Alpha Strike Wishlist

[Hammerhead]

So, what are you hoping to see for Alpha Strike? I recently read a buddies copy of Combat Manual: Mercenaries, and I really liked it. It got me wondering what else may be in the pipeline.

For myself, I really want the conversion rules for units from Classic, and some form of Campaign system.

What would you love to see?

[NeonWolf]

I would like to see a campaign system as well.  Even if it is just a conversion of the Chaos Campaign stuff.

An official organized play/tournament format would be nice too.

[commuterzombie]

I'm really looking forwards to the new Force Manuals, the Kurita/Mercs Combat Manuals were really handy. It's kind of a shame they are slated to be two of three of the first Force manuals given that the other factions have nothing (other than the unofficial beta guides posted by nckestrel which do a lot to fill that gap) but I can understand that there's less work to get them out the door given that most of the work has already been done.

Other than that, I think the announced Force Packs seem good, I'm waiting on the rest of the faction-themed pack announcements to see if there's anything missing.

On to wishing for stuff that has not been announced, I think more printed AS cards. I picked up the Succession Wars and Clan Invasion packs and there's some maddening omissions (Archer and Whammy from the SW pack come to mind). I've just recently been building a Comstar force for Tukayyid and whilst you can always print your own cards for the more obscure variants, it would be nice to have the option to pick up packs of cards with a common theme. A Tukayyid pack could include things like the SHD-2Ht, maybe a war of 3039 pack could include some things missing from the SW pack? Just please stop double-siding some of the cards with completely different mechs. That's maddening.

[ProfessorMRB]

A redesign of Alpha Strike: Commander's Edition so it's easier for new players and returning Classic players to use and understand. New minis and sourcebooks are awesome, but every single player, old and new alike, needs this book to be as good as it can be.

[MaxKotovsky]

I'm looking for polishing of force building rules, adding new formations from CO book, expanding and improving current, different types of vehicles and infantry detachments  Balancing aerospace rules, it will be nice to incorporate with abstract aerospace system because today air-to-air is Alphastrike is wired. Improving and repairing battlefield rules, for example darkness now are ignored by mechs and vehicles because they have searchlights which is not destructible, but darkness blinding infantry which is wired. Improving and expanding infantry conversion rules, because now most of units are too vulnerable for everybody, and some units have firepower and armor of medium mech. Polishing and improving SPAs that have a very narrow case of uses and questionable, as eagles eyes. New SPAs will be cool, faction specific SPAs and rules will be great. Expanding specials for detailing weapons such as AC/5, AC/2, SRM2, anti infantry, pulse weapons and big hitters such as AC20 and Gauss. Universal competitive play rules in ASCE.

That's my whishes I have for developing of AS.

[Charistoph]

A redesign of Alpha Strike: Commander's Edition so it's easier for new players and returning Classic players to use and understand. New minis and sourcebooks are awesome, but every single player, old and new alike, needs this book to be as good as it can be.

It really is trying to be the "All In" on Alpha Strike rules and lore, which keeps it from being its best.  Its format is mostly efficient (far more than Total Warfare's).  Some things should have been left out for another book.

Improving and expanding infantry conversion rules, because now most of units are too vulnerable for everybody...

Yeah.  I was in a position of taking out a pair of Motorized Infantry with a pair of Roc 5's to try and take and hold an objective.  My Rocs were basically taking out a third of the unit with each shot that connected, while in Classic play, I might take out 2, or 1/14th of the Platoon.

The method of that alteration can be hard to define.  On one hand, having an AINF1/-/- Special which did more Damage to the CI type would make sense, but that would mean either expanding their resiliance in the first place, or setting up a natural debuff to incoming fire on other unit's Damage which is negated by the AINF and HT Special.  It can be hard to tell which would be better.


My own thoughts on what is needed for Alpha Strike, and this goes along with a reformat of the Commander's Edition, would be a return and/or remodel of the Companion book.  It doesn't have to be the Companion book, but address those things which are not in the Commander's Edition, such as unit conversions.  The alternative to that part would be expanding the Tech Manual to be doing that conversion.  This new Companion book can either take on what is removed from the Commander's Edition and/or expand on those things, as well.

[RaiderRed]

An official organized play/tournament format would be nice too.
[/quote]

There is one format out already check out BTCC Alpha Strike.

[Lanceman]

I would like to see a campaign system as well.  Even if it is just a conversion of the Chaos Campaign stuff.

This already exists, though it didn't get republished in the Commander's Edition. It's in the Alpha Strike Companion and is pretty much, as you said, a modification of the Chaos Campaign system.

