BattleTech & Alpha Strike Token Reference | LITKO

Last updated: August 21, 2026. Rules references reflect the BattleTech Core Rulebook (Catalyst Game Labs, September 2026 — the replacement for Total Warfare) and Alpha Strike: Commander's Edition; where the Core Rulebook changed a rule, this guide says so. Always check the latest errata for tournament play.

Tracking game state is the difference between a smooth BattleTech game and one that grinds to a halt every round. Heat builds, damage accumulates, electronic warfare locks on, mechs fall prone — and every player at the table needs to see what is happening at a glance. This guide shows you what you need to track, the terminology each rules system uses, and the LITKO tokens, dials, and templates that replace cardboard counters and sticky-note shorthand.

This reference covers both Classic BattleTech (the hex-map game, now governed by the 2026 Core Rulebook that replaces Total Warfare — descended from the original 1984 game (BattleDroids, renamed BattleTech in 1985), lance-on-lance scale with full record sheets) and Alpha Strike (the faster, larger-scale variant with simplified damage and per-mech cards). Each section is tagged with the version it applies to. Most tracking products work for both.

By the LITKO Design Team. Designed and manufactured in our workshop in Valparaiso, Indiana. Last reviewed: August 2026.

LITKO has been making BattleTech-compatible accessories for decades — tokens for every game state, heat dials in three configurations, fire arc templates, hex bases, and full token sets for Classic and Alpha Strike alike. The full collection is on our BattleTech accessories page; this guide explains which token does what and helps you build a token kit for the version you actually play.

BattleTech Core Rulebook (2026) — What Changed for Your Token Tray Classic

The BattleTech Core Rulebook (Catalyst Game Labs, September 2026) replaces Total Warfare: a 270-plus-page rebuild of the Classic rules, built on the BattleMech Manual and arriving alongside a new Starter Box and Core Box. Catalyst is explicit that this is not a new edition: every miniature, mapsheet and Technical Readout still works, and all but a handful of the record sheets published over forty years are unchanged. What did change is the rules text itself — 174 entries on Catalyst's official changelog — and a surprising number of them change what you physically mark on the table.

Short version: everything on this page still works, several token families went from “advanced rules” to core, one went obsolete, and the new missions and terrain chapters create marking needs the old game never had. Alpha Strike: Commander's Edition is unchanged — nothing in the Alpha Strike-tagged sections below moves.

Core Rulebook change	What it means at the table	Tokens that cover it
Stealth systems are core	Chameleon LPS, Null-Signature and Void-Signature systems move from Tactical Operations into the core rules. Expect them on far more tables; each only works while switched on, so the on/off state needs a marker.	Stealth tokens — Chameleon, Null Sig, Void Sig, or the 10-piece Stealth Combat Set
Fire & smoke are core	Burning hexes and drifting smoke are now standard rules rather than an optional chapter, and the Core Box missions use smoke as a complication. A burning hex is a hazard; smoke degrades sightlines. Both outlast the turn they start in, so the hex needs a marker.	Flame & smoke markers sized to share a 1.25-inch hex with a ’Mech
New terrain & conditions	Fog, foliage, ice, mud, sand, snow, swamp and unstable ground join the core terrain list, alongside night, wind, snowfall and low-visibility conditions. Stock mapsheets don't print these — you overlay them.	Terrain markers — fog bank, ice, snow and bogged-down tokens
Missions chapter	A dozen pick-up missions with scored objectives, complications, hidden units and Combat Drop deployment. Forces now deploy with equipment already switched on or off, and ammo bins may start half-loaded.	Objective, deployment & activation tokens
Escalating Failure table	One uniform table replaces the old MASC activation rules and also governs superchargers, radical heat sinks and the Blue Shield PFD. The number you must beat climbs with each consecutive turn of use — so the turn count is now something to track.	MASC On/Off tokens plus a die or numbered counter for the turn count
Formal spotter rules	A new section defines when and how a unit may spot for indirect fire; TAG remains the precision option and semi-guided munitions were reworked around it.	TAG & Tagged tokens
Battlefield Support	Vehicles, infantry and aerospace enter as card-based Assets, and one-shot Strikes cover artillery, air support and minefields — Thunder-missile minefields included.	Mine/decoy tokens, strafe and area-effect templates
Front-loaded initiative (unequal forces)	When forces are unequal in size the larger side now front-loads its extra moves (the common house rule, made official), and there's an optional Initiative Die rule. Who has already moved this phase is the question every turn.	Activated & initiative tokens
Skidding is removed	The skid rule is gone from the core game entirely.	Skid tokens are now for Total Warfare-era games only; use Walk / Run / Jump / Sprint tokens

