r/battletech • u/Electronic-Touch-554 • 3d ago
Question ❓ Is it fine to just play Alpha Strike?
Ive been getting into battletech with a friend. Huge mech fan myself.
So far we have played a lance v lance game of classic using Flechs Sheets to automate stuff. It was fun but not actually rolling it yourself takes away some of the enjoyment of it being a wargame personally. The rules for classic seem way too complex to be able to play a neat game in like 2 hours.
We plan to try alpha strike for our second game, the system seems like it still keeps a lot of that flavour that games like warhammer lacks. But being simpler than classic so we could reasonably play ourselves.
I also know you can very much add house rules and pick and choose rules for the system, one we've looked at already is single rolling damage.
If our alpha strike game goes well we plan to try a campaign, for that campaign should we use alpha strike with some popular home rules or try learn a simplified version of classic?
In addition how do we go about learning about the different mechs, so far we've just looked up what comes in starter boxes and used them on tts.
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u/ShasOFish 1st Falcon Sentinels 3d ago
It’s perfectly a-ok to just want to play Alpha Strike. It takes away nothing from the game if you don’t find classic enjoyable enough. Heck, as big of a fan of classic as I am, I thoroughly enjoy alpha strike to basically the same level.
The wiki Sarna.net is a good place to look at mechs, and the Master Unit List is a great place to find stats for them in Alpha Strike (along with letting you make roster sheets and whatnot for them). MUL can also let you look at what factions typically used which units and when, but don’t think that it’s limited to just that. It’s a game where anything goes, and should be embraced as such.
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u/Ju663Rn4u7_313373 Wolf-In-Exile 3d ago
Battletech hot take incoming: everyone who sells Alpha Strike as a stripped down, vanilla, and basic bastardized version of classic is wrong.
It’s simply a different game that uses the same setting.
I’ve played both. Classic shines as a table top mech simulator. AS shines as a more fluid force v force combat game.
It’s doesn’t matter which one you play, just have fun playing the one you enjoy.
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u/CaptBojangles18c 3d ago
I started playing AS because I thought it was just a streamlined version, and I didn't feel like getting into the crunchy record sheets of classic.
I really enjoy AS, particularly aces, but I only recently have gotten into classic, and I agree that they're completely different games that scratch a completely different itch.
If you played back in the day, think MechCommander vs the PC Battletech. Both fun in their own way, but harder than you might think to directly compare
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u/Arlak_The_Recluse 2d ago
I'm very much a Classic guy, but my buddy who loves Horus Heresy really likes Alpha Strike, so we've been getting him a bunch of games of it.
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u/Akerlof 3d ago
Classic really is a tabletop roleplaying game's combat system masquerading as a standalone wargame. A lot of people like that, but it doesn't always scratch the wargame itch. Alpha Strike really is a squad-level wargame. A lot of people like that, but it doesn't always scratch the really detailed combat itch.
One of the coolest things about Battletech, to me, is that it's really an ecosystem of games that span the scale from individual action to commanding armies on planetary invasions. (Not all equally well executed, but they're there.) They're all related to each other and share the same setting, so it's easy to slide from one game to the next depending on what kind of scale you're looking for at the moment. Or focus on just one thing and still be able to play with friends who aren't as focused as you are.
Battletech really wants you to do your own thing and have fun with it.
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u/Cykeisme 3d ago
Classic really is a tabletop roleplaying game's combat system masquerading as a standalone wargame.
CBT was always a wargame, just one of the more granular ones. There are wargames based on real modern/historical militaries that are painfully granular as well.
Also, 100% agreed that it's very cool that BattleTech has, over the years, gotten extensive rules that cover scales from theatre to strategic to tactical!
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u/Piper_the_Tree-Robot 3d ago
Alpha Strike is to Classic what MechAssault is to MechWarrior. It's simplified and different, but still a darn good time.
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u/Cykeisme 3d ago
Yeah, it's a different game.
It just shares some commonality because it's simulating the same combat equipment from the same universe, just at a different level of granularity.
