I've played hex-based "classic" Battletech since 1989 or so. It'll always be near and dear to me, and I've played as recently as 2 days ago. However, Alpha Strike is definitely my preferred way of introducing new players to the setting and the game. its also great to mix-and-match with the classic game. Do classic for skirmishes, scouting, etc...and when they forces get up in each other's faces, switch to AS for the big "set piece" battles.
As an old school Battletech player who has recently converted to alpha strike, I really appreciate these videos. And your custom rules sheets are great. I've been teaching my sons to play AS and in a few years I'll hopefully be starting to bring my grandkids into the fold.
Guys big battle tech fan for years. Finally in my 45th year decided to try battletech gaming with alpha strike. Thanks for the intro to the game. Looking forward to watching more!
Whoa, who did the voice overs? That is like a crystal palace in the sky: nobody gets it, but it is the best thing ever. Love this series so far. You're winning on this Alpha Strike stuff. Guess Thom never had a wobbie play sprinkles time in his coffee, huh?
From a 35 year CBT player, well done! Using your KISS principle, I will use the closest point of base to base for measuring, as opposed to the old method of cockpit to cockpit.
Just got my set today and I'm planning to meet with my friends tomorrow to give it a try! This is the best video I found to explain Alpha Strike. I was following along with the video and playing out a 1 vs 1 just to see how it all works and it was actually pretty fun! I can't wait to play for real!
Love to see Aries sponsor this I am a big fun of them and I try to purchase from them as often as I can. This video was helpful as my son and I are trying to learn how to play
okay yeah after watching y'all play a quick demo round this one looks like a ton of fun! found out my local game store apparently has it so as soon as I can get up there I may have to look into starting a mech collection!
Ya'll have been great in helping me get setup got my first Alpha Strike game. Not sure if this will be last question but i appreciate your patience while I learn all of this. What are you putting underneath the gaming pad to create the hills, etc., on the playing field. I am assuming that the mat is flat so you have to create some higher levels etc for game play.
No worries on the questions! Here is a tutorial that shows you how we put the mats together: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-REa5kuppBro.html
How to attack: @24:01 SATOR Skill+AttackerMod+TargetMod(TMM)+Other(cover)+Range(1/2/3/4) They roll 2d6 for each point of damage the mech can deal at that range (three rolls for his long range 3 damage shot).
Great stuff, thanks! WIth the incoming late pledge, I am very curious to see how AS will play on hex grid maps: total playability, relatively small table space, perfect for large scale engagements between multiple lances/stars.
This was one of their older designs - they used to have a print your own library of their deprecated designs. It may still be there if they offer it? Not sure.
Awesome! Thank you for explaining it all like that. The pace is great and the questions that are asked and answered are good. I was wondering something : could an AS session be played on hex maps without rulers, converting each inch to an hex? So a mech moving 4" could move 4 hexes instead? I am about to start my first session soon, and we're all newbies, so I figured that maybe its simpler to use hex maps for the first few sessions.
I am very interested in your table. how did you achieve such a terrain ? is that a neoprene mat ? how did you manage to give it such a shape, how do you keep the foundations for the hills? how did you make it so that there were no folds on it, because you can't put a terrane on a curved surface?
It is a neoprene mat, and it looks like they just put the shape underneath the mat to give it this aspect. You should be able to remove the shapes and store it normally afterwards.
Sorry I missed this question!! There is a video in our “Hobby Tutorials” playlist that shows how we do this - also any of our new recent batreps show the setup process as well.
Total noob here but interested in the game. So if i search alpha strike (i see a book), is it just a rule book? Then you buy the miniatures? I saw one where even the parts have stats and all, so different miniatures will have those..maybe cards and the other ones can be printed? Sorry, i just saw this today and it seems interesting
Absolutely! I would advise starting with A Game of Armored Combat. Gets you 8 new minis and some basic AS cards etc! Then download the free “quick start” Alpha Strike rules... from there you can upgrade the rulebook!
Hi. I was wondering about the words Brawler, sniper, etc type of mech in Alpha strike. Have they any rule meaning ? Cant find something in my alpha strike rule book.
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming Thanks for the answer. I have alpha strike and the companion but not the commander's édition... That s why... Difficult to find it in Europe... And very nice table btw.
