Guide to infantry transport in Alpha Strike

Faster to the front: The ultimate guide to infantry transport in Alpha Strike

In BattleTech Alpha Strike, infantry is often slow, but in the right situations – such as house-to-house combat or ambushes – absolutely deadly. To ensure your soldiers don’t spend half the game crawling across the field, infantry transport is a crucial tactical element. In this article, we take a detailed look at the mechanics behind it.

The basis: IT# and CAR#

The transportation system is based on two corresponding special abilities that work like a lock and key:

• IT# (Infantry Transport): This ability is on the card of the transport device (e.g. a tank, vehicle, or rarely a mech). The number indicates the capacity. For example, a Maxim Heavy Hover Transport with IT12 can transport units with a total value of 12.
• CAR# (Cargo): This ability can be found on the infantry or battle armor unit‘s card. It indicates how much space this specific unit takes up in the transporter. A Cavalier Battle Armor with CAR4 therefore requires 4 points of a transporter’s IT capacity.

The golden rule: The sum of all CAR# values of the transported units must never exceed the IT# value of the transporter.

The procedure: boarding and dismounting

A transport maneuver requires precise timing in the movement phase:

1. Boarding (Mounting/Embarking):
   • It costs an infantry unit 2 inches of its movement to board a transporter.
   • Boarding must take place before the transporter is moved.
   • Flying units (VTOLs/WiGEs) must have landed to pick up troops.
   • A transporter may not sprint in the train in which troops are boarding.
2. Dismounting/disembarking:
   • Troops can dismount immediately after the transporter has moved.
   • Units cannot get on and off the same train.
   • The dismounted unit is placed in base-to-base contact with the transporter.
   • After disembarking, the infantry may still move up to half of its own MV (rounded down), but may not use special modes such as sprinting or hull down.

Special rules for air and special transports

• VTOLs and WiGEs: These can drop troops in flight, provided the infantry have jumping abilities (j) or the Special PAR (Paratrooper). All others must wait until the transporter lands.
• Omni units: Units with the OMNI ability can externally transport a unit with MEC (Mechanized) or XMEC (Extended Mechanized). However, unlike internal transport, these soldiers can be accidentally hit by enemy fire (on a roll of 5-6 on 1D6, the Battle Armor takes the damage instead of the transporter).

Tactical benefits on the battlefield

Why should you invest points in vans?

1. Speed: Slow Juggernaut infantry or Ambushers can quickly get into range for their dangerous anti-mech attacks.
2. Protection: During infantry transport inside (IT#), soldiers cannot be attacked directly and ignore area damage.
3. Flexibility: With specialized formations such as the Nova (Clan) or Mechanized formations (Inner Sphere), you can coordinate infantry and mechs perfectly.

Caution is advised: If a transporter is destroyed, all units in it usually die as well. Only mechanized battle armor (MEC/XMEC) has a chance of survival and is immediately placed on the field when the transporter is destroyed.

Use your transporters wisely to secure mission objectives or surprise the enemy with sudden infantry ambushes!