Author Topic: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.  (Read 4466 times)

Fear Factory

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BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« on: 09 August 2018, 00:06:06 »
The new Beginner Box got me thinking... I was reminded that a Quick Start rule set existed for both BattleTech and Alpha Strike, each using a bare-bones system from their parent rule sets. From these two sets, I came up with a way to combine them, dubbed "BattleStrike" (alpha build). It's essentially the quick start rules with battletech movement, flat TMM's, aerotech range brackets, a heat scale that has brackets like alpha strike, and the alpha strike critical hit system. This game is designed to be a middle-ground, so people can decide if they want to move toward less detail and faster play (alpha strike) or jump into the more complicated and refined system (battletech). It's not meant to replace either system. Some of this book was written by me, most of it is copy/paste from the two quick start books then refined to work together. I still have to give it a play test, and work out some kinks, but as it stands, it seems like it could work for its intended purpose.

It's too big to upload, but you can see it here.

Update 1:

- Added rules for being prone (I forgot).
- Buffed standard physical attacks, down-scaled damage caused by charging by using the weight bonus modifier.
- Expanded the Critical Hit Table by adding in effects.

Attached is the 'Mech record sheet, it basically shows what's used in the game:
« Last Edit: 28 September 2018, 19:06:40 by Fear Factory »
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Maj. Isaac "Litany" Van Houten, Lone Wolves, The Former 66th "Litany Against Fear" Company

Red Pins

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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #1 on: 10 August 2018, 00:24:58 »
Tagged.  I've decided to create a beginner box set when CGL runs out of the new boxes and it starts to drag on.
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Papabees

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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #2 on: 10 August 2018, 10:25:26 »
Love the heat chart.

Fear Factory

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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #3 on: 10 August 2018, 13:02:36 »
Tagged.  I've decided to create a beginner box set when CGL runs out of the new boxes and it starts to drag on.

I actually want to make all of the record sheets for the 4th edition/intobox designs and then throw in a handful of common vehicles.  If anyone out there wants to do it, please do, because I don't have the skills to do it in a way that looks good.

Love the heat chart.

Thanks!  It's a middle ground between Alpha Strike and BattleTech.
The conflict is pure - The truth devised - The future secured - The enemy designed
Maj. Isaac "Litany" Van Houten, Lone Wolves, The Former 66th "Litany Against Fear" Company

Red Pins

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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #4 on: 10 August 2018, 23:52:43 »
Sounds like we need to talk more about this.
...Visit the Legacy Cluster...
The New Clans:Volume One
Clan Devil Wasp * Clan Carnoraptor * Clan Frost Ape * Clan Surf Dragon * Clan Tundra Leopard
Work-in-progress; The Blake Threat File
Now with MORE GROGNARD!  ...I think I'm done.  I've played long enough to earn a pension, fer cryin' out loud!  IlClan and out in <REDACTED>!
TRO: 3176 Hegemony Refits - the 30-day wonder

Fear Factory

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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #5 on: 11 August 2018, 13:05:07 »
Sounds like we need to talk more about this.

Is this something you can do?

These are the designs I want to convert:

COM-2D Commando
SDR-5V Spider
JR7-D Jenner
PNT-9R Panther
ASN-21 Assassin
CDA-2A Cicada
CLNT-2-3T Clint
HER-2S Hermes II
WTH-1 Whitworth
VND-1R Vindicator
ENF-4R Enforcer
HBK-4G Hunchback
TBT-5N Trebuchet
DV-6M Dervish
DRG-1N Dragon
QKD-4G Quickdraw
CPLT-C1 Catapult
JM6-S JagerMech
GHR-5H Grasshopper
AWS-8Q Awesome
ZEU-6S Zeus
CP-10-Z Cyclops
BNC-3E Banshee
AS7-D Atlas

Warrior Attack Helicopter H-7
Pegasus Scout Hovertank
Striker Light Tank
Hetzer Wheeled Assault Gun
Vedette Medium Tank
Bulldog Medium Tank
Manticore Heavy Tank