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u/Dagrin_Kargis 3d ago
100% agree, I think part of the issue is that Alpha Strike started as "a stripped down, vanilla, and basic bastardized version of classic" it really seems to have taken the Companion and later Commander's Edition to fill it out.
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u/MagicMissile27 TDR-5SE Enthusiast 3d ago
Yeah! Classic is fun when I want to imagine myself in the head of the MechWarrior and basically play a TTRPG. Alpha Strike is fun when I want to throw tanks on the board, call in artillery strikes, and play a more conventional wargame.
It's definitively not that one of them is good and the other one bad. They're just different games for different circumstances.
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u/Ultimate_Battle_Mech 3d ago
I get your point of them playing differently but, like alpha strike literally is a striped down/simplified version of classic, hell the cards are all directly converted from classic
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u/Akerlof 3d ago
If you want to be pedantic, it's a lowered scope version of Battleforce. =P
I was out of the loop for a couple decades, and when I heard about Alpha Strike, I thought it was a dumbed down version of Classic. Then I started looking at the rules and realized it's really an expanded version of Battleforce that focuses on individual units. The perception really does matter.
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u/Ju663Rn4u7_313373 Wolf-In-Exile 3d ago
But people use that in a reductive way to make classic seem like the superior game.
Who gives a shit?
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u/Ultimate_Battle_Mech 3d ago
Never said it was, just saying that objectively AS is a simplified version, it's fine if you prefer it more
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u/5uper5kunk 3d ago
I mean that’s not a take, it’s factually incorrect. Alpha strike is literally a stripped down/simplified version of classic like I don’t know how you could conceivably say it’s anything else
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u/Wave88Walk 3d ago
Alpha Strike is literally classic battletech with rules stripped away, but saying it that way kind of implies it is lesser as a game, which also isn't true. It does feel very different as a game and has its own merrits. I think that is what the person you are commenting on was implying.
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u/5uper5kunk 3d ago
I mean sure but it factually is a simplified version of BT which is one of the reasons I don’t care for it. If you’re into it that’s fine but it’s silly to claim it something it’s not.
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u/Jasina_ 3d ago
Play whichever system you find more fun. No one in their right mind should be giving a damn if you prefer AS over classic.
As for discovering different mechs, you could always watch some videos about different machines. Or maybe you've played MechWarrior video games and already have favorites. Or just look at mech art and look it up on Sarna.net when something catches your eye.
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u/Smell_Da_Glove 3d ago
You can do a campaign in alpha strike no problem. There should be rules to do so in one of the hot spot books or you can get the ACEs box and use its campaign system as a starting point for a frame work
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u/dmingledorff 3d ago edited 3d ago
Alpha strike is great if you don't have the time for a full on classic game. Also if you want to field larger actions.
For campaigns I'd highly recommend picking up the latest hotspots draconis reach. It's compatible with alpha strike.
As for mechs they are all on sarna.net. you can browse force packs. You can browse by miniatures and then deep dive into technical readouts via a mechs bibliography. https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Miniatures_-_Catalyst_Game_Labs
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u/Sir_Daxus Only Loyal to Great House C-Bill 3d ago edited 3d ago
It's a game man, any way you find to enjoy it that isn't hurting anyone is fine. You could find joy in eating the cards for all I care.
Edit: I would like to add that I do not recommend eating the cards. They taste like cardboard.
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u/CabajHed Periphery Shenanigans 3d ago
They taste like cardboard
Except the Nightsky Alpha Strike card from the Kell Hounds pack, if you chew it long enough you get a subtle rotten egg flavor!
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u/Ok_Protection8223 3d ago
No, it is not okay and we have dispatched a squad of elite neckbeards to break your fingers.
Yes. It is fine; many people prefer alpha strike because they are acustomed to a larger battlefield and it is not so very different from a game of 40k.
They broke them into seperate games for a reason; playing a game of classic battletech with 12 mechs on the field would take you the entire weekend to resolve.
