Dropzone Commander: New Rules Analysis
Let’s take a look at the new rules changes, and what they mean for you.
Hawk Wargames has released a slew of new content for Dropzone Commander in the past few months. A rules change recently gave the game system a facelift, adding more flexibility and options to the factions. We will break these changes down by faction, covering what new approaches they’ve brought for their generals.
You can find these rules changes free on the Hawk Wargames website. These include an update for the main rules and also changes for the Reconquest: Phase I.
United Colonies of Mankind
The update for the UCM was fairly small, but it changed a few units in very important ways. In general I think these bring up the power level of some important models that simply felt underwhelming before. I look forward to facing these changes on the table, in order to see the impact they have first-hand.
First, the Kodiak’s orbital laser now has an area of effect, rather than being a pinpoint strike against a single model. This is huge for UCM players, as it opens a ton of new tactical options for their Command vehicle. From doing more damage to structures, to being more likely to hit against Skimmers, to being absolutely devastating against Infantry targets, this has raised the power of the Kodiak dramatically. Before it felt somewhat lackluster, despite the E13 strike with unlimited range. We used to say that a laser from space should do a little more damage than simply targeting a single guy. Now, it does.
The other big winner for the UCM was the Falcon Gunship. The lighter gunships have felt underwhelming throughout the life of the game, simply because they are so easy to destroy. With a reduced points cost and Evasion Countermeasures, it’s a whole new ball game for these guys. I expect to see them on the table soon, and packs of them will make short work of isolated flanking elements and unprotected artillery.
Scourge
Of all the faction adjustments, I think the Scourge’s are the fewest. Their units received only minor points cost tweaks, including their heavier grav-tanks and their fighter. Destroyer did go up in points slightly; I’m not sure why they chose to do this, but since most armies only include a few stands of Destroyers I can’t imagine that it will be that big of a deal.
Getting a slight price break on the units I like most (Tormentors and Slayers) is nice, but the change to the Corsair is probably the most helpful overall. I’ve been meaning to try a massed squadron attack with these things, overrunning air defense through sheer numbers. Since they are cheaper than ever, now might be the best time!
Post-Human Republic
The cyborg empire of the PHR made out like bandits in this rules change. The general mindset in the forums is that they’ve been struggling in tournaments, and the changes made should help out nicely to bring them back into balance.
While the PHR excel at resilience and firepower, their speed is a hugely limiting factor. Even their dropships are up-armored and slower, meaning it takes them longer to get into optimal position. Hawk reduced the price of their Neptune and Poseidon dropships in this ruleset, meaning that the PHR commander has more points freed for use elsewhere. My 2,500 point PHR list has eight Neptunes, meaning the release will save me a significant 40 points. The light dropships and infantry fighting vehicles also came down in points; it just means more to spend on guns across the board!
The Menchit also received increased range on its unimpressive armament. While this is definitely a good thing, I still don’t think many PHR players will be taking this anti-infantry walker. They are already so good at building demolition that they can kill infantry with falling masonry, and their Sirens will kick the pants off anything other than Shaltari Firstborns (and even then, it is a bout of mutually assured destruction).
Overall, the changes for this faction have done nothing but make them more powerful. I can’t wait to finish collecting my army, and get these guys on the tabletop!
Shaltari Tribes
The Shaltari, as many of you already know, are near and dear to my heart. While there are mixed feelings about their update in the online community, I think the faction has emerged stronger than it was before. Like the PHR, I think they received some truly impressive modifications to their existing rules.
Some of the points increases seem excessive at first, but when considered over the cost of the entire force I don’t believe it will have too much of an adverse impact. The only cost increase that stands out in my mind as excessive is the Haven Terragate, taking a whopping 33% cost increase. Still, on such a cheap model it won’t make a huge difference across the force.
As with the UCM Falcon, the Thunderbird gunship received a cost reduction and Evasion Countermeasures. This thing has always felt like the most useless model in the Shaltari faction to me, and now I’m planning a list that will see it replacing my Tomahawks for harassment and building demo. It is just so much faster, in addition to being immune to ground fire and difficult for anti-air units to knock down. Artillery, beware!
The Ocelot is also going to be making a much bigger splash than before, with the ability to move onto the table and fire its Particle Cannon now. This gives it another turn to do its ghastly damage, and also allows it to reposition and fire, either getting out of harm’s way or chasing a target that is running. This unit is, in my opinion, the biggest winner of the entire update.
Finally, the Shaltari received a much-needed boost in their air superiority department. The Warspear nearly matches the mighty PHR Athena in points, despite having two less armor and one less DP. Now the DP issue has been addressed, and the Warspear is a terror of the skies. With so many shots on its Ion Cannon, and the dual role of being able to hunt medium armor reliably on the ground, they are now an integral part of the Shaltari arsenal.
Resistance
Despite being the newest faction in the game, the Resistance definitely received some modifications in this ruleset. They can be happy with a number of reduced points costs, all of which help streamline them and give those extra points that add up to a new unit. However, they also received a couple of crucial reductions in their overall effectiveness.
First, the Freeriders had their mines reduced to E9. This definitely modifies the uses and positioning of Freeriders, especially since Flame weapons now ignore their nasty Evasion Countermeasures. That said, your medium vehicles do not want anything to do with these guys, as they are still very efficient when it comes to killing skirmishers, APCs, and the like. Even Scourge and Shaltari battle tanks have to be careful when too near these riders.
Another important change to note is that models count as moving 1” when they step off the decks of their hovercraft. This is critical for Stormwagons, as it means that cannot fire their rocket launchers on the turn they disembark. All told I think this was the intention to begin with, and the points reduction for this model helps a bit. That said, I’m sure Resistance players who used the tactic won’t be happy with the change.
All in all, Dropzone has seen some good changes across this release. Most importantly, Hawk showed that they are willing to listen to their fan base and adjust according to the concerns of those who play this game each day. Keep writing; Hawk Wargames is clearly listening!
Have at it, Dropzone fans. What changed, for better or for worse, in your personal armies? How do you plan to take advantage of these new rules?
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