BattleTech Alpha Strike: Rules for fire, smoke and terrain factor

BattleTech Alpha Strike: Fire and Smoke Guide – Rules for Fire, Smoke and the Terrain Factor

We’re looking at an element that instantly makes any tabletop battlefield livelier (and more dangerous): Fire and Smoke.

In my games, I’ve learned that these optional rules are far more than just visual effects. They change lines of sight, put pressure on buildings and can bring an overheated mech to its knees for good. Find out how to discover your inner arsonist and use the smoke tactically!

How does a fire start?

A fire does not start just like that (unless you use the right toys). There are two ways:

• Deliberate arson: You can deliberately attack terrain to set it on fire.
• Accidental fires: If an attack misses a target behind cover (by 1 or 2 points) or area-of-effect (AoE) weapons are used, the terrain may catch fire.

The chances of success depend on the terrain: Forests burn more easily (6+ on purpose) than buildings (9+ on 2D6).

My tip if you are playing with special types of ammunition: Use inferno ammunition, because it automatically sets fire to almost any terrain (except water swirls or vacuum).

The heat of battle: effects on units

Once the fire is blazing, it gets uncomfortable. We always regulate the effects in the final phase of each turn.

• Units on fire: Heat-tracking units (such as mechs) build up 1 point of heat when they move through or stop in burning terrain. Units without a heat scale suffer 1 point of damage instead.
• Special case Large units: Units of the LG, VLG or SLG classes suffer 1 point of damage for every 2 inches of their length that make contact with fire.

Burning time and the terrain factor (TF)

A fire does not burn forever – it needs “fuel”. This is where the terrain factor (TF) comes into play, which describes the structural integrity of the terrain.

• Terrain damage: A blazing fire automatically reduces the TF of terrain (or the Construction Factor/CF of buildings) by 2 points per turn.
• Burn out: As soon as the TF or CF drops to 0, the fire has consumed everything flammable and goes out by itself. If the terrain has no TF value, the fire usually only burns for one turn.

Where there’s fire, there’s… Smoke! And therefore obstructed vision!

Every fire produces smoke that drifts according to the rules of the wind. Here I differentiate between two types:

1. Light Smoke: Created by most fires. It rises 2 inches and acts as a light forest (+1 modifier to the target number).
2. Heavy Smoke: Created by inferno ammunition or burning hardwoods/tempered buildings. It rises 4 inches and gives a massive +2 malus to the target number.

The smoke drifts up to 6 inches in the direction of the wind before dissipating. In the final phase, you can also dice whether the smoke dissipates prematurely (on a 10+ on 2D6, modified by the wind strength).

Extinguish the fire

Sometimes the plan backfires and your own troops are engulfed in flames. You have two options:

• Area weapons: An AoE attack that deals at least 4 points of damage extinguishes the fire in the impact area (unless it was started by Inferno ammunition).
• Infantry: Your soldiers can fight the fire instead of attacking. A roll of 10+ (with bonuses for each additional unit involved) extinguishes the fire.

My tactical conclusion

Fire and smoke are fantastic tools for blocking constricted areas or depriving snipers of visibility. Always keep an eye on the terrain factor: If you know how much TF a forest area has, you can plan exactly how many rounds your smoke screen will last!

Good luck with the ignition, commanders!