Play faster as a BattleTech newcomer: Sometimes you can roll first and think later!
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- Опубліковано 29 чер 2024
- I’ve been lucky to learn from veteran players of BattleTech and make my gameplay immediately a bit smoother with a couple of tricks. Here’s one of them: Sometimes you can roll BEFORE you calculate the target number.
Do you have tips and tricks to make BattleTech gameplay just a little bit quicker right from the get-go? Post ’em down in the comments!
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro: I recommend learning from experienced players
1:05 What if you roll the dice first and calculate later?
1:42 For example when your targets are moving in long range
2:01 Example situation: Panther targeting a Wolfhound
3:12 We know the target number will be high
3:37 Rolling poorly… we can just move on and save time
4:02 Rolling better and doing all of the calculations AFTER
5:25 Sometimes it’s OK to roll first and calculate later
6:37 Y’all got any tricks?
Of course, keep etiquette in mind: Always say what you’re rolling for before you roll it so the people you’re playing with know what’s going on.
Just played my first game of Alpha Strike and I can report that you can totally roll first and calculate later in Alpha Strike as well 😉
If you have enough dice in enough colors, you can throw attacks for multiple weapons at once. Say you have an Awesome, three pairs of dice let you make the PPC attacks at the same time.
Very solid advice, and some fantastic examples. Thanks for the videos!
definitely my favorite video of yours so far, we're always looking for ways to make the base game faster
Glad to hear it’s of help! I’ve got a couple more in the pipeline, we’ll see if any of it is new/usable information for you.
I tend to choose the weapons I'm going to shoot, announce targets and roll. Like your recommendation, I'll calculate after if it is worth doing. I also don't calculate heat until after I complete damage assignment, so I tend to overheat a bit.
That's great advice! Thanks for the good explanation and examples too.
This is an excellent video. Now that I think about it you helped me to recognize i unknowingly have done this at times before. Ill keep this in mind, thank you!
One my favorite board games and my kids.
Average IS pilot, ran, firing at long range through a few light woods hexes, target JR7-D moved over flat terrain in a straight line at its full movement.. declare firing and roll 2d6... get a 12. Woot hit.. now lets see what the modifier was... 4 + 2 + 4 + 2 + 4... = 16...
...well crap.
To be honest this trick really only works if you know the target number is going to be really low. And you don't wish to declare a shot that will expend ammo and heat, as you do have the benefit of knowing if a shot will be impossible (13+) or automatic hit (
Thanks.
Sometimes, we use timers to speed up rounds like chess players do to limit your time to plan and execute your move. All must agree this cannot be enforced, so this is of limited use.
In my experience, there is no magic bullet to speed up the rounds. People want to win, the game is complex, and so people take their time. All participants complain as long as it is not their move. You got the people who do not calculate in advance in larger settings but simply wait until it is their turn.
Only if you change the whole frame or take the sting out of losing you got a serious chance to get into "speed mode".
use dice whose color combination (pips+background) represents that specific weapon
What do you use for a laser pointer here? I know a laser level would do the line well, but that seems rather bulky to play with.
It’s an Army Painter laser line. It’s like 10€ or so which isn’t too much but I’m sure you could find something similar for cheaper somewhere else, if you’re so inclined.
After we get the game all set up we usually just roll to see who won then put it all back in the box
Damn, that’s genius
So, if your rolls suck, does that mean you still count for heat usage or can you claim You're not shooting?
You’re probably joking but certainly not, you need to announce whatever you’re rolling before you actually do it
Good lord! What's happened to this game? We always used to describe it as chess with violence ... and contemplating a move could take quite some time. It's turn based for crying out loud - *fast* doesn't come into it. Calculate the odds and try to figure out where you opponent will move in response to your move. Have a smoke and a drink and take it easy!
Nothing happened to the game, and that’s exactly the thing, probably. People mostly moved on from 80s game design. BT is intensely crunchy and slow for a lot of people (which I personally enjoy), so why not make it ever so slightly faster by cutting down on needless time spent on calculations that might not matter much anyway. When you’re already rolling to hit, you’re past the point of making meaningful decisions anyway, and this is quite literally taking it even easier!
Well excuse me for wanting to get at least one decent sized game done within a day
@@shobooknight :grins: Then off you go and play with some amateurs who just make a move based on the shape of a cloud they saw or some such BS :)
A Lance on Lance engagement takes an evening, Company on Company takes all day ... bigger than that then play BattleForce instead ... or do what we did and write up a campaign of engagements for larger scale actions..