[Descronan]

I really want an official PV calculator built into the MUL so we can import and create custom units. I know other apps do it, but it should be an official thing by now.

It would be nice to have a better force builder, particularly one that allows you to add SPAs, Lance Abilities, and even modify the cards with notes. Jeff's Battletech Tools does that well, but not perfectly.

[carne68]

1. An Alpha Strike card for the Vindicator.
2. Alpha Strike cards for the Elemental Battle Armor.
Catalyst can make a little pack of the six cards and sell them if they want.

[I am Belch II]

A point value calculator.

[mitchberthelson]

Wish list:
Point Value Calculator

Clear conversion rules incorporating all errata incorporated into a new product.

Slight tweak to infantry to make them a tiny bit less fragile, maybe with a damage reduction in cover, then some means to make dedicated anti-infantry machines worth it. Right now, they're just bad variants with low damage values in many cases.

Reprint and update of campaign rules.

Reprint and update of the extra Force Building rules in the Combat Manuals (Faction Points, etc.).

Reprint and update of Infantry Squads rules.

[ProfessorMRB]

I’d like for the official (and semi-official) tourney rules to stop banning Aeros and LAMs. They expressly permit superheavies, protos, precision/semi-guided ammo, and formation bonuses but not air support just because some people don’t like to deal with them? Weak… no-holds-barred Alpha Strike is what our group plays, and it’s great. The Aero rules aren’t that unbalanced, they just don’t make sense in some circumstances and their logic needs to be communicated better by the rulebook - the rules themselves are actually fairly well balanced and fun in practice.

Examples of rules that don’t make sense:
1) Other airborne units like VTOLs and WiGEs as well as LAMs in Aerofighter mode, can shoot in the front arc normally but for some reason Aeros can only shoot straight down.

2) Effective weapon ranges aren’t equivalent to other atmospheric weapons. Aerofighters get 7 inches for short, 13 inches for medium, and 37 inches for long range.

3) VTOLs and WiGEs can routinely push 4-5TMM and can fly low enough to get cover from terrain but the maximum attainable by an Aerofighter (despite being fast enough to cover the entire table in a turn) is 0TMM + 2 (for being an aerofighter) and cannot fly low enough to benefit from terrain.

4) The rules are written to suggest that as long as the aerofighter is proceeding into its front hex facet, that can be the flight path, when in reality the flight path is always a straight line edge-to-edge (I don’t hate the movement restriction, but at least make the rulebook SAY that).

5) Calculating TMM (or modified to-hit numbers because TMM is weird for some reason with LAMs) for LAMs in aerofighter mode seems like it works one way in the rules-as-written, but the clarifying explanations from the CGL team say something different entirely. This just needs to be clarified.

6) FUEL is listed as a stat on the cards for aerospace fighters and has no function in the game.

Still, even with these quirks, Aeros are fun to play in Alpha (way more fun than artillery or protos or dealing with the terrain blocking issues of superheavies). They help you see the battlefield in three dimensions and once you can see it that way, it’s a let-down to go back to a flat, ground-locked-only version of the game.

[bearcat]

This already exists, though it didn't get republished in the Commander's Edition. It's in the Alpha Strike Companion and is pretty much, as you said, a modification of the Chaos Campaign system.

Sounds like something that would be nice to be made available similar to how the Chaos Campaign Succession Wars pdf is available on the Catalyst site.

[Charistoph]

1. An Alpha Strike card for the Vindicator.
2. Alpha Strike cards for the Elemental Battle Armor.

Technically they exist on the MUL. 

The cards that have come in the boxes are pretty, but I never really use them.

[MarauderD]

More players in my neck of the woods who want to play Alpha Strike.   

[NeonWolf]

There is one format out already check out BTCC Alpha Strike.

Found it, downloaded it, I see the Demo Team logo on the bottom of the page. Interesting.

Has it actually been run anywhere besides Adepticon last year? Southern Assault uses a different format, and LVO will be using the WolfNet 350 format. 

If this is the Official Format then my wishlist is that it actually gets supported and becomes the standard.

[I am Belch II]

More ground turrets.

[House Davie Merc]

I'd like to see some tweaking to the Battlefield Roles of units.

With an incoming Six Sides of Gaming full series of AI cards the roles will
have even more significance.

Perhaps even a new official rule allowing mechs to either be capable of more then 1 role
or to change their rules to their intended use if they are close to the line of another role.

This has come up repeatedly for our groups as players don't like having a mech they use
one way for classic to be forced into a role they would never use it in for AS.
Some times disqualifying their lance for what they've used it as for years.
Trust me it comes up if you use formations.