Spartan Games: Firestorm Planetfall (January releases updated OP 01/06/15)

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**Surtur**

I want my stuff now! :(

**NewTruthNeomaxim**

The December announcements just broke me...

While I wait on my current order, I already have the wife stalking Spartan's site for the ability to pre-order the rest for Christmas. :-p

**RoninXiC**

I wish I had someone in Bremen Germany to share the starter box.
I love the terrains

**Cannor**

neiltj1 wrote:
great quality on your video Cannor. Those models are extra crisp.

Thanks! They're nice models and I'm looking forward to painting them.

**Alpharius**

I've been looking for something to take the place of Space Marine/Titan Legions ever since GW abandoned it - is this the game I've been looking for?

Has Spartan Games decided to 'stick with' this game and not move on to the Next New thing?

Or is that habit more of an Internet Myth and a Real World Reality?

Help!

And, of course, thanks!

**Swastakowey**

I dont know, they havent changed their games since I have known them. They keep adding to their games and their rules are improving.

I wouldnt worry personally.

**Killionaire**

I don't know... because well. Uncharted Seas was dropped like a rock. Same with Firestorm v1 for about a year and a half. Probably for the best for Firestorm V1, since that game objectively was sucky and V2 is awesome but that's besides the point...

There's a sort of weird awkwardness about their approach to Dystopian Wars spin-offs. The sea/air game is fine, but they kept releasing all those awkward armored variants which NOBODY played. They're probably pretty dead.

Dystopian Legions is still getting releases, I suppose.
We'll see for this new firestorm ground game.

In the meanwhile, I'm going to continue playing Dystopian Wars and Dropzone Commander though, which satisfies my scifi ground war quite a bit.

**Eumerin**

Spartan's a small company. I think they might have initially expanded a bit faster than was wise, but I think that's becoming less of an issue for them.

Of their initial three game lines -

Uncharted Seas is arguably unsupported. You can still get all of the stuff for it, but it's been a while since they released anything new for it.
Firestorm Armada had the rules overhauled and rereleased. A new 2 player starter was also released for the game. And Spartan frequently releases new figures.
Dystopian Wars is in the same situation as Firestorm Armada.
Dystopian Legions was released with downloadable rules, and then left alone. But then just last month Spartan Games released a brand new 2 player starter and revised rulebook, new factions with figures, and new downloadable army lists. It's too early to know how much additional support will be provided for the game, but things look promising at the moment.
Firestorm Planetfall had a "beta" release a while back with a limited run of figures for two of the factions. It just had its official release this week with a two player starter, brand new rules, and a couple of supporting units. December will see the release of additional starting forces and support units. And enough photos exist of figures that won't be available even in December to suggest that there's a solid line-up of stuff in the pipeline for next year.

That leaves Armored Clash, which is a game that uses the land and air figures from Dystopian Wars. It's designed for larger-scale battles than are seen in Dystopian Wars, and the rules are available via PDF download. Support for figures will continue as long as Dystopian Wars continues to sell. Despite the fact that Dystopian Wars players focus mostly on the sea and air aspects, Spartan Games continues to fully support the land figures as well. But whether it will eventually get the same level of support that the other game lines have is something that remains to be seen.

**roadkizzle**

Dystopian Legions wasn't just released and then left alone until last month. Spartan spent a good year releasing new units for all four of the release factions. They all have good variety and are great fun with multiple infantry units, veteran infantry units, bike/small vehicle units, APCs, jet pack troops, and big tanks.

They really just haven't released anything much new except for a squad of mercenaries for about one year.

The main thing was that Spartan was regularly saying the game would get a full physical rulebook regularly since release the promised date just kept getting passed and then a new one would be set. They also said the remaining three main factions would be coming out in 2013 and even though they have been "released" last month I don't really consider having two infantry units a release so I don't feel the French will actually be very playable until next year.

**Eumerin**

roadkizzle wrote:
I don't really consider having two infantry units a release so I don't feel the French will actually be very playable until next year.

Probably not, although from what I've heard the game has a pretty low model count.

But Spartan's got two simultaneous releases going on right now - DL and Planetfall - and Planetfall's ending the year in a somewhat similar situation to the DL French. I expect we'll see a lot released in the first half of next year.

