It has been a while since we got the big stompy boys out and put them on the table. In fact, over two years (and fast approaching three), something which probably comes down to my lack of mechs, a wargaming calendar filled with other games and, if I’ll admit, my own issues with BattleTech. While I can appreciate the fact that Battletech has barely changed since the 1980s and I do love the sensation of ticking the boxes on a Flechs sheet until the DESTROYED marker pops up, I think that BattleTech is still maybe a little bit too crunchy for my taste, far too focused on the specifics rather than the vibe I remember from MechWarrior 3 of groups of mechs clashing together, vehicles caught in the cross fire as walkers owned the battlefield. I didn’t want to run a couple of mech – I wanted to run a platoon of them, along with supporting elements as jets scream overhead.

The good news is that Catalyst Games has long had a ruleset for this – Alpha Strike. With cards for this game included in every BattleTech box I’ve seen, this doesn’t seem to be a small side show. However, we hadn’t got around to playing it – Alpha Strike requires a larger area and ideally, terrain. It also requires more mechs than I own, but luckily, the Creative Regular Opponent has a pile (as he all too frequently happens to do so) while the Dastardly Regular Opponent (who bought me my own lance) managed to get two fully painted groups together. We then journeyed North on a grey Sunday in January to get our figures on the table, originally with a plan to also try Star Wars Legion, but we were kept enraptured by our clashing mechs.

The battlefield was enhanced by the fact that both I and the Creative Regular Opponent brought along some terrain. I had my Lazy Forger buildings I had set up for the previous game day (you can find more here and here) while the Creative Regular Opponent had printed off a load of stuff from Thunderhead Studios, including a pretty impressive central base right out of Mechwarrior.

The gameplay was a rescue mission – one of my Lances was the local defenders, who have now found themselves under attack by a “Mysterious Force” (it’s the Clanners) and called for aid. My other Lance and those of the Dastardly Regular Opponent Ally would come to assist them. In reality, the mission was an all-out brawl, a chance to get mechs on the table and have a good fight. It was also an excuse for a cheese-and-meat platter assembled by the host, which was enjoyed by all (even though I’m not a cheese fan).

As for the game itself, the first point that hit us while playing was just how good the game is with all the terrain. Sure, the flat mats with their terrain details written down and easy reference are better for pure gameplay, but come on – seeing the mechs moving through dense urban terrain really helps to show off the size of the different fighters, selling them that they are stomping through dense urban areas. The Medina buildings from Lazy Forger are especially cool, with even the tiny Raven looking cool moving past them.

It was also fun to see the mechs stomping around. The Clanner mechs are horrible combinations of high armour and heavy damage (not helped by the fact that many of the mechs we were fighting were Assault Mechs, ready to kick ass). However, the assaulters managed to set up a second turn where the delayed activation of the lance in the centre led to a potential meltdown of the Warhammer in the gap. Unfortunately, it was only a potential meltdown as some horrifying rolls led to only the armour points being chipped away.

As you’d expect, the central fortress on the board was the focal point, with the Clanner Assault mechs ploughing into the centre even as we scuffled around it. The speed of the game was much faster than BattleTech’s main game, letting us play with a massive number of mechs without much slowdown. The simplifications of weapons down to a simple damage number and the INCREDIBLY detailed armour and structure locations reduced to single numbers for armour and structure is definitely a major reduction in complexity but it still has enough variability to make things interesting. The critical hits system did sprinkle in some of the madness you’d expect (at least one mech exploded due to the ammunition cooking off) but I can see why some people may want more of a crunch.

Fighting over the central bastion eventually led to my Dastardly Regular Ally and me deciding to make a break for it, with one of the defenders staying behind to cock off the base’s reactor. HOWEVER, it was a trap! Instead, we lured in a Warhammer before jetpacking in my Victor to perform a Death from Above attack to take out the heavily injured mech. There were quite a few fights like this, such as a Highlander Mech picking off our little guys with the Gauss cannon, while we also had a duel of the Mad Cats/Timber Wolves (as you might expect) – however, the funniest battle was how both the Dastardly Regular Ally and myself reacted to the arrival of the Creative Regular Opponent’s Kodiak. In the end, though, this did feel a little bit like the tutorial you’re supposed to lose – not that we had a problem with it, because honestly, we had a great time. And next time, we’re going to kick the Clanner’s heads in.

So, what’s the end result? And more importantly, are we going to see more Alpha Strike on All Systems Nominal?

Honestly? Yes – the end result of the game was all three of us saying how much we enjoyed the afternoon, especially with how we were able to have a full board of terrain, packed full of mechs and ending our hours of gameplay with multiple mechs getting slagged. There are a few rules I’d maybe want to adjust – for example, the fact that you roll once for if an attack hits can mean that you end up with “nothing happens” dice rolls. However, I have heard about a variable damage rule, something that I think will help to end up with less disappointment at those epic shots and many more shenanigans. However, before we dig into those rules, there will definitely be some more exploration of all the special rules that we hadn’t touched on. Elements like electronic countermeasures are definitely interesting (and not just because I have the Raven whose whole job it is to perform electronic warfare) and I think might help some of our minor complaints about the system. I also might need to get some more mechs – I like the lance I have (its a good mix of capabilities but I do want a Mad Cat…

The other downside, of course, is that I’m now eyeing up the other Lazy Forger items I’ve been wanting to print for a while. The Tower Blocks are cool but perhaps it’s time for some more industrial areas, ready for all the pipelines and detritus that would be needed or the awesome electricity pylons to frame the mechwarriors against. Better warm the 3D printer up.

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