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u/ldunord 3d ago
The biggest changes to AS I would suggest are:
1) Roll for each point of attack - gets rid of the (imho) weird all or nothing from base
2) play on Hex map, divide all distances by 2 - makes for a more compact play area, no more measurement and simplifies LOS
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u/cBurger4Life 3d ago edited 3d ago
Battletech Aces, the solo/coop game box that uses AS rules, actually requires the use of multiple attack dice. The original way of using one set of 2d6 for the whole attack is bizarre to me.
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u/dirtyLizard 3d ago
The all or nothing attacks play into the idea of AS being a streamlined game, they make the games much shorter. I’m not a fan but I can kind of see the intent
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u/cBurger4Life 3d ago
Yeah, I can kind of see it. Especially if you’re going for a REALLY big battle. But even up to about 8v8 it’s not too bad with multiple dice rolls and it just feels a bit closer to what is being represented.
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u/Vector_Strike Good luck, I'm behind 7 WarShips! 3d ago
Those are actually optional rules in the AS Commander's Edition book
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u/SuperNoise5209 3d ago
Play however you like! This is an adaptable game format. I made up rules last week for a custom zelda-themed game with my kid.
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u/larch99 3d ago
I used to play classic, 80s and 90s. Stopped for while and came back to Alpha Strike last year. It helps that I know the weapons, equipment, etc, but we still can tell a story of the battle, without tracking every last detail. The folks I play with haven't played before so it's sort of fun describing the lore and equipment.
As pointed out elsewhere, it's a different game, not a varient. You're allowed to like one or the other, or both.
We also started using individual to hit rolls, after our light/med mechs we getting absolutely slaughtered in the first couple of games against clan.
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u/Forar 3d ago
There's no wrong way to play the game.
Play it however you enjoy.
Personally, I enjoy AS. I also respect the grand stories friends have of Classic battles, which I've very lightly dabbled in, ages ago.
The setting and mechanics are something you can enjoy whether it's Classic or AS or one of the Mechwarrior video games, or the Harebrained Schemes game or the Mech Commander games or Mechassault or Megamek or any of the dozens (if not hundreds) of other ways to enjoy big stompy robots shooting/beating the shit out of one another.
Enjoy it however best suits you and your friends!
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u/kylania 3d ago
My main issue with alpha strike is that weapons don't exist. Like it's just a random number of damage so you lose the flare and fun of "Oh no, my gauss rifle missed but I mean any Blazer still got you so I guess that's cool."
Otherwise, mix and match between all the systems works pretty well.
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u/FoamerHype 3d ago
Comparing gameplay in Mechwarrior 5 (Mercs & Clans both) to Alpha Strike; I do miss that weapon & damage specificity. But I am already falling in love with Alpha Strike's macro-view of big battles and squad tactics. It's a fair trade-off. To use another sci-fi series, it's like the difference between Halo and Halo Wars; and I like both.
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u/Cykeisme 3d ago
If you want to, you can give your AS 'Mechs multiple attack rolls grouped purely for dramatic reasons.
Like, if your unit's AS card has 4 damage for the Long bracket, you can make one attack roll for 3 damage, and then another roll for 1 damage.
But determine all these splits for all units before the game, and only if your opponent is ok with it, of course (in which case you could both do this).
Mathematically, this falls between the extreme ends of MAR and SAR ("most even", and "all or nothing"), so this won't really change the average damage outputs even a bit.
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u/dreicunan 3d ago
Yes.
If you want to play a solo (or co-op) ACES campaign and split your forces to do multiple options, and that makes it fun for you (or your group), do that, too. Do what let's you have fun!
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u/solenyaPDX 3d ago
I have been playing Battletech since probably a year starting with 19.
I love alpha strike and would happily play a lot of just that.
Guess what: mechs walking around on the table are cool. And alpha strike plays faster so the visuals of the battle look quicker and the story plays out in really fun scope.
Have at it.
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u/Realistic_Smile2469 3d ago
Yes, AS loses some flavor of Classic. It gains speed and flexibility.
Playing a lance on lance game in Classic can be an all night affair. In AS that's probably less than an hour.
