BattleTech Alpha Strike: Rules for movement in and through buildings

BattleTech Alpha Strike: Rules for movement in and through buildings

In BattleTech Alpha Strike, different units can enter or pass through buildings, with specific costs and consequences for each unit type.

Here are the rules in detail:

1. unit types and movement costs

• Infantry (conventional and battle armor): Soldiers can move through buildings at no additional movement cost. They can also move between floors within a building at a cost of 1 inch of movement per inch of building height.
• ProtoMechs: These units can enter buildings, but have an additional movement cost of +1 inch per inch of distance traveled, regardless of building type. Like infantry, they can change levels within the building (1 inch cost per inch of height).
• Mechs (BattleMechs and IndustrialMechs): Mechs can enter buildings, but pay different movement costs depending on the stability of the building:
  • Light buildings: +1 inch per inch of distance.
  • Medium buildings: +2 inches per inch of distance.
  • Heavy buildings: +3 inches per inch of distance.
  • Hardened buildings: +4 inches per inch of path.
  • Important: Mechs cannot change levels within a building.

2. limitations and risks

• Incidental Damage: Each unit (except infantry) that moves through a building deals 1 point of damage to the building’s structure (Construction Factor, CF) per inch of distance traveled.
• Weight capacity: Each building has a maximum load capacity. If the sum of the size classes (Size) of all units in or on the building exceeds this value, the building collapses immediately. Conventional infantry (not battle armor) counts as size 0.
• Walls: Buildings that are declared as walls cannot be crossed by units until the wall has been destroyed.
• Large units and Aerospace: Units with the LG, VLG or SLG specials and Aerospace units cannot enter buildings normally; an attempt will result in the automatic collapse of the building (unless it is a special hangar).

3. consequences of a collapse

If a building collapses (either due to structural damage or overloading), units inside will take damage:

• Infantry inside a collapsing building is immediately destroyed.
• Other units take damage based on the height and type of the building (see Collapse Damage in the building table). Units on the roof suffer an additional 1 point of damage.

Tactical note

Moving through buildings provides cover (damage absorption), as the building absorbs some of the damage from enemy attacks before the unit itself is hit. However, heavy units risk causing the building to collapse through their own movement or the weight of their comrades.