**Eumerin**

My copy of Planetfall arrived on Friday, and I've been looking through it. The rules look good, though I won't get a decent read on how fragile they are until the people at my FLGS have had a chance to go through and look for breakable bits and loopholes (and they tend to be good at that...). The figures look very nice, as is expected from Spartan Games. I've got the Aquans primed, and I think I've finished up priming the Directorate.

Some thoughts -

You're probably not going to want to assemble the Aquan skimmers until you've painted them. There's nothing forcing you to do this, of course, but the light skimmers have some pretty tight spaces that will be hard to get paint into after assembly. The undersides of the medium skimmers are cramped, though still workable. The heavy skimmer comes with a clear plastic peg, and painting after assembling risks getting paint on it.

The included buildings are clear plastic frames with cardstock roofs and walls. I primed the plastic, built the frames, and then added the cardstock pieces. No glue was required, and they seem to be holding up well for now. Unfortunately, directions aren't included. But it's not hard to puzzle out. I'd start with one of the small buildings first, as there are fewer parts to figure out. And once you've figured out the small buildings, the two medium-sized ones are easy to put together. Overall, the buildings are a very nice touch, particularly since most players probably don't have any 10mm sci-fi terrain (unless they've been playing DZC).

There was a small resin piece bundled in the same bag as the crystals and a few other items. It took me a while to realize what it was - it's where the peg inserts into the Sirsir Support Skimmer. You need to glue it the piece into the underside of the support skimmer, and there's a small hole for it. I'm not sure why Spartan went this route, particularly since the Sirsir seems to be about 80% in common with the Aquan medium skimmer, and the medium skimmers are one piece.

The two small metal missile launchers belong to the Directorate APC. Due to the way that they sit, painting their underside is likely to be difficult if you do it after assembly. So I plan on painting everything first, and attaching them afterwards.

**Opeth30**

I pre-ordered the book and it still says processing. But in the meantime:

Posted today on ye olde facebooke

**Opeth30**

More goodies posted today.

**Alpharius**

Sorry if this is an obvious questions but - what scale is this game?

Thanks!

**Opeth30**

10mm Good sir! On the Spartan Games blog they have some posts where they list the dimensions of some of the models.

http://www.spartangames.co.uk/dindrenzi-federation-core-helix

**Hulksmash**

Looking really good. If it gets picked up locally I'll be all over it. Really like most of the models. Looking forward to the full initial factions being out.

**Eumerin**

Wish they'd bundled the Mark II turret with the Directorate Heavy Crawler in the starter. The one that comes in the starter is the same turret used by the Medium Crawler, and it looks less imposing than the turret on a heavy tank ought to look, imo.

**Zond**

I'm waiting for Spartan to get smart and put together a combined Armada/Planetfall bundle for every faction. :-P

**Opeth30**

Zond wrote:
I'm waiting for Spartan to get smart and put together a combined Armada/Planetfall bundle for every faction. :-P

A Patrol Fleet + Planetary Defense Group + Core Helix bundle would tickle many fancies.

**Swastakowey**

I suggest, if you are starting, get a patrol box the frigate box and the destroyer or carrier box plus a core helix and an allied helix.

That will set you up for plenty of games and still give you heaps of room to expand.

Unfortunately my box has not shipped yet, Which sucks as I got the Platinum box and the extra terrain set and was really looking forward to showing them off and getting others interested by now. Apparently they will be shipped before the end of this week.

All in all really cool stuff though.

**Swastakowey**

Hi All!

I've knocked up a quick models by model explanation for the Awuans in the same way as I did for the Directorate and Works Raptor.
Feel free ot ask questions and comment!

Why Play Aquans?
Well..... They represent the best guerrilla force in the game using three dimensional thinking to engage their enemies on a two dimensional plane.
They can hit and run on some of the fastest vehicles in the game, bend lasers round corners using crystal technology, drop in punishing emplacements to strie the enemy from the Flank or Rear and sport some of the most motivated/elite forces in the galaxy.

....it also helps their vehicles look amazing!

AQUAN PRIME CORE HELIX
As I did previously with the Directorate write up, I'll start with the Heavy Tank and work my way down.

Heavy Tank
The Sedna is a beast. Blessed with a single fore firing Laser that punishes squadrons from range, the Heavy can be taken in 1s or 2s and gives up 4 or 9TV respectively.

The Dual Heavy Corona Laser gives a great firebase for Aquan Commanders with the laser suffering little drop off in effectiveness over the ranges. It also has Poinpoint 2 - meaning that should Damage be caused by the Tank (which is likely) and a target suffers damage, but isn't destroyed..... the Aquan player may roll 2D6...if any of these die come up a 6, the damaged target suffers an additional point of damage...... ouch!