Rifle Infantry Platoon (Foot)
Laser Infantry Platoon (Jump)
SRM Infantry Platoon (Motorized)

Eventually, I might consider incorporating Fighters with some slimmed down rules, but just two:

SPR-H5 Sparrowhawk
SL-17 Shilone
The conflict is pure - The truth devised - The future secured - The enemy designed
Maj. Isaac "Litany" Van Houten, Lone Wolves, The Former 66th "Litany Against Fear" Company

Red Pins

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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #6 on: 11 August 2018, 18:50:04 »
Making RS?  Not really, but we might find volunteers here.
...Visit the Legacy Cluster...
The New Clans:Volume One
Clan Devil Wasp * Clan Carnoraptor * Clan Frost Ape * Clan Surf Dragon * Clan Tundra Leopard
Work-in-progress; The Blake Threat File
Now with MORE GROGNARD!  ...I think I'm done.  I've played long enough to earn a pension, fer cryin' out loud!  IlClan and out in <REDACTED>!
TRO: 3176 Hegemony Refits - the 30-day wonder

Fear Factory

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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #7 on: 13 August 2018, 23:28:55 »
Here is another document if you liked the movement rules Abou and I came up with.

Honestly, I think it works for this.

But yeah, that's basically it. The other thread pretty much killed this for me. Have fun.
The conflict is pure - The truth devised - The future secured - The enemy designed
Maj. Isaac "Litany" Van Houten, Lone Wolves, The Former 66th "Litany Against Fear" Company

ActionButler

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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #8 on: 14 August 2018, 07:26:19 »
Now that I see your idea for the heat system on paper, I really like it. 
I think that is a big improvement on the existing system.
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Fear Factory

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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #9 on: 14 August 2018, 13:59:39 »
Now that I see your idea for the heat system on paper, I really like it. 
I think that is a big improvement on the existing system.

Thanks. It's an idea I had for a while. Alpha Strike got the gears turning.
The conflict is pure - The truth devised - The future secured - The enemy designed
Maj. Isaac "Litany" Van Houten, Lone Wolves, The Former 66th "Litany Against Fear" Company

Fear Factory

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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #10 on: 23 September 2018, 12:12:21 »
I've playtested a bit with my kid and it seems like it could be a fun little system. There are a few things I might look at again, like critical hits for rear arc hits, and maybe re-arranging the mech critical hit chart, but it did feel like BattleTech and it did play quick. She was more gripped on this and Alpha Strike than the old board game which bored her to death. This could be a nice compromise between the two systems.
The conflict is pure - The truth devised - The future secured - The enemy designed
Maj. Isaac "Litany" Van Houten, Lone Wolves, The Former 66th "Litany Against Fear" Company

Red Pins

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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #11 on: 23 September 2018, 15:17:40 »
Ironically, I downloaded GiMP and am making a new, larger record sheet for multiple units.  But this looks cool.
...Visit the Legacy Cluster...
The New Clans:Volume One
Clan Devil Wasp * Clan Carnoraptor * Clan Frost Ape * Clan Surf Dragon * Clan Tundra Leopard
Work-in-progress; The Blake Threat File
Now with MORE GROGNARD!  ...I think I'm done.  I've played long enough to earn a pension, fer cryin' out loud!  IlClan and out in <REDACTED>!
TRO: 3176 Hegemony Refits - the 30-day wonder

Fear Factory

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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #12 on: 28 September 2018, 11:56:54 »
So, I have made some (what I think are) improvements. Here is a summary, but I may have forgotten a few just because I haven't done anything with this for a while.

