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Dropzone Commander 10/10

 Iron_Captain wrote:

Planetfall is much, much cheaper compared to DZC,

I really dislike their aesthetic though; plus I don't tend to like Spartan's rules although I haven't played Planetfall.

 FeindusMaximus wrote:
For ~$200 USD you can get btwn 1500-2000pts of DzC, cheaper if you split the 2 player starter w/ a friend.

I spent about £140 IIRC and that gave me 1500 points of UCM. As I bought 2 starter sets I got a bonus 1000 points of Scourge which I have recently sold on in the hope of seeding some more interest in my group.

Like all smaller games finding local opponents can be a bit difficult although DZC seems to be getting more and more exposure.

I have to throw in support for Battletech.

'Mechs, vehicles, power armor, unarmored infantry, wet navy combat, aerospace support, artillery, Battletech really does have it all.

You can have it in the more in depth version of the standard rules, or the simpler, fast play rules of Alpha Strike. You can make it as simple or complicated as you like.

Straight up 'Mech vs. 'Mech combat? Simple.

Kangaroo mounted infantry fighting against jumping hovercraft on the deck of a massive aircraft carrier in the middle of a hurricane with a tornado made of bugs? Battletech can do that too.

 Mattlov wrote:
I have to throw in support for Battletech.

Though I'm not a fan of the "Classic Battletech" core ruleset, Battletech is still a great option. No other small scale sci-fi game (possible exception of dirtside) has as big a selection of in-production and actively-supported miniatures.

It's also got a background that is bigger and better developed than any other wargame, possibly excepting 40k, though it may rival that. Also, whereas 40k seems to be developed in random directions with mountains of ret-con, BT is remarkably cohesive and consistent with an advancing timeline, continuing narratives and the ability to game in several different "eras" each with it's own somewhat different political milieu and technology base. Though I rarely game there, BT is my favorite gaming universe and I have more BT books than any other game.

Lastly, except for the core rulebooks that get an update every decade or so, nearly every other sourcebook and technical readout will ALWAYS be game legal. I've got books from the 80's that are game-legal today. That means that not only are you not screwed every 4 years, but when you find a good deal on an old sourcebook, you know it will still be useable.

As for the rulesets, I find Battletech to be clunky and vintage (though some folks love it) however, the streamlined "Alpha Strike" company-level ruleset is well done, fast playing and offers several levels of play depending on the amount of detail you want. I've only played Alpha Strike twice, but I'm looking forward to playing it again. And of course any of the minis you purchase for Alpha Strike can be used in Battletech and visa-versa. As Mattlov suggests there are also BT universe rulesets for RPG (A time of War), Aerospace battles (Battlespace), Battalion-Level combat (Battleforce) and even larger-scale campaigning and they are all compatible with each other in a campaign.

I would only ever play Battletech with the Alpha Strike rules, as I want more combined arms in my games, and the classic rules are an absolute bear.

Now that I read about Battletech, I have a lot of Mechwarrior minis. I was planning on using the Alpha Strike rules, more modern and faster game than the old Battletech.

I still run Striker whenever I get the chance.

It is VERY DIFFERENT as a miniature game, because players can't just do what they want with their miniatures.

Rather than playing an omnipotent, omniscient God, who moves around units of miniatures, in Striker you play the role of your force CO.

And you have to either personally lead, or order your forces (with very specific orders) to get them to act.

And it can take a while to give new orders (typically 4 - 8 turns for your average squad).

So, players can get frustrated when their plans don't work out.

But once players understand the limitations of the game, it is one of the fastest playing Sci-fi games I have ever played (because there are so very few options, once the play begins, for the forces involved).

And it lends itself exceedingly well to Campaign play.

MB

I'm a recent convert to DZC who is really enjoying it. I find that the rules are well written, the models are well made, and the price is ok. I'm not a kid anymore though, so I worry more about value and good rules than I do just about the overall price of my tiny resin and plastic toys.

I've never played DZC, but read the rules and watched vids and I wish I did play, OP!

Also, it appears no one has mentioned Age of Tyrants here? That's 6mm sci-fi mass battle. Not too familiar w/ it, but I think it's KS hasn't even started yet? Info is below:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/650957.page
http://www.ageoftyrants.com/

I wonder why thre is no popular 15mm scale wargames (except of FoW), because 15mm better than 28mm when you have big army. 28mm is expensive and crowded table makes impossible to use tactics.

 Freakazoitt wrote:
I wonder why there is no popular 15mm scale wargames (except of FoW), because 15mm better than 28mm when you have big army. 28mm is expensive and crowded table makes impossible to use tactics.

One factor I think is that for quite a lot of games and/or settings the rules, revisions, and marketing additions are driven by the people who can actually convince someone else to play a title in their locale - which may not necessarily include a high proportion of folks knowledgeable about warfare & gaming.

I think another factor is that when you throw 'rule of cool' driven developers and marketing-oriented 'managers' into the mix ahead of those willing to put in the time and research necessary to make everything coherent and streamlined because of the audience buying a game, well, there doesn't always end up being enough in a new title to attract other folks away from what they're already comfortable with playing, on top of the first factor of being able to convince others in the locale to invest more into their hobby just to play something new.

That investing factor is getting to be a big factor as well IMO; how many titles or Kickstarter campaigns can folks afford to keep purchasing into every few months of each year - in the comments of which quite a few people state their intention to use said product(s) with existing rather than dedicated or new rulesets.

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I can't match Killionaires god damned stonkingly awesome Resistance force but, as the original poster did mention mecha... I'll show off my, currently unpainted PHR army.



Plus my partially painted UCM.



And my Scourge, including the big Oppressor model from the first page.

I had no idea DZC was 10mm... I had seen pics and not bothered to research it when it first came out because I've been burned by my group a the time with them buying into games that all of sudden they'll get tired of. DZC ended up being no exception. Then again this same group have been flash in the pan with some (imho) gems like Infinity, Wrath of Kings, and X-Wing.

I'll have to do some research now in DZC and see if there is interest in my area... or maybe build up interest.