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Dropzone Commander - Opinions about the game?

Started by crisis_vyper, January 02, 2013, 03:34:47 AM

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crisis_vyper

http://www.hawkwargames.com/

While I was browsing on the internet, I found this particular company and the game, and there are a lot of stuff that piques my interest. But I would like to know of there are people who played this game before or heard of this game.

Zen

I got the starter set. The minis are well made and the rules are simple enough to play.

crisis_vyper

#2
Quote from: Zen on January 03, 2013, 02:19:43 AM
I got the starter set. The minis are well made and the rules are simple enough to play.

Cool, because I am really loving the Shaltari a lot and from the sound of it they are the Tau/Eldar/Protoss of that game.

Are the rules akin to Dystopian Wars? Or more like Warmachine? I prefer the former system over the latter if that helps. And what is the average game size for this game?

Zen

#3
It plays more like 40K but less retarded-ly i.e. no hero-hammers or overpower units, there are no power combos except when doing conventional real life maneuvers such as flanking or using your Tank Destroyer to destroy a tank or equivalent. Everything has a role to play and there are limits to having elite units.

silverfuge

As a club we get a nice lil discount on this so we have been tempted but at 10mm does seem quite expensive even with 30% discount. Could anyone give any pro/cons to playing it compared to other games?
Gm is God

Zen

Pros:
1) It's not 40K.
2) See No. 1.
3) No Hero Hammers. No Death Stars. I.e. This is not Fantasy in Space.
4) Smaller models, easier to paint. Additionally, they're not pimped out with odds and trinkets.
5) The game is scaled more appropriately on a 6 x 4 table with 10mm, and you have more room to maneuver.
6) You appreciate weapon ranges and movement rates much more.
7) Rules are simple enough, not overly complex and stupid.

Cons:
1) Expensive.
2) People not used to painting 10mm miniatures.
3) Don't have proper 10mm terrain.


Solution to Con 1: Instead of one person playing the whole army, get each player to get one battlegroup (since it already has several unit in that group). Then get together to play the whole army. One person would need to take Command Battlegroup while one more take the Armor Battlegroup. Cheapest Battlegroup I can see is the Air Support Battlegroup; you'll have at most 6 aircraft models.

Solution to Con 2: Learn.

Solution to Con 3: Make.

silverfuge

ok so other than the gw bashing. Its 10mm and expensive but the rules are easy and realistic. Thank you may well speak to the comittee at my club about buying a set.
Gm is God

LinnScarlett

I need more time to do the Emperor's work!

You can read my stuff on 2S's Fluff and Stories.

Or, you can come visit my author page on Archive of Our Own. WARNING: NC-17

Zen

Quote from: Linn Scarlett on January 24, 2013, 09:25:16 AM
Quote from: Zen on January 23, 2013, 05:13:05 PM
Cons:
1) Expensive.

You almost make it sounds as if GWS isn't :P
If you ask me, many people playing Warhammer don't realize that and even if they did, their solution is buy an army with a smaller model count which is still expensive.

silverfuge

To be fair almost all wargames are expensive. Gw just like to add an inflation busting 10% per year.
Gm is God

crisis_vyper

Quote from: Zen on January 24, 2013, 04:07:07 PM
If you ask me, many people playing Warhammer don't realize that and even if they did, their solution is buy an army with a smaller model count which is still expensive.
[/quote]


Zen......is there is a wargame that is not Skirmish-based that is cheap for their size ? Even some historicals are overpriced for their size, and Flames of War is actually more expensive than GW. As for Skirmish wargames such as Warmachine and Malifaux (which I am learning a little more every day), the models themselves sometimes exceed those of GW and this is especially true for Infinity.

Quote from: silverfuge on January 24, 2013, 10:33:05 PM
To be fair almost all wargames are expensive. Gw just like to add an inflation busting 10% per year.

I can not defend GW anymore, as I am not even going to waste my time complaining about the inflation. I will just focus on a few armies, and once I am back I will sell the armies that I do not use for cheap for others who wants to start but are unable to do so as a result of said inflation.

silverfuge

To be fair the price hike is why we as a club are talking about getting dropzone commander as we can offer it to people with a 30% discount so it should make life a lil less painful.
Gm is God

crisis_vyper

Quote from: silverfuge on January 26, 2013, 06:05:17 PM
To be fair the price hike is why we as a club are talking about getting dropzone commander as we can offer it to people with a 30% discount so it should make life a lil less painful.

I just went the 40k RP route instead of a new wargame lol. :P

Paradoxrifts


So how does Dropzone Commander play in comparison to Flames of War? It being the only other 15mm scale tabletop game that most people have at least heard of. Apart from the science fiction atheistic of the models, does it really offer a superior gaming experience?

Not that I play 15mm games, but I feel that one of the strongest features of Battlefront game systems is that as they are based on historical conflicts so that the savvy consumer is protected from price gouging. If the official Battlefront range is too pricey, then you're free to shop around for cheaper alternatives.

Zen

#14
Quote from: Paradoxrifts on January 27, 2013, 11:26:38 AM
Not that I play 15mm games, but I feel that one of the strongest features of Battlefront game systems is that as they are based on historical conflicts so that the savvy consumer is protected from price gouging. If the official Battlefront range is too pricey, then you're free to shop around for cheaper alternatives.
That is a feature for most, if not all historicals; they're many manufacturer and rules, and one does not simply power up an army just because.

Quote from: Paradoxrifts on January 27, 2013, 11:26:38 AM
So how does Dropzone Commander play in comparison to Flames of War? It being the only other 15mm scale tabletop game that most people have at least heard of. Apart from the science fiction atheistic of the models, does it really offer a superior gaming experience?
Actually, DZC is 10mm (But to person who has just been playing 28mm, what's the difference?) and honestly, I only heard hearsay and I hadn't gotten to actually reading the FoW rule set but again from what I've beard, FoW is like 40K (Whatever that means).

Anyway! For DZC, I've gone through the rules and it runs pretty much like modern warfare i.e. everything has a purpose, and there's no hero-hammering or death-starring and everything has a weakness but it's sci-fi. The rules are not overly saturated with silly stuff and it's a fairly simple system. You won't get the Ultramarine Captain slaying a Carnifex so you should expect as much excitement as you would playing a modern war rule set. That's all I can say about DZC.

Oh, another thing about playing in 10mm; your table won't look so full with equivalent size army and aircrafts are more properly proportion rather than being a compact version of a previously existing or even non-existing aircraft just so the company can sell more models. Also, 10mm is smaller means less area to paint means less time needed to paint.