- Addition of a rear location for 'Mechs. This is the sum of the rear armor through conversion. Each hit that occurs to the rear location gets a critical hit check. 'Mechs are destroyed when this location is destroyed.
- Legs that are destroyed go "limp," so the first loss is a 1/2 mp hit. The second still counts as both legs destroyed. This is to help out designs that have weird armor layouts.
- Added a heat sink critical hit system to account for designs with a lot of heat sinks. Losing locations will lower dissipation (1 per arm/leg, 2 per torso), and there is now a heat sink critical hit on the critical hit chart. Vehicles treat this as a weapon hit.
- Revised record sheets:
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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #13 on: 29 September 2018, 00:01:46 »
I like the no dots, thats what my idea was, too.  I use a 2nd line in brackets to signify the IS, but I think your heat table could be simplified, maybe remove the extra stuff like the dots for HS, and the heat scale on the side?
...Visit the Legacy Cluster...
The New Clans:Volume One
Clan Devil Wasp * Clan Carnoraptor * Clan Frost Ape * Clan Surf Dragon * Clan Tundra Leopard
Work-in-progress; The Blake Threat File
Now with MORE GROGNARD!  ...I think I'm done.  I've played long enough to earn a pension, fer cryin' out loud!  IlClan and out in <REDACTED>!
TRO: 3176 Hegemony Refits - the 30-day wonder

Fear Factory

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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #14 on: 29 September 2018, 10:59:04 »
Hmmm. Maybe. I put the bar on the side because I know some people run a paperclip up/down as the heat level of the 'mech moves around.

I am going to spend some time clarifying how to convert designs over to this system. The weapon and equipment section should list weapons first, but then list stuff like heat sinks, ammo, and jump jets so when a location is destroyed everything is accounted for. It would basically function as a compressed version of the critical hit table, just listing locations.
The conflict is pure - The truth devised - The future secured - The enemy designed
Maj. Isaac "Litany" Van Houten, Lone Wolves, The Former 66th "Litany Against Fear" Company

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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #15 on: 29 September 2018, 18:00:31 »
I was going to do that too, then realized everybody I played with kept plastic sheet protectors in their RS binder - we just use a damp kleenex to wipe and put a new number in.

Hmm.  Cross the line out when the location is destroyed?  That's actually REALLY easy!  I could seriously go for that.  You'd have to list most of the locations, too, wouldn't you?  I'm considering using a single line, "Sh/UA/LA/H" (or "H/UL/LL/F") to allow for a smaller crit chart (1:5__, 1:6__, 2:1__) around the mech image.
...Visit the Legacy Cluster...
The New Clans:Volume One
Clan Devil Wasp * Clan Carnoraptor * Clan Frost Ape * Clan Surf Dragon * Clan Tundra Leopard
Work-in-progress; The Blake Threat File
Now with MORE GROGNARD!  ...I think I'm done.  I've played long enough to earn a pension, fer cryin' out loud!  IlClan and out in <REDACTED>!
TRO: 3176 Hegemony Refits - the 30-day wonder

Papabees

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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #16 on: 25 December 2018, 22:55:01 »
I like what you are doing here. Just to clarify, as it seems a little unclear to me in the rules, the TMM is fixed like in Alpha Strike? or determined by actual hexes moved, like in Classic?

Fear Factory

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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #17 on: 25 December 2018, 23:32:24 »
I like what you are doing here. Just to clarify, as it seems a little unclear to me in the rules, the TMM is fixed like in Alpha Strike? or determined by actual hexes moved, like in Classic?

Fixed, like in Alpha Strike.
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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #18 on: 13 August 2019, 12:19:41 »
As a returning player, This definitely interests me. I was actually about to start work on something similar but decided to look for "has someone done this yet". I'll also look at your BBox rules expansion.
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Fear Factory

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Re: BattleStrike: A new set of Quick Start rules.
« Reply #19 on: 13 August 2019, 13:43:27 »
As a returning player, This definitely interests me. I was actually about to start work on something similar but decided to look for "has someone done this yet". I'll also look at your BBox rules expansion.

The BB rules expansion is the current one. Use that.
The conflict is pure - The truth devised - The future secured - The enemy designed
Maj. Isaac "Litany" Van Houten, Lone Wolves, The Former 66th "Litany Against Fear" Company