Smaller rule changes that alter what you mark

• Torso twists can now be declared in either the Ranged Attack Phase (the renamed Weapon Attack Phase) or the Physical Attack Phase.
• Standing up no longer generates heat, and the Piloting Skill Roll to stand gets a −1 modifier.
• Shutdown no longer forces an immediate +3 Piloting Skill Roll; a shut-down ’Mech, or one with an unconscious pilot, cannot be given a fire selection.
• Immobile now means 0 MP in every movement mode because of damage. An immobile ’Mech gets no movement selection, and enemies can move through its hex.
• TMM persists for the rest of the turn once a unit has moved, even if it falls or becomes immobile later that turn.
• Narc and iNarc homing effects are merged into one stronger rule; C3 is degraded rather than shut down by hostile ECM; ECM only affects units directly inside its radius.
• Life Support damage now causes MechWarrior hits from heat 10 (one hit) and heat 20 (two hits), down from 15 and 26.

Classic BattleTech vs. Alpha Strike — Which Are You Playing?

Before you buy tokens, know which BattleTech you are playing. The two systems share lore and miniatures but track game state very differently.

Tracking Heat — The Iconic Mechanic Both versions

Heat is what makes BattleMechs feel alive. Every weapon you fire, every step you run, every leap you jump piles heat into the reactor. Let it climb too high and the mech penalizes itself: shots miss, movement slows, ammo cooks off, and at the top of the scale the reactor shuts down entirely. Heat is the most important number on the table, and it is also the easiest one to lose track of when you are erasing record-sheet bubbles in pencil.

How heat works

In Classic BattleTech, heat is tracked on a 0 to 30 scale on each mech's record sheet. Each turn you generate heat from movement (Walked = 1, Ran = 2, Jumped = a minimum of 3), and from each weapon you fire. You then subtract heat sinks. The remainder is your current heat level. Penalties and shutdown checks scale up as heat climbs:

The 2026 Core Rulebook keeps the 0–30 scale and these thresholds intact — your heat dial is unchanged. What moved is around the edges: a stand attempt no longer generates heat, a shutdown no longer forces an immediate Piloting Skill Roll, and a destroyed Life Support system now starts inflicting MechWarrior hits at heat 10 (one hit) and heat 20 (two hits) instead of 15 and 26.

In Alpha Strike, heat is dramatically simplified. Mechs have an Overheat (OV) value, typically 0–3, representing how many points of overheat the player can voluntarily declare on an attack. Each point of OV adds equal damage and equal heat. A mech with OV0 never overheats at all; a Marauder with OV2 plays very differently from a Hunchback with OV1. Tracking is per-attack: how many OV points were declared this turn, plus a binary Shutdown indicator when things go wrong.

What players track on heat

• Current heat level — the running total this turn (Classic only)
• Movement penalty — loss of MP at heat 5+ (Classic only)
• To-hit penalty — gunnery modifiers at heat 8+ (Classic only)
• Shutdown state — the mech is offline and unable to act (both versions)
• Overheat declaration — pushing past safe in exchange for more damage (Alpha Strike)

LITKO heat tracking products

LITKO makes three heat tracking products, each suited to a different play style. All are precision-laser-cut acrylic, designed to sit beside a 32mm hex base. The full set, including the Armor & Structure and Speed & Maneuver dials, lives in the BattleTech dials collection.

For shutdown indication specifically — whether voluntary, ammo-explosion-induced, or rolled into — we also stock dedicated Reactor Shutdown tokens that drop directly onto the mech base.

Tracking Damage, Armor & Critical Hits Both versions

BattleTech's damage system is unusually granular for a tabletop wargame. A mech's hull is divided into sections (head, torso, arms, legs), each with its own armor and internal structure values, and each torso and arm section can take critical hits to specific subsystems. Tracking damage well separates a tight game from one where players argue about whether the left arm was already gone.

Classic damage tracking Classic

A Classic record sheet has bubbles for armor (outer shell), internal structure (the chassis underneath), and a Critical Hit Table for each location. As damage lands, you fill in bubbles. When a location's armor is gone, further hits eat into structure, and each structure point that lands forces a roll on the Critical Hit Table for that location.