Question: when applying modifiers for attack, when talking about target movement modifiers, that means what the target did in the movement phase right? So if it stood still it’s an easier hit, it moved apply its TMM, if it jumped its TMM+1, and regular movement is TMM. I ask because my brother and I have been playing alpha strike and we’ve been applying that on the basis of the attackers movement, and that somehow feels wrong since it says target movement modifiers on the rule book
Nice starter series. Is there a means to generate versions of the Alpha Strike cards with the rules you folks use? I see the "CUSTOM VARIANTS & RECORD SHEETS" section on your site but was expecting more cards from something you folks said.
Great video series guys. One suggestion is to give us newbies some more info on the rule locations in the book. For example, I can't find the optional rules for extreme range or for rolling for each point of damage. A page umber would be awesome! I realize that's more work so thanks in advance!!!
Yes the video is old but one question. I will play pattletech for the 1st time today. By reading the rules i got the idea to use poker chips for armore and structure. Stacking them up on/next to the card. 2 colores in 1 stack for sure. Did you ever try/ see someting like this? Does it work? Any toughts? (Sorry for my englisch)
You could certainly do it! I haven’t seen it - most just mark the card - but no reason tracking other ways (dice, chips, etc) couldnt work just as well.
I was hoping that in a video titled "Basic Rules" I would see how the game is played according to the basic rulebook. Just the basics. :( I get the desire to fiddle with a game and create optional/custom rules. But I first need to understand the game as written before I can decide what changes would work for me.
New web based app is being released soon - the older cards should be out there, but it’s been a while since this vid released. I believe these cards were available to patrons at the time.
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming That was my first impression from the rules, and still have one of those from back when I played the clix. I'm watching these so late because I got the rules and never could convince my brother to try giving it a shot. But I plan on convincing him to do "just one game" after we wrap our CBT campaign and see what he thinks. Getting a handle on it early seems... wise.
I've been playing AS with my 6 year old son. I am an old BattleTech vet, and yet I don't think BattleTech is all that much fun based on how slow it plays. AS is much quicker, and is simple enough that my son can understand it. We also make sure that if the fight is clearly going one way, that the losing side retreats or surrenders rather than drag it out. My only real fault with the game is that the mechs do lose some of their character for not having their distinctive weaponry. There also might be something to be said for not having a rulebook that is just 3025 era, which is what I prefer. I can stand not having Clans and the rest of their super tech gear clogging up the rulebook page count. It is just more fluff to wade thru to get to my rules I want.
@@DeathfromAboveWargamingthis mat does look awesome. Couldn’t see the exact one on the site Don’t suppose you have the name please? Great video also Thanks
Hi! What are the max dimensions of the terrain for Apha Strike? What are the dimensions fo the terrain in this video? (nice terrain!!! where do you bought it?)
Thanks!! So the battlemats we use are 4’x4’. Some guys like 6’x4’ as they can dual purpose them with 40k, but 4’x4’ is closer to the “traditional” 3x2 paper mats. If you check out our Hobby playlist, there are some great vids in there reviewing terrain, showing how we set up a battlegrid, etc.
Exactly right! And it can get enjoyably (but not overwhelmingly) complex once you start adding in formations, vehicles, infantry, etc. Keep your eyes out for an upcoming Battle Report where we'll be introducing visibility and sensors. :)
Short answer: Alpha Strike is played at a 2:1 (2 inches = 1 hex) scale… We play at a 1:1 scale which gives more space on the table to play and doesn’t affect game play otherwise as we also have movement, etc.
Yes! That is my goal! To mislead new players lol. Good thing we explain this in the introductory video - and good thing people like you are policing the internet for deceivers like me!
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming I didn’t say you were trying to deceive anyone. I said the video was misleading to new players because, it is supposed to be about Alpha Strike, but doesn’t use the Alpha Strike rules. Seems like a fair comment to me, and something you should be made aware of, but if you don’t care about newbie players, then that is up to you. As you say in another video, once you have bought the rules, you can do what you want with the game, until you want to play with people outside your usual circle.
