We played a 500 point per side game of Alpha Strike, with 3 formations on each side. We didn't follow the formation rules strictly, but I had a complete Clan Star, and my partner had a Lance and a Demi-Lance. On the other side, were two Lances, an infantry company in APCs, and a tank company.
I bought the Clan Cavalry Star box set and painted it for this game, but as that was only about 200 points, I swapped out two of the mechs for mechs from the Bounty Hunter box set, both of which had pilots with a skill rating of 0, and cost appropriately - the Bounty Hunter Mad Cat was 107 points by itself! But the pilot skill rating made a huge difference in the game. The mechs from left to right: Viper; Loki II (Bounty Hunter); Mad Cat (Bounty Hunter); Jenner IIC; Locust IIC.
We made sure there was plenty of urban terrain, to block line of sight, and to give the infantry some cover. Dashing for the first line of houses, my lead mechs got hit with indirect fire from the missile tank, but thankfully they were close misses.
I rushed the tanks with the light mechs - a Locust, a Jenner, and a Viper. The Locust took damage going in, but once at close range the three mechs wiped out the tanks.
On the other side of the board, the opposing Atlas found a clear lane of fire down the main road, and started to fire upon the Lance and Demi-Lance advancing through the woods.
Realising I had been caught out of position - the deciding fight would be on the other side of the board - I turned the Star around and dashed left. The enemy tank formation had been destroyed, and the infantry would take some time to load up into their APCs, so there was a chance to reposition without leaving anyone following in my rear. The movement rate of the three light mechs was key in this manuever: the remaining two mechs, both from the Bounty Hunter set, provided covering fire. The skill rating of the two pilots made a huge difference: in future games, it will be worth balancing some points to purchase at least one skilled pilot per Lance/Star. A mech with a skilled pilot costs twice as much, but hits much more often.
The opposing Atlas and Mad Cat knocked out several mechs, but the arrival of the Light mechs rushing in on the flank put enough combined firepower to finish off the Atlas. The two assault mechs following at a distance (the Bounty Hunter Mad Cat and Loki II) finished off the Mad Cat from long range. The Locust and Jenner were lost in the firefight, but it was enough to turn the tide.
A fun game, and we're starting to get into the potential of Alpha Strike: it really is made for games with a large number of mechs. What you lose on the detail and micro-managing/control you gain in the speed of play and the spectacle of a Battalion/Regiment sized action.
Comments
Post a Comment