This is detailed and authentic, but it has a real failure mode: once the record sheet is messy, mistakes compound. The fix is sleeves and dry-erase markers (most experienced players use them) plus indication tokens that mark the persistent critical hits on the table itself, where everyone can see them, instead of buried on the sheet.

Alpha Strike damage tracking Alpha Strike

Alpha Strike collapses the per-location damage system into two pools: Armor and Structure. When armor reaches zero, structure starts taking hits. When structure reaches zero, the mech is destroyed. Critical hits in Alpha Strike use a much shorter table than Classic and produce a small set of named effects: Engine Hit, Fire Control, Weapon Hit, Crew Stunned, and MV Hit (movement reduction; the Vehicle equivalent is called Motive Hit).

Because Alpha Strike is built for larger battles, dial-based tracking shines here: spin a single dial down as damage lands, no record sheet flipping required. The LITKO Armor & Structure Dial is designed for exactly this — one dial per mech, mounted next to the unit card or beside the model.

Critical hit indication tokens (individual)

Five critical hit results matter enough to warrant table-visible indication tokens of their own. These work for both versions, with slightly different rules attached:

Bundled token sets for Classic

Movement Modes & Target Movement Modifier (TMM) Both versions

A mech's movement choice affects three things at once: how far it goes, how easy it is to hit, and how accurate its own weapons are after firing. Both Classic and Alpha Strike use this trade-off, but they label and track it differently. Indicating which mode a mech used is the most argued-about thing at a BattleTech table after critical hits.

The four movement modes

In Classic BattleTech, the defender's to-hit modifier is determined by the Target Movement Modifier table based on how many hexes the unit moved, not the mode itself: 0 hexes = +0, 1–2 = +0, 3 = +1, 4–6 = +2, 7–9 = +3, 10+ = +4. Jumping adds +1 to whatever the hexes-moved modifier would have been. The own-gunnery penalty (the right column above) is what's tied to mode (+1 walked, +2 ran, +3 jumped). The principle is universal: moving faster and farther makes you harder to hit but worse at hitting back.

Core Rulebook changes worth a marker: once a unit has moved, its TMM now persists for the whole turn even if it falls or is immobilized later in the turn; immobile is formally defined as 0 MP in every mode due to damage, and an immobile ’Mech can be moved through; and skidding has been removed from the core game, so the Skid tokens below are for Total Warfare-era play only.

Target Movement Modifier (TMM) Alpha Strike

Alpha Strike folds the movement penalty into a single number called the Target Movement Modifier (TMM), which is printed on each unit's card based on its speed and agility. A Locust prints TMM 4; an Atlas prints TMM 1. The mode chosen each turn applies modifiers to that printed value: standing still drops TMM to 0, walking and running use the printed value as-is, jumping adds +1, and sprinting grants the highest TMM (typically printed value + 1).

The community convention is to place a die showing the unit's current TMM next to the mech after it moves. This works, but a die is just a die — players still need to remember which face means TMM versus initiative versus a leftover roll. Purpose-built tokens read at a glance and don't get repurposed mid-turn.

LITKO movement tokens

Position States — Stand, Kneel, Prone & Hull Down Both versions

A BattleMech's position is a stance, not just where it is on the map. Position changes the mech's profile, defense modifiers, and what it can do next turn. The states stack, persist between turns, and are easy to forget mid-game — "wait, was that mech kneeling?" is the most common position-state argument at any BattleTech table.

The position states

• Standing — default, full profile, full movement available
• Kneeling — lower profile, defense bonus, half movement to recover
• Prone — flat on the ground, hardest to hit but limited firing arcs and movement
• Hull Down — crouched behind a Level 1+ hill, counting as one level tall and gaining partial cover: opponents take a +1 to-hit modifier. Hull Down is an advanced rule from Tactical Operations (and an optional rule in Alpha Strike), not part of the 2026 Core Rulebook — agree on it before deployment
• Knocked Down — involuntarily prone; standing takes a Piloting Skill Roll (at −1 and with no heat cost under the 2026 Core Rulebook)
• Bogged Down — stuck in mud, swamp, or deep snow — all core terrain types as of 2026
• Immobilized — 0 MP in every movement mode because of damage; gets no movement selection, and enemies may move through its hex (2026 Core Rulebook definition)
• Unconscious — pilot is out cold; mech is stationary until they recover

Position tokens

Facing & Torso Twist Mostly Classic

BattleMechs have a unique mechanic: the torso can twist independently of the legs — one hexside (60°) left or right per turn. A mech moves in one direction but can fire its torso-mounted weapons in another. Quad mechs cannot torso-twist at all. Under the 2026 Core Rulebook the twist can be declared in either the Ranged Attack Phase or the Physical Attack Phase, so the marker now matters twice per turn. Tracking the secondary facing without a marker means constantly re-checking the model's rotation against memory of where it was last turn — or arguing about it.