Well, I’d say watch a few games on youtube of course 😁 but that will give you a good idea of how to get going. I did a “Tactical Report” series over a year ago that goes more in depth each turn. Other than that, start small. 2 mechs each. Keep it simple. Ignore the special rules and focus on moving and shooting. Add in rules incrementally and have fun!
What is the fluff-text time per turn? I think in classic it's 10 seconds or something. I would imagine AS turn times would represent a much larger chunk of time given how quickly units can die compared to classic. I like knowing these details to paint a better picture in my head as I play.
I would recommend it! It has all the latest & greatest rules you'd need for Alpha Strike. You can also download the optional rules we use, along with some quick start and reference sheets on our website!
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming Does the new rulebook come with reference sheets, mech cards, etc. I am going to go to your website and look over those sheets you provided. Also, do you recomend participating in this new kickstarter? Been wrestling around with that as well. Aren't all of the items on the kickstarter going to be available for purchase once released or is it better to get in this to acquire these items.
For kickstarter: heck yes. 100% For cards: google “master unit list” ... we do have some on our website for the DFA lance packs, as well as a custom card generator & cbt converter that will be available for Patreon backers soon!
Its an optional rule in the Commander’s Edition we like to use, but largely it improves the hit gradient and makes extreme range viable. Otherwise +6 against anything moving is a hail mary.
I know this is a rather old video (and a really good one!), but does anyone have play aids for Alpha Strike on hexagons rather than open maps? I know there are rules that cut distances in half (24" = 12 hexes for example), but having charts/tables with the hex numbers would be really helpful. Thanks for any ideas!
why use a dice with a 2 to mark TMM and then use a yellow marker to mark sprint rather than just using a yellow die with a two, I can't imagine the clutter of using two if you had a lot of forces in a small area.
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming the numbers would be there either way. One way your just using a white die and a colored marker and the other you are just using a colored die.
Oh I see what you’re asking - sorry. The benefit is that it stands out more; its more intentional. Yah we could do the colored dice method but I prefer this method.
Can you recommend a mat from FrontLine gaming for a beginner in Alpha Strike. Went to the website and there are many to choose from.....advise on what to start with would be great
I dont have any experience with FLG mats but I know they are popular. I would look at getting a 4x4 neoprene mat... style is up to you but most likely start with a grass/mud theme mat as its most reusable! Enjoy.
No problem! For some of the best scatter terrain around, check out XMarx.com. Aries has some IWM stackable and resin buildings. Hardware Studios has some very legit 3D printed buildings - you’ll be seeing that pop up on the channel in the coming months.
This is a great series of video's but I think you made a mistake incorporating the house rules, some may go away and use those rules in a normal game forgetting they were additional, you should have run a basic rules as written game first then done another video with the house rules (which I do agree are better)
Fair question! Gives a lot more room for movement and strategy - a turn or two before bullets start flying too. Even with a 48” board a sprinting locust can get full across in just two turns.
🙂 The other thing that occurred to me after posting was that extreme range really only works in a 1:1 setting - otherwise it hits at 60” too. Nothing wrong with the 2:1 at all, but we really like the 1:1 style with extreme range at 30”! I’d say give it a try 🙂👍
That is how X-Wing works, but not BattleTech. In BT all damage is resolved simultaneously, so deciding last (what and how much to shoot) is advantageous.
Why does your Alpha Strike Card builder design now look COMPLETELY different from the examples shown in your videos? Was there a legal problem? I really loved the design being close to the originals but adding extreme range and so on ... now they look like they're from a different game :/
The builder for the old style is still available. No copyright issues. We get a lot of likes on the new style, which still has extreme range, and other available options. It matches the new Destiny style.
Christ! I just discovered Battletech. How much better is this? What's the main differences? I haven't bought anything yet. Would it be smarter to get into this instead? and Why?
The good news is the record sheets are free, the models are all the same, and nothing is different except the rules! Lots of us play both systems depending on size/scale of the game or how granular (classic) or streamlined (alpha) we like it!
Thanks for the comment - check out our house rules online (free downloads at dfawargaming.com) and also the quick primer video at the top of the Battle Reports playlist 👍
Check out the “Multiple Attack Rolls” section in the Commander’s Edition. Short story you get one die per point of damage. Edit: this is on pg 175 in the optional rules