In keeping with the Aquans in general, the Sedna doesn't have great armour (it IS a guerrilla fighter and so needs speed and manoeuvrability instead!).....but it does have 4 Shield Dice to save against incoming attacks! Which is pretty awesome when you're fighting at range.....but NOT good when engaged in CQB (where shields have no effect).....stay away from infantry with these guys.

The Sedna (and indeed all the Aquan vehicles baring Emplacements) have the Hit and Run MAR....a truly evil gameplay mechanic that allows the commander to Move and Shoot (like normal) OR Shoot then Move......which can bring howls of frustration from slow moving enemies who lose their firing LOS due to Aquan shenanigans. In addition you get the Hover Vehicle MAR that improves the survivability of the tank at long range AND allows the tank to move over terrain that might be impassable to other vehicles!

Oh, and before I forget, as if all that weren't enough, the Sedna can also transport up to 8 Infantry bases (or specially adapted infantry squads that will be explained later)...... this helps to reduce the damaging effect of their poor CQB stats....by having an Infantry cadre on-board ready to jump out and splat something that looks like it might threaten their majestic Heavy Tank!

Medium Tank
The Medium Lamana Tank is a simple engagement tool, capable of mixing it at short and long range effectively. Taken in 2s or 3s for 4 or 7TV respectively, they form the backbone of the Aquan Core Helix (especially when the Sirsir is attached.....see later)

Armed with a Sunburst laser with Pinpoint 1, the squadron can do damage and even has a slight chance of accelerating that damage if it rolls well. Its CQB is painfully low however, so don't get locked in any CQB engagements with high CQB enemies - especially Infantry!

Of course, as an Aquan staple, the tank also has Hit and Run, Hover Vehicle and is Elite, in keeping with the theme and engagement methodology of the force as a whole.

Medium Support Tank
The Sirsir is an odd vehicle at first glance..... no visible weapons and quite expensive in terms of points. It MUST attach to either the Heavy or Medium Tanks and adds +2TV to the parent squadron.

The Sirsir DOES have a piece of technology that is absolutely vital for Aquan success however - The Nexus Designator (ND).
NDs are used in a number of ways in Planetfall - As a means to deploy artillery, designate Drop Sites and Target Lock enemy squadrons. The Aquans use theirs to designate Drop Sites for the most part (certainly when looking at the Sirsir - who doesn't have Artillery Support in its MARs).

The Sirsir has access to 2 Sky Drop Markers (SDM) which it can place on the battlefield at the start of the game.

A Note on Good SDM Placement - Initially most players make the mistake of placing these markers exclusively in their opponents side of the board, This is generally a bad idea as it becomes easy for the enemy to foul you LoS to these markers, making the drop site very difficult to designate. Better to split your SDM, half on your side (for reserve support reasons) and half on your opponent's side (for reasons of threat.).

One of the unusual things about the Sirsir is its high CQB!....a rarity in Aquan terms!......once you have dropped/designated your sites don't be afraid to put this guy into the CQB mix if you are engaging later in the game....those +5AD will come in handy!

Light Tank
This little cutesy of a Tank is perfect for early battle pressure and late battle objective grabbing! Taken in 3s or 4s for 3 or 4TV respectively, the Imzani often provides the killing blow to enemy squadrons reeling under the laser barrages of their larger cousins.

Armed with a Maelstrom Pulse Cannon, the recon Tank is very good at hurting enemy infantry, especially those out in the open! Toting 16AD at short range, an undamaged squadron can threaten much larger prey too.....especially later, when they might be suffering damage,

Make no mistake these guys get clobbered easily....but then they are only light recon tanks..... :rolleyes: ...... its in their job description....!
But if you can keep them alive, they will win through against larger squadrons descending upon them like piranhas!

Stingray Weapon Emplacements
These provide a ready reserves to the Aquan forces and are especially good at Flanking or Rear attacks where their weapons (primarily used to engage Flyers) can give many surface squadrons a real shock. Taken in pairs for just 2TV they are well worth it IMO.

Armed with Stingray Missiles (a weapon with Corrosive and Interceptor MARs) they can hurt enemy flyers with ease and bring their survivability down further through the placement of Debilitating Effect Markers. As you might expect once deployed, they cant move, so its important to get them in the right place at the right time.....!