Torso twist tokens are a small triangular marker placed beside the mech's hex pointing to the torso's current facing. With the marker, both players can see at a glance which weapons can fire at which targets. Without it, the conversation is always: "Wait, my torso was twisted that way. No, this way."

Firing Arcs — Front, Side & Rear Both versions

Every mech has three firing arcs: front, side (left and right), and rear. Whether a target is in your arc determines which weapons can fire and which armor facing takes the hit. Arc disputes are slow, frustrating, and entirely preventable with a transparent template.

The Hex Map Fire Arc Template is a clear acrylic overlay laser-engraved with the arc lines. Drop it over the mech's hex, the template's center aligns with the model's facing, and the arc colors show every legal target hex at a glance. Aerospace mechs and fighters use a different template tuned to the higher-speed flight rules.

Line of Sight & Multi-Target Resolution Both versions

Two related problems happen on every BattleTech turn. First, can the shooter see the target through the woods, building, or smoke? Second, when one mech is firing at multiple targets in the same turn, which weapons go to which target?

A practical line-of-sight marker set has different-sized profile cards (Protomech, Infantry, Mech, Superheavy) that drop in front of the target. If your sightline can see the marker, you have LOS. Multi-target token sets pair lettered shooter tokens with numbered target tokens so weapon assignments are unambiguous before any dice are rolled.

Electronic Warfare — TAG, NARC, ECM, MASC & NOVA CEWS Both versions

The BattleTech universe is full of acronyms for sensor and electronics gear. Each system has its own rules effect, on/off state, and visibility on the table. Without indication tokens, both players have to remember which mech has what active — and that breaks down fast in 12-mech games.

The major EW systems

Target Acquisition Gear (TAG)

Target Acquisition Gear is a sensor "spotter" system. A friendly mech equipped with TAG fires the laser-designator at an enemy mech; once the target is painted, missile-armed friendly units can take advantage of the lock — LRMs in indirect fire mode, Arrow IV homing rounds, Semi-Guided LRMs, and similar guided missile systems all gain a to-hit bonus against that target this turn. TAG itself does no damage. Its value is purely in coordination: a TAG-equipped scout makes every missile-armed friendly unit more accurate against the painted target.

Because TAG involves two mechs — the spotter and the target — tracking it well requires two tokens. One beside the firing mech indicates "TAG active this turn." A second beside the target marks "currently tagged" so missile-fire resolution doesn't get caught arguing about which target is eligible for the bonus.

Narc and iNARC Missile Beacons

The Narc Missile Beacon is a homing pod fired from a dedicated launcher. Once a Narc beacon hits and sticks, every friendly missile fired at that target gains a to-hit bonus. The beacon is persistent — it stays attached until the section it's stuck to is destroyed (or, in advanced rules, removed by specialized means).

The improved iNarc launcher also fires specialised pods; under the 2026 Core Rulebook the Narc and iNarc homing effects are merged into a single, stronger rule, so the missile bonus is the same whichever beacon is stuck on. Both versions track the same way: a token beside the marked mech tells everyone at the table this unit is currently NARCed (or iNARCed). In missile-heavy lances, this is the difference between coherent fire planning and round-by-round confusion about which target gets the bonus.

ECM and ECCM Electronic Countermeasures

Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) generates a sphere of radio interference around the equipped mech. Inside the radius, enemy sensors degrade: lock-on weapons lose their lock, Streak missiles can't acquire, Narc-guided fire stops getting its bonus, and C3 networks are degraded — the 2026 Core Rulebook halves the C3 bonus inside hostile ECM instead of cutting the network outright. It also tightened the bubble: only units directly inside the radius are affected, not every shot whose line of sight merely crosses it. ECM is one of the most rules-bending pieces of equipment in BattleTech because it changes what's possible for every unit inside the bubble.

Electronic Counter-Counter-Measures (ECCM) is the rebuttal. ECCM in the same area cancels ECM jamming, restoring normal sensor function. The two systems can be played against each other in dueling stacks, and tracking which mech has which active — and where their radii overlap — is what separates a clean game from a mid-turn rule-recheck. Tokens at each equipped mech are the simplest way to keep both bubbles legible.

