Heavy Gear New Release Thread (New Edition Test Files Released pg1)

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**warboss**

It doesn't look like the customary dakkite has been previewing/posting the upcoming and new Heavy Gear releases for a few months so I guess I'll post some now that pics are coming out. PRDF/paxton is next up apparently for a book revamp as their line is getting some new additions and some revisions. Here we have some bike infantry (roughly 12mm scale so smaller than Flames of War) as well as some Warrior and Chieftain IV versions.

**HudsonD**

The reception for the bikes on the official DP9 boards has resulted in the thread being locked...

**warboss**

Yeah, I'm not really sure why that raised so many eyebrows. Out of all the things to complain about regarding HG, the look of the bikes or their possible inspiration is fairly minor. I'm not a big fan of the monocycles (I do like the Warriors though) but, hey, any press is good press, right??

**cincydooley**

Those look decidedly not metal......

**mrondeau**

Ok, so not only do those bikes not fit the established style of HG and Paxton, not only are they a (bad) copy of something else, they are ugly and the reaction to criticism on DP9 forum is now to close threads. I have never been happier to have dropped HG. At least I won't see them destroy my faction. It's already bad enough that they are destroying the first wargame I ever played, seeing them destroy my faction too would be rather unpleasant.

**warboss**

cincydooley wrote:
Those look decidedly not metal......

The gears at least are metal judging from the leg comparison pics posted and the Chieftain minis sold at gencon. To my limited knowledge, these are still traditionally sculpted but the pics do look a bit rendery.

**Rolt**

HudsonD wrote:
The reception for the bikes on the official DP9 boards has resulted in the thread being locked...

The negative reaction towards the bikes wasn't due to these by any chance, was it?

Venus Wars Hound Attack Cycle:

Spoiler:

First thing that popped into my head the second I saw the HG stuff, I guess they're different enough in the grand scheme
of things. The other stuff looks quite nice at least, and Venus Wars is a fun little OVA, now someone needs to create the
Istar tanks and drop ships.

**solkan**

Spoiler:

They have dinosaur riders, an army composed entirely of quadraped walkers, and an army composed of half-height two legged remotes. An armored wedge monocycle doesn't fit with that?

**spaceelf**

warboss wrote:
cincydooley wrote:
Those look decidedly not metal......

The gears at least are metal judging from the leg comparison pics posted and the Chieftain minis sold at gencon. To my limited knowledge, these are still traditionally sculpted but the pics do look a bit rendery.

I thought that their new stuff was resin. Certainly their larger stuff is resin now.

**warboss**

spaceelf wrote:
warboss wrote:
cincydooley wrote:
Those look decidedly not metal......

The gears at least are metal judging from the leg comparison pics posted and the Chieftain minis sold at gencon. To my limited knowledge, these are still traditionally sculpted but the pics do look a bit rendery.

I thought that their new stuff was resin. Certainly their larger stuff is resin now.

Some of the previously all resin larger kits like tanks and striders are now resin and metal with the smaller pointy fiddly bits metal (like gun barrels and antennas). I'm guessing they had issues with miscasts or warping and went hybrid to avoid problems with certain of those smaller pieces.

**warboss**

New PRDF e-book (no dead tree version planned) was released earlier this week for $5. A northern equivalent is planned for January along with the beta testing the upcoming new edition starting in January as well. More info at the links below along with a preview over at DTRPG. As with all things DP9, please don't shoot the messenger!

Paxton/PRDF Army List E-book $5

Dream Pod 9's latest Heavy Gear Blitz ebook only exclusive entitled Blood Debt - Peace River Army List is now available on DriveThruRPG for only $4.95 USD. This 34 page ebook (including front and back covers) is an abridged version of the delayed Blood Debt- Peace River Field Guide, for players of Heavy Gear Blitz's Peace River faction. The Peace River Army List includes everything you need to make a Peace River army, with new vehicles, datacards, updated combat groups and threat values. Choose one of Peace River's five army options, from the Peace River Defense Force, Peace Officer Corps, Home Guard Security Force, Combined Task Force, or the Protectorate Sponsored Badlands Militia.

Pick up a Heavy Gear Blitz army and get involved in the War for Terra Nova.

Click Here for a link to the ordering page on DriveThruRPG.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/123488/Heavy-Gear-Blitz-Blood-Debt---Peace-River-Army-List&affiliate_id=4310

Blitz New Edition Announcement

http://dp9forum.com/index.php?showtopic=15785

Dream Pod 9 is announcing development of a new edition consolidated core tabletop wargaming rulebook for Heavy Gear. The full Beta rules will be released as a free e-book and b&w printed booklet in Summer 2014. The full color new edition core rulebook (both electronic and printed editions) will follow in early 2015.

The new rulebook will consolidate all the rules and complete army lists for all factions into one book for the first time and will introduce concepts for speeding up game play and simplifying army selection. Rules updates will be determined through an Alpha development phase which players are invited to participate in. The Alpha test period will occur between January and June, 2014. Support for the Alpha and Beta rules will be via a development webpage with a blog and weekly updates. The Dream Pod 9 forum will host playtester feedback and discussion in a special section to be announced.

