Battletech Aces Rules by Josh Derksen, Lynnvander Studios for Catalyst Game Labs - last updated 20230310 page

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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.

Prototype Components List:

32 cards
● 8 card Brawler deck
● 8 card Skirmisher deck
● 8 card Sniper deck
● 8 card Striker deck

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

Movement Mode Icons

On AI cards, the various movement types are shown as icons:
● G (white): Ground movement
● J (red): Jumping movement
● P (yellow): Sprinting movement
● S (black): Stand still (no movement)
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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:

Meet & Greet Scenario

Player-controlled units: (100PV)
BJ-5 Blackjack (Skill 4)
PXH-4M Phoenix Hawk (Skill 4)
WSP-5A Wasp (Skill 4)
LCT-7V Locust (Skill 4)
AI-controlled units: (101PV)
Nova T (Skill 2) - Brawler deck
Pouncer Prime (Skill 2) - Sniper deck

Clash of Steel Scenario

Player-controlled units: (308PV) AI-controlled units: (309PV)

Command Lance (193PV) Battle Star (309PV)

AS7-S4 Atlas (Skill 3) Warhawk T (Skill 2) - Brawler deck
ARC-7C Archer (Skill 3) Timberwolf T (Skill 2) - Brawler deck
WHR-8R Warhammer (Skill 4) Nova T (Skill 2) - Skirmisher deck
BJ-5 Blackjack (Skill 4) Pouncer Prime (Skill 2) - Sniper deck
Fire Moth G (Skill 2) - Striker deck
Recon Lance (115PV)
TR5 Wraith (Skill 4)
PXH-4M Phoenix Hawk (Skill 4)
WSP-5A Wasp (Skill 4)
LCT-7V Locust (Skill 4)

Clash of Steel Scenario - Formation Rules

If players are using the Formation rules recommended by the scenario, AI units will use the Lucky
ability granted by their Battle Star formation whenever they need rolls of 7 or better and miss.
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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.

The AI Golden Rule

Whenever you resolve an instruction for an AI unit and there are multiple options that are not
addressed by the card, choose the option that will benefit the AI unit the most.

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.

See AI Movement Example on page 8.

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AI Movement Golden Rules

● Enemy Units: When determining a position relative to a single enemy unit, the AI prefers
enemy units that have already moved and ignores those that have not. If no enemy units have
moved yet, consider the position of all enemy units.
● Attack Opportunities: Unless explicitly stated otherwise, or the AI unit moves first, the AI will
position itself with line of sight (LOS) and range to at least 1 possible target that has already
moved so that it will be able to attack this round.
● Woods/Cover: The AI will always seek to have partial cover from its intended target if possible,
and will seek to benefit from woods while its intended target does not. If woods are available to
the AI unit, it will prefer those over partial cover.
● Shortest Path: AI units always take the shortest, most direct path they can to reach their
desired position. If this involves moving through woods, rough terrain, over elevation changes,
or through water, they will choose that route, but only if doing so and paying the movement
penalties still gets them closer to their goal than going around.

Movement Instruction Details

“Toward” Instructions
Most commonly, AI units will move toward a specific enemy unit or a specific terrain feature to close
the distance for combat. When moving toward enemy units, If the AI unit has enough movement to end
behind its target (out of the target’s firing arc) and within short range, it will do so. Otherwise, follow the
shortest path toward the target and stop just before the AI unit’s base touches the target.

“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”).
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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.

AI units under Forced Withdrawal

If playing with the Forced Withdrawal special rule, move an affected AI unit as follows:
● Use the first movement type listed on their movement instructions (other than stand still).
● Move the unit as close as possible toward their deployment area following the shortest path.
● If the unit does not reach its deployment edge to withdraw, set its facing so that the most enemy
units are within its firing arc.

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.
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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.

Point Value (PV):

Target the unit with the highest (or lowest) point value.

Move Value (MV):

Target the unit with the highest (or lowest) movement value. For units with multiple
values, consider the highest/lowest number regardless of movement type
(e.g. the Pouncer T counts as 12” for highest, or 10”j for lowest).

Range: (short, medium, or long range).

Target the enemy unit in the longest (or shortest) rangeband. Note: This priority is
often combined with the Near/Far situation below to target more precisely.

Highest or Lowest Health:

Target the unit with the highest/lowest current total remaining Armor + Structure of
a unit, or how much more damage it will take to destroy the unit (called Health).
Take into account any damage that has already been applied this round.

Highest or Lowest Threat:

Target the unit with the highest (or lowest) Threat. Threat is the maximum (or
minimum) damage an enemy unit can inflict this turn by its attack, based on the
rangebands available to it. Usually this will be the damage value for short range,
but not always.
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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.

Can Crit (Can Destroy):

The enemy unit that the attack will inflict a critical hit (i.e. inflict 1 or more points of
structure damage) upon (or completely destroy) if the attack hits.

Additional Combat Instructions

The combat phase section of some AI cards includes additional instructions for any special abilities or
effects the AI unit should apply when attacking this turn. The possible instructions are described in
greater detail below.

● 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.

Attacking with AI Units

Once you have determined a target for the AI unit, choose a player to roll for it. The attack follows all
the same rules and modifiers as the standard game.

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.
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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.

Putting it all together, the Timber Wolf moves

toward the Warhammer but into woods/cover from
most enemies. Per the AI movement golden rules,
it wants to benefit from woods while its target does
not, so it moves to overlap the edge of the woods
here (and gain a ground movement token):
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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.

The Combat Phase section of the AI card

is interpreted as follows:

1. Shortest Range. Both the

Warhammer and Phoenix Hawk
are within Short Range.
2. Can Destroy. The Timber Wolf’s
short range damage is 7. The
Phoenix Hawk has 7 health (5
armor + 2 structure) and could be
destroyed. The Warhammer has
10 current health, but has already
been marked for 3 additional
damage, making it effectively 7
health as well (1 armor, 6
structure). Since AI units look at
the current state of the board, the
Phoenix Hawk and Warhammer
are still tied.
3. No Cover. The Phoenix Hawk has partial cover from a low building, but Warhammer does not
benefit from woods or cover. The Timber Wolf will attack the Warhammer, and potentially
destroy it.

Appendix: Difficulty Adjustments

You can adjust the difficulty of your matchups against the AI by applying one or more of the modifiers
below:

For a less challenging game:

● Build an AI force worth approximately 75% of your PV.
● Increase the skill ratings of all AI units by 1 (i.e. Skill 4 becomes Skill 5)

For a more challenging game:

● Build an AI force worth approximately 125% of your PV, especially if it includes more total units.
● Decrease the skill ratings of all AI units by 1 (i.e. Skill 4 becomes Skill 3)