Myomer Accelerator Signal Circuitry (MASC)

MASC is a leg actuator system that, when activated, increases a mech's running speed to 2× walking MP instead of the standard 1.5×. The downside is the Escalating Failure Table, new in the 2026 Core Rulebook and shared with superchargers and radical heat sinks: each consecutive turn MASC stays on, the number you must roll to avoid failure climbs, and a failed roll means a critical-hit check on one random leg (the old automatic critical hit in each leg is gone, and so is automatic failure). Smart pilots use MASC for one-turn dashes — closing for a charge, escaping a flanking move, repositioning for a sniper line — then deactivate before the burnout roll catches up.

Because MASC is a binary on/off rule with very different movement math depending on state, paired tokens work best. Place "MASC On" beside the mech the turn it activates, swap to "MASC Off" when the pilot deactivates. A die beside the “On” token showing how many consecutive turns it has run keeps the Escalating Failure roll honest. Without the marker, the burnout roll gets forgotten and the doubled-movement window quietly extends past where the rules say it should end.

NOVA Combined Electronic Warfare System

The Nova Combined Electronic Warfare System (NOVA CEWS) is a Clan-developed integrated suite that bundles ECM, an Active Probe, and a tactical data link into one assembly. NOVA-equipped mechs share targeting data across a network: allied units within range receive fire-control bonuses, and enemy electronics within the same area get disrupted. It's effectively a "force-multiplier-in-a-box" that's most often seen in advanced-rules Clan armies.

An Inner Sphere reverse-engineered variant exists in the Black Hawk-KU, manufactured by Wakazashi Enterprises for the Draconis Combine. Either way, the network state matters — tracking who's in the NOVA bubble and whether it's currently broadcasting prevents arguments about which allies are receiving bonuses each turn.

Stealth Systems — Null Sig, Void Sig & Chameleon LPS Mostly Classic

Three of the most commonly fielded stealth systems are Null Signature, Void Signature, and Chameleon LPS. Each has its own rules and on/off state. Until 2026 they were advanced rules from Tactical Operations; the Core Rulebook moves all three into the core game, so expect them on far more tables than before — not just in tournament play and stealth-equipped variants. All three benefit from clear table-side indication tokens because the rules effects only apply when the system is active. (Other stealth-class equipment exists in BattleTech — notably Stealth Armor and Mimetic Armor — with their own indication needs. In Alpha Strike, these systems appear as Special Abilities printed on the unit card — NULL, VOID, and STL/MAS — and apply per the AS Special Abilities rules.)

• Null Signature System — reduces the mech's heat and electromagnetic signature, making it harder to acquire with sensor-locked weapons
• Void Signature System — an active stealth field that makes the mech significantly harder to hit at all ranges
• Chameleon Light Polarization Shield (LPS) — visual camouflage; counters line-of-sight targeting. (Note: Catalyst's canonical name is "Shield"; LITKO's product is named "System" — same equipment, two community names.)

Null Signature System

The Null Signature System reduces the mech's electromagnetic and infrared profile, making it harder to acquire with sensor-locked weapons, scanner-targeted missiles, and any to-hit roll that depends on getting a clean sensor lock. When active, attackers shooting at the equipped mech take a to-hit penalty that scales with range — longer-range shots get hit hardest, since they rely most on sensor data.

Null Sig works against most sensor-driven weapons but does not help against direct visual targeting (use Chameleon LPS for that). The system has an on/off state, generates heat when active, and can be voluntarily switched off to free up heat capacity for weapons fire. A Null Signature token at the mech's base tells everyone at the table when the system is broadcasting and that range-modified attack math is in effect.

Void Signature System

Void Signature is the most powerful (and rarest) of the three stealth systems. When active, it generates an active stealth field that imposes a substantial to-hit penalty on attackers at all ranges — combining radar absorption, IR masking, and visual distortion into a single effect. Void Sig is signature equipment of the Word of Blake's Shadow Divisions and Protectorate Militia, most commonly seen on Raptor II variants. It is rare outside Blakist forces, but when it shows up at a tournament table, the entire game changes around it.

The cost is heat. Void Sig generates significant reactor heat per turn when active, so the pilot is forced to choose between full stealth and full weapons fire each turn. A token at the base makes the active state visible and reminds everyone at the table that range-band penalty math is in effect.

