Catalyst Game Labs Battletech Alpha Strike Commanders Ed.

After buying "Battletech A Game of Armored Combat" boxset, which includes Alpha Strike cards, and after seeing the Alpha Strike quickstart PDF at Catalyst site, I was worried that I was buying a booklet that would not worth the price. I was wrong.Also, after reading other reviews of misprints I was worried about the quality of the product. I was unnecessarily worried. There were no misprints.The book starts with the primer about Inner Sphere and clans. Since it does not use hexes and mechs have no internal damage, nomenclature is very different. So it is essentially almost 200 pages with many new rules and many new tables, in a few words, almost a different game.This book is an Alpha Strike version of Total War in the sense that Inner Sphere and clans, as well as all types of support units are covered.If you thought Battletech A Game of Armored Combat 50+ pages were lots of rules, Almost 200 pages of rules will make you study a lot.It covers many types of terrains like ice, swamps, etc as well as planetary conditions like temperature, atmospheric density, wind, vacuum, day and night, gravity, etc. Artillery changes it all because you cannot just wait behind an obstacle.It covers urban combat, skidding, walls.It also refers to special abilities of units, mechs, equipment, special abilities of pilots, special command abilities.Then it shows how to build your forces, lances, formations and scenario rules for different types of missions.Then the advanced rules involving terrain, buildings, infantry, aerotech, dropping units, and many others.An entire chapter is dedicated to aerotech.There is an appendix with factions and many tables.I do not have Total War, I just know it covers non mech units. So quickly checking the contents of this Alpha Strike book felt a bit intimidating as a newcomer who is learning and digesting Battletech A Game of Armored Combat.I thought I could play a simpler version of the game with Alpha Strike, but it seems Beginner box is the way to go if you feel the game is too complex, not Alpha Strike.Hard cover is a nice touch.Definitely the Alpha Strike quickstart is just a tiny excrept of the book. No misprints. Tons of rules. So it is clear to me that I got more than I expected. I am very happy.I was introduced to the Battletech universe by Mechwarrior 2 and there are many things that are in this Alpha Strike book that cannot be reproduced in these games. I was introduced to the tabletop in 2018.I need to prepare myself to study a lot. Just studying this book is quite a lot of work. But I am happy and pleased with this product.It is beautifully illustrated with images of dioramas and paintings. Catalyst did a good job.

This book mostly breaks just about everything down to the simplest level of understanding. I received the most recent edition and it has been helpful for Battletech meetups.

This book was ordered last minute for a Christmas Gift! It’s full of information for Alpha Strike and fun reading.

I have just about converted completely over to Alpha Strike because I like to see a lot of mechs on the table but I don't have 24 hours to finish 8 on 8 combat. Alpha strike is a lot less granular and if you wanted to play with bottlecaps on a coffee table, you don't need minis or a map or anything, just this book and a few 6-sided dice. Or you can play on Hex Maps. Or you can play on a full mech-scale wargaming table with z-scale highways, railroads, terrain, bridges, buildings, tanks, etc. This book appears to consolidate some of the information from the previous Alpha Strike book and perhaps some of the information from The Alpha Strike Companion. Both of those books are out of print and sell for hundreds. Pick this one up before it's gone. I'm even using Alpha Strike to replace the combat system that comes with MechWarrior: Destiny. I prefer it that much. (Don't Forget: Unit Cards are FREE at MasterUnitList.info)

Don't know if anyone else addressed this, but the thumbnail image of the product on Amazon is the Catalyst second edition printing. (The Thunderbolt cover)When I received the product, it was the Catalyst third edition printing. (The Trebuchet cover)The third edition is the current edition as of this review. So if you were holding off on buying this book because it wasn't the newest one, don't worry. It is.

The other reviews do a good job on describing the overall game you will learn after obtaining this rule book. The book is a hard cover, and good to look at. I have skimmed through the pages and the information about Alhpa strike is interesting. Looking forward to learning about another way to play Battletech. The printing I received was the corrected fourth printing from China.

Received the 2022 Corrected 5th Printing edition. Book was a little dinged up from shipping but otherwise great quality. Amazon still shows an old photo from an earlier edition but you will definitely get the newest one.

The book arrived damaged. Don't know when it happened, so I can't blame anyone. I am just disappointed that I paid for a new book, received a beat up one. Content wise, it seems fine as an old BT player.