Votari Crystals
These esoteric elements are designed to further enhance the play style of the Aquans, giving them a feeling of 360-degree engagement. They are cheap and cheerful giving up only 1TV each and MUST be dropped in using Sky Drop.

What do they do??..... Using the Aquan preference for laser tech, the Votari allows an attack made by Laser weapons to extend their range and even shoot round corners!!!..... The Aquans shoot the crystal..... then the crystal 'shoots the target' bouncing the attack off itself towards the enemy. Doing this loses the Pinpoint MAR however...... but tactically it is often well worth the trade off! Combined with the Aquan vehicles ability ot hit and run, a well used Votari crystal can allow the Aquans to 'shoot and scoot' better that anything else in the game!

Take at least 2 of these in every single Aquan Core Helix......at least 2!

Light Infantry
The Aquans don't have access to Heavy Infantry, preferring instead to use a sub-species to form their battlefield cadres - The Khitari. These elite soldiers are fielded in 3s or 5s for 3 or 4TV respectively.

They are fast......real fast. This is invaluable as it reduces the likelihood that their squishiy-selves will be caught out in the open......
In the soon to be released full ORBAT, these flexible troopers can also upgrade to have Field Guns, Officers and other cool enhancements...... watch out for these!

They can also be transported on the Sedna Heavy Tanks......which is often a good idea as the hardened shell provides a great staging point to assault an objective.

Conclusion
Not a point and clock force by any means, the Aquans need careful thought to engage properly. Using layered tactics from Emplacements/Crystals/Hit and Run etc the enemy needs to be weakened at range before committing forces to take and hold the objectives.

A thinkers-force..... but a rewarding one I think.

Cheers
d

Also for the lesser faction

Why play the Directorate?
Simple....they are the baddies.
And they have some of the coolest looking models out there.
And you get to use lots of Legal/Business jargon when you blow things up.
....and when it comes to ruining the opponent's fun, the Directorate simply cant be beat!

I'm sure folks will have their own takes on the models discussed here and they should feel free to pitch in, but here are my thoughts on the Core Helix.

Heavy Tank
These can be taken in squadrons of 1 or 2. If I'm only running one Core Helix I ALWAYS take 2 of these guys - as much to secure my Core Helix from Disorder as anything! Taken as 1s they give up 4TV, but taken as 2s they give up 9TV (the increase in TV represents their increased strategic role)

They have relatively high armour for a Heavy Tank and a small shield save too. Armed with Plasma Weapons (including the Terrifying Plasma Surge) they are best used AFTER another element has put a Debilitating effect marker on a target (this means the target has -1DR and so is easier to damage).

The Heavy Tank is pretty slow, but should never be afraid to halt if it plans to go on a Specialist Fire Order (Focused Fire normally being the best).....this is possible because one of their weapons has the ability to fire All Round......a very useful ability once a tank has reached a suitable fire point on the battlefield.....as it simply remains stationary and turns the turret to face any threats.

Medium Tank
The Medium Tank is a solid element of the Core Helix. It can be taken in 2s or 3s costing 4 or 7TV respectively.
They have good armour and a small shielding save. Armed with even more turreted Plasma Weapons, this tank is flexible and a very good finisher of elements that have suffered damage (and likely have Debilitating Effect Markers on them).

Another big thing in the favour of the Medium Tank is its CQB capability...soon when the full ORBATS come out Directorate players will be able to luxuriate in their Shrapnel Storm Special Rule - a faction-wide Terror Weapon CQB rule..... meaning these tanks can really double down on the enemy with a mix of terrifying CQB and brutal 21AD Plasma-death.....

Light Tank
OK, so its more like a Light Buggy ..... It can be taken in 3s or 5s for 3 or 5TV respectively.
Its fast and equipped with Closure Flamethrowers - a weapon with Anti-Personnel and Terror Weapon MARs (a very potent combo when targeting Infantry....and flexible enough to hurt other prey as well)

The Flamers aren't very long range, but marshalled together can provide a powerful tipping point in certain engagements. Add this to the (Terrifying CQB) and you have a potent little threat on the battlefield.

AND it can make a recon move at the start of the game and can even hold objectives too!

Medium APC
A very useful vehicle - Taken in squadrons of 1 these are pretty cheap giving up only 2TV.

They are armed with a solid Interceptor weapon and a good CQB score......and most importantly can bring BOTH Heavy and Light Infantry into the fight (many other APCs are build with troop types in mind).