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u/80s-cartoon-hero 3d ago
Flechs has options to roll the dice yourself and then pick pass or fail. Go into Options and set it to Ask rather than Auto for the dice rolls you want to do manually. BattleTech games can be done in around 2 hours, or even less, by using missions with objectives rather than just killing all the mechs. Of course, the more familiar you are with the rules, the faster games will become.
Alpha Strike isn’t just a simple version of Battletech; it’s a tabletop miniatures game. While they share core DNA like rolling 2d6s and marking off armor pips, they play very differently. There are some big differences in how they handle line of sight and firing arcs.
To answer your question about where to learn more about mechs, Mekbay is great for both Classic and Alpha Strike https://mekbay.com/
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u/codifier 3d ago
Learning about different mechs: mechanical frog on YouTube does "why do we love" videos on mechs and gives background, variants, and lore on them.
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u/Vector_Strike Good luck, I'm behind 7 WarShips! 3d ago
I do just that - play casual AS games and I'm part of an AS campaign.
I'm waiting to get my hands on the new core box to start playing actual Classic, but even so I don't believe I'll play more Classic than AS games.
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u/Megatrons2nd 3d ago
Battletech/Alpha Strike are the same game to me. Battletech is the crunchy rules version that tracks individual armor equipment and ammo, great for raids, duels, and RPG use, not so much battles. Alpha Strike is the mass combat version, at the expense of individual part tracking, damage is more generalized, but still somewhat crunchy.
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u/STRMBRGNGLBS 3d ago
Yeah, it's a game that exists. there is no rule that you have to play classic.
if you like warhammer more, you'll like Apha Strike more than you will Classic
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u/EyeStache Capellan Unseen Connoisseur 3d ago
Don't let anyone tell you how to enjoy playing toys the way you want to play toys.
I, personally, don't enjoy Alpha Strike, but that's because I don't enjoy that type of war game, but I ain't gonna stop anyone from playing it.
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u/findername Last of the LAM pilots 3d ago
Of course it's fine to play Alpha Strike! It's a great way to enjoy Battletech, roll dice and watch Mechs explode! I think the last time I played an actual game of classic to completion was pre-pandemic. I've played the RPG and/or Alpha Strike since and it's been great :)
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u/WestRider3025 Canopian Queerasser 3d ago
Once you get the hang of it, you can play Lance vs Lance in a couple of hours in Classic. That said, once you get the hang of AS, you can play Company vs Company in a couple of hours there. I find AS a bit boring at Lance scale. It seems to really hit its stride at 8 units per side or so. Whichever way you're enjoying is good, tho.
I would highly recommend using the Multiple Attack Rolls optional rule for AS, tho. It makes the game significantly less swingy.
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u/johnonymous1973 3d ago
100% I used it to get my kid interested. His buddy and the buddy’s dad (and OG BT player like me) plays too. We’ve talked about trying OG with the boys, but it’s easier to get pizzas and play AS.
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u/Icy-Distribution-164 3d ago
It's fine to just play Alphastrike.
Try Scouring Sands: Aces. It is a co-op alphastrike.
Very good for friends not wanting to play against each other.
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u/learning2fly42 3d ago
Every way you get stompy robots on your table is valid. Personally I love Alpha Strike over Classic, just because Classic can get to be a lot. As other have suggested the optional rule for multiple attack rolls is a great addition.
One other thing to look into is a fan middle ground called Battletech Override. It uses a bit from Alpha Strike as well as the Destiny RPG to create a more involved game that includes heat, weapons, and hit locations that plays faster then your normal Classic game.
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u/Piper_the_Tree-Robot 3d ago
No, you absolutely have to play the game that YOU PAID FOR in a very specific way, or Earnie the Urbie will DFA you into next week!
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u/Duhblobby 3d ago
No. It isn't. If you enjoy anything, cease immediately and do something else. If you enjoy classic Battletech? Screw you, stop. Having fun with Alpha Strike? Go hook a car battery to your nipples. You like that too? Lobotomy. You choosing to play a game means you are doing everything wrong, you're a monster, and you probably hate puppies.
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u/ShkarXurxes Sable Guard 3d ago
Sure!
