Battletech Aces - Rules 20230310
Battletech Aces - Rules 20230310
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Introduction
Battletech Aces lets you play Alpha Strike solo or cooperatively against an AI opponent. Each unit you
wish the AI to control is assigned a deck of cards based on its battlefield role, and will use these cards
to make decisions about when to act, where to move, and what to shoot at.
AI Card Anatomy
Card Back:
1. Priority number
2. Deck name
Card Front:
1. Priority number
2. Deck name and card ID number
3. Move Phase section
a. Moving First box
b. Movement Type icon
c. Movement instructions
4. Combat Phase section
a. Combat instructions
b. Target icons
Setup
Give each AI unit a deck of AI cards to determine its play style. Generally, you will want to assign each
unit the deck that matches its printed unit role (Brawler, Sniper, Skirmisher, etc). You can assign any
unit any AI deck, but the result might not be optimal tactics. If you have multiple AI units with the same
role, they can share an AI deck.
Shuffle each AI deck and place it beside the Alpha Strike unit card(s) for the unit(s) that will use it.
For setting up the scenarios in the Alpha Strike Starter Set, place the AI units in the center of their
deployment area facing the center of the play area, and use the following configuration of unit cards,
skill ratings, and AI decks:
Gameplay
Other than the exceptions listed in this section, playing Alpha Strike against the AI follows all of the
same rules as the standard game.
Initiative Phase
Choose a player to roll initiative for the AI team.
After determining initiative, deal an AI card for each enemy unit from its assigned deck, and place that
card face-down beside its Alpha Strike unit card.
Movement Phase
AI units act in ascending priority order based on the cards they are dealt. When it is the AI team’s turn
to activate a unit, compare the priority numbers of the AI cards for each unit that has not yet moved.
The unit with the lowest number (that has not already moved this round) will act next. Flip that unit’s
card over and refer to the Movement Phase Section. Do not read the Combat Phase section during
this phase.
Moving First
If the AI team lost initiative, none of the player units will have moved yet. In this case, the AI unit (or
units depending on the unequal number of mechs rule) will be the first to act this round. Resolve the
instructions in the “If First” box at the top of the card and ignore the remaining movement instructions.
Otherwise, read the rows of the Movement Phase section one at a time to check if they apply, or if they
create one clear position for where the AI should move. Some instructions refer to other units as the
target, while others refer to a specific terrain feature.
If there are multiple ways to resolve an instruction, refer to the following row and use that row’s
instruction as a tiebreaker to help decide on the best target point for where the AI unit should move.
Continue doing so until there is a clear best option for where the AI unit should move.
“To” Instructions
Some AI instructions seek to establish a particular range between the AI unit and a possible target,
such as ‘to 20” from the unit with the highest health’. Move the AI unit in whichever direction best
satisfies this criteria, within the limits of the play area.
● Often, if an AI unit is close to multiple enemies it will not have sufficient movement speed to
reach the desired distance from them. Move it as far as it can go to fulfill this criteria.
● Remember, AI units follow the shortest path to reach their desired distance, rather than moving
the maximum distance they can.
LOS instructions
This is an abbreviation for “line of sight”. The AI unit should position so that it has line of sight to a
specific number of enemies as described. However, take into account the maximum range of its
weapons. If an AI unit has a damage value of 0 for Long Range, treat its line of sight as only extending
to the limit of medium range (24”).
Battletech Aces Rules by Josh Derksen, Lynnvander Studios for Catalyst Game Labs - last updated 20230310 page 5/9
Movement Modes
Each row of the movement phase section has a move type icon that describes what movement mode
the AI unit should use when following the instruction to determine where it should go. Use the
movement mode that corresponds to the highest numbered row that you use to resolve
tiebreakers.
● Rows with (black S icon) icon (Stand still Movement) have a condition you must check to
determine if the AI unit will stand still this turn. If the condition is not met, skip this row.
● Rows with the (yellow P icon) icon (Sprinting Movement) have a condition you must check to
determine if the AI unit will sprint this turn, and where it will sprint to.
● Rows with (red J icon) icon (Jumping Movement) indicate the AI unit will choose this movement
mode if it possesses jump jets. If the unit is not jump-capable, it will default to Ground instead.
● Rows with the (white G icon) icon (Ground Movement) are the default.
Tip: For ease of play against the AI and to speed up lookup of enemy unit TMM ratings, we
recommend using the Movement Dice rules included in the Alpha Strike Commander’s
Edition rulebook. As you move units, place the appropriate color die beside their models
showing their TMM, including any bonuses from Jumping.
