Drop Zone Commander

[Inquisitor Stingray]

Right, that's why I bought the starter set as well. Aside from being a good deal and having the rules (it's actually cheaper than a single starter set!?) it allows me to quickly get people into the game. Unsurprisingly people are a lot less hesitant to try it out, if you have an army ready for them to try out. I settled on Scourge. Can't beat shotgun-to-face strategy and Giger-looking aliens. Shaltari look great too, though. I like the Halo vibe UCM gives me as well. Not that Halo invented the generic futuristic military aestethic, but it's the franchise I most closely associate with it. And seeing a UCM Light Dropship dump off a bunch of not-Warthogs makes me humm the theme melody. I like the playstyle of PHR, but the models haven't really caught me. Too round and soft looking, though I suppose that's what they were deliberately going for.

[bredkooler]

The PHR are the ones I really like, they have an old school battletech feel that I really enjoy. I have to say, the 2 player box is a fantastic deal, the cardboard buildings look far nicer than I thought they would and actual go up pretty quick. The mini hawk games tape measure is a nice touch too. I'm very impressed so far, can't wait to dive into some games tomorrow!

[Xantige]

I've been on the fence with DZC since it came out. The models look awesome, but I don't think there's anyone I know who'd want to get into it. I might check my LGS to see if there's a group already playing it, apparently my LGS carries the terrain and the starter kit.

I've got a couple questions for all you people jumping into it:

1) How many models do you need for the average game? And what's the ratio like? (eg, is it about 5 ships, 2 tanks and 10 infantry? Can it range?)
2) By extension, how big of a case do you need?
3) How many accessories are there? Cards have been mentioned, how are those implemented? How many dice do you need?
4) How much room do you need to play a game? Is there enough terrain in the starter kit?
5) How long did it take you to learn the rules? How many solo-test games?
6) Is there a lot to read and remember when it comes to the rules?
7) How many types of games are there? In 40k you've got objective games and kill-everything games with different types of deployment and gimmicks, how do you win at DZC?
8) Is the learning curve intense?
9) Is it intended to be a brutally competitive game, or could the casual person create an army and stand a chance?

[Inquisitor Stingray]

I'll take a shot at these:

1) Surprisingly few. If you've taken a look at the starter sets, that'll give you an idea of how many models are used at 500 points. Dropzone is scaled similarly to GW in terms of games, that is 500 is a small game, 2000+ is a big game, 1500 is the tournament standard. There are no real horde armies out there, but you can focus on taking quite a few scout units who are often small and numerous (Scourge Prowlers, for example). Numerous means eight or twelve, though. Not thirty. As for the ratio, most things are taken in 2's, 3's, 6's or 9'. There are no 'buckets of dice' moment in the game, save for close combat. Ultimately it's difficult to say as literally every unit in the game is functional and desirable, so lists can vary a lot; a Scourge player can take several groups of small scout units or focus on big things like the Annihilator and Desolator, for example.

2. You would have little trouble fitting a 1000 point army in a lunchbox, unless you have an abudance of big models (which are few and pricey in points). Resin quality is very good and can take a beating.

3. Cards are the primary accessories. They really spice the game up, though you can play without them just fine (as long as no players use them). As a part of list building you can purchase leaders/officers for your army. They can be "put" in any model on the board, but benefit from being in a true Command unit, which is a certain type of vehicle/aircraft. Depending on how much you paid, they have a command radius (think Synapse) within which they can influence other units. Depending on how the officer is, you get to draw a number of cards which can be used at different times. Some allow you to repair a vehicle, others allow you to extract a group if infantry in a certain fashion.

What's interesting about the commanders is that they give very significant tactical advantages, but they are also expensive and don't directly alter the unit they are placed in. So if you're facing an opponent with a high level commander, he will strategic benefits, but also significantly fewer models.

4. Save for the really big games, Dropzone is played on a 4'X4' surface. The starter set includes a mat to play on. The cardboard buildings are sufficient terrain and very important to the game.

5. The rules are very reasonable. There are some thirty pages, but you just gotta take it slow and read them at a pace that suits you. Close combat I find to be a bit tricky, but other than that the rules are incredibly simply - in a positive way. Generally speaking, the more tricky stuff (Fast Movers, Command cards, certain scenarios) can all be avoided during test games.

6. Compared to 40K, no. New rules are new and thus will be forgotten, but there are way fewer cases of the devil being in the details. There are a few glaring questions that you will be asking yourself when you play, but they are easily resolved by consulting their official forum.

7) Lots and lots. Most are based around objectives, but they vary greatly and new ones are being added as we speak. There are even rules for playing more than two players!

8) Yes and no. With simple rules allowing for great tactical flexibility and overall wonderful balance, you as a player can really focus your time and effort on improving your tactics and strategies; not so much the list building or finding some strange loophole to help you out. I think this ties into -

9) Yes and no again. I could definitely see this game hit it big with tournaments and whatnot, but even so it is enjoyable on a casual basis. The great balance means that every game (dice rolling aside), even the most casual ones, will boil down to tactics and decision making. It's a blast, really.

I should note I haven't been playing for more than few months so I have a lot to learn yet, but my experience so far has been overwhelmingly positive.

[Davor]

Bought it a few days ago. Paid $60 for the box set. Had an indoor store credit so used it to get this instead of anything GW. My god is the box heavy. I am a little shocked how small the minis are. Guess so use to Battletech and GW and never played with 10mm a bit daunting to think how am I going to paint the small infantry.