Chameleon Light Polarization Shield (LPS)

The Chameleon LPS — canonically the Light Polarization Shield, though some product lines (including LITKO's) name it "System" — is a visual camouflage system that defeats line-of-sight targeting. When active, it shifts the mech's surface to match the surrounding environment — effectively a high-tech ghillie suit for a 50-ton war machine. Attackers using visual targeting (most short-range and direct-fire weapons in dense terrain) take a to-hit penalty.

Unlike Null Sig and Void Sig, Chameleon LPS specifically counters visual combat. It does not help against radar-locked or sensor-guided weapons. The system pairs naturally with terrain-based positioning: a Chameleon-equipped mech in heavy woods becomes very difficult to hit with conventional fire. A token at the base marks active LPS so opponents know which targeting modifiers apply this turn.

Want all three? The Stealth Combat Set

For a single-purchase pack covering all three systems — ideal for stealth-heavy lances or for keeping a "stealth on the table" toolkit ready — the Mecha Stealth Combat Token Set bundles 4 Chameleon, 3 Void Sig, and 3 Null Sig tokens in one 10-piece kit.

Combat Actions — Charge, Death From Above & Pilot Skill Checks Both versions

BattleTech has a rich physical-attack system separate from weapon fire. Mechs can punch, kick, charge, and (most cinematically) jump on top of an enemy mech — the iconic Death From Above. Each is its own mechanic with its own dice rolls and risks. Tokens declare intent before resolution: an "I'm charging" or "I'm DFA-ing" token placed beside the model commits the player to the maneuver and tells the opponent how to plan their response.

Combat action tokens

Battlefield & Terrain Markers Both versions

BattleTech terrain matters. Light Woods add +1 to-hit and cost +1 MP to enter; Heavy Woods add +2 to-hit and cost +2 MP. Rough Ground costs +1 MP. Rubble costs +1 MP and forces a Pilot Skill Check to avoid falling. When you're playing on a paper hex map, drawing terrain in pencil gets messy and hard to redo between scenarios. Token-based terrain lets you build a battlefield in 30 seconds, redeploy it instantly, and never argue about whether a hex was Light Woods or Heavy Woods.

For miniature-style Alpha Strike play, the same tokens drop alongside model trees, ruined buildings, or terrain pieces to confirm the rules state. A model tree might look like Heavy Woods, but the token is the rules truth.

Fire & smoke — core rules as of the 2026 Core Rulebook

Fire and smoke used to live in Tactical Operations (and, in simplified form, the BattleMech Manual). The Core Rulebook makes them standard, and the Core Box mission complications lean on smoke. A burning hex is a hazard that heats anything in it, and the smoke it throws up degrades line of sight for anyone shooting through it (an active probe cuts through smoke inside its range). Both effects outlast the turn they start in, so each affected hex needs a marker that survives being bumped. On a 1.25-inch hex the trick is height without footprint: a marker that stands up so it reads across the table, on a base small enough to share the hex with a 32mm ’Mech.

Terrain the Core Rulebook adds

The battlefield chapter was rewritten from scratch, and fog, foliage, ice, mud, sand, snow, swamp and unstable ground are now core terrain — none of which a standard mapsheet prints. Players overlay them. Ice in particular matters: entering an ice hex now calls for a Piloting Skill Roll (at +1), so an unmarked ice hex is a fall waiting to be argued about. For mud, sand, swamp and unstable ground there is no dedicated LITKO overlay yet — mark the hex type with any flat token and use the Bogged Down token for the movement result.

Special Weapons — Mines, Strafing & Aerospace Support Both versions

Beyond the standard weapons loadout, BattleTech includes minefields, aerospace strafing runs, and area-effect attacks. Each requires a marker on the table to indicate either a hidden hazard or the active strike zone. Decoy mines that look identical to live mines until revealed make for some of the best ambush moments in the game. The 2026 Core Rulebook folds all of this into Battlefield Support: artillery, air strikes and minefields arrive as one-shot Strikes, Thunder missiles now seed minefields under the same rules, and artillery cannons and a set of new Arrow IV munitions join the core weapon list — so area-effect templates earn their place in the kit.

Objectives, Deployment & Salvage Both versions

Scenario play needs scenario markers. Where do you deploy? Where is the objective? When a mech goes down, who salvages it? Hazard-stripe objectives mark capture-the-flag and hold-the-position scenario aids; destroyed-salvage tokens convert a fallen mech from a model on the table into a campaign-game salvageable asset.