I find these tanks get overlooked by enemies when there are lots of other targets to fire at.....and this suits me just fine...... they don't have the firepower to knock out a Heavy Gunship....but they can weaken Interceptor units with ease...allowing you to use your own flyers more aggressively.

Probably one of my favourite support models.

Cyberwarfare Tanks
The ace in the hole vehicle for the Directorate in the Core Helix. These are the vehicles that SHOULD FIRE FIRST EVERY TURN when able! Coming in Squadrons of 2 and giving up only 4TV they are simply amazing if they get their effects off!

"
Oh Cyberwarfare....how do I love thee?
Let me count the ways,
0101101102100110101
"
:huh: ....no wait!....ERROR>>>> ERROR>>>>

Why is Cyberwarfare so cool?.....well assuming you can roll over 2 on a D6 (gr1mdan.....) you have lots of handy effects you can dump on the enemy, irrespective of their defences (Shields, Cloaking, Hard Target, etc). You can stop them using Specialist Fire Orders, give them Debilitating Effect Markers, Disorder Markers, and.....wait for it...... Activation Markers!

Ever wished..... "Gee, wouldn't it be cool if that Dindrenzi Hyperion Leviathan didn't get to blast my underpants clean off this turn?"
Roll a six and your will be done!

They even have a reasonable CQB score....which will be terrifying in the upcoming ORBATS...... a winner I reckon.

Patriot Infantry
Tough, Capable and (very likely) Heavily Drugged, the Patriot Light Infantry are a staple for players looking to flexibility and aggressive action. They are fielded in 3s or 5s giving up 3 or 4TV respectively. I take as many as I can...always.

They don't have any Upgrades in the basic Core Helix, but soon players will be able to throw in Officers, Breacher Teams (Infantry with really high DR) and even Peacemaker Missile Field Guns (a MUST if you are likely to face lots of flyers) from the Recon Helix set that is coming!

The infantry in Planetfall are probably one of the most flexible parts of force creation to my mind. I can build a Cadre to be an Objective Holder (using a basic un-upgraded choice), an Objective Taker (using Breacher and Officer upgrades) or even a Hunter Force (using the Missile Field Guns) that can be used in reserve to eliminate heavy aerial resistance...or any other resistance that needs squashing. :rolleyes:

Conclusion
All in all I reckon the Directorate Core Helix is one of the most interesting to play with long-term. It has a good mix of Assault and Esoteric/Support elements...... and can often fly on the seat of its pants at times......definitely not for the faint hearted.

But well executed, they use synergy with their disparate elements to bring the enemy to their knees and keep them there.

Cheers
d

From one of the spartan guys on the forum.

**Zond**

Swastakowey wrote:
I suggest, if you are starting, get a patrol box the frigate box and the destroyer or carrier box plus a core helix and an allied helix.

That will set you up for plenty of games and still give you heaps of room to expand.

Unfortunately my box has not shipped yet, Which sucks as I got the Platinum box and the extra terrain set and was really looking forward to showing them off and getting others interested by now. Apparently they will be shipped before the end of this week.

All in all really cool stuff though.

I'll wait until a bundle is put together by Spartan or an online store, or a sale. I'm not too interested in starting, waiting to see how the cost of the box sets and the size of the game progresses.

**Swastakowey**

Zond wrote:
Swastakowey wrote:
I suggest, if you are starting, get a patrol box the frigate box and the destroyer or carrier box plus a core helix and an allied helix.

That will set you up for plenty of games and still give you heaps of room to expand.

Unfortunately my box has not shipped yet, Which sucks as I got the Platinum box and the extra terrain set and was really looking forward to showing them off and getting others interested by now. Apparently they will be shipped before the end of this week.

All in all really cool stuff though.

I'll wait until a bundle is put together by Spartan or an online store, or a sale. I'm not too interested in starting, waiting to see how the cost of the box sets and the size of the game progresses.

Fair enough. Its a lot of fun though (firestorm that is) so your missing out!

No harm in waiting though.

**solkan**

So I hadn't been paying any attention to this game, and walked into the local game store today and they had the Firestorm Planetfall starter box by the window.

A few hours later, here I am sitting at home, and my question is: How do you put these cardboard and plastic buildings together?

**neiltj1**

solkan wrote:
So I hadn't been paying any attention to this game, and walked into the local game store today and they had the Firestorm Planetfall starter box by the window.