Facing
After you have moved the unit, its facing depends on the kind of instruction it followed. If it moved…
● Relative to a single enemy, turn its face directly toward that enemy unit.
● Relative to a single ally OR the enemy force as a whole, turn it to face the majority of enemy
units. Do this even if the AI unit’s rear is exposed to some enemies. If you really can’t tell which
facing is best in this case, face the unit(s) with the highest point value.
Ending Movement
After you have finished moving an AI unit, return its AI card face-down beside its unit card, but turn it
sideways. This way, you know it has moved this turn and you don’t need to consider its priority number
again for the remainder of the Movement Phase. You will use the AI card again during the Combat
Phase.
Battletech Aces Rules by Josh Derksen, Lynnvander Studios for Catalyst Game Labs - last updated 20230310 page 6/9
Combat Phase
During the Combat Phase, human players resolve all their attacks first before determining what AI units
do. Damage is still applied in the End Phase as usual. After all players have made their attacks, reveal
and resolve the AI cards one at a time in ascending order, starting with the lowest priority number.
Target Icons
The Target icons indicate which unit the AI unit will fire upon, if it is able. The priorities on the card are
ranked left to right: The leftmost icon is the top priority, and the following
icons are tiebreakers to narrow down the decision to a single target in the
case of multiple options. The text in the icon tells you the stat or situation,
and the shape tells you whether you are looking for the lowest value,
highest value, or checking a condition.
Stats
These target icons name stats such as TMM or PV. The enemy unit with the highest stat or lowest stat
as indicated by the icon shape will be the target. Some names such as “health” or “threat” you will need
to determine by looking at one or more of the enemy unit’s stats.
Target Movement Modifier (TMM):
Target the unit with the highest (or lowest) current TMM rating, including any
modifiers for jumping and modifiers from critical damage.
Situations
These target icons are simple Yes/No checks against a condition. The enemy unit that meets this
condition will be the target.
Near (Far):
The enemy unit that is physically closest (or furthest) on the table (i.e. measure the
distance in inches). If two or more units are exactly the same distance, players
choose whichever they think is more advantageous for the AI to target.
No Cover:
The enemy unit that does not have partial cover and/or does not benefit from
woods on your attack will be the target.
● Use OV: The AI unit will apply as much of its Overheat Value to the attack as it can, but only as
much as needed to be able to destroy its target if its attack hits. For example, an AI unit with a
damage value of 3 and an OV of 2 attacks a target with 4 structure left. Following the “will
destroy (using OV)” instruction, it will spend 1 OV to increase its damage to 4.
End Phase
After applying any damage and critical hit effects to AI units (such as Heat, HT/#/#/#), return each of
their AI cards to the corresponding deck. Shuffle each deck to prepare for the next round.
Battletech Aces Rules by Josh Derksen, Lynnvander Studios for Catalyst Game Labs - last updated 20230310 page 8/9
AI Movement Example
In the game shown below, it is the AI Timber Wolf’s (1) turn to move. The Inner Sphere players have
already moved the Warhammer (2) and Archer (3) this round, but not the Atlas (4). Some shots have
been exchanged in a previous round so the Warhammer already has some damage. The Timber Wolf
has been dealt the following card from the Brawler AI deck:
A couple units have already moved, so the “If first” section is skipped. The Timber Wolf does not have
jump jets, so it will interpret all the (J) instructions as ground movement (G). Additionally, it does not
consider the position of the Atlas because the other mechs have moved and the Atlas has not.
The AI card is interpreted as follows:
1. There are two sources of woods/cover that the Timber Wolf can move into that will provide cover
from all enemies.
2. Ignoring the Atlas, the highest health enemy would normally be the Warhammer
(7 armor + 6 structure = 13 health) versus the Archer’s 10 (7 armor + 3 structure). However, the
warhammer is missing 3 points of armor
from last round, making it a tie.
3. The Warhammer is MV 8” and the Archer
is MV 10”, making the Warhammer the
preferred target to move toward.
AI Combat Example
Continuing the example from the previous page, a few more Inner Sphere mechs have moved and all
the player-controlled units have made their attacks. Several AI Clan mechs have also attacked and
applied some damage to the Warhammer this round. Now it’s the Timber Wolf’s (1) turn to attack.
The Locust (5) and Archer (3) are not within the Timber Wolf’s firing arc or line of sight. That leaves the
Warhammer (2) and Phoenix Hawk (4) as potential attack targets.