For nearly thirty years, the BattleTech setting has portrayed a universe of endless warfare, where armies of twelve-meter-tall BattleMechs, tanks, armored infantry, and aerospace fighters constantly clash across hundreds of worlds in the name of Clan and realm alike. In all this time, there have been many ways for players to experience the setting, from the hyper-detailed level of the MechWarrior and A Time of War roleplaying systems to the tactical and strategic miniatures-driven board game adaptations of Total Warfare and Succession Wars. Numerous electronic titles have even emerged over the years, including the famous MechWarrior and MechCommander franchises.

Joining this ongoing tradition while being designed for standalone play is the next great title — Alpha Strike!

Alpha Strike is an all-new core rulebook for the BattleTech game line, designed for fast-playing battles between armies of 'Mechs, combat vehicles, and aerospace fighters, using the intuitive and eye-pleasing format of modern tabletop miniatures combat. Where a classic BattleTech game expects players to track armor, munitions, and components almost down to the last bullet and rivet, Alpha Strike delivers quicker resolutions without subtracting from the tactical feel of its progenitors.

A hardcover volume with full-color interior art and illustrative photography, the Alpha Strike core rulebook is ideal for new players. Beginning with introductory-level rules to simulate 'Mech fights on hex-free terrain, players can obtain ready-to-use game stats for their forces using prepared army lists included in the book. Official gameplay miniatures (obtainable through Iron Wind Metals or in the BattleTech Introductory Box Set), measuring tape, and any kind of tabletop terrain on the market can then be used to track the movements and positions of the players’ 'Mechs, easily establishing every combat element’s range and cover. A simple 2D6 resolution system determines hits and misses, while damage over range — and each unit’s ability to withstand such damage — is simply defined.

When players are ready to graduate from the introductory rules, the Alpha Strike rulebook is there for them, providing rules for standard-level play, introducing armored vehicles, infantry, and even an abstract aerospace system for tactical-level combined-arms warfare. Armed with these rules, players can resolve combat between battalions of mixed forces, fighting on land, sea, and in the air.

For the true veterans, advanced-level options are also introduced for even more tactical and atmospheric variety. With these rules, players can add artillery, exotic terrains and environmental conditions, alternative munitions, and more, to their Alpha Strike games. These options even include a flexible campaign system that is designed for players who want more than just a pick-up battle or two. The system provides a basic framework for deploying, repairing, and salvaging forces over the course of a world-conquest campaign.

With the BattleTech universe’s rich and extensive history — currently stretching to a future nearly 1,100 years from now — incorporating a detailed description of the entire history and nature of the setting would be an insurmountable challenge. While a small section covering the entire history and major factions of the BattleTech universe is provided, the most detailed period covered by the Alpha Strike book concentrates on one of the setting’s most popular periods of game play: the Clan Invasion.

The Clan Invasion is a dramatic period in BattleTech history that is especially well known among players who have experienced most of the franchise’s electronic incarnations, from Activision’s MechWarrior 2 title to the current MechWarrior Online by Piranha Games. In covering this era, the Alpha Strike rulebook provides background on the key factions of the Clan Invasion, the major wars that took place in those in-universe years, and even some notable battle sites. Combined with the representative army lists, these details enable players to get a feel of these crucial battles, adding depth to the tabletop wargame experience. Future supplements will expand on this and other significant eras of play for players new and old alike.

While any wargamer can leap in and enjoy Alpha Strike, players of MechWarrior: Dark Age and MechWarrior: Age of Destruction will find a particularly fine fit with Alpha Strike, as it provides a new, exciting way to field their army of miniatures for hours of tabletop gaming enjoyment. Additionally, while Catalyst is excited to bring this new, fast-playing BattleTech system to legions of wargamers, the traditional board game experience of BattleTech is still fully supported. In fact, an enhanced version of the Introductory Box Set, including higher quality miniatures, is at the printer and expected this fall!

With Alpha Strike and some minis, the modern war gamer has everything needed to play — and to begin a greater adventure in this exciting universe where war is constant and the BattleMech reigns supreme as the king of the battlefield.