Why using missions makes an Alpha Strike game more interesting

Playing with missions makes BattleTech: Alpha Strike much more exciting and varied, as it shifts the focus from a simple “fight to the last mech” to strategic and tactical objectives. Instead of just aiming to destroy the enemy forces, missions open up numerous opportunities to use creative play styles and different strategies. The history of Battletech offers numerous points of reference here.

Missions bring additional excitement to the game as they often offer asymmetrical challenges – one player might be defending a base while the other is storming it. This creates dynamic situations in which not only raw firepower counts, but also clever planning, skillful maneuvering and the clever use of terrain and resources.

In addition, missions tell stories and give each battle a thematic depth that conveys the feeling of being part of a larger conflict. The ideal building blocks for a campaign. Whether you’re conducting a planetary invasion, escorting a VIP or desperately trying to recover critical data, missions not only make the game more interesting, but also more immersive. They turn a pure test of strength into a real tactical challenge where every game is unique.

You can find an interesting video on the subject (in English) here on YouTube.

Missions become campaigns

If you want to create a campaign, you string together different types of missions to create a story. It is important that the missions and their sequence fit in with the basic framework story. Missions should also not be repeated too often within the course of a campaign. And if you use a mission type more than once, then please don’t just copy it, but incorporate differences in the details of the mission. Here are some examples of which missions can occur in a campaign. Depending on the storyline, other mission types may be considered.

Planetary conquest as the backstory of a campaign:

• Possible mission types
  • Attack (Assault)
  • Conquest (Capture)
  • Breakthrough
  • Destruction (Stand up fight)
  • War of the sensors (scanning)
  • Regicide (Assassination)

Mercenary campaign as the background story of a campaign

• Possible mission types
  • Escort service
  • Conquest (Capture)
  • Ambush (Ambush)
  • Salvage
  • Defense (Defense)

Betrayal and escape as the backstory of a campaign

• Possible mission types
  • Destruction (Stand up fight)
  • Breakthrough
  • Defense (Defense)
  • Ambush (Ambush)
  • Evacuation

Official mission tables and resources

The official Alpha Strike rulebooks, such as the Commander’s Edition, include mission kits that players can use to create scenarios. These include:

• Primary objectives: Core objective of the mission (e.g. control points, destruction).
• Secondary objectives: Additional victory conditions (e.g. survival of certain units).
• Modifiers: Terrain, weather, limited visibility.

There are also a number of campaigns published by Catalyst Games Lab. These are mostly based on the classic version of Battletech, but with a little ingenuity they can also be adapted to Alpha Strike.