Catalyst Game Labs Alpha Strike Box Set

For the newbies to Alpha Strike, and BattleTech, give me a moment while I talk to those who are already fans. This set has been recently priced reduced by 20%. If you haven’t bought it already, there’s no excuse now. Miniatures — The miniatures alone are worth the price of admission. You get 13 mechs (2 IS Lances, 1 Clan Star), 1 of which is unique and a few new variants from the Battle Packs. But it never hurts to have a spare Timberwolf or Locust. Buildings — The buildings are a smidge less thick than the Dropzone Commander card stock buildings, but better scale (DZ buildings are a bit too large). Use them carefully and they should last fairly well. Trees — The trees are thick chipboard, and should have no durability issues. I’ll probably still use Woodland Scenics trees, but if you don’t have terrain these work well. Counters — The movement counters are also thick chipboard, and that means you’ll need fewer dice cluttering the table to mark your mechs. Rule Reference card — Also made of thicker cardstock than prior box sets. Very durable. Rules — 39 pages. If you don’t have the hardback, this has pretty much everything you need for a base game that doesn’t include non-mech units. Primer — Short reference on the current major factions for newbies. Nothing fans won’t already know. Short story — Fun little piece of fiction to get you in the BattleTech mood. For newbies: Alpha Strike is a trimmed down skirmish version of the BattleTech miniatures game that allows for fast play at the cost of some tactical options. The original BattleTech has hit locations, weapon heat management, and some other tactical considerations that can slow down play a lot. Alpha Strike streamlines that to make a 4v4 mech game lasts under 2 hours once you know the rules. A large skirmish will probably last less than 4 hours. BattleTech, on the other hand probably doubles the play time unless you have very knowledgeable players… so for folks coming from other complex skirmish games like 40K, the play time is refreshingly quick once you learn the basics. Also, Catalyst won’t nerf your units every few years to sell new rule books or minis. While Alpha Strike is relatively new, “Classic” BattleTech is largely the same game for the last 40 years. Rules updates have only been made to fix broken stuff, not to sell new books. BattleTech and Alpha Strike are really growing due to very successful recent Kickstarters and the community is really chill. This set is a fantastic introduction… and as I noted, the miniatures alone are worth the price. Welcome to the BattleTech universe. You’ll like it here.

I have played this game from the beginning, way back when it was called Battle Droids and have or had ever single starter box and expansion ever made and this is one of the best. The quality and diversity of the miniatures included make this not only an excellent start for new players but a value for old players as well. For new players it is SO perfectly laid out to get you up and running in no time and for old players it is a valuable for just for the miniatures alone. it is hard to get new Mechs for less than $5 a piece. You get it all in this box at a great price!

This is an amazing box set for both Classic BattleTech and Alpha Strike. The rules are very clear and easy to bring players into the Alpha Strike game. The included buildings and terrain features are high quality and easy to assemble. Additionally, the value here is amazing. Thirteen miniatures for $80 is great, and the same miniatures can be used in Classic BattleTech. My only gripe is the Pilot and Support cards are written for Alpha Strike, meaning abilities are referenced in inches and not hexes. This makes sense but limits the ability to use the same cards for Classic.

It arrived on time and actually ahead of its proposed delivery date and time. The package was in good shape and showed no damage of harsh treatment during its delivery phase. The Alpha Strike boxed set, has tons of great value for what you get and pay. A person without any experience in Classic Battletech will still be able to learn and play this super fun game version. I do recommend it to new players and older more experienced players as well. highly recommend that if your looking for a fun game with a lot of options, then this boxset is exactly what your looking for.

This is a great game. It is a stripped down version of the original game. It plays fast and great for new players or fans of the orginal who dont have time for a long game.

Great value for 13 miniatures + cutouts of mechs and buildings. No maps, buts its Alpha Strike not classic Battletech. Some of the mechs look like earlier releases but Are different models. Locust with sm lasers and AMS, Wasp with six sm lasers, archer with LRM-15s and Lg lasers in the arms, Atlas has 2 SRM-2s in the rear torso, and other changes like that.

A great addition to the Battletech line. Nice selection of miniatures and terrain to get a game of Alpha Strike going.

This is a very simplified version of Battletech, the game of armored warfare. The normal BT rules has hit locations, individual weapon systems, etc. This version is very cut down and streamlined. However, it still gets you into the universe of Battletech and is much easier to learn. Plus, you get a nice selection of plastic models and terrain. I would recommend this set as a first step, and then eventually grow into the Battletech starter and then the larger box set. All are great value for the money and work with each other. The models you get from each box set work with either the Alpha Strike rules or the Battletech rules.

I look forward to playing this faster paced version of Battletech. You get a lot of miniatures and accessories. The only issue I had was that Amazon didnt pack it safely in one of there boxes.

The contents of the box are top notch. You get a full wargame with plenty of depth and a good number of detailed miniatures for a very good price. I would highly recommend if you are interested in playing Alpha Strike.