Dropzone Tactics – Kodiak and Friends
By popular demand, we’re starting a cycle today that will cover some of the winners in the newest Dropzone rules patch.
Today we will look at both the UCM Kodiak and the Scimitar heavy tank, since they each received minor rules tweaks. They are important to mention, however, as they have drastically altered the way these models fight on the tabletop. Let’s get to it!
The Kodiak ACV
This may very well have been the weakest Command unit in Dropzone Commander before Hawk Wargames released their newest Errata documents. You can find those rules changes here, and a big shout-out to Hawk for these free rules updates.
The Kodiak has changed for the better, with its Orbital Strike gaining the Small Area Marker when it is fired. Considering it was a single shot before, this will have a tremendous impact on both the psychological and actual damage caused. Since it is Indirect Fire, it takes a pretty significant maneuver to ever get the UCM commander out of the picture. In fifty games or so I’ve managed to do it once with Scourge and twice with Shaltari, and they are the fastest factions the game has to offer!
We always joked before about the idea of an Orbital Laser punching one soldier out of a squad, or hitting one battle tank with no damage to those surrounding it. We’ve seen evidence now on the tabletop that those days are long gone. Let me demonstrate with a bit of anecdotal evidence, submitted for your approval.
Two of the guys in my local group play UCM, and they recently squared off against one another in a “training exercise” that tested alternate list theories. One of the guys was running a nine-strong block of Sabre MBTs, armored vehicles that sport the heaviest armor in the game. At their side he was running a group of Longbow artillery guns, firing smoke shells on his tanks to keep them obscured as he moved up the field.
After his initial drop, this block of Sabres skirted cover and hung close to one another to stay out of line of sight while they prepared their attack. In the meantime, the enemy Kodiak landed a laser beam dead-center in the block of tanks, bringing in five hits and coring each and every one of them. As he picked up the mass of vehicles from the table, we all realized just how powerful the Kodiak now has the potential to be!
If you are squaring off against one of these beasts on a regular basis, know that it is only better than before. Infantry have to be more careful about manning the walls against the UCM, as well as deploying in the open. Move fast and use that coherency distance, because that E13 fist from the sky is no bueno!
Scimitar Tank Destroyer
This model was one of my favorite from the UCM line when I started looking at the game, and my regular opponent picked up a blister’s worth when we first started playing. However, their inability to move and fire quickly saw them become an ornament in his tackle box. With the update, though, I have the feeling that they will be seeing some more tabletop time.
The ability to move and fire in Dropzone is huge, even if it is only 1”. The Scimitar struggled before, where its infinite range weapon could only fire from Turn 2 onward at the best. Even then, the enemy simply had to pick up and move out of your fire arc to really put a damper on the party.
All that changes now, especially since its mediocre weapon Energy has been buffed to 11. This makes the tank much more devastating against all comers, and prevents enemy tanks racing across open areas outside the Countered Range of your Sabres and Gladii. It all adds up to a much more tactically flexible tank.
When facing one of these, be sure to use cover. Even though the Scimitar can move now, it is still to slow to reposition if you stay outside the killbox. With Armor 10, 2 Damage Points, and an infinite range on its weapon, this tank is going to prove to be one beast to crack!
Well, all you UCM’ers – what have been your experiences so far with the changes? Tell us in the comments below!
For a healthy dose of gaming insanity, visit us at Enter the Maelstrom.
