Planetfall: Directorate Core Helix
Hi, its Kraggi here from The Varcan Cluster to talk about Planetfall, the new sci-fi ground game from Spartan Games! More after the jump!
Planetfall is an exciting game of planetary conquest set in the Firestorm Galaxy with highly detailed
1:182 scale ground combat models, for those that might not be familiar with the game, the easiest comparisons are to Epic & Dropzone commander. Having played all three I find Planetfall the most enjoyable, and if you havent given it a shot I would definitely recommend it!
If you would like to know more you can find my the review of the game here.
I collect two of the factions, the main one are the Directorate, in this review I will talk about the different unit choices available in the core Helix, have a read, and tell me what you think!
Desolator
The command tank for the Core helix, with a decent stat line for a Heavy Tank, it doesn’t carry around a massive amount of shields, and relies more on its high damage rating to save it from damage, its first DR is 8, meaning the enemy will have to throw some concentrated firepower at it to start doing damage to it.
You do have to take at least one of these tanks in the Core Helix, and can add a second to the mix, the two of them joining force into a squadron.
Both of the weapons can combine, which means at EF you have 17 AD, with Corrosive & Terror weapon MARs.
With two in a squadron and watch you opponents worry at two 17AD attacks, or one combine 34AD shot!
They are sure to be a priority target, even if they didn’t have the Command Element for your Core helix.
Retaliator
The medium tank, and in my opinion the work horse of the core helix. I love the Retaliator models, on the battlefield they aren’t too shabby either.
With a 7” move, and a 24” maximum range shot with Corrosive they can put out a respectable 12AD, that might not be enough to take out a heavy, but you can threaten a medium at without too much difficulty, it will be enough to put a Corrosive marker on most targets, Corrosive markers mean that you require less successes to damage the unit, and they require repairing so they can provide a boon to your shooting for a couple of turns.
Trojan
A lot of people are pretty meh about the Trojan, although I quite like how it plays out on the table top.
Its got three purposes on the table top, and at 100 points per tank, I think its petty cheap for each of its roles.
- Cyber Warfare… the ability to reduce enemy shooting (making them hit on 5+ instead of 4+, and stopping them from going on Overwatch or Focusing fire (for 3+ hits) cannot be under estimate, Debilitating effect markers cannot be under rated, nor can Dis-Order markers (you cannot assault me this turn, and then take damage!) and the potentially best one, marking a Squad as activated.
This is their primary purpose, with 12AD between two of them, that ignore shields, and have an effective range of 31″, they are pretty amazing for this.
- So you dont like Cyber Warfare, these guys actually pack a punch in CQB at 5 dice each, meaning you can throw 10 dice at an enemy, and given the racial rule of Terror CQB, force your opponent to pass the test on one less dice… not too shabby.
- Blocking Line of sight… these guys are armoured, they have Cloaks (meaning 6’s dont explode gaining more dice rolls), park em infront of something you dont want to die, advance them first until you can get the shot off that you feel you absolutely have to.
That desolator down to one hit point… send in the Trojans to protect you! I love these guys very versatile for 100 points each.
Informer
The light tank for the Core helix, with Take & Hold (basically the ability to score on objectives) & Recon (a pre game start scout move) its fast moving and capable of contesting the central objective (at least till the troops arrive), or to threaten your primary objective.
Even with Hard target (-1 to hit when being shot at) these guys can die very quickly, so you need to use them wisely, but they are in essence your best bet to deal with entrenched infantry, and at the very least to help soften up enemy squads for your Patriots to run in and finish the job.
They might need some changes to make them a little bit more exciting, but for me, they work pretty well as they are.
Intruder
The transport for the Patriot infantry, for the price is actually a half decent AA platform (given how the general DR is lower for flyers vs ground units) throwing out 7 AD at 20″
If you use this to carry your troops across the battlefield hiding it behind other Armoured units will keep it safe till you want to deploy your troops, or you can use it to shield armoured units till they get in range to truly threaten the enemy.
Patriot Infantry
These guys are great offensive units, their MAR’s are all about Initiating CQB, this does mean you need to use them smart to hold your Tertiary (and their Primary).
I tend to have one squad fully equipped to try and take the enemy objective, and the other with Missile Launchers to hold the Tertiary.
The key for these guys is smart use of the Intruders, to keep them safe having an Intruder nearby and available to them is the smart thing to do.
Nyx (Dindrenzi infantry) dropping in mean you shouldn’t have troops in the building, as this means they cannot get into the building in one move, and gives you a turn to take them out with shooting.
Overwatch as well will make a huge difference against Sky Drop units, not too many in the game yet, but they will begin to appear more regularly. If you are holding that Tertiary, pop them on overwatch if you give them gun crews… prevents the enemy from getting a full unit of models into you if they want to take the building off you.
Summary:
Overall I like this helix, everything has a role, everything can do its own job, but for me its working them together that makes a big difference.
So many of the models here have debilitating affect markers that you can chain attacks into one target and wipe them out pretty quickly.
Want to read more Planetfall posts, or find other bloggers out there posting about the firestorm universe? Then visit my page!