A few hours later, here I am sitting at home, and my question is: How do you put these cardboard and plastic buildings together?

Im on my phone so its hard to get a link up. However there is a thread in the planetfall forum on spartans site that answers your question.

**Eumerin**

1.) Remove the clear plastic pieces from the frames. Keep the frames for now, as the identification numbers on the frames correspond to the identification numbers on the building cardstock, and you can easily figure out which piece came from which frame.
2.) Prime and otherwise paint the plastic pieces as you wish. I just gave mine a generic coat of grey primer.
3.) Take the four plastic pieces used for one of the smaller buildings . Take one of the larger pieces, and hook in the two smaller plastic pieces. You should be able to figure out how to do this just by looking at the pieces. Then attach the other large piece to the other side of the two smaller pieces. This is your basic building framework, and the two smaller pieces are the base of the building. The other two pieces are walls.
4.) *CAREFULLY* remove the cardstock pieces for one of the small buildings. Note that the exterior *will* tear if you're not careful, giving you a piece that's the correct shape, but missing part of the coloration.
5.) You should have two identical cardstock pieces with short tabs on each side, and no holes. These can be slid into the very narrow slits on the plastic wall pieces. Do so.
6.) Place the roof piece on top of the structure. It's the cardstock piece that is unique. Note that it won't stay in place yet.
7.) Take the last two cardstock pieces. They should have large slots on the bottom, and a tab with a hole on the top. The slots on the bottom are for the plastic base pieces. The hole on the top is for the tabs on the cardstock roof piece. Attach each of the cardstock pieces so that the holes are in the right spots.

You should now have one of the small buildings finished. Note that no glue was required, though it might become necessary later on due to wear and tear. And once you've built one of the small buildings, it should be a simple matter to figure out how to build the two medium buildings. Just make sure that you're using the right pieces (which is why you held onto the plastic frames). Also note that the cardstock sheets for the two medium buildings include extra items that can be used either as decoration, or as bridges between buildings.

**solkan**

I think you missed a step:

8. Photocopy punched out cardstock frames to produce blank building patterns, and go to town because now you've got simple, sturdy buildings that stay in place on the table that can be easily redecorated.

**Eumerin**

solkan wrote:
I think you missed a step:

8. Photocopy punched out cardstock frames to produce blank building patterns, and go to town because now you've got simple, sturdy buildings that stay in place on the table that can be easily redecorated.

No, that won't work. You *must* have the plastic frames. You *cannot* build these buildings with just the cardstock pieces. The plastic pieces aren't just internal support. They're also visible from the outside, which is why I included Step 2.

**solkan**

Eumerin wrote:
solkan wrote:
I think you missed a step:

8. Photocopy punched out cardstock frames to produce blank building patterns, and go to town because now you've got simple, sturdy buildings that stay in place on the table that can be easily redecorated.

No, that won't work. You *must* have the plastic frames. You *cannot* build these buildings with just the cardstock pieces. The plastic pieces aren't just internal support. They're also visible from the outside, which is why I included Step 2.

I gave the wrong impression.

What I meant was "Decide one day that you're tired of the green camo pattern, to take the plastic frames and add in your own custom card stock pieces."

After putting together one or two of them, I think they look just fine with the plastic left clear. I think it's worth taking a colored marker to the cardstock to reduce the visible white edging, but I think you lose a lot of flexibility if you paint and/or glue the things together.

But I'm really kicking myself for not noticing this a few months ago, and missing out on the research facility.

**Swastakowey**

In the back of the Planetfall rule book, there is a single page advertisement on "Firestorm: System Wars", a system for linking Firestorm Armada games with Planetfall games. It's advertised as being available for free download from the Spartan Games website, which will happen soon-ish I guess.

Anyway, there is a single picture of a planet surrounded by Terran and Dindrenzi ship models. I've not seen these Dindrenzi ship models before (maybe others have) and the caption associated with the picture calls them Dindrenzi invasion ships...whether that is an official ship title or just a description of their function (or both) i'm not sure.

Both the ships look cool. Assuming no losses (as in the picture it seems they have taken damage) it looks like a Squadron of 2 (Light?) Cruiser-sized ships and a squadron of 4 Frigate-sized ships. Unmistakably Dindrenzi in design, but certainly also different to what is available at this time.

Yay free campaign rules soon.

The research station looks very cool. Heaps of people were bummed when it was released without warning for a limited time and missed out.