Knight

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #646 on: 05 August 2013, 23:27:59 »
2,899 out of 4,524 finished.

and as a treat, here's some BA to brighten everyone's day:

Nephilim (Capture Team) [HMG]:
Type:         BA
Size:          1
MV:            4"f
Armor:       3
Structure:  2
Damage:   2/1/1
PV:             6
Specials:
BTAS6,CAR6,LMAS

Enjoy!   :D

Wildonion

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #647 on: 06 August 2013, 00:13:44 »
A scholar and a gentleman!  O0

glitterboy2098

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #648 on: 06 August 2013, 01:30:43 »
question..
are the current, old format, stats for protomechs in the MUL representing a full point? because i'm having a hard time believing the Roc can do 4/4/0 with just one ERML..

Alexander Knight

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #649 on: 06 August 2013, 01:32:43 »
question..
are the current, old format, stats for protomechs in the MUL representing a full point? because i'm having a hard time believing the Roc can do 4/4/0 with just one ERML..

That's for a full Point of the same suit.  If you want mixed Points, you're going to have to calculate them yourself.  Sorry but that's a bit too much to take on.  #P

glitterboy2098

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #650 on: 06 August 2013, 01:52:51 »
That's for a full Point of the same suit.  If you want mixed Points, you're going to have to calculate them yourself.  Sorry but that's a bit too much to take on.  #P

are we going to get individual protomech stats for Alpha Strike? that was the main reason i asked. since point costs for most things shouldn't change when the update goes live, i've been using the MUL to plan forces.. but the protomech cards on the current MUL seemed a bit potent and high priced, so i figured i'd check.
« Last Edit: 06 August 2013, 01:55:16 by glitterboy2098 »

Alexander Knight

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #651 on: 06 August 2013, 02:20:08 »
are we going to get individual protomech stats for Alpha Strike?

Point costs and combat values are and will be for the entire Point of five ProtoMechs.

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #652 on: 06 August 2013, 04:23:38 »
Point costs and combat values are and will be for the entire Point of five ProtoMechs.

Alpha Strike does have rules for moving and attacking Protomechs individually, but its still based in the full point stats.  You take a full point, stats are for the full point, but there are rules for splitting them up during play.
Alpha Strike Introduction resources
Left of Center blog - Nashira Campaign for A Game of Armored Combat, TP 3039 Vega Supplemental Record Sheets

ANS Kamas P81

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #653 on: 06 August 2013, 04:29:50 »
Divide by five, add up the various decimals, round off.  That's how I'd go.
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glitterboy2098

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #654 on: 06 August 2013, 08:30:09 »
Alpha Strike does have rules for moving and attacking Protomechs individually, but its still based in the full point stats.  You take a full point, stats are for the full point, but there are rules for splitting them up during play.

that seems a bit overly complex.. especially when you consider things like Society Un's with nonstandard point sizes. (3 instead of 5)

having stats for just a single machine (which is how they operate), and keeping the 'all proto's in a point must be the same type" limit seems easier for players. this means that you can just add a "protomech Un" exception when the Society's stuff gets covered in Alphastrike. (since the Nova CEWS's quasi-C3 function, and the indirect fire and special ammo capable iATM's don't seem to be covered yet)

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #655 on: 06 August 2013, 08:51:34 »
that seems a bit overly complex.. especially when you consider things like Society Un's with nonstandard point sizes. (3 instead of 5)

having stats for just a single machine (which is how they operate), and keeping the 'all proto's in a point must be the same type" limit seems easier for players. this means that you can just add a "protomech Un" exception when the Society's stuff gets covered in Alphastrike. (since the Nova CEWS's quasi-C3 function, and the indirect fire and special ammo capable iATM's don't seem to be covered yet)

I keep seeing "The Society" pop up. Who the heck are they and where do I find out about them?

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #656 on: 06 August 2013, 08:55:14 »
I keep seeing "The Society" pop up. Who the heck are they and where do I find out about them?

A conspiracy in the Scientist Caste of many Clans(I like to call them Clan Dilbert), mostly in the Homeworlds. Read up on them in the Wars of Reaving products. Their forces were mostly Protomechs and tanks, with some 'mechs and almost no infantry. They have a WEIRD organizational setup and extremely high tech, even compared to the Clans.
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glitterboy2098

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #657 on: 06 August 2013, 11:16:25 »
Weird but fun.
The basic unit is an Un.
One Un is 1 mech, 3 battlearmor, 7 Vees, 1 fighter, or 3 protos.
The next highets is a Trey, which is 3 Un's
A Sept is the highest, 2 Treys and a command Un.

And they used normal clan protos and BA alongside their own designs, making alphastrike stats tougher to get.

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #658 on: 06 August 2013, 11:26:59 »
If we did AS Protomech stats for so for Protomechs, they'd all be 1s and the light/fast Protomechs would be the deadliest thing in AS (for their point cost).
With the change in scale for AS, Protomechs have to join the conventional infantry and battle armor as being grouped together in units. 
Alpha Strike Introduction resources
Left of Center blog - Nashira Campaign for A Game of Armored Combat, TP 3039 Vega Supplemental Record Sheets

glitterboy2098

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Re: Alpha Strike: A Quick-Playing Tactical Miniatures Game
« Reply #659 on: 06 August 2013, 19:42:37 »
hard to accept that assumption when most proto's are about on par with IS early tech light mechs, and cost about the same in BV. (or more, in many cases)
plus, unlike BA and infantry, protomechs were created to operate independently from the get go in the battletech ground scale. the designs and mini's had that in mind from the start. i mean, the Satyr Proto's Light Active Probe for example was a cheap way to get scouting ability across the map. running them clustered together in a tight group, you lose the advantage of having 5 of them in battletech ground scale. same for the combat forms too.. yeah you gain some concentration of fire, but it comes at the expense of more complicated rules and more difficult movement. and the ability to split your point up and make the enemy only be able to engage a couple at a time, makes them as survivable as a similar group of light mechs.

in battleforce, the ground scale is different. when even mechs are being run as full lances per counter on the board, 5 proto's as a single counter makes sense too. the ground scale is hugely different.

treating Proto's in Alphastrike as 'mini-mechs' is closer to how they work in regular battletech, and is a lot simpler.

and how much harder would it be to add a "single proto" AS card for each type to the MUL? compared to the thousands of units total?
« Last Edit: 06 August 2013, 19:46:58 by glitterboy2098 »