Loving the Fluff. I see I misread the fluff a bit so I am leaning toward Post Human Republic. I thought it was the UCM who shot first, but now I reread it and it was PHR, but I see they are more courageous than the UCM. Also liking the looks of the Shaltari. Too bad these guys were not in the box set.

[Davor]

Hmmm..... Godzillia is out this weekend. Got to use my Tyrant as a Godzillia type creature to wreck havoc in the city.

*edit* Speaking of using Nids in this game, don't you think Gargyoles might make great flyers for an alien menace horde race? A carnifex as a super monster? Like the Giant Crab the I was hoping to get in Skyrim in the developer creation video jam. Now that will be awesome.

Does anyone get that PHR seems like the Clans in Battletech a bit? Seeing these minis here, man Battletech minis are put to shame and this is what who ever makes those minis should be doing now. Can't wait to save up money to make a nice PHR army now.

[Davor]

www.dzc-ffor.com

An army builder program for DZC. Just in case you didn't know, they have a lot to offer.

[Inquisitor Stingray]

Davor, very cool that you're joining in on the fun! Don't worry about who shot first; in a few decades David Lewis (the creator of the game) will re-release the rules with new special effects and stupid changes . I have little experience Battletech aside from the MechWarrior games, but I really do like the PHR skimmers in particular. And yes, I too considered using Nids as Godzilla centerpieces. Maybe make som scenarios with them. As for painting them, don't worry; washes and inks go a loooong way to help you out.

[Xantige]

I'll be honest, this game sounds too good to be true. You're telling me a STARTER KIT ACTUALLY has enough for a PROPER army in the game? That it's not broken? That tactics play a big part and the models don't require 2-3 big cases to have a proper battle at the scale intended?

Okay, a few more questions:

How does a 500 point game feel? In 40k 500 points can be short and brutal, but you feel like you're lacking a lot, ya know?

And has anyone tried teaching someone new to wargaming the rules? or read accounts of it on the forum? I want to get into this, but I can't really justify the space and money it'd take if I can't get people into it.

[Inquisitor Stingray]

I know, I feel like my posts come off as some panegyrical speech whenever I talk about the game. The mere fact that there's an official forum on which common rules questions are occasionally addressed by the staff takes some serious suspension of disbelief, hah.

All the four starter armies are worth somewhere around 510-540 points. They all include infantry, dropships, anti-aircraft and regular tanks. Roughly speaking these four categories can be said to make up the primary elements of the game; infantry find the objectives, dropships carry the infantry, anti-air destroy the dropships and anti-armor take out the anti-air. It's not that simple, obviously, but the game has a nice rock-paper-plasmagun feel to it. When building your list you will need a little of everything to cover your bases, because if you go all out spamming some good, but specific unit, you will be sorely lacking on other fronts. Long story short, the starter kits include a bit 'o everything to give you a nice feel of what to expect.

The people I play with so far have all had experience with 40K, so teaching them the rules have been reasonably smooth. Obviously wargaming can seem abstract at times, but most of the concepts in the game should be reckognizable by most people.

[Davor]

What is "your" army? What do you like about them?

For me I am starting to like the Post Human Republic. I like their story. I like their "mech" type design. Still learning how the game works and history, but from what I read for 2 hours, this would be my army. Sad I don't have anything since they are not in the starter set. Ironically the alien race I like is the Shatari (spelling?) and they are not in the box set as well.

I am wondering if we are going to get any supplements or codex that will really flesh out the fluff for these armies.

[Inquisitor Stingray]

I play Scourge. Years of visiting the Tyranid Hive and Giger indoctrination made that choice very simple, haha. Aside from their wonderful, if somewhat disturbing aestethic, I like how mysterious they still are at this point. Sure, they are the bad guys but the truth is we do not yet know their motives and I find that very intriguing. Also some of the units bring forth pleasent associations, like the Desolator (http://www.hawkwargames.com/products/desolator) who reminds me of the Reapers from Mass Effect. Their playstyle is very cool as well, though I think that is true for every army in the game!

PHR certainly have a charm to them as well! Maybe you can trade off some of the starter models for a PHR starter set?

As for the future of the game, there are a lot of neat interviews on youtube featuring the creator of the game; this August we will be seeing the release of Reconquest: Phase 1, an expansion book with new scenarios, definite rules for units that have been released since the rulebook (like the PHR Hades or Scourge Annihilator) and most importantly a new army called the Resistance. The Resistance are the remnants of the people who remained on Earth and other cradle worlds; some have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the UCM, others have gone feral, mad max style. So yeah, a new expansion and army is coming this year. It all ties into the fluff which is moving on it's own; the rulebook literally 'ends' with UCM getting ready for Reconquest - the expansion details the first fights and battles of that.

[Xantige]

Well, all that's really keeping me from hopping in at this point is a lack of people to even try to introduce this too!

I agree Davor, I'm leaning towards either the Shaltari (sp?) or the PHR. But I'm going by aesthetics so far. I want to love the Scourge, and some of their models ARE awesome, but the "CD Rack" type models just don't do it for me. The PHR models aren't all my favorites, but all in all their general aesthetic is pleasing to me.

[robomummy]

a friend and I split the starter set, going to play my first game Friday as the UCM.

[killercroc]

DZC is really interesting, but unfortunately everyone in my area plays Warhammer or Warmachine, nothing else. Luckily! One individual is interested in it (We both like PHR) So I guess it's time to finally buy some moedls since I will have someone to game with, will be pretty interesting if we both play PHR it will depend a lot on the list and tactics to see who wins against two of the same armies. But really, this game is awesome. The models are A+ and the fluff is good, rules are a bit wonky but all in all this might be the next up and coming minis game.