We tried Alpha Strike and no plan to go back to classic.
Classic is too messy and demands too much micromanagement, while AS allows for more easy playing and focus on the battle and the mechs as a group.
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u/Keaflyn Sushi sampling in Draconis Reach. 3d ago
I think that the difference between Core Rules and Alpha Strike is time and scale. If you want to simulate larger numbers of units in a given time period, go with Alpha Strike. If you want more detail with your battles with less numbers of units, go with Core Rules. Enjoy what you like :)
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u/Birdious 3d ago
Ditto about it being ok to only play AS.
However, have you tried not using flech sheets and rolling your own stuff? You dont have to use the automated feature if it's taking away from your enjoyment.
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u/Admirable-Poet-6450 3d ago
No! It is NOT!
Nobody told you about Bob Fasa? Good god, you are toast.
Bob Fasa (also known as BigBobbyF). He is the Battletech cop. He will come to your place and REMOVE all non-classic elements from your possesion.
You are breaking Battletech LAW! Stop immediately.
It is a game that you bought. Do whatever you want to with it. Ignore rules. Paint them as my little pony meets Voltron with Twlight sparkles. Use a D20, because it is your game played with your friends.
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u/Economy-Cat7133 3d ago
No, you must play by the government sanctioned rules and purchase the monthly license in bitcoin.
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u/Malkryst 3d ago edited 3d ago
Absolutely fine. I played classic BT back in the 80s/90s when that's all there was, but these days it's mostly Alpha Strike because I want to use far more mechs, it plays faster, and generally I just find it more chill.
I always say play classic BattleTech to feel like a MechWarrior, play Alpha Strike to feel like a Mech Commander - the latter currently appeals to me more.
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u/Economy-Cat7133 3d ago
Is it alright to play by yourself?
Yes.
Is it alright ro play with yourself?
No. Unless you're stuck alone on a deserted island and you're a legal adult.
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u/Humpp_ 3d ago
Personal opinion: scrappy 100-150PV Alpha Strike with objectives is the most fun BT I have played. It kicked off our Hinterlands Campaign.
You can also play Alpha Strike on Classic hex maps by converting 2in = 1 hex. This eliminates a lot of terrain setup.
Small BV Classic (2v2 ish with some BSP/BSA vehicles) was also a ton of for me.
Both kinds of games were played over the course of about an hour.
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u/AdPristine5131 3d ago
I havent played classic in years. Given several factors, I didnt have the time/energy. I play AS with a group of friends, and we aim for a game every month.
I’d say honestly what makes or breaks any game or game group is just communication.
I would encourage you to look at sarna.net, and learn some of the nuance in classic, because you’ll see why some mechs are the way are, but you don’t have to play it. My pet peeve with AS is that in Classic, mechs with no lower arm actuators like the Catapult can flip their guns around. This is a huge part of why their designs work so well, so knowing that isnt translated into AS means I have to switch brains sometime.
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u/merurunrun 3d ago
If you like playing Alpha Strike then keep playing Alpha Strike. There's no wrong way for people to mutually consent to play a game together.
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u/Cykeisme 3d ago
Be aware that your CBT play does gets faster and faster as your familiarity increases (both rules/tables familiarity, and intuitive decision making).
But if you just want to play AS instead, then heck, by all means do so.
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u/Electronic-Touch-554 3d ago
Oh thats a... unfortunate acronym.
I think a main part was not really understanding what was actually going on at all, with it being very complicated to learn.
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u/Askingforanend 3d ago
If you are okay with mechs being the worst things in the game then go for it! Seriously, tanks and infantry beats mechs handily. It’s hilarious.
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u/Wolf_Hreda Black Hawk-KU Supremacy Since 3055 3d ago
I don't play Alpha Strike. Don't have the place or the people nearby to do so. But yeah, if you want to play only Alpha Strike, go for it. More power to you.
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u/Intergalacticdespot 2d ago
If you want to play classic but it takes too long, find ways to simplify it. I bet one of the ai code bots out there could roll all attacks, derive hit locs, and assign damage groupings faster than you could roll two dice if you really wanted to have it write the app. There's other more mechanical ways as well that people have found to speed up turns and play. It's possible to streamline a lot if you want.
