"Battletech Alternative Activation System" Topic

I really enjoy stomping around the battlefield with my mech lance but to be honest I am fed up with the I-go-you-go activation system.

Does anyone know of any alternatives? Maybe a card driven one…… in fact just thinking aloud: how about one card per unit/model with an end of turn card thrown in for variety? That way potentially not all units get to move in a turn and can make for some interesting games.

(…..and before anyone says anything I may have been inspired by a reading of some rules from the Lards)

Deal a face up playing card to each unit. (Use the small "patience" playing cards.)
Play each card in turn to activate a unit, beginning with those with an Ace, then 2s, 3s etc. Precedence among cards of the same rank is like whist: H, C, D, S. The Jokers are wild – that is a unit with a Joker can be activated at any desired point in the turn sequence. The red Joker takes precedence over the black Joker.

We simply use playing cards as well. Each unit gets designated with a card, and all cards get shuffled into a pile. Then we start dealing, and the unit that gets pulled first, moves first (per the rules), working our way through the deck. Once through every card, we go in reverse for the firing phase (i.e. he who moved last shoots first).

Damon.

We used to use the Star Fleet Battles "impulse movement" chart, and allow the mechs to fire at any time, but a mech could only fire each weapon once per turn. If multiple mechs were scheduled to move in the same impulse, we went in speed order (low to high, so as to allow faster mechs to react to slower ones), and if tied for speed order, roll offs…

Worked really well, but it could drag a bit with more than twenty mechs on the field. It works best if you pre-specify the number of MPs you will expend; not quite pre-plotted movement, but definitely pre-planned.

The impulse movement chart is very similar to the Champions RPG combat activation sequence (speeds up to 12 if I remember correctly).

Doesn't Battletech already have an alternate unit activation? I move a 'Mech, you move one, I move another … then all firing is simultaneous.

For faster mechs, or better crews, they get more cards than the other one as well. You get to decide the appropriate ratios.

Andrew Paul: you are right it does – the system I am thinking of would sounds more like what Top Gun Ace is talking about and I suppose reminds me more of the card activation system I have seen in The Face of Battle rules. Hence I suppose top mechwarriors and maybe the majority of clan ones would have potentially 2 activations in a turn whilst the average Inner Sphere one could only move twice.

Maybe best to limit the firing of each weapon to once each turn like Killraven suggested. I need to search the various Battletech forums to see if any body has suggested something similar. The question is would the inclusion of an "End of Turn" card make the game more interesting as some units may not move (but maybe could still fire) in any one turn.

Battletech, in my mind has a hybrid IgoYougo system. Roll for initiative. Loser moves one of his mechs/vees/infantry units first, then you move one unit, ect… until everyone has moved. You lost initiative, so your opponent gets to react to you. Shooting is simultaneous, so even if that Atlas blew off both of your arms and critted your torso, you still get to return fire with all of your available weapons (this is why you write your targets and weapons fired BEFORE rolling any dice, so you can't cheat and Alpha-strike with your mech that took a PPC to the cockpit). The system works well, if you follow it correctly. Also card activation would add randomness to it, if that's what you're after (and, incidentally what is reccomended for big multi-player games, where each player controls one mech).

I've never seen a problem with the 'dying Alpha'…makes the game feel more cinematic…played Friday night and we had a Captain Oates dying Alpha…Plynkes set himself up to heroically take the rounds for a fellow player, planning to retaliate as he died and then promptly survived the fire volley…..he did get POW'ed though….

We did similar, roll D20 for each mech, lowest number first, all fire still simultaneous. Of course this is with no more than 4 players and a max of 2 mechs each. Has worked with us for over 20 years.

"roll D20 for each mech, lowest number first, all fire still simultaneous."

Cards are quicker than rolling dice, and what do you do if two (or more) roll the same score?

I suppose the faster mech goes first and re-roll ties?

Thanks to all for contributing – lots of food for thought there!