The future for Heavy Gear will be the new edition consolidated core rulebook containing the storyline, rules, and core army lists for all factions currently available. The vast array of Heavy Gear armies will continue to be supported and expanded within the new standardized army construction rules system. Heavy Gear players will be able to participate directly in future development through playtesting, design competitions, and collaborative army design committees.

The recently released Blood Debt - Peace River Army List and forthcoming Northern Army List (early 2014) e-books only exclusives for Heavy Gear Blitz will allow all current players of HGB not involved in Alpha development to continue to enjoy playing until the new rules are released in 2015. Material from the originally planned printed books will be incorporated into the new edition rulebook.

The Heavy Gear universe will continue to expand with new miniature releases, re-sculpts, and the continuation of the storyline.

We need the participation of all Heavy Gear fans to help us develop the most fun mecha combat tabletop wargame available. We can’t make it happen without you and your enthusiasm in getting friends involved and bringing the game to your local stores and gaming groups.

**Ronin_eX**

Well, looks like they're starting to ramp up quite a bit. I honestly think the move away from dead tree is probably a good idea initially (especially considering what the South book cost) and hearing that we may actually see a North book in less than 6 months to a year is nice. I love the improvements to the game, but the glacial pace up updating kept HGB off of my radar for a long time.

For $5 I think I may throw some money their way and I am all kinds of ready for a Northerner book to bring my small force up to speed. Now maybe I can expect CEF and the other colonies to get some love before 2015.

Also, hurray for a new edition! L&L v1.1 + Field Manual has been around long enough and it is time to start fixing the core up in a more broad sense.

I'll definitely be looking forward to this, I'd love it if my HGB stuff would stop gathering dust. It is a fun game and one of my favourite settings of all time. But the glacial updating to a new edition has basically made me hold off on doing much more with it for years now. I look forward to a quicker pace come January.

**warboss**

Just to clarify, the announcement says that the north will be getting an Ebook but not a full FIF style book... just the 30 odd page army list like the PRDF one. Also, CEF will not be updated before the new edition. It sounds like the new edition will have a L&L style book with all the armies in it rather than upcoming (at least for now) field guides for each force.

**Barzam**

Rolt wrote:
HudsonD wrote:
The reception for the bikes on the official DP9 boards has resulted in the thread being locked...

The negative reaction towards the bikes wasn't due to these by any chance, was it?

Venus Wars Hound Attack Cycle:

Spoiler:

First thing that popped into my head the second I saw the HG stuff, I guess they're different enough in the grand scheme
of things. The other stuff looks quite nice at least, and Venus Wars is a fun little OVA, now someone needs to create the
Istar tanks and drop ships.

This was what immediately popped into my head, too. Geez, how many people even remember that OVA?

So have they finally seen the light and started casting these in something other than metal?

**warboss**

Barzam wrote:
So have they finally seen the light and started casting these in something other than metal?

They've been casting the larger pieces of many kits in resin for years but the smaller stuff (anything gear sized or less) is still metal.

**HudsonD**

Deeds, not words.
DP9 has a long history of promises, but their records on actual deliveries are something else.
A good example would be their latest release, a 140-pages book that was one year in the making, and ended up released as a 30 page PDF that looks and reads as an unedited first draft. Icing on the cake, those army lists will be made obsolete by the next version of the rules, that was announced the day after said PDF was put on sale.
I could also quote, in no specific order, the 10th anniversary edition, Arena, a rules Q&A thread that was maintained for 3 weeks, etc...

Every couple of years or so, we get big announcements and claims and "this time, it'll be different, really !". If you ask me, I'll believe it when I see it.

**solkan**

I'm looking forward to seeing what's going to be changing.

Even if they decide to scrap the old rules and go with the Badlands Rally style rules, that would be an excellent change.

**warboss**

The standard warrior has already been posted above but the Warrior IV look is new.

The new sculpt Warrior and Warrior IV Single Packs are now available to order on the Dream Pod 9 Online Store. The miniatures have been re-sculpted to give a new and more faction defining look. Both miniatures also include the command head to make their Chieftain command variants, extra weapons and hex base.

**warboss**

Well, the new edition is up and the official open alpha playtest has begun. Please note that the new edition is *NOT* compatible with previous ones so will not work with recent releases like the PRDF army list detailed above or the upcoming Northern release as well. Last I heard, the alpha continues till Gencon where a beta physical product will be released with the final version released in 2015.

Dream Pod 9 is pleased to announce that the Heavy Gear Alpha play test files are now live.

You can see the announcement here!
http://www.dp9.com/content/heavy-gear-alpha-test-core-rules-file

Thanks for all your patience, we look forward to hearing all your responses and experiences.

There will soon be a sub forum dedicated to the discussion and questions relating to the Alpha play test.

Thanks to everyone for your support and commitment. We do it for the fans!

-Dave McLeod

dave.mcleod@dp9.com

Heavy Gear Development Curator