The 2026 Core Rulebook is the first core book with a proper Missions chapter: a dozen pick-up missions with scored objectives, a complications table, a Battle Value scale system for sizing games, hidden units and Combat Drop deployment. Objective markers stop being a house-rule prop and become standard kit. Deployment also changed — forces move onto the board from their edge with every activatable system already set on or off, and unequal forces now use front-loaded initiative — which makes “has this unit moved yet?” the most-asked question of the Movement Phase. Activated tokens answer it; initiative tokens settle who goes first. (Hidden units, by design, get no marker — write the hex down.)

Bases & Movement Trays Both versions

BattleTech minis traditionally use 32mm hex bases (~1.26 inches across the flats — sized just under the standard mapsheet hex's 1.29 inches/~33mm so they drop cleanly inside without overhanging adjacent hexes). The hex shape aligns naturally with the map and tells you the unit's facing without ambiguity. For miniature-style Alpha Strike play with formations of mechs, formation skirmish trays let you move multiple units as a group without losing individual identity.

For broader basing reference across miniature scales and game systems, see our Miniature Base Sizes Guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions from new and returning BattleTech players. If you don't see what you're looking for, our full collection of accessories for BattleTech is the fastest way to find a token for any specific mechanic.

What base size do BattleMechs use?

The BattleTech standard for hex-grid play is 32mm hexagon bases — the hex shape aligns naturally with map hexes and tells you the unit's facing without ambiguity. For miniature-style Alpha Strike played on open terrain with rulers, round bases are common. LITKO sells 32mm hex mecha bases in 5-packs. For broader basing across game systems, see the Miniature Base Sizes Guide.

What's the difference between Classic BattleTech and Alpha Strike?

Classic BattleTech (the 2026 Core Rulebook, formerly Total Warfare) is lance-vs-lance scale — 4 to 12 mechs total, full record sheets with per-location armor and structure bubbles, detailed hit locations and critical hit slots, and games that run two to four hours. Alpha Strike simplifies the rules so you can field battalion-scale forces (10+ mechs per side) in 45 to 90 minutes. Damage is tracked on a single armor-and-structure pool per mech, weapons fire collapses into a damage value at each range band, and miniatures are usually played on open terrain with rulers instead of a hex map. Most LITKO tokens work for both.

What tokens do I need to play BattleTech?

At minimum: heat tracking (one dial per mech) and a combat/movement set covering shutdowns, salvage, torso twist, and movement modes. The Mecha Combat Token Set covers all of those in 27 pieces. For a fuller setup, add critical damage tokens, a fire arc template, and terrain markers. Tournament play typically also requires position-state tokens (Stand, Kneel, Prone, Hull Down) and electronic-warfare markers if your mechs carry TAG, NARC, or ECM.

What is TMM in Alpha Strike?

Target Movement Modifier. The number opponents add to their attack rolls when targeting a mech that just moved. TMM scales with movement mode: standing still = +0, walking = +1, running = +2, jumping = +3 (or higher), sprinting gives the highest TMM. The community convention is to place a die or movement token next to the mech showing its current TMM — LITKO's Walk +1, Jump +3, and Standing Still tokens are purpose-built for this.

How do you track Hull Down in BattleTech?

A mech is Hull Down when it crouches behind a Level 1 or higher hill, counting as one level tall and gaining partial cover — opponents take a +1 to-hit modifier. It is an advanced rule from Tactical Operations and an optional rule in Alpha Strike, not part of the 2026 Core Rulebook, so agree on it before deployment. Track it with a position token at the mech's base so both players see the modifier without re-checking the rules each turn. LITKO's Mecha Maneuvers Token Set includes Hull Down tokens alongside Prone, Kneel, and Stand.

What's the difference between Null Signature, Void Signature, and Chameleon LPS?

All three are mech stealth systems with different mechanics. Null Signature System reduces sensor and IR signature; opponents take range-scaled to-hit penalties when using sensor-locked weapons. Void Signature System is the strongest: an active stealth field that imposes substantial to-hit penalties at all ranges (signature equipment of Word of Blake elite mechs). Chameleon LPS is visual camouflage; it defeats line-of-sight targeting but doesn't help against radar-locked weapons. Each has its own indication token because the rules effects only apply when the system is active. All three are core rules as of the 2026 Core Rulebook.

What does NARC do in BattleTech?

