Author Topic: Few beginner questions about starting out  (Read 3081 times)

Starkad

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Few beginner questions about starting out
« on: 21 July 2019, 16:37:55 »
Hey.
I have been playing a bit of the old battletech games in the bit earlier days, and now I just saw the new kickstarter coming up, and it refers to the also new-ish "BattleTech: A Game of Armored Combat"... Now with all this Alpha strike edition and such out I'm a  bit confused:

BattleTech: A Game of Armored Combat - Is this the new start box for the old classic battletech game? Or has it anything to do with alpha strike?

I can see som pilot cards with the clan kickstarter... Is the clan kickstarter for alphastrike or classic battletech?... Or both..?!

Is it correct that alpha strike miniatures and the old classic miniatures are the same size? (I know ral patha, IWM and the old plastic aren't exactly the same size, but... you know… 6mm size.)

Thanks!

pixelgeek

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Re: Few beginner questions about starting out
« Reply #1 on: 21 July 2019, 17:03:54 »
I have been playing a bit of the old battletech games in the bit earlier days, and now I just saw the new kickstarter coming up, and it refers to the also new-ish "BattleTech: A Game of Armored Combat"... Now with all this Alpha strike edition and such out I'm a  bit confused:

Let me see if I can help sort it out.  :)

Alpha Strike is a simplified and faster way of resolving Battletech battles. It uses the same maps and figures but the stats for a mech are simplified.

It is a way to play huge games without having to spend a weekend at the table.

The BattleTech: A Game of Armored Combat starter set has cards for Alpha Strike for the eight models included in the box. It also has standard record sheets for the mechs to use in a regular Battletech game. So same models but a different way to resolve the battles.

The pilot cards are just ways to add unique character to pilots on your mechs. The Clan Invasion kickstarter includes them as well. I don't think that they are usable in Alpha Strike but I might be wrong.

Hope that helps

Starkad

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Re: Few beginner questions about starting out
« Reply #2 on: 22 July 2019, 14:44:02 »
Thanks. It clears up quite a bit :)
It's quite confusing to figure out where to go, and what books and such are in print, and what system does what (Classic BT, alpha strike, and battleforce), but after your answer and reading Sartris's post on where to go next after the intro-box set, I think I got it mostly figured out...
Just, one last question… The newest box I got is the "25th anniversary battletech box set"... now is there any reason I should get the newer "BattleTech: A Game of Armored Combat", or should I go right for the Total Warfare books and so on instead? I intend to play regular battletech, and maybe at a later point look into Alpha Strike.

Sartris

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Re: Few beginner questions about starting out
« Reply #3 on: 22 July 2019, 14:47:11 »
the rules you have in that box are perfectly usable - indeed, with a few corrections the 1986 intro box rulebook is too.

the main reason to get the new boxset is the minis, which are awesome. also you get brand new maps that have never appeared in another product and some terrain tiles to modify your battlefields.

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Re: Few beginner questions about starting out
« Reply #4 on: 22 July 2019, 14:57:38 »

The pilot cards are just ways to add unique character to pilots on your mechs. The Clan Invasion kickstarter includes them as well. I don't think that they are usable in Alpha Strike but I might be wrong.


Just as a point of order, the cards can be converted for use with AS, all that you need to do is average the piloting and gunnery skills to get the AS Skill rating (don't remember OTTOMH whether it's round up or down or natural), and the SPAs just need to be cross-checked with their counterparts in either the Alpha Strike Companion or the Alpha Strike Commander's Edition.

Starkad

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Re: Few beginner questions about starting out
« Reply #5 on: 22 July 2019, 16:21:21 »
Cool! Thanks for the replies!
I love the new minis! But they are the only thing I would really need from the new box, as I use 3D terrain mostly.

Lorcan Nagle

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Re: Few beginner questions about starting out
« Reply #6 on: 22 July 2019, 16:35:16 »
If you back the new kickstarter, one of the add-ons is all the minis from the Beginner Box and Game of Armoured Combat for $40.
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Re: Few beginner questions about starting out
« Reply #7 on: 22 July 2019, 16:45:41 »
Alpha Strike is a simplified and faster way of resolving Battletech battles. It uses the same maps and figures but the stats for a mech are simplified.

It is a way to play huge games without having to spend a weekend at the table.

One small adjustment to this.  Alpha Strike is designed for 3D terrain, hexless.  It also can be played on hexes/maps like Battletech, but is written for hexless (and there are rules for how to play on Hex as part of the core AS rules).

Battletech can also be played on hexless, and there are rules for this, but it is less "baked in" as alpha strike.

Easy way to think of this is:

Battletech 1 v 1 would take about 30min - 1 hour. 4 v 4 is about 2-3h.
Alpha Strike 4 v 4 takes about 30min-1hr, 12 v 12 is about 2-3h.

It is designed with 4 units as the baseline and moving up to battalion (36 mechs/side) or even regiment (100+ / side) size fairly well.

Battletech goes from single to lance to company to battalion maybe.
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