I will certainly go to my venues kill n keep so will pick up at least 3 more boosters in the future. I've gotten a number of cards and Chikako from the singles market and traded for a few VTOLs. BR got some good attention from WK this time around (of course, they needed it considering most of their #### got retired). Finally some ok VTOLs and the BR TGR is just borderlining on wrongness esp with the BR Faction Pride card.

I would like to get up yer way again soon but my better half only permits me 1 gaming day per week :o . So if I go Monday then I can't go Sunday. Doh! We'll see what can be arranged though. :)

Alpha Mangonel + Aiko Ryhora....interesting combo. Maybe add decoy for some extra defense.

Four Alpha-killers:

1.) Arnis Drummond
2.) "Persuader"/Sandoval/Agility
3.) Bounty Hunter
4.) "Chikako"/Gabe Smith

Heh... "Persuader" = "Crusader".

But you knew that already.

I beat her and a liao shockwave combo in 15 minutes with two SS mjolners and the duke in his mech. with a gaus rifle drop as suppot and the SS faction pride card.

Alpha+Kerensky as a mech in itself is a good combo, not the best because what we percieve as "best" is solely based on our perceptions and gamestyle.

But this is 1 thing I want to add, alpha armies are hard to beat, because they can always have a handful of support ready anytime anyday, they could have dual arty turtle tactics using the alpha as a mobile gun platform while artillery herds your enemies,or you could use her as a mobile gun platform as your other forces go in for the kill (be it swarm force or combined arms)

Unbeatable? heck no

Easy to defeat? heck no

All in all alpha is dependent on the user and the army the user brings with him

Alpha is good, and with the right support and a good player behind the wheel could give pretty much anyone a hard time. But it is by no means unbeatable. Heck I can think of a simple and relatively cheap combo that can make Alpha think twice about engaging.

M Zahn with a SH Aesir.

25" range, 9 attack with IT gives it a fairly good chance at landing the shot, with AP if needed. All for less than 80 points. 3 damage hitting Alpha when she's already on her sweet spot will ruin her day.

@Trevor. Chikako can't outrange Alpha. But. Where you are right is that he can take the punishment. You really have to nail Chikako with 8 damage before you really cripple him. So Alpha can assault order and peg Chikako ... which he will wince at ... and then shovel 4 damage right back at Alpha and with Gabriel behind the wheel it will be with an 11 attack with IT so the odds of him missing are slim. 4 damage back at Alpha at that point and ... well ... that's all folks. :)

I guess it's a good balance thing that the designers did to Alpha -- it's "only" a heavy mech and SW at that -- that way, once it gets knocked out of the top clicks, it's a downhill ride.

Imagine how unbalanced it will be if Alpha's base had the rather stable dial of say, Anima or Chikako :p

The question for the group:

Could Alpha stand up against Geoff Baker in a 1 on 1 contest?

Assume Kerensky is piloting.

My thoughts - if she takes an Improved targetting suite, or an Artemis system, maybe.

geoff bekker can win the bout by sheer depth of dial period, all he has to do is commit into alphas range and at the same time position himself in such a way that whereever alpha goes geoff can assault :)

As for Geoff it would depend on a number of factors .. namely the environment and the loadout on Alpha. I assume you are using Kerensky on Alpha but the big question is ... what is the other gear?

If the board is littered with blocking terrain and there aren't any PCs active which get rid of them (Tornado, etc) then Geoff will certainly have an advantage there as he will be able to shoot right through them. But if Alpha is loaded out with Streaks as well (I believe that is a H-class equipment), then Alpha will retain an advantage.

Geoff will still have a bit of an edge in the fight as mentioned previously because he has a considerably deep dial so can take a hit or two. I think it really would boil down to the board layout, the PCs in use, the loadout of Alpha and the skill of both players so really anything could happen.

lets just say its a 1 on 1 open area match. I believe other than the dice and player factor,pound for pound geoff might score a win

Alpha is a solid mech by any standard. That is true for most of the faction leader mechs. However, there is no way it can be considered the best mech/pilot combo in the game. Just a few options that would rip Alpha a new excrement orifice....

Persuader + Enrico Fernali + Single use Pulse + BR Faction Pride
Chikako + Gabriel Smith
Geoff Bekker

In each of those examples the mech/pilot combos in question can absorb a hit from Alpha at its prime click and then return fire and knock it off its prime click with relative ease because of that low 21 defense. In the case of Persuader, if it is hit for 5 clicks at the beginning (requiring a 12 to hit) it will still have 4 damage with pulse, 9 MV 11 AV 21 DV. It will only need a 10 to hit on the first energy attack or an 11 with an AO. Then it only needs a 10 to hit on the subsequent Pulse Attack. That leaves Alpha 1 click from salvage. In the case of Chikako, if it is hit for 5 AP on its first click, then it will still have 4 ballistic damage 9 MV 11 AV with IT and 21 DV. It will require a 10 with reroll or an 11 with reroll on an AO to hit Alpha for 4 clicks. Again knocking it off its prime slot. In the case of Bekker, I am assuming no SW player would try to engage Alpha before Geoff is on his prime slot. Consequently Alpha will need a 13 to hit with an AO and Bekker will need a 11 to hit with an AO of his own. This will again knock Alpha off its prime click.

For an even cheaper option, Duke Sandoval could set up with Crusader outside of Alpha's AO range and then run into base in the next turn. At that point, Alpha will need to roll a 12 to hit the duke, whereas the duke only needs a 10 to hit Alpha. Certainly manageable, but not a sure thing.

In any case, I am not trying to trash Alpha because I think it is a great mech. However, it isn't the best mech CEC combo in the game. There are simply too many reliable ways to deal with it. It is certainly one of the better Heavys we have seen in awhile, but the best Mech/CEC combo probably goes to either the Chikako or Persuader combos.

I've faced the Prowler, he's good but not the best. I haven't faced Chikako. I'll go up against any mech with Alpha and not worry that I'm outmatched. I won't say Alpha is the best, but it's better than the Prowler. Anyway....

Freakboy nice try with the Prowler combo. Prowler 234 points, pilot 47, pulse 23 (I think), faction 30.... that's 334 points. Versus Alpha + pilot which is 229 points. If I use the points you used I can add a small mech to fight with Alpha. I mean ####.. I'll add the blade with pilot. I'll have 2 mechs with 12 attack. Alpha assaults at 21, shoots at 16. I'll always hit first, you move into range to shoot back.. blade hits you. Oh snap you been hit twice and you're done.

The toughest mech I've gone up against is Clyde, not sure if thats his full name or whatever. Parked in the bushes he has a 26 defence or something stupid like that. The only way I beat him is by staying away from him in the bush, and kill other units instead.

Alpha Mangonel is a Heavy Mech....we're comparing him to assualt-class mechs here. Isn't a Kodiak an assault class mech? Then again...Right now I'm trying to find a current heavy that's meant for long-range combat instead of hand to hand combat (ie. Jade Hawks).