Narc is a homing missile beacon that physically attaches to an enemy mech. Once it sticks, every friendly missile fired at that target gains a to-hit bonus. The improved iNarc launcher also fires specialised pods, and the 2026 Core Rulebook merges the Narc and iNarc homing effects into one stronger rule. Narc beacons are persistent — they remain attached until the section they are stuck to is destroyed. A NARC/iNARC token beside the mech tracks which targets are currently NARCed.

Do LITKO tokens work with the 2026 BattleTech Core Rulebook, Core Box and Starter Box?

Yes. The Core Rulebook (September 2026) replaces Total Warfare without changing the hex scale, the base size or the names of the states you track, so every LITKO token, dial and template for BattleTech carries straight over — and the stealth, fire and smoke markers that used to be advanced-rules extras are now core. The one casualty is the Skid token: skidding was removed from the core game, so keep those for Total Warfare-era play. Our tokens, dials and templates are aftermarket upgrades to the cardboard punchboards in the Starter Box and Core Box, and to Alpha Strike: Commander's Edition. Sizes match the standard hex-grid scale (1.25 inches / 32mm), and the indication terminology mirrors the canonical rule names (TAG, NARC, ECM, MASC, etc.).

What changed in the 2026 BattleTech Core Rulebook that affects tokens?

Three things moved into the core rules that used to be optional: the stealth systems (Chameleon LPS, Null Signature, Void Signature), fire and smoke, and a set of new terrain types (fog, ice, mud, sand, snow, swamp, unstable ground). A new Missions chapter adds scored objectives, hidden units and Combat Drop deployment, forces now deploy with equipment already switched on or off, and a uniform Escalating Failure Table governs MASC and similar systems, which makes the consecutive-turn count worth tracking. Skidding was removed entirely. Smaller changes: torso twists can be declared in either attack phase, standing up costs no heat, a shutdown no longer forces an immediate Piloting Skill Roll, and an immobile mech is defined as 0 MP in every mode.

Do I need fire and smoke markers for BattleTech?

Under the 2026 Core Rulebook, yes if you play the full rules or the Core Box missions: fire and smoke are now standard rules and smoke is one of the mission complications. Any burning or smoke-filled hex needs a marker that lasts several turns. LITKO's Micro Flame Markers (9mm base) and Micro or Mini Smoke Column Markers are sized to share a hex with a 32mm mech, and the flat 25mm Smoke Tokens work when you would rather nothing stand up off the map.

What hex size do BattleTech maps use?

A standard BattleTech mapsheet hex measures approximately 1.29 inches across the flats (~33mm) and 1.5 inches across the points (~38mm) — same hexagon, two axes (per Sarna's Mapsheet entry). The flat-to-flat dimension is what matters when sizing bases or templates to fit inside a hex; LITKO's 32mm bases (~1.26 inches across the flats) are sized just under the mapsheet hex flat dimension, so they drop in cleanly without overhanging neighboring hexes. Our Hex Map Fire Arc Template is sized to overlay the same standard. The 18mm hex tokens used throughout this article fit comfortably within a single map hex without crowding neighbors.

How do you track damage in Alpha Strike vs. Classic BattleTech?

Classic uses per-location armor and internal structure bubbles on a record sheet, plus a Critical Hit Table for each location. Most experienced players sleeve the record sheet and use dry-erase markers; persistent critical hits (engine hits, fire control, weapon jams) are also worth marking on the table itself with indication tokens. Alpha Strike collapses damage into single Armor and Structure pools per mech, which you can spin down on a single dial — the LITKO Armor & Structure Dial is built for this. Critical hits in Alpha Strike use a much shorter table that produces named effects like Engine Hit, Fire Control, Weapon Hit, Crew Stunned, and MV Hit (movement reduction; the Vehicle equivalent is Motive Hit), each with its own indication token.

Browse the Full BattleTech Collection

LITKO carries dials, tokens, templates, hex bases, and formation trays for every state mechanic in Classic BattleTech and Alpha Strike — checked against the 2026 Core Rulebook. New products are added regularly as the rules expand.

Related guides: Warhammer 40K Tokens · WWII Wargame Tokens · What Dice Do You Need?

BattleTech, BattleMech, Alpha Strike, and 'Mech are trademarks of The Topps Company, Inc., used under license by Catalyst Game Labs. LITKO Game Accessories is not affiliated with or endorsed by Catalyst Game Labs or The Topps Company, Inc. Our products are designed to be compatible with these games and are independently produced.