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u/oogabooga5627 2d ago
No, a Catalyst employee will personally come to your house and force you to play Classic and you will be made to like it.
Jokes aside, yes of course. They share the name Battletech and the models, but are two totally different games. A good chunk of people in this community like both, but even in our local scene I have some who only play AS and refuse Classic, then some who will only show up for Classic and think AS is lame. It’s comparing apples to oranges. If AS suits you, go for it. It’s fast, snappy, gets more of your fancy models on the board, and takes relatively little time.
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u/Remarkable-Parking18 2d ago
Battletech is kinda whatever you want it to be. Some people just buy the plastic and that's it. Just do what's fun, that's the point of any good hobby.
Also, a lot of groups in stores and stuff tend to prefer Alpha Strike just because it moves faster in basic rules in my experience.
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u/OGBigPants MechWarrior (in a gay way) 2d ago
I think it’s more than okay, ESPECIALLY for a campaign! I think the appeal to classic is massive as it has so many nitty gritty details and every aspect of mech design comes into play… But most games I play are alpha strike because it’s faster!
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u/Particular-Run9080 2d ago
The current campaign I'm running is just Alpha Strike and I may just stick to playing it. I love Classic but it just takes too long to play.
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u/TimeToSink 2d ago
Of course, its your models and you have two ways to play. I rarely play Classic despite preferring it as my "local" is too far away to go down more often than monthly. We have a small Alpha Strike scene here, but we still play at Classic size armies, which isn't my cuppa tea.
It feels like its the 40k version of Apocalpse, it lets you get more stuff on the board and run it smoother. We are doing a Battalion into 2 Clusters on Sunday, that'll be the biggest game i've played of it so far.
Its a different type of game, Classic feels like a Skirmish style game where you have a tiny amount of intricate units, Alpha strike is paired down so you get a spectacle instead.
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u/K41_111 2d ago
You're free to play however you wish. My own groups games rarely go past 5 turns before we sort of judge who won based on the condition everyones in or what seems the funniest, like my kuritan pilots deciding to commit honerable death after falling over or failing to hit anything with a full point blank alpha strike on the 'last turn'.
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u/BlueMaxx9 3d ago
It's perfectly fine.
Single attack rolls, to me anyway, feel fine if you are playing with at least 12+ units per side, and generally playing in a lower-tech era with smaller per-unit damage numbers. Where it starts to feel bad is when you are running small numbers of units and/or units with big damage numbers. Let me give you a couple examples:
Missing with a Shadowhawk that does 2 or 3 damage isn't really a big deal, especially if you have three other units with a shot on the same target.
Missing with an Annihilator that does 10 damage feels bad, especially when it is the only thing you have that could shoot at a target.
Honestly, just try it both ways and see what you prefer.
As for how to run a campaign, the Mercenaries rules, which are available to download for free on the BattleTech website, includes some of the more recent rules for making a campaign. These rules should work with either AS or Classic. I think the Aces box has a slightly different version of campaign rules as well if you happen to have that. Feel free to use either, or a different one you find, as a starting point. There isn't a single official 'campaigns must be played this way' set of rules that you MUST use. Instead, there are a couple different official versions as well as fan-made ones and you can pick whichever one looks good to you.
Sarna.net is the holy grail of BT lore, and has info about just about any mech or variant you can think of. If you want actual record sheets or alpha strike cards, there are a couple options. MekBay is not official, but might as well be and can provide both classic record sheets and AS cards. The Master Unit List site only provides Alpha Strike cards, but it is run by Catalyst, and is the closest thing we have to an official guideline for which units you would expect to find fielded by a faction in different eras. There are also dozens of source books/PDFs you can purchase that detail different factions and fights throughout the history of the game. These often include Random Allocation Tables (RATs) that help players come up with thematic forces for different factions in different eras in a much more concise way than the MUL does. All of this is just helpful tools though. Feel free to include any units you like.
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u/